She Runs! Slowly...

The long awaited test run went swimmingly on Thursday, at least from a knee perspective. My lungs, however, were none to happy. That's what a 7 week break doing not more than feeling sorry for yourself will do to you. Here are my splits. For reference, the first and last half miles are mostly flat, the second half mile is up the hill, the third is down the hill.

Decided to join my running group this morning for a 4 mile "easy" run. I am incredibly out of shape! Nothing about this was easy and I kept getting slower and slower. But the knee didn't hurt, so it's all good.

Yesterday evening, we went to packet pick-up/late registration for the Run for the Zoo and signed up for the 5K!! It is likely to be one of my slowest 5Ks, but I'm so happy to be running again that I simply don't care. I'm running again!! Yippee!!!!!

Three Things Thursday - Shingles, Easter, Knee

1) Shortly after my last post I started not feeling well. Then got some weird rash. Then went to the doctor and was diagnosed with Shingles. So I've been on anti-virals and dealing with the painful burning rash that is essentially adult chicken pox. You're jealous aren't you?! Hey, if nothing else, it has distracted me from the wait on my knee

2) During this shingles episode, but after I was no longer contagious, I traveled to NW Ohio for Easter/mom's 75th birthday. It was cold, grey skies, rainy when I arrived. Actually decent over the weekend. Then cold, grey skies, rainy when I departed. I'm glad I went. I'm also happy to be home.

3) Today is the day that I will test my knee running for the first time since the injection treatment. If all goes well, I will attempt a 5K this weekend. If it doesn't go well, I'll wait another week and try again. Wish me luck!

Sunday Musings

It's been 1.5 weeks since my last injection. I'm expecting to be able to resume running at the 3-6 week mark, so that's 1.5-4.5 weeks to go. Time seems to go by really slowly when you're an injured runner. And while I'm happy for all of you who are running and racing, it's also hard to read about everyone else's running adventures. So I do apologize for my recent lack of comments and hope you are all doing well.

I had high hopes for spending a few days cycling this week, but the weather has not cooperated. The wind has been horrific. I'm not talking breezy, I mean all-out gusty nasty non-stop 25-40 mph wind. The kind that knocks over heavy patio furniture and trashcans and blows cushions and trash all over the yard. Sigh.

The one day that wasn't windy was the day we had tickets to see the Isotopes, our minor league baseball team. That was fun. We had also gone to the season opener. I'm hoping to go once or twice a month when they are in town. Fun stuff.

My cross training has been of the home maintenance variety. I gave up on finding a color for the great room for now and am focusing on another section of the house. Today I'm planning to start painting the office. But before I could even get started with that there was come cleaning up to do and some wall repair. Plastic containers to store stuff and plaster/sand paper are my new friends.

I made a last minute decision to fly to Ohio to visit my mom and other family for Easter, which is also her birthday. Husband and Daughter are unable to come with me, so I'm traveling solo. I'll miss them, but I feel good about making this trip. I don't get back very often.

This brings me to my last topic. I have two ipods: a shuffle and a nano. The shuffle doesn't have a lot of room for songs, but it's the one I run with. I change up my playlist every so often, clip it on, and go. The nano has my full music collection. It's the one I take with me when I travel. Lately the nano battery life seems to be unacceptably poor. I'm considering getting something to replace it, but it's not as easy as it seems. The newest nano is more like a shuffle and the touch screen doesn't seem very easy to use. The itouch is too big. Why o why, must they constantly redesign these things?

Why Tri?

It has been nearly three years since I last did a Tri. I had pretty much convinced myself that I'm a runner now, not a triathlete. So why did I decide to sign up for this one?

1) It's an all women's race. I've done a few all women running events and there is something empowering about those events. Many women who are intimidate by other events will try something in an all women environment. I wanted to be a part of that again.

2) It's a short sprint. The bike segment, my nemesis, is only 10 miles long. No matter how hilly the course is, I can get through 10 miles. And it also means that I don't need to be training any crazy long bike distances. Totally manageable.

3) It will give me the motivation I need to get on my bike and into the pool. I don't love cycling or swimming the way that I love running. Without something to train for, my bike and swim suit end up neglected. But both of those activities are good for my body and quite doable with my knee issues.

4) It really sounds like fun. I had a few questions about the race. The race directors emailed me right away and added was "It is going to be SO fun!" I'm definitely getting a fun vibe from this event, and you must know by now that I'm all about fun.

5) The timing is right. I have a good 4 months to get ready. I don't need to panic about taking a break from running or not being in swim/cycle condition at the moment. I have plenty of time to get ready.

I'm sure the seeds of self-doubt will start sprouting at some point, but I KNOW I can do this. And it's going to be loads of fun!

I'm in!

Edited to add: The last time I completed a tri was in Sept 2008. I feel like a beginner again since I'm starting over...

This weather blows

Yesterday I went on a 3.2 mile walk. I was going to go for another walk today, but we're experiencing 40+ mph winds. Um. No thank you. I'll just stay inside.

Instead of moving my body, I'm investigating possible events a few months out. I started by contemplating whether I might be able to pull off a 5K at the Zoo run on May 1st. Then began looking at other 5Ks and 10Ks during the summer. There are several options out there, I should have no problem finding a race or two once I'm running again.

Then I stumbled across something very interesting. An all women local triathlon, on the short end of the spectrum for sprint distance (3 mi run, 10 mi bike, 400 yd swim). This event isn't until end of August and the proceeds will be going to help a camp for children with disabilities. It has been a few years since I've done a triathlon. This might just be the event to reel me back in; I'm genuinely intrigued by this one.

Of course that would mean that I need to actually get onto my bike and into the pool. Both things have eluded me. But with an event to aim for, perhaps my motivation to cycle and swim will return.

P.S. I've been trying to catch up on folks' blogs, but the blogger site keeps crashing on me. Anyone else having this problem?

Wordy Wednesday

This morning I received the third and final injection for my left knee. This means two things. First, I am on forced rest as is customary for 48 hours post injection. Second, I should be good to resume running in 3-6 weeks. In the mean time, I just need patience.

I am happy to say that I walked for 5 days straight. This totaled 11.4 miles or just under 2.3 miles per day. Three of those days involved hauling my mass up a hill. I must day that I really feel it in my glutes. Clearly walking uses different muscles than running!

The interior painting project has turned into an anxiety-ridden disaster. Okay, maybe not a total disaster. The kitchen turned out nice, although arguably I still have some areas that need touch ups. Next on my list was the Great Room. I have spent two weeks, a stack of paint chips, hours of agonizing, and multiple failed attempts applying paint samples to walls only to find myself back at square one with regard to color choice. This morning I decided that I need to step away from that all together and work on another section of the house instead. And this my friends, is how one ends up losing interest in home improvement projects...

New month, new focus

It's time for me to do my monthly stats. Honestly, I stopped keeping track in the middle of the month when it became obvious that a running break was on the immediate horizon. Now it seems that there is really no point in looking back and dwelling on what might have been. Instead, it's time to look forward.

Started the new month off with a 3.2 mile walk with a friend along the acequias path. First time getting out in two weeks. What a beautiful morning too. I've missed that path. I didn't take any pictures, but it was serene and peaceful. We've already made plans to return next week.

This morning I decided it was time to head up the hill with these guys. They loved it, of course.

I feel bad because I haven't taken them out for awhile. Luckily, they don't hold grudges. If you ever want a lesson in enjoying the moment, spend some time with dogs. We were rewarded with this view on the way back down. As it turns out, I've missed that too.

I can say with certainly that my knee *is* getting better. However, it will be another month or so before I can run again. I've been thinking about what kind of exercise would be best for the next month. Part of me thinks that I should get back to the pool. But I'm just not excited about swimming right now. It requires getting up extra early and is generally a hassle to fit into my schedule. If you don't love it, why bother?

After the past few days, I can say that I *am* excited about getting out and walking again. So are the dogs. I think that's going to be my focus instead of swimming. And I'm going to try to take a lesson from the dogs and enjoy the moment.

Enjoy your weekend, whatever it entails!