A Dunk Weighs on My Shoulders

Whew, it's been too long since I put something here. The past week has been busy. Work has been a marathon these past 5 weeks, and at this point I'm stumbling through, staring at the ground, waiting for the weekend or, in five days, spring break. I've still been going to the gym however! I often find myself finishing workouts at 5pm or later now. I started alternating running with weight days, and earlier this week rolled off 3.5 miles on the treadmill... in 30 minutes, but still, that's the longest I've run since Thanksgiving. Once damnable February gets past I'll make a try for outdoor running.

Doing squats more frequently has definitely put a strain on my hip. The muscles in my legs get sore, but it is par for the course. My hip joint is a different kind of sore, like my right femur is in a less stable position than my left one. I suppose that's technically true, as my labrum was cut and resurfaced. The doctors estimated it would be anywhere from 6 months to a year before I would be 100%, but cautioned that I would always feel something different there. And that I would have arthritis later.

The surgery completely cured what it was supposed to. I've been pain-free for months now and it is incredible. No more problems sleeping, uncomfortable sitting, or endless shifting to try and alleviate a hidden pain.

I just hope I'm not rushing the recovery with these squats. My physical therapy and strength recovery has been very gradual, as recommended, and has been an enormous success. In the past I would frequently try and rush through injury recovery and end up making things worse. My impatience would damn me. But this time around I never tried and push through. But as I realize the amount of muscle build-up ahead of me, I know the only way to get there is stepping up the intensity of my exercises. Is it too soon? If it is, what can I do in the meantime to reach my dunk?

I've been dragging ass this morning since I went to drinkin' island last night. Normally I'd be out of the gym by now. I'm headed there after I finish writing, and I'm not sure what I'll do. Hold off on the squats? Less weight? This'll be my fifth trip this week: Monday and Thursday were weights, Tuesday and Friday were runs. Maybe I'll just shoot around.