Weight Lost: 3.3 pounds
Miles Run/Walked: 36.67 miles
Longest Run: 5.5 miles
How many runs missed: 6 (5 post surgery, 1 pre)
Achievements: Getting in 4 runs a week after surgery
Craziness: Thinking I would be able to run the Tuesday after surgery
Weight I have lost
Monday, June 30, 2014
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
The Pain in the Ovary of Being a Woman
I went running yesterday after taking off over a week. Surgery will do that.
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| Are we ever running again? |
So way back in 2012, I noticed every other month, about 2 weeks before getting my period that my left side would hurt. Sometimes a lot, sometimes a little, but enough to have to
In March 2014, I went to see the doctor. I still had the pain. I also now had a $3000 deductible, and she suggested surgery. I laughed at her and promptly decided to lose some weight, eat better, and exercise (those things she told me to do before).
On May 20th, I woke up wanting to cut out my ovary myself. I don't know what was going on but it was the 2nd worst pain ever (so on those stupid pain scales they ask you about I guess it was a 9, (although I told the doc an 11) because the bronchitis/pneumonia/strep/coughing blood pain was still much worse). I had noticed McMenamin had been guarding my abdomen for about 3 days before that, which was unusual. I called the doctor and she fit me in on May 21. (And then I went running, because if it was going to hurt, it was going to hurt). She told me I had a cyst that burst and I should probably get a laparoscopy (lap) or get some shots that induce a temporary menopause. After thinking about how Gemma on SOA and how the Golden Girls just loved menopause, and the fact the shots could also cause depression, mood swings, weight gain, and a whole bunch of other things that I already experienced, I decided menopause would only happen once in my life and to do the lap. Now for some reason in my head, I associated this as surgery as complex as an endoscopy or colonoscopy. (I've had both. I had an endoscopy in the morning once and painted the bathroom that night. So NBD). I didn't do any Googling this time. So the surgery was set up for Friday the 13th (June 13). Apparently a lot of people are superstitious so there was an opening. The weeks leading up to it were kind of a whirlwind. I still hurt, but the doctor gave me Lortab so I could get through my pain. I ran the rest of my scheduled runs in May, and missed one in June.
So June 5 I went to pre-op. The doc explained what she was going to do. "Just insert a 5mm camera in my belly button, look around and clean some stuff. Will definitely make 2 incisions, perhaps 4." Also, "you probably will be able to run after 4 days, but it may take 2 weeks." (I heard, "You will feel fine after a day, and be able to run after 4."). We spent the rest of the time talking about all the waivers I had to sign and she told me to get an advanced directive, just as a precaution. And she asked if D was going to take me to and from surgery. Then she sent me over to the hospital to get blood taken and to pay that $3000 deductible. Haha! Jokes on them, as I forgot my check book. I paid some part of it, gave them my blood, got weighed about 4 times, and then went to work.
Between 6/5 and 6/13- No less than 8 people asked if D was going to drive me to and from surgery. I began to wonder what "for better or for worse" meant. I questioned him if he thought it was weird he was taking me. I wondered if we were weird. I began to wonder how many people were in messed up relationships that their SO wouldn't take them to a surgery that was planned (if they were financially able to take off).
Thursday 6/12: Looked up what time I was supposed to stop eating and drinking. 8 hours before surgery. Did they mean the surgery or the time I had to get there? I'll go with the time to get there. D and I went and had a huge meal of fried pickles, and a brisket burrito and mac and cheese.
Between 6/5 and 6/13- No less than 8 people asked if D was going to drive me to and from surgery. I began to wonder what "for better or for worse" meant. I questioned him if he thought it was weird he was taking me. I wondered if we were weird. I began to wonder how many people were in messed up relationships that their SO wouldn't take them to a surgery that was planned (if they were financially able to take off).
Thursday 6/12: Looked up what time I was supposed to stop eating and drinking. 8 hours before surgery. Did they mean the surgery or the time I had to get there? I'll go with the time to get there. D and I went and had a huge meal of fried pickles, and a brisket burrito and mac and cheese.
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| "Last Meal" at Smoke Ring 6/12 |
Friday 6/13: At 2am (thanks alarm), I got up and ate the rest of my mac and cheese and had a few more bites of the burrito. I was nervous and couldn't sleep. I drank 6 glasses of water. Then I laid in bed. At 945, I got up took a shower and cleaned the shower. Then spent the longest time ever brushing my teeth I was so thirsty. Finally at 1030 we left and went to the outpatient center. There some biatches sat there and talked about food the ENTIRE time while eating. I may have said something about how rude that was. But the highlight was they talked about a gourmet drink. I shit you not when I tell you it was 1 Cup of Sugar, Water and 1 packet of Kool-Aid. I sat and texted my brother most of this. Then they called me back and I answered more questions. The nurses were all pretty nice. Then D was allowed to come back. We both sat there. We tried to figure out where he was going to go get lunch while I was in surgery. They hooked me up to an IV.
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| High as a kite- going to the operating room |
Finally I was wheeled out to the OR. I think I was high at this point, because I don't really remember all that. I woke up in the post-op area. All I wanted was water. I kept asking the nurse for water. She asked me if I wanted to see D. I told her I wanted water. She gave me saltines. I asked for water. She got me a diet coke. I shotgunned that down, and she gave me another. D came back and I drank his Coke Zero. Then another nurse, Linda came in and we talked to her. They had these massager things on my legs that were awesome. She took them off. I got dressed, and she let me have the hospital gown, and she and D wheeled me to the car. I talked to my dad and D's dad. I have no idea what I said. My shoulders hurt. D took me to Sonic and got me a huge Diet Coke and a Milk Shake. After that, I went to bed. I may have had Chinese food too, or that was Saturday. The days blend together.
Saturday I slept, and drank a ton of water. My shoulder hurt from the anesthesia. I wore the hospital gown because it didn't hurt my waist. I was supposed to walk. I walked to the bathroom a lot. I bled a lot. D got me water like every 10 minutes. I stopped counting after 20 cups. Percocet too. Sunday, I told him I felt a lot better. He thought so too until I nearly fell down the stairs (while going up). Scared the hell out of us both. Still on lots of Percocet. Still bleeding. D decided he would stay home on Monday. I continued drinking a lot of water. Slowly got my appetite back. I walked with D while he walked the dogs. Wearing pants was difficult. I think I sat on the couch once between Saturday and Monday. I hurt. This recovery was nothing like a colonoscopy. Tuesday I was on my own. McMenamin almost died by my hand when he scratched my belly button (one of the incision spots). He stayed away from me for the rest of the day. I now could walk around and get my own water, but sitting was still not in the cards. I was exhausted. I felt better, but still hurt. I looked at the pics of my surgery. Apparently they found another cyst, and D told me they cut everything out. The doc had told me they were going to burn everything out. Thinking about that exhausted me.
Wednesday, same shit different day. I did walk Lompoc because she needed to go. Then I took a nap. I emailed the doctor about the bleeding. She emailed back but didn't answer about the bleeding. Since I knew I wasn't hemmoraghing, that was good. Her email said my biopsies were benign. Benign. I sat there, and started to cry. Now again, this goes back to "the no big deal" surgery. It never occurred to me they were testing for anything. This scared the hell out of me. I can't really explain it except to say I was WAY OVERWHELMED. Kind of like the time she told me she wasn't sure I could have children. Since I don't want children, it shouldn't bug me, but still to hear I may not have the choice kind of is bothersome (another doctor said I couldn't). That night I took no Percocet. Thursday I got up to go to work. About 15 minutes after my shower, I laid back down, emailed my boss that work was out of the question and went to bed. There was no way I could sit upright in rush hour traffic 60-120 minutes with a seat belt on. Then I went to sleep with a huge Advil. I probably took another picture of Lompoc. Somewhere around Thursday it dawned on me that they cut into my stomach muscle so that's probably why recovery was slow. I still was planning on walking on Saturday while D ran. And Thursday night I HAD to get out of the house. I couldn't watch one more Criminal Minds, Law and Order, Golden Girls, Frasier, or House Hunters (no, I don't watch soccer at all, so if it is on every 4 years, that won't change it for me). So D and I went and had 3 beers and a milk shake.
Saturday I slept, and drank a ton of water. My shoulder hurt from the anesthesia. I wore the hospital gown because it didn't hurt my waist. I was supposed to walk. I walked to the bathroom a lot. I bled a lot. D got me water like every 10 minutes. I stopped counting after 20 cups. Percocet too. Sunday, I told him I felt a lot better. He thought so too until I nearly fell down the stairs (while going up). Scared the hell out of us both. Still on lots of Percocet. Still bleeding. D decided he would stay home on Monday. I continued drinking a lot of water. Slowly got my appetite back. I walked with D while he walked the dogs. Wearing pants was difficult. I think I sat on the couch once between Saturday and Monday. I hurt. This recovery was nothing like a colonoscopy. Tuesday I was on my own. McMenamin almost died by my hand when he scratched my belly button (one of the incision spots). He stayed away from me for the rest of the day. I now could walk around and get my own water, but sitting was still not in the cards. I was exhausted. I felt better, but still hurt. I looked at the pics of my surgery. Apparently they found another cyst, and D told me they cut everything out. The doc had told me they were going to burn everything out. Thinking about that exhausted me.
Wednesday, same shit different day. I did walk Lompoc because she needed to go. Then I took a nap. I emailed the doctor about the bleeding. She emailed back but didn't answer about the bleeding. Since I knew I wasn't hemmoraghing, that was good. Her email said my biopsies were benign. Benign. I sat there, and started to cry. Now again, this goes back to "the no big deal" surgery. It never occurred to me they were testing for anything. This scared the hell out of me. I can't really explain it except to say I was WAY OVERWHELMED. Kind of like the time she told me she wasn't sure I could have children. Since I don't want children, it shouldn't bug me, but still to hear I may not have the choice kind of is bothersome (another doctor said I couldn't). That night I took no Percocet. Thursday I got up to go to work. About 15 minutes after my shower, I laid back down, emailed my boss that work was out of the question and went to bed. There was no way I could sit upright in rush hour traffic 60-120 minutes with a seat belt on. Then I went to sleep with a huge Advil. I probably took another picture of Lompoc. Somewhere around Thursday it dawned on me that they cut into my stomach muscle so that's probably why recovery was slow. I still was planning on walking on Saturday while D ran. And Thursday night I HAD to get out of the house. I couldn't watch one more Criminal Minds, Law and Order, Golden Girls, Frasier, or House Hunters (no, I don't watch soccer at all, so if it is on every 4 years, that won't change it for me). So D and I went and had 3 beers and a milk shake.
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| Celebratory "Biopsy Benign" Beer- Straight to Ale Monkeynaught |
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| Stone Collective Distortion IPA |
Friday was the big day. I was going to drive. I had to go to the post office. I thought I would be going on Monday the 16th, but that didn't happen. So I finally got there and mailed off my property tax appeal. Then I decided I wanted a hamburger so I went up the street. Soccer was on the TV. I forgot my phone. I ate my hamburger. I talked to 2 women. I had a beer. And then I left. I was exhausted. I was also sore. But I had to go out again and get my haircut. My stylist and I talked. She brought up the point about the menopause shot, that I would have also gone through puberty again. Yeah, I made the right choice. By the time I got home, I was exhausted. So I went to bed. Of course I woke up about an hour later. I didn't sleep at all. I ended up not going to the gym with D. I slept a little while he was there. Then we went to get lunch. I was still bleeding. Jesus. And I was having trouble walking. I wanted to go to one bar in Decatur but we couldn't find parking and the walking thing was an issue, so we went to a bar in Little 5 Points. We may have had a lot of beers. I may have had my pants unbuttoned the entire time. Finally we decided to go and Uber'd back home. After "sleeping" for 2 hours, I stayed up again. D got up at 6am and we went and got my car before he went to work. I came home and slept for another hour. And then was up again.
I sat around and watched more mindless TV. Still bleeding. Monday I went to work. Wearing pants for that long buttoned was painful. The zipper rests on 2 of the incisions. I got home, and finally slept.
Tuesday, I went to work and then went to the gym. Those 2 miles were so weird. First, my heart rate was flying, and I was running way slower than normal. Second, even the trainer (not my trainer) noticed it, and asked if I was ok. After I ran, I was walking and couldn't get my heart rate down. I was walking at 2.8 mph. Finally, just standing there doing nothing, it fell. So then I came home, still bleeding.
I swear, I don't like having my period on a "normal" month. This is just freaking ridiculous.
But I can't end on this, so I'll end with pics of McMenamin, Scuttlebutt, and mostly Lompoc throughout the week.
I sat around and watched more mindless TV. Still bleeding. Monday I went to work. Wearing pants for that long buttoned was painful. The zipper rests on 2 of the incisions. I got home, and finally slept.
Tuesday, I went to work and then went to the gym. Those 2 miles were so weird. First, my heart rate was flying, and I was running way slower than normal. Second, even the trainer (not my trainer) noticed it, and asked if I was ok. After I ran, I was walking and couldn't get my heart rate down. I was walking at 2.8 mph. Finally, just standing there doing nothing, it fell. So then I came home, still bleeding.
I swear, I don't like having my period on a "normal" month. This is just freaking ridiculous.
But I can't end on this, so I'll end with pics of McMenamin, Scuttlebutt, and mostly Lompoc throughout the week.
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| McMenamin tested my Chinese Food to make sure it wasn't poisonous. 6/14 |
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| Lompoc making sure I'm ok while D buys a soda 6/15 |
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| Right after Lompoc got sick 6/16 |
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| Morning Naptime 6/17 |
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| Hiding from the thunder 6/17 |
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| Morning Naptime 6/18 |
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| Scuttlebutt getting up from the afternoon nap 6/18 |
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| Trying to go to work 6/19- It didn't happen, I got in bed next to her. |
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| McMenamin is comfy 6/20 |
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| Someone is going to be upset come Monday when she has to get in a crate. 6/22 |
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| I don't understand why you can't sleep, Mom 6/23 (wee hours) |
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| Time to go to work, Mom 6/23 |
Saturday, May 31, 2014
May Mop Up!
Weight Lost: .5 pounds
Miles Run/Walked: 57.97 miles
Longest Run: 4.5 miles
5Ks: 1 (Came in 4th)
Achievements: Running 100% of my runs scheduled
Craziness: Running the last 2 weeks with a ruptured ovarian cyst
Miles Run/Walked: 57.97 miles
Longest Run: 4.5 miles
5Ks: 1 (Came in 4th)
Achievements: Running 100% of my runs scheduled
Craziness: Running the last 2 weeks with a ruptured ovarian cyst
Thursday, May 15, 2014
My 2XU Elite Compression Shorts Review (or Griping about 2 Miles)
So, I have been running. 14 times in 3.5 weeks. They are all pretty short runs, yet my body hasn't been this sore in awhile. I have been to 3 different gyms (all owned by the same guy). I like the one by my house the best. I don't know if it is the weight gain, the shoe issues that have plagued me for almost a year, or what, but my hip started hurting again. (bursitis). I've been rolling and doing my kicks (which I hadn't been doing for awhile...so duh to me). However, I always relied heavily on my CW-X Stabilyx Capris. But they don't fit at the moment, and they were the largest size CW-X made (although it looks like they might have changed their sizing, since I last looked in 2012, but whatever). What to do? What to do?
I looked at 2XU and they have XL shorts and Capris. I hemmed and hawed on the shorts because I have a CW-X pair and don't really like them. (read here). I was afraid that the 2XU wouldn't hold up. I couldn't really find reviews of anyone with hip bursitis commenting on them, and I had the money, so I ordered the Elite Pair and a pair of Capris. I'll be honest. I don't like the huge 2XU plastered across my leg. The shorts only came with the white ("steel") plastering (or that's all I saw), but the Capris came Black/Nero.
So Tuesday, I went to one of my 3 gyms for a 2 mile run. No big deal. I'll do speed work (run 5mph for 4 minutes, run 4.3 for 1 and repeat). I've been doing this for my 1.5 mile runs if I don't run outside on hills so no biggie? I went to my non-regular gym (I'd been there one other time). I got on the treadmill. I started walking and noticed my heart rate was a little higher than normal. Not a big deal (115 vs 110 to walk .5 miles at an faster than leisurely pace). I started the run. I lasted on 5mph for about 1 minute and thought I would die. I decided I would skip speed work and just do 4.7. After 4 minutes my heart rate was 155. I walked at 3.4 rather than run at 4.3. I was drenched. I did this 4.7/3.4 thing again. I barely got through it. My heart rate soared to 175. What the hell is going on? I felt like I was running up a hill. I checked the elevation and it said 0. I tried the cycle again. I had to take it to 4.5 when my heart rate hit 183. I walked for 1.5 minutes this time to get the heart rate to 160. Tried again with the same results. My arms and shoulders were really sore. I put it on 4.1. My heart rate seemed to level at 175 but really? 4.1? I finally finished the 2 miles. I could barely walk. When I turned around to get off the treadmill, it felt like it was on a downward slope. I'm definitely bringing a level with me the next time I go there. I got home and my shorts and capris were there. I was actually too sore in my arms to fight to try on the capris after trying on the shorts. The shorts fit. Yay.
Yesterday I ran in them for 3 miles at my close-to-home gym. Considering how sore I was from the day before, I was not enthused to have to run farther. I started the run at 4.5 mph. I decided I couldn't stop to walk because I was afraid I wouldn't restart. My heart rate never got above 169 which it hit in the final 2 minutes. I liked the shorts better than the CW-X shorts. They seemed a little sturdier in material. I did notice my hip in the 2.5 part of the mile, but I think that was more out of boredom than anything else. I also noticed the side tag in the shorts that rubbed my side raw. I'll have to Body Glide that area. Overall, I like the shorts and think they will last a good 15-20 pounds until I can fit back into my CW-X Capris. The one thing I did notice was a lot of seams in the crotch area. If the tag was bugging me at 3 miles, I imagine I will Body Gliding other areas of my body on longer runs.
My own review: Neither 2XU or CW-X had anything to do with my reviews except sell their clothing on websites where I could make purchases.
I looked at 2XU and they have XL shorts and Capris. I hemmed and hawed on the shorts because I have a CW-X pair and don't really like them. (read here). I was afraid that the 2XU wouldn't hold up. I couldn't really find reviews of anyone with hip bursitis commenting on them, and I had the money, so I ordered the Elite Pair and a pair of Capris. I'll be honest. I don't like the huge 2XU plastered across my leg. The shorts only came with the white ("steel") plastering (or that's all I saw), but the Capris came Black/Nero.
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| 2XU Elite Compression Shorts (photo from Shoebuy.com) |
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| 2XU Black/Nero Capris (photo from Shoebuy.com) |
So Tuesday, I went to one of my 3 gyms for a 2 mile run. No big deal. I'll do speed work (run 5mph for 4 minutes, run 4.3 for 1 and repeat). I've been doing this for my 1.5 mile runs if I don't run outside on hills so no biggie? I went to my non-regular gym (I'd been there one other time). I got on the treadmill. I started walking and noticed my heart rate was a little higher than normal. Not a big deal (115 vs 110 to walk .5 miles at an faster than leisurely pace). I started the run. I lasted on 5mph for about 1 minute and thought I would die. I decided I would skip speed work and just do 4.7. After 4 minutes my heart rate was 155. I walked at 3.4 rather than run at 4.3. I was drenched. I did this 4.7/3.4 thing again. I barely got through it. My heart rate soared to 175. What the hell is going on? I felt like I was running up a hill. I checked the elevation and it said 0. I tried the cycle again. I had to take it to 4.5 when my heart rate hit 183. I walked for 1.5 minutes this time to get the heart rate to 160. Tried again with the same results. My arms and shoulders were really sore. I put it on 4.1. My heart rate seemed to level at 175 but really? 4.1? I finally finished the 2 miles. I could barely walk. When I turned around to get off the treadmill, it felt like it was on a downward slope. I'm definitely bringing a level with me the next time I go there. I got home and my shorts and capris were there. I was actually too sore in my arms to fight to try on the capris after trying on the shorts. The shorts fit. Yay.
Yesterday I ran in them for 3 miles at my close-to-home gym. Considering how sore I was from the day before, I was not enthused to have to run farther. I started the run at 4.5 mph. I decided I couldn't stop to walk because I was afraid I wouldn't restart. My heart rate never got above 169 which it hit in the final 2 minutes. I liked the shorts better than the CW-X shorts. They seemed a little sturdier in material. I did notice my hip in the 2.5 part of the mile, but I think that was more out of boredom than anything else. I also noticed the side tag in the shorts that rubbed my side raw. I'll have to Body Glide that area. Overall, I like the shorts and think they will last a good 15-20 pounds until I can fit back into my CW-X Capris. The one thing I did notice was a lot of seams in the crotch area. If the tag was bugging me at 3 miles, I imagine I will Body Gliding other areas of my body on longer runs.
My own review: Neither 2XU or CW-X had anything to do with my reviews except sell their clothing on websites where I could make purchases.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Tri-Cities 5K recap
So D and I had a 3.5 mile run as the long run for our second week of marathon training. Why not just do a 5K? Being that I'm kind of exacting, I wasn't sure that it really counted, but I decided ok, because I knew this course was hard, because I did it last year. We signed up. Somewhere in there, I forgot to tell D about the hills (or I told him in my head).
Saturday morning we drove out to College Park, the whopping 8 miles away. It was about 50 degrees and sunny. We got our numbers and sat in the car for awhile. At 745 we got out and went to the starting line. There was also a 10K, and people were concerned about the split, but I remembered it was well marked. People seemed happy I knew this. At 758, I mentioned the hills and I hoped my legs were ready. D goes, "Hills?" I said, "Oh yes, the last 2/3rds of this race suck." He kind of just looked at me. We kissed and then they said, "Go." Despite the chip there was no starting map. There weren't that many people (500?) so it wasn't a huge deal.
We ran down Main Street to Rugby where the 5Ker's turned left. I knew I was going fast, but I felt ok. There was this teen (14-15ish) who kept trying to keep up with me. Well, he would run past, get a side cramp and then walk, I would pass, and this would repeat. I wanted to tell him just to run my pace, because he was annoying me, but he eventually figured it out, and kept my pace for about 2 minutes. I hit 9 minutes when I should walk break but I still felt strong and I wanted to see if I could get under 12 minutes on the first mile. We turned down Napoleon, I lost the kid, and Mile 1 clicked by at 11:59. YES! Boy Scouts were handing out water, but I didn't take any.
Off Napoleon you turn on to Walker. I thought about what comes down, must always go up. I tried to keep a decent pace but my legs said to take a break. Since I missed the 9 minute, and I knew there were more hills, I took about a 45 second break (pretty much walked up the rest of the hill). Turned onto Victoria and struggled but kept running. Finally got onto Lyle that was kind of Flat, and then had a huge downhill. Some people passed me on the down hill, but I knew there were more uphills. So I tried to keep as steady as possible. On Pierce it was steep/rolling. Somewhere around here was Mile 2. I missed what my time was. I would run up about 3/4 of a hill and walk the rest, and then run again. I seemed to pass a lot of people this way. Cambridge was just a long hill, I kind of cursed, but told myself to go. There was a green lady and a purple lady (purple was walking REALLY fast), that I wanted to catch. Purple also ran all the down hills. I was in passing distance of Green Lady when she made a mistake, she missed the sign to turn on to Hemphill. I'm not sure how she missed it but the Volunteer got her back on track. I "made my move," and passed her. Meaning, I ran at the same pace. Ran down Hemphill to Virginia. On Virginia the first 2 10kers and the cops came by. Yeah, I'm slow. Oh well. I couldn't catch Purple. Onto College Avenue. Ah the last hill. I got up to Purple. I saw D. I started walking. hahaha! I got to the crest and resumed running and ran onto the track for my lap. Purple started running. Some other lady (Blue Sweatshirt) came from nowhere and took over us. I had half a lap to go, and Purple was slowing. More 10kers were coming. Actually the ones that I said were probably going to win (age group winners). I passed Purple on the turn. The announcer was saying she was trying to catch up. Told me to put some umph into it. I kicked the time. I knew she was behind me and coming up. I sprinted. I beat her barely (2 seconds).
My time: 41:15. Not my best but since I've been hurt and undertrained, I was happy with it. It was 1 minute+ more than last year.
D met me and got me some water. We went and got our T-shirts. I asked if he placed. He said no, and thought it was weird I asked him. He said he was sure he got in the top 10 of his AG. He came in 38th over all (out of 253). And he said, "THOSE HILLS."
We went out for lunch, later. While out, I got an email that said I placed 4th in my AG. 4th, PEOPLE! I don't care how slow I am, but that is probably my best finish ever. 4TH!!!!
So we'll do the race next year. One of those women might turn 45 and I could place 3rd!
Saturday morning we drove out to College Park, the whopping 8 miles away. It was about 50 degrees and sunny. We got our numbers and sat in the car for awhile. At 745 we got out and went to the starting line. There was also a 10K, and people were concerned about the split, but I remembered it was well marked. People seemed happy I knew this. At 758, I mentioned the hills and I hoped my legs were ready. D goes, "Hills?" I said, "Oh yes, the last 2/3rds of this race suck." He kind of just looked at me. We kissed and then they said, "Go." Despite the chip there was no starting map. There weren't that many people (500?) so it wasn't a huge deal.
We ran down Main Street to Rugby where the 5Ker's turned left. I knew I was going fast, but I felt ok. There was this teen (14-15ish) who kept trying to keep up with me. Well, he would run past, get a side cramp and then walk, I would pass, and this would repeat. I wanted to tell him just to run my pace, because he was annoying me, but he eventually figured it out, and kept my pace for about 2 minutes. I hit 9 minutes when I should walk break but I still felt strong and I wanted to see if I could get under 12 minutes on the first mile. We turned down Napoleon, I lost the kid, and Mile 1 clicked by at 11:59. YES! Boy Scouts were handing out water, but I didn't take any.
Off Napoleon you turn on to Walker. I thought about what comes down, must always go up. I tried to keep a decent pace but my legs said to take a break. Since I missed the 9 minute, and I knew there were more hills, I took about a 45 second break (pretty much walked up the rest of the hill). Turned onto Victoria and struggled but kept running. Finally got onto Lyle that was kind of Flat, and then had a huge downhill. Some people passed me on the down hill, but I knew there were more uphills. So I tried to keep as steady as possible. On Pierce it was steep/rolling. Somewhere around here was Mile 2. I missed what my time was. I would run up about 3/4 of a hill and walk the rest, and then run again. I seemed to pass a lot of people this way. Cambridge was just a long hill, I kind of cursed, but told myself to go. There was a green lady and a purple lady (purple was walking REALLY fast), that I wanted to catch. Purple also ran all the down hills. I was in passing distance of Green Lady when she made a mistake, she missed the sign to turn on to Hemphill. I'm not sure how she missed it but the Volunteer got her back on track. I "made my move," and passed her. Meaning, I ran at the same pace. Ran down Hemphill to Virginia. On Virginia the first 2 10kers and the cops came by. Yeah, I'm slow. Oh well. I couldn't catch Purple. Onto College Avenue. Ah the last hill. I got up to Purple. I saw D. I started walking. hahaha! I got to the crest and resumed running and ran onto the track for my lap. Purple started running. Some other lady (Blue Sweatshirt) came from nowhere and took over us. I had half a lap to go, and Purple was slowing. More 10kers were coming. Actually the ones that I said were probably going to win (age group winners). I passed Purple on the turn. The announcer was saying she was trying to catch up. Told me to put some umph into it. I kicked the time. I knew she was behind me and coming up. I sprinted. I beat her barely (2 seconds).
My time: 41:15. Not my best but since I've been hurt and undertrained, I was happy with it. It was 1 minute+ more than last year.
D met me and got me some water. We went and got our T-shirts. I asked if he placed. He said no, and thought it was weird I asked him. He said he was sure he got in the top 10 of his AG. He came in 38th over all (out of 253). And he said, "THOSE HILLS."
 |
| The HILLS |
We went out for lunch, later. While out, I got an email that said I placed 4th in my AG. 4th, PEOPLE! I don't care how slow I am, but that is probably my best finish ever. 4TH!!!!
So we'll do the race next year. One of those women might turn 45 and I could place 3rd!
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Round Up of April
I may get back to posting regularly.
Until then here are April's Stat's.
Weight Lost: 4.3 pounds
Miles Run/Walked: 42.82
Half-Marathons: 1
Achievements: a Personal Worst, but still a finish while puking on the course a few times
Craziness: Signed up for a Marathon after "achieving" a PW
Until then here are April's Stat's.
Weight Lost: 4.3 pounds
Miles Run/Walked: 42.82
Half-Marathons: 1
Achievements: a Personal Worst, but still a finish while puking on the course a few times
Craziness: Signed up for a Marathon after "achieving" a PW
 |
| My Medal from my February Half that I never wrote a race report for |
 |
| My Medal from my worst finish ever, but still a finish |
Friday, January 10, 2014
Some Answers from "Reeling It In"
I lost 2 pounds this week. Except for Sunday, I wrote everything down.
Thank you for the comments, emails, PMs, and likes from various places about my last post.
I'll address a couple of things...
1) Journaling:
I didn't write down Sunday, because I went to a bottle share. What's a bottle share? It is when you meet up with a bunch of beer drinkers that you may or may not know (I knew 2 people of about 50). Everyone brings a bottle of a hard-to-get beer in your area, and you share it. There are some other rules for this one, but that is the basic premise. Unless I had my phone out the entire time, I couldn't really track every single thing I drank. And I'm trying to use my phone less when I'm around real people. So I just said screw it. But other than that, yes, I write everything down.
Truth be told, my mom was a Weight Watchers leader growing up. So I can easily look at something and tell you how many exchanges (and what kind), Points, calories, etc. food has. I've been journaling what I eat since 6th grade. The problem I have is that I get to the point where I don't care if I ate 1500 calories or 15000 calories. But I usually write stuff down. And I know "keeping track in my head" doesn't work for me.
2) Eliminating Foods:
I know a lot of people on Paleo, no-carb, vegatarian, etc. I also know I don't cook, and I can only ask D so much to give up when he cooks. Rice, chicken and pork are 3 foods I know will never happen. A) the man has 3 grills (gas, charcoal, and pig roaster (yes, for whole pigs)), B) I suggest a meatless meal and the first thing he asks is what we can take out so he can add chicken or bacon. C) I'm working on not eating brands of foods I don't like (for instance...I love pizza, but don't like Domino's or Papa John's...I'm working on not having to "make sure" that I still don't like them...same goes for raisins...testing out a raisin cookie is not going to make me like raisins, so I don't need to eat it).
3) Exercising more:
With all do respect to the person who emailed me this suggestion...duh.
4) Keep planning my meals
I had an incident in March at the grocery that kind of set me back (yes, I got into a verbal dispute with someone although I didn't throw anything at them this time, so I wasn't asked to leave). I despise the grocery store with every ounce of my being, and tend to get panic attacks in them due to the high stress level. When D and I met in June 2002, I probably had been to the grocery store less than 10 times the entire year. When I did go, it was usually at 2am, so no one else would be there. I've been trying to go more with him, and I do need to contribute more to the meal planning, even if I don't go. So I'm working on that.
Last week was good. Here were my dinners (lunch is leftovers):
Saturday: 7 Chile Chile
Sunday: Pan grilled Chicken with Chorizo Confetti, Santa Fe Black Beans
Monday: Jalapeno Popper Chili
Tuesday: Creamy Mustard Chicken , Forgot a vegetable
Wednesday: Leftovers (D went out so I had Jalapeno Popper Chili)
Thursday: Leftovers (Was supposed to have JPC on a baked potato but got tired of that so finished the 7 Chile Chili)
Friday: Out
Saturday: Hamburgers and Cauliflower Tater Tots
5) What's up with the chili?
When I was laid off in 2010, money was tight. Chili usually makes 10-12 servings. For 2 people, that usually got 7 lunch/dinner servings before someone said, "No more!" I had the grocery store times laid out when A) it was empty and B) when meat was marked down. Therefore, we ate a lot of chili. And if you look on my recipe blog, you'll see there are quite a few recipes.
I think that is all the topics. It is supposed to rain tomorrow for my first 5K of 2014. It was supposed to be the 2nd, but the first one was cancelled due to non-interest (a 5K at a brewery...how can people not be interested). Have a good weekend!
Thank you for the comments, emails, PMs, and likes from various places about my last post.
I'll address a couple of things...
1) Journaling:
I didn't write down Sunday, because I went to a bottle share. What's a bottle share? It is when you meet up with a bunch of beer drinkers that you may or may not know (I knew 2 people of about 50). Everyone brings a bottle of a hard-to-get beer in your area, and you share it. There are some other rules for this one, but that is the basic premise. Unless I had my phone out the entire time, I couldn't really track every single thing I drank. And I'm trying to use my phone less when I'm around real people. So I just said screw it. But other than that, yes, I write everything down.
 |
| I never used Panorama on my phone, before. This was some of the bottles. |
Truth be told, my mom was a Weight Watchers leader growing up. So I can easily look at something and tell you how many exchanges (and what kind), Points, calories, etc. food has. I've been journaling what I eat since 6th grade. The problem I have is that I get to the point where I don't care if I ate 1500 calories or 15000 calories. But I usually write stuff down. And I know "keeping track in my head" doesn't work for me.
2) Eliminating Foods:
I know a lot of people on Paleo, no-carb, vegatarian, etc. I also know I don't cook, and I can only ask D so much to give up when he cooks. Rice, chicken and pork are 3 foods I know will never happen. A) the man has 3 grills (gas, charcoal, and pig roaster (yes, for whole pigs)), B) I suggest a meatless meal and the first thing he asks is what we can take out so he can add chicken or bacon. C) I'm working on not eating brands of foods I don't like (for instance...I love pizza, but don't like Domino's or Papa John's...I'm working on not having to "make sure" that I still don't like them...same goes for raisins...testing out a raisin cookie is not going to make me like raisins, so I don't need to eat it).
3) Exercising more:
With all do respect to the person who emailed me this suggestion...duh.
4) Keep planning my meals
I had an incident in March at the grocery that kind of set me back (yes, I got into a verbal dispute with someone although I didn't throw anything at them this time, so I wasn't asked to leave). I despise the grocery store with every ounce of my being, and tend to get panic attacks in them due to the high stress level. When D and I met in June 2002, I probably had been to the grocery store less than 10 times the entire year. When I did go, it was usually at 2am, so no one else would be there. I've been trying to go more with him, and I do need to contribute more to the meal planning, even if I don't go. So I'm working on that.
Last week was good. Here were my dinners (lunch is leftovers):
Saturday: 7 Chile Chile
Sunday: Pan grilled Chicken with Chorizo Confetti, Santa Fe Black Beans
Monday: Jalapeno Popper Chili
Tuesday: Creamy Mustard Chicken , Forgot a vegetable
Wednesday: Leftovers (D went out so I had Jalapeno Popper Chili)
Thursday: Leftovers (Was supposed to have JPC on a baked potato but got tired of that so finished the 7 Chile Chili)
Friday: Out
Saturday: Hamburgers and Cauliflower Tater Tots
5) What's up with the chili?
When I was laid off in 2010, money was tight. Chili usually makes 10-12 servings. For 2 people, that usually got 7 lunch/dinner servings before someone said, "No more!" I had the grocery store times laid out when A) it was empty and B) when meat was marked down. Therefore, we ate a lot of chili. And if you look on my recipe blog, you'll see there are quite a few recipes.
I think that is all the topics. It is supposed to rain tomorrow for my first 5K of 2014. It was supposed to be the 2nd, but the first one was cancelled due to non-interest (a 5K at a brewery...how can people not be interested). Have a good weekend!
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