Running

In the hopes that one of these days spring will come (the forecast does show upper 50s into the 60s this week, I'll believe it when I see it!!) I'm posting a picture of tuplips...if I wasn't feeling so lazy right now I'd get up and take a picture of the ones I bought at Trader Joe's today (they are this color) and brought into the house to make it more spring like.

Anyway, today was D day...I had set today to get out and try a run. I decided I would do it at the gym, softer surface and guaranteed weather. Anyway, I had gotten up today with no discomfort again, so figured it was a good trial day. I started off first mile very slowly, and it felt great to be running again. I sped up on the second mile and while I felt like maybe I was noticing something, it was more of an "well, is it hurting or not" kind of thing than a yes, it's definitely complaining to me. I stopped at 2 miles, not wanting to push things too much and I jumped on the bike for an addition 45 minutes of cardio. I had already done a core workout and some yoga at home while watching Eragon (I've recently signed up on a trial deal with HBO so catching up on some things I haven't seen as of yet). After the workout I was feeling heel was bothering slightly, but not terribly. I swung by Trader Joe's on my way home too and picked up some pasta with flax and a pineapple and a few other items (including dark chocolate covered soybeans that sound healthy and yet an indulgence!!) and came home and made myself a very healthy dinner of this pasta with flax, spaghetti sauce (homemade with only a little meat, very low in fat and full of yummy for me stuff), a salad of spinach and romaine and a side of really good fruit (had forgotten about the strawberries and raspberries I bought yesterday and cut up and included some pineapple too). I'm really trying to get better. Right now I'm reading Performance Nutrition for Runners by Matt Fitzgerald and finding some very interesting yet sound advice as opposed to so much other stuff that's out there.

Anyway, little update on grandma. She's feeling better and getting over the pneumonia, but there is a meeting with the cardiologist tomorrow, basically to discuss what damage there is (she's had a leaky heart valve) and what they can do...I'm worried, but trying to keep optimistic about it.

A Break? Finally?

From the cold that is. It was sunny and fairly warm yesterday. Not that I got to enjoy it as I was at work by 7 and here until close to 5…and it will be more of the same today (since we have wrap up meetings at 4 and they will last till at least 4:30/4:45 again today I’m sure). My intent last night was to get home, work on my essays (until I realized I had left my jump drive with the essay drafts on it at work), maybe even going to Caribou or something to work on them so the TV and other things weren’t there to distract me. So instead I managed to clean my bathroom (desperately needed it and a big nice cleaning too, spring cleaning time!!) and do some research for a contract I’m in the process of negotiating. I was up later than planned, but oh well. Got up and was at the gym today, running, by 5:20!! And hottie showed up around 5:30 and was on the bike…I was so bummed as I almost started on the bike darnit…and he apparently only used it for a warmup as 15 minutes later he was down strength training…ah well. I got to view him on the weight floor as I ran by the windows each lap. I managed a good 4 miler, somehow sub 8 minute pace for it (must’ve been the false alarm first lap when I thought I saw him on the treadmill, but it was someone else, just had a similar build from the back). 31 or so minutes…tonight, since it’s supposed to be 40+ I’m going to run another 6 miles, 3-4 at 8 minute or faster tempo. After my run I biked, was going to go 30 minutes but wanted to see if maybe I’d bump into hottie as he left the weight room, unfortunately that didn’t happen, and when I walked out to my car, I THINK I JUST missed him walking out as I am pretty sure he was walking to his car (since it’s now dark in the early morning I didn’t have a clear view, so am not 100% sure it was him, but it could’ve been!!). Ah well. As I’ve said, there is no way I’ll ever talk to him, unless he says something to me (and even then I’d probably just stammer out something stupid anyway). I do appreciate the words of confidence from everyone on what I should do, but see, for one I would never interrupt someone during their workout, and for two, I’m just way too shy to approach someone…so instead he’s just my motivation to get up early and get to the gym before work…

And He Runs

That's right...I got to the gym today, hit the track at 5:45 and saw my hottie on a treadmill...the temptation was very strong to get on one of the two empty treadmills on either side of him (even though that violates the invasion of space rule!) and I am so bored by the treadmill these days...I only use the track or outside, but that's just how cute he is. Anyway, I stuck to the track and just admired him as I ran past each lap...till at 2 miles for me, he got off the mill and headed out...and then I discovered he was in the weight room! Nice thing about the track, there are a couple of spots where you can see down to the weight room, so I got to see him a few more times...wonder if he'll be there tomorrow...wonder if I will...Oh, and I did get 7 miles in...and a decent pace, 1:01:30...I finally timed myself with an actual watch and not the clock I normally am using. I'm still pretty sure the track is accurate and I always run the outside lane...

I am amazed I was able to get up this morning. Last night I was at work till after 5 (I'm in at 7:30 so yes, that makes for a long day), I got home, took a quick power nap, got up, got dressed, snacked way too much and then a friend happens to be in town for training for work so we finally managed to get together for dinner and a drink and caught up. Hopefully he'll be joining up with me and some other friends to see a band on Saturday. I have yet to see them play, but the lead singer/namesake for the band used to be part of a friend's band and has an amazing voice so looking forward to checking them out.

Weekends are Too Short!

So Friday night was actually a really fun night. I had two friends come over as the plan had been a couple months ago to eat cheap pizza and watch Sex & the City. One of the two that were coming over had never seen the uncut versions…so that had been the plan that was put on hold for too long…we finally managed to do it on Friday!! So Cosmos, pizza and 4 episodes later, one friend had a headache and chose to go home, but the other friend and I went to my regular hang out, neither of us caring much about drinking, but deciding to go see what was going on and we had a nice chat, nice time people watching and just a great evening all around. I need more of those!! It even ended up being later than I expected but that was fine.

Saturday I was up and helping my sister and her boyfriend move. He bought a house and she rented out her townhouse and they moved to a much bigger space (and I swear it’s full already, no idea how they fit all that stuff in half the space!!). We loaded up, moved them and unloaded, all by 2 pm (and didn’t get started till 11). After we were done it was sunny and nice outside so I headed home and out for a run. It was planned to be 10 miles but I shortened it to 7.5 when my knee was bothering a little bit and I wasn’t properly fueled….came home to a hot back, hot chocolate and a nap and then an evening of football. I thought about going someplace to watch it, but didn’t really want a drink and knew I was going out on Sunday to watch games so I held off and went for the staying home thing instead. This was all fine as Sunday I got up, did some cleaning and then met my sister and her boyfriend for drinks and watching the game at a bar nearby…and unfortunately his Colts lost, but oh well. Went to the gym for a quick bike ride and then thought I’d stop for a while to have one more beer and watch some of the next game, but this didn’t happen when I walked in and all the bar stools were full. Oh well. It was fine. I went home, watched the game and vegged…kind of needed it. Tried to go to bed early but was just not feeling tired enough and didn’t sleep well, but I did manage to get up and get to the gym this morning…now I’m debating going to the gym a second time after work or if I’ll just go home and relax and maybe get some cleaning done that I didn’t get done this weekend…and that I’m really going to have to focus on during the week since it looks like it’s going to be a rough one this weekend!! I already had plans for watching a band on Saturday night and now had an invite for a happy hour at a place that proved to be a late night last time I went to it…sigh…

Run and a Weight Room

I braved the rain and didn’t melt! OK, I am one that likes running in the rain, just not when it’s cold. It wasn’t terrible yesterday though. It was about 62 I think when I took off, so I had on shorts and a long sleeved tech top and maybe should’ve gone a little lighter weight top or a shorter sleeved one as I was a bit warm, but pushed the sleeves up and I was OK. I went out for 3 and opted instead to turn it into 4 when things were feeling alright. The sacrum was still feeling a little off, but not enough to cause any issues. Still a tight hamstring, a little tightness on the knee and at one point I thought my glute was going to start talking to me, but thankfully nothing came of it. I got home, stretched, iced my knee, used the roller, stick and sacro wedgy and then relaxed for the night, House was on after all. I was feeling some tightness still later in the evening, and before bed opted to take 3 advil and an advil PM to help with the way it was feeling. Basically I wanted the left side of my sacrum to crack, and nothing I could do would get that feeling away. Advil PM is awesome though…I was tired anyway and it just kept the soreness at bay so I could sleep…and for the first time in I don’t know how long I even managed to sleep through the night, not even one time getting up to use the bathroom!! This is an amazing thing for me as I drink so much water it’s always at least one time in the night…

Tonight I’m taking the night off running again, but I think I need to do something. I might actually get some air into the tires of my bike and take it out. I just need to do something about my weight and how flabby I feel like I’m getting. I haven’t done any strength training since April or May, and that’s bad. I HAVE to get back to something. Unfortunately I’m not currently a member at a gym, and my best gym option is so expensive…I need to do some more research on that I guess though. I know there are things that I can do around home, but I’m just not disciplined enough to do much at home…and I don’t have enough stuff to do things either. My hope is still to get my house sold (reminder to self, need to get together with my realtor and get it re-listed, since that would help in selling it!) because my dream for my new home is a workout room. I will only buy something that has a room that I can dedicate to working out. I want to decorate it in some running theme, I’ll have bookshelves for my running books and magazines, all my marathon paraphernalia (like my top 10 reasons to run a marathon and Chicago marathon posters), medals and such from high school into my new hardware…then of course the workout stuff, treadmill, maybe a bike (or a trainer with a bike on it) and of course weights and other stuff…one thing I want is these:

They are adjustable from 2.5 to 20 pounds. I will probably need to buy 2 25s and I should be set on weights...I should just buy them now and have them...hmm...wonder if anyone is trying to get rid of some on craigslist or ebay...of course I also want a bench then too, but I can wait on that...

Fall is Definitely Here

Yes, I do realize that fall has been here now, officially, since Sunday, but last night, I ran and I ran naked again (meaning no watch, no Garmin, no MP3) not actually NAKED and I noticed how much more fall has shown up and it makes me a bit sad. I do think that the fall colors are very pretty, don't get me wrong, but, living in Minnesota, I know what comes after the leaves fall off, and not being a fan of cold weather, well, you see where I'm coming from right? Fall is bittersweet. It's pretty, and the cooler weather again, after running in the heat and humidity of the summer, feels nice, but it's also leading to cold, and in Minnesota, extreme cold! And snow, which yes, can look pretty, but makes commutes icky and running treacherous. I like the warm. Spring is my favorite, a time of renewal, of growth, when the rain is great because it brings the green and new flowers etc...in summer you have warm, warm days and humid, sultry nights, when being outdoors in a tank top and little skirt is fine (or if you're adventurous, a skinny dip, and no, I wouldn't know from experience on that...except that one or two drunk nights, and remember, I do live in a city!)....the days are long, you can run almost any time and not have to rush home to get it in before dark...and I see if Spring is rebirth, well, then you can think what fall and winter are...

I did get my run in last night. Everything seemed to be OK again, still not 100% but much better than it has been. My glute still isn't making any complaints, which is a miracle in and of itself since that has been my biggest problem area recently. My hamstring was a little tight still, but my shin never acted up either. My knee was having a bit of an issue again, so when I got home, I iced it, I stretched (downward dog, upward dog, pigeon pose, laying on my stomach and pulling my foot with opposite hand to stretch the quad), I did stabalization moves, I'm doing anything and everything I can to keep things feeling good and get them to be better. I have a few other exercises I plan to incorporate back in too (was wondering if they might be part of the tight inner abductor so I stopped them for a few days). Hopefully it will keep progressing. I'm working on a plan for things for the next few months, including a race that has been in my mind for a while....

A Run at Last

For those that read here on a fairly regular basis, you know I’ve been dealing with a tight glute/hamstring or some issue for quite some time and it has made running uncomfortable and not much fun at all. I was on the verge of giving up running all together after my 25K on September 9th. I only ran 9 miles from 9/10 - 9/16 and from 9/17 - 9/23 I didn't run at all.

During my week off last week, I was working on all I could do to work on the stability in my hips, which are probably the biggest problem. I've been doing exercises to work the inner and outer hip abductors and trying to stretch all sore and potentially sore areas along with the stability exercises. By not running, I thought things would improve, however, I was having a tightness in the hamstring that was different from what I had had before so I asked L if I could get a massage on Saturday and he worked on the trouble leg for about 40 minutes. He found tightness in my inner left abductor that I had been unaware of, and also tightness in my hamstring and he thinks it might be a quad problem so worked on areas in there. I had also been having some tightness in my inner knee, but that seems to be a joint issue and I’m just icing to try to get that feeling better. Finally he worked in the glute again and that wasn’t quite as tight as it has been, so something must be working. Anyway, after it was all worked out, I felt better, still a bit tight on Sunday but I decided I was going to try a run last night.

I dressed in some of my favorite running things including a fun pair of shoes I almost never wear because they are more my racing shoes for shorter distances. I went out and things seemed to be feeling OK, although I felt some tightness along the left shin. I hesitate to use the words “shin splits” because a PT once informed me that after age 13-14 for girls shin splints are more just a generic term for pain in the area…anyway, that is kind of what I was feeling, a tightness around the outer left shin a little bit when going uphills. I tried to be sure I was running “normal” and not babying the left side, but must’ve been doing a little of that. The results of the run though were favorable. I didn’t wear a watch, but it felt like a moderate to slightly fast pace, I did 3 miles and stopped to stretch each mile. When I got done I did more stretching, used my scaro wedgy and later, after talking to L, and on his suggestion, used my stick on my shin and then on my hamstring. I seemed to have loosened up the hamstring some more and I iced both the shin and knee as well

I at least it seems to be having some improvement and maybe eventually it will all be fine and I can start focusing on future runs again. I’m taking today off, although will be stretching and doing the icing, then tomorrow I’ll head out for another 3-4 and continue an every other day thing, slowly building up and seeing how things hold up. I have no specific races, but I found the World Run Day that I think I want to do on November 11. Just have to decide on a distance...

You’re Kidding Right?

OK, so I’m flying to Chicago for the weekend. Leaving today around 4:50. It’s just the weekend, and we are driving back. This all came up because the pro bike team L works for is competing in the National Criterium Championships in Downer’s Grove over the weekend and he is flying down today and driving back so suggested I should come too. I found a cheap enough ticket and thought why not, so we fly down tonight after work and then drive back on Sunday after the last race. I was going to visit friends while there and still hope to see them, but now I also got invited to work at a booth the team has up and get paid decent for it so I said sure…since the liquid ban, the times I’ve flown, I’ve checked my bags cause it was just easier…due to it just being a weekend, I thought what the heck, I’m going to carry my bag on and deal with the bag for my personal items…I knew it was a quart bag and found that I didn’t have any around, so I ran (literally, didn’t feel like driving later, needed a run of 6-7 miles and it’s about 3.5 to the grocery store) and got bags, came home, opened the box and looked at the bag. You’re kidding right? I’m allowed to carry liquids, in 3 oz or smaller containers, onto the plain as long as they are in ONE, one quart, see through, zip top bag…umm…yeah. Maybe for a boy. As a woman, and one that wears contacts, my smallest saline solution bottle is 3 oz. That takes up 1/3 of the bag. Then I need deodorant, well, thankfully I have a sample size of that to bring, but if I wanted to bring shampoo and conditioner, shaving cream, face lotion, make up (thankfully I don’t wear foundation) and any number of other things I could include, there is no way it would all fit in that bag. I have to buy gel when I get there cause I don’t have a small enough one anyway. I’m going to use the shampoo at the hotel, will buy razors and am not bringing along my body glide (which I bet I’ll regret if I get my 12 miler in this weekend like I want to, but it just won’t fit in that bag) but it still barely fit…it sucks!! And really, in the grand scheme of things, does it really prevent anything or is it just a way to appease us in thinking that our safety is being handled? And on that note, has anyone seen this?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20298840/site/newsweek/from/ET

Hump Day

I ran…it wasn’t far, it wasn’t timed, but it felt pretty good. This was the first I had run since last Thursday. Which OK, to some that isn’t much, but considering it’s been rare for me to take 2 days off in a row, and run less than 5 days a week (and usually 6 or even 7) that is a big deal. Especially since I was really just taking the time off cause I didn’t feel like running. I’m lacking that motivation still, but at least getting out for the 4 I did last night it felt OK and I enjoyed it, even though it was pretty warm and sticky. I haven’t fully decided if I will run tonight or not, maybe, maybe not, we’ll see. If I don’t, I’m going to attempt getting in a good yoga workout and/or stretch and get some cleaning done. If I do, it probably won’t be far, but that’s OK. This weekend I’m going to attempt a longer run at some point since next weekend I will be in Chicago.

Monday didn’t end up making it to the movie as we expected to do. It was getting late after we visited the bridge area and L was hungry and didn’t really want food from Brit’s. He suggested we could go buy the movie instead and then watch it at his place. I was exhausted by the time we finally started watching it, so we ended up stopping it and going to bed, but that’s OK. It is a good movie and it can be watched another time. I had seen it already (we almost got Blood Diamond instead and I still do want to see that, but will have to wait for another time). If you’re looking for just a cute chick flick, Music and Lyrics is a good one (I think it was Dori that asked about it). And as long as I’m reviewing movies, Bourne Ultimatum is definitely worth it. We saw that on Friday and it’s an excellent movie. I think I heard someone else saying this but it seems to be accurate, each Bourne movie just got better.

A rainy run…

It’s been so long since I had the joy of running in the rain and on Tuesday night, 2 ½ miles into the planned 5-6 miler I was going to do, it started to sprinkle a bit, then it turned into a gushing downpour and it was fantastic! I was soaked in about 5 minutes but it felt so good and I didn’t care. I turned the run into 7 just because it felt so good and was so much fun…I probably would’ve gone even further but the rain was kind of stopping and I did have things I needed to do. But man, why can’t there be more runs like that. The thunder that happened a bit later didn’t phase me (seriously, I have rubber soles on my shoes, not much to worry about right?), and it just feels so good when you are being refreshed by a summer shower as you are slogging through a warmer day (it wasn’t terribly warm that day, but warm enough and it’s getting hotter this weekend!).

After the run I went to my “friends”…OK, I suppose I can officially say it’s more. Massage guy we’ll call him, has pretty much become my boyfriend. We’ve been seeing each other 2 months now, I guess it was time to finally maybe use that label? Anyway, went to his place and he, I and his two neighbors went and saw Transformers. Yes, I grew up in the 80s, and I LOVED the Transformers. The movie had incredible special effects and I really did like it for the most part, although it really did feel more like a “builder” point for two years down the road when Transformers 2 comes out. Two of the guys that I was with (the neighbors) were total geeks on it. We dissected it later, and even they liked most of it, although didn’t like a few of the teases that were in, one was that they didn’t remain true to the forms that were used in the original cartoons, but Optimus was the same, even the same voice. Anyway, after the movie, we had a few beers and then went to bed. I stayed downtown with L and the next day we went for lunch (although I had wanted breakfast, and I could’ve had it where we did end up, I chose a taco salad instead) at a marketplace that is geared toward ethnic foods. Mostly Asian and Mexican. It was good. More authentic Mexican than typical “Tex-Mex”. After food we were going to go to the 4th Celebration across the river, but ended up watching some movies (at least bits of movies) and taking a bike ride over to get some beer…then we went up on the roof of the building to watch fireworks, but since this is a shorter building we weren’t quite able to see them as well as we might have otherwise, but that’s OK. A late night slice of pizza so I’d be able to feel OK for work the next day and an almost fight with a couple of drunk idiots that didn’t know how to keep their mouths shut (and only shot them off when they were “safe” meaning the security at the bar, or a cop outside, gotta love people that come out, start shooting off their mouths and acting stupid and then go running to the cops when a move is made on them) but oh well. All in all a nice 4th of July…

Thursday Run

It’s been a while since I’ve just written about a run. Sure I’ve made mention of what I’ve been doing in passing with other updates, but there really haven’t been any stand out runs. Everything all kind of blends together. I have run a number of them without watch (mostly wearing HRM though just trying to get a feel for numbers before I work out the mins and maxs). I’ve even had a few runs without anything but my MP3 and they have ranged from bad to OK or average but something yesterday hit me. Maybe it was the early afternoon chocolate chocolate chip muffin, or the Pizza Hut Express breadsticks so I’d have the energy to run without having to wait till I made dinner, had it eaten and then rested it off…Anyway, last night I could’ve gone further, I only ran 7 (had planned 5 or 6) and wish I had done at least 8. The first mile stat I’m not sure of, but I know it was slow due to stopping to say hi to a neighbor and pet her dog, but then I was off and most of the miles fell right around 8:35 pace, and HR stayed around what it has been most runs. I’ve been averaging maybe seeing a high of 167-175 (but that’s usually coming up the last hills), and most of the run has tended toward being in the mid-150s, which none of this means much yet since I only know my min and not my max HR yet. But I’m guessing this is going to come close to the average range that most runs should be in (65-75% effort I think). It was so nice to have finally achieved a good run though. Final run time had me at an average of 8:38, which it's been a while since I've effortlessly hit those paces. Maybe it was the slightly cooler weather last night that helped too. The run on Wednesday was only 4 miles and that one I almost bagged because it just didn’t feel good, legs felt dead (and I had only done 7.25 the night before) so I just don’t know. I’m still not sure about a fall marathon either, but it’s that time to start building mileage up, looking at a training schedule and getting something going soon if I’m going to even consider doing one…I’m still kind of playing it out to see what happens and if I can get into Twin Cities yet.

Wednesday night I went and checked out a bike race. First time I had ever been to one, at least in that capacity. It’s a pro race series going on in the area right now. Mostly within the metro with a couple of trips about an hour away. It was fun and Jelly Belly was there handing out sport beans, as was Nature Valley (which makes sense since it’s the Nature Valley Grand Prix) handing out granola bars. The race was a sprint in downtown St. Paul. Just a short circuit for an hour. There is another leg of it tonight in Minneapolis and me and a couple of friends are going to go watch and have a few beers to celebrate Friday. Should be a nice evening. That is if the rain holds off!! Tomorrow my parents are in town so I'll probably see them and I might be crashing a wedding, we'll see if I feel up to it or not. Sunday is the Pride Festival parade and I always enjoy checking out the festivities in the park during Pride so I'm hoping to make it down there too. I have yet to actually get to see the parade!

Waiting on an Early Spring

Warmer weather is on the way, it’s going to get close to 50 next week…another 10-15 degrees from there and I might get to shed even more layers and get down to shorts. Today my run felt really good though and I’m glad I got out and got it in during my lunch. It’s warming up, was close to 36 when I started, and while it was windy, it was actually a warmer wind…could be because of the moisture in the air too (relative humidity right now is 70%). Anyway, I ran away from the building on a route I use often. It runs along one of the major freeways of the city, but has it’s own bath, that finally has been mostly cleared, although a bit of it was treacherous and uphill to start (hence the slow first mile). This route also covers some decent hills. I might have to bring my camera with next time. It’s definitely a decent glut workout. I opted what seems the lesser hills on the way back though and went through some nicer neighborhoods. 7 miles in 1:00:20 for an 8:37 overall pace. Not bad for just an easy run.

Mile 1 – 9:15
Mile 2 – 8:52
Mile 3 – 8:49
Mile 4 – 8:33
Mile 5 – 8:33
Mile 6 – 8:18
Mile 7 – 7:56

I like that each mile stayed the same or got just a little faster. Mile 2 and Mile 4 probably have the worst of the climbs and Mile 7 does end on the nice downhill of the hill I climb in the first mile. Overall a nice feeling run though.

I worked last night but tonight will be at home doing more cleaning and decluttering and maybe finally getting to sleep a little early. I do have a big list of things I could do. I want to focus on actually throwing some stuff out finally too. I really am in desperate need of doing that!! So far no calls for showings on my place, but Joseph made his way into my little garden box on my patio and is now buried (managed to get the frozen dirt dug up through sheer force!) and hopefully doing his best to sell my place for me. I appreciate the good thoughts and keep them coming. Oh, and Gingerbread Man asked where Jon was going with my stuff…it is now in his “game room” at their house. He and his wife have a much bigger place, although they’ve managed to fill it up pretty well on their own, for some storage and since it’s to both of our benefits to make my house look the best it can for showings, they offered…it was very nice of them.

Oh, and did I mention it was sunny when I was out running...and my gloves came off, and I was too warm on top with just my windbreaker and a light weight top on under...(well I was sweating a lot at least!)...spring is on the way. I know we are getting an early spring (or if nothing else spring WILL be here on March 21, it doesn't have a choice!!) this year...I just know it...it's my favorite time of year. Daffodils are such a "happy" flower...