Three Miles, Beating the Pavement

I really wish I was back on the trails in the woods, but I can't make that happen everyday.  I did three miles today in my neighborhood; however, I had set out to do four.  I also had to walk for 0.2 miles and take a couple breaks.  I don't know if this is from being tired from the big run on Sunday, or possibly from the chiropractor appointment yesterday.  I noticed my left big toe knuckle on the ball of my foot and right calf were a little sore after my adjustment.  This is normal, as my muscles and joints are going to work a little differently with my pelvis being properly aligned.  It feels like my left toe knuckle is getting better, with only residual pain.  The right calf is probably just muscles being used differently or stretched out after the adjustment and should calm down in a few days. I also noticed that I was running 10 min miles, which doesn't sound too good to me.  I think I'm still beat from the run on the mountain, and hopefully, I will improve with the next run.

Weights and Chiro

Today was the day for my chiropractor appointment.  I have mentioned before that I was having some problems with my left leg, and my brother noticed that my left foot was turning out when he was running behind me yesterday.  I also had pain on the large knuckle of my big toe from my foot being angled inward, the outside of my left knee had pain when bent with weight on it, and my pelvis was clicking/popping along my back on the left side during sit-ups.  This all pointed towards a problem with my pelvis or possibly lower back, causing me to not stand straight.  My chiropractor confirmed this and fixed me right up.  He did a pelvis alignment, my back between the shoulder blades, and a couple places in my neck.  

What really mad it worth the cost was the tendon and muscle work he did.  I should of got his notes from where he worked on, so I could explain it better.  There were a couple issues, the left knee and my usual problem with the my upper right quadriceps tendons.  My left knee pain was from my left hip not rotating correctly, because of the misaligned pelvis.  So, some sports therapy was done on both, but I was concerned because that caused a popping in my left knee where the pain had been.  The doctor thought this might be from tendons moving differently after the adjustment and exercises.  After a day or so, the popping should stop as everything stretches out and settles.
The second issue is with my right side.  As a teenager, I ripped the bone off my pelvis, where the tendons for the quadriceps attach.  I was playing soccer and hyper-extended my knee kicking the ball.  Rather than having a torn tendon, the bone was  pulled off where it attached.  Instead of screws and staples, surgery was avoided by letting the bone grow out to the fragment that the tendon was attached to.  Once it had healed halfway, I reinjured it again.  This means my body mechanics are slightly screwed up at the pelvis, because of this.  Not only is my motion screwed up by how the tendons attach, but there is a build up of scar tissue preventing the tendons from moving across each other properly.  We do several painful exercises to break up the scar tissue, so the tendons can move and be loosened up enough to allow the hip/pelvis proper movement.  I will be sure to take notes on my next visit, so I can be more descriptive in these exercises.

Now, back to the training.  Sunday was supposed to be a day of weights, but my brother and I went on a big run instead.  Today, I was sure to do my strength training before my appointment, because nothing is more frustrating than paying $55 for the a doctors visit and then immediately screwing up what was done.  I didn't do anything special, just my normal routine.

Today I did the following:

• 25 push-ups on the ground x3
• 20, 20, and 25 rep bicep curls with 20lb weights, at a slow pace
• 10, 15, and 25 rep lunges with 20lb weights in each hand, and one foot on a chair behind me
• 15 20 and 20 lateral dumbbell raises instead of overhead dumbbell press, I alternate between these 
• 30, 40, and 50 reps of sit-ups 

FOUR MILES!!!!!

Even with a sore back from yesterday's day laborer work, I pushed through and did four miles after work.  I am quite pleased with myself for this.  Three miles was getting easier, so it was time to jump up a level.  Much like when I first did two or three miles for the first time, the last mile is where it really hurt.  I focused on keeping my stride and breathing steady, and I think that really helped me keep going until the end.  I was running like a machine that couldn't be stopped.

I did notice some pain in the second knuckle of my left big toe.  I have a feeling this is from the hip and knee issue I mentioned previously.  It's as if the toe was being pushed toward my other toes, at the ball of my foot.  This makes sense if you look at the other joint issues I am having.  Looks like my pelvis is out of alignment or tilted, causing my left knee to buckle in, which finally tilts my foot inward and puts pressure on my foot at the ball.  Normal walking around raise any flags that this was happening, and actually went completely unnoticed.  Sit-ups, lunges, and consistent running brought these issues out and showed that they are linked together.  I actually called my chiropractor yesterday, and I have an appointment for next Monday.  It will be nice to be all straightened out for once.

New Strength Training Approach

So far, I have trying something a friend used to do in college with the bicep curls.  Do as many as you can rapidly, until you are tired.  Doing this with the only weights I currently have, 20lb dumbbells, takes forever, and it's not going to help me bulk up.  It would be a better toning exercise after gaining more mass.  After completing three sets I had done hundreds of curls.  I decided to start doing slow extensions and exploding on retraction.  The slow extension helps tire the muscle out faster, so I am only able to do 25 on my right/dominant arm and 20 on my left.  Not only is this faster to do, but it should be better for building strength faster.

I also know that I shouldn't be doing the same workout each time, so I'm going to start making changes for each one.  Last time, I did lateral dumbbell raises for my shoulders, and I did the overhead dumbbell press this time.  Next time, I will go back to the previous exercise for my shoulders.

I also did push-ups on the floor, and then did them on an 18" coffee table.

The lack of a crunch or sit-up exercise was not intentional.  I meant to do it after lifting weights, but I simply forgot because I was so tired.

When doing my lunges with dumbbells, I noticed a popping on the left side of my knee.  No pain, just an annoying half pop, half click.  I think this is related to my left hip not moving right, which happens while doing sit-ups.  I need to get into see the chiropractor, as it is now obvious that my pelvis needs an adjustment.  I try to prolong the time between visits, because I no longer have health insurance and don't make very much money.  I don't want to end up with an injury, so I need to stop being so cheap.

Today I did the following:

• 25 push-ups on the ground, and 25 with my feet elevated 18"
• 20, 20, and 25 rep bicep curls with 20lb weights, at a slow pace
• 10, 15, and 25 rep lunges with 20lb weights in each hand, and one foot on a chair behind me
• 15 20 and 20 overhead dumbbell press instead of lateral dumbbell raises from the last workout

Breakfast To Go and Weights

Kashi cereal, vanilla yogurt, and a banana on the counter at work Saturday morning.  I have been eating a banana every morning because potassium helps sore muscles.  I haven't been sore lately, either from getting stronger or these daily bananas are doing the trick.  Just because you aren't home, doesn't mean you can't eat well. I threw this together while standing behind the counter.  I see people eating crappy processed food all the time, and they say it's because they don't have time to eat right.  With barely any effort, you can bring healthy fast food along with you anywhere.

After my shift, I did my usual weight training.  It is getting too easy, so I need to change things up.  I have an old weight set somewhere in my mother's garage, so I will dig that out sometime this week.

I did notice that my left hip is clicking along my back, when doing sit-ups.  I do have issues with my pelvis popping out of alignment, so I will need to see my chiropractor to have them adjusted.  Usually it is on my right side, due to a childhood soccer injury.  A tendon ripped the bone off where it attached, so now there is a bone spur where the pelvis grew out to the bone fragment.  This has resulted in a change in my bio-mechanics, which occasionally requires chiropractic adjustment of the pelvis.