New Shoes

For the past few weeks, I've been experiencing pain in my left ankle. It's not all the time, just sometimes when I take a step or turn my foot a particular way. At first, I thought it was due to a fall I had when skiing but after a while it didn't seem like it could be that any more. I know that as I age and settle more into my potato-ness that it's going to take me longer to recover from things but this seemed a little excessive.

Then I realized. It was the shoes.

Back in August of last year, I bought a really comfortable pair of runners. In the past, I haven't spent much on athletic shoes and they have lasted for years because I didn't use them that often. That's changed. I bought some good quality running shoes and wore them constantly. Since I work in retail and have dogs that need walking, I was putting close to ten miles a day on my shoes every. single. day.

Those are the old shoes. On the right, you see them in all of their beautiful newness. On the left, they sit. Defeated. Worn out. There are holes in the toes and the back of the right shoe is broken so it tends to slide down when I put them on. It's not comfortable.

Then, we got the elliptical and I started putting more miles on my shoes almost every day. It's no wonder that I ended up with no padding or support left. It was definitely time for a change. So, when my income tax return came in (thank you, Revenue Canada) I decided to shell out and get two pairs of shoes.

Both pairs have a lot of what I need. Cushioning. They cradle my feet like supportive clouds and I am in love for sure.  I'm still getting used to how bright they are but since they're so comfortable I'm willing to deal with it.

I got a pair of Sauconys again and my other pair is made by ASICS. I've always wanted to try ASICS but I couldn't justify the price tag at the time. Now, though, I feel like I can. It's important to have comfortable shoes when I run or work out. Here's hoping these pairs do me proud just like their predecessor did.

Taking it Easy

I took it a bit easier than I normally would have last week. I fell skiing a little while back and hurt my leg. It wasn't really serious. If anything, it felt like I strained something in my left knee and ankle and when I would turn or move in a certain way I would end up with pain radiating out of my knee and down the outside of my left leg to my ankle. While it wasn't overly uncomfortable, it was irritating and I wanted to let things heal up a bit.

I tend to have to deal with knee issues on a regular basis. I have actually had surgery on my left knee but that was about 20 years ago. My kneecaps don't sit on straight and as a result I had horrible knee pain back in my late teens. The surgeon ended up severing all of the ligaments, moving my kneecap into the right position and then stitching everything up. It healed well and I only end up with pain when I don't exercise and my leg muscles become weak. Since that is something I want to avoid, working out isn't really an option. It's a necessity. 

I went on the elliptical a few days early in the week and then on Thursday it was delivery day. I ended up  moving heavy bags of pet food etc and my leg wasn't happy as a result. So, I skipped yoga and took it easy for a couple of days.

That hasn't really seemed to improve things so this week I am back at it again. I am being a bit more careful and am doing things in a less strenuous way. This has mainly meant keeping the resistance and incline low on my elliptical and not pushing myself to go at top speed. I've been feeling good after my workouts so I think I'm handling things correctly.

I did 8km yesterday and 10km today. In the past, I have set the incline as high as 10" and my resistance level as high as 12 or 13 and that definitely ended up with me pushing myself a lot. Today and yesterday, however, I only got to about 4" incline and level 7 resistance. It may mean that I didn't burn as many calories but it also meant that I am not injuring myself further which is more important in the end.

I've also been adding in other activities as well on days that I am doing cardio. Yesterday, I added in crunches, burpees, squat jumps and back kicks. I'm not super used to these actions so I am starting out low and trying to build up the number of reps that I can do without hurting myself.

Progress is continuing. I haven't updated my weight because it hasn't changed much over the past few weeks. I do notice, however, that I am able to workout longer at a higher intensity without praying for death and that I have more energy so I am using those as guidelines that my fitness level is increasing even if my weight isn't going down as quickly as I would like it to.