Thank you for registering for the Flyers Charities Halloween 5K Fun
Run & Walk on Saturday, October 27, 2012.
And the team rejoices at my return to racing!!!!
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Comeback race!!!
Dear Theia,
Thank you for registering for the Flyers Charities Halloween 5K Fun
Run & Walk on Saturday, October 27, 2012.
And the team rejoices at my return to racing!!!!
Thank you for registering for the Flyers Charities Halloween 5K Fun
Run & Walk on Saturday, October 27, 2012.
And the team rejoices at my return to racing!!!!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Slow progress, but progress nonetheless
Last week at PT: The therapist had me run on the regular treadmill (rather than the anti-gravity treadmill). It reinforced how much I hate running on treadmills. :) However, it went fine, so he said I could run 20-25 minutes on a flat trail on Sunday. If that went well and did not cause any problems, I could do it again Monday or Tuesday (but not both days).
Sunday: I drove to the trail and started my run. At 15 minutes, I glanced at my watch and said, "Oh HELL no, I'm not stopping in 5 minutes!" My original plan was to run for 30 minutes: long enough to be worth it, but not too much longer than prescribed. I felt so good that I decided to do the same 4.5 mile course I'd done two weeks before (illegally). The first time I did it, it took me 46+ minutes. This time, it took me 42!
Tuesday: Mother Nature did not cooperate. Not only did I not feel well, but there were also tornado warnings until 7 p.m., so I did not run. :(
Wednesday: I taught my outdoor boot camp class as a sub (I was a sub for my own class... that makes sense only in Theia World!). Since I hadn't run since Sunday, I wasn't worried about overdoing it. I mean, I was allowed to run one more time anyway, right? What I forgot to factor in was the surface... My glute was tender all day, even though we did the short route (3.25 miles) at a fairly easy pace and stopped for 2 minute drills four times. At PT last night, I admitted what I'd done and how I felt as a result.
The new presciption:
- 30 minutes of trail running every other day.
- No PT for two weeks. I'm on my own to see how I do!
- After the first week, I can add a tiny bit of road running in the middle of a trail run (so run on the trail, go onto the road a little bit, then go back to the trail to finish up).
- My PT appointment in two weeks will likely be my last one, unless I need to go in for some help.
So close to the end now..... So close! Basically, the only thing I'm not cleared for is road running. Well, and running more than 30 minutes at a time!
Progress!!!! I'll take it!
Sunday: I drove to the trail and started my run. At 15 minutes, I glanced at my watch and said, "Oh HELL no, I'm not stopping in 5 minutes!" My original plan was to run for 30 minutes: long enough to be worth it, but not too much longer than prescribed. I felt so good that I decided to do the same 4.5 mile course I'd done two weeks before (illegally). The first time I did it, it took me 46+ minutes. This time, it took me 42!
Tuesday: Mother Nature did not cooperate. Not only did I not feel well, but there were also tornado warnings until 7 p.m., so I did not run. :(
Wednesday: I taught my outdoor boot camp class as a sub (I was a sub for my own class... that makes sense only in Theia World!). Since I hadn't run since Sunday, I wasn't worried about overdoing it. I mean, I was allowed to run one more time anyway, right? What I forgot to factor in was the surface... My glute was tender all day, even though we did the short route (3.25 miles) at a fairly easy pace and stopped for 2 minute drills four times. At PT last night, I admitted what I'd done and how I felt as a result.
The new presciption:
- 30 minutes of trail running every other day.
- No PT for two weeks. I'm on my own to see how I do!
- After the first week, I can add a tiny bit of road running in the middle of a trail run (so run on the trail, go onto the road a little bit, then go back to the trail to finish up).
- My PT appointment in two weeks will likely be my last one, unless I need to go in for some help.
So close to the end now..... So close! Basically, the only thing I'm not cleared for is road running. Well, and running more than 30 minutes at a time!
Progress!!!! I'll take it!
Friday, September 14, 2012
Internal struggle
Several years ago, I made the decision to go mostly vegetarian. I say mostly because every once in a while I would still have red meat or fish if my body felt like it needed it, but never chicken or pork because I was really disgusted with how they are treated and transported. (Plus, pigs are just cute.)
I felt like a hypocrite, though. I won't eat pork because pigs are cute, but I will eat fish because, presumably, they're not cute? What does that say about me and my character? It was a real struggle.
For the most part, I didn't miss meat or poultry at all. There were plenty of other choices -- fruits, vegetables, salads, pasta, breads, chocolate, ice cream, candy, milkshakes...
Wait, what was I talking about?????
I lived -- live -- on carbs. I try to make good choices -- whole grain breads and pastas, fresh produce every day, veggies mixed into pasta. I scoffed at all the people jumping on the gluten bandwagon. I mean, less than 1% of the population has celiac disease, but I personally know at least 10 people who claim to have it? Not likely.
Recently, though, I've been reading about how grains are not what they seem and definitely aren't the healthy option I've always thought they were. Wheat and other grains are now hybridized and contain THREE TIMES as much gluten as they used to. Why is this a problem? You know how sometimes you are hungry and you eat something, only to be hungry again afterward? It's not in your imagination. Apparently, this hybridized wheat contains an additive that MAKES YOU CRAVE MORE WHEAT AND SUGAR. Yes, wheat stimulates your appetite and can lead to addictive eating behaviors like cravings and bingeing.
WTF????? That sounds WAY too familiar.
So now I'm left with a vegan diet (not going to happen) or adding meats back in. How do I balance my physical health with my mental health? I love animals. I don't want them to die so that I can have a meal. Seriously, in Theia World everyone would get by on fruits and nuts. I don't want to eat poultry and meat, but it turns out it's probably healthier for me to do so. This is so upsetting to me that I'm actually crying as I type this.
Help me rationalize this. Help me be OK with it, because it's mentally really hard for me to accept that I may have to go off carbs and back onto meats.
Right after I finish this garlic bread, that is.
I felt like a hypocrite, though. I won't eat pork because pigs are cute, but I will eat fish because, presumably, they're not cute? What does that say about me and my character? It was a real struggle.
For the most part, I didn't miss meat or poultry at all. There were plenty of other choices -- fruits, vegetables, salads, pasta, breads, chocolate, ice cream, candy, milkshakes...
Wait, what was I talking about?????
I lived -- live -- on carbs. I try to make good choices -- whole grain breads and pastas, fresh produce every day, veggies mixed into pasta. I scoffed at all the people jumping on the gluten bandwagon. I mean, less than 1% of the population has celiac disease, but I personally know at least 10 people who claim to have it? Not likely.
Recently, though, I've been reading about how grains are not what they seem and definitely aren't the healthy option I've always thought they were. Wheat and other grains are now hybridized and contain THREE TIMES as much gluten as they used to. Why is this a problem? You know how sometimes you are hungry and you eat something, only to be hungry again afterward? It's not in your imagination. Apparently, this hybridized wheat contains an additive that MAKES YOU CRAVE MORE WHEAT AND SUGAR. Yes, wheat stimulates your appetite and can lead to addictive eating behaviors like cravings and bingeing.
WTF????? That sounds WAY too familiar.
So now I'm left with a vegan diet (not going to happen) or adding meats back in. How do I balance my physical health with my mental health? I love animals. I don't want them to die so that I can have a meal. Seriously, in Theia World everyone would get by on fruits and nuts. I don't want to eat poultry and meat, but it turns out it's probably healthier for me to do so. This is so upsetting to me that I'm actually crying as I type this.
Help me rationalize this. Help me be OK with it, because it's mentally really hard for me to accept that I may have to go off carbs and back onto meats.
Right after I finish this garlic bread, that is.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
This is not happening
After my impromptu run on Saturday, I felt great. Better than great. No pain in the glute or back, my legs felt nice and tight from running, and my head and heart were so happy. I was able to do a hilly 35-mile bike ride on Sunday with no problem and jump up and down for several hours at the Made In America Festival Sunday afternoon/night. Great, right?
So yesterday I decided to do a test run (no pun intended) of my Wednesday a.m. boot camp class, in which we run a 3-4 mile loop and stop every few minutes to do boot camp drills like squats, burpees, pushups, mountain climbers, etc. My idea was to run a slow mile on the treadmill, hop off and do some leg/butt/core exercises, and then repeat two more times. My glute starting aching almost immediately, so the first interval on the treadmill was only .75 and included a minute of walking. I didn't want to push too much, so the second interval on the treadmill was .82 (no walking). By the time I got to the third run, I was able to do the whole mile without any problem. The exercises I chose were HARD and included a few of the ones I do in PT -- a pivoting plie/lunge combo, lunge and knee lift, squat with leg lift, walking side squats with a band around my ankles, bridges and hamstring curls on the stability ball. Good stuff.
Only.... My knee has been killing me ever since. KILLING me. I iced it last night while watching the U.S. Open (during which everyone I was rooting for LOST). I barely got any quality sleep because I was so upset about it. It still hurt at 5:15 this morning, so I skipped my workout in favor of more sleep time (haha, I still haven't learned that that NEVER works). It's semi-OK now, but then again I haven't really done anything so far today.
(Please note that that is not my knee. My legs are not that hairy, thankyouverymuch.)
So now my glute is healing but my left knee is falling apart??? This is SO not one of the options.
The trouble is, I can't specify what caused the problem:
- Running too much too soon?
- Running on the treadmill?
- The squats and lunges?
- My new shoes (unlikely since they're the same model I always wear)?
- Old age????
- Karma for cheating on my PT by running twice?
Seriously. Not an option. I am beyond miserable about this.
So yesterday I decided to do a test run (no pun intended) of my Wednesday a.m. boot camp class, in which we run a 3-4 mile loop and stop every few minutes to do boot camp drills like squats, burpees, pushups, mountain climbers, etc. My idea was to run a slow mile on the treadmill, hop off and do some leg/butt/core exercises, and then repeat two more times. My glute starting aching almost immediately, so the first interval on the treadmill was only .75 and included a minute of walking. I didn't want to push too much, so the second interval on the treadmill was .82 (no walking). By the time I got to the third run, I was able to do the whole mile without any problem. The exercises I chose were HARD and included a few of the ones I do in PT -- a pivoting plie/lunge combo, lunge and knee lift, squat with leg lift, walking side squats with a band around my ankles, bridges and hamstring curls on the stability ball. Good stuff.
Only.... My knee has been killing me ever since. KILLING me. I iced it last night while watching the U.S. Open (during which everyone I was rooting for LOST). I barely got any quality sleep because I was so upset about it. It still hurt at 5:15 this morning, so I skipped my workout in favor of more sleep time (haha, I still haven't learned that that NEVER works). It's semi-OK now, but then again I haven't really done anything so far today.
(Please note that that is not my knee. My legs are not that hairy, thankyouverymuch.)
So now my glute is healing but my left knee is falling apart??? This is SO not one of the options.
The trouble is, I can't specify what caused the problem:
- Running too much too soon?
- Running on the treadmill?
- The squats and lunges?
- My new shoes (unlikely since they're the same model I always wear)?
- Old age????
- Karma for cheating on my PT by running twice?
Seriously. Not an option. I am beyond miserable about this.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Shhh, don't tell my PT
I ran this morning. And it was heavenly!
It was the first time I have cheated on my PT, and while I did feel a bit guilty, I clearly didn't feel bad enough to stop. I did a few miles on a nice flat trail (some small rollers, but really no hills to speak of). I kept the pace nice and easy, and I promised myself I would stop and walk immediately if anything felt off.
Well, there was no need to stop and walk. My glute held up just fine, and my endurance was great thanks to all the biking and swimming. Oh how wonderful it was to be out there!! I'm a runner again!!!
It was the first time I have cheated on my PT, and while I did feel a bit guilty, I clearly didn't feel bad enough to stop. I did a few miles on a nice flat trail (some small rollers, but really no hills to speak of). I kept the pace nice and easy, and I promised myself I would stop and walk immediately if anything felt off.
Well, there was no need to stop and walk. My glute held up just fine, and my endurance was great thanks to all the biking and swimming. Oh how wonderful it was to be out there!! I'm a runner again!!!
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