I’m pretty sure my new PT thinks I’m crazy doesn’t like me. Today marked the 4th session (week) with him and let’s just say it didn’t go well. Like he made me cry and I wanted to punch him in the face.
The good news is that another PT, who happens to be an old friend of mine who I didn’t’ know worked there or I’d be going to her instead handed me a box of tissues. And then I was too upset, in pain actually, to punch anything.
The “run” down. New PT isn’t a runner. I’d even extrapolate that statement to hypothesize that he doesn’t even like runners. Maybe he knows my hubby? Last week he emphasized that I MUST cross train, even though I’ve been pretty focused on building miles. So I cross trained. Only ran 27 miles all week. Biked 25 miles. Took a spin class. Swam 1500 yds in the pool.
I even took a damn sunrise yoga class at 5:15 this morn. That didn’t go well either. Runners doing yoga could be a comedy skit. You can ask Aby, she went too! What a joke but yes, we are going back. I think. Okay, Aby says “we” are going back.
So, I cross trained. And I’m not any better this week, than last week. In fact, I’m worse with a plethora of new aches & pains to add to the list. My feet hurt. And they are swollen. And I’d probably take a cortisone shot from a homeless man if it was offered up to me! Kidding. Kinda. And now, I’m in trouble from Mr. PT. He thinks I run too much, or more specifically that I built up too quickly. Which I did. But please just fix me. Complain to the other PTs after I leave. Please. Thank you.
** Runner at Heart – Regardless of How My Feet Feel ** Amanda – TooTallFritz
TooTallFritz 
Ugh……..I am so sorry….hopefully it is just waiting for you to get here for it to get better. Hopefully Dr. Alexis can help you on Saturday……not too much walking at the expo, we will do our best on this end to get you back to some normalcy…..if not we can drink…..
Man Amanda!!! OUCHIE and sorry both at the same time. I wonder if your PT and my chiropractor are brothers lol because the chiro that always barges in the treatment room ahead of the actual chiro that I’m supposed to see is always riding me hard about running and how it’s bad for my knees and “you high mileage guys.” Ummmm dude!! … my knees hurt when I DON’T run. I can fly out there and punch him for you lol 🙂 Anyway, I hope you improve soon Amanda!
Exactly, my feet if I run or if I don’t run!! So why should I stop?
Amen sista!!! 🙂
Stooooopid PT! Sounds like he knows my hubby too. 🙂
Hang in there. Hope you get to feeling better soon.
Ah-ha…TTF you have struck a harmonic frequency with my perspective on therapy…it shouldn’t be painful! But I can expound on a few more aspects in your post that warrant some further consideration. First is the PT that instructs you to X-train. That is commendable and appropriate recommendation, and he is correct…if you seeking PT for issues…probably has something to do with rebuilding run mileage (training volume) too fast…but he didn’t mention anything about the intensity of the runs in that training volume, nor its sequencing (i.e. easy…hard…easy…hard…recovery…schema).
Regarding X-train…I would suspect that after only a week or so…yes…you will incur aches and other minor pain if you just re-starting and those muscles go through the same ole thing running-trained muscles go through in build-up…sooooo…the same training principles of gradual build-up…with cutbacks…as well as the intensity of those bike rides and swims applies equally as well. You have to give the x-train about 3-4 weeks for adaptations to take effect and then the aches and pains are less evident in post x-train routines. In other words…just like you build gradually in run-training relative to the goal race distance…so do you in x-train that involves biking or swimming.
Ditto for Yoga…and considering myself is something I should really seriously pursue to contend with tight hamstrings and other inadequacies that often come back to nurture run injuries. But yoga is something that takes a lot of time and patience to develop. And most yoga programs aren’t necessarily designed for the avid distance runner to come to as a newbie and fare well…because as runners you may be coming in to that program with far more tightened muscle groups than the average person. And some people naturally have better flexibility in their joints and connective tissues. I am for one…not one of those “flexible” bodies…beaten-down with age and former injuries included herniated and partial fusion of lumbar vertebrae, broken neck in car accident with partial fused neck vertebrae, never treated dislocated L-shoulder and a L-foot run over by a fork-lift in the early 70’s and the little pinky is so scrunched inwards and the big toe has poor ability to contract and curl.
Soooo….you have to give time for the x-train and the yoga to do their magic. And…you have to treat them just like you do in running…following the principle of progressive build-up. All coaches of any sport know the principle of progressive stress and recovery. Maybe PT’s don’t…but that would certainly exclude that Alexis-gal you have mentioned going to in past.
I don’t know if anything I ever post helps you. I never get any discrete responses, or to be fair…I don’t check back on prior posts to see what you might have commented on. But…I am sure…that anyone reading your blog will be exposed to my perspective…if they choose to take the time to read through longer posts.
But you are “not in trouble”….merely in that “gray zone” of rebuilding physiological conditioning or nurturing next injury. And it simply takes adjustment…yes pursue the therapy…make adjustments in both the run training volume and intensity and make sure they are balanced in terms of the easy-hard principle, and ditto…make adjustments and apply the same progressive-easy-hard build-up with the X-train regimen. But…anyone that continues to see a PT that always invokes intense pain in there routines…or at least doesn’t respond and back-down their pressure when you experiencing pain…could be classified as a masochist. In other words…anyone that goes to PT and leaves in tears because of pain…can them…find another. It is not a matter of understanding you are a runner…it is a matter of understanding the principles of training…that I assume have corollaries in the therapy profession.
I thought I was the only one who felt like a clumsy hippo every time they tried yoga…
And now, when I go tomorrow, I’m going to be thinking of hippos. Thanks, Mo! LOL! I’ll be even more giggly than yesterday!
If I start to laugh in yoga, I topple over. You’ve been warned.
Found you on Dan’s Marathon- good luck in Chicago! It’s on my “list” of races I hope to eventually run.
My favorite part: “Just fix me & complain about me after I leave.” Seriously – that’s what you’re paying him for. I’ve got my fingers & toes crossed for you as you tackle Chicago. And then I hope you find a new PT.
Can you switch PTs? I went to a PT group last year and was able to float between them. One of them got REALLY mad at me when I ran 6 miles after a month of PT and was feeling good enough to do so. I mean, I understand that they have a job to do but as a runner… I sort of feel like I do too!