made by Leeloumade by Leeloumade by Leeloumade by Leelou

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Thank you Facebook peeps!

Workout:

3 mi/treadmill 1% incline

Today was a long day. Things got a little stressful at work and by the time the workday was over I was exhausted. I knew I really needed to get today's run in but I was in a motivational melt down. I knew I would get the support I needed if I reached out to my Facebook family so I posted the following on my FB page:

"I'm fighting the urge to flake out on my training run tonight. I'm going to chill while my diner digests then go to the gym. Why am I sharing? Because I need encouragement, lol"

The support I got was amazing!

"Go to the gym!!!" - my hubby

"Go to the gym. Nobody ever regretted a workout they completed. You got to do the work if you want to reach your goal!!" - my neighbor

"Go Anna and workout for me too! There....,did that help?!?" - my cousin

"Go Anna-you will feel so much better afterwards plus you can't let me down cuz you are my inspiration....how's that?" - my aunt

"Get off your bum! I did my walk this morning and tomorrow I'm adding an evening bike ride to my routine." - close friend since grade school

"Go, you will feel better after. I know I did!" - friend

"Just do it" - close friend since high school

"I hope you went already, Tina did." - friend

I'm feeling great riding the post run high and I have all of you to thank. So, thank you! My legs were a little (lot) sore from yesterday's bodypump class but my legs felt pretty good during the run.

Tomorrows plan? REST DAY! And I need it. :)





back to bodypump

Workout
Bodypump class/60 min

Last night was my first bodypump class since the end of October and I was embarrassingly weak... After the first track my legs where quivering, haha. My workout buddy, Tracy, was giving me "the look" when she saw that most I would lift was 15 lbs. I'll add a little more next Tuesday. My plan is to go to the Friday class too and keep going twice a week  and hopefully build back to where I was before I started slacking off. 

Life here in Sacramento has been miserable! I understand that we are still living in above 0 degree conditions and there are other places that are not as lucky but I'm not a fan of cold weather so waking up in the twenties makes it very difficult for me to get my ass out of bed. For a while I was trying to get up early and do my training in the morning before work like I did in the summer and fall but I refuse to run outside when it's colder than 40 degrees. I just can handle it. The dark doesn't help either. If it was sunny I would probably suck it up and run. Maybe. Bottom line, I'm so tired of being cold!


if only i could take Sadie with me
It's going to be another cold but sunny day today but because of my long work day I wont be able to use that sun for training. So I will be at the gym again tonight running in the treadmill, blah. 
  

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

New running expense: massage

Workout: Training run

2 mi on the treadmill

I've been dealing with foot pain for a long time now and have read study reports and articles on so many foot problems I can't keep them straight anymore (I guess I wouldn't last long as a researcher). A common treatment seems to be massage. But it wasn't until I listened to recent pop stuff pod cast on massage (one of the podcasts from howstuffworks.com) that I was interested enough to make an appointment.

I've had massages in the past and while I enjoy them it's not something I would splurge on. My husband on the other hand gets massages pretty regularly and sees the benefit of them in his back and arms. Maybe that's partly because the Swedish massage is enough to do him some good while I know it would take a deep tissue session to help me and it just doesn't seem worth the discomfort. But with all that said, thanks to Holly Frey at howstuffworks.com, I made an appointment and explained that I was looking for someone who could do a "sport-ish kind of massage for running injures". (I wasn't going to actually to ask deep tissue even though I knew that's what I probably needed.)

I went the Mellow Me Out Day Spa yesterday for my massage. My therapist, Dale, and I talked about what I wanted and my current foot and leg issues. It turns out about 40% of his clients are runners and when's I asked him questions he seemed to know his stuff. He warned me that it was going to be a little uncomfortable, as I expected, but he wanted me to know that my pain level should not get more than an eight, otherwise it could cause me injury. Basically, if in my head I'm thinking I want to kick him then things are good, if I say it out loud, that's a sign he needs to back off.




Yeah, it was an eight but later that night I noticed that I was walking normally, with full range of motion in my foot. It's been months since my foot has felt so good. Before I left the day spa I scheduled my next appointment for two weeks out. This is going to get a little pricey but if it'll allow me to run with less pain and discomfort than it's worth it.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Happy 2013

Yesterday was my fist workout of the new year. Every year on New Year's Day I go for an easy run. Usually about 3 miles and I don't worry about time or pace. I just enjoy starting another year.This year I ran in a nearby neighborhood that my kids refer to as "where the rich people live". Most of the houses are small mansions with large lots with lovely yards. I enjoy running in this area. It's pretty quiet with lots to look at and lots of trees. I love trees. My three mile run turned into three and half. I came across two little dogs running and playing all alone. They were very friendly and let me check their tag. They lived a few houses away so together we ran over to their house. I rang the bell a few times and knocked but no one was home. Then I called the phone number on their tags but there wasn't an answer there either. It was pretty obvious where they got out through the fence so I tried to coax them back into their yard but once they where at their front door they weren't going anywhere. I ended up leaving them scratching at the door. I felt a little guilty about that but I didn't know what else too do and they didn't look like they where going anywhere.

Later in the day Jeremy, the kids, our niece and I went out to the lake for some very cold SUPing. We went out there last New Year's Day so the kids wanted to do it again. I tried to explain that last year was a much warmer day than this year but they didn't think it would be that much colder. Lets just say that we all had fun but no one spent more than fifteen minutes on the boards. :)

I have five weeks and three days till my first of 13 half marathons this year! My breathing is a million times better than it has been over the last few weeks so I'm feeling nervous but optimistic. I bought two air purifiers and I think they have made a huge difference in my breathing, running and quality of life. I feel a little bit bad for Jeremy though. Now he has to put up with a humidifier and an airy purifier in the bedroom. I'm so high maintenance!


Pix:
1) my new dream house that is for sale along my course (I have a dream house on all of my neighborhood routs)

2 & 3) the shirt I designed to wear any half marathons

4) after my run I took the kids to Noah's Beagles for some yumminess.