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Conquering the Elliptical

Thank You
Once again, I can't thank you all enough for your support, your unbelievably kind (sometimes comical) comments, and your suggestions for recovery. You guys really are the best. I appreciate that you understand where I'm coming from. I guess that's because so many of you have been where I am before.

It's nice being among friends that way. In some ways I feel like this injury is all my fault. Some in-real-life friends/family say "I told you so." Basically, I feel like many people think I'm nuts for getting out and running, for pushing myself with weights, for all the workouts I do. That is disheartening in a lot of ways. It's what I enjoy. I don't want to feel like I brought this on myself. I thought I was doing things right, slowly adding miles, taking my mandatory rest day, stretching, strength training, even trying to be smart about doing different types of cardio tossed in the mix.

The one thing I have never heard from any of you guys is criticism, simply support. Thank you.

Dreaded Cardio Machines
This morning was COLD. It was 27 degrees on my 3-block walk into the office. Definitely broke out the scarf and glove set today. Definitely took away the urge to run too.

I packed my gym bag last night and toted it in with me with the plan of hitting the gym right after work. I had really thought I might try spin with Jason at 5:30, but after trying 5 minutes of kickboxing last night, I decided spin probably wasn't going to work. In fact, I wasn't sure how I would do on the elliptical.

For starters, I have a mental block going into using cardio machines. Once I started running outside, the mere mention of the dreadmill causes me to twitch. The elliptical causes pretty much the same reaction. (yes, I'm being dramatic.) I did pull out a magazine and definitely had my iPod with me. I really wasn't sure how long I could last. I think the last time I used any cardio machines I ran 15 minutes and did the elliptical for 15.

So, how did I do? I managed a whopping 45 minutes on the elliptical. The first 15 minutes were probably the hardest, then I sort of settled into my magazine and music. It didn't seem to hurt my knee at all. It seems like it should have in my mind, but hey, I'll go with it. 


Fast Dinner

Since Jason wasn't going to get home until closer to 7, I wanted dinner to be fast and easy. It was something I could get started while getting cleaned up: Red Quinoa and Lentil Burgers with baked sweet potato fries. A super easy go-to meal. Sadly, those were the last two patties, so I guess I need to add "make veggie burgers" to the weekend to-do list now.

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