Frantic Friday

Ever have one of those days where you wonder where the time went? That was me today.

Day started with an appointment with Trainer Guy this morning. He reviewed my form on the upper body stuff first. He had some minor form corrections, but generally gave me positive feedback. Next we spent time on lower body stuff. I showed him my one legged squats. Those are difficult, but apparently look good. He added regular squats and stiff legged deadlifts. Aye carumba! Tough stuff, but I'm up for the challenge.

Came home and did some yoga with one of my new DVDs. I've actually been working through those DVDs almost every day for a week. In another week or so, I'll write a detailed post about all of that.

Showered and jumped in the car. I needed to drive downtown to pick up my bling. What? I forgot to mention that? Oh yeah.

Well, apparently the event on Sunday was small enough that I actually placed in the women's division for the 5K. Which means the "woman" with the chihuahua was actually a "youth female" And I still think the chihuahua cheated.

Next, I was off for some beautification at the salon. I hadn't had my hair color freshened up since September and it was really bugging me. It looks much better now, if I do say so myself.

Then a quick late lunch so I could head over to friends' house to see their new dogs. Cute!!

Rushed home after that to get Daughter so we could go b'day shopping for Son who turns 17 on Tuesday. Mission accomplished. Whew.

Back home to finally get the Christmas tree out of the house. After Christmas, I couldn't get our tree back into the box, so I ordered a storage bag for it. Meanwhile, the tree partly in the box and partly out of the box has been sitting in the great room. The storage bag finally arrived yesterday, so I was able to get it into the garage and out of the house. Yay.

Now I'm sitting on the couch for basically the first time all day. Ahhhh.

Not for long though. It's just about time to make dinner.

Sigh.

My New Toy

First, thanks for all the insightful comments to my last post. I'm still not sure if 36 hrs is enough, but the general consensus was "listen to your body." Can't go wrong with that!

I've mentioned the desire to monitor my weight and body fat together, rather than weight only. Well, I finally decided on and purchased something for this purpose, the Omron HBF-500, and was able to order it online for under $70 including shipping.

I've had it for about a week now. Here are my thoughts.

I believe the weight is both accurate and consistent. I've stepped on and off the scale and had it return nearly identical readings, better than our other scale. It also returned a number close to the reading from a nurses office earlier in the week when I first got it. And as long as I step on it at the same time each day, I'm getting consistent readings day after day. For that matter, I consistently get a higher reading at night than in the morning. For my own purposes, I've decided that the scale is cranky in the evening and shouldn't be bothered. I now only use it in the morning after it's had a good night's sleep.

The body fat feature is a little tricky at first. It works for up to four users. You have to program in some data before first use and if you want the BF measurement, you have to remember to tell it which user you are before you step on the scale.

I'm not sure how accurate it is, but again, it is consistent. It measures my body fat within a single percentage point each time. It is, giving a reading about 4 percentage points higher than the reading from the nurses office the week I got the scale, but I don't know which reading is more accurate. I figure it doesn't matter if the absolute number is correct. If the scale is consistent, I should be able to tell if I'm making relative progress in the desired direction.

Other features include visceral fat level, skeletal muscle percentage, resting metabolism, and body mass index, but I haven't used any of those at this point.

Overally, I'm pleased. If anyone is considering buying a scale with BF feature, I'd recommend considering this one as you are making your decision.

Rest, how muich is enough?

During the summer, part of my schedule looked like this:
* Thu - speed work with group
* Fri - Rest
* Sat - long run with group

On the surface, it looks like a legitimate rest day sandwiched between two run days.

However, Thu speedwork was 7pm on Thu and the long run was 7am on Sat. That means only 36 hours between workouts.

Is that enough to truly count as rest?

Because today I realized that I could achieve the same thing (36 hrs between workouts) without actually taking a day off.

Example:
* Mon - weight training 7AM
* Tue - Run 7PM

See? It's got the same 36 hrs break in between workout, no off day.

Thoughts?

Up & Running 5K Race Report

Today was a local race called "Up & Running" which had a 10K and a 5K. It started on the walking bridge over the Rio Grande and had an out and back down along the Bosque Trail along the river as shown by the map below:



Pros:
* It was a great excuse to get out and run on a cold Jan morning.
* They set up some tents on bridge & played music. It was a very festive atmosphere.
* Packets were put together in reusable shopping bags. We'll get a lot of use out of those.
* Race venue was very close to home, maybe 6 miles from my house.

Cons:
* Start time 8:00am on a cold January morning. I much prefer a later start time (9am or 10am) during winter.
* Weren't set up to accept online or mail in registration. They expected people to drive downtown to the BCPR office while it was open (mon-fri 8-5am). I called and asked if I could mail my registration in and they let me do it, but it was an exception. I believe they would have had a bigger turn out if they had an easier way to register.

It was about 22 deg when we left the house. The sun wasn't quite up over the mountains either. Brrrrr!! I was going to take a self-portrait with my cell phone, but my fingers were just too cold.

They started the 10K first and started the 5K runners ten minutes later. The first half mile was mostly downhill. The middle was mostly flat. Then uphill at the end.

The field was small enough that there were only a few people between husband and I after mile one, so I could see him up ahead. I tried to keep him in my sights on the way back, but just couldn't keep up.

No worries, I told myself, I was out there to run my own race anyway.

Near the end of the race, I was passed by a woman and a chihuahua. I didn't mind being passed by the woman, but a chihuahua!?!? That's actually pretty depressing if you think about it.

Here's the graph of my splits, courtesy of Garmin. Official results will be posted by tomorrow afternoon. Garmin says I ran 30:31, average pace of 9:55.

If I could run the whole 5K like mile one, I would be a very happy woman. Guess that's something to work toward this year when I actually start training.

Also, while I'm pleased that I had some energy to kick it up a notch at the end for that final stretch, I can't help but wonder if maybe I could/should kick it up a bit sooner...

All in all, it was fun little event. Something I'll consider doing again next year.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!

Treadmill Run

[Second post in one day. Sorry about that! If you haven't already, you can find out the result my random act of kindness and congratulate the winner by referencing my earlier post from this morning.]

So remember yesterday how I was going to do a treadmill run, then I wasn't?

Well, actually I did.

As I was driving in, I remembered that I had an appt with Trainer Guy today and wasn't sure if we were going to work upper body or lower. I didn't want to be in the situation of running after a lower body workout, so I figured I should just do the treadmill run as planned.

Bleck.

But I tried to make it interesting and devised the following workout. Thirty minutes, broken down by alternating 2 minute thirty second intervals of walking (0% incline 3.8 mph) with running (3% incline 6.0 mph). It was actually a decent workout and something I could do again without too much dread.

So this morning I met with the Trainer and we did upper body. So I probably could have done the outside run today afterall, but better safe than sorry.

By the way, he has me doing five exercises. Two of them are things I was already doing so mostly he just checked my form on those. Three are new to me. I don't know the names of things, so I'll spare the detail of me trying to describe it all. I'm pretty sure I'll be feeling this tomorrow. I meet with him again next Friday. Cool.

Happy Friday everyone and have a good weekend! I've got a 5K fun run planned for Sunday morning. Eek! Expecting temps of about 22 degrees at race time. We'll see just how fun *that* is.

The winner is...

I did this the old fashioned way. Put all the names in a hat (except for a few that asked to be left out of the drawing for one reason or another). Closed my eyes. Mixed them up. Pulled one out.

The photo is a little fuzzy, but as you can see, the winner is JoyRuN. This is what she shared as a learning from 2008:

"Biggest thing I learned in 2008 is that I AM capable of running a marathon!"

Congrats, Joy! Please send me your address and I'll get the DVD out to you. Hope you enjoy it. I've sure enjoyed everybody's learnings.

Quick Updates

* If you want a chance at my Random Act of Kindness, please comment on that post today. I'll be chosing a name tomorrow. Watch this space!

* Spent more time on the phone with the insurance company and finally got somewhere. As of yesterday afternoon, they told me that the claim will be reprocessed and paid. Yippppeee! I'm feeling victorious.

* Another treadmill run on the calendar today. I'll be trying to find a way to make it into a game, but I haven't had enough time to plan a strategy for that. Sigh. EDIT: I'm on my way out the door and I've just decided to skip the treadmill run today and run outside tomorrow instead because I have the day off! Win-win! I'll do lower body stuff today instead.

* I am giddy like a school kid because Husband & I are *trying* to plan something very cool for our upcoming 20th anniversary. More on that later...

Gotta' run. Happy Thursday folks!

Tuesday Tidbits

* I've really enjoyed the comments to my last two posts. I'm feeling encouraged about trying out the yoga DVDs. It's also interesting to read about all of your learnings from 2008.

* I'm having blood drawn tomorrow at 6:30am for the annual health for life program at my work. They actually encourage us by giving us $$ to have some bloodwork done, meet with a coach, and use the mayo site. It's a fasting blood test, so my plan is to bring an apple and some milk with me so that I can snack immediately after the labs and then head to the gym before work.

* How's this for a bunch of crap. A few weeks ago I got a bill from an emergency room visit back in August of 2007. The bill says that there records show that I'm uninsured, self pay. But I also notice that there was some sort of coded comment from November regarding my insurance (so clearly they know I have insurance). Called the insurance company and they told me that the emergency room submitted this portion of the bill in Oct 2008. Since it was over a year from the date of service they denied it. So now I'm stuck with the bill?!?! Anyway, after a lengthy discussion they said they'd reprocess the claim. We'll see what happens, but this is really frustrating.

* Three times now I've done those evil one legged things that Trainer Guy showed me. Not really getting easier yet. Sigh.

* Today I'm scheduled to do a short treadmill run. Yippee (yes, that's with sarcasm). It just gets harder and harder for me to stay motivated on the treadmill. I'll be a lot happier in a few months when I'm running outside in the mornings or evenings again.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Act of Random Kindness

Almost all my readers are runners. I'm sure you'd each like to know how to:

· Expend less energy to run fast
· Begin using your body’s natural shock absorption
· Distribute running workload optimally to avoid fatigue in any one muscle group
· Minimize vertical displacement
· Avoid “braking” with each step
· Utilize elastic recoil for “free speed”

Well here's your chance. I'm feeling generous and decided to perform a random act of kindness and give away a slightly used "Evolution Running" DVD to one lucky commenter to this post.

Simply leave me a comment letting me know one thing you learned in 2008.

The fine print
* only comments to this specific post are eligible
* if you win, you will need to provide your mailing address so I can ship it to you
* leave only one comment to this post or I may remove your name from the hat entirely
* please understand that I'm doing this out of the kindness of my heart, not because I'm sponsored. The DVD is used, but good condition
* drawing will be held on the morning of Friday 09-Jan

Yoga?!?

So as I've mentioned before, I've tried Yoga several times and basically hated it. I had basically written it off.

But then earlier this week Trainer Guy said to me "You're really tight. Yoga would be good for you."

"No I don't think so. I don't like Yoga"

"Why not?"

"It's too slow. Boring. I don't like it."

"You know, there are different types of Yoga, maybe you should try one of more active types."

For days I've been mulling this over. Really?!? There are different types of Yoga? I thought Yoga *was* a type. A slow boring type.

So I looked into it. Apparently I've done Hatha Yoga. I am certain that I don't like that Hatha Yoga. But perhaps I may have been premature on writing off Yoga all together.

Without much more than that to go on I did some research and ended up ordering the following DVDs from Amazon.com: "Ultimate Stretch Yoga Workout", "Warrior Workout - Kundalini Yoga", and "Yoga Beauty Body"

Who knows. I may hate all of them too, but what have I got to lose?

The three DVDs together cost about the same as month at the gym with a pool. I wasn't planning to renew my membership there until February (using the work gym for free) so worst case its costing me the same as a month at the pool.

Seemed like a reasonable investment.

I'll let you know my thoughts after they arrive and I've have time to try them out. If you've used them and liked it, let me know. Or really, let me know anything and everything that you like about Yoga. I could use all the encouragement you have to offer!

Smiling

As I was laying out my plans for 2009, I couldn't help smiling. Sure I'm slow and my race schedule isn't all that challenging. But I've come a long way, baby!

Allow me to elaborate.

In the middle of 2005 I made two life changing decisions:
1) that I would celebrate every day that I was blessed with good health by getting up off my rear and moving my body and 2) that I would complete a sprint triathlon the following year.

Unlike many of you, I was not an athlete in my younger years. I couldn't swim across the pool, didn't own a road bike, didn't have a decent pair of running shoes, and had spent the better part of 40 years sitting on my rear.

I bought some running shoes. I took swim lessons. I bought a road bike. I started off slowly and gradually built up my distances. It was challenging, but I never gave up. If you've ever wondered why I use the Slow&Steady moniker, now you know.

This morning I plotted out three things: the number of events that I competed in, my longest run, and my longest bike ride. I wanted to include something about my longest swim, but I couldn't easily find that information, so I left it out. It starts with all zeros in 2004, but shows progress year on year. For that, I am truly grateful.

You've got one life. Live it and enjoy.

Tentative 2009 Race Schedule

Happy New Year everyone!! We started ours off with a trip to the gym while the kids were sleeping over at friends houses. Might go for a run later, we'll see.

This is the year of good health and fun and that's what is reflected in my race planning.

I'm confident that my knee can handle 5K and 10K distances, so that's what I'm eyeing this year. Plus a few sprint triathlons and a couple cycle events. I'm still wanting to add in a few trail races when I find out more about what my options are.

Of course, it's all subject to change, but at this point I'm ready to let the games begin!!

JAN
- Up&Running 5K Goal: Have fun!
FEB
- Sweetheart Run 5K Goal: Baseline performance
MAR
- tbd

APR
- maybe Spring Fling Tri (5k run/30k bike/400yd swim) but I don't like reverse tri's and it's Easter weekend.
- Johnny Rocket 10K Goal: Baseline performance
MAY
- Run for the Zoo 10K Goal: 10K PR!
JUN
- maybe Cherry Garcia 10K it's an evening race, not my favorite
- Albuquerque Century Goal: finish 100K or 100 mile ride

JUL
- Women's Distance Festival 5K Goal: PR!
AUG
- Socorro Sprint Tri (400m swim/12.5 mi bike/5K run) Goal: Have fun!
- Nike Human Race 10K Goal: Have fun!
SEP
- Chips&Salsa 10K Goal: PR
- Patriot Tri (400yd swim/30K bike/5K run) Goal: PR!

OCT
- maybe Chase the Balloons 100K ride
- maybe Duke City Half Marathon, knee permitting
NOV
- maybe Hobbler Gobbler 5K depends on whether or not we stay in town for Thanksgiving
DEC
- Jingle Bell 5K - Goal: Have fun!

December Tally & Year in Review

But First

Resting my freshly pedicured toesies on Bandit. :-)

December Tally

The Digits
Ran 35.7 miles
Cycled 14.0 miles
Went to the gym 14 times (breakdown: 12 core, 12 lower body/PT, 10 upper body)
One race, Jingle Bell 5K with 3rd place AG award

Thoughts
Eased back into running after finishing up PT with a fresh perspective. I'm not going to measure success by mileage or speed - it's all about being healthy, staying injury-free, and having fun.

Plans for Jan
New month, new year, new handy-dandy notebook!
Fun local 5K next weekend.
Start back up with Coach and running group at the end of January.
Meet with Trainer Guy a few times and take my gym sessions up a notch.

Year in Review (50 words or less)

From a fitness perspective, 2008 was the year of

Thirteen events, Joining a Running Group, Finding a Trainer, three AG Placings, one DNF, three PRs (HM, 10K, sprint tri), one First (metric century), Finding a Coach, one Injured Knee, Becoming the Gym Queen, & Gaining a Fresh Perspective. Always Interesting, Never Boring, Life is Good.

Tuesday Training

I had an extra long appt with Trainer Guy at the gym this morning. He spent 90mins with me instead of the usual 50mins because he had no clients in the time slot after mine. I always appreciate the time spent working with him. He's good at correcting form and explaining what we're trying to accomplish with each exercise or stretch.

One interesting new thing being added into my routine - one legged squats. Have you ever done those? Aye-yi-yi! I'm definately going to be feeling those tomorrow. Guess I'm a glutton for punishment because I set up a follow-on appt with him for next Friday (the 9th) to work with him again.

Came home to find an email from Coach that started off like this:

"I hope you all enjoyed your holidays, but now it's time to get to work..."

Holy smokes, he sounds serious! Good thing I'm not slacking off *too* much.

With today's workout behind me, Daughter, her friend, and I are going to get pedicures this afternoon. Girl time! Besides, I think I deserve some pampering after the gym torture this morning.

Wow. It's hard to believe that tomorrow is the last day of the year. Time sure flies, doesn't it?

Establishing a rhythm

I know everyone is anxiously awaiting the reveal of my 2009 tentative schedule, but that's going to have to wait a few more days because I'm still working on it. Don't hold your breath if you are looking for news of going long. I won't be racking up excessive mileage, but I do plan to have an injury-free year and loads of fun.

Anyway, I feel like I'm in a training rhythm again. I did a 4 miles easy solo run on Saturday. Husband and I ran 3.5 miles easy together on Sunday. The first two were with Bandit. That was fun. Knee is still holding out, so that's good news.

This morning I did upper body, core, and stretching at the gym. Unlike last week, it was basically empty. Maybe everyone is back to work? Whatever the reason, it gave me opportunity to snap another Gym Queen photo.

This is my last week of knee rehab. I'm ready to move on to some new exercises. I was able to establish an appt with Trainer Guy tomorrow morning with focus on lower body. Exciting stuff.

On the way home, I tossed a registration in the mail for Husband & I to do a local 5K on the 11th. That one is definately just going to be for fun. It is also aimed at keeping my running legs "tuned up" during the winter months.

For the record, I'm planning to return to the pool as well as cycle commuting in February. Probably won't do much of either of those in Jan, nor have I done much of it in December. But it was a conscious choice, not an oversight.

I'm feeling good about all of this. 2009 is going to be a good year. :-)

Looking Forward

I sincerely hope everyone had a blessed Christmas, celebrating in a way that gave them joy and peace. Ours was laid back and quite pleasant.

Never made it out for my Christmas run, but that's okay, I was spending time with my family making memories instead.

Husband & I did go to the gym in the morning on the 26th which was busier than I expected once again. For the record, let me just say that lunges are the gift that keeps on giving. Owie.

Anyway, with Christmas behind us and the New Year just around the corner, it seems fitting to look back at the year that was and look forward to the year that comes.

But before I get to ahead of myself, let me back up to Christmas Eve Eve (or Dec 23rd as it is commonly known). For it was on this day that I decided to stop in to see Coach and wish him a Merry Christmas. I left him with some gingerbread pancake/muffin mix, and he left me with some food for thought.

First we discussed the state of my knee and what I've been doing these last few months to rehab it. Then he handed me a race calendar and asked me to take my goals to the next level. What races to I want to do and why? Which are my A races? Which can we train through? Which ones are just for fun? Which ones do I want to really want to test myself at?

So much to think about.

He said that I don't need to lay out my whole schedule right now, and it's even okay to add some at the last minute, but I really need to think about this so I don't sabotage myself.

I never thought of it that way.

So that's what I'm going to do over the next few days. Lay out a tentative calendar and send it to him before the end of the year.

Merry Christmas

What's Wrong with this Picture?

Not exactly the kind of weather that puts a little jingle in your jolly, especially here in the high desert. My fear is that it will rain all day, and we'll end up with icy roads again in the morning. Ick.

I made it into the gym this morning for some treadmill running, knee rehab exercises, core work, & stretching. I was surprised at how many people were there compared to a normal workday morning. Apparently folks were taking advantage of some time off work by getting to the gym. I guess that's a good thing, but it reminds me to expect the new year resolutionists to take over for a little while.

Merry almost-Christmas everyone. Try to stay warm, stay safe, and enjoy time with friends and family. :-)

NB 1062 Shoe Review

Almost a full two months ago, the good people at New Balance Harrisburg sent me a pair of 1062s to try out - this is a neutal cushion shoe, for someone (like me!) who does not pronate.

The shoe is good looking, in my opinion, and I was particularly thrilled to get a pair with orange trim.

I haven't put too many miles on them yet since I'm building up slowly after knee injury, but I definately appreciate the cushion in these shoes. It's quite noticable when running on the road (less pounding) and good for someone like me who is coming off of an injury.

Not sure if you can tell from the photo, but the laces are made in a way that keeps them secure when tied. I hate having to stop and tie my shoes during a run, so I found that to be a neat feature.

I've found these to be stiffer than my Nikes. Not sure if I like that or not.

Although I haven't weighed them, they also feel heavier.

The biggest issue for me is a narrower toe box that doesn't fit my foot quite right, but we're all made differently so it might not be a problem for you.

As with most shoes, I'm planning to replace the insoles with something with better arch support.

All-in-all, I'd rate this as a well made neutral cushion training shoe, definately worth giving a try if you don't pronate and could use the extra cushioning.

On an separate note, found this Elmo hat in the closet. I think it was from when my daughter was in early elemetary school. Surprisingly, it fit me, so I wore it on my run today. It made me smile. :-)

Good-Bad-Ugly

The Good
- I'm officially off work for two weeks beginning Monday.
- I beat all the boys from my work team at Wii Boxing at a holiday party and thusly earned the title of "Wii Boxing Queen" for an afternoon.
- Appliance repair guy is coming to look at our non-functional oven this afternoon

The Bad
- Appliance repair guy needs to come look at our non-functional oven this afternoon.
- Still not done with Christmas shopping.

The Ugly
- Bandit was up until 1am in crazed-dog-mode. Very uncharacteristic behavior; could NOT get him to settle down and sleep. Concerned that he got into some candy or something. Hope he's okay.

Winter Blahs

Yesterday I managed to salvage a whopping 1.8 HBBC points for my pathetic lazy self. It's not much, but better than scoring another big fat goose egg. This was accomplished by 10mins of stretching and strategically parking 0.75 miles from the office so I had 1.5 miles of unavoidable walking round trip.

Sadly, I opted once again to skip the gym this morning which really isn't like me. I generally look forward to starting my day with a workout. I think maybe I have a case of the dreaded Winter Blahs. I'm guessing it has something to do with grey cloudy skies and icy sidewalks. I'm ready for the sun to come back any day now.

On a brighter note, behold the most excellent Gym Queen handy-dandy notebook for recording my workouts in 2009.

Isn't it perfect?!?

I'm so ready for 2009. Bring it on!

Lazy Bones

Yesterday's exercise? Nothing. I can't even claim cross-training from snowman building or driveway shovelling b/c the kids took care of that. I had a lot of work to do, and was able to do it from home, but my work involves sitting on my rear staring at a computer screen. And that's what I did. All.Freaking.Day.

This morning? Looked outside and decided that I didn't want to find out if the roads were icy on the way to and early trip to the gym. I'm perfectly happy to hang out at home waiting for the sun to come up so I can clean up some icy spots in the driveway before someone hurts themself. Lame excuse? Maybe.

Perhaps I'll get up off my rear and do something later this evening. Or not.

There's always tomorrow, right?

The children were nestled

all snug in their beds
as visions of a snow day
danced in their heads

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBUQUERQUE HAS REPLACED THE WINTER STORM WARNING WITH A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR ICY ROAD CONDITIONS AND LINGERING SNOW SHOWERS. PATCHY FOG COULD DROP VISIBILITY BELOW ONE HALF MILE AT TIMES THIS MORNING...MAKING ALREADY TREACHEROUS ROADWAYS MORE DIFFICULT FOR TRAVELERS

Happy Thoughts

* Car problems happened yesterday *after* my run, when the weather was nice, and I wasn't in a hurry to get anywhere.

* Spent a lazy morning with Husband before he left for a business trip (yes, played hooky from church).

* Had lovely shopping afternoon with Daughter before weather turned icky. Winter is heading our way.

* Discovered a 5K on Jan 11 with a starting line within 6 miles of my house *and* a new spring time sprint triathlon within 12 miles of my house. Excellent options!

* Cats doing better after dentals with extractions on Friday. Cats with dental issues = hissed off. Cats on pain meds = floppy. Cats today = playful.

Saturday turn of events

Got up early this morning
Met running group at trail head.
Nice slow run with friends.
Fun stuff.
Got in the car to head home
Car won't start.
Oh crud.
Called Husband.
He came to look at it, it's not the battery.
Called AAA for a tow.
Waited
Got towed to pep boys
Walked to a local eating establishment for some food.
Walked back.
Waited
Waited some more
Car needs new fuel pump & fuel filter
Due for an oil change so do that too.
Called Husband for a ride home
Rescued and brought home.
Maybe car will be ready later.
Or not
Maybe tomorrow.
Sigh.

Fun facts

Jingle Bell race results finally posted. Looks like I was 3 of 15 women 40-49. Some of them were walking, but whatever. Also finished 43rd overall of 122 total. I found that to be particularly cool because I happen to be 43 yrs old. Yeah. I'm a dork like that.

You know how sometimes you pick someone out to try to beat? Well, I happened to be chasing after a couple of kids (ages 7 and 10). Sad, huh? I finally caught them right around the 3 mile marker. For the record, I did shout out to them "Good job, girls!" as I trudged on by. Looking at the final results, it seems I beat them by a whopping 3 seconds. LOL.

This morning I did weights and other strength work. I included lunges and wall squats, things that aren't normally on my schedule. Wow. I'm feeling it now. But it's all good. I'm happy that I was able to do strength work three times this week.

Not sure about the rest of you, but I keep track of my workouts in a handy dandy notebook. Since the year is almost over, I will be needing a new one soon. To my delight, I found something today for 2009. It's pink *and* it has a crown on it. OH.MY.GOSH. I can't believe how perfect that is!! It's the little things that make me happy.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Thoughtful Thursday

I pretty much suck at wordless Wednesday. It's been less than 12 hrs and I can't stand having a post with almost no words. LOL.

I enjoyed looking at the photos side by side. The expressings are genuine. I like it. They both look more mature this year. I find it amusing that the kids chose basically the same color shirts for the photo year to year. Funny!

Yesterday was rough due to lack of sleep, but I slept well last night and feel energized this mornings.

Great comments about the Christmas stress situation. It has a lot to do with trying to meet the expectations of others. I have decided not to do cookies. I'm skipping an exchange party that had me stressed out. I'm cutting way down on cards. I put up only the decorations that I wanted and put the rest back into the closet. We did gift boxes for four orphans in Mexico several weeks ago and that felt meaninful. A lot of this other stuff is just stuff. I feel better now.

I've done fairly well with my workouts so far this week. Monday - strength. Tuesday - run. Wednesday - strength. And as soon as I get up off my rear, I'm heading off for a run.

Have a good day!

"Almost Wordless" Wednesday

2008 Christmas Card Photo:

2007 Christmas Card Photo:

Tis the Season to be Stressed

Preface: I'm writing this post at 2:30am Wednesday. I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. Ugh! I'm going to try to go back to bed at 3:00am. I'm not sure how I'm going to feel at 5:30am when it's time to get up, but I'm fairly certain it won't be pretty.

The few weeks before Christmas are always stressful for me. There's something fundamentally wrong with that, but I haven't figured out how to avoid it. It's actually the reason why I found myself unable to sleep.

As of last night, Christmas gifts to the out-of-state relatives have been ordered. Hopefully the gifts will arrive to their destinations on time. Yay for internet shopping.

"Take 1" at a Christmas card photo occured yesterday. "Take 2" will be today. Then we pick one and. I still need to get stamps. Maybe tomorrow I can sign and address the cards and get them ready for photo insertion on Friday so they can get in the mail on Saturday.

Shopping for Husband is going okay. Shopping for the kids, not so much.

I'm seriously thinking about *not* baking Christmas cookies this year. I'm also unmotivated to get the rest of the decorations up.

Maybe I'm turning into the Grinch, but it just seems like we make this time of year way more complicated than it needs to be.

*yawn*

Looking Forward.

Thanks everyone for the comments on my last post. I'm thrilled beyond words to have been able to run the whole 5K without knee pain. That was just huge for me. The AG award was like icing on the cake. I still take the award with pride, but also with the understanding that it was a small field and many faster runners were doing a local Jingle Bell Triathlon this weekend instead.

Knowing that my knee is truly improving, I'm ready to plan for 2009. As I mentioned in a previous post, before I choose which races to do, I wanted to go through a process to figure out why I am doing this and what I wanted to achieve. After that, it will be easier to figure out which races (the when and how).

OVER ARCHING GOALS:
□ A: Be healthy
□ A: Have fun
□ A: Injury free
□ B: Be faster
□ C: Go farther (or farthest to date)


GENERAL
□ A: Min training: Strength* 2x per week, swim 1x per week, run 2x week, cycle 1x week, rest 1x week
□ A: tbd-Something about strategic eating
□ B: Target training: Strength 3x per week, swim 2x per week, run 3x per week, cycle 2x per week, rest 1x week
□ B: Average 1 event per month
□ B: Decent Race photos (yes, I’m vain like that!)
□ C: Get weight back under 120lbs and maintain

* Strength sessions include quad work to prevent PFS flare-up, core, & upper body. I may add in circuit training like we did in class last week.

RUNNING
□ A: Good running form – not sure how to measure this, but relates to injury-free.
□ A: Finish at least two 10Ks
□ A: Finish at least two 5Ks
□ B: 10K PR and break an hour. Personal Best is 1:02:19 at Run for Zoo May 2008
□ B: 5K PR and break 28:30. Personal Best is 28:48 at Chips-n-Salsa 2006
□ C: only if knee permits - half-marathon PR and break 02:15:00. Personal Best is 2:21:36 at Unser 2008
□ C: Trail race – any finish time, any distance. I really want to try this out. J

CYCLING
□ A: Finish one cycling event such as Albuquerque Century (metric)

SWIMMING
□ C: tbd-something about stroke count reduction

TRIATHON
□ A: Finish 2 sprint triathlons
□ B: Sprint distance PR at least one of the following : Jay Benson, Socorro, and/or Patriot
□ C: Finish 1 Oly triathlon

Jingle Bell 5K Race Report

Husand & I headed off to Balloon Fiesta Park this morning for the Jingle Bell 5K. This is the 3rd year that we've done this race, so we knew what to expect with regard to the course. It starts off with a run up a hill, then down the hill, then a track around the park.

I was looking forward to the run, but really wasn't sure what to expect from myself. I have been building up slowly trying to protect my knee. I've done a few 8R-2W intervals, but no continuous running since Duke City back in early October.

The plan for the morning: Don't push it too hard, but put in good effort. Try to find a pace that could be maintained for a 10K (even thought it's a 5K). If any knee pain occurs, walk.

And off we went.

Here's a breakdown of my split paces (and the elevation chart):
1: 10:33, up the hill +143ft
2: 9:14, down the hill -153ft
3: 10:01, mostly flat
0.1: 8:00, mostly flat & booking it to the finish

I am happy to report that my knee didn't hurt the entire time. YAY!

I was pleased with my finish time - 30:38 (9:52 min/mi). This was much better than I expected given the circumstances.

We hung around for a while waiting for awards. Husband was antsy to leave, but since it was a relatively small field, I thought his finish time (26-something) might have been good enough for an AG award.

I wasn't quite right.

We were both surprised when *I* was the one called to the podium - 3rd place F40-49.

What a way to end the season.

Knowledge is Power

Nutrition

The second day of our Corporate Athlete class started with a module on nutrition. It was presented in a way that explained what happens as food is digested (mostly from a blood sugar/insulin perspective).

For the first time, I think I finally UNDERSTAND why eating several small meals is important. Why pairing protein with carbs is important. And why skipping meals or going to long without food can cause you to gain weight.

I know that none of this is new news to anyone, but it's one thing just to be told something and something all together different to understand.

With this new understanding, I came to the realization that I have destructive eating patterns. I need to eat strategically.

The worst for me has been in the afternoon. I don't eat a nutrtious snack within 3-4 hrs of lunch, my blood sugar drops, my body thinks I'm starving, and I end up binging before/during/after dinner.

I don't always eat a balanced breakfast either. Sometimes I exercise early without breakfast, send my blood sugar plummeting, and end up binging afterwards.

I made a commitment to myself to fix my nutrition effective immediately. And yesterday afternoon went fairly well even with a holiday concert/dinner.

I'll be focussing on this for a while as I try to develop new habits. I'll be taking some snacks to work to keep in my desk. And setting time based reminders to nudge me to eat. Wish me well!

Random Thoughts

We did yoga yesterday, I didn't care for it.

I did my PT quad sets and core this morning and feel good about that.

Husband & I are running Jingle Bell 5K tomorrow. Yikes. I feel totally unprepared, this is definately just going to be a fun run for me.

I stopped back at Marshalls. To my delight, I found a jacket in my size just like the light blue one, but in more of turquoise color. Score!

Thoughts on Corporate Athlete

So far, this Corporate Athlete class has been interesting.

We've talked about maximizing performance by being fully engaged on a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual level. We've talked about the benefits of interval training. We've talked about aerobic training. We've talked about the stories we tell ourselves about why we can't do something. We've talked about barriers to success and breakthroughs.

I think anyone that reads my blog would get something out of the class if they had the opportunity to take it.

Tomorrow we talk about action plans and nutrition and something else that I can't remember

The class also includes some physical activity. Today we were given those stretchy bands and were led through a series of 8 or so exercises. The idea is that we could take these with us on vacation, to the office, to a soccer game, or whatever and be able to do some resistance training - no excuses. Definately gave me something to think about. Maybe I'll take my band into my office and do some of those exercises when I'm stuck in phone meetings.

Next up was a circuit workout. One minute each - as many as you can - pushups, crunches, lunges, tricep dips, & wall squats. I think I was the only lady in the class to attempt "real" pushups. That was a confidence boost.

Then we were given the opportunity to go through the circuit a second time. This was optional. I'd guess that half the class opted out. And out of maybe 10 ladies, only 2 of us continued onto the second set. All those negative self-images from earlier in the week? I squelched them (at least temporarily) by sticking through the entire workout. It was tough, but satisfying.

Tomorrow we're doing yoga during class. Ick. Yoga is not my favorite.

Take care everyone!

Commuter Chronicles

The plan this morning was cycle comute to work, do upper body strength at the fitness center.

Packed my pannier bags the night before. Planned my strategy for cycling clothes - it's a little tricky, 30s for the ride in, upper 50s for the ride home. Figured out how much time I needed, when I should leave, and set the alarm.

Got up. Geared up. Pumped up the tires.

Meanwhile, son is out in the driveway fiddling with the car. Will not start. Click.click.click.click. Stopped to talk with him about it a bit, then decided no worries, take my car, I'm cycling in.

Got off a little later than planned. Things are good. Then I think. Hmmmm. I don't think I have my toiletries. Better stop to check. Nope . Definately don't have those. Okay, turn around.

Back home. Laid my bike down at the end of the driveway (it's gravel and it was faster than walking it back up to the house) grabbed my toiletries bag out of my gym bag, bungeed it to the rack. Pick up the bike...walk it back up the street.

Clack.Clank.Clank.

What the font?

When I laid it down, my rear light rotated inward and was hitting the tire. But I had trouble muscling it back out. Had to get the multi-use tool out of the bag to loosen it up, adjust, tighten.

Time check. Oh wow. I'm WAY behind schedule now.

Plan B. I'll head to the other fitness center at work. It will cut 2 miles off my commute. No time for upper body now.

Arrive, stretch, head in for a shower, change clothes. Walk to the hair dryer area. No dryer anywhere to be found. I presume someone stole it.

Crud. Arrive at office a few minutes late with wet hair. Just lovely.

[Edited to add: Rest of the day went okay. Got a few comments on my hair - it dries wavy and I normally blow dry it straight. after work, we got the the car jump started and took it in to PepBoys. It's back with a new battery and Son should have no problems tomorrow. Cycle commuting is always interesting, sometimes it goes well, sometimes you have to improvise]

Monday Miscellany

Today started off with a decent workout:
* 2W-8R-2W-8R-2W for a total of 1.9 miles in 22 mins.
* Stretches (hamstrings, calves, quads, arms, IT band, etc)
* 30 reps each of my PT quad sets (30x12=360 reps total - lotsa quad stuff)
* 3x25 bicycle crunches (ouch - those really hurt)

Tomorrow I am planning to cycle commute plus do my upper body strength routine.

Wed & Thu I'm in full day class called "The Corporate Athlete - Training for Maximum Performance." The idea is that we can learn from athletic training to perform well in all areas of our lives. The company is paying for the class *and* paying me to take it. Sweet deal, huh?

Also, Daughter starts driving school classes Wednesday evening. Yikes.

Our Christmas tree goes up this evening. Not sure if I posted about it last year, but the tree fell over in the middle of December causing my favorite glass ornaments to be smashed to bits. Very sad. I bought some new ones after Christmas when they were on sale. Anyway, I have a weird feeling about the tree this year. I keep thinking - "these are not my ornaments". We'll see how I feel this year when the tree goes up.

You folks had a lot to say about my whining yesterday. Wow. Thanks for all the feedback. You've given me a lot to think about. Here's where my head is at after digesting all your comments:

1) I probably need to look at weight *and* body fat. I know for certain that I have gained muscle in the past year. I'm fairly sure I've also gained fat in the midsection. But my target weight is probably not correc because muscle weighs more than fat.

2) I like the idea of writing down what I eat, but I don't actually want to do that. Today I did think about everything that's gone in my mouth and asked myself - "If I had to write it down, how would I feel about it later?" It affected my choices. Good stuff.

3) I'm a middle-aged multi-sport athlete that also does weight training. I shouldn't expect to be super-skinny like my stick-figure teens or the super-tiny runner-women. I need to embrace my body for what it is, "rock what I got", and (like a fine wine) just keep getting better with age. Sound more reasonable?

With that, this Gym Queen signs out!

November Tally & a bit of whining

Part 1: November Tally

November Totals
* Run/Walk: 14.7 miles
* Swim: 3900yds
* Cycling: 95.0 miles
* Strength Sessions: 17 (detail: 17 quad sets for PT, 8 core, 9 upper body)
* Races: nada

Thoughts Looking Back
* I dedicated this month to knee rehab and followed through with it by doing rehab strength stuff 4 times per week. I do believe that the Gym Queen tiara was well earned! And it's paid off with improvement in my knee. Boooyah!
* I feel okay about my Swim & Run/Walk volume.
* I'm quite pleased that I got back out on the bike. Actually planned to ride today and bring the total over a hundred miles for the month, but it's too windy for my liking so I bagged it. Yes, I'm a weather wimp.

Thoughts Looking Forward
* Jingle Bell 5K is this coming Saturday. That will be interesting.
* I've drafted goals for 2009 and will share in a separate post
* I need to lose weight.

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Part 2 - "It's my Blog and I'll Whine if I Want to"

It doesn't help my self esteem one bit that the ladies in my running group are teeny tiny little things. Four of them (not one...not two...not three...but FOUR) wear a women's size extra small. Did you catch that? Small is too big for them, they need EXTRA small. Sigh.

And then there's the fact that I live with a family of stick people. I've uploaded a picture of Daughter (It doesn't seem possible that there's room for all of her organs inside that tiny waist of hers, but the doctors say she's perfectly healthy with all parts accounted for.) and I from Thanksgiving.

Son is 4 inches taller and even thinner than his sister. And Husband is tall and thin too. Bastages!

Then there's me, resembling the Pillsbury Doughboy. I'm approximately 10-12 lbs over my target weight...all in the midsection.

If I had hips, I think I'd be actually be well proportioned. But without hips to balance things out, I'm just pudgy.

Here's a photo of Son & I making apple pie earlier this week. I realize it's not the most flattering photo, but it does demonstrate my body shape (and his tall thin-ness). Wide shoulders, narrow hips, no waist. See? I'm not making this stuff up.

I know that I need to stop whining about it and do something.

The problem is that I have no idea where to start. I get that it's a matter of calories in vs. calories out, but I've never been successful at losing weight. So any suggestions would be appreciated.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming

This morning I got up and went to the pool for a swim to start off my day. 100, 200,300,200,100 for 900 yds total. Followed by stretching in the hot tub afterwards (my favorite part!).

I came home and promptly had a piece of pumpkin pie for breakfast. D'oh!

The weather doesn't look too promising for a bike ride today, but maybe things will change for the better later this afternoon. [Updated: We made it out for a short 14.2 mile ride at lunch time. Boooyah!!]

Tomorrow is Run Group day and based on my recent interval success, I just might be able to do my pseudo-run/walk thing with them this time. That would rock.

Enjoy the rest of your Holiday weekend folks!

A Little Boy's Thanksgiving Sentiment

I like pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce,
And I tell you roast turkey with dressing is "boss".

So you'll not be surprised, I am sure, when I say
That I greet the approach of Thanksgiving Day.

We have one Thanksgiving a year, so I find;

'Twould be better to have one a week, to my mind;

For our blessings are ours each week and each day,

Which we ought to acknowledge in some fitting way.

But the big folks have fixed it, and fixed it their way,
For things must all be as the big folks say;

So we'll just have to do as we always have done,
With one day each year for Thanksgiving fun.

Quillings In Verse

John Edward Everett

(Smith Center: ___. 1912)
Page 34

I appreciate the sentiments of this poem about giving thanks on a regular basis. I know that I really have a lot to be thankful for.

This morning, Husband & I went to the gym as planned. Got everything done including another set of pseudo run intervals, this time a bit longer: W5-R7-W3-R7-W3-R7-W3. Knee still feels okay, so that is good.

The bike fit yesterday was really interesting. She made a lot of adjustment: moved my cleats, raised the seat, moved the seat back, did something with the grips. It should be better now, with less force on my knee. I can't wait to try it out!

Sincere wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels if you find yourself out on the road.

Ramblings

My PT happens to also do professional bike fits. My final PT appt today involves a bike fit from a PT perspective. How cool is that?!?

No Turkey Trot or Hobbler Gobbler or other such Thanksgiving Day race for me this year. I'd be sad, except that the weather is supposed to be cruddy anyway. We *will* be going to the fitness center at work though, which is about the only gym that I know will be open on the holiday. And I *will* complete my entire workout.

My psuedo-run intervals yesterday consisted of 5W-7R-3W-7R-3W. A total of 1.92 miles in 25mins. Sigh. I'm doing what has been prescribed because I want my knee fully recovered for next year, but this is bordering what I would describe as "painfully slow" progression. Anyway, knee did fine, but hips are a bit sore. Need to stretch and roll them out later today.

I was right about needing an extra 30-45mins to complete my full workout yesterday. But I only made it there about 15 mins early. So didn't quite get it all done.

Hoping to be able to leave work at about 2:30pm today so I can come home and begin preparing the gluttonous feast. After the over-eating that is soon to follow, I am going to do something about my ever expanding waistline. I'm serious this time.

Husband and I have been hoping to go for a bike ride on Friday, but the weather report calls for snow and rain. Of course, today is supposed to be beautiful. Not Fair!

Thoughts from the nightstand

Sunday afternoon I went on an 18mil bike ride with my running-friend-gone-cyclist. We had beautiful weather, really couldn't have asked for a better day, and were both excited about doing it again this next coming weekend. Then I looked at the weather forcast which doesn't look so promising for the holiday weekend. Bleh!

Today I had an early morning PT appt. It was actually my second to last one. Can you believe it? I am so almost done with that! Yesssssssss. We talked about the progression of exercises that I will need to do for the next 6 weeks. Assuming I stick with it, by mid-Jan I should be back to my old running self (emphasis on old...hahahah). Meanwhile, I'm building up slowly and remaining diligent to the PT stuff.

I have a lot on my workout schedule for tomorrow. Upper body, core, pseudo-run intervals, and my PT exercises. I think I'm going to have to get to the gym 30-45mins earlier than usual to fit it all in. Not happy about the thought of an extra early morning.

I guess I should call it a night instead of blog reading/commenting. YAWN!!

Sat Morning Follies

Yesterday I was able to do my 5 min walk/run interval thing, which is sort of like running, but I'm definately not able to run with my group yet. So, this morning I intended to meet my running friends on bike again since that worked fairly well last time.

After I was on my way, I noticed a goat head (see bottom of post for more info) in my front tire. I took it out and listened for leaking air. It sounded fine. I continued on my way but quickly noticed that I was going slower and slower. Stopped again and felt the tire. Very squishy.

Drat! I was going to have to change the tube.

I was closer to home than the meeting spot and it was only about 28 deg out (brrrr), so I decided to put a little air in and turn around so I could fix it at home where it was warm. This meant I would definately not make it to the meeting spot on time.

So...I grabbed my cell phone, searched for running friends phone number, and hit sent. I really couldn't hear very well because I had just stopped at the side of the road to make the call and still had my helmet on.

"Hi. This is FirstName"

"Hey, my front tire is soft after I pulled out a goat head, I'm going to have to replace the tube and won't make it on time"

"Who is this?"

"Lisa"

"This is FirstName LastName. Who are you trying to call?"

Ooooops!! I accidently selected SWTriGal from my contact list, same first name as who I was trying to call. She happens to be in AZ getting ready to do IronMan tomorrow. I imagine she was very confused about why I had called to tell her about my flat tire.

"Oh sorry! Called the wrong FirstName. Sorry about that. Hey, Good luck at IronMan tomorrow."

"Thanks. And sorry about your tire"

Hahahahaha. What a moron I am. At least it makes for a funny story. :-)

After that little mishap, I successfully dialed the correct number to let the group know that I would be late due to the flat and not to wait for me.

Made it home, fixed my flat, and then Husband graciously dropped me off at the meeting point.

I was able find the running group out on the trail. We met up in the parking lot after their run to chat for a bit. Then I rode home. It ended up being a bit shorter ride than last week because of the late start and catching a ride to the meeting spot, but 14 miles is better than nothing.



Edited to add: A goat head is a type of nasty thorn that is prevalent in NM. I always ride with goo in my tires, but sometimes that's just not enough for these little beasts

Thursday Tidbits part 2

I survived the caffeine-free day without biting off too many heads. Best news is that the results of my stress test were fine. Since the arrythmia is asymptomatic and everything else is normal, I'm pretty much good to go for now.

The fourth folder fourth photo bloggy tag directed me to a photo from 11/06/2006 of a NM sunset. Usually I miss the vibrant colors by the time I grab my camera, but I captured it fairly well that time.

Thursday Tidbits

Decided to skip the gym this morning. Yep, I'm being a slacker. My excuse? I have an early work meeting, and didn't feel like getting up a half hour earlier so that I could make time for the gym. Plus, I have a stress test this afternoon which involves a treadmill, so I think I'll count that as my exercise for the day. And because of the stress test, I can't have coffee (or tea or chocolate or anything with caffiene) which doesn't make for the most pleasant version of me. It's probably best that I avoid direct human contact as much as possible.

Speaking of which, the stress test is the last of a series of tests to understand my recently diagnosed heart arrythmia. I've had a couple of EKGs, an echo cardiogram, some bloodwork, & a 24 hour holter monitor already. Today I meet again with the cardiologist after the stress test. I don't think he's going to want to do anything at this point because I'm not having any symptoms other than the arrythmia itself and all my bloodwork looks good, but we'll see.

Moving along to a more upbeat (pun intended) subject, Marshalls. Do you have one of these near you? We just had one open nearby a few months ago. I had never been to one before, but I've discovered that it is dangerously addicting. I've been heading straight for the athletic wear in search of bargains. That jacket I was wearing in the cycle picture from this weekend was one of my Marshall finds. $12 for a Reebok playdry jacket. Score!! It's super comfortable and keeps the wind from getting though. What's not to love about that?!? Except for the minor detail that I didn't exactly *need* a new jacket...

THIS & THAT

THIS - At the gym, some random guy made a comment while I was doing upper body weight stuff that I was "solid." My initial reaction was "thanks" but as I thought about it more, I'm really not sure what it meant or why he felt compelled to share. Mentioned it to one of my co-workers. He laughed. His wife is from England and he says that "solid" means "dense" and is more of an insult. I also mentioned it to Husband and he laughed saying it was something he's used to decribe our dog. Bandit is "solid." Great. I'm solid like the dog. LOL. So...still not quite sure what to make of that. Hopefully the guy will keep his comments to himself in the future! Creepy!

THAT - I was actually able to do something that resembled running today. As prescribed by my PT, I included the following workout on the treadmill (while being mindful of my knee position): 5 mins walk, 5 mins easy run, 5 mins walk, 5 mins easy run, 5 mins walk. I experienced no knee pain, so I get to repeat on Thursday. It's a slow and steady comeback - just my style.

Two-fer

The convenience decision was a good one. I found myself standing outside the door of the gym with pool at 8am Sunday waiting for it to open so I could get in a quick swim before church. Wouldn't have been able to do that at the aquatic center. 900yds accomplished!

On Saturday, one of my tiny runner friends who lives close to me, mentioned that she wants to start cycling again. After church, I gave her a call to see how serious she was about it. To my delight, she was willing to meet up for a 15 mile loop. Adding on the miles to/from our meeting spot, I got in a total of 19.6 miles. And she's interested in doing it again next weekend. Sweet!

I came home all pumped up and spent some time working on my 2009 fitness goals. Then I signed up Husband & I for the Jingle Bell 5K that's less that 3 weeks away. Hopefully I'm running by then, if not, I guess that will be the day that I start. Heheheh.

This morning, my shoulders are a bit sore from swimming. My left hamstring feels tight and needs to be stretched. And my uh...um...hmmm well let's just say it's been awhile since I've spent that much time on the saddle. But most importantly, my knee feels fine. Woot!

After a month of knee-induced slothfulness, I feel like I'm almost back. How cool is that?!?!?

Turtles Unite!

Remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned that I have organized the running group (Turtles) to start running again on Saturdays during the off season?

Well today was the kick-off run. Excellent, right?

One tiny little problem - I'm still NOT RUNNING!!

I decided not to let that one minor detail stop me and showed up at the meeting place looking like this (yes, I do realize that I look like a dork with my helmet over a hat, but it was about 30deg when I left my house and I'll take warmth over a fashion statement any day):

I figured that I'd simply hop on my bike, ride over to the meeting spot, ride on the bike trail while they were running, join them again after their run, then ride home for a total of ~23 miles. Then come home and do my PT excercises and my push-ups. Brilliant!

So about that plan.

While it didn't seem like much when I planned it, apparently when you've done basically ZERO cardio for a month, 23 miles turns out to be rather exhausting. Who knew?!?!

I suppose the first clue might have been that I had to remove the race number STILL ON MY BIKE from mid-September. Ooops, has it really been THAT long since I rode my bike?

So now after eating an apple, two hot dogs, a bowl of frosted flakes, and a bowl of cocoa wheats (yes, I also realize that I'm eating like crap today), all I feel like doing is taking a nap.

Oh, and the PT stuff and push-ups? Ummmm. I'll get to those later this afternoon (Or tomorrow).

What's on my Mind

I CALL A DO-OVER!!

Coach keeps reminding me to write up my goals for next year and he'd like them by the end of the month if possible.

When I first thought of goals for next year, I was focussed on WHAT. I want another shot at the half marathon distance, I want to do a couple of 5Ks, 2 sprint triathlons, etc. Next, I started thinking about WHEN. I want to put one event on my calendar each month. Then I started thinking about HOW. I want to run a 10K under an hour, I'd like at least one of my races to be on a trail, I want a half marathon PR, etc. Finally, I started thinking about WHY. I want to be healthy. I want to be injury-free. I want to have fun.

Darn it! WHY is the question I should have started with first. Without really knowing WHY, the rest of it really doesn't make sense, does it? So now, I'm starting over with my goals. But this time, I think I'm going to come up with something that makes sense.

SPEED WORKOUT

No, not that kind! Had an early morning meeting, so my gym time was abbreviated today. The sessions was a bit rushed, but I still managed to cover some important basics. Note to self, a short workout is better than a missed workout.

Upper body strength (4 exercises, 3x10 reps each)
Lower body sets for PT (6 exercises, 2x10 reps each)
Lower body Stretches (4 x each side x 30-40sec each)
Core (3x20 bicycle crunches)

The steppy things are one of my least favorite PT exercises (Boring!). But I have to really concentrate on my knee alignment, so it's probably worthwhile.

GET A LANE

If I'm going to be serious about swimming since it's on my approved list for aerobic exercise, I need to decide (once again) where to swim.

The two leading options are rejoin my old gym (which is more expensive, but has better hours and is closer) or buying another pass for the aquatic center (which is cheaper, but less convenient). Decisions, decisions.

I'm leaning toward joining my old gym because if it's more convenient, I'll probably actually find myself in a lane swimming more often. Plus I could potentially start doing Zumba again.

Updated: Decision made! I rejoined my old gym this morning and got in a 1200yd swim.

Knee Rehab Learnings

I got a lot of questions about the knee taping from my last post, so I've put together a list of things I've learned during knee rehab.

* When the patella experiences forces which push it off center and against the sides of the groove it causes pain, inflammation, and roughening of the underside of the patella. This is bad

* Ice is your friend.

* There are many potential causes for PFS. One of my issues is a weak VMO. Specific quad strengthening exercises have been prescribed, so I've been diligent about becoming a gym queen. Ha!

* PFS is an overuse/overload injury. It is strongly recommended to reduce knee activity during treatment. I've been nudging my PT about safe aerobic activity. She recently suggested swimming. Watch this space.

* Some of my exercises require a concerted effort on my part to keep my knee joint properly aligned with my foot to retrain my muscles. Until this becomes second nature, running has a real risk of undoing progress. That would be bad.

* Knee taping is controversial. Studies suggest that it provides short term relief to some PFS patients by helping with patella positioning. I wasn't one of them. No more sharpei knee for me.

* The Euflexxa injections were aimed at fixing some of the roughening damage. PT mentioned today that my knee is noticably less crunchy now. This is good.

There you have it - almost as if I know what I'm talking about.

Sharpei knee

Yesterday, I had another interesting PT session. This time she applied tape to my knee and suggested that I try to leave it on for 2 days. She mentioned that if it bothered me too much, it was okay to take it off.

It looked all wrinkly when it was taped. Hence the title of this post. Sexy huh?

The tape was limiting my motion. I had trouble with stairs, several of my exercises, putting on socks, etc. I don't know if that was intended or not (and will ask next time).

After about 25 hrs I liberated my knee from its sharpei-ness.

I'm thinking Sharpy knee will be more fun. Now just where did I leave my marker????

Saturday Strength

This morning Husband & I went to the Fitness Center in his work building. That one is a nicer & newer than the one I usually go to, but no Ab Roller (boo hoo). After finishing my upper body work and the quad sets in the main gym, I went into the aerobics room for some floor work and stretching.

Nobody else was in there with me, so I snapped a pic. This particular place always makes me think of of Romper Room.
So many toys! Physio balls, medicine balls, mats, steps, stretchy bands, small dumbells, foam blocks, etc.

Completed everything on my schedule except push-ups. Not sure exactly what went wrong there, but I just wasn't feeling it and quit during my first set. Those will just have to wait until next time.

Short Update

Good Stuff

* Push-up count on Thursday was 15, 10, 8. That was tough. My goal is to get to 20, 15, 10 by the end of the month. I can't slack off if I want to get there.
* Re-organized the running group to start running together again on Saturdays during the off-season starting next week. Yay!
* Got the flu shot. Last year they ran out before I got one, and I got a nasty flu.
* I've been enjoying my return to the gym. Wearing my Gym Queen Tiara with pride and upped the weights on a few of my upper body exercises. Boooyah!!
* Yesterday I tried out that ab roller thing. It kept my head/neck supported so that I was working my abs vs. straining my neck.
* Wednesday's PT session was particulary good. We did a lot of quad work, and it's revealing some things to work on to help my knee.
* Received my final Euflexxa injection. As far as the Doc is concerned, I may run again beginning next week as long as I "proceed with caution"

Not-so-Good Stuff

* PT suggests that I refrain from running for a few more weeks in favor of cycling. That's all well and good, but I don't want to cycle, I want to run!
* My swim punch-card expired today with four unused punches.

Monday Miscellany

Today started today with a trip to the gym for upper body, stretching, my PT exercises, lots of stretching, core, and finally pushups (14, 10, 7 - Woot!).

No Gym Queen photo today. It was a bit more crowded and I didn't want to be the crazy lady taking photos of herself. LOL. However, I did sneak in one. Anyone ever use this contraption before? I don't know what it is called, but it helps with crunches.

After the gym, I headed off for a PT appt. We focussed on some specific quad exercise and a few more stretches. I'll be adding those into my regular routine starting tomorrow. She also used also used electrical current on my knee, which I really didn't like at all.

Today happens to be Daughter's 15th birthday. They sure grow up quickly. We'll be heading out for a Birthday Celebration dinner soon.

Last thought. Does exercising my right to vote count as cross-training? ;-)

Out with the Old, In with the New

October Tally

* 50.5 miles running
* 2000 yds swimming
* 4 gym sessions focussed on upper body, core, and pushup
* 1 race - Duke City HM

Thoughts Looking Back

I felt like I lost control of my workout plans due to a lot of "stuff" in October - stupid knee, doctors appts, tile work, etc. Blah!

Looking Forward

New month, new mindset - I'm regaining control. Primary focus is knee rehab, but I'm also going to be serious about strength work and my general well-being.

Began the day with an early morning trip to the fitness center at work. It was EMPTY so I was Queen of the Gym today. I worked upper body & core, did the PT stuff for my knee, and finished off with a 3 sets of push-ups (12, 8, 5) like a woman on a mission. Ha!