Saturday would have be the perfect day to run the J. Brian's 1.5k that I posted about awhile back. Unfortunately, after a visit to the podiatrist last Friday, I'm on a forced hiatus for a few weeks. I've been having awful shin/ankle pains in my left leg, and after a couple rounds of x-rays, the doc said that it looks like I have a tibia stress fracture. The good news is that I'm already a couple of weeks into the healing process, so I just have to take another 3-5 weeks off running to let things completely heal.
The podiatrist I visited is a runner, and had lots of good advice for an amateur like myself. I talked about how I've been regularly running and working out, but haven't really seen the results/progress that I would like. He gave me a shpeal about understanding different types of running, and how your body reacts according to intensity levels. For instance, fast and high intensity running won't necessarily mean weight loss (from fat), but can instead burn muscle mass and not do much for endurance (or something along those lines). He recommended that I get a heart rate monitor that will gauge which zone I'm in, and that can help me focus on burning calories from fat vs. training for endurance or speed. Since I'm a sucker for gadgets, I did some research and decided to get a women's Polar HRM watch. Below is a chart Polar publishes that illustrates the benefits associated with each hearth rate zone (click image to enlarge):
Good to know! I'm super excited to give my new little gadget a spin once I've got it setup. While it wasn't cheap, if it helps me workout smarter, it's worth the investment. Stay tuned....
Other than that, I've been keeping busy at the gym by switching things up between spinning, swimming, and the elliptical, all of which are low impact and thus tibia friendly. Happy tibia = happy O-livia. This Saturday I'll be going for a hike with JB instead of the race, so that will be fun and great exercise. Plus, more fun in the sun! Love.
xoxo,
Olivia
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