Ouchies

I expected some soreness the day after my return to the gym because I hadn't been there for several weeks. Boy-o-boy was I right on that. Gotta' hate it when it hurts to life the arms up to brush hair. LOL. I went back again today and did a little better on the push-up front (10, 8, 5).

I don't think my arms will be too sore tomorrow. Which is good because...

The PT exercises are targetting the vastus medialis which is weak on my left leg and is contributing to the knee tracking issue. The initial strengthening exercises that I was given from PT didn't seem like they were too bad...until the next day. Today my muscle was quivering when I did the exercises. At least I know the correct muscle is being worked!

And it's a good thing I don't have PT tomorrow because...

Went in for my 2nd Euflexxa injection today. Each time this causes a bit of pain and swelling for about 24-48hrs. I don't think it hurts as much as it did last week at this time, but it's definately sore. Only one more injection to go.

PT and Other Stuff

Had my first PT appt this afternoon. I have two friends that are PTs, one is a runner, the other is a triathlete. As luck would have it, I got scheduled with the triathlete friend PT without even knowing it. Oh, happy day! Somebody who understands!!

First off, she confirmed that my left knee is tracking incorrectly. That was reassuring - a second opinion of the diagnosis. Then, she did some diagnostics to identify muscle imbalances that are causing it. That means we know what to work on to fix it. Yay!

I go back 2x per week starting next week. Between now and then, I have some stretches to do 4x per day and strengthening 2x per day. That should keep me busy.

And another milestone today - I went back to the gym for the first time in several weeks. Oh boy, I'm going to be sore tomorrow! One thing that struck me is how far back my push-ups regressed. I could only do 8, 8, then 5. Eeek!

A few of you kind souls have commented on my arms (bless you!). Since that's really the only part of my body that I'm happy with, I'm highly motivated to getting back to three sets of ~15-20 push-ups three times a week. I'll work that in with my knee exercises and make it a priority over the next month.

Talked to Run Coach today for the first time since Duke City. He was very encouraging. We talked a little about goals for next year, and he thinks it's good to start with 5K/10K and hold off to see how my knee does before going too far down the path of another half-marathon.

That's it for now. Hope everyone is doing well!!

Day Dreaming

With Duke City behind me, restricted activities for 3-4 weeks, I've been daydreaming about what I might do next.

This was actually prompted by Husband declaring a run goal of his own this week. He has announced that he doesn't want to run long, he wants to focus on a faster 5K. Cool, I think this is the first time he's had a goal other than "run to be healthy."

Of course this begs the question...what about me? What are my goals? For the most part, I haven't nailed down my own goals, but I've started thinking.

One big unknown is whether or not knee rehab will be successful.

If not, I think I can still do 5K runs, maybe 10Ks. My knee seems to be good up to about 5-6 miles. I could certainly join his quest for a faster 5K. There are lots of local 5Ks over the course of the year that we could sign up for. That would be fun.

However, if knee rehab works well, I think I'd like another attempt at the half-marathon distance. Maybe Unser this spring. I'm also intrigued by the Squash blossom half marathon in Gallup in September, a trail run.

On the triathlon front, I'm fairly certain that I'll stick to sprints again next year.

What about you? What are your goals/plans for next year? Have you figured them out yet or are you still daydreaming as well?

We interupt this training program...

...for a heavy dose of life.

Remember the mammo appt? I got called back because they found somthing abnormal. This was done at a different place than my past mammos and they didn't have access to my old films. It turns out that all they discovered was the same small benign mass/nodule that I've known about for 8-9 years and nothing more. However, it took another visit to radiology for diagnostic mammo and ultrasound to determine this. Yeah, that was a bit stressful.

We've also been in the thick of our tile project and have been "camping out" in the great room while our bedroom and office are in shambles. Wouldn't be such a big deal if my knee wasn't giving me trouble, but it's been difficult to get up off the mattress on the floor. Today *should* be the last day of this nonsense so we can start putting the house back together.

Because of the tiling project, I've been taking Bandit to daycare to get him out of the house while the contractors are here. When dropping him off on Tuesday, he lifted his leg to pee on something and there was blood! Poor dog. Vet thinks it's just a UTI, so he's on antibiotics now. If it comes back after antibiotics, he'll get more tests looking for something more serious.

As for the knee, I started Euflexxa treatment yesterday. I opted to skip cortisone, but accepted the sodium hyaluronate. I'll receive it over 3 injections spaced one week apart. There is clinical evidence that this makes an improvement over the long term; however, today my knee is slightly swollen and painful from the first injection as expected, but it does make me wonder if I made the right decision. Time will tell. Anyway, I'm on restricted actvities for the next 3-4 weeks. I'm also starting PT on Monday.

That's been my week. No training, but lots of life stuff.

Best wishes to everyone racing this weekend!!

Turtle Photos

Me with a couple of speedy turtles after the race. I've mentioned before that these super tiny women make me feel HUGE.

More turtles. This must have been shortly after I left. I hung out with those two ladies for 45mins or so and then they walked off one direction and we went the other way. Based on the background, it seems they found others from our group right away and we did not. It's a real bummer that I missed this photo opportunity.

You can check out the official photos of Husband & I if you search for Duke City Marathon 2008, and find the place to click for photos, and enter bib 1218. I tried to include the link but was having trouble.

Duke City - Longer Version

Pre-race

I was excited when we got up Sunday morning. I’ve been very conservative with my training since the return to running hoping to preserve my knee. Until treatment is completed successfully, it isn’t a matter of *if* my knee will start hurting again, but *when*. My last few training runs were pain free. How many more miles would it be before the pain returned? That was the big unknown.

It was chilly when we arrived at the convention center, so we stayed inside as long as possible. Husband made a comment about how the race was going to suck; he’s never been a big fan of half marathons. When it was time to start, we ventured outside and soon we were on our way.

Miles 1-5

It was crowded at the start, but it started to thin out a bit by 1.5 miles. I found a pace that seemed maintainable and started picking people off in the crowd one by one. I felt invincible. The first time I looked at my Garmin was at 4 miles – 40:26 – holy smokes! I was well under my target pace of 10:30min/mi and feeling good. I was all smiles. This is the run I had trained for, and it was playing out better than I had imagined.

Miles 6-7

Shortly after mile 5, my smile was gone. Husband turned to me and asked “Are you okay?” No. I was not okay. Out of nowhere, my Stupid knee started hurting. How bad would it get? How fast would it go downhill? I slowed down a bit and started running on the dirt along the side of the bike path thinking that might help.

They had cameras at the turn around. I took another glance at my watch at the halfway point and smiled for the cameras because I had gone 6.55 miles in 1:07: 38. I'm very pleased with the 1st half of my race. I believed that I had it in me to PR if the knee didn’t get much worse.

Miles 8-11

Okay, so much for a PR, my knee was hurting a lot and I was going to have to deal with it. I started taking walk breaks and watched people that I had picked off earlier pass me back. Bleck!
The marathoners had started 45 mins ahead of the half, and it was during this stretch that we watched the lead marathon runners zooming by. I was hoping Coach would be the first one that I saw, but instead we saw some bushy haired barefoot guy. Coach was several minutes behind him. Then another barefoot guy; this one wearing a skirt!! What is up with that?!?!?

I told husband he could go on ahead. He said he was in no hurry and stayed with me. One of the Turtle Club members caught up with us. We ran together for a while. She was on track for a huge PR and quite pleased with her race. She rocked it, too.

Miles 12-13.1

My knee was ticked off and so was I. Walking hurt. I said something to Husband like "This definately isn't the finish I was hoping for" He then reminded me that he had predicted the race would suck; that made me laugh.

When we were rounded the last corner to the finish, Coach saw us and shouted for me to finish strong, so I gave it my best shot. I crossed the finish line with a scowl shouting something like “Freaking Knee!” Ummm, yeah, that probably didn’t make for a good finish photo.

Post-race

I hobbled over to two running group members who had both had awesome races and were in good spirits. I should have a photo from that soon. Husband looked for food and was hoping to find massage tables.

Not-So-Happy Thoughts

* My main goal to finish without knee pain did not happen.
* It's frustrating that I’m back to limping when I walk.
* I’m probably done with running for the rest of the month.
* Those last two miles really sucked.

Happy Thoughts

* Husband ran with me even though he doesn’t like half-marathons. We crossed the finish line together. Husband rocks.
* My race got off to a great start. I had an amazing run for the 5 miles that my knee felt good.
* I achieved two of my three time goals despite a mediocre middle and a cruddy finish.
* I made new running friends through my running group...with turtles on the shirts!
* Other than my knee, I feel good.

Duke City - Short Version

Based on the goals I posted earlier in the week, I'd have to say that I'm a Not-So-Happy Finisher with Bunny Chaser and Second Chance bonus points.

The Not-So-Happy part is due to knee pain that started shortly after mile 5.

The graph from my Garmin says it all - the race started off really well for me with a fairly consistent pace for the first 5 miles. However, it went downhill fast once my knee started acting up. By the end, my knee was hurting even while I walked, and I was walking a lot.

Longer version later...

Turtle Tidbits

Last night was the last group run with my running group for 2008. Most of them will be there Sunday, but it was sad to say goodbye at the end of the run.

I don't think I've mentioned this before, but the group is called the Turtle Club. I think that may hve been what drew me to the group. That an the fact that we're being coached by an awesome athlete and really nice person.

As it turns out, there are really only two of us that qualify as turtles, but the name stuck anyway.

I'm thrilled that our group shirts have a turtle logo. I'll be wearing one of them (a white sleeveless) one under a long sleeve shirt at the race on Sunday. I expect to take off the long sleeves and tie it around my waist at some point during the race. I hope the turtle shows up in some race photos.

Coach started taking registrations for next year and I've already signed on to secure my spot. Now to figure out what to do with myself without the structure of the group during the off season...

Setting Goals

I can't believe Duke City is almost here. It's time to evaluate my goals for the race. After an Injured Runner DNF at Chips-n-Salsa, I can honestly say that my main goal is to be a Happy Finisher. If my knee holds up for 13.1 miles and nothing else goes wrong, I will consider it a resounding success.

Having said that, there will be bonus points added to my happy meter for various finish scenarios, but it's only bonus points.

Inner Rabbit Bonus: Finish with anything under 2:21:36 for a half marathon PR.
Second Chance Bonus: Achieve the goal I set last time and finish under 2:30.
Bunny Chaser Bonus: Anything under 2:36:58 for a course PR

If at first you don't succeed...

"The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try." - Debbie Fields

I found a photo that a friend sent me from start of the Nike Human Race 10K back on 31-Aug. That was the Sunday before Chips-n-Salsa. I was running with pain from the start of this 10K, I think you can see it on my face. My knee was swollen and needed to be iced after the race. Even though I took an entire week of rest afterwards, it wasn't enough recovery. I DNF'd the Chips-n-Salsa half-marathon the following weekend and ended up taking three more weeks off running due to knee pain.

Today, a week prior to another half-marathon attempt, I ran along most of the same course as that Nike race. No pain this time. If I had a photo, you'd see a smile. I forgot to start my Garmin until we hit the first mile marker (d'oh!), but I captured the remaining 5.8 miles at an overall pace of 10:26. Rather amazing, as I thought I was doing 11min miles the whole way.

I definately feel better this time around. Will my knee hold up for a 13.1 finish on Sunday? Can't wait to find out. :-)

Knee news

Diagnosis:

"Patello-Femoral Syndrome - a condition caused by the patella not tracking properly. The patella normally rides in a groove on the femur. The patella is really a fulcrum - it gives leverage to the quadriceps. The quads are so named because they consist of four muscles. With PFS, you get an imbalance in these muscles - usually the lateral or outside muscle over-powers the inner medial muscle - and this pulls the patella out of it's normal groove. When the patella doesn't track properly in it's groove, it causes pain under the patella."

Suggested Treatment:

* Physical therapy to balance the quad muscles and realign knee tracking.
* Cortisone injections.

Short-term:

It's okay to run as long as it doesn't hurt. Don't be surprised if pain returns with running because the underlying condition is still present until treatment is completed.

Regaining Confidence

Yesterday evening I did some structured speed work for the first time since injuring the knee. This was mostly a confidence building exercise. Workout plan was 4.5 miles total broken up as .75 mile warm up, 3x8min fast-steady with 2 min walk rest in between, .75 mile cool down.

My Garmin tells me that the fast paces were 8:45min/mi and the warm up/cool down was 11:28min/mi. I was actually shooting for ~9:15 for the fast paces so I guess I got a little over zealous. The knee held up well which gave me some much needed confidence for the upcoming half marathon.

My appt with the orthopedic is later this morning. I made the appt a month ago when it was swollen, sore, and making crunching noises; this is the soonest they could see me. Frustrating!! I thought about cancelling, but I think I'll take the opportunity to at least tell them what *was* going on and see if they have any insight.

Weekend Highlights

Friday afternoon dermatology appt was interesting. He had me change out my shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion, sunscreen to some super hypoallergenic stuff that you can't just pick up at the local store. My laundry detergent was on the approved list, but I had to remove the oxyclean. It's only been a few days and my skin is noticably better. Yay! Once the dry rashy itchy stuff is all cleared up, we'll try to figure out which of these products is/are the culprit.

Son's marching band performance was awesome Friday night, and was even better at the competition Saturday afternoon. It brought tears to my eyes. We had to leave before awards due to our hectic schedule for the day. What a bummer because they took first place in their division. Woot! Moving onto another competition next weekend.

Dropped off Daughter at her friends house so they could get all dolled up for Homecoming dance at friend's school. She must be studying in the school of Marcy bathroom shots, because this is the photo she sent to me when they were all ready to go. She's the one in the middle.

Son had rushed from Band competition back to school to prepare for the first show of the comedy troupe and that is where we went next. Parts of the show were quite funny, some parts I didn't "get" (guess it's a sign of my age). One of the sketches that they performed was written by him. He seemed to really enjoy it and was comforable on stage. Next performance is in January.

Our church is leaving the rented space and going portable for the foreseeable future. We'll be meeting in an elementary school. This means unloading before the service and reloading after the service into a large trailer. It's going to be "interesting." We had a practice portable service today and it seemed to go pretty well.

Admittedly, taking a nap wasn't on my schedule, but I was exhausted this afternoon and did just that. It was probably a good thing, because things are slowing down for me anytime soon...

Reflections from a Nine Mile Run

I feel so blessed to live in a place where I can head out my door and enjoy a peaceful, serene run.

Before I hit mile one, I'm out on the trail, following the ditch bank, and encountering everything that this rural residential village in New Mexico has to offer.

I grew up in Toledo, Ohio. It's a lot different there than it is here. Lots of houses. Tall trees and grass. Grey skies. More traffic. People are always seem to be in a hurry.

I wasn't a runner back then, but even if I was. I surely wouldn't find myself face-to-face with a llama out on a run, that's for sure.


I love running on the ditch bank. For one thing, the sand is nicer to my body than pavement. But I also enjoy watching the changes during the seasons.

The ditch doesn't always have water in it, but it does this time of year. It was a treat to find ducks swimming in it today.

When we first moved out here it was culture shock in many ways. My first impressions of New Mexico were blue skies that went on forever and the friendliest people I have ever met.

It took a while to get accustomed to the sand and gravel and lack of grass, but it quickly grew on me.


It seems like I always have to stop at least once on my long runs to let a horse go by. Today was no exception. In fact, I had to stop twice.

Not that it mattered that much to me. I'm never one to pass up the opportunity for a walk break especially if I happen to find a shady spot.


We don't get much color in the autumn, most plants and the leaves on the native trees turn yellow. I do miss the rich colors of autumn leaves back home.

I can't think of any activity that's better for both my mind and body than running. And what a great place to live for doing just that.

Organized Chaos

My life amounts to nothing short of organized chaos. It's amazing that I can get any traction on my workouts. Here's an example of what I'm up against:

Today (a work day):
* morning gym work
* Mammogram at noon
* Dr appt at 4pm
* make dinner to feed family before leaving for run group
* Run group 6:30
* make up lost work time in evening

Friday:
* 8-9 mile long run morning
* 4pm dermotology appt across town
* fight traffic coming back
* 6:45pm band pregame performance
* dinner with husband (ahhhh)

Saturday:
* take down daughters existing bed
* morning "recycle everything" event
* early afternoon Band competition
* Daughter to Homecoming (at another school)
* Son's debut at evening comedy performance

Sunday:
* church practices going portable
* kids to church youth group

Monday (work day):
* gym or swim in morning
* Work from home afternoon for furniture delivery (new bed)
* feed family before leaving to run
* make up missed track workout in evening

Tuesday (work day):
* gym in early morning
* ortho appt (knee) FINALLY
* feed family
* run with group in evening
* make up lost work time in late evening

Wed (work day):
* run early morning
* morning appt at hospital cardiology for 24 hr Holter monitor (no showering for 24hrs)
* work late

I'm exhausted just thinking about it! I still need to get my car in for service and arrange with the contractors to do the tile installation. No wonder I feel pressed for time!

September Summary

The Numbers
* Swam 5000 yds
* Cycled 44.9 miles
* Ran 28.9 miles
* Did Core work 6 times and strength work 7 times
* Many rest days and lots of stretching
* Three races: Half Mary (dnf), Sprint Tri, chaotic "5k" run

Thoughts
* No regrets. I did what I needed to do for my body and still managed to have fun.

October Plans
* Get healthy & remain injury-free.
* Salvage training to finish Duke City Half-Marathon.
* Find other events to put on the calendar.
* Have fun and keep smiling. :-)

A few more things

A few more comments about the run on Sunday, mostly because I have a few photos to share.

I had convinced a friend to do this event with me. She's a new runner and this was her second "5K" ever. She did great and was in good spirits despite the chaos. I believe this was her farthest distance ever. She ran the whole way and had fun. I think she's hooked. Woot!


Also, I had chosen this particular event because it was for Deaf and Hard of Hearing awareness, something that is near and dear to a friend of mine. She was volunteering at the event and picked up my AG award.

Okay, enough about that. Today is running group day. I can't adaquately express how giddy I am to be back on my feet.

It's also the last day of the month. Yikes. Tomorrow I'll calculate my September totals. It's not going to be a pretty sight.

They Went Thataway

The little experiment I had up my sleeve was an event called the Sign 'n Run which was advertised as having a 10K, a 5K, and a kid's K. I had signed up for the 5K, but hadn't mentioned it on my blog because I wasn't sure how my knee would be doing this week.

Everything seemed okay when I arrived at the race site, but confusion ended up being the word for the day. Five minutes after the 10K start, they started the "5K" runners on what they had described as an out and back with a short loop through a neighborhood.

However, that's not how it played out. As you can see, I ended up running a loop (no out-and back) that measured ~4.5miles according to my Garmin.

In talking to others at the finish line, it seems we were misdirected on a turn for the 5K and were sent onto the 10K course, but without doing the full 10K.

It wouldn't be so bad if all the "5K" runners did the same loop, but at some point they realized that runners were being sent the wrong way and got that corrected. They also sent some volunteers out in a car to turn some of the runners back around. So there were at least three permutations of 5K runners: 5K runners who ran a 5K, 5K runners who ran a 4.5 mile loop, and 5K runners who ran something longer than a 5K but less than 4.5 miles. What a mess!

I didn't bother to stick around for official results. The results are totally bogus since not everyone ran the same distance! As you might expect, some people were very unhappy. Edited to add - They posted the results and I actually won my age group women 40-49 and was 19 of 100 "5K" runners overall, not that it means that much with all the confusion on the course

As for me, I finished without knee pain and got a little longer run in than I had planned, what's not to love about that?!? Project "Return to Half-Marathon Training" is a GO. Woot!!

Some number courtesy of Garmin:
* My 5K split was 30:12, a 9:44 pace. Coming straight off a knee injury, that's good enough for me!
* My 7K split was 43:14, a 9:57 pace. I slowed down to something closer to my 10K pace when I realized the course was going long.
* The loop was 7.2K in length, I finished in 44:17, a 9:56 pace.

Easing back in...

My running this week has been as follows:

Tue - 3.6 mi (run/walk)
Thu - 3.2 mi (easy run)
Fri - 1.5 mi (easy run)
Sat - 4.6 mi (easy run)

That's a total of 13.9 slow easy miles, way better than the zeros I've been logging most of the month. Best news is that I'm experiencing pain-free running for the first time all month. I'm feeling some tightness, but not pain. I'm being super cautious about easing back into it, not wanting to take any chances of pushing too far too fast.

In some ways this injury has been a blessing. I've always maintained that I run simply because I can. It's something that I was beginning to take for granted in my quest for more speed. But now I'm back to appreciating each and every pain-free step at any pace. Life is good.

I have one more experiment tomorrow. After that, I'll see what can be salvaged of the half-marathon training.

Have a good weekend folks!

One of these things is not like the others...

My scoot parked with the big bikes at work.

A month ago, most of the spaces were filled. I'm seeing more and more empty spaces as it's getting cooler in the mornings. It will be interesting to see who's still there in another month.

I get questions almost every time I ride it. And some puzzled looks when someone sees me walking to the scoot with three bags of groceries and a purse. Hehehehe.

FAQs:
* gas milease? approximately 90 mpg
* gas tank size? I think it holds 1.3 gallons max
* engine size? 125cc - requires a motorcycle endorsement
* top speed? approximately 65 mph. My commute tops out at 35 mph so it's plenty fast for me, but you'd need something with a bigger engine if you wanted to take it on the highway.
* how to get endorsement? must pass written test for 6 mo learning permit. must pass driving skills test for full endorsement. MSF class is an option that includes driving skills, but isn't required for adult riders.
* storage space? lots. I brought home 48 cans of catfood in the underseat storage the other day and had room for more. I carry a bungee net for big items plus I usually have the canvas top case attached.
* why do you wear so much protective gear? i love my family too much not to.
* what's up with the plaid seat cover? keeps it cool after sitting out in the sun all day. should be warmer in the fall as well. plus I love how it makes my scoot really stand out from the big bikes.

Tuesday Tidbits

This morning I had an appt with the Trainer guy and we focussed on lower body stretching and strengthening - hopefully stuff that will help with injury recovery and prevention. As usual, it was time well spent.

Met up with the running group for the first time in three weeks. I did a modified run/walk workout while they were running the track. It was good to be back with them. I've just got to ease back into it. I have a few more short/easy runs planned this week. Depending on how that goes, I'm hoping to be able to salvage half-marathon training rather than scrap the race.

Going to an Oktoberfest party this weekend and need to bring something. Found a recipe for gurkensalat (cucumber salad) that I'm going to try. I have no idea if it will taste good, but I like the name.

That's all I've got for now.

Saturday Morning

Husband and I cycle commuted to the fitness center at work this morning.

The trip up the hill reminded me of one more thing that I wanted to mention. I have a triple up front, but lately I haven't been using the small ring when going up the hills. What does this mean?

I started off with did 2 miles on the ellliptical. It's a decent workout and I like it more than the treadmill, but would rather be running (outside of course).

I thought about my running group who had 12miles on the schedule today. I wonder if they thought about me. I also wonder how I'm going to join back in after all this time off. I guess I'll worry about that when I'm able to join back in..

I went through my upper body strength work again. No push-ups though. He did all strength work. Then we cycled back home.

It's awesome that Husband & I were able to spend Saturday morning together like this. I hope we can do this kind of this together for a long time. It was fun.

This, that, and the other

I usually swim on Fridays, but today I went to the gym instead for upper body strength, lower body strength, and cardio using the elliptical machine. The whole lower body strength and elliptical are new for me, but this is part of knee rehab.

Afterwards, I stopped at Sunflower market to pick up evening primrose oil and fish oil. Sounds appetizing, huh? I've decided to try evening primrose oil for my eczema/contact dermatitis which has been worse than ususal for the past month. I've read that EPO is more effective when combined with fish oil, so I'm giving it a go. Fingers crossed.

Next stop, Lowes to fork over mucho dinero for our upcoming tile installation project. Hopefully this will all be done before the end of October. I'm *not* looking forward to hauling all the stuff out of the master bedroom/vanity/closet and the office, but I *am* looking forward to getting the last of the carpeting out of the house and replacing it with tile.

I miss running. A lot. I'm supposed to check in again with run group leader/coach on Monday and let him know how things are going at the gym etc. Perhaps I will be able to run again later next week. Duke City is now only 4 weeks away. Sigh.

It took me awhile to get the courage to look at the Patriot Tri results . As it turns out, I was 13/18 in my age group and 93/140 women. That's a pleasant surprise! Given how much I walked the 5K and extra time taken in transition with the brace (and lack of training on the bike for the event), I really expected to be much farther back in the pack, and possibly last in my age group.

It's starting to get cooler in the mornings and I'm thinking of buying a scooter skirt to keep my legs warm. One of these days I need to post a photo of my little orange scooter in the motorcycle parking lot at work surrounded by big bikes. It's a funny sight. One of these things is not like the others....

That's all that I've got today. Have a good weekend folks!

Those Dreaded Push-ups

As recently as few months ago, I hated push-ups and was perfectly happy without them in my life. I made an attempt at the 100 push-ups challenge, but was very discouraged at slow progress.

But then they were recommended by Trainer Guy, and I needed to think about them again.

He explained that push-ups work several parts of the body, and you can do them just about anywhere without special equipment. They increase upper-body strength particularly in the chest, fronts of shoulders, and triceps. They also work the abdominals and hip flexors and should help to improve balance. I’m sure there are even more benefits than that.

All he asked was for me to do three sets of good form push-ups twice a week, as many as I could, for a few months. After that, I could decide whether or not push-ups were for me, and quit them forever if I wanted.

Deal. I was *so* going to push out the push-ups from my life for good. Clearly they were too difficult for me and a waste of my time. After all, my first set of three ended up being something like 2, 1, & 1.

A month and a half has gone by and I've kept my part of the deal. Twice a week, usually Tuesday and Thursday, I pull out the mat, get my body all taut on the floor and start the evil process. Push Up to a plank-like position. Slight pause. Look forward. Come down. Don't forget to breathe. Keep everything tight. Back up. Look forward. Repeat a few times. Collapse. One down, two sets to go. Pretty much hating every moment.

Today is Tuesday and once again pushups were scheduled at the end of my strength workout at the gym. I pulled out the mat, laid there for a few moments, and then started. First set 15, second set 12, third set 10. Un.Freaking.Believable.

I still dread them every time they’re on my schedule, but they're growing on me. Plus, I've been able to do just a few more each time and after a while, the improvement is really noticable. I wonder how many I'll be able to do in another few weeks or so? Guess there's only one way to find out...

Trainer Guy hit the nail on the head with this one. Push-ups are a keeper.

Patriot Tri

"Always aim for achievement, and forget about success" - Helen Hayes

Preface: This morning I did a tough little event known as the Patriot Triathlon. Not wanting to injure myself further, the goal was to finish, scope out the course, and set myself up for a PR next year. I already knew that swimming was okay. I did a little test on Friday and determined that the bike would be okay with the brace on, but I was going to have to resign myself to a slow walkish-joggish pace for the "run." I was okay with that; I just wanted to cross the finish line without making the injury worse.

The Swim: This was a seeded start 400 yd pool swim. Up and back in each lane, then under the rope to the next lane and repeat in serpentine fashion until getting to the ladder at the last lane. I had submitted an estimated time of 8:50. My unofficial time was 8:51 (includes getting out and across the mat). I'm pleased with my swim.

T1: Took my sweet time. I had to take extra time to put the brace on to support the bendy thing. I also put a shirt on because it was a bit chilly.

The Bike: This was a tough, hilly 15.5 mile course. There were a few places that had signs that said "Slow! Bike Race" which were for the cars, but they made me laugh out loud every time I saw them. I may have been the only cyclist following those instructions! Let's just say that it probably wasn't a good strategy to stay off my bike for the past month before attempting this course. But I made it.

T2: I had to adjust the brace for running, but otherwise uneventful.

The Run: More hills. Part on a hard surface, part cross-country, 3.1 miles total. I took this slow and easy as planned - walking up the hills and on the steep downhill parts and keeping an easy pace when I tried to jog.

Finish Line: It took a long time to get there but crossing the finish line pain-free was totally worth it. Unofficial finish time: 02:01:31.

Random After Thoughts:
- Cindy was doing the swim for a relay team and I was envious of that, but now I'm glad I entered as an individual because it sparked my interest in triathlon again.
- Her husband, Jeff, was there doing his first triathlon. Yay, Jeff! Actually, there were a lot of first time triathletes this morning. How cool is that?!?
- Husband was there taking pictures and cheering me on (Thank you!), but accidently had the camera in movie mode (oops). I tried doing some editing so I could post a few frames. Sorry about the poor image quality.
- My bike computer says I achieved 32 mph at one point on the bike course. Obviously that was on a downhill, but it's significant because I didn't reach for the brakes this time when I started going over 24 mph. Gaining confidence (or stupidity!).
- Even though this was one of my slowest times for the bike and definately my slowest 5K ever, I did the best that I could safely do and I'm really proud of today's accomplishment. Plus I had fun. Can't beat that.
- This race was close to home, I liked that. Next year, I think I'll try to practice on the race course in advance. Or at least ride my bike a few times in the weeks ahead of the race. Heheheh.
- This was a first time event and was well organized. Thank you RD and volunteers!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, folks!

Glass half-full

Taking my training day-by-day so as not to aggravate the bendy thing*

Swam yesterday evening. Usually I've been swimming in the mornings or on Sunday afternoons and have had most of the pool to myself. Now I know why. Apparently everyone and their brother, sister, and first cousins all go to the pool in the evenings. Or maybe it's the swim team. Anyway, I managed to get a lane in the shallow pool and swam an easy/moderate pace without a watch. Slept well after that.

More core work in the morning, this time adding in the modified v-ups (3x35secs) and rocking v-ups (3x9-10) that I've been neglecting. Also made friends with the foam roller.

Tomorrow I'm heading to the gym for more core, upper body strength, and those dreaded push-ups.

Recent work-outs
Mon: core+upper body
Tue: 1200yd swim
Wed: core+REST

*I have banished the common word used in reference to "the joint between the thigh and the lower leg, formed by the articulation of the femur and the tibia and covered anteriorly by the patella" from my vocabulary until further notice so that I can stay in my happy place. If it *must* be mentioned, it shall be referred to as the "bendy thing".

Working through It

"Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." - -Joshua J. Marine

Emotions the Day After

Spent the day angry, frustrated, depressed, grumpy, and generally in a lousy mood. DNFing pretty much sucks even if you believe it was the right decision. Worse is the thing that caused it. In my case, the freakin' knee pain that I don't have a diagnosis for because the medical system is ridiculously slow and unhelpful. Grrrrrrrr!!

Refocussed Energy

I was a woman on a mission at the gym today. Accomplished 3 sets of 45secs plank followed by 10,10, 9 push-ups. Yeah, baby, that's what I'm talkin' 'bout! Also muscled through my arm strength work with higher weights on two of the exercises and survived another session on the foam roller. Ha!

Outta Nowhere

Got something in my inbox from Victoria's Secret online advertising a special on push-up bras. I paused for a moment and wondered why on earth anyone would need a bra specifically for push-ups. Running, sure, but push-ups? Oh wait, now I get it...

And just like that, I've mostly snapped out of my funk. There's joy to be found in every moment. It's just a matter of how you look at things.

Chips-n-Salsa

At mile 5, Husband reminded me that we do this for fun, we didn't need to finish.

Even though I was running with a limp, I needed to time to think about it.

How do you know when enough is enough?

It's not the pain of the moment, it's not the finish time, it's the fear of unknown. It comes down to an assessment of risk vs reward.

Is it worth it?

What is running this race worth to me? Is it worth risking further damage to my knee?

Is it worth it?

How long will it put me back on the sideline? a few days? a week?

Is it worth it?

What if it means two weeks? or a month? or longer?

Is it worth it?

Maybe I should just suck it up. Maybe it's not that bad.

But the question wouldn't stop echoing in my head.

Is it worth it?

Is it worth it?

Is it worth it?

I turned my garmin off at mile 6.3 and sent him on ahead.

I walked another 3.7 miles. And then I stopped.

Missing Confidence

If Found, Please Return to Owner

Knee is still problematic. Looking back, I know that I shouldn't have run on Sunday.

I've been smarter this week. I've iced and elevated the knee, wrapped it, and let it rest. In addition, I've been consistently taking the glucosamine, which I know is a long-term solution (not a short-term fix). It's improving, but it is nowhere close to 100%.

The Chips-n-Salsa half marathon is now about survival. My new goal is simply to finish without significantly greater pain than when I started - preferably with a smile at the end rather than a grimace.

I believe that resting was a good choice physically. However, it came at a significant mental / emotional price. I've lost my confidence.

Can I find it by Sunday morning? Only time will tell.

Recent Workouts
Mon - Core+Rest (skipped bike)
Tue - Rest
Wed - Rest (skipped run)
Thu - Core+upper body Strength (skipped run)
Fri - Swim 1400y (skipped run)

August Tally

The Numbers
* Swam 5000 yards, Cycled 25 miles, Ran 83.8 miles
* Did Core work 11 times and Upper Body Strength work 5 times
* Completed two races: one sprint tri, one 10K
* Cancelled registration for one race: oly tri

Thoughts
* Really enjoyed this month. Had a lot of fun.
* Pleased with progress in core strength and running. Also had a good (panic-free) OWS.
* Unhappy about recent knee pain, but I am hopeful that I can work through that soon.

September Plans
* Training remains focussed on Duke City half-marathon in October.
* Looking forward to the Chips-n-Salsa half-marathon next Sunday and Patriot Sprint Tri the weekend following. Guess I should get on my bike again before the tri. ;)
* Hoping for another opportunity to work on OWS.

Not the Bees Knees

All of my non-running friends are constantly asking about my knees. How are you knees? Don't your knees hurt? How can you run without knee pain? I've always been able to say no my knees don't hurt, they're just fine.

That is, until this week.

This week, my knees have decided that they are not fine. They hurt when I wake up. It gets better after I get moving. They're unhappy about walking. They're angry about running. What the font?!?

There are several possibilities about what is causing the pain, but I think the most likely culprit is osteoarthritis. I've started taking glucosamine (Schiff Move Free Advanced to be exact) hoping for substantial improvement in 2-4 weeks. I've also backed off on running intensity.

I'm not my usual cheery self at the moment. In fact, I'm rather whiney & grumpy about the whole thing.

Today husband & I showed up for a local Nike Human Race 10K. I managed to find a slow, easy pace that didn't cause it to hurt worse, and struggled through what felt like the longest 10K ever. [edited to add: Even though it seemed like the longest 10K ever, my hurtin-knee-limp-run got me across the finish line faster than I did for the Mariposa Death March in June *and* the Jingle Bell run last December. I must be making progress]

Husband has been experiencing pain of his own, so he decided to stay with me the whole way. I guess that's one positive in this whole thing. We make a lovely pair - Mr & Mrs Gimpy.

Running with pain is no fun. Somehow, I need to be pain-free for the Chips-n-Salsa half-marathon next weekend. RICE seems like a good starting point.

Recent workouts
Fri: OWS with Misty :-)
Sat: Rest
Sun: Nike Human Race 10K - easy pace

Shoutout to Cindy and Misty who are running the New Mexico Marathon today. You Go, Girls!

This and That

Remember when I first went to see trainer guy three week ago? I've been working on my core two to three times a week since then. I've still got a ways to go, but I'm actually seeing some progress with regard to the numbers.

When I started, I could only hold plank for 20 secs. My goal is 3 sets of 90 secs, and today I can do 3 sets of 40 secs.

I also started off being able to do a whopping total of two push-ups. It took every ounce of my being to do those two push-ups. The goal is 3 sets of 20 while focussing on good form. Today my three sets consisted of 9, 7, and 7.

Then there's the foam roller. After using it almost every day for a week, it's now my friend.

Should mention those evil pilates V-ups and rocking V-ups. Let's just say that I still have a lot of work to do on those, and leave it at that.

Recent workouts:
Wed: Rest
Thu: Core + Speedwork(3.0 mi)

Question for the Ladies

I have a serious question for the ladies out there. Do you notice athletic performance changes that align to um...hormonal cycles?

More and more, I'm convinced that I'm pretty much useless a few days per month and wonder if I ought to simply modify my training plan around it. Take some extra rest or stretch or light weight or easy swimming days or something.

Suggestions? Or am I just imagining this whole thing?

Recent workouts
Sun: 1200 yd easy swim
Mon: 4 mile easy run
Tues: core+speedwork at track (4.7 mi total)

Are You Ready to Rumble?

My next three weeks look like this:

- Nike Human Race 10K
- Chips and Salsa half-marathon
- Patriot Sprint Triathlon

I guess that means it's taper time (of sorts). Already? Yikes. And along with that I begin to question whether or not I'm ready for each or any of them.

In some ways I don't feel prepared for chips-n-salsa, so I decided to look back at my long run two weeks out from the Unser half marathon this past spring. That long run was 11 miles in 02:21:05, a pace of 12:50 employing a 9:1 run/walk. Today, two weeks out from chips-n-salsa, I ran 10 miles in 01:57:19, a pace of 11:44 employing a full run. I did end up with two short walk breaks (miles 4 and 6) due to back issues. I actually wasn't sure I could run this morning because I was having back spasms yesterday, but I made it to the end, and feel pretty good right now.

Anyway, just looking at the numbers, I'd have to say that I must be ready for chips-n-salsa especially since it isn't my A race. In general, I just want to put the miles on my legs and finish feeling good. Duke City (in October) is the one that I'm really focussed on for a PR.

Next, I wonder if I'm ready for the 10K next weekend. Admittedly, I'd really like to come in under an hour for a 10K some day, but I don't think this is going to be the race for that to happen. I want to have fun and injury free. With that kind of laid-back goal, I must be ready.

Then there's the whole question of the Patriot Sprint Tri. As much as I didn't train for Socorro, imagine even less triathlon training for this one. I didn't swim or bike once this week. So am I ready? Well, I'm fairly confident I can finish. I just need to keep my mind in a place where I'm okay with a goal of having fun so I don't beat myself up afterwards for being slow.


Recent workouts:
Thu - core+ 3.5 mi tempo run
Fri - REST
Sat - 10 mi easy run


Different subject - two comments regarding my last post:

1 - How exactly does one lock keys in a scooter? I locked my keys in the scoot by inadvertently putting them along wth my gloves inside my helmet and under the seat. I'll post a photo of the under seat storage sometime. Anyway, the only way to unlock the seat is with the keys in the ignition. From now on, I will make sure the keys are still in the ignition before I close and lock the seat.

2 - Why is it so hard to catch the bus? There is a lot of construction going on at the high school right now and depending on where you are in teh school you may or may not hear the last bell. Plus there is construction to dodge. On Wednesday, the teacher from her last period kept the whole class a little late due to not hearing the bell. Unfortunately, her bus is near the front of the bus line (a good half mile+ hike) which means no dawdling. With the class getting out late, she had to run and still didn't make it. She had to wait longer than she would have liked, I think she'll try harder to catch the bus in the future.

Stupid Human Tricks

I've mentioned that I now have two in High School this year. For some reason, the first few weeks of school always prove to be challenging with regard to reliable transportation from school to home. AKA Missing the Bus and needing a ride home. This is never a good situation because school gets out fairly early in the afternoon while I'm still at work.

This year, Son is driving. I was hoping this would solve most of the problem. However, he seems to be working or consumed with after school activities so Daughter still needs to catch the bus to get home.


She missed it on Monday. I wasn't able to come get her right away. She ended up walking over to Son's place of employment and hung out for an hour and a half or so waiting for me to pick her up.

Tuesday. Caught the bus no problem.

Yesterday. Missed the bus again. This time, I had taken the scooter to work. Theoretically, I could give her a lift on the scoot, but I don't have a second helmet (yet). I told her that I was going to stop at Petco on my way home, then would go home, get the car, and come pick her up.


Sounded reasonable to me. Except that when I stopped at Petco, I proceeded to do the scooter equivalent of locking the keys in the car. I managed to lock the keys under the seat. Crud. I had a second set at home, but how was I going to get them? Husband had ridden his bike to work, so he wasn't going to be able to help out any time soon. And Daughter is still waiting for me to come pick her up.


Think. Think. Think.


I called one of my colleagues at work and asked what his schedule was like. Had a meeting in 10mins. Tried another one. She's not there, she's gone home already. Third time's a charm, found someone who was on the way and agreed not only to give me a ride home, but to pick up Daughter as well. I owe that someone lunch!!

Eventually, I made it back to the scooter with the 2nd set of keys and brought it home too.


All's well that ends well, but I think I'll take the car today, just in case...

Scenes from Early Morning Run

I've been wanting to chronicle one of my runs for a while, but I didn't have a cell camera phone until recently. The photo quality isn't the best, but you'll get some idea of what it's like for me.

Sun just coming up over the mountains as I run down the trail.

Flowers on the ditch bank. This was my turn point marker today.


Fairly sparse foliage in the high desert this time of year, only a few wildflowers here and there.


Home sweet home. There was a hummingbird feeding on the the trumpet vine blooms, but I scared it away when I walked up to take the photo.



Workout Log:
Sat - 8 mil easy run
Sun - core + Rest
Mon - 5 mi easy run
Tue - core + 4 mi tempo run
Wed - 4 mi easy run

How's Your Running?

Yesterday, a colleague at work asked a simple question, "How's your running?"

It made me think for a moment. I immediately started going through numbers in my head. Am I running any faster? More volume? Further distances? Does my training plan make sense? Am I on track for my upcoming races?

But wait...

There is something about running that's different and it has nothing to do with the numbers.

It's the process. That feeling of being alive. Putting one foot in front of the other. Moving my body from point A to point B. Taking in the sights and smells along the way.

So how's my running? I'd have to say that it's good. Really good.

Emotional Rollercoaster

I'm filled with worry since Daughter started high school

and sadness from the infrequent sightings of Son now that he drives to his before/after school events and part-time job

and joy in seeing them both help out in the childrens area at church.

I've felt disappointment when I dropped back during a group run and watched them disappear off on the horizon

and surprise when the running group leader showed up at my side so I wouldn't get lost.

and acceptance when they waited, cheered, and gave high fives when I finished.

I've experienced excitement after holding plank for 40 secs

and frustration only to fail at 20 secs the next time

and hatred toward those stinkin' push-ups.

I'm filled with enthusiasm in pursuit of a PR at the Duke City Half marathon

and apprehension toward other upcoming races that probably won't go so well

and contentment with my decision to drop out of the oly tri.

Ever have one of those days?

Just Roll with It

Remember I was going to see the Trainer guy so he could push me through my core stuff? Well I showed up Wednesday morning and happened to mention that my muscles were a little tight and wanted to stretch first.

Out of nowhere, the foam roller appeared. When this happens, my friends, be afraid. Be very afraid. Trainer guy tortured me with that evil piece of foam for the entire session.

Oh.the.PAIN. Apparently, the more it hurts, the more you need it. Either that or he just enjoys watching his clients' reactions when they roll over those tight spots.

Having survived the session, the weirdest thing happened. I felt noticably less tense. It was amazing. Maybe rolling isn't so bad after all.

The evil device must have lured me with some sort of trickery. Guess who's all giddy because Husband has his hands on a foam roller and is bringing it home this evening?


Weekday workout summary:
mon: 5 mi easy run
tue: core+speedwork at track (5.1 mi total)
wed: PT appt
thu: core+ hill repeats (5.2 mi total)
fri: 1000yd swim

No Rest for the Wicked

Having made my decision to focus on half marathons, I began my new run-focussed training plan Monday with a 5 mile easy run. For some reason, I thought doing it at the gym on a treadmill would be a good idea. I have no idea why. I have always hated the treadmill and Monday proved to be no different. But I got it done.

This morning I did my core stuff. The highlight for me was hanging on for 3x30sec of plank and 3x5-6 good form pushups. The lowlight was my v-ups and the rocking v-ups which both were pretty pathetic. I have an appt with Trainer guy tomorrow and he's planning to push me hard on this stuff. Yikes.

This evening I met up with the running group for some track work. We did 10miin warm up, 10x2min hard effort with 1 min rest in between, a short rest, then 5x1 min hard effort with 1 min in between, and ended with 10 min cool down. For the 1 min rests, I opted for 30sec of walking and 30 sec of jogging. I found the Garmin graph and stats to be very interesting, so I will share.


Walking - 21:06 pace, .56 miles, 20% of workout
Jogging - 11:40 pace, 1.87 miles, 37% of workout
Running - 8:26 pace, 2.97 miles, 43% of workout

That 8:26 min/mi pace had me excited, but I was only doing that for about 400M lengths each time. When I check the MacMillan running calcuator, it tells me that is basically the speed I *should* be doing my 400M speed workouts at (based on my 5K time). I guess it's not a breakthrough.

Return to Socorro - A Race Reflection

Preface: In 2006, I focussed all of my training on my first ever triathlon, the Socorro Sprint Tri. I had been counting down to the event all year. I attended a tri workshop, practiced transitions, included several brick workouts. I was psyched and ready to race.

I was back at the same venue this weekend, but with a much lower level of enthiasm. No brick workouts under my belt. Not a single transition practice. I was feeling pretty blah and wasn't willing to treat is as anything more than a glorified brick workout.

Pre-Race: Got up at stupid o'clock in the morning after a terrible sleep. Downed a cup of coffee and a piece of peanut butter toast. Breakfast of champions, not! Took one bottle of accelerade out of the fridge for prerace. Had a frozen one in the back of the car for the bike.

Arrived at the venue for packet pick-up, got my race number, and made my way to transition. We were racking according to race number, which was assigned by estimated swim time. I liked that fact that the racks were numbered (no searching for my bike after the swim) but figured that meant it would be crowded in T1 b/c everyone on the rack would be there at approximately the same time.

Chatted with Cindy and Misty as well as some other non-blogger friends prerace. In 2006 I knew only one other person at the race. I've met several nice people through the sport in the past few years and found many familiar faces in the crowd this time around. I watched the daughter of one of my new running group friends do the swim in the kids race. She rocked it!

The Swim: It's a 400M seeded pool swim based on estimated swim time. I have no idea what swim time I submitted. I had signed up last year and couldn't make it after the hospital visit for the ovarian cyst last year so they forwarded my registration to this year. I'm guessing I may have sent in something like 8:40 which would have been reasonable last year, but not so much this year as I haven't really been doing swim drills this time around. The water felt nice. It got bunched up near the end and I had to pass a few times but otherwise just let people by and swam an easy pace. I was pretty sure it was much slower than 2006, but it turned out to be closer than I thought.

swim time: 2006-9:05, 2008-9:19

T1: Normally transition isn't worthy of much discussion, but in 2006 I slipped running out of the pool and over to T1. It wasn't pretty. I split my chin open and had road rash on my left arm, hip, and chest. I did NOT want that to happen again so I left a pair of sandals near the swim exit and purposely took my time rounding the corner on the wet pavement.

T1 time: 2006-2:00, 2008:-2:28

The Bike: By the time I mounted my bike, I was already 40 seconds slower than 2006. But my greatest improvements have been on the bike and I was looking forward to this segment. Some portions were beautiful and I found myself having a good time out there. I tried to wave, shout, etc. everytime I saw someone I knew. I got to see Cindy three times, twice on out and back portions and once when she blew by me looking strong and happy. I'm still pretty slow, but I easily cut a good 4 mins off my 2006 bike time.

bike time: 2006-52:35, 2008-48:20

T2: Uneventful.

T2 time: 2006-1:03, 2008-1:15

The Run: Oh, if wishes were fishes. I wished that I had done a few brick workouts. I wished that I had remembered to take the gel I had stashed in my bento box. I wished that I was back at my 2006 weight and about 10lbs lighter. I wished that some clouds would form in the sky. Sadly, none of my wishes came true. The highlight was seeing friends out on the race course, all looking strong.

run time: 2006-32:22, 2008-32:18
total time: 2006-01:37:01, 2008-01:33:37

Post-Race: I had packed a change of clothes, shampoo, brush, etc and had fully intended to shower in the locker room at the pool and hang around for awhile. But the combination of insufficient nutrition & sleep and too much sun was getting to me. I ran into SWTrigal who tried to convince me to stay, but I was toast and just wanted to go home.

After-thoughts: I had fun because of having friends at the race venue, but still feel pretty blah about triathlon right now. I came home and promptly sent an email to the Elephant Man RD asking to cancel my registration. With this, I can rearrange my training and focus on my current passion, the half-marathon. I will however, keep the Patriot Tri (a local sprint) on my calendar as cross-training. I feel good about this decision; it may be the real reason for that big smile when I got home.

Socorro Shortie

My main goal was decent race photos. I'm not sure if there was an official photographer, but Husband kindly drove me down there this morning and took photos. At least I have these. What do you think? Oh, and I'll write a full race report later.

Coming out of the swim.

Heading out of T1.

Coming in on the bike.

On the run.

And finally, showered and happy to be back at home.

Friday Follies

Thursday Evening Running Group:

Last night was the beloved running group. This is a semi-coached group led by an excellent athlete and really nice guy. I arrived a little early and was questioning the running schedule he gave me for the next few months. The long runs looked a little short given the half marathon in 4 weeks or so. He replies, I thought you were doing the 10K and the half in October. Nope, I'm doing the half each time. A little rearranging of the schedule for the next couple of weeks and we're good to go. He tells me the first one is practice, the second one is for a PR (actually he gave me a number that I think is unachievable from this body, but whatever). Sounds like a plan.

We did a 15min cool up, 4x5min hard efforts with 2 min walk/jog in between, 15min cool-down. He tells me "I want you out of your comfort zone. Really work hard. Run fast." He ran the first two with me to push me along at a little harder effort than I would do on my own. You can really see it in the numbers: 8:37 (no, not a typo), 9:06, 9:48, 9:42. You can see my pace slipped back to something much more comfortable when I didn't have the extra push. It was a good workout and I thanked him afterwards.

Friday Morning Swim & Core:

I've discovered that running hard at night causes me to wake up feeling not so fresh for my morning workout. Go figure. Despite this, I went out for a planned 800yd easy swim over at the new aquatic center. Left the watch at home so as not to be tempted to go fast. It felt good. I bought a 15 punch pass that's good for 3 months and plan to swim there until it runs out.

Came home and worked through the evil core stuff that Trainer guy gave me. OUCH. I have a long way to go.

Saturday Planning:

Oh yeah, have I mentioned that I have a race tomorrow which happens to be my first multisport event of the year, a sprint tri? So about that...

I guess I really need to get ready for this. I was going to clean my bike chain, but I'm feeling kind of lazy so maybe not. I will put air in the tires. I think I know what I'm going to wear and have a gu sitting out. Need to mix up some accelerade and stick it in the freezer, I plan to put it on my bike. Changed the laces in my running shoes and tested it out. Still need to get everything together and pack up the car. Don't want to forget anything. We're planning to leave at stupid o'clock in the morning and there won't be time to turn around if I've forgotten something.

I would be remiss if I didn't put my race goals in writing. Sure, I would like to better my time from 2006, but I'm not going to bust my tail to make sure that happens. Instead, what I'm really shooting for (yes this is vain) is some decent race photos. Seriously. I figure this will require that I truly have fun out there. So that's my main goal. Also to come home with a decision about what to do in September. Sound wimpy? Too bad. It's my life, not yours. ;-P

Catch you on the flip side. Get out there and have fun everyone!!

You want me to do WHAT?!?!

Had another appt with the personal trainer this morning.

Before I get too far into this, I need to explain that Husband has been working with Trainer guy for a few months now. He had been bugging me about making an appt to ensure that I spend time doing the things that I should be doing based on personal strengths/weaknesses, rather than just doing things because they sound good. Case in point, the push-up challenge.

Last week, Trainer guy focussed on my upper body and gave me four specific exercises to do. Today we were planning to focus on lower body. Before we started, he asked if I had any questions about the upper body stuff from last week.

Well, actually, yes, there was one exercise that I couldn't quite remember how to do and btw they don't have that machine at the gym that I usually go to and maybe he could recommend an alternative.

He casually answered,
.
.
.
.
.

.

.

.
.
.

"Sure. Why dont' you do push-ups instead."

You have got to be kidding me. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. When I came up for air, I explained that my abs are horrible and I stink at push-ups and I know this because of the push-up challenge.



That's all it took for him to ditch the lower body plan for today and go straight to core. As such, I have four new short term (I think we're talkng a couple months) goals:

Goal #1 - 3x90secs of plank. Keep the glutes and abs flexed while doing it. This is difficult for me. I can maybe do them correctly for 20 secs at a time right now.

Goal #2 - 3x90secs of "V-ups". This is some sort of evil Pilates thing. I'm not convinced that mere mortals can actually accomplish this. I'm starting in a modified position with legs bent and my hands on the floor. Eventually want to have the legs straight and arms off the floor. Yeah, right.

Goal #3 - 3x15 Seated rocking with medicine ball. Basically V-ups with motion and tight abs the whole time.

Goal #4 - 3x(20 pushups in 60 secs). The kicker - he tells me to start push-ups from the floor. Get everything tight (just like plank) and then do push-up #1 by actually pushing up (novel concept, huh?). He really wants me to focus on good form to make each one count.

It went something like this today:

"One! Looking strong.
Two! Good form, keep it up.
*collapse*
Okay...well....that's a start."

Bottom line - this personal trainer stuff seems to be worthwhile. I'm glad Husband pushed me into it. I've got another appt next week. I'll let you know how it goes.

What's on my Mind

I've found that Zyrtec is superior to Claritin with regards to the ability to halt allergy symptoms. However, it also halts me....very drowsy and "out of it". May try taking it before bed to see if it still works the next morning without the Zombie Lisa effect.

When I said I was treating the Sprint this weekend like a glorified brick, I wasn't kidding. At this point I have basically ZERO planning done and just this morning finally decided that we're driving down Sat morning vs. staying in a hotel Friday night. Geez. It might behoove me to figure out what I'm wearing, taking, etc sometime before Friday night, ya think?

The houseguests have departed. It was great seeing them, but I now need therapy more than ever before. I'm just sayin'

Running group got rained out this evening. Actually, it was called due to lightning. I am sooooo bummed. I was looking forward to it all day.

After searching for months, finally settled on new dinnerware and bought it today at lunchtime. Our old stuff is highly chipped/damaged. The new stuff is being washed and the old stuff is getting packed away for donation. I'm very happy about that.

Cycled to work today and for the first time kept it in the middle ring up front (vs. granny gear) and I think it was easier to control the bike that way. Of course I was only going about 4.5 mph up the hill, but that's another issue...

Blood tests came back normal (wrt PVCs). I have a followup appt in Sep to finallize next steps, but I think the recommendation for now is "keep on keepin' on" - no meds, no cardiologist. That's good news.

Remember when the chain broke that I wear my cross on? Well I put it on a cheap chain. That broke. Got the original chain and the bale repaired. The chain broke again in another spot. I told the people at the jewelry store that I needed a new chain that was thin enough not to overpower the cross, but heavy enough to suffer abuse 24x7 because I don't take it off and I put it though a lot of stuff. They suggested a wheat chain. It's awesome.

Having second thoughts about the triathlons in September. My heart just doesn't seem to be into the multisport stuff this season. I resent not being able to run as much as my HM training plan calls for because I need to get in my swim and cycling workouts. In the past, I've found triathlon to be addictive. Finish one and can't wait to do the next. Will I feel that way after this weekend? I hope so. If not, I seriously need to reconsider my plans.

Went to the new Aquatic Center on Friday. Water is a bit chillier than the pool I usually swim in but there were lanes-a-plenty and the water is crystal clear.

School registration is this week. I now officially have two in high school. It's gonna' be a loooooong year.

Carrying the Torch (aka 8 on the 8th)

Nancy's 8 on the 8th is quickly approaching. This blogger is unable to participate in the events next weekend, but did her part by participating in the virtual torch relay to make sure the games go on as scheduled. No need to thank me, I'm here to help.

I'm sure you all understand that the torch relay is more akin to an easy long run than a race. You see, it's more important to keep the flame going and safely transport it from Point A to Point B than to arrive quicly at Point B only to find that the blinding speed caused the flame to go out. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

This portion of the torch relay passed through a very rural part of the country; the torch carrier had to stop once to let a group of horses pass by safely and one other time when a coyote was crossing the path. I'm pleased to report that no animals were injured or spooked by the torch runner.

The route ended up a little long, measuring 8.43 miles. However, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I am able to report with confidence that the 8 mile point was passed in precisely 01:36:53.

Race participants may rest with confidence in knowing that the torch has been successfully passed on. I would expect the games to proceed on schedule.

The torch runner will rest with confidence as well. This was her longest run in the past 2.5 months. The half-marathon training plan seems to be coming along well.

July Tally

The Numbers
- Swam 7300yds
- Cycled 178.6 miles
- Ran 41.1 miles
- Went to the gym 12 times for strength work (upper body weights, core, pushups, etc)
- Races - one 5K
- Other: Passed MSF class! Joined a running group! Conquered an OWS!

Thoughts
Big smile. I'm really pleased with progress in July. I couldn't run until July 10 due to the leg issue, that's all healed now. YAY. My training was fairly balanced for once. I'm happy about all the strength training at the gym. Gotta be happy about the surprise AG award at the 5K. I've started doing speed work with my running group. Got in one OWS which ended much better than it started. All in all, a good month.

Aug Plans
Sprint Tri this coming Saturday (not tomorrow). Otherwise, focus focus focus on the Half Mary and Oly tri in Sept, those are my A races. There's another sprint tri in Sep as well, but I'm treating both sprints as glorified brick workouts.