The hip bone's connected to the ... foot bone

Last week was pretty crazy, and I never did write about my first deep tissue massage. It was marvelous, which I suppose almost goes without saying. He spent a lot of time on my feet, then surprised me by saying "your hips and pelvis are very tight. That's what your feet are telling me." I wasn't surprised to hear I was tight, but I didn't expect him to know that just from working on my feet. I've had the Dry Bones song bouncing around my headbone ever since.

I walked out of the spa feeling much better, and my knees have barely twinged since then. Sunday I actually rested, doing homework instead of working on the home. Monday's run was 2 miles, which I did on the mill due to an ice storm. I pushed the speed up and felt good at just under a 12-minute-mile pace. I didn't really think about what the masseuse said until my run on Tuesday. Tuesdays are progressive quarter mile splits, and I had 3 miles on the calendar. I run a quarter mile, walk a tenth, bump the treadmill speed a notch for the next quarter mile, walk a tenth, etc. etc. Halfway through, I felt my hips relax. I've been aware of them ever since.

photo credit

I've always focused on releasing tension from my shoulders and back. Occasionally I'd roll a ball around under my feet. I did not know how much stress I carry in my hips as well. Now when I stand up I feel them tighten, and have to consciously release them if I'm standing for any length of time. This has been something of a revelation. I am stretching with a whole new focus, making sure my hips are relaxed before anything else. In the past, stretches that are supposed to work my hips and hamstrings have pulled uncomfortably on my knees. That no longer seems to be the case. I believe having my hips locked up like they were was a large part of the problem with both my ITB and knee pain. I've been up and down and up and down and up and down stairs this weekend while Mr. Math worked on my plumbing, and while I'm not quite 100% I feel almost normal.

Speaking of plumbing, my bathroom should be back together within the next week or so. Mr. Math fixed the plumbing. The holes are boarded, and I will use a thin-set concrete mixture today to finish those repairs. Tomorrow I start mapping out the tile, and since Mr. Math also knew someone with a tile cutter I can get started on that whenever I'm ready. The biggest problem will be the floor. I'll have to pull the toilet to tile, let the tile set for a day, then spend a day grouting before I can put the toilet back. Makes me wish I'd pulled the trigger when I considered having an upflush toilet installed in the basement.

Saturday's 3-miler on the mill was at a 11:31 pace. Today is 4, outside. The snow that buried us Friday is almost gone already!