Where's the Beach?

Wow, today was just one of "those" days. It was raining, the temps plummeted, spin class was stifling hot, a bit of work stress. So, yep, one of those days. But, despite the stifling heat during spin class, it was a good class. It was another small one. But one of the girls there and I got to talking about running. She suffered a stress fracture in her femur back in November, and is still unable to run without pain. She seemed so grateful to have someone else understand what it means to not be able to get out and run. She mentioned that there should be a support group for injured runners. You know what? I think she's right. Luckily, I have many of my blog readers as an unbelievable support system. Not many of my friends really understand. And this goes for any injury that prevents you from doing what you love of course. But not having a support system from those who understand...it's tough. It makes you feel like a whiny baby, like maybe you're just blowing ...

Spinning  Today I was brave and hit up spin class. I figured it'd either help finally loosen up my legs or just do them in completely. Thankfully it loosened them up rather nicely. It was a small class today. I haven't decided if I prefer the classes to be filled or almost empty. There are definitely energy level differences with different class sizes. Sometimes I think you work harder with a small class. But larger classes tend to be more fun - a little more laughter. Not that they are exactly easy mind you. What are your thoughts? Do you prefer a full class, small class or somewhere in between? At least I didn't have to fight someone for a fan on me or to just get a bike ;-) BBQ Dinner Rather than going to the store after work, I went home to stretch and roll out my legs. I have a feeling I'm going to regret the decision tomorrow as it's supposed to be rainy and possibly stormy. But, I have physical therapy, which happens to be pretty close to the grocery ...

Weight Day Good news is that my heel and piriformis are still doing good. The bad news is that my hams and calves are totally revolting against me. I've never felt so sore after any run - even my 14.5 miler. I seriously thought that all the leg workouts, spin, even the darn elliptical would keep me in fairly decent running shape. Actually, I thought the leg workouts would really help me out too. Um. Apparently the only way to stay in running shape is to actually run. This has been noted now. I had hoped I'd feel up for spin today, but that was not going to happen. Instead I did an easy 30 minutes on the elliptical to try to help loosen up the legs then I hit the weights for biceps and triceps. I went with supersets of 3x8 unless noted. SS#1 Alternating biceps curls Double-arm overhead triceps extension SS#2 Hammer curls Double-arm kickbacks - 10 reps SS#3 Incline curls Triceps pulldowns - happily increased weight today. I did some ab work before calling it do...

Post-Race Relaximg This morning I woke up with the typical post-race soreness. Thankfully, my heel doesn't hurt any more than it has been hurting. So I don't think I did any damage there. And, my piriformis isn't sore at all. It's mostly calves and outer quads. Going down stairs is interesting to say the least. I did myself a favor and took the day off. I crashed out a little after 9 and slept until 7:30 this morning. Definitely needed the sleep. I stretched and rolled out for a bit before starting on chores. I felt like if I was home I needed to be productive. I made a batch of lentil burgers to freeze, did laundry, swept, swiffered, mopped, and even did some yard work. It was just too gorgeous outside to be inside all day. Plus, the weeds are taking over the yard at this point, and the rose bushed needed to be trimmed back. We'll call it an active recovery kind of day ;-) PT & Pasta I had another physical therapy appointment this afternoon. I was reall...

Source KTHV Today I ran a half marathon. As you know I've been injured and unable to run for 5 weeks now. My last double-digit run was about 7 weeks ago. So, this is definitely not something I'd recommend. Admittedly, it was not a smart move. But, I did it. This was not an easy race, I felt terribly out of shape, I struggled. I struggled a lot. I walked. And Jason walked with me. But we pushed on and succeeded. Our time was 2:10, a little more than 15 minutes off my last race. But I don't care about the time at all. In fact, this was one of my prouder moments - crossing that finish line with my husband. I've done two half marathons before. Both times I ran solo. So this meant so much to me, so much more than a time, a PR, anything like that. Some of you will absolutely understand, others won't. And honestly, I don't know that I have the words right now to explain how special it was for me. Yes, I have felt damn proud racing solo and crossing that line...

I just want to say a very heartfelt thank you to all of you after yesterday's post . Your comments, support, friendship, inspiration means so much more than you can know. Thank you. And I do still hope you all come up with a list of things you like about yourself. I'd love to read them! Since yesterday's post was pretty heavy, I thought I'd keep today's post really light. It is Fun Facts Friday after all right? I don't really have a theme, just totally off-the-wall random facts about me.  I strategically plan my last bite of oatmeal. You have to have that perfect combo of fruit, peanut butter, oats for that last bite right? I hate hate hate needles but want another tattoo. Crazy right? I used to hate wine - what the hell was I thinking??? I could care less about chocolate, cakes, cupcakes. Give me a cookie though and I'm set. I hate Ferris Wheels.  Tailgaters make me irrationally angry.  I'm always afraid I'm going to trip getting on and off ...

Things Explained I know I have probably been a little cryptic about some issues I have been going through. I didn't feel comfortable announcing everything on the blog, especially when I've complained enough about my foot and hip issues.  But, I do think that this is something important, and something many many women will go through at some point. I found a lump. My doctor checked it out and suggested I go in for a mammogram and an ultrasound. This, of course, was worrisome. I had another lump that was diagnosed as a fibroid, but she didn't think it was the same thing. So of course this scared me. Thankfully, everything came out a-ok. But, it got me to thinking a lot about so many others who don't get good news. If you will recall my mentioning the girl I grew up with who had breast cancer and now has a brain tumor. I have several friends who's mothers have battled breast cancer.  There is a fellow blogger that you must check out. She is truly an inspiration and i...