Monday, November 28, 2011

Update

Where to begin?  Let's see....

I had friends lined up to run with me me on Thanksgiving morning.  Which is good.

However, Son's flight was very late.  Daughter picked him up from the airport so I could sleep.  Which is good.

But they didn't get home until about 2am, and I couldn't really didn't sleep soundly until after they got home.  Which is bad.

So I overslept in the morning and missed out on running with friends.  Which was also bad.

Rather than skipping running, I ended up running solo.  Which was good.

But then my knee started acting up about 1.4 miles into the run.  Which was bad.

Since then, my knee has been bothering me even when I walk.  Which is bad.

I haven't even tried running since then.  Which is also bad.

I think it means that I'm going to need to go in for my injections again. But I haven't called for an appointment yet.  Which is not so good.

At least I have a potential treatment plan that seems to work and this last time kept my knee working well for about 8 months.  Which is good.

But it probably means I'll need to take off a few months from running.  Which is bad.

I'm thankful that my knee didn't cause problems during the peak part of my race season.  Which is good.

And I suppose I could get back in the pool this winter and swim.  Swimming doesn't bother my knee.  Which is good.

But I really dont' like swimming all that well.  Which is bad.

Anyway, I haven't called for an appointment yet.  Stay tuned...

[update:  I called today and got lucky as someone had just called to cancel for Monday afternoon and I was able to snatch up that slot!  score!]





Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Being Happy

I truly believe that our happiness is the result of our attitude rather than about the things that happen to us.  It's that whole glass half full, or half empty thing.  Today I choose to be happy.  I've compiled a list of ten things that make me happy today:

1) Got the glass replaced Monday afternoon in the Fit.  Still need to have the tint applied, but that is a nice-to-have thing not a necessity.  The Fit is back in action.
2) I ran yesterday!  2.8 miles with hills and my heel was okay until the very end.  Yay!
3) Son is coming home for Thanksgiving.  He didn't last year, so this was a somewhat unexpected surprise.
4) Son seems to be doing well, albeit very consumed with homework, at school.  He's also now considering double majoring in Cognitive Science and Electrical & Computer Engineering.  Sounds super cool to me.
5) Daughter is making good progress on college admission and scholarship applications.  She is considering a degree in social sciences, possibly Anthropology, Communications, or Advertising.  This also sounds very interesting to me.
6) Seems like the worst of my required overtime at work has passed. Should be back to normal next week.
7) Mitts, our oldest cat, has been on supplements to help with his arthritis for the past several weeks.  I think his activity level is increasing, which suggests that the supplements are working.
8) My Ipad arrived.  I'm still not entirely sure what to do with it, but I discovered a free Euchre game application which I am now hooked on.
9) The running that I did yesterday was with a friend who is new to running.  It's great to be able to encourage new runners.
10)  Husband is working a modified schedule for the next several weeks.  There are some downsides to this, but the best part is that we will have a few Friday's off together.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Weekend Woes

The BAD (aka "Why my weekend sucked")

1) Had to work on Friday (normally one of my days off)
2) The car that Daughter drives was broken into Saturday morning while she was at work.  Smashed window, stolen ipod, camera, purse, wallet, etc.  Our insurance deductible won't be met, so the cost to replace the window is coming out of pocket.
3) Had to work Sunday (also normally one of my days off)
4) Going into work early today and will probably be staying late.
5) Haven't run for 10 days

The GOOD (aka "In the grand scheme, it's really not that bad")

1) I'm valued enough at my job to be pulled in for critical assignments.  Sometimes this means working overtime/ weekends, but I do recognize that being valued at one's job is not to be taken for granted.
2)  Nobody was hurt.  It's just glass and stuff.  The glass is easily replaceable.  Her ID and debit card weren't in the purse.  It could have been a lot worse.  Plus now I have some ideas about what to maybe get her for Christmas.
3) Heel is no longer throbbing; I think it is getting better. I'm hopeful to be running again this weekend.  In any event, this happened after my scheduled races, so it's as good a time as any to need to take a few weeks off.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Ouch

Spent the weekend in Nashville attending my nieces wedding.  I had never been to Nashville before, so it was interesting to check out someplace new.  While we were there, we walked around a museum, we walked around downtown (stumbled upon the end of a multi-day relay race), walked around the grounds for the wedding/reception, walked to breakfast, walked around the Vanderbilt campus, and walked through the airport.  Lots and lots of walking.  Which is a good thing.  Except that my left heel started bothering me.

Now that I've been home a few days, I've done a little online research for heel pain and of course the first thing that comes up is plantar fasciitis which is NOT something that I want to be dealing with.  [Granted, I don't know for certain that it actually is plantar fasciitis, but in this age of instant online self-diagnosis, I'm assuming for the moment that it is.]

On Monday, I bought some Dr Scholl heel pain orthotics for my shoes. Tuesday, my heel was feeling better.  Then I wore a different pair of shoes and Tuesday and forgot to move the orthotics.  This morning, my heel is bothering me again.  So I guess I'm back to trying the orthotics today.

Needless to say, I haven't run since last Thursday. At the moment this isn't breaking my heart because I don't have any races planned, but nobody likes to be sidelined due to pain/injury. *sigh*

Question of the day:  Have you ever experienced heel pain?  What did you do about it?

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Thursday Thirteen

1) The race from the weekend has posted photos.  There really aren't any good ones of me. 


2) However, this one (you'll have to click the link) gives a good idea what the single track portion was like.  I'm in the middle (black and pink) and my running partner is right behind me.  


3) I'm really struggling to find my motivation. Monday was a planned rest day. I skipped my run on Tuesday.  Walked the dogs yesterday.  Ran and then walked the dogs today, although shorter distances for both than I originally intended.


4) Daughter turned 18 today.  Despite my protests, her first act of adulthood was getting her nose pierced.  Twice.  


5) While I applaud her for expressing her individuality, I can't say that I'm all that happy about it (just to be clear, I'm okay with a single nose piercing, but I'm not fond of the double on one side that she decided to do).


6) I had two dozen raspberry filled chocolate cupcakes with chocolate butter cream and a raspberry on top specially made for Daughter's birthday. They are delicious. 


7) I've probably eaten six already. 


8) Oh, and I also ate the majority of a pumpkin pie over the weekend.


9) This, combined with the lack of motivation is wreaking havoc on my waistline.


10) Tried on the dress that I'm wearing this weekend for my niece's wedding and realized that it looked better 5 pounds ago.  


11) Luckily, nothing that a pair of control-top nylons can't fix.  I haven't worn nylons for a long, long time, but desperate times call for desperate measures.


12)  I got a notice that the Ipad that I won has been shipped.  Expecting to receive it on Monday.  


13)  I'm still not entirely sure WHAT one does with an Ipad, but I'm sure I'll figure it out.


Tuesday, November 1, 2011

October Tally

Numbers

  • Miles by feet:  59.6 (15.5 walking, 44.1 running)
  • Miles by seat: 185.2
  • Hill workouts: 5
  • Events: 1 10K (PR!) , 1 half-century
  • Rest days (planned): 5
  • Lazy days (unplanned) : 6
  • Pounds gained: see Lazy days
  • days remaining for parenting a minor: 2
Thoughts
  • I feel like it was successful cycle-focused month aimed at the half-century with a bonus 10K PR at the end.  Good stuff.
  • In two days, my 'baby' turns 18.  How did this happen?
Plans
  • I don't currently have anything on my calendar for Nov/Dec.  Need to fix that so that my lazy days and weight don't continue to creep up!