Happy Wednesday! I am so thankful I made the last minute decision to take today off work. I wasn’t able to sleep in but I’m still enjoying a day to myself filled with checklist items I’ve been thinking about all week.
- Diagnostic appointment at Finish Line PT
- Packing for our trip to Savannah
- Five washers full of laundry
- Manicure and pedicure
- Placing our first Fresh Direct order
- Some blog work
- Mailing a few packages
Like I said, it won’t necessarily be the most relaxing day but it is a perfect way to kick off the vacation. My mom raised me to be the type person who never wants to leave a dirty house, laundry pile, or empty refrigerator. The last thing I want to do on Sunday when we land in NYC is worry about cleaning and going to the grocery store!
This morning’s breakfast was a well rounded spread including my favorite Fall treat, pumpkin butter!
I enjoyed a sliced banana, three egg whites, and a Thomas cinnamon raisin flat bread with a side of green tea.
My trip to Finish Line PT was exactly what I expected based on Theodora and Bo’s rave reviews. Michelle spent an hour assessing me, talking to me about my pain and tightness, and then performing A.R.T on me and leading me through a series of stretches. The good news is that I am not a hypochondriac!
Based on her assessment, there are two main areas we will focus on during the next few months.
- My right itBand is extremely tight and has been causing the knee and hamstring pain that I’ve felt during my post marathon workouts. Unlike most people, my itBand is actually tighter the higher you go versus only around the area where it wraps around my knee.
- My hips are extremely tight which is affecting everything from the way I run, walk, stand, sit, and even sleep. Due to my years of dance, I am extremely flexible which means my back and leg muscles have been compensating for my hips which causes me to arch my back at almost all times. This is the reason that I have deep lower back pain after long runs and walks and I sleep with my legs sprawled due to the lack of range of motion I have in my hip flexors.
I have asked Michelle to summarize my diagnosis more specifically in an email so I can share them with you and ensure I use the correct language. I feel much better knowing that my tightness and awkward sleep position wasn’t just a phantom problem! 
In addition, she spent a few minutes showing me the most appropriate foam rolling techniques for my issue areas. If you’ve never considered upgrading your foam roller to a rumble roller or trigger point roller I highly recommend it! I immediately felt a difference when using their orange trigger point foam roller and felt far more muscle release than when I use Equinox’s black foam roller or our wimpy white foam roller at home.
I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday whether you’re enjoying a day off or still busy at the office. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends and travel safely!
I would love to hear more about how you use the Rumble Roller! I also have IT band issues and tight hips, and I usually end up rolling with my regular roller and then trying to get into any little tight spots with a tennis ball, but it’s tricky. My PT also thought there was a connection between my dance background and my running aches and pains (flexible legs and low back –> tight hip flexors and weak hamstrings). Interesting!
Kimra: Next week, I’ll try and take my Flip Cam to PT so I can record a few tips and tricks! It sounds like we’re doing very similar things. The rumble roller is used the exact same was as a foam roller, just more powerful!
I really think that I’m going to be checking out ART as well to prempt my hip problems in my marathon training for next year. Are you just doing one session or is your plan to go back on a regular schedule?
Glad you got some answers today! I just bought the orange trigger point foam roller and for not doing any research on it apparently it was a great buy. Hope the ART helps your IT band and hips continue to feel better!
I love that pumpkin butter! I put it in my oatmeal.