Happy Multiple Personality Day!

That's right, today is National Multiple Personality Day!  I will nicely assert my celebration of the event by posting my thoughts on my PT session tonight.  I am {knock on WOOD} pain free right now.  I've been stretched and bent, squatted and wobble boarded, and last but not least, I've been taped.  I feel great right now.  Hello, Sybil, and how do you feel right now?  Why, I feel great right now, thanks for asking!  I am positive and hopeful.  What's that?  That's quite a departure from the way I felt all day today?  I don't know what you're talking about.  Couldn't be me.

OK, let's let those ladies have their discussion, I'm going to talk about tonight's PT.  Happy Multiple Personality Day!

I spent the majority of the day lamenting my condition; an injured runner.  I mean, it's really no fun knowing that your body won't allow you to do something it does somewhat naturally, which you both enjoy and need.  This is my final week of PT.  Two more sessions, and I think they'll discharge me.  That doesn't mean I can go right out and run 10 miles, but, I will hopefully be cleared to run a little bit.  I can almost taste the sweat on my brow.

So tonight I was with Dawn*.  Dawn started me by having me do the new version of the clams which she started me on last week.  Now I have to lift my whole leg, not just the knee, and tonight she doubled my reps from 10 @ 10 seconds, to 20 @ 10 seconds.  Not a bad way to start.

Next, leg lifts while laying on the foam roller.  Lay on the roller, head to tail bone, and engage the abs while lifting one leg just a few inches off the ground.  NO HANDS.  Try it.  Ya, see, it's not that easy, is it?  I did them better than last week, barely shaking or wobbling, and only needing to reset myself twice.

Next, the wooden wobble board.  This time, I got to "stage 4".  It sounded scary, but all it meant was that rather than just wobble side to side, it also wobbled front to back.  I did better at it tonight than I've ever done, so Dawn decided to try to push me over while I balanced did my best not to fall on my face off the board.  Success, I held my balance really well, and felt it in my abs and legs.  Awesome.

Next came squats on this BOSU balance ball.  Squats on a non-stable surface are really hard.  Just take my (and my ankles' and glutes') word for it.  Really.

All of this was followed by Dawn doing the magic stretch on me and making me very happy.

Helen* was there, as well, and she just took a class on taping and asked if she could try it on me.  Dawn is already experienced, so she offered to help Helen out, and I agreed to be the guinea pig.  What do I have to lose, right?  Uh, right.

Because I have weakness in my hip and hip flexor on the right side, Helen and Dawn agreed to try to inhibit my hamstring, hoping it would force my hip to do more work and strengthen itself.  I sported the awesome orthopaedic shorts that I got to experience at my first ortho appointment, and the ladies got to work.  They explained how the tape works and and the overall theory behind it.  I've heard about it and seen it on other runners, but have never had the experience myself.  After double checking the location of my pain and weakness, and reviewing her knowledge of my injury and the uses for the tape, the ladies got to work.

I will just say this - if you can have someone gently stretch your hamstring, do it.  My legs feel dreamy right now. 

Anyway, Helen explained the location of the tape, what I should feel, and what I shouldn't.  She explained how to remove it when it's time, and explained what to watch for as far as negative skin reactions.  I stood up and I could feel the difference already.  Perhaps it was the work of the evening, but I think the tape really is making some difference.  I am able to stand on my right leg without weakness or the feeling that my hip will give out.  This is a first in over a month.  You (probably) have no idea how awesome this feeling is.

I asked how one might apply the tape down the hamstring if they were alone, and basically, it's not really a one-man job, at least not for self-application.  I guess I could figure it out, but, overall, you want someone else to apply tape from your glutes to your knees.  It's not as easy to reach as you might think.  I know you wanna try it, go ahead.  I'll wait.

Tangent over.  So I have two more sessions, and I am really hoping that in one of them they get me to jog on the exercise trampoline.  I go back Wednesday and Thursday, then I think I'll be done.  We'll see.

Tomorrow night - kick my abs and ass core class.  I can feel the difference after only two classes.  Of course, I try some of the core work while I am doing my exercises each morning so I continue to feel the difference.  When I laugh.  When I cough.  When I sneeze.  Oh, I feel it.

I feel so much better after tonight's PT.  I can't wait for Wednesday.  Is that nerdy?  Ya, probably.

Most of all, I can't wait to run again and run with my friends.  I miss them almost as much as I miss running with them.

*Come on, you thought that was her name, didn't you?