Packing

Well, the packing list has been written.  We've started to pack the trailer and sort through our belongings to decide what to take and what to leave.  It's going to be an exercise in down-sizing that I believe will be good for our family.  Even so, the list seems awfully long.  I wonder how much we'll put in the trailer, only to take it out later on. 

I'm getting excited!

A good week

So I did three runs of 1.5 miles each last week. My calves were really tight after the runs, but I had no foot pain. So yesterday I went for 2 miles. My legs felt tired after 1.5, but I've no calf pain today at all. What I do have is tenderness over my break area. It doesn't hurt to walk on it, but it's quite tender to touch. So I'm going to the wellness center for some bike/elliptical work today. I'll probably stick with non-impact work until it is no longer tender. Then I'll try running again.

Sanity?

October has arrived. It looks and feels like some of the craziness that is August and September have finally eased. I was walking/running into the first week of September. I was up to 3 miles and then I was unable to keep up anymore. Just too busy to do anything but survive. But now things are settling down. I went out for a 1.5 mile run this morning. It was only 45 degrees, so it took a while for my feet to warm up. I need to figure out how to warm them up before I go out. But the run felt good and I have no pain in my feet today.



October mileage 1.5

Another walk

Went out again this morning for another walk with Andrea. My foot got sore about 2/3 of the way home. I think I was tensing it unknowingly. I stretched it out and tried to relax more with each step. I can still feel it a little, but it's not bothersome. I'll not walk again till monday to give it time to rest. I added some yoga/strengthening which felt good and I'll continue with that.

Wednesday walk

Andrea and I walked this morning. About 2 miles over 45 minutes. She developed a hot spot after about a mile, so we took it easy on the way back. I hope she continues to walk/run with me. It forces me to go slow, which is probably best for my foot.

Starting again

After the last post things continued well for awhile. I was at the point of running a couple of miles comfortably barefoot. I was on a run when I developed a stress fracture in my left foot. I spent 4 weeks in a walking boot, then another 3 strengthening my foot with basic walking. Other than participating in basement renovations I've had little to no exercise.

So today I started again. A 2 mile bare walk. Not at all vigorous, but I did get out there. My soles are feeling a bit tender. I'm going to stay with this until I can walk it without any discomfort at all. My break area is feeling ok, which is good. I'm also trying to moderate my eating habits and getting rid of the junk food I've been eating over the summer.

Back in the saddle

Ran 1.5 miles today. Barefoot RPE 12, feet somewhat sore after first mile.

I'm in a funk

I think I need a goal. Something tangible, something concrete. I think I need to be training for a race of some sort. Something short, something local. The think thirty incentive is done and I did pretty well, but this week I've just been "off". I've been making any excuse possible to not exercise. I feel like a slug. I've been eating crappy. I think working hard for 2.5 months, exercising regularly and eating healthy should have resulted in more results on the scale, but they didn't and I'm frustrated. Gah, what a whiner!

Ok, that's out now. I'm going to get off my ass, clean up my basement with vigor, work up a sweat, and get back to it.

Oh, I'm signing up for the Emma Creek Classic and I'm going to run it in 25:00. (Yeah, that's fast for me).

I'm feeling frustrated

My feet are still hurting me... at times. I can have a couple of no pain days and i think "great, it's healed, let's go." Then they will inexplicably be painful again, and I think "Dang, here we go again." Granted the discomfort is nothing like it was when the PF flared in August, but still, it's present. I'm thinking I should just run again and live with the consequences. I miss it. I want to be outside, running, not on the elliptical, the indoor bike or pool. I know, whine, whine, whine.

I have been active and I have been exercising. I've also been eating like crap. So no stepping on the scale until I'm eating better. I don't want to know.

I ran today, outside, without pain!

Oh it was so lovely to run outside. I started out with the intention of doing a think thirty walk, but I just couldn't help myself. After about 5 minutes of walking I started jogging. I was focusing on my stride, trying to mimic barefoot running and keeping away from striking directly on my heels. After about a mile I decided to try running barefoot, having no idea how it was going to feel. So off came the shoes and socks. It was great! I felt so free and light. I noticed how my feet adapted to each foot fall. There was no pain after a total of 1.75 miles of running. We'll see how they feel tomorrow, but for today I'm celebrating!

A little bit of running

My feet have been feeling pretty good lately. I've not been wearing my splints at night and have only a little bit of pain the first few steps in the morning. I've done just a little bit of walking/running on the treadmill this last week. I can feel that my arches feel somewhat fatigued, and I have sore muscles on the outside aspect of my calf, which I've never had before. I've done one mile at the most. My cadence pace is good at about 170 steps/minute. I'm still doing other cross training, core and upper body strengthening. I checked my measurements today and I'm seeing a difference. I know my pants are fitting better!

Thigh 55 cm (-3)
Hips 96 (-6)
Waist 71 (-8)
Arm 28 (-4)

Weight 145ish down 4

It's been a while

since I posted, but not because I haven't been active. I've just not been doing anything particularly interesting on the exercise frontier. I've been making my exercise goals with the exception of last week, when I fell one day short of my think thirty goal. I'm placing the blame on the GI flu that knocked me out for 24 hours and left me dragging for another 24. (Jen says that puking didn't qualify for think thirty. I think it should, my abs hurt for days.) I actually did a bit of running on the treadmill today, barefoot. Right now my feet feel fine. We'll see how they feel tomorrow.

Did you know

that 10 stories is a long way up? About 200 steps worth? And by the time you reach the top (or bottom) you know that you've gotten a bit of exercise. I've done them once today (with a few stops along the way), and will do them at least once more. I'm thinking thirty!

Thinking Thirty

It's amazing what impact "intention" has on ones life. I've discovered that being "intentional" in my choices lends them more power in my life. I make decisions that are reasoned and purposeful, rather than random and that feels good. The Think Thirty incentive is one of these intentional decisions. I signed up for the incentive and I have the intention of completing it successfully. I have a plan each day as to how I'm going to achieve my 30 minute goal of activity. I also recognize the days that it's not feasible and am okay with that. Being intentional about exercise has turned "I hope that I can get to the gym" to "I'm going to get to the gym at this time, for this long." It is this intention that helped me be successful in running a marathon 2 years ago and will help me be successful in running another one this fall. There I said it. I'm going to run another marathon this fall. It is my intention.

Recap of the last week and plans for the rest of the week.
Friday: 12 hour clinical (lot's of walking, did stairs)
Sunday: swimming with the girls 1.5 hours
Tuesday: Wellness Center 45 minutes
Wednesday: Today, wellness center 5:30 (when the kids are at church)
Thursday: Wellness center in the am
Friday: 12 hour clinical (walk, walk, walk)

Keeping on going

Let's see, what have I done for myself lately? Doug and I took the girls swimming on Sunday. We spent about 90 minutes in the pool. I've lost my goggles, so I ordered a replacement pair so next time I can do some more serious swimming. But I did some pool running and chased after the girls, so it was good.

Monday... killer aerobics with Jen. I actually managed to do 30 knee push-ups, which is a significant improvement for me. I'm working my way to real push ups.
Tuesday... cardio kickboxing. This was a good workout, fun and interesting. The class is offered 2X/week, but I won't be able to go on Thursdays.
Wednesday... I had intended to get to Jen's aerobic class but my teaching responsibilities conspired against me. I went to an hour of yoga instead, so I still met my think 30 challenge for today.

I haven't stepped on the scale recently, but my clothes are getting looser. I'm feeling good about what I'm doing for myself to take care of my physical and emotional needs.

BTW, I've been doing all my exercise barefoot and my feet are getting better! It'll be interesting to see how they feel when I start running regularly.

News flash: you can exercise when you have a cold.

Hhhmm, did you know that? I always thought "have a cold, don't do anything physical". I took Wednesday off from exercise because any movement made my head throb. So I bowed out of Jen's aerobic class (Sorry Jen), went home and took some advil and had a nap. Thursday was better. I was singing bass, and still had to blow my nose a lot, but my head didn't hurt. I put off exercise, using the excuse that "I've got a cold" but ultimately got on the treadmill for a 30 minute walk/slow jog. (After all, I've got to make my think thirty commitment.) It didn't hurt me. In fact, I felt better when I got off. Today I'm still a bit congested and have a bit of a head ache but I'm planning on going out to shovel snow (when it stops snowing). I figure the exertion should help loosen some of the crap in my head and help me feel better. Who wants to come help me shovel?

Friends are a huge blessing.

My friend Sondra called me last night asking if I was going to go to the w.c. in the morning. I said yes, I was going to be there around 5:45. When the alarm went off this morning I wanted desperately to turn it off and go back to sleep, but I had told Sondra I'd be there. So I got up and went. I even dreamed (dreamt?) that I had stood her up and I couldn't let that happen in real life. So I spent 30 minutes on the bike and did a couple of reps of weights for my arms. 45 minutes total.

I also signed up for the Think Thirty Fitness incentive that's happening at the college. 30 minutes of activity, 5X/week. Plan it, do it. It's what got me started with regular exercise 2 years ago. Anyone else want to join me? Even if you're not local you can join in. I'll even provide some draw-prizes for non-Hesstonians.

My feet don't hurt today either!

I read a very interesting book this weekend called "Born to Run". It's a good story and embedded into the story is some interesting discussion regarding our inborn physiology and the effect that the advent of running shoes have had on chronic running injury. It intuitively make sense to me that shoes can impede the foots natural ability to adapt to a running surface. This lack of adaptation can cause our feet to weaken, making them more susceptible to injury. Since all the "regular" treatment of Plantar fasciitis hasn't resulted in healing I thought I'd give barefooting a try. So I did Jen's aerobic class today barefoot. I had my shoes close by, with the thought that if my feet start to hurt I'd put them on. I noticed that I did not plant my feet onto my heel, rather I landed on the ball of my foot. It didn't hurt at all. We'll see how far this goes. I'm open to trying it, though I've no idea how it'll work when I'm ready to start running outside, nor how I'll keep my feet warm! One small step at a time, right?

Good News....My feet don't hurt today!!

Even after a lot of walking yesterday my feet don't hurt today! Maybe, just maybe I'm getting close to running again. Today is going to be a day off from exercise. We're heading into Wichita to do some preliminary pricing on carpet and fixtures for a potential basement renovation. We need to get a good idea on just how much everything will cost. We'll take the girls to the bookstore to spend their Christmas gift cards. We'll be back in time to attend a choir concert and host a couple of the students overnight. It should be a good, but busy day.

5:15 is an ugly time of day

At least for me it is. But I have 12 hour clinical shifts on Fridays this semester, which mean getting up at 4:30, driving to Wichita, working 12 hours and then driving home, getting back around 8 pm. In order to survive I'm making myself get up early consistently. I headed to the w.c. this morning and did half an hour on the elliptical followed by some upper body weight work.

Aerobics

I joined Jen's aerobic class this morning. It was a good workout. I was pleased to note that I wasn't to terribly uncoordinated, nor did the college kids leave me in the dust! I'm planning on going Mondays and Wednesdays when my teaching schedule allows. I'm noticing an increase in core strength with the work that I'm doing, but I still have a long way to go to achieve the upper body strength that I'd like. I'll keep working at it though and it'll happen with time.

I wanted so much to go for a run after the aerobics. Please tell me that I'll be able to go for a run and not hobble for the next couple of days. Soon, ok?

I hate the scale

I did my weekly weigh in this morning. Up to 150. How can that be? I've been eating healthy, exercising regularly and drinking a decent amount of water. Oh well, I'll keep at it and eventually it will change.

Went to the w.c. this morning and did 30 minutes of intervals on the bike. I'm planning on joining in with Jen's aerobic class on Monday and Wednesdays, on the days that I'm not teaching. My resting heart rate yesterday was at 60 bpm, so I've met one of my goals!

I need a good pedometer

So Thursday was a bust secondary to insomnia. I don't often have difficulty sleeping but Wednesday night was awful. I felt as if I'd had a couple cups of coffee, but I hadn't. I saw every half hour until 4:30. The plan was to be up at 5:15 to go to the wellness center. At 4:30 I turned off the alarm and said sleep was more important.

Friday's are clinical days. 12 hours of looping thru most of the units at Wesley hospital many, many times. I need a good pedometer to see how much I actually walk on Fridays. It's not aerobic, but it's activity. My feet were very, very sore by the time I got home.

Today I was just to dang lazy to get to the w.c. I should have, I could have, but I didn't. I did play around on the wii, for about 30 minutes. I don't know that it really counts, but it's better than nothing.

Tomorrow I have to go to the office to finish preparing for 4 hours of class on Monday and 3 hours on Tuesday. Maybe we can get to the pool in the late afternoon with the girls. I need to take my new swimsuit for a test swim.

Checking out the Wii fit

Okay, okay, we jumped on the wii band-wagon. Of all the game systems out there, this one seems to be the most family friendly. I love the fact that you have to move more than your thumbs to participate! It's been a great motivator for good behavior (have to earn your wii time!). Our wii fit arrived yesterday. I pulled it out of the box and set it up this evening. I think it will be a good thing once I figure out the quirks and do some more exploring. Overall I spent about 30 minutes doing various exercises. I didn't work up a sweat, or raise my heart rate, but I did do some focused strength training that I'll probably feel tomorrow.

Bike intervals

Let me just get this out there... I hate intervals. They hurt, they're hard, and they're no fun. But they do a great job at raising the heart rate, getting a good sweat going and making your muscles work. I was on the bike this morning because my feet hurt today. I've discovered a correlation that seems to make them worse. I took a bath last night and massaged my feet on the jets. After the massage they really hurt. Hopefully this will improve with more strengthening, stretching and support.

I weighed myself this morning... down 2 pounds!

Yoga/Pilates

I was unable to get to the wellness center because of my work schedule so I needed to find an alternative way of exercising. I have a yoga/pilates combo dvd that I'm used on occasion so I thought I'd pull that out again. I'd forgot how much of a focused workout it is for the abs, back and glutes. It raised my heartrate and I'll probably feel it tomorrow!

Tomorrow morning I'm heading to the w.c.. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays are for cardio workouts in the am before work. Mondays, and Wednesdays are for strength work. Fridays are my long clinical days, where I'll be logging non-strenuous walking miles.

Wellness center Cross trainer (aka guilt works)

Time: 30 minutes
Interval workout on the cross-trainer in the corner (it's not the elliptical it's the ?).
Peak heart rate went up into the 170's. Physically I worked up a sweat, but it didn't feel as hard as my heart rate would indicate. I had originally planned to go to the wellness center in the morning, but ended up preparing my food for my freezer food swap and making bread. By the time I finished my work for the day it was 3:30 and I didn't want to go. Doug offered to kick me out the door, but I declined. I eventually guilted myself into going. It's a good thing I didn't wait any longer because the w.c. closes at 5 on Saturdays.

Eating wise doing pretty well. I've successfully avoided all concentrated sweets/baked goods with the small exception of a tsp of b.sugar on my cereal and honey in my tea, and I'm not inclined to let those go. I think supper tonight is going to be a greek salad.

Does Wii count?

My feet are somewhat sore today after yesterdays walk/run, so I'm staying off them as much as possible. I did to 7 sets of sun salutations today (14 plank/pushups!) and 20 minutes or so of Wii boxing and tennis. Eating today has been good, but I'm seriously craving some junk right now. I'm going to get a glass of water.

Starting over, again

total time: 30 minutes
5 warm up walk
5 fast walk
10 slow jog
5 fast walk
5 cool down walk

I walked/ran today, for the first time since late August. I was in the process of training for a marathon when I developed plantar fasciitis in both feet, but left worse than the right. I quit running. I waited. I massaged, iced, stretched my feet and they didn't get better. Well, they did, very very slowly. I'd think they were healed, start to walk and then they'd be back where they started. It was two steps forward, one step back. In the meanwhile, I did nothing. No cross-training. I didn't want to cross train, I wanted to run! I kept eating as if I were running 30 miles/week. My heart rate has gone up, my weight has gone up, my clothes are tight and I've had an increase in headaches. It's time. Time for a new beginning that will continue, even if my feet don't allow me to run.

My fitness goals: Get my resting heartrate back into the low 60's. Lose 10 pounds. Be able to do 20 full push-ups and chin-ups. If my feet let me, run another marathon. If they don't I'll get back into shape so that eventually I can.

In an effort of transparency and for my own record keeping here are my current stats.
Weight 149
MAC 32 cm
Waist 78 cm
Hips 102 cm
Thigh 58 cm