All it takes is all you've got

3 miles on the treadmill in 8:35 ave. pace plus 30 minutes on the elliptical, 20 minutes of core/hip work and weight lifting

I feel so cautious while running because I don't want to aggravate my hip.  I obviously started coming back too fast from my hamstring injury a couple of weeks ago which caused my hip flexor injury, and I want to avoid any possibly re-injury this time.  My hip felt a little better than it did Saturday, so I went a little farther after three miles, I decided it was time to enjoy some elliptical fun.  I tried three machines before I found one that wasn't squeaky, commenting to the guy I ended up next to about how annoying squeaky machines are.  Then of course right as I got settled in another guy jumps up on the squeakiest of the machines a couple of spots down from us and the guy next to me and I just look at each other and roll our eyes.  It was really annoyingly squeaky.  We commented to each other how surprised we were that the squeak wasn't bothering the guy causing the squeak, yet it was really bothering us and many other exercisers that kept giving him dirty looks.  Its like when your own dog is barking in the middle of the night and it doesn't wake you up, only everyone else on your street.  Finally, after about 12 minutes of squeaking and receiving dirty looks, he got the hint and stopped the maddness.  Thank goodness.  We all continued our workout in peace.

5 miles in 8:26 pace

Hip felt a little better today than it did yesterday!  Yeah!  Did hip exercises after my run and stretched well.  One more visit to Richey for some ART tomorrow, and I'll keep slowly building up my running miles.

Hip is slightly more tight than yesterday so I did the elliptical for an hour and then 25 minutes of core/hip work.

Saw this guy walking on the treadmill in front of me with the incline way up, I assume in an effort to get a great workout. Then I saw that he was holding on tightly to the treadmill faceplate which effectively is like walking half of his body weight up a hill.  No wonder he wasn't breaking a sweat.

4 miles in 7:54 pace

What a BEAUTIFUL day!  Temperature was a sunny 31 degrees on my run.  The combination of sunshine and exercise is amazingly mood-boosting!  And my hip felt better than it has in WEEKS!!  The ART work yesterday must have helped.  I have to admit, that ART stuff can be excruciating  fun.  I found myself doing mental exercises to avoid kicking Richey in the face as he scraped my adductor.  We concluded yesterday that my hamstring and hip flexor are adhesion free, but the adductor is still working kinks out.  

I had some sugar temptation yesterday and really wanted candy. My 3 yo daughter had earned money all week because she really wanted me to take her to the candy store in the mall so she could buy a treat.  She had earned $4.68 which was enough for a small bag of assorted treats that she shared with her Dad and siblings.  She kept offering me some and I kindly declined.   It gave me renewed strength to remember all my fellow bloggers resisting the treats all month too.  The smell in that store is so yummy, I just wanted a taste of a few things, but it was not to be. As a consolation, I had a bowl of "kid tested, mother approved" Kix when I got home. 

4.26 miles in 7:46 pace

Hip didn't feel as good today as it did yesterday but still runnable.  Today was even warmer weather!!  Sunny 37 degrees!

Did a bunch of hip exercises and foam roller after my run.  My quads and ITBs are pretty tight, so I was lovin' the foam rolling.

I'm excited for the weekend because Aaron and I are going out for dinner both tonight and tomorrow night with different friends, and tomorrow we'll probably go see a movie after dinner.  For V-Day, he is giving me some time tomorrow without kids to do whatever I want and he scheduled a massage and facial for me in the morning.  One of my good friend's husband scheduled her massage and facial at the same time and place as me so we can hang out and go to lunch afterwards.  I've never had a facial, and have no idea what they do, so I guess I'll find out.  I'm thinking I'll get a haircut while I'm at the spa too.  

5.13  miles in 7:54 pace

Got a massage and facial at an upscale spa with my friend, Kristy courtesy of our husband's scheming.  It was SOOOOO relaxing.  During the facial I almost fell asleep.  After the spa, we went to lunch and Kristy was asking me all about Aaron's barefoot running.  Then later that night we went to dinner with two other couples and they were asking about his barefoot running too.  We seem to be talking about that a lot lately.  After dinner we went to see Valentine's Day with our friends.  I wondered if the star-packed cast meant they spent all their money on the cast which meant the script would suffer, but it was actually pretty well-written too.  I laughed many times and almost cried once (in the final scene with Julia Roberts, in case you were wondering). There were a few characters I didn't like, but overall it was pretty good.

The no sugar diet is going well, and I'm not planning on taking a free day today. I figure I'm on a roll and I don't want to risk throwing a wrench in it by having sugar today. I gave the kids each a new toy and a little candy for Valentine's Day and I'm not planning on baking any cookies or treats.