This wasn’t the greatest week for workouts. At various points I had the distinct and discouraging feeling that my entire body was falling apart. The inflammation I had going on in my hip Monday took a couple of days to go away. I also had a sore, awkward-feeling foot and some weird pain in my shoulder. All on the same side. I have no idea what started it, but I assume they were all related in some kind of chain reaction.

At any rate, I did my best to listen to my body and not do anything that would aggravate any of the angry areas. This meant more rest, less intensity, less distance, etc. Here’s how it all shook out.

Monday: PT. Clam Shells (RB), Bridges (RB), Single-Leg Bridges , Scissors (RB) , Supermans, Squats, Duck Walks (RB), MC Hammers (RB), Single-Leg Balances, Airplanes, Stretch/Foam Roller [Steps: 5,163]

Tuesday: 2.7-mile Walk-Run + Body Pump. I walked around the indoor track at the rec center for a total of 8 laps (1/3 mile per lap), alternating running and walking. It didn’t feel quite normal, even though most of my pain had faded. I kept it slow and stopped when I felt I needed to. In Body Pump class, I felt good and didn’t encounter any problems — while my shoulder had been hurting me off and on, none of the exercises seemed to bother it, so. [Steps: 10,341]

Wednesday: Rest. I went and hung out at my friend B’s pool in the afternoon. My shoulder was bothering me again, but one dose of ibuprofen knocked the pain out and it didn’t come back for several days.  [Steps: 5,481]

Thursday: Yoga. A pretty gentle hatha-type class at the rec center. I love this teacher for being so kind and encouraging, but at heart I’d rather have a power/vinyasa flow class.   [Steps: 5,803]

Friday: Rest. Also, happy hour.  [Steps: 4,299]

Saturday: 3-mile Run. First legit run of the week. I ran really, really slowly and took a walking break each mile (about 0.05-0.10 mile each time). No pain in my foot or hip or shoulder during the run, but my shoulder was sore again after. Huh? Once again, a single dose of painkiller fixed it. No idea what’s causing that problem, but it hasn’t reappeared since, knock wood. [Steps: 8,975]

Sunday: 3-mile Walk-Run + PT Mini-Session. While out on my slow, gentle walk run (alternating quarter miles), I came up with a new strategy for doing my PT: I have been struggling to get in two real PT sessions, so I decided I would try to do a daily (or almost-daily) mini-session, limiting myself to three major moves each day and switching them up. I think/hope that with the knowledge that I only have to commit to doing three moves, I’ll find it easier to get going each day. Clam Shells, Single-Leg Bridges, Squats (narrow & wide). [Steps: 11,619]

Totals: 51,681 Steps

Goals: This coming week, I hope to return to some more regular runs, body permitting. I’d also like to hit Body Pump class twice and get in at least 5 PT mini-sessions.