Did I Run a Marathon?

Ha. No. I didn’t. But it kind of feels like I did!

Yesterday morning before I hit the gym I went for a short run. It was already over 80 degrees at 8am so I didn’t want to spend too much time outside. I see people running in the hot sun in the middle of the day, without water, and I really have no idea how they make it home without passing out. Maybe they’re from Texas or Arizona?

I ran to my new hill, did some repeats, and ran back to the gym. In all, it was only about 20 – 25 minutes. I really like this hill because there aren’t many people around usually, but it seemed like there were quite a few yesterday. Most of them looked at me like I was a little crazy, but that’s okay. One of the things us runners have to deal with. After only three workouts on this hill, I’m already getting faster so it’s definitely worth a few weird looks!

When I got to the gym I went straight for the drinking fountain for a big, cold drink of water, then stretched a little and started my strength training. I was focusing on my arms and abs, mostly, but I also take time on the weekend to work on balance by doing a few reps of standing on the bosu ball on one foot for as long as I can and balancing. It builds balance and strength, which I learned during PT last year are things I need to focus on to stave off future stress fractures.

I stepped off the bosu ball and all of a sudden my right quad started cramping. And I mean really cramping. Then, my left quad started cramping. I could hardly stand and it was all I could do to stay silent. It felt weird and really hurt. It was like the muscles were cramping and twitching at the same time. Probably lasted less than 30 seconds, but it seemed like a long time. I shook out my legs and sat down on the bench for a minute then tried to stretch. For a few minutes it was a little difficult to walk because they were still cramping slightly. So strange and annoying.

It finally stopped and while my legs still felt a little weird I wasn’t done with my workout yet so I kept going. I did some more strength training, although I skipped a few things like squats and leg presses, and then hit the elliptical for a good sweat session. Thankfully my legs seemed okay throughout and afterwards I spent a good time stretching.

The rest of the day they were okay and didn’t really bother me much, I almost forgot about it, but this morning I could feel how tight my quads were even before getting out of bed. It’s been tough walking around and I must look pretty hilarious walking up and down stairs. It’s quite ridiculous. I’ve been stretching ever half hour or so, spent time with the foam roller at the gym this morning and will hope this is gone tomorrow. One thing I didn’t do enough of yesterday was drink water. That probably would have helped lessen the strain today, but I had no idea it would be like this! Lesson learned.

• Have you ever experienced extreme cramps in a muscle during a regular workout?
• What’s your go-to method for loosening up tight muscles?
• Do you love or hate to run in super-hot weather?
• What’s been the highlight of your weekend?

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Today’s workout -

• 45min elliptical
• 3x12 upright row
• 2x15 weighted side bends
• 3x12 lat pull down
• push-ups
• 3x15 back extension
• ab exercises
• stretching