Running Errors and Life Errors

(top, shorts)

I went for a 60-minute class. When I pushed start, I questioned my sanity in attempting 60 minutes, but I was so glad I did. It was a power zones class, so it was focused more on endurance, and I loved it. I do think I need to do more of the hiit and hills/tabata type classes on my Peloton because it works on my fast twitch muscles (which I lack!) and gets me anaerobic, which I think will help with the short distances I want to race this summer (5K!!). I finished up with a 5-minute core class and then drove to my physical therapy appointment.

We did a gait analysis on the treadmill!

He asked me to scoot back on the treadmill belt because I naturally like to be too close to the console when I run on a treadmill.

My arms have always hung out wide when I run, so he said we will work on that last with some exercises in the future, but for now, the focus is on my hip drop. 5-7% is normal for women, but I am at 8% on my right side, so he gave me some exercises that I will do three times a week for the next month to help me stabilize and fire correctly.  

I bet I’m at about 20% of a hip drop by the end of a marathon;). I’m sure having/carrying babies contributes to some of these weaknesses, but I’m excited to know exactly what to focus on with my strength training now.

My foot lands under my body, so I don’t need to work on that!

My PT (Scott McKeel) has run a 2:32 marathon (twice!)… Working with a marathoner who understands why I love doing what I do is fun. I asked him if it was okay to post the videos of the exercises I am doing now, and he said sure. Unfortunately, I couldn’t upload it on my blog, but THIS is the link to see them on my Youtube. I made a promise to myself that I will stay consistent with these!  I also had some Gaston and dry needling done on both hamstrings as they continue to heal.  

When I left, I felt so excited to see what happens with my racing as I work on these things!

We had a little beach day with the kids at the lake.

The airplanes were Beck’s favorite part.
I think I want to just keep the pantry this way because the shelves will never look this clean again once I put food in here.

I did get everything back in my closet… it’s been in my bathtub for the last month.

Trees with blossoms and popsicles = perfection.

Now for some life errors–> It took me quite some time to realize that I had my shirt on inside out.

Another error was adding normal rice instead of instant rice to this chicken and rice recipe. Nothing like crunchy rice for dinner:). At least, I thought it was still good even though it isn’t pretty.

PS Eve shared this article with me just in case you have ever wondered too.  Going up the stairs makes me feel like I’ve never worked out a day in my life.

Does anyone else run too close to the console on the treadmill, or do you run more in the middle or the back of the belt?

Any funny life errors that you have made recently?

Most organized place in your living space and most unorganized place in your living space?

Ever had a gait analysis?  What did you learn about you?

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28 comments

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So much appreciate you posting the PT video! Signed – a fellow hip dropper. 😀

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You are so welcome! Hahaha let’s leave the hip dropper clup asap! Thanks April!

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Thank you for sharing your PT exercises! I’ll give them a try to see if they help with my hamstring problem. Unfortunately, a doctor and PT is out of the question right now. I’ve done everything from doing easy workouts for a period of time to doing nothing. It was way worse after taking 10 days off than it was at any other point in time.
How warm is it in Utah that you are at beaches and wearing short sleeves? I have a heater and a blanket on as I’m working this morning.
Have a great Thursday!

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Oh I hope they do so so bad. That would make me very happy. I am so sorry you are going through this. You need to get this solved and I hope these exercises do the trick. It has been 70-80 degrees consistently. SO nice outside and I hope you get some warmth soon too. Thanks Lee!

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I’ve never done a gait analysis, but I’d love to! I’m going to PT now for hip strength and it seems to be helping. Also, my PT rolls out my legs a lot harder than I would lol.

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So happy you have found a PT to help you with hip strength! Hahaha same… it’s too hard to put ourselves through that kind of pain so we need somebody else to. Have a great day, Mariah!

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Haha I run too close too! I’ve tripped on the plastic part before. 🤦‍♀️ I also go too close on the stairmaster and always set off the emergency stop. I’ve always thought it’s because I get vertigo/motion sickness and that helps me feel more grounded. Maybe I’m crazy.
I’ve been cycling a lot as I recover from surgery and my legs feel weirdly strong. It’s making me want to continue when I can run again.
Have a great rest of your week!

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You’ve tripped on the plastic part… ouch! Hahah I have done that before on the stair climber too. I think you have a point, I like being closer because it just feels safer. YES to the cycling, it makes us so strong. I hope your recovery from surgery is all going okay! Happy Thursday, Mollie.

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I always run way to close to the console on the treadmill. I love when the Peloton instructors remind you to drop back, because I’m always way up there.
I had my gait analyzed years ago, which is how I learned that I tend to over pronate. But it would be awesome to do it again with a PT. I’m sure I drop my hips too. So thank you for the link to the exercises! I will be incorporating these into my weekly workouts.
My hubby and I stayed up way too late last night talking, which is good, but wow am I feeling it this morning! I am definitely not a night owl, ha ha.
Have a good day Janae!

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That is so good that they remind you to move back a bit.. I wonder if we do it because it feels safer up close. Let me know what you think of the exercises. I LOVED reading that… you guys have been married for a long time and you still stay up too late talking. That made me smile. I hope you get more sleep tonight. I do not know how people stay up late often!

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Almost a year ago I had strength testing done and my entire right side was weaker than my left side, even my right tricep and bicep were weaker than my left tricep and bicep. I had a program made and worked for three months to get both sides of my body to have equal strength. I have also had a gait analysis done and appreciated the feedback from it. The many months of work on my muscle imbalances has improved my overall body strength and running form. I am so happy that you found someone to help you work on these things. Having our muscles working properly will keep us running and moving for the rest of our lives. I have been strength training for years, but if you do the same things over and over without addressing areas of weakness , as I did, it is not as beneficial.

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That is so interesting. I want to have a strength test done now. You are the inspiration I need… I love hearing how much this work has benefited you! Seriously so happy I found him too. We need to be running for DECADES longer. I was thinking that too, what’s the point of all of these Peloton strength classes I do if I don’t know what I need to target and where my weaknesses are… thanks for your comment! Have a wonderful day, Megan!

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Your gait analysis brings back memories of mine! I am a hip dropper too! I’m always so impressed by what PTs can spot and then find a way to correct.
We shall start a PT club through IG live! Ha
Enjoy your pantry as is. At least there can’t be any cereal spills this way!

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Hip droppers unite haha… let’s figure this out together! IG live sounds like a great idea. I really don’t think I’ll ever put food in there again haha. Happy Thursday, Molly!

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Hi Janae! I also run way too close on the treadmill! I actually think it alters my stride and so I get injured if I do too much treadmill running. I’m also much slower on the treadmill??? Excited to follow along your PT journey!!
Have an awesome day!

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I am slower on the treadmill too and I could totally see how that would alter your stride… I think it does for me a bit too! Thanks Amy, you too!

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Wow, an average of 51 resistance for a 60 min power zone endurance class?! My zones are so much lower!

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DO NOT COMPARE!! Andrew reminds me that his are so much higher than mine because he is taller and heavier… the same for me, it depends a lot on our sizes. Keep going, you are doing amazing!

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These exercises are great. Thanks for sharing. When does your PT recommend you do them? Before or after a run? Just one round or more?

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That is a great question! I’ll be doing them after a run 3 times a week. He said I could do them whenever I wanted, just needed to three times a week. For the exercises with a band, I am doing 20 reps per leg x 2 and the hamstring exercises I am doing 15 reps x 3. Does that make sense? I hope you have a great day, Lindsey!

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Thanks for sharing your PT exercises!
We recently did our closet too and I love it, I’m trying hard to keep it neat and tidy…it’s easy to just throw things in there so it can get messy easily
I’m going on a trip and was looking at the vuori Ripstop pants you shared a few weeks ago. Do you still love them and what color do you wear more then green or charcoal..I can’t decide lol. Thanks

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You are so welcome! Amen to that… I’m guessing I go for a solid 3 months of keeping it nice and organized. Still love them so so much. I highly recommend them and I wear the charcoal the most. You will love them. Everyone online says to size up but I like to wear my normal size in them. Have a great trip!

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Awesome. Thanks so much for your help. I should have asked what size… xs or small?

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Jane, I brought those same pants on a 3 week cycling trip to wear in the evenings after we were done riding, and even being packed in my cycling paniers and never being washed or hung up, they looked great for the whole trip. I did order a size up, but I wanted to make sure they were comfy after long days on the bike.

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I’m so glad you’re working with that PT, I can only imagine how much it will help with your running. A couple of years ago my back kept going out and I had to take so many breaks off running from the extreme low back pain. I had been seeing a PT for achilles tendonitis, and mentioned about my back, and they were able to put a program together to strengthen my overall core and work on hip stability and strengthening. It had a lot of the same exercises you show in the video. I now follow an online program to keep up with the hip strength and I can’t believe how much better my running is!! I just feel much stronger all around. And fixing the core imbalances (plus doing a specific foot and ankle strength program) has really helped my Achilles issues as well. Hurray for amazing PT’s!

And all the spaces feel unorganized right now, hah! I’m a big de-clutterer, organizer (I feel like it helps my brain calm down if I can organize one area in my life) but sometimes it feels like a losing battle. Your blank pantry is like a small dream, hah!

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I’ve had gait and done the gait…..at one point, because I instruct this stuff, I went to three different people to get mine done, two were entirely different, one was trying to sell me something, but one was amazing…it was actually at our university, a sports medicine clinic, used a lot of science and the physio actually knew who Bill Rogers is, and had met him which was cool…I’m actually watching, re-watching this year’s London Marathon…after watching the elites in Boston it’s interesting to watch their strides, and understand why we do those ABCs…I saved the men in Boston, side by side, yes fast, strong, but love watching their stride, exactly the same and what we’re supposed to do…..after watching, when I run I focus on that, not really a high knee of butt kick, not as exaggerated, but that form, and a controlled fall….like they say, never stop learning

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Those PT exercises look very familiar! 80% of them are what I have been prescribed by my PT right now. I am also working through an imbalance issues. It’s been a pain in my butt (literally) for several weeks now. No fun! I do think it’s a bit funny when I get gait analysis done because sometimes I really don’t see what the PT is talking about, even with the lines drawn all over. 😂

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Janae, you are CRUSHING it! Consistency is key. So glad you have been able to get these exercises in on a regular basis. It’s within the PROCESS where champions are made. Trust the process, believe in the process, and embrace the process! Keep up your hard work and there is no limit to your greatness!

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