So it's been a week and my knee still hurts ... shit!
I can walk without discomfort, but even walking for an extended period I feel like something in my knee is rubbing. Standing up, sitting down, going up stairs or up a hill and going down stairs or down a hill cause pain :-(
I went to the doctor today and he either told me to get a condo in Malaysia or that I had chondromalacia. I remember hearing the term from David on the old T.com site and had a basic idea of what it was. The doctor gave a really good explanation and filled in the blanks in my memory ... then he told me I should be icing it ... shit, I hate icing ... then he told me no running for at least a week, but I'm supposed to keep walking.
I looked up chondromalacia when I got home to fill my head with more useless information and on a couple of sites they call it "Runner's Knee." So does this mean I'm a runner?
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
So how do I balance ...
... the desire to train and improve despite the occasional discomfort associated with endurance training and the concern, or sometimes plain paranoia of injuring myself?
I remember David constantly saying, "Pain = bad."
My head knows that there will be an expected soreness ... My self competitiveness wants me to push despite the discomfort, after all it will go away won't it? My fear or imagination kicks in and says, "Remember a few years ago? You thought that would go away and you wound up on the bench for almost a year..."
So again I ask, how do I balance all this?
Today on what was supposed to be the longest run to date, Andrea and I were using a much slower paced strategy - ensuring we walked as much as possible up the hills, controlling our pace down the hills and making sure we used our walk breaks early in the run to ensure we still had energy at the end of the run.
Problem 1 - I was wheezing all over the place again! Why?!?! My sinuses were clear, it wasn't too hot, there wasn't a nasty headwind ... why do I keep wheezing early in the runs? This lasted for nearly 8k before it finally started to ease up. It's really starting to drive me nuts.
Problem 2 - Somewhere around 10k I felt something in my right knee. Not like a horrible pain, but something different than I'm used to. We slowed to a walk, but that didn't seem to relieve the sensation ... then it got a little more tender. Again, not what I would call bad pain, but it did hurt. After a short rest we started to walk - it did alright. We even managed to get in a few run segments and it wasn't too bad, but under greater stress of going up a very slight incline it hurt more. We chose to break off the run at 12.75k
My paranoia won today.
There does seem to be a bit of pain during transitions from one activity to another ... from sitting to standing I can feel it, but once I'm up it's alright. From standing to walking, the first couple steps twinge a bit but then subside. From standing to sitting there is another twinge.
It's almost like there is one spot slightly to the medial aspect on the bottom of the patella that twinges. If I could curl one finger just under the kneecap at about the 4:30 position (if you were looking at my knee from the front ... and I was wearing shorts ... and if this were the case I'd suggest you wear sunglasses because my legs are something beyond white) ... anyway, if I could do that I could touch the one spot that hurts.
Now at this point I'm desperately hoping somebody with medical knowledge steps forward and says, "It's nothing to worry about. Just take some advil and you'll be alright."
And for the record I don't want to hear, "Get to the doctor." "You better get it checked." "Uh-oh, that could be bad." or anything else that implies that there may actually be a problem.
We'll see how it feels tomorrow :-(
I remember David constantly saying, "Pain = bad."
My head knows that there will be an expected soreness ... My self competitiveness wants me to push despite the discomfort, after all it will go away won't it? My fear or imagination kicks in and says, "Remember a few years ago? You thought that would go away and you wound up on the bench for almost a year..."
So again I ask, how do I balance all this?
Today on what was supposed to be the longest run to date, Andrea and I were using a much slower paced strategy - ensuring we walked as much as possible up the hills, controlling our pace down the hills and making sure we used our walk breaks early in the run to ensure we still had energy at the end of the run.
Problem 1 - I was wheezing all over the place again! Why?!?! My sinuses were clear, it wasn't too hot, there wasn't a nasty headwind ... why do I keep wheezing early in the runs? This lasted for nearly 8k before it finally started to ease up. It's really starting to drive me nuts.
Problem 2 - Somewhere around 10k I felt something in my right knee. Not like a horrible pain, but something different than I'm used to. We slowed to a walk, but that didn't seem to relieve the sensation ... then it got a little more tender. Again, not what I would call bad pain, but it did hurt. After a short rest we started to walk - it did alright. We even managed to get in a few run segments and it wasn't too bad, but under greater stress of going up a very slight incline it hurt more. We chose to break off the run at 12.75k
My paranoia won today.
There does seem to be a bit of pain during transitions from one activity to another ... from sitting to standing I can feel it, but once I'm up it's alright. From standing to walking, the first couple steps twinge a bit but then subside. From standing to sitting there is another twinge.
It's almost like there is one spot slightly to the medial aspect on the bottom of the patella that twinges. If I could curl one finger just under the kneecap at about the 4:30 position (if you were looking at my knee from the front ... and I was wearing shorts ... and if this were the case I'd suggest you wear sunglasses because my legs are something beyond white) ... anyway, if I could do that I could touch the one spot that hurts.
Now at this point I'm desperately hoping somebody with medical knowledge steps forward and says, "It's nothing to worry about. Just take some advil and you'll be alright."
And for the record I don't want to hear, "Get to the doctor." "You better get it checked." "Uh-oh, that could be bad." or anything else that implies that there may actually be a problem.
We'll see how it feels tomorrow :-(
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Answering some questions:
Jen - As I've said many times, understanding what the problems are and knowing what to do about them are two completely different things.
This last week was basically a recovery week - a couple of run / walks but nothing major. This was not completely by choice - I had yet another week of chasing my tail trying desperately to go back in time and find as much information on events that happened anywhere from 2 hours to 2 days earlier and my drivers chose not to report them. This included an obligatory drive around the county looking for more mystery objects that seem to cause damage to our buses when nobody is looking. At this point I would be content with a week that only had 3 Mondays in it.
Yesterday's run was postponed because both Andrea and I were not feeling great. Today we did a 15k and experimented with slightly different run / walk strategies. Part of the change in strategy was due to another bout of unusual wheezing - the wheezing was due to smoke in the air from a nearby orchard or field burning vegetation. This wonderful strategy ... Walk more up the hill so my breathing wouldn't be as labored under the more stressful parts of the run. The result ... the 15k took 4 minutes longer than our best 15k a couple weeks ago. I had more energy and had faster run segments during the second half of the run despite the wheezing issue.
Heart rate, sinuses and hydration were not an issue this week, but it was much cooler, a shorter run and i less horrible hill. Next week will be yet another longer run, but there will only be one hill to deal with.
As far as the question of what will I do if? ...
The odds of all those same factors happening again on race day or something less than slim ... especially the eating something horribly stupid the night before the run. However, if everything does go wrong I only have 2 choices - quit or try to finish.
Hydration is honestly my biggest concern. I sweat a lot - much more than normal people seem to and I always walk the fine line between water-logging myself and not drinking enough to function well. Being aware of how I feel and what my body is saying - taking the time at the water stations and so forth are the obvious solutions to this issue.
My sinuses are always a crap-shoot ... OK ... that sounds wrong :-/ Anyway, I always have some sinus issue going on so minimizing the potential impact is something I'm pretty used to. The wheezing on the other hand ... well ... if it continues to be a worsening problem I might have to visit my doctor one last time before June :-/
All I can do is keep doing what I'm doing. Prepare the best that I can and do the best that I can on the big day.
This last week was basically a recovery week - a couple of run / walks but nothing major. This was not completely by choice - I had yet another week of chasing my tail trying desperately to go back in time and find as much information on events that happened anywhere from 2 hours to 2 days earlier and my drivers chose not to report them. This included an obligatory drive around the county looking for more mystery objects that seem to cause damage to our buses when nobody is looking. At this point I would be content with a week that only had 3 Mondays in it.
Yesterday's run was postponed because both Andrea and I were not feeling great. Today we did a 15k and experimented with slightly different run / walk strategies. Part of the change in strategy was due to another bout of unusual wheezing - the wheezing was due to smoke in the air from a nearby orchard or field burning vegetation. This wonderful strategy ... Walk more up the hill so my breathing wouldn't be as labored under the more stressful parts of the run. The result ... the 15k took 4 minutes longer than our best 15k a couple weeks ago. I had more energy and had faster run segments during the second half of the run despite the wheezing issue.
Heart rate, sinuses and hydration were not an issue this week, but it was much cooler, a shorter run and i less horrible hill. Next week will be yet another longer run, but there will only be one hill to deal with.
As far as the question of what will I do if? ...
The odds of all those same factors happening again on race day or something less than slim ... especially the eating something horribly stupid the night before the run. However, if everything does go wrong I only have 2 choices - quit or try to finish.
Hydration is honestly my biggest concern. I sweat a lot - much more than normal people seem to and I always walk the fine line between water-logging myself and not drinking enough to function well. Being aware of how I feel and what my body is saying - taking the time at the water stations and so forth are the obvious solutions to this issue.
My sinuses are always a crap-shoot ... OK ... that sounds wrong :-/ Anyway, I always have some sinus issue going on so minimizing the potential impact is something I'm pretty used to. The wheezing on the other hand ... well ... if it continues to be a worsening problem I might have to visit my doctor one last time before June :-/
All I can do is keep doing what I'm doing. Prepare the best that I can and do the best that I can on the big day.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
I guess ...
... from a scientific perspective Saturday's run was a success
Training Stats:
Thu - 50 min elliptical and 10 min treadmill cool down
Fri - Chasing hawk friend 3o min (see pics below)
Sat - Run / walk, half marathon distance :-/
Unfortunately I am not a scientist, so yesterday's run pretty much sucked. I just can't get myself to say, "Even though I didn't get the results I wanted or expected I learned something so I can say it was successful."
My heart rate began to race shortly after we headed up the first hill. There was a pretty substantial headwind, and my heart rate and breathing both suffer under those circumstances ... Whatever. My legs went absolutely rubbery around the 13k mark while heading up hill #3 and never really recovered. But really the worst dagger to my pride was we ended our run less than 1k short of the goal distance (our own personal sag wagon picked us sp, burritos from the local market waiting for us) and we were nearly 30 min slower than what I was hoping for, even though we hit the first 3.5k faster than any other week :-(
In hind sight there were some positive results from the debacle. Despite the fact that we walked more than half the total distance and up every hill (and down 1) we stayed ahead of pace until after the halfway point. Even though my legs felt wiped out I was able to keep a relatively brisk walking pace. And maybe the most encouraging point was my legs recovered very quickly. After my recovery burrito and a nap I felt pretty darn good. In fact my legs feel better today than they did at the beginning of the run yesterday.
I guess what still bugs me is not knowing for sure why it happened. Maybe I was just too amped up for the distance ... Or possibly the events of a long and arduous week at work finally caught up with me.
I may have been on the verge of dehydration. I know when Pam picked us up I couldn't get enough water fast enough, and once I got some water in me I started feeling better. Probably having sushi for dinner and the obligatory 2.3 gallons of soy soy sauce that go with it for dinner Friday was probably not a good idea.
In my hazy recollection of the not quite awake minutes after I got out of bed I may have taken a Sudafed. Our grass was cut Friday, and that made my sinuses go funky, so I may have habitually taken one just because I was still feeling the residual allergy effects. It also seems like every other house and half the parks and schools either had a lawn mower running or smelled like freshly cut grass. These issues would explain the runaway pulse and the extra wheezing.
I worked harder during the week than I have in a long time. Every day my legs were tired from some form of training. I also had some trouble sleeping several nights this week - I figure it was due to the worse than average drama at work and swirling around Pam and her mom. All these factors could account for the unusual tiredness and the rubbery legs.
Whatever the reason or combination of reasons I consider the run something just slightly better than a failure. I am not looking for, nor would I be content with saying, "If it weren't for ..." (fill in the blank) I would have done great. I need to be able to push through despite adversities. If any, or all of these factors pop up on the big day I need to be able to function properly.
At least I did not give up at 13k when things got really rough. I walked, but I didn't quit ... that is a bright point in what was a really disappointing run.
Training Stats:
Thu - 50 min elliptical and 10 min treadmill cool down
Fri - Chasing hawk friend 3o min (see pics below)
Sat - Run / walk, half marathon distance :-/
Unfortunately I am not a scientist, so yesterday's run pretty much sucked. I just can't get myself to say, "Even though I didn't get the results I wanted or expected I learned something so I can say it was successful."
My heart rate began to race shortly after we headed up the first hill. There was a pretty substantial headwind, and my heart rate and breathing both suffer under those circumstances ... Whatever. My legs went absolutely rubbery around the 13k mark while heading up hill #3 and never really recovered. But really the worst dagger to my pride was we ended our run less than 1k short of the goal distance (our own personal sag wagon picked us sp, burritos from the local market waiting for us) and we were nearly 30 min slower than what I was hoping for, even though we hit the first 3.5k faster than any other week :-(
In hind sight there were some positive results from the debacle. Despite the fact that we walked more than half the total distance and up every hill (and down 1) we stayed ahead of pace until after the halfway point. Even though my legs felt wiped out I was able to keep a relatively brisk walking pace. And maybe the most encouraging point was my legs recovered very quickly. After my recovery burrito and a nap I felt pretty darn good. In fact my legs feel better today than they did at the beginning of the run yesterday.
I guess what still bugs me is not knowing for sure why it happened. Maybe I was just too amped up for the distance ... Or possibly the events of a long and arduous week at work finally caught up with me.
I may have been on the verge of dehydration. I know when Pam picked us up I couldn't get enough water fast enough, and once I got some water in me I started feeling better. Probably having sushi for dinner and the obligatory 2.3 gallons of soy soy sauce that go with it for dinner Friday was probably not a good idea.
In my hazy recollection of the not quite awake minutes after I got out of bed I may have taken a Sudafed. Our grass was cut Friday, and that made my sinuses go funky, so I may have habitually taken one just because I was still feeling the residual allergy effects. It also seems like every other house and half the parks and schools either had a lawn mower running or smelled like freshly cut grass. These issues would explain the runaway pulse and the extra wheezing.
I worked harder during the week than I have in a long time. Every day my legs were tired from some form of training. I also had some trouble sleeping several nights this week - I figure it was due to the worse than average drama at work and swirling around Pam and her mom. All these factors could account for the unusual tiredness and the rubbery legs.
Whatever the reason or combination of reasons I consider the run something just slightly better than a failure. I am not looking for, nor would I be content with saying, "If it weren't for ..." (fill in the blank) I would have done great. I need to be able to push through despite adversities. If any, or all of these factors pop up on the big day I need to be able to function properly.
At least I did not give up at 13k when things got really rough. I walked, but I didn't quit ... that is a bright point in what was a really disappointing run.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
So when does this start to feel good?
It seems to me that training in general is an inescapable trap ... a futile battle against ourselves that we will never win. In essence it is an endless loop filled with empty promises of "just one more" or "almost there" pushing our bodies to the brink of soreness and weariness and beyond in search of the slightest sign of improvement ... but at the first sign of improvement we feel the necessity to push that much harder to ensure that we once again feel that burn that reminds us how far from our goal we actually are.
Why do I do it?? Am I sick???
Maybe I am, because I'm beginning to like this again ... I actually look forward to most ... ok, at least some of my training times. Tonight was no exception. I was at the gym ready to hop on my spin bike when my phone rang ... another accident ...
Shit!
Another late reported accident
Shit, shit!!
I flopped against the wall, twiddling my cell phone in my hand waiting for updates when I had an epiphany ... I was at the gym!! I was not at the yard (no, that was not the epiphany part, but it does tie in) ... I could sit and stare at my phone just as easily while riding the bike as I could sitting on the floor next to the bike. In fact, I could stare at the phone while listening to my music, too. I wound up making a couple calls from the bike and handling everything but the last call while riding - by that time the class was almost full and the instructor was just starting the music, so I left the room for 43 seconds and returned in time for the official warm up.
Training Stats:
Tue: Spin - 1 hour, slightly more than moderate effort (I'm such a slacker,but my legs were really feeling Monday's efforts on the stepper)
Wed: Spin - 2 hours, moderate / high effort (hour 1 moderate while dealing with work - hour 2 high and very fun). I also learned a valuable lesson ... Never tell your slightly sadistic spin instructor that you enjoy intense slower cadence driven hill type classes because she'll likely do exactly that ... and you'll wonder why you ever thought you liked it.
I must be sick ... I really, really liked it ... but when does it start to feel good??
Non training:
Well, my non training gripes seeped into my training rants ... 'nuff said.
Why do I do it?? Am I sick???
Maybe I am, because I'm beginning to like this again ... I actually look forward to most ... ok, at least some of my training times. Tonight was no exception. I was at the gym ready to hop on my spin bike when my phone rang ... another accident ...
Shit!
Another late reported accident
Shit, shit!!
I flopped against the wall, twiddling my cell phone in my hand waiting for updates when I had an epiphany ... I was at the gym!! I was not at the yard (no, that was not the epiphany part, but it does tie in) ... I could sit and stare at my phone just as easily while riding the bike as I could sitting on the floor next to the bike. In fact, I could stare at the phone while listening to my music, too. I wound up making a couple calls from the bike and handling everything but the last call while riding - by that time the class was almost full and the instructor was just starting the music, so I left the room for 43 seconds and returned in time for the official warm up.
Training Stats:
Tue: Spin - 1 hour, slightly more than moderate effort (I'm such a slacker,but my legs were really feeling Monday's efforts on the stepper)
Wed: Spin - 2 hours, moderate / high effort (hour 1 moderate while dealing with work - hour 2 high and very fun). I also learned a valuable lesson ... Never tell your slightly sadistic spin instructor that you enjoy intense slower cadence driven hill type classes because she'll likely do exactly that ... and you'll wonder why you ever thought you liked it.
I must be sick ... I really, really liked it ... but when does it start to feel good??
Non training:
Well, my non training gripes seeped into my training rants ... 'nuff said.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Going green?
This may definitely be a sign of the end of the world, but I voluntarily bought leafy green vegetables and ate some for dinner after my workout.
I'm torn between lines of logic at this point. My schedule has always been rest day on Friday, long run or ride Saturday and an easy run or ride on Sunday. Lately I just haven't been motivated to do anything on Sunday despite the fact that my legs feel good and I'm not horribly tired. Should I change my rest day to Sunday since I find myself resting any way?
I don't know ...
Training Stat ... (note the lack of an "S" on that)
Stepper - 50+ min. 20 level 3, 20 level 2 and 10+ level 1
Elliptical - 15 min
I keep surprising myself by pushing beyond mental barriers with relative ease - is this a good omen or is it just that I have such a low opinion of myself and my abilities that almost anything surprises me? I mean, I know I've improved some but I never would have thought I could do something as simple as 50 minutes on the stepper - but I did it with relative ease and probably could have done a bit more - and my legs felt great - I my heart rate recovered very quickly.
Non training
Just read my previous gripes - Stress at work - Stress with some family situations - Blah, blah, blah ...
Pam's mom is starting rehab this week and seems to be doing better. Hopefully she'll be strong enough to go home soon. Pam is handling everything well as usual - she is incredibly strong. I'm sure she could use a break - not from helping her mom as much as dealing with other family members that are driving her nuts.
Here is this weekend's scheduled run:
I'm torn between lines of logic at this point. My schedule has always been rest day on Friday, long run or ride Saturday and an easy run or ride on Sunday. Lately I just haven't been motivated to do anything on Sunday despite the fact that my legs feel good and I'm not horribly tired. Should I change my rest day to Sunday since I find myself resting any way?
I don't know ...
Training Stat ... (note the lack of an "S" on that)
Stepper - 50+ min. 20 level 3, 20 level 2 and 10+ level 1
Elliptical - 15 min
I keep surprising myself by pushing beyond mental barriers with relative ease - is this a good omen or is it just that I have such a low opinion of myself and my abilities that almost anything surprises me? I mean, I know I've improved some but I never would have thought I could do something as simple as 50 minutes on the stepper - but I did it with relative ease and probably could have done a bit more - and my legs felt great - I my heart rate recovered very quickly.
Non training
Just read my previous gripes - Stress at work - Stress with some family situations - Blah, blah, blah ...
Pam's mom is starting rehab this week and seems to be doing better. Hopefully she'll be strong enough to go home soon. Pam is handling everything well as usual - she is incredibly strong. I'm sure she could use a break - not from helping her mom as much as dealing with other family members that are driving her nuts.
Here is this weekend's scheduled run:
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Playing in a pile of my own goo
I can't call it Gu because that's a trademarked name ...
Training Stats:
Thu - Elliptical 30+minutes & treadmill walk (3.2 mph) 20 min.
Fri - DOR
Sat - 15k 3:1 first 4k 1:1 up 1st hill 10 min run downhill 5 min rest at 7.5k to stretch & text, 45 sec: 75 sec run up hill 2 (steeper hill) 5 min run down hill followed by 1:1 and 1:2 ratios to 14.5k. Walk last .75k
Andrea and I managed to shave nearly 11 min off the same distance from 2 weeks ago ... I was a bit impressed with that, but I still have to improve if I'm going to finish the marathon with any level of comfort as far as time goes (I figure there's probably not a lot of physical comfort ahead for me). Our pace is very steady and our walk breaks are actually at a faster pace now - but perhaps the most bizarre stat off the Garmin today was the fact that we actually had a segment at what they consider a fast run today and it wasn't even a downhill segment. Of course it was only 4 feet of fast run, but still ...
I think I managed to make a homemade Gu sort of thing from raw sugar that tastes pretty good and doesn't irritate my stomach. I'll keep trying it and if it keeps working the same I'll probably use it on the big day.
Next week is a half marathon distance on a course that is more brutal that the actual marathon. It will be the toughest, but not the longest run of the training. I keep flip-flopping about how prepared or ready I am going to be in June - today I felt pretty good about my effort but at the same time I know 15k is nowhere near a complete marathon.
Training Stats:
Thu - Elliptical 30+minutes & treadmill walk (3.2 mph) 20 min.
Fri - DOR
Sat - 15k 3:1 first 4k 1:1 up 1st hill 10 min run downhill 5 min rest at 7.5k to stretch & text, 45 sec: 75 sec run up hill 2 (steeper hill) 5 min run down hill followed by 1:1 and 1:2 ratios to 14.5k. Walk last .75k
Andrea and I managed to shave nearly 11 min off the same distance from 2 weeks ago ... I was a bit impressed with that, but I still have to improve if I'm going to finish the marathon with any level of comfort as far as time goes (I figure there's probably not a lot of physical comfort ahead for me). Our pace is very steady and our walk breaks are actually at a faster pace now - but perhaps the most bizarre stat off the Garmin today was the fact that we actually had a segment at what they consider a fast run today and it wasn't even a downhill segment. Of course it was only 4 feet of fast run, but still ...
I think I managed to make a homemade Gu sort of thing from raw sugar that tastes pretty good and doesn't irritate my stomach. I'll keep trying it and if it keeps working the same I'll probably use it on the big day.
Next week is a half marathon distance on a course that is more brutal that the actual marathon. It will be the toughest, but not the longest run of the training. I keep flip-flopping about how prepared or ready I am going to be in June - today I felt pretty good about my effort but at the same time I know 15k is nowhere near a complete marathon.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Testing out the calf ...
... in a bigger way than I planned.
I went to spin class tonight - typical routine with the first hour self directed and quite a bit easier than usual just to make sure my legs weren't going to cramp up again ... and it was good. No pain, no cramping, all was good. Now all I had to do was take it easier than usual during the class just to be sure ...
Yeah, right!
I don't know what happens to me when that music starts and soft spoken, sort of ditzy lady turns into a drill sergeant in spandex, but suddenly my brain does not understand "take it easy." And then to make it more interesting it was pretty much nothing but hills tonight - moderate tempo, lots of resistance and a lot of out of the saddle work. During the longest climb I could just picture the instructor sitting in a dungeon with chains on the wall and torches flickering planning out her brutalities for her unsuspecting class.
In the end my legs did great - no pain at all ... other than the usual "you worked me too hard" complaints I get from them. Tomorrow should be a light day - maybe some treadmill or elliptical ... we'll see.
I went to spin class tonight - typical routine with the first hour self directed and quite a bit easier than usual just to make sure my legs weren't going to cramp up again ... and it was good. No pain, no cramping, all was good. Now all I had to do was take it easier than usual during the class just to be sure ...
Yeah, right!
I don't know what happens to me when that music starts and soft spoken, sort of ditzy lady turns into a drill sergeant in spandex, but suddenly my brain does not understand "take it easy." And then to make it more interesting it was pretty much nothing but hills tonight - moderate tempo, lots of resistance and a lot of out of the saddle work. During the longest climb I could just picture the instructor sitting in a dungeon with chains on the wall and torches flickering planning out her brutalities for her unsuspecting class.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Random thoughts
Day 2 of my self imposed exile from the land of training and jog ...
The good news - My calf feels much better, just a bit of soreness in the lower part of the muscle but I am able to walk and stretch without it having a cow. I really think it was only a cramp, but I've never had a cramp hurt that bad for that long.
The bad news - I still can't manage to get all the sparkly green nail polish off. I knew the super glue based polish was a bad idea. It is gone for the most part, but even after several times soaking in nail polish remover I can still see the occasional green sparkle. Hopefully it's gone before flag day ... I don't want it to clash with my red white and blue nails ;-)
I am so tired right now. I feel like I've been awake 72 of the last 60 hours ... and to make matters worse, I forgot to take my Ambien last night so what little sleep I didn't get was non existent at best. I did get nearly 2 consecutive hours ... after my alarm went off and I was supposed to be heading to work. I was going to leave work early anyway to be with Pam while her mom was having an angiogram ... Oh well.
Pam's mom is fine. She had a stent put in to open a mostly blocked artery, but everything went well and she is resting in CCU tonight. Tomorrow she will be returned to a regular hospital room and my schedule should be back to whatever is normal for me ... Pam, on the other hand, will still have at least a couple of weeks of helping get her mother back to some form of normal home life. With any luck the doctor will get her mom into therapy.
Tomorrow will be about catching up on whatever work I missed - taking a long faster paced walk and maybe trying a couple short run segments. If all goes well I'll be back in spin class Wednesday. I need to find the balance between not pushing it too hard to get back to my routine and using this discomfort as an excuse for falling back into old habits.
The good news - My calf feels much better, just a bit of soreness in the lower part of the muscle but I am able to walk and stretch without it having a cow. I really think it was only a cramp, but I've never had a cramp hurt that bad for that long.
The bad news - I still can't manage to get all the sparkly green nail polish off. I knew the super glue based polish was a bad idea. It is gone for the most part, but even after several times soaking in nail polish remover I can still see the occasional green sparkle. Hopefully it's gone before flag day ... I don't want it to clash with my red white and blue nails ;-)
I am so tired right now. I feel like I've been awake 72 of the last 60 hours ... and to make matters worse, I forgot to take my Ambien last night so what little sleep I didn't get was non existent at best. I did get nearly 2 consecutive hours ... after my alarm went off and I was supposed to be heading to work. I was going to leave work early anyway to be with Pam while her mom was having an angiogram ... Oh well.
Pam's mom is fine. She had a stent put in to open a mostly blocked artery, but everything went well and she is resting in CCU tonight. Tomorrow she will be returned to a regular hospital room and my schedule should be back to whatever is normal for me ... Pam, on the other hand, will still have at least a couple of weeks of helping get her mother back to some form of normal home life. With any luck the doctor will get her mom into therapy.
Tomorrow will be about catching up on whatever work I missed - taking a long faster paced walk and maybe trying a couple short run segments. If all goes well I'll be back in spin class Wednesday. I need to find the balance between not pushing it too hard to get back to my routine and using this discomfort as an excuse for falling back into old habits.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
David Lapoff where is your sage wisdom when I need it most
Ironically it was on a different web page I was just looking at, but ...
Training Stats:
Tue - Spin 75 min ... maybe 80
Wed - Late afternoon nap ... and a couple of walks
Thu - A lot of hecticness, very little sleep and staying up until 2:30 in the morning (more details below)
Fri - Huge spaghetti dinner for our 24th anniversary at Dominick's Italian Restaurant
Sat - 5+k of the scheduled 15k because ...
I was so tired this morning ... I haven't been sleeping well all week anyway, but the last couple of days have been even worse. Pam's mom was admitted to the hospital Thursday night with what is possibly a very mild heart attack (they still don't know for sure), so Pam and I spent the last couple of nights staying up late and doing the obligatory duties when somebody is in the hospital ... sitting there and staring. And on top of that, what little sleep I've been getting has been interrupted by very bizarre dreams ...
But anyway ... Andrea and I set out despite me being tired, the impending rain, the rising wind and the fact that I still had glittery green nail polish on from St. Patrick's day ... and yes, that means fingernail polish ... and yes, it's still there :-\ So we increased our running today to 3:1 and I was doing pretty good - holding a good pace and feeling pretty good ... until the hill.
I was laboring more than usual heading up the hill. I don't know, it's like there's some invisible force holding me back, intentionally making it more difficult. Along the way my right calf started feeling a bit tender. I figured it was because it was colder than usual, or maybe because of the increased running ratio so I didn't sweat it too much ... I'd just pick up on the downhill and everything would be back to normal ...
WRONG!!
We hit the plateau and I went to run and my right calf said, "Hello! ... I am sooo not going to run right now ..." When my calf turned into a valley girl I have no idea ... maybe it's the nail polish ... whatever. Anyway, my leg was really cramping really bad. I stopped and tried to stretch but it was just too painful so I did something I've never done in all of my training runs or rides ... I called Pam to come and pick me up - and Andrea, too - Duh!
So ... what does all this have to do with David Lapoff? After I got home and took some ibuprofen I googled leg cramps to see what to do. One of the top articles on the search was written by David Lapoff ... brought back a lot of good memories. I really miss him. Unfortunately his article didn't say how to get rid of leg cramps, it was talking about how to prevent them ... in fact every article I've found seems to focus on how to prevent them and not what to do if you get them. Well ... there was the one article that said many times pregnancy causes leg cramps O.O ... Really?!? ... You think, maybe ... ... It must be the nail polish!! I'll be looking for the nail polish remover as soon as I post this.
Training Stats:
Tue - Spin 75 min ... maybe 80
Wed - Late afternoon nap ... and a couple of walks
Thu - A lot of hecticness, very little sleep and staying up until 2:30 in the morning (more details below)
Fri - Huge spaghetti dinner for our 24th anniversary at Dominick's Italian Restaurant
Sat - 5+k of the scheduled 15k because ...
I was so tired this morning ... I haven't been sleeping well all week anyway, but the last couple of days have been even worse. Pam's mom was admitted to the hospital Thursday night with what is possibly a very mild heart attack (they still don't know for sure), so Pam and I spent the last couple of nights staying up late and doing the obligatory duties when somebody is in the hospital ... sitting there and staring. And on top of that, what little sleep I've been getting has been interrupted by very bizarre dreams ...
But anyway ... Andrea and I set out despite me being tired, the impending rain, the rising wind and the fact that I still had glittery green nail polish on from St. Patrick's day ... and yes, that means fingernail polish ... and yes, it's still there :-\ So we increased our running today to 3:1 and I was doing pretty good - holding a good pace and feeling pretty good ... until the hill.
I was laboring more than usual heading up the hill. I don't know, it's like there's some invisible force holding me back, intentionally making it more difficult. Along the way my right calf started feeling a bit tender. I figured it was because it was colder than usual, or maybe because of the increased running ratio so I didn't sweat it too much ... I'd just pick up on the downhill and everything would be back to normal ...
WRONG!!
We hit the plateau and I went to run and my right calf said, "Hello! ... I am sooo not going to run right now ..." When my calf turned into a valley girl I have no idea ... maybe it's the nail polish ... whatever. Anyway, my leg was really cramping really bad. I stopped and tried to stretch but it was just too painful so I did something I've never done in all of my training runs or rides ... I called Pam to come and pick me up - and Andrea, too - Duh!
So ... what does all this have to do with David Lapoff? After I got home and took some ibuprofen I googled leg cramps to see what to do. One of the top articles on the search was written by David Lapoff ... brought back a lot of good memories. I really miss him. Unfortunately his article didn't say how to get rid of leg cramps, it was talking about how to prevent them ... in fact every article I've found seems to focus on how to prevent them and not what to do if you get them. Well ... there was the one article that said many times pregnancy causes leg cramps O.O ... Really?!? ... You think, maybe ... ... It must be the nail polish!! I'll be looking for the nail polish remover as soon as I post this.
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