Setback

Here, I've reached a point where it would be very easy for me to say, "Forget it."

Repeated injuries and problems over the past year have really worn me out, and the anti-exercise part of me thinks that this exercise stuff is for the birds! All it leads to is pain and problems.

Thankfully, that part of me is a very small part.

The truth is that my lack of regular exercise is what has lead me to these problems. That, and my terrible eating habits. I've been malnourished enough that my bones are weak. The running that I love to do has been putting a lot of stress on bones that aren't quite ready for it. The solution is to hold off on the running for a while.

That's a disappointing set back. However, it isn't so easy to run on crutches, and that's where I'm at for the moment - on crutches. Well, sort of. Do you know how inconvenient crutches are? Especially since I am the one who cooks and cleans around here. Not to mention being on puppy patrol. It's near-impossible to pick up a peeing puppy to take her outside while trying to maneuver on crutches. Ick. Most of the time, I end up setting the crutches aside. Probably not a good thing. Still, I've been sitting a lot, and walking very gently.

Since the running is on hold for a while, I have decided to work on other ways of getting stronger. This would be a good time to learn to do a real push up, and a real pull up. I have not ever been able to do even one proper rep of either one of those exercises. I would like to be stronger, so while I can not run, I can work on strength training. To that end, I'm keeping my eyes open for some sort of user-friendly program, like the Couch to 5k Running program, only with strength training.

Sick 2

Sore throat, neck hurts, head is stopping up...

I *knew* this would happen.

I'm getting sick.

Bugger.

Sick

Everyone in the house, except for me, has been sick, for nearly two weeks.

Believe me, I'm so thankful that it seems to have skipped me (now watch - I'll get sick in a day or so).

I'm just tired (which, of course, is an invitation for sickness to invade a body). I haven't had good sleep in quite a few days.

After five days of not running, I went out today. Even though tired Me was saying, "Let's take a nap. I don't wanna run. Sleep would be better", I just put on my running clothes and said, "Five minutes. That's all I have to do." Once I was out there, the five minutes went well, and I said to myself, "the last time I went to the track, I ran two whole laps without stopping. Let's try three laps today. That's one whole mile."

Yikes! Tired Me began to whine again, "But what about that hill on the track? It's going to be a bugger to run up three times! Why not just see if I can do two times again?"

And the part of me that made me go out to run in the first place began to waver just a bit. Doubt began to nibble at my resolve. I said to myself, "Okay, two laps, and see how things are then." And I reminded myself to relax and smile.

Two laps in, I said, "It would be easier to keep shuffling than to put the effort into stopping. Why ever does it take so much effort to stop, anyway, when my legs are tired? And HEY! I'm still breathing well, and I was able to say 'good morning' without sounding out of breath, so I must've found a good pace."

Can I just say, it felt really, really good to be able to breathe through an entire mile? My legs got tired, but my lungs didn't hurt. Fandamntastic!

And I kept going, even up the tiny little hill. Really, it's just a small rise, no more than about ten yards long. I kept telling myself, "Hills are speed work in disguise. Every time I go up this little hill, my legs will get stronger, and I will be able to go faster." By the time I finished telling myself that, I was up!

And crap did my hip bone hurt!!!

So I decided that I will get it X-rayed Thursday (payday). I may have to switch to biking while my hip bone heals. Not so sure I like that idea, because running is what I like to do.

And I need new shoes. These are the ones that I would like to get, in lilac/fuschia. Santa, are you listening??

Gadgetry

For the most part, I consider myself relatively low-tech. The latest and greatest gadgets do not interest me much.

So it was with some amusement that I hit the road for my workout yesterday - carrying a timer to set the length of my intervals; setting a stopwatch as I left, so I could time the overall length of my workout; wearing a pedometer on my hip to measure the distance of my overall workout. Definitely NOT the latest and greatest in running technology. Thankfully, the only thing I have to carry is the timer. I do not like to have anything in my hands while I'm running.

For a mere $350, I could get a Garmin Forerunner 310XT. Less to clip on, and probably gives me more, and more usable, information. Okay, yeah, there are less expensive thingies that would give me the same info. They have amazing functionality in a little device worn like a wristwatch, and I do want one. Probably something that comes with a footpod, so that I am prepared for the days when I have to run inside on a treadmill, which is, um, never. I loathe the treadmill so completely that I will avoid a running workout if I can't do it outside. Given that I have run in torrential downpours that have left me completely squidging in my shoes, I'm not too worried about running inside. Yeah. I wouldn't really need a footpod. 'k.

My next problem with the gadgetry is that most of the thingies are worn like watches. Why is that a problem? Because I stop watches. No kidding. The battery doesn't wear out. They simply stop functioning. I ruined two heart rate monitors, too, before I figured out that I was the problem. So spending $100+ on something that I might get to wear only a few times? Seems less than ideal.

So I have my timer, my stopwatch, and my pedometer. None of those things spend enough time in contact with my skin to be affected by my incredible magnetism.  :)   Besides, if I had a gadget that was constantly telling me my speed and distance, my mind would get bored. The entire time that I am running, I add distances, split times, calculate speed, and count steps in my head. It's a complete numbers game that keeps my mind off the various (numerous) aches and pains that I experience while I run. My brain would just bob in my skull like a lump if I had a watch just giving me all that info.

Fact is, I love running. I look forward to being able to run miles without stopping for a walk. Once I reach that stage, it's likely that I won't want any gadgets keeping me company. I like them now because the numbers show me proof of improvement. Apparently it isn't enough for me to say, "Hey! Today I ran TWO laps without stopping when last time, I ran only slightly more than ONE lap" (These are 1/3 mile laps, too, rather than the traditional 1/4 mile). Nope. I need the variety of numbers that allows me to see that I went 1/3 mile farther than last time, but only spent an extra 1:30 getting there. Not bad considering I've been averaging about 4:30 on a 1/3 mile lap (I never claimed to run *fast*).

However, I'm crafty, and it wouldn't take much to make a fabric band to wear under a Garmin that would prevent it from coming in contact with my skin. And it would be nice to run varying routes and still know how far I've run...

It's entirely possible that I will end up with a new gadget. Something rather less pricey, though.

Welcome to my version of "pros and cons". :D

Tired

Really, really tired.

So okay, my first blog post in three weeks is full of whinging and moping. Blah.

I'm falling apart!

The run for the police department went well for me. No, I didn't run fast enough for THEM. Still, I ran faster than my first attempt, AND I ran much, much farther without stopping. About a half mile. That was very cool. I felt stronger, too. The sun was out, and even though it was late evening when I ran, the sun made a big difference after training for a month in perpetual rain and overcast skies. I got very hot, very quickly.

With that goal out of the way, I felt freer to focus on my couch-to-5k program. It was going very well, until the second workout of week three. That was Tuesday, the 20th. The problem started the Friday before, I think. I went for a run with my friend, and my right hip felt like it had a catch in it. The joint was not moving smoothly at all. I decided to ignore it.

Can I just say that it really is not a good idea to take pain reliever before running?

I did that on the next two runs - Sunday and Tuesday - and by Tuesday evening (I'd run in the morning), I had a serious limp. With every step, my right leg shrieked in agony! So I said, "take a break from running". I took walks for the next three days, limping for most of the time. Friday night, I figured that the thigh could use a good rest. I took a muscle relaxer, which pretty assured a lazy weekend for me. Those things knock me on my behind for two days. I'm SO not kidding. Saturday found me lazing about with a heating pad across my leg.

So during my lazy weekend, my groin muscle starts feeling better, and what happens? My left hip starts the same process - a catch that progressively feels worse, culminating in what feels like a pulled groin muscle. wtf???

As if that weren't enough, I pulled something in my left knee while I was cleaning my room. See, here's my hypothesis, although I could be retarded or something: Being overweight gave me chunky calves and thighs; the running has tightened the muscles, but I haven't been running long enough to lose the fat, so my legs are actually bulkier right now than they were before, and less squishy, 'cause the muscles are tighter, so when I kneel (or try to do "child's pose" in yoga), my knee ligaments have to stretch farther, and they aren't very flexible right now, 'cause I've been a malnourished, obese, lazyassed oxymoron for so long.

So yay! Both hips and one knee, and it's been a week since I ran. Sounds like the not-running was just as bad for me as the running.

wah, wah, wah.

On the bright side, I learned that a cool bath works wonders for preventing muscle soreness. Didn't even need the ice. Just the cold water straight from the faucet.

So I'm going to get back to running this week, because I miss it. If I'm going to hurt whether I run or not, I might as well enjoy the running. I'll take it easy and maybe skip the push at the end of the workout that I usually do.

And get some more sleep. I might just start taking naps.

Oooh, that sounds decadent.

Tolerance

Don't mind me. There are decisions that I make, and then unmake them later. I change my mind, sometimes for no other reason than because the weather changed.

So, when I decided against having the Glucose Tolerance Test (my exact words: "not gonna happen"), I did not let it rest. My mind chewed on that bone, turning it over and over, gnawing away at it, until finally, I decided to have the test done.

Why? Why would I change my mind? After all, I was fairly sure that I wasn't diabetic. Furthermore, I've already started my walking journey toward running.

Because there was a small part of me that was worried about it. I do have occasional bouts of hypoglycemia. Diabetes runs rampant in my family. My mother has it. Her mother had it. There's suspicion that HER mother had it. I do not want to end up with that problem.

So I had the test, just to make sure.

I was at the lab for over two hours. Blood was drawn, my finger pricked (with a fasting blood sugar reading of 88 - very good), and then I was given this little bottle of cold, orange colored sugar water. It was supposed to be orange flavored, too. Overall, it wasn't too bad. I had to drink it fast, and it was cold! I prefer my drinks to be room temp. I got it down within the required time frame (5 minutes), and the timing began.

At the 1/2 hour mark, more blood was drawn. This time, the needle hurt. It didn't hurt the first time.

At the 1 hour mark, blood was drawn from the other arm, and it didn't hurt.

At the 2 hour mark, blood was drawn, again from the right arm, and it hurt. This last blood draw was also the time when the lab tech pricked my finger again to get another blood sugar reading. Her monitor said 136. Anything under 140 is normal, she told me.

Yay!

No diabetes.

I'm still going to run. It'll reduce my chances of becoming diabetic.

Besides, I have a goal to reach.

Challenge

In my efforts to find motivation to run, I've looked at several web sites devoted to beginners' running. There are so many out there that it quickly became information overload.

One site offered some tools that I thought would come in handy: dailymile

There are discussion boards, tracking tools, routes to run, events, and much more. Recently, I ran across a challenge that had been posted, so I thought, "Why not!"

The challenge? To run 120 miles by December 31st. That's about 13 weeks away. Wish me luck!

Technically, I've only run half a mile. I'll keep tabs on my actual running as I go along.