Hello there and welcome to my blog!
If you’re new to The Right Fits, let me catch you up on my current situation. This post, this post, and this post are a great place to start. Basically, I was an avid marathoner, running 3-4 marathons a year, and was well into training for the Antarctica Marathon when I broke my tibia and fibula on a wintry Minneapolis run. My trip was cancelled, I had surgery on my leg/ankle, and now have a plate and 10 screws in my leg. I’ve been documenting my recovery here in my weekly recaps on the road to (hopefully) get back to running marathons again.
Here’s how this past week went in fitness:
Monday: I swam a TON last week in Palm Springs, so I opted to take a little break from swimming this week. I had been cleared to do the elliptical, so I went to the YMCA and did 45 minutes on that and then did my PT exercises. I have a long list of exercises I have to do now to rebuild strength and mobility in that leg. Before I can even think about running again, I have to be within 90% of the other leg in a few different “tests” that my PT does (tests of mobility and strength.) I’m definitely not there yet.
Tuesday: Solidcore class (50 minutes of pilates-type strength.)
Wednesday: 45 minutes on the elliptical and about 45 minutes of PT exercises!
Thursday: 45 minute spin class at Surge Cycling PT appointment in the afternoon.
My sister pointed out it looks like there’s blood on the spin bike in this picture..I guess it was totally badass, right? (pretty sure it was NOT blood, but rust.)
Friday: 45 minutes of the elliptical, 10 minutes on the stair stepper (just got cleared to do that one!) and then about 30 minutes of PT exercises. After work, I had my 3rd swim lesson with Jordan at the YWCA- fantastic as always! I’m so glad I decided to start taking swim lessons during this time of recovery as I think they have really helped me become a stronger swimmer.
Saturday: My sister Cresta joined me for what I’m referring to as the “JB Double”, i.e. 45 minute spin class at Surge Cycling following by a 50 minute solidcore class.
Cresta has a spin bike at her house and spins a lot, but she had never taken Solidcore before. The machines can be a little confusing the first time you go; the instructor kindly explained the basics of how it works:
However, I failed to warn her that the class is REALLY hard and is designed to work your muscles basically to failure..She did great though and I think she had a good time! 
After the class, we wandered around a bit at the West End shops, like lululemon, Primp, Kitsona, and more. It was so fun to have her join me!
(I did purchase a pair of speed shorts from lululemon and had to size up from my “running shape” size… 🙁 As I mentioned in this post, it’s definitely a hard truth about not running for 11 weeks.)
After a quick shower, Dustin and I joined some run club friends at Lagos Tacos for a Cinco de Mayo brunch. It was an 80+ degree day- so wonderful!
Later that evening, we took Matilda with us to a 1 year anniversary party of 56 Brewing.
It was a fun celebration, until an intense little storm rolled through and we all had to stuff inside the brewery until it passed. It was a lot of dogs! A little stressful for Tilda, so we didn’t stick around too long after the storm passed.
Sunday: Another JB double! This time, Solidcore first and then spin at Surge Cycling afterwards. My friend Christie joined me for the spin and then we grabbed a coffee afterward to catch up. I was happy to have a running friend join me as a “spin friend’ for the day!
Summary: 3 spin classes, 3 Solidcore classes, 3 elliptical workouts, 2 PT appointments, 1 swimming lesson 🙂 A strange variety.
Gosh, I wish there was some running to report back on, but not yet…until then, I’ll keep doing all my PT exercises and fill that running void with as much other activity as I can.
When I look back at the posts from when I was right in the thick of the injury, I know I’ve come a VERY long way. At this point, I can do everything but run (well, nothing with impact.) I trust that my PT is planning to bring me back to running safely, but its hard not to feel anxious to get back to it when I’m feeling pretty good.
It’s not like I’m totally back to normal…My ankle is still swollen; you can see the difference in this picture:
In fact, a woman at lululemon on Saturday actually recognized me from this blog and said she first noticed me because of my ankle/scar, and knew my story from here. Eeks! But even though you can tell it’s ‘injured’ I do feel really good. I think I’m walking pretty normal, just a little bit of a limp some days.
Running will hopefully come soon…
Stop by in a few days, I’ve written my recap post of our short trip to Palm Springs. I plan to publish it early this week!
As always, I’m linking up with HoHo Runs and Taking the Long Way Home for their weekly wrap. Check it out!
I’m really excited to see you finally getting close to running again. You’ve got access to a lot of fun places to workout! I need to visit Minneapolis sometime.
I think I told you that when my son broke his leg, his ankle was quite swollen for a while. His foot would also get dusky when it was dependent for a long time. But within 6 months of his break (and it was traumatic), he was back on the rugby field and doing his gymnastics again. You are getting so close!
Thanks Wendy, it’s great to hear about your son’s recovery. Gives me hope!
I think the swelling will continue for awhile, especially as I start to run and push it even further. It’s not necessarily a bad sign, it’s bound to happen as I push it a little harder.
Thanks for stopping by!
Great progress! So, how did doing Spin Cycle *after* SolidCore work out? I could imagine having nothing left for the 2nd class.
It wasn’t too bad- still not as much exercise time as a 20 mile run
I just found your blog through the linkup. I’m dealing with injuries right now too, although no broken bones (I have tendonitis and am now seeing a sports med doc who thinks it’s due to poor toe flexibility). Like you, I am doing a ton of cross training but no running and it stinks- trying to take it day by day and I hope that you can get back soon without the setbacks. It sounds like you have a good PT and even if you did have to size up in shorts, you did a lot of cross training this… Read more »
Thanks Amy, glad you found me but not so glad to hear about injuries. Hopefully your sports med doc helps you sort it out and you can get back to running!
I know how annoying the swelling is. Even though my injury was minimal in comparison to yours, it seemed like my right ankle was puffy forever .It wasn’t even my ankle that had been injured, but the swelling was a result of all the excess fluid and lack-luster circulation. Fun, huh! You have such a great attitude, and are staying so active…your running will probably pick back up faster than you realize (when you get clearance to do so). Hang in there!!
Thanks Kim! That’s interesting that you had swelling on your ankle when your injury was at be knee- crazy!
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Cleared for the elliptical and stair master!! That’s got to be just one step removed from treadmill right? It seems like a major milestone. I’m very happy things are moving forward for you!
Thanks Catherine! Yes, the elliptical and stair stepper are a great addition! Running is still the “last thing…” But I’d rather return to running safely than get plagued by an injury right away! Got to get that mobility and strength back.
It’s always fun to work out with others(especially your sister). That festival sounds fun but it doesn’t look like Tilda was having it, which is understandable with all those people. She’s so cute!
Tilda generally likes breweries and anything outside but the combo of the storm and everyone crowding inside was stressful!
Thanks for reading and commenting!
I think I’ve said this before, but I am so impressed with your positive attitude toward this injury. Seems like you’ve found some fun cross-training activities and will hopefully get back to running soon!
Thank you Sarah! I appreciate your positive thoughts.
your Cinco de Mayo celebration looks like it was a ton of fun! The weather definitely got very hot this week. It’s like we went from winter to summer overnight.
so glad that you are getting close to coming back to running. You’ve done an amazing job with cross training while you’ve been injured.
Yes Minneapolis skipped spring and went right to summer!
Closer every day! 🙂
Yay! This post made me smile – there is so much more you can do now and it’s only a matter of time before you take that first run! Gosh, has it been 11 weeks?! That’s almost three months. Wow. (PS: I didn’t even see the swollen ankle at first, I was too focused on those lovely shoes!)
Aww, thanks Shathiso! You’re the sweetest!
I know…three months sounds way longer than 11 weeks doesn’t it?
You’ve made amazing progress in the last 11 weeks. It’s just a matter of time until you’re back running again.
I hope you’re right!
You’ve come so far in the healing process. I know you must be very anxious being soooo close! You certainly have found a variety of workouts each week which is fantastic for aerobic conditioning and strength training! Hang in there. Thanks for linking!
Thanks for hosting the link up! Can’t wait til my posts include running again 🙂
I haven’t checked in with your progress in awhile. So nice to see you doing so well! Running will be here soon enough.