A Non-Running Weekend?

Hey what's up with that? How did the weekend turn into a non-running weekend? Well, I did "run" on Friday for an ugly 4 1/2 miles but I guess it should count for something. I had that burning sensation in my chest again for about 30 minutes. It was so bad I was going to stop but decided to just walk/run until it went away. It finally did and then I felt fine although a little tired. I guess all the work is catching up with me. I ended up with 5 clients on Friday so it was a very tiring day. On Saturday Frank was running the Derby 50K and I was going to run either one or two of the 10 mile loops and then help out at the finish line but a couple of volunteers had not shown up to work an aid station so I quickly agreed to forego my run and work. It's nice to pay back once in awhile plus I could run on Sunday, right? Well, not exactly. Frank ended up dropping at about 26 miles with severe pain in his butt. This was not good and I hoped that it would not turn out to be a recurring problem like mine has. Anyway, today we decided he should go to the emergency room for an X-ray as it was almost impossible for him to walk. I opted to not run and to go right away to the hospital. I knew I wouldn't be able to enjoy a run knowing that he was in pain and really should be seen. Anyway, 4 hours later, he was diagnosed with Joint Mice! Yes, that's right, joint mice. The technical term is Osteochondritis Dissecans and it's apparently when pieces of bone break away and are floating around and may get lodged in a joint. ( or something like that) He has to go to an orthopedic and hopefully will not have to have surgery. It sounds like it's something that has been happening for a long time and for some reason it decided to get lodged in his hip joint. The doctor said he must has injured it years ago but it's unclear as to what may have happened. He didn't seem to indicate that his running caused it or even aggrevated it but he'll find out more when he meet with an orthopedic guy. So I never ended up running but plan on getting back on track tomorrow. I think work will be much slower this week so I should be having more time to get my workouts in.
We have a busy week though with the running club meeting on Thursday night, a 5K and a birthday party on Saturday and then a staff meeting with the whole fitness center on Sunday night. Wow! I hope Frank is better so he'll be able to get around a little better. It's very painful for him to put any weight on his right leg. I'm surprised the doctor didn't give him crutches, or at least one to keep his weight off it. Hopefully Dr Mercier will suggest that. I hope he'll get to see him tomorrow.
Well, it's late. Better go and get ready for bed. I have to take Chico out and put the trash out until Frank gets better. It's been quite a year for us with injuries this year. Hopefully next year we'll be running injury free again. Frank is just 40 miles shy of reaching 2000 miles this year so hopefully he'll be able to somehow get that in. I suggested pool running or walking although walking probably doesn't count. Gotta Run!

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a quiet day! We ended up staying home for Thanksgiving so I could work tomorrow. I agreed to work to accomodate the clients that had been scheduled for Tiffany before she left. I am scheduled to do 5 tomorrow so it'll be a very long day but hopefully worth it. I don't think I've ever done 5 massages in one day but I think I'd better get used to it. The Spa is pretty busy and since I'm pretty much available to work quite a bit, I'll get lots of hours. Also, I've been getting really good feedback and will be pretty busy with requests soon. A couple of clients have told me that I gave them the best massage they had ever had so that is cool. I'm getting more comfortable there and am fitting in pretty nicely. It's just a very nice atmosphere to be in although it is pretty hectic.
Tomorrow I plan on going to the club to workout and then will start work at 10:00. I get a 2 hour break in the middle of the day so plan on coming home to eat and relax.
Saturday is the Derby 50K and although I'm certainly not ready to run 31 miles I do plan on running at least one loop (10 miles) and hopefully two loops for 20 very easy miles. I'm so out of endurance shape and it's really tough trying to get it back. I did run 8 on the treadmill yesterday and actually feel best on the treadmill. I may have to do most of my running on the treadmill to acquire a better base. I'm hoping that once I get settled at the spa I'll be able to work my workouts around my work. Since I'm at the club, I want to be able to utilize it as much as I can either before or after working out. I keep looking at the pool wishing I could go for a swim but it hasn't worked out yet!
Well, better go get ready for tomorrow. Gotta run!

Working 9 to 5!

It's been another crazy week. I started working at the spa on Wednesday with my first two clients and then Thursday one of the other therapists "resigned" and I took over her clients and hours! So I went from working four hours two day a week to working full time or as much as I want in my first week! I had 4 clients on Thursday and 4 on Friday! That's more than I've ever had in such a short time frame. I'm not even sure if I've ever done 4 in one day! I could have worked today as well but I had signed up to run the Turkey Trot 10K which was held at the health club where I work so most of the employees were working or running the course! It was really fun to know so many people at the race today. We knew people from the Mangum Club, the Striders as well as others we've met out running on the trails in addition to the health club! One of the Mangum runners actually won the race overall. Pretty impressive. I ended up running with my friend Susan who had just run a 1/2 marathon last week so we ran easy and just chatted the whole way. I probably should have run it by myself and pushed a little but it was much more fun to just run it "easy". We ran about 65 minutes and I was fine with that. Just a little more than a 10 minute pace so hopefully I'll continue to improve as I start working on "speed". My goal is to run the Myrtle Beach Half marathon in 2:10 although my secret goal will be 2:00 but don't tell anyone! I think I should be able to get back up to that pace with some quality training and dropping a few pounds. Oh those few pounds that never seem to go away. Anyway, that's what I'm going to work towards.

Today we're going to Raleigh to babysit for Ella tonight while Steve and Colleen go out. We won't be seeing them next week for Thanksgiving so I think this was Colleen's way of consoling us! We haven't seem Ella for about a month so it will be fun. I'm sure she's motoring around and ready to walk. I can't believe she's almost a year old.

So looks like we'll be home for Thanksgiving and I'll cook for us. We were going to go to Baltimore but I have to work so we'll be home alone! I'm actually looking forward to it now that I'm working. We'll be able to run in the morning and then hang out and hopefully decorate the house for Christmas, maybe even put up the tree. I have to work on Friday and already have 4 clients scheduled. Saturday we're going to go to the Derby 50K which is one of the Mangum Track Clubs races. I think Frank will probably run it and I plan on running about 2 loops (20 miles) and then helping with the finish line at the end of the 50K. It'll be fun to see everyone again and be able to both run and then socialize.

I am really surprised at how much I like working at the spa. Everyone is really nice and so happy to have me on board. I actually had sent in my resume to another salon in Southern Pines thinking I could work a few more hours as I was only working 2 days at the spa and was actually offered a position but once the other therapist left, I now have more hours than I can handle so I had to pass on the other salon. It's amazing how many massage places there are around here and how busy they all are especially in this economy although I guess that most of the residents here are pretty much loaded and aren't all that affected by the recession. We are certainly affected and have lost a lot of money in out retirement account. I won't even look but I noticed that Frank is getting more and more concerned. Hopefully things will turn around and we'll be able to make up some of the loses but it may take longer than we've got before we need it. Hopefully I'll be able to work for awhile and can hold off using any of the money for as long as we can. Who ever would have imagined this entire crisis could have happened and the ripple effect it's having on all of us. Hopefully Barack will come in on his white horse (I hope that's not a racial comment, it's not intended to be but some are very sensitive) and save the day. I'm sure he'll take care of us and we won't have to pay our mortgage or for medical so I suppose we shouldn't worry too much:)
Okay, enough babble.
Gotta run!

You just never know!

Well, after such a great run yesterday, it wasn't so great today. I woke up with a splitting headache which I normally don't get a headache so I'm not sure what was up with that. Anyway, one of my beginners runners had called and said she's meet me at the club to run on the treadmill next to me so I felt I had to go and at least try to get a workout in. I felt pretty lousy,but did manage to get 5 miles in so I felt good about that and hanging in there. Especially after my friend never showed up! Good thing I wasn't depending on her to be there. At least it got me there so it wasn't really a bad thing.
I went to the Rolfer today and am so pleased with my progress. My hip and butt issues are GONE! The last visit he really broke up a lot of scar tissue and I've had no pain or discomfort since. Today he worked a little more on my upper body and loosened up some of the tight areas there. I cannot say enough good things about Rolfing. I am very fortunate though as I'm sure not all Rolfers are as good as he is although I suppose they should be. I just think he is fantastic and really knows his stuff. Today was session #9. I'm not sure if I'll need 12 or not. We will reassess at my next visit. I'm sure I'll be able to schedule any additional visits pretty far apart and then eventually just go for tune-ups! This is probably the best thing you can do for your body. I wish everyone could experience it and discover just how good your body can feel. (even after years of abuse!)
I'm pretty convinced that I'll forgo running ultras until summer and will train for a road marathon this spring. Hopefully the one in Cleveland and maybe Tate will run the half or maybe even the full! I think it will help with my ultra training in the long run cause I was a "lot" faster when I first started running ultras and it was probably cause I was still running marathons. I ran a 4:06 Boston at 51 which is pretty darn good. I don't think I ever gave myself credit for how good I did back then and I also ran a sub 4:00 to qualify for Boston at 50. I don't know if I can ever qualify again,but it might be fun to try. Also, maybe I'd actually be able to run with some of the "fast" runners in the running club (that have never broken 4:00 in a marathon and are much younger than I was) and I'd love to kick their butts!!!! Unfortunately for me most of them are at least 10 years younger than I so that may just be too big a dream but I would like to at least show a little respect for an old lady! Dream big!

Finally a good run!

I finally had a good run this morning so I'm very pleased about that. The weather was perfect (that always helps) and I just turned on my music and ran for about 8 miles. I was debating out there if I should do the Turkey Trot half marathon, 10K or 5K. Now that I've decided to scale back my ultras for awhile it seems that it might make more sense for me to run shorter races to help with my "speedwork". I go back and forth on what to do but I'm sure I'll figure it out before the big day.

I did a lot of thinking out on the trail this morning and one thing I was thinking about was the recent election of Obama. I would certainly have preferred to see McCain in office however, it is what it is and I will support whoever is president. It donned on me that only 52% of the country actually voted for Obama and that is a concern I think due to the fact that the media was in the tank for him and certainly wanted to see him elected and he also had 95% of the black vote of which a large percentage were probably 1st time voters because they wanted to vote for a black man for president, rightfully so. Anyway, it seems with all of the turn-outs and enthusiasm he should have won by a landslide so that tells me that it is still a very divided country and without the new black votes, he would not have won. I hope that in 4 years we can look back and say, "wow! what a great president" and that he gets reelected this time by a landslide. He won't have the media to protect him in 4 years but will have the experience of these next 4 years, and good or bad, we'll have a better idea if he really is the candidate we want in office. I pray we do. It will be good for our country to come together and grow and prosper. It'll be an interesting time and I do hope that unlike the way Bush was treated, I do hope that the non-Obama supporters will take the higher road and give him a chance. If he screws up and goes back on his word, then we can judge him for that but for now, let's assume he's a man of his word although it is often difficult to know just what that word is. God Bless America!

one hundred push ups

This looks like an interesting challange and something I could add to my resistance training, bent kneed of course but what the heck!

I finally got a run in this morning at the club. I ended up running 6 on the treadmill and felt pretty good although I do have a way to go to build my endurance backup. I should probably run on the treadmill more often as I'm able to maintain an even pace and control my heartrate. The best part about the treadmill is I don't have to walk as much like I do on the trails although I do find myself drinking more and I can't drink and run so I allow myself a walking drink every mile. I hope to build from there as I want to be able to get to more continuous running workouts. I still am not back 100% and can feel the remnents of my cold but it is almost gone. I was going to do a double workout and spin after I ran but I decided that would be too much too soon so I opted out and came home. I will at least do a Pilate workout later.

I did the initial test for the push-ups and was able to do almost 20 doing them bent kneed so I'm not sure how effective that will be but that's where I'll start. Maybe I'll try the straight leg plank version after the first 6 week sessions!



one hundred push ups

The Next Big Thing! A Goal in the Making!

Could this be our next big thing? An easy 100 in a beautiful area! Actually I can't even believe that I'm thinking at all about another 100 miler, but it does look nice. I can't even remember the last time I had a really good run. I put in a few miles at Massochist but they don't really count and I tried to run Wednesday feeling lousy as I was fighting a cold. I finally got out today but walked 4 miles with the new walking/hopefully one day running group so it again didn't really count as a run or workout. I'm feeling a little better from the cold and hopefully will be able to get back to working out this week. I got some making up to do. I feel like I'm always starting over and trying to get my endurance back. It's pretty frustrating but I just have to suck it up and get the job done. Tomorrow I'm planning on a little running and a spinning class if I'm really okay. Tomorrow night I'm meeting with the current officers of the running club to discuss the transition. Sounds familiar doesn't it. I hope mine goes as smoothly as Obama's does.
Well, I'm really exhausted so am off to bed.



100 Mile Races

What was I thinking?

It just hit me and I had to ask myself "What was I thinking"? Here I am planning on these ultra distance races and crazy stuff like that when I've hardly been running and am still trying to come back. For some reason I think I can just pick up where I left off. That may be possible but probably not smart so I've decided to rethink my crazy, lofty goals and pare them down. I think I'd be much better served if I come back gradually and build my base as I had been doing before I got a little too optomistic. Anyway, I'm going to take a stepback and determine what makes more sense for me. I've had to come back several times so I know I can do it and just need to be patient.

Running, Sport, Fitness, Outdoors, Travel and more - realbuzz.com US

Running, Sport, Fitness, Outdoors, Travel and more - realbuzz.com US

On the Job Training!

After orientation today's on the job training, I'm ready for clients. My schedule will be Tuesday and Wednesday from 2:00 to 6:00. Sounds like a great deal and I'm sure it will take a few weeks/months to build up a clientele but I'm looking forward to getting started.

I've been feeling a little flu-like ever since going to the orientation where there were a few participants coughing and hacking all over the place. I think I picked something up and I just hope I can shake it. I've been pretty achy and tired all day but do seem to feel better at night so it may even be allergy related. Anyway, my training (running that is) is in the toilet so hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow and can get back on track. I'm hoping to run the Shirt Run on Saturday although it will not be pretty, I do need some mileage. There's a lot of races coming up and if I had any chance of finishing them with any semblance of pride, I need to work on my base.
I've been doing some searching for upcoming races so I can determine a goal race and what races I'll do along the way in preparation. So far this is what I've come up with: The 15 mile Shirt Run this weekend. the Turkey Trot 1/2 marathon in two weeks, and then the Derby 50K the following weekend. In December it looks like we'll do the Reindeer 5K in Southern Pines, and then the Frosty 50K in January. We're signed up to do the Uhwarrie 20 miles in February and then the Unstead Trail Marathon in March. There are a few options in April that we're considering so I know we'll do something but am not sure what yet. There's a 1/2 marathon in Cleveland on Ada's birthday weekend so that's a thought. Also in April is the 24 hour Ultra Run in VA that sounds like a lot of fun or the Bull Run Run. So many races, so little time. In May there's the Cleveland Marathon that I have my eye on and that may be my goal race and try to break 4 1/2 hours. It would be great to try to qualify for Boston but it's been awhile since I've run a road race and I think it will take some specific training to ever do that again, but this is a start. So it looks like a pretty busy spring whatever we decide to do. I'm not signing up and paying for any until I'm positive that I'm going to do it. Tate called tonight and he's been really getting into running so I'm hoping that he may want to run the half marathon in April and then maybe the half or the whole marathon in May! Wouldn't that be cool. If we go out there in December and then not again until May that is a little longer than I'd like it to be so we'll have to work on that and maybe go out in March for a quick trip.

I am very excited as I have at least 3 women who have commited to coming to the reservoir to start a walking program. I'm hoping that they can find buddies in the group for additional workouts and also to go to the upcoming 5K's. I've been trying to do this for awhile and I think it's now finally coming to fruition albeit slow. I'm hoping that most of them will gradual become interested in running and join the club but one step at a time. It'll be fun to see where this goes. It would be great if I could somehow turn it into a profitable business. It seems that so many people I meet are really looking for a champion or someone to help them get started in an exercise routine.

Time to get some rest. Hopefully I'll feel up to running at the club tomorrow. I'm really having a tough time getting back into a consistant training program again. I am pretty much injury free so I have no excuses so I better get serious!

First Health officially!

I'm now officially employed at First Health with an id badge and all! I just completed a gruelling 2 day orientation that was, well, gruelling! Basically it consisted of sitting in theater like seats from 8:00 to 4:30 as streams of various departments came in to train us on the ins and outs of the hospital. Most of it did not apply to me as I'll be in the Fitness Center at the Spa and most of the employees at the orientation were nurses or worked somewhere in the medical arena. I must say however, that I am very impressed that the hospital is a really large corporation, albeit not for profit. I'm not sure when I'll actually have my first massage client but I will find out my schedule on Thursday and get the on the job training and an official job description. I pick up my scrubs tomorrow! At least I'll know what I'll be wearing to work every day.

We were in VA over the weekend and Frank did the 3rd race in the Virginia LU Series completing them all in the required time. He ran the 50 mile Mt Massochist and I must say it's named appropriately. I ran about 10 miles of the course, some with him and then a little more with Jean. That was really fun but very challenging and I think that the section I ran was some of the easier trails. It was crazy to think anyone would want to run 50 miles in those mountains! It was a long weekend but I'm glad that Frank's quest for his series jacket is done. Now he can wear it with pride. Now we're trying to determine what our future events will consist of. Frank was able to successfully get us entered in the Uhwarrie 20 mile trail run in Feb so he redeemed himself after his failed attempt at Umstead! It fill in about 30 minutes so he did good! I haven't heard who else got in that we know but I guess we'll find out this weekend at the Shirt Run.

Well, it looks like the presidental election is over for 2008. I had to stop watching it as it really doesn't look good for McCain. I had held out hope that when it came down to it, that many Obama supporters would not be able to pull the lever for Obama but it looks like I was wrong. I am very saddened to think what our future may hold. It seems so unfair that media bias and hidden truths were accepted and encouraged in order to assure a win for a liberal, leftist candidate. Perhaps he would have won anyway but we'll never know and it really seems unlikely. I do not understand how so many are so fooled by this sleezy guy. Hopefully our country can survive 4 years of liberal, leftist control. At least it's over and we can concentrate on more important things, like 2012! Just kidding. I'm electioned out and am looking forward to other issues to focus on although at this point, I'm not sure what that may be. Perhaps working on my own new presidency of the Striders Running Club although I'm getting a little discouraged with the lack of cooperation from the current officers. I've been trying to schedule a meeting to start to transition to 2009 but it's been impossible to get everyone together. (it's only 3 people including me!) I'm starting to have second thoughts about my volunteering to take it over. Anyway, I'll be able to really focus on that and hopefully move the club forward.

Keep moving!