Rain Delay

I know, I shouldn't let a little rain stop me. I don't know if it's the change in seasons or what, but I've been having really bad asthma lately. I feel like I've come down with a cold as well, but it could be an allergy flareup. At any rate, I decided not to run today. It wasn't supposed to rain, but it is. However, I do have a gym membership, so tomorrow (since it's going to rain then, too), I'm going to drag my sister to the gym and try running on the treadmills. I have to say, though, I'm not looking forward to it. The thought of running indoors on a treadmill makes me grumpy. I want open skies and fresh air, not iPods and TVs.

My muscles are a bit sore today, which makes me happy. I pushed myself when I did strength training yesterday, so it's nice to know there was a payoff.

I was thinking about running when I went to bed last night, and I remember smiling before I fell asleep. Normally I fall asleep anxious with all my worries and troubles racing through my head. But last night all I was thinking about was getting up bright and early and going down to the track.

Week 1, Day 3 (revisited)

This week has been hellishly hectic, but I found time to run today (and I haven’t missed any of my workouts). The short of it is, I was at my sister’s house with an hour and a half to kill before I had to take two of the cats in to the vet (one for pre-neuter bloodwork, another for a possible UTI). I decided that my brief bit of spare time would be best spent running. Because I’m smrt, I’d brought along my running gear (stuffed into a stylish paper bag), so I changed into that and headed out.

It was another beautiful day in the PacNW. Probably around 62°, no wind, lots of sun. My sister couldn’t run with me, so I was able to go at my own pace this time around. I didn’t realize how much faster I was than her until I got to my last run and found I was almost back at her house, whereas when we ran the other day, we still had a bit more road left.

The run went well. I’ve been telling myself I don’t really need to revisit Week 1, but today I almost ate that sentiment. It wasn’t hard per se, but I did have some burning in my right lateral calf. The last two times I’ve run, my right shoelace has come untied, and after I stop to fix it, my muscles start screaming. Dead stops are not good!

At any rate, I felt really, really, really, really, really good out there. I prefer my track, if only for the even running surface, but I make do with what I’ve got on hand foot. After I got back to my sister’s house, I stretched briefly and then did my ab workout (with a proper bout of stretching afterwards).

I didn’t have a lot of time today, so for breakfast I had a thing of soy yogurt with a tablespoon of ground flax seed. For lunch, my mom took us to a local Indian restaurant for the buffet. I hate spicy food, and this place is particularly spicy, but I knew my mom was looking forward to it, so I sucked it up. Turns out the food this time around was pretty mild (to my tastes). I took a little bit of some sort of potato dish and some rice and that was about it. I wasn’t feeling full at all when I finished, but I didn’t go back for seconds. Still, I was feeling pretty heavy afterwards, and running helped.

For dinner tonight I had a big salad with tomatoes, cukes and sunflower seeds (with Braggs as dressing) and another whole wheat “chicken” wrap with lettuce and picante sauce and a side of carrots and red peppers.

When I think back to how I felt a month ago as compared to now, it’s awful. Running makes me so happy. I can’t imagine how I’ll feel once I’m up to running for several minutes at a time. And eventually miles! My clothes are fitting better and my sister tells me I look thinner every time she sees me. I’m really trying to encourage her to at least get out and walk every day. After I got back from the vet this afternoon, I suggested we all go for a walk. My mom was there, too, so Sis walked her dog (and then pushed him in his Doggy Ride) and I pushed my mom in her wheelchair while she held onto Tank’s leash. We didn’t walk as far as we normally do, but we all got out and got some sun and exercise, and that’s what matters. What I love about the Self Challenge workout log menu is that “pushing a wheelchair” is one of the options. Ha!

I’m a member of the Couch-to-5k community on Live Journal, and when I got home I read this entry:

I just read this online: ‘The miracle isn’t that I finished, it’s that I had the courage to start.’ ~ John Bingham

It seems like it should be the mantra for anyone who starts the c25k program! It’s kept me motivated.

I went to his website, liked what I saw, and put one of his books on hold at the library. I really like that line: That I had the courage to start. It hit home, today especially since I was really hesitant to get out there. I was feeling really self conscious. I’m used to my little track, tucked away behind a church in a tiny little down surrounded by foothills and forest. At my sister’s house, there are houses and people all around. But I knew that I would hate myself for slacking off, plus there were quite a few things I was pissed off about, and I knew that running would make me feel better. Once I got out on the road, I felt completely confident and happy.


That's all, folks. See you again on Saturday!

Week 1, Day 2 (revisited)

Totally forgot to post. I'm exhausted.

I ran today! Yesterday I told my sister she was going running with me, so I was hell bent on making that happen. This morning I did my regular 20 minutes of aerobic and then my ab workout. Then I called my sister to see if she was ready to go. I could tell by her tone that she really didn't want to run, but I drove down to her house anyway. We had a few things to take care of first. Sis informed me that two of our three geese had flown out of the yard earlier. One was in the road and the other was in the plant nursery across the street! She got them back into the yard and when I got there, I held them while she clipped their wings. Then we chased Piper off her nest and collected EIGHT of her eggs. The last thing we need is eight goslings to help bring about the Great Goose Apocalypse.

Once we were done with the birds, we took the dogs for a walk, figuring it'd be a good pre-run warm up. We have been taking Sis's dog, Meathead, for acupuncture treatments for the last three weeks, and he is doing amazingly well. We/she walks him for five minutes every day, and when he gets tired, he climbs into his Doggy Ride and cruises while we finish our stroll. My dog Tank walks the entire time, since he's still very able-bodied and also hates anything with wheels. Here's Meatie in his Doggy Ride (with a very happy-to-not-be-in-the-cart Tank):

The Doggy Ride is really an attachment for your bike, but you can also push it like a stroller (for a very large, hairy baby?). My sister and her boyfriend's bikes are trapped behind some boxes in the shed, otherwise we'd be pedaling around Portland with Meathead in tow. (Or even just around the neighborhood.)

Anyway. We walked the dogs for ten minutes, then dropped them off at the house and put on our running shoes. Sis hasn't run in ... I don't know how long. She's never done the Couch-to-5k program consistently, so this wasn't going to be easy for her. I got my iPod going and we set off on the five minute warm up walk. I had the volume up enough so that I could say when to run and when to walk, but low enough so that we could talk.

Usually I run at my old and busted track, but today I was at my sister's, just running around the block. It's a big circle, so it's kind of like a big track, right? Except with dogs and sheep and cows and pick ups with dirt bags behind the wheel.

Not much I can say about the run except that I'm definitely ready to get back to Week 2. I wasn't bored or anything, and my calves were burning a little, but mostly I felt like I was holding back. And I guess I was because I was trying to keep pace with my sister. For her part, I thought she did really well, though she said she was having a hard time the entire run. Mostly it was her shoes, which hurt her feet. She needs to get a good pair of running shoes, STAT. I'm making her run with me again on Thursday and Saturday, though Saturday I may make her come run at my track with me.

It was a beautiful day for running, though. About 50°, sunny with a little bit of wind. Worked up a nice sweat, too. Thursday and Saturday look to be just as gorgeous, so I'm very excited. I have to admit, I'm quite a bit discouraged about my goal of running eight miles on August 8th (at 8:08 a.m.? Too much?), but it's still something I'm shooting for.

Another thing I'm going to do, I think, is bring Tank on the runs with me. My sister accidentally got him fat while I was in Florida, so we both need to get back in shape. Plus, since losing Luke, Lady and Bernie all within two years, I really want to spend as much time as possible with my dog. He's not getting any younger, and how boring is it for him to sit at home while I'm out running?

I'm still doing well on the Self Challenge. My breakfast smoothies are still kicking ass. For lunch this week I've been having leftover Wonderful Winter Squash (plus brown rice and a big salad). For dinner tonight I had a whole wheat tortilla wrap with some grilled Morningstar Chick'n Strips, some picante sauce, lettuce, red peppers and carrots. Yummies. If I get a hankering for something sweet, I'll just have an apple or a handful of almonds and raisins.

Aaaaaand, I'm outta here.

Week 1, Day 1 (revisited)

I’m back with a vengeance. Weatherbug told me it was supposed to rain all week, but this morning it was nothing but big fluffy white clouds and blue skies, so I decided it was time to get back down to the track.

I’m not saying it didn’t take a lot of convincing. I had a head full of negative self talk and a billion excuses not to get in my car and drive into town, but somehow I pushed them all aside and did it.

I started the Self Challenge yesterday. Better late than never, am I right? I’m not following the diet or exercise plan exactly, but I have made vast changes in my eating habits, and that is going to make a huge difference. This morning the scale told me I was down half a pound from yesterday, but I know that tomorrow it will more than likely tell me I’ve gained two pounds. I can’t find my cloth tape measure, so I won’t be able to track my numbers. Guess I’ll have to buy a new one. Dammit.

Anyway. I had to run some errands this morning, and though it was incredibly windy, the weather was gorgeous and when I got home I did a quick ten minute warm up and then spent 18 minutes doing my ab workout. I stretched a bit, let Tank out, put on my running gear and went to the track.

It was 52° and overcast. Wouldn’t you know? As soon as I got to the track, the rain clouds blew in. The drizzle didn’t start until the fifth run, but the wind blew the cold right into my bones and made my eyes water. It got a lot better once I started moving, but damn. Florida spoiled me. I have to say, though, it really is something to be running along a track, sweating your ass off and looking at the snow covered mountains off in the distance.

I was pretty annoyed the entire run. It just took so long. I’m used to six runs, not eight, and I was impatient to get to the end. I have a lot to do today, so maybe that was a big part of it. All I know is, I’m only doing Week 1 for one week and then it’s right back into Week 2. My sister plans on signing us up for the gym today, so if it rains, I’ll no longer have an excuse to blow off running.

I didn’t have any pain, either. My calves burned a little bit, but I never felt like I wanted to die. I guess I’m not as out of shape as I thought I was. It felt really good to be out there, though. I haven’t had any trouble sleeping since I got home, but I know that now that I’m working out regularly (and getting that half hour in the sun and fresh air), I’ll be the “good” kind of tired at night, not just mentally exhausted.

Thursday calls for more rain, but Friday looks to be clear (as well as the weekend). If that’s the case, I’ll just run again on Friday and Sunday.

And then there were two.

My dog Bernie died yesterday. I took him to the vet for blood work on Wednesday; his pancreatic values came back normal, though his WBC count was a little elevated. Friday night, he wasn't looking too good so yesterday, my brother in law took him in to the vet. My sister called about 20 minutes later asking me to pick her up, saying the doctor wanted to talk to us.

I've had animals my whole life, and I worked at an animal hospital long enough to know the reality of that statement. I left Tank at my sister's and we clipped fur off of him and Meathead and went to the vet. Bernie was lying on a blanket looking up at us and there was no question at all what we had to do. You could see it in his eyes. He was there, but he was ready to go. And so we let him. Afterwards, we took him to Dignified Pets and said goodbye. He was 17 years old.

Bernie
April 1992 - March 2008

Am I ever going to have good news?

I'm back in Oregon, safe and sound. Since before I left, I've been having the most horrendous back/hip pains. I've tried stretching, taking ibuprofen three times a day, using a hot water bottle, etc. Nothing really helps. It gets worse at night, and I sometimes have to use my mom's cane to get around the house.

I worked out Monday and Tuesday; had been planning on running on Tuesday as well, but I figured I probably shouldn't put any more stress on my spine and hip. I'm not sure what this pain is from; I figured it was due to my spending several weeks sleeping on a pull-out couch, but now I'm not so sure.

I don't have health insurance, so I can't go to a doctor. There is a free clinic on Thursdays but the last two times I went (both times because I was in so much pain I could barely walk), they said they had to put emergency cases as their top priority. They did send me home with a bunch of ibuprofen and a thermometer, though. I felt better almost immediately! /sarcasm

Needless to say, not being able to run or work out has left me feeling very depressed and frustrated. I don't feel good about myself at all. And tomorrow is my birthday. Hurray! I'm older and fatter than ever!

This is it.

I'm leaving for the airport in a couple of hours. Hopefully my good friend Ativan will keep my arch nemesis, Panic Attack, at bay.

This'll be me soon!

My last few days here were quite eventful and included a trip to the ER as well as the Hillsborough County sheriff's office and the EOC. Now it's back to boring old Oregon. (Said with 50% sarcasm.)