Where's my motivation?

I started easing back into running again after a week out of running due to my ankle. Nothing to write about really. Here's the breakdown:

Sunday: Light shoulders
Monday: Run (1.0 mile run, then a 0.5 mile interval after a brief walk)
Tuesday: Pullups/pushups, bicep curls
Wednesday: Run (1.6 mile run, then a 0.25 mile interval after a brief walk)
Thursday: None
Friday: None
Saturday: None

So, what's my injury report? My wrist is gaining more and more range of motion, but there is pain here and there depending on what angle. I'm off of any wrist supports/wraps now and am just working with lighter weights. I'm still stretching my wrists whenever I remember to slowly loosen up that joint. As for my ankle, it feels fine during running. I can't really rotate my foot that much and the outside part of my ankle is a bit tender still. Luckily, these things don't matter when I'm running in a straight line. I'm no longer wrapping, as the tape actually irritates me when I'm running.

The thing is about running lately is that I have no motivation to continue. First day back, I did one mile. I suppose that was okay since I was more or less testing the stability of my ankle. Second day, I did 1.6 before it started getting difficult. Normally, this is where I turn it on and get my head in the game. But, I went, "meh" and took a walking interval. The drive isn't there at the moment. Hopefully this week will be different. I want to at least get back to running 5K 2-3 times a week, preferably outdoors or at 2% on a treadmill.

I've been thinking about my weight sessions lately. I think I'm going to take this opportunity to change my workouts again. Change is what shocks the muscles anyway. I've been doing pretty much a split body workout. Bodyweight on Day 1, shoulders/legs on Day 3, back/chest on day 5. Not a bad schedule, but the pressure not to miss a workout is high. Missing a workout means missing working a muscle group for a week. And I feel I'm not taking full advantage of a split body workout by not doing it twice a week. So I'm thinking of doing full-body workouts 2-3 times a week. So, I'm going to sit down and figure out how I want to do this. I have a general plan, so it'll probably be something I'll start next week. We'll see.


Last weigh-in:
172.0 lb

Slow week

It was a pretty slow week dealing with an injured wrist and an injured ankle. Here's the breakdown:

Sunday: Neutral-grip pullups/pushups on fists
Monday: Ab Ripper X
Tuesday: None
Wednesday: None
Thursday: Shoulders, Kenpo X
Friday: None
Saturday: None

I took the week off from running as I had said. My ankle was swollen for a couple days after the injury. I supported it by taping it for three days. The compression helped with the swelling, while the support gave me a little comfort. No pain relievers; not really a fan of them. Anyway, I noticed I was still able to move forward and backwards with the foot, so it was really an issue of lateral movement. It's still a bit tender at the injury site, but I'm going to be easing my runs back in.

As for my wrist, my range of motion increased, but excessive twisting causes slight pain. I did modified exercises for my upper body to minimize unnatural twisting of my wrists. Pullups were performed with neutral grips. Pushups were similarly performed on my fists. Then I did a day of Kenpo X give my upper body an overall workout. Nothing really too crazy this week. I fit in stretching when possible.

Nothing else to write about really. It was an uneventful week. We'll see how this week goes.


Last weigh-in:
172.0 lb

Well, isn't this just great?

So, I've been taking it easy while my right wrist heals from the sprain. I'm annoyed, but I have my running. So guess what happens Saturday? I sprained my ankle. Before I get into it, here's the breakdown:

Sunday: None
Monday: Run - 2.0 miles in 18:26 @ 2% incline (9:15, 9:11)
Tuesday: Ab Ripper X
Wednesday: Run - 5K in 28:22 @ 2% incline (9:14, 9:12, 9:03)
Thursday: None
Friday: None
Saturday: Light set of shoulders

It was an okay week in terms of runs. I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't run 5K on Monday, especially since I was aiming for four miles. The run on Wednesday was pretty tough. I couldn't hit 4 miles, and I was pretty bummed. But I did some research, and the last time I ran four miles, it was at 0% incline. So I'll just have to slowly build to it.

During the week, I got an email with a link to my official results for my 5K. Turns out I finished faster than I thought, officially at 27:54 with an average 9:00 pace (Official Jumbo Stampede results. Computerized Timing and Scoring By Spitler Race Systems.. Sweet. I placed 98 overall, 46 in my age group of 18 - 29, and 63 in my gender group.

Now onto my ankle sprain. I was chaperoning a trick-or-treating outing. Crazy, huh? Well, throughout the outing, I pretty much walk up to the steps/door, then step aside to give a clear way for the kids to come out. At one house, I guess the path was a bit elevated, but I couldn't tell because the leaves covered it. My left foot slipped off the edge and bent in a pretty bad way. The pain was a bit sharp, but went away after a few minutes. I had sprained my ankles a lot as a kid, and that made it difficult to sprain them after, so I assumed it would be okay. But by morning, I was in pain and my ankle was swollen. It's been taped up for the past two days.

So to summarize, I have a recovering right wrist and a bum left ankle. I'm taking myself off running and lower body exercises. I can now only do ab work and modified upper body exercises. For example, I did neutral-grip pullups and pushups on fists last night. I think I can do shoulder work since it doesn't require my wrist to rotate. This is a tough time for fitness right now. Oy...


Last weigh-in:
172.0 lb