Week 2, Day 10 (revisited)

I know, I know. I’m a day off. I decided to hold off on the workouts for a few days in the hopes that my muscles might relax and quit making me want to die. I ran last Saturday but didn’t do any aerobic or strength training at all until today.

Yesterday I dragged my ass out of bed bright and early and took my mom swimming. I wasn’t in the mood and really didn’t want to, but I figured the warm water (of the smaller pool where the elderly folk do their water aerobics) would be good for my muscles. Turns out I couldn’t even do the breast stroke. Excruciating pain in my ribs and back. So I basically just walked the laps back and forth and moved my arms around in the water. 45 minutes later, the pain was still present, though it had lessened a good deal. On the plus side, the cute lifeguard guy was out back power washing the patio furniture, so I at least had something interesting to watch while I “swam.”

After swimming, I soaked for 15 minutes in the hot tub with one of the jets aimed at my sore spots.

This morning was the first time in almost a month that I woke up pain-free. I can take a deep breath without doubling over in pain. Guess I did something right.

So today I did my 20 minutes of aerobics and Tony Little’s lower body workout, then headed over to my sister’s. We had planned on going to the gym, but I ended up just running around the block. It was around 47° out there, mostly sunny and very windy. Recovery was quick and the runs weren’t too bad. Had a bit of a hiccup when I went to turn my iPod down and accidentally messed up the podcast. I couldn’t remember which run I was on, so long story short, I ended up running an extra interval. The only reason I know is because I’m usually done with the sixth run right before I get to my sister’s street. This time I ended up going straight and then turning around when the sixth run was over, turning left and walking back to my sister’s house for the cool down.

When I got back to Sis’s house, I went into the office to talk to her while I stretched and then badgered her into taking the dogs for a walk. So I got lots of outdoorsy exercise today. As I type this, I am very pleasantly sleepy. Tomorrow I will do my aerobics again and see how I feel about my upper body/ab workout. I’m trying to be vigilant about taking ibuprofen every eight hours, and I think that has helped out a lot. But if I feel twingy tomorrow, I won’t push it. I’ll just take Tank for a walk down the mountain instead.

So there we go! I’ll run again on Friday and Sunday. Looks like rain for Friday but it’s going to be pushing 60° so no biggie.

Food-wise, I had a smoothie with ground flax seeds for breakfast, a Tofu Pup and a huge salad for lunch and for dinner I'm trying out some soup with these Soy Curls. Never had 'em before. Hope they're good.

Before I go, here are some pictures to brighten up your horrible, boring lives. (Sarcasm! <3)

Week 2, Day 9 (revisited)

As of today, I've "run" 40 miles since starting the Couch-to-5k program last June. Go me?

Not much to report for today’s run. It’s gorrrrrgeous outside: 57°F, partly cloudy, just enough wind to keep me pretty damn comfortable out there on the track. And I had the whole place to myself. Church was in session, which meant the entire population (of 200) was in attendance. Except for the guy up on the hill mowing his field.

I had on a tank top and my running pants, so I got plenty of Vitamin D. Gad, it’s good to see and feel the sun again. Especially knowing it’s going to rain (again) for the next three days (again).

Anyway, my recovery time was a lot faster today, but I still felt kind of off. I felt really ... heavy. Bleh. And for some reason, my left eye wouldn’t stop watering. Weird.

For breakfast I had an apple (though technically it was 95% bruise, 5% apple) and some almonds and raisins. I wanted to get this entry in before I shower and scrape up some lunch because I’m going to the tulip fest (with my Holga) today and probably won’t have time to update later. But I just checked my stats at Running Ahead, and hey! I’ve run all three days every week this month! How’d I manage that!?

Week 2, Day 8 (revisited)

Didn’t feel it at all today. I’m really stressed out and pissed off and I had a lot going on. Just wasn’t in a good place. As soon as I got to the track, I wanted to go home. I was in such a nasty mood and it was, as we like to say in my family, fucking up my chi. But I said to myself, Self? Aside from the Red Wings game at 4:30, what else do you have going for you today?

So I ran. By the third interval, I was done in, but I pushed on. Felt really good for the fourth and fifth runs, and by the sixth I was in a better mood but really looking forward to going home.

It was 50° out there. Pretty windy, overcast. It was drizzling during my warmup which really didn’t help my mood any. Today really sucked, but the important thing is that, despite everything, I ran.

I haven’t had a chance to go shopping (no money, anyway), so for breakfast I had some sort of energy bar and a glass of rice milk. I used the rice milk in my smoothie yesterday morning because rice isn’t an arthritis trigger (whereas soy is), but it tasted like crap. Really watery. Bleh.

Before running I had a handful of almonds and raisins and now that I’m home, I’m having a “beef” burrito with bell peppers and some pico de gallo. I’m not sure about the combination, but it’s pretty much all I have to work with.

Now I’ve got my red shirt on and I’m all set to cheer on the Red Wings.

See you again on Saturday.

Week 2, Day 7 (revisited)

I was caught in the middle of a rock 'n roll track
I looked 'round, and I knew there was no turning back
My mind raced and I thought, what could I do?
And I knew there was no help, no help from you

Started out the day with a 45 minute swim at the pool with Mom and Sis. Sis and I originally got into the big pool but were kicked out because that pool doesn’t open until 11:00. So we were banished to the smaller, warmer pool where the old people do their exercises. Sis’s hip has been bothering her, and the horrible pain in my back migrated to my ribs, right under my right breast. So we figured swimming in the warm pool would loosen things up. And it did! For me, anyway. I feel a hundred times better. (Downside: there’s a cute lifeguard that works at the pool and I hate it when he’s there the same time I am. I feel like such a spud.) After swimming we all got into the hot tub for 15 minutes, then showered, dressed and got a bite to eat at the pub. I had a veggie wrap again, but this time I only ate half of it. Had some french fries again but I justified them by dipping them in malt vinegar instead of ketchup. Denial is such a wonderful thing. Oh, and for breakfast I had a Luna Bar. No time for anything else.

I should mention that my sister spent the night last night in order to drive us all to the pool; Mom’s car is dead and gone and mine is being repaired. So Sis drove us home after lunch. I ran inside and changed into my running gear and told her to drive me to the track on her way home. Her last words to me before I got out of the car were, ”I think you’re insane.” My response was, ”I’m pretty sure I am.”

It was 43° and raining pretty steadily, but I was determined to run. I had on my ugly orange shirt, my workout pants, my purple vest and my raincoat. And also my boonie hat, which I put on after I flipped the hood up on my raincoat.

I was all set to go.

Started out really well, but when I got to the third interval, I was pretty well soaked and miserable and felt like I was going to die. By the fourth interval, I was over it and though the fifth and six runs weren’t a walk in the park, I was still feeling pretty good. Instead of doing a full five minute cool down, I simply walked home. I stopped and stretched along the way (and didn’t have my headphones turned on), thank gad. The only thing that sucked was that there’s no shoulder on the road and though the speed limit is 35 (20 for the school zone), folks are always going at least 40 mph. A truck zoomed past me at one point and I’m pretty sure he deliberately drove through a big puddle in order to drench me.

Once I got to the mailboxes (half-mile marker, more or less), I turned on my iPod. The Bee Gees, the Doobie Brothers, Dobie Gray and Nick Drake got me through the hellish walk home.

What. Was. I. Thinking.

I nearly died, but jeebus crispy am I gonna sleep well tonight. When I got home, I resisted the urge to collapse in the front room; instead I peeled off my wet clothes, changed into dry sweat pants and my lucky red shirt and did a lot of stretching.

As of today, I’ve apparently “run” 38 miles. I put run in quotes because 99% of those miles have been walked. But it’s a start. And it’s a lot for someone like me. So here’s me patting myself on the back and giving myself a high five.

Looks like more rain forever the rest of the week, but hopefully I’ll have my car back by Thursday. I don’t mind running in the rain or walking home, as long as I don’t have to do them both on the same damn day.

Oh! And I found out there’s going to be a 5k walk (5/10k run) on Arbor Day! I really want to sign up for it. I can walk three miles for trees! I love trees!

Hockey at 4:00. LET'S GO, CAPS!!!!

Week 2, Day 6 (revisited)

Told you I was prepared. I just got back from my run. It was 47° and a little breezy. Lots of sun, lots of clouds, perfect day for a run. Too bad I had such a rough time. I was so happy driving down to the track, all set to go. There was a girl doing sprints when I got there, but she left sometime after I started my warm up. The first interval was fine, but I struggled through the rest of them. I blame the gym and the damn treadmill. Makes things too easy. I also felt like I was bogged down. I had on my ugly orange cool wick shirt, a sweat shirt and my fleece vest because the forecast was for snow, and I figured I could take the vest off if I got too warm. By the third run, I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I took the vest off and tossed it in the grass. I felt a little better after that, but it was still more difficult than I expected it to be. Maybe because I haven’t done strength training since Wednesday?

Despite the struggles, I’m incredibly happy I ran today. Here I thought I was only going to get in two runs this week, and I ended up doing all three of them! So happy.

I’m sticking with Week 2 again this coming week, especially since I won’t have a car and will have to walk to the track. It’s supposed to rain on Tuesday, so this oughta be fun.

I ate like crap this morning. Had some leftover potatoes from last night and that's about it. Not sure what I'm doing for lunch or dinner. I made chocolate almond crescent cookies last night (test recipe for a cookbook), and I'm proud of myself for only eating one of them (I had to test them, after all). The rest I'll pawn off on my family. Tomorrow starts week six of the Self Challenge, and I have lost almost ten pounds so far. Very motivating.

And now a quick shower before I watch the Red Wings play the Predators again.

P.S. 20 minutes after I posted this, it started snowing.

Penalty for icing

It alternated between snowing and hailing all day, so I stayed in and watched the Capitals cream the Flyers on NBC. I believe I’m at least 73% responsible for the win because I was wearing a red shirt and rubbed my cat’s Buddha-sized stomach for luck before the game started. I'll be rooting for the Red Wings tomorrow, but my red shirt is strictly for Caps games only.



It’s supposed to snow again tomorrow, but I’m going to be prepared for a break in the weather. I’m not kicking myself for missing one run this week. My broken left armpit feels much better, but now I’m having spasms in my back. I’ve had a constant, nagging pain on the right side of my back for a couple of weeks now. I attribute it to sleeping on an old futon mattress (and maybe also because of when I got t-boned on my way to work five years ago), and am hoping that once I get my bed moved up here, the pain will go away. It’s just that these past couple of days the pain has been pretty bad.

My mom is upset that she gained weight, so I’ve promised her that next week I’ll start taking her swimming again. I’m looking forward to it more now that I’ve got a new bathing suit. The old one I had was too big on me from the weight I lost last year and my boobs were in constant danger of making a break for it whenever I got into the pool. GRIM! The new one fits properly. It’s ugly as sin, but I don’t care. I just need something to swim in.

I bought the latest Discover magazine today because an article caught my eye: Visit Hog Hell.

Pigs really are dirty -- but only because humans make them that way. Hog farmers crowd animals, dose them with antibiotics, and spray out their drug-tainted feces, wreaking havoc on fields, streams -- and you. ....In the US, hogs produce more than 119 million tons of waste a year.

The Discovery Channel’s website also has an interesting (though short) article on how what you eat affects the environment.

Next time you find yourself standing in the grocery store, agonizing over whether your green conscience permits you to buy the garlic shipped in from China, relax. You’ll do more to reduce the greenhouse gas impact of your diet by taking the ground beef out of your cart .....shifting roughly a quarter of the 240 red meat calories the average American eats a day to chicken, grains or fruits and vegetables would have the same effect as going completely local.

You can’t argue with science. You can, however, bare-knuckle box it if it insults your mom.

Week 2, Day 5 (revisited)

Well, today kinda sucked. I spent all morning/afternoon at my sister's house helping her out with some stuff, so I didn't have time to work out at all. I should also mention that yesterday, I apparently overdid it on the strength training because I ended up pulling a muscle (or two) in my left arm. I'm pretty sure it's the Coracobrachialis. I don't really know what it's called, but thanks go Google, I can act like I know what I'm talking about. To put it simply: I broke my armpit. I iced it off and on yesterday and today it's a little better. To be on the safe side, I'm not going to do anymore strength training this week.

The Caps/Flyers game started at 4:00. I caught the beginning of it and then went to run some errands with my sister. Scored myself some vegan Doritos, by the way. Not the healthiest thing in the world to eat, but it's okay; I mostly got them just for the novelty of having them. I haven't eaten Doritos in ... about 15 years? These are way too spicy for my liking, but I'll give them a nibble every once in a while. Also got some almond meal from Trader Joe's so tomorrow I'll be making some chocolate crescent cookies. Again, not good health-wise, but they're a test recipe for a cookbook, so I'm simply doing my duty as a tester. See how I justify that?

Anyway. When we got back to my sister's house, the Caps were tied with the Flyers and the game went into sudden death overtime. Sis and I then decided it was time to go to the gym. We got there at around 7:30. When we walked in, all the treadmills were being used, but after we changed and came back out, a couple of them had opened up.

Do you know what they had on one of the TVs? Hunting. Who the hell watches hunting when they're working out!? I take my glasses off when I run, so at least I didn't have to see it. I got the third treadmill in, which is good because it's right in front of a big fan.

The run went well. It's weird, though. I always feel awkward and stumbly when I run on a treadmill, but out on the track or on the road, I feel fine. Maybe it's because at the gym, I feel like I have an audience. I'm good at tuning everyone else out, though.

At any rate, I had a good run. This time around I remembered the jog bra and my running shoes.

That's about all I have to say. Treadmill runs are boring.

Looks like rain on Saturday, and I think the news said something about SNOW? I just transplanted all of my sweet peas the other day. Now I gotta worry about snow? And I'm dropping my car off on Monday, so it looks like I'm walking to the track all next week. Last night, I took Tank for a half-walk down the mountain. I was feeling antsy and figured it'd be good for both of us. Tank is almost back to his regular slim self, the bastard. I wish I lost weight as easily as my dog!

Oh, and some guy is coming to till the garden, so yay for homegrown veggies! This'll be my first attempt at gardening. Wish me luck.

P.S. The Caps lost. The game on Saturday will pretty much decide things. Saw a guy wearing a Flyers jersey when I was out today and I wanted to kick him in the head.