In my journey through the Fitness Safari, I am looking at every small achievement as another crossed milestone - each pound lost and rep completed is bringing me closer to my goal. Yesterday I passed such a milestone - actually I'm calling it a 2-"milerstone." Earlier this year, in what was to be yet another failed attempt at making exercise part of my regular routine, I hurt my hip running. I think I just tried to do too much too quickly and ended up with bursitis - the inflammation of a jelly-like sac covering the bony point of my hip (the greater trochanter). It is an attachment-point for muscles that move the hip joint. When inflammation is present, movements such as walking and running result in pain.
I finally came to the conclusion that the pain would not go away with rest alone and saw a sports medicine doctor who prescribed physical therapy. After just two weeks I noticed a dramatic improvement in the pain (it no longer hurt when I walked or jogged slowly).
Back to yesterday's accomplishment. I got home from the gym and took my pup for what I thought was going to be an easy walk around the neighborhood. She would have no part of it - she wanted to run!
So we did. We ran (albeit slowly) through the neighborhood, to the local park, around the circuit that wraps around about six soccer fields and back home - a distance of nearly two miles. I felt no pain, no shortness of breath, and we didn't stop except to cross a busy street. My hip was a bit sore last night, but it'll be fine with some ice and a day or two break.
Aside from the lack of the nagging hip pain, I was also surprised to see how my level of cardiovascular fitness has improved in such a short time when I'm doing little-to-no "traditional" cardio. When I hit the gym, my primary focus is up-tempo weight training. It must be doing the trick because I have never felt so good on a run.
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