The best you can be at any given moment is yourself. ~ Elizabeth Alraune
1. I like to watch those shows on the History channel about conspiracy theories. I then usually spend the next hour convinced that the ancients actually saw flying saucers and or something strange like that.
2. I'm readying "Once a Runner" right now to inspire me into the cross country season.
3. I used to hide my helmet in the bushes when I was little and went bike riding. Now, however, when I see little kids riding without a helmet I automatically assume they have bad parents. I hope no one ever thought my parents were bad parents. I was just a rotten child.
4. I have always always wanted dark hair, though I don't think I could ever get the guts to actually dye it.
5. My parents live across the street from a grocery store. I don't know if I'll ever be able to have a house that's not within walking distance of a grocery store. It just makes more sense.
6. I've always had runner legs. In past years I was embarrassed because in high school I didn't want anyone to notice my calves. Now, however I'm decently proud of my calf muscles.
7. On that note: i am developing biker quads.
8. I wanted to be a Journalist for a really long time. I was even editor of my high school's weekly newspaper. I ditched that idea the second I stepped into Human Learning and Memory-PSY 250 my first day of college.
9. I took Biological Anthropology last semester for my physical science credit. I think my life would have been dramatically different had I walked into ANT 202 instead of PSY 250.
10.I never ever run in skirts. Still though I do own 2 running skirts which I love and frequently disguise as real skirts and wear to work.
11. I'm terrified of needles. Every time I go to the doctor and tell them this they all say "That's a good thing. It means you won't do cocaine." Not only is this not funny, it also doesn't make me feel better about the shot/blood withdrawal I'm about to get.
12. I do not like camping. But I really really wish I did, because it seems like a lot of fun.
13. I'm currently ignoring the fact that school is coming closer
14. I did a 90 minute swim on Wednesday. I wasn't going to do 90 but some hard-core swimmer guy who looked like he had been through an ironman or two jumped in the lane next to me and I got all competitive.
15. In high school my cross country team won the Wisconsin state title my senior year.
16. My biking sunglasses and water bottle both match my bike.
17. I've been working really really hard on my abs all week. They're getting there....
18. I only run in brightly colored socks.
19. I don't really get into politics. It just frustrates me because people are so dang stubborn. Just COMPROMISE already!
20. I ran 6 miles of hills today :)
Friday, July 29, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
A fall, a rise, and a pit stop
"The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart"- Albert Camus
Slowly but surely, I'm getting myself back on track. Back to running, but more than that, back to loving running. This past weekend proved to be a huge breakthrough in my recovery, the beginning of getting back on my feet if you will.
The Fall....
Let's start with my getting knocked off of my feet first. The initial knocking off came a long time ago. Even before patellofemoral...I think it came at the beginning of IT band syndrome and I never got up.
The literal version of me getting knocked off my feet came this past Friday. That's right. It finally happened. I fell off my bike. I always knew that this day would come, though it wasn't as dramatic as I always pictured it. Looking back, it's actually quite comical. I was on a bike path going quite quickly if I do say so myself. The path was going to cross a track so they made the fence into an 'S' shape so that bikers would slow down and watch for trains. My first mistake was thinking that I might be able to make it without stopping. My second mistake was actually trying it.
Obviously I didn't make it. As I was about to hit the fence I quickly grabbed a pole to stop myself and down I went. My foot got caught in the pedal and in almost movie-like slow motion I just tipped over. I didn't even crash. I just fell. Embarrassment. HUGE embarrassment.I surveyed the damages quickly, a scrape on the inside of my right calf, bleeding slightly and really ugly. Fortunately no one was around so I jumped back on my bike. I told myself that this kind of thing happens to even the bikers in Tour De France, and secretly I wished that my first bike accident came with a better story to go along with my bloody, scratched up leg.
The Rise....
So I get up and get going and finish my 34 mile ride.
The next day I did my longest run since....May? I don't even remember anymore. Armed with a new pair of purple Saucony Kinvaras and a slow-growing confidence level I trotted down the bike path in search of my pace. By the time I got to one of my favorite trails it felt like things were almost back to normal.
The next day, not only did I run 2 days in a row for the first time but also 40 whole minutes. Months ago I would have scoffed at 40 minutes. Today I'm thankful for every step that I got to run during those 40. Isn't it amazing how drastically one little thing can change your perspective?
The pit stop...
One thing in particular shows that everything is headed in a positive direction. Forty minutes is not really that long of a run. But it's long enough. For what? For me to have to stop and pee in the woods during a run. I know that's not really something that I should get excited about but it's my first run in a long time that's even close enough to being long enough to need a pit stop. You see why it was exciting?
Really though, my other pit stop took place on my bike ride this morning. The sun was rising and mist was lifting from the fields as I rode up a hill that I'm still not sure how I got to the top of. Once I got to the top I stopped and marveled at the scenery surrounding me. The miles and miles of green fields filled with life, the bright sun rising to my right, and the ginormous hill that I just made it to the top of. In running, in life there will always be hills, obstacles, and falls. The important part however, is making it though and finding a way to get back up.
Slowly but surely, I'm getting myself back on track. Back to running, but more than that, back to loving running. This past weekend proved to be a huge breakthrough in my recovery, the beginning of getting back on my feet if you will.
The Fall....
Let's start with my getting knocked off of my feet first. The initial knocking off came a long time ago. Even before patellofemoral...I think it came at the beginning of IT band syndrome and I never got up.
The literal version of me getting knocked off my feet came this past Friday. That's right. It finally happened. I fell off my bike. I always knew that this day would come, though it wasn't as dramatic as I always pictured it. Looking back, it's actually quite comical. I was on a bike path going quite quickly if I do say so myself. The path was going to cross a track so they made the fence into an 'S' shape so that bikers would slow down and watch for trains. My first mistake was thinking that I might be able to make it without stopping. My second mistake was actually trying it.
Obviously I didn't make it. As I was about to hit the fence I quickly grabbed a pole to stop myself and down I went. My foot got caught in the pedal and in almost movie-like slow motion I just tipped over. I didn't even crash. I just fell. Embarrassment. HUGE embarrassment.I surveyed the damages quickly, a scrape on the inside of my right calf, bleeding slightly and really ugly. Fortunately no one was around so I jumped back on my bike. I told myself that this kind of thing happens to even the bikers in Tour De France, and secretly I wished that my first bike accident came with a better story to go along with my bloody, scratched up leg.
The Rise....
So I get up and get going and finish my 34 mile ride.
The next day I did my longest run since....May? I don't even remember anymore. Armed with a new pair of purple Saucony Kinvaras and a slow-growing confidence level I trotted down the bike path in search of my pace. By the time I got to one of my favorite trails it felt like things were almost back to normal.
The next day, not only did I run 2 days in a row for the first time but also 40 whole minutes. Months ago I would have scoffed at 40 minutes. Today I'm thankful for every step that I got to run during those 40. Isn't it amazing how drastically one little thing can change your perspective?
The pit stop...
One thing in particular shows that everything is headed in a positive direction. Forty minutes is not really that long of a run. But it's long enough. For what? For me to have to stop and pee in the woods during a run. I know that's not really something that I should get excited about but it's my first run in a long time that's even close enough to being long enough to need a pit stop. You see why it was exciting?
Really though, my other pit stop took place on my bike ride this morning. The sun was rising and mist was lifting from the fields as I rode up a hill that I'm still not sure how I got to the top of. Once I got to the top I stopped and marveled at the scenery surrounding me. The miles and miles of green fields filled with life, the bright sun rising to my right, and the ginormous hill that I just made it to the top of. In running, in life there will always be hills, obstacles, and falls. The important part however, is making it though and finding a way to get back up.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Random Fact Friday
"Act like a horse. Be Dumb. Just Run" -Jumbo Elliott
1.My newest life goal is to get pulled over on my bike for speeding.
2. My mom's an English teacher. If you use improper grammar there is a really good chance I will correct you automatically. It's a bad habit.
3.I ran on pavement the other day. It made my shins hurt :(
4.I want my own children but I have also always wanted to adopt.
5.I either want to grow my hair out really really long or chop it all off. But I can not decide between the two.
6.I was in A Capella Choir in high school. Think Glee. haha
7.I refuse to buy biking shoes because I don't think I'm a good enough biker.
8.However...on that note I did just get two new pairs of running shoes to spring me back from my injury. and new socks. yay.
9.There's a little one-room running shoe store crammed with shoes and other gear. I refuse to buy any running shoes anywhere else. They are THAT good.
10.When I moved home for the summer, I never really unpacked anything from college. I just moved it from my suitcases into different boxes and different suitcases.
11.Yesterday at the pool I was swimming laps and I noticed a little girl watching me. Eventually she moved into the lane next to me and doggie-paddled next to me until she couldn't keep up anymore. Then when I got out she told me that I was really good and asked how often I swam laps and introduced me to her mom. I think we're best friends now.
12. I get really nervous when I think about paying off my school loans.
13. I never procrastinate
14. In high school I was editor of my school's paper...the Warrior Times Weekly
15. Last winter I went to Jamaica for a class in Marine Ecology. Basically we snorkled all day and then took a test on sea creatures after 10 days. Best class I've ever taken.
16. I never purchase anything without creeping everything about it on the internet for at least a week or more.
17. I now prefer one-piece swimming suits to bikinis. After spending at least 50% of the past year in a one-piece I feel strange in bikinis haha
18. I never go anywhere without at least one pair of running shoes. You never know when someone will challenge you to a race right...?
19. Whenever I get a zit I freak out and go spend a fortune on facewash and moisturizers and such. then eventually the zit goes away. This cycle repeats about once a month or so.
20. I get to run BOTH days this weekend. HOORAY!!!!!!
Have a good weekend :)
1.My newest life goal is to get pulled over on my bike for speeding.
2. My mom's an English teacher. If you use improper grammar there is a really good chance I will correct you automatically. It's a bad habit.
3.I ran on pavement the other day. It made my shins hurt :(
4.I want my own children but I have also always wanted to adopt.
5.I either want to grow my hair out really really long or chop it all off. But I can not decide between the two.
6.I was in A Capella Choir in high school. Think Glee. haha
7.I refuse to buy biking shoes because I don't think I'm a good enough biker.
8.However...on that note I did just get two new pairs of running shoes to spring me back from my injury. and new socks. yay.
9.There's a little one-room running shoe store crammed with shoes and other gear. I refuse to buy any running shoes anywhere else. They are THAT good.
10.When I moved home for the summer, I never really unpacked anything from college. I just moved it from my suitcases into different boxes and different suitcases.
11.Yesterday at the pool I was swimming laps and I noticed a little girl watching me. Eventually she moved into the lane next to me and doggie-paddled next to me until she couldn't keep up anymore. Then when I got out she told me that I was really good and asked how often I swam laps and introduced me to her mom. I think we're best friends now.
12. I get really nervous when I think about paying off my school loans.
13. I never procrastinate
14. In high school I was editor of my school's paper...the Warrior Times Weekly
15. Last winter I went to Jamaica for a class in Marine Ecology. Basically we snorkled all day and then took a test on sea creatures after 10 days. Best class I've ever taken.
16. I never purchase anything without creeping everything about it on the internet for at least a week or more.
17. I now prefer one-piece swimming suits to bikinis. After spending at least 50% of the past year in a one-piece I feel strange in bikinis haha
18. I never go anywhere without at least one pair of running shoes. You never know when someone will challenge you to a race right...?
19. Whenever I get a zit I freak out and go spend a fortune on facewash and moisturizers and such. then eventually the zit goes away. This cycle repeats about once a month or so.
20. I get to run BOTH days this weekend. HOORAY!!!!!!
Have a good weekend :)
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Heat Wave
"Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves" ~ Henry David Thoreau
I think that all endurance athletes like to feel like they're doing epic things. Myself included. The longer, hotter, harder, more difficult, the better. My problem, however is that I tend to do epic things, and then get carried away...and then bad things come out of it. Example(s): 11 mile run the day after NCAA nationals=decimate already strained IT band. 10k,5k,1500 @ conference meet=decimate knee. These are extremes but you get the idea. This is a pattern that is seen quite often in my life.
Luckily enough nothing that drastic happened this time (hopefully this means me getting smarter???? maybe...) Anyways, yesterday as you may know here in Wisconsin it was like...a bajillion degrees (93) plus then you have the heat index of 100 and then some. Heat is always worse in Wisconsin because we can't have warm weather without 99% humidity too. I didn't think the heat would be as much of a factor at 8AM...It was.
I headed out on my bike after PT...I ended up riding a total of 26 miles which really isn't that far if you think about it....but in 100+ heat I guess it is. By the time I was done I was dripping with sweat so much that I left wet spots wherever I stood. gross. but epic nonetheless.
I went to deliver pizzas after that at my glorious college-kid job. At first I was just tired but then my stomach started hurting, then my head, then my whole body. Heatsickness anyone? So there I am at Domino's chugging water and powerade and vitamin water and eating watermelon. Even now, just to think about it is pathetic. I'm guessing that the majority of my tips yesterday came from just how pathetic and exhausted and hot I looked. Delivering pizzas that just came out of a 500 degree oven in 100 degree is not necessarily the best thing to cure heatsickness.
After a decent night's sleep my headache has finally gone away but I'm still feeling the residual effects. This week's lesson: Do NOT take heat advisories lightly. Just because you can bike 26 miles in 100 degree weather does not necessarily mean you should. I think I'll swim tonight.
Also I'm going shoe shopping this week. It's kind of my way of mentally getting back in the game a bit. Now that I've started running again I need to reset everything....Starting with my feet. I'm absolutely not ready to give up my wonderful Brooks Glycerin. But I think I'm going to be getting a second pair as well. I'd really like to get a pair of minimalist shoes to do some leg-muscle strengthening. However, I'm still clueless as to which ones would be best for me of IF they would even be good for me so I'm trusting the people at the running shoe place to help me out.
And finally this weekend I get to try back to back days of running. Fingers Crossed!
I think that all endurance athletes like to feel like they're doing epic things. Myself included. The longer, hotter, harder, more difficult, the better. My problem, however is that I tend to do epic things, and then get carried away...and then bad things come out of it. Example(s): 11 mile run the day after NCAA nationals=decimate already strained IT band. 10k,5k,1500 @ conference meet=decimate knee. These are extremes but you get the idea. This is a pattern that is seen quite often in my life.
Luckily enough nothing that drastic happened this time (hopefully this means me getting smarter???? maybe...) Anyways, yesterday as you may know here in Wisconsin it was like...a bajillion degrees (93) plus then you have the heat index of 100 and then some. Heat is always worse in Wisconsin because we can't have warm weather without 99% humidity too. I didn't think the heat would be as much of a factor at 8AM...It was.
I headed out on my bike after PT...I ended up riding a total of 26 miles which really isn't that far if you think about it....but in 100+ heat I guess it is. By the time I was done I was dripping with sweat so much that I left wet spots wherever I stood. gross. but epic nonetheless.
I went to deliver pizzas after that at my glorious college-kid job. At first I was just tired but then my stomach started hurting, then my head, then my whole body. Heatsickness anyone? So there I am at Domino's chugging water and powerade and vitamin water and eating watermelon. Even now, just to think about it is pathetic. I'm guessing that the majority of my tips yesterday came from just how pathetic and exhausted and hot I looked. Delivering pizzas that just came out of a 500 degree oven in 100 degree is not necessarily the best thing to cure heatsickness.
After a decent night's sleep my headache has finally gone away but I'm still feeling the residual effects. This week's lesson: Do NOT take heat advisories lightly. Just because you can bike 26 miles in 100 degree weather does not necessarily mean you should. I think I'll swim tonight.
Also I'm going shoe shopping this week. It's kind of my way of mentally getting back in the game a bit. Now that I've started running again I need to reset everything....Starting with my feet. I'm absolutely not ready to give up my wonderful Brooks Glycerin. But I think I'm going to be getting a second pair as well. I'd really like to get a pair of minimalist shoes to do some leg-muscle strengthening. However, I'm still clueless as to which ones would be best for me of IF they would even be good for me so I'm trusting the people at the running shoe place to help me out.
And finally this weekend I get to try back to back days of running. Fingers Crossed!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Real Life Running
And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music. - Nietzsche
4:00AM. My alarm goes off. Normally waking up at 4am would leave me tired and groggy and mostly one cranky girl that no one should talk to until a minimum of 3 cups of coffee have been consumed. Not today though. Today, waking up at 4am is OK. Today I'm glad to be awake.
4:45 Hop onto bike and ride to Physical Therapy in the semi-darkness.
5:00AM-6:00AM Physical Therapy.
At the end of physical therapy my therapist and I started talking about what I should do. I had done a couple of runs in segments--you know the old run/walk routine. This time, however, he looks at me and goes "3 miles Go run a 5k. "
I leave and I'm all excited that I get to try running again for real. I pull up to my super secret run-walking-where-nobody-can-see-me spot and get off my bike. "Go run a 5k". I know my therapist said this without realizing what it meant, but what it meant to me was that I FINALLY get to run the 5k that I was supposed to run at a last-chance track meet 2 months ago. I know it's not the same and it's not technically a race. However, it is still a 5k.
I like to think that I'm really tough, but when I realized what I was about to do, that I finally got to run my 5k, that I was really going to run, I got really choked up.
I forgot what a real life run feels like.
I need two puffs of my inhaler (thank you asthma.) I always start off too fast. I always have. I probably always will. So about two minutes into my run I pull up a little bit. I have to remember to take it easy because well, I am injured after all....I mean I was injured.
I forgot what it feels like to change your stride. And I forgot how dry your mouth gets while you run. There are little twinges in your legs letting your body know what's going on for the first couple minutes until you ease into your pace. You get so hot while running. In biking there's windchill and in swimming the water is usually cold. I forgot how hot running can be. I forgot what full-on 100% gravity feels like. I forgot what the grass feels like on your toes and the way the ground feels when you step in mud. I forgot that your shoes get all soggy from running through the the morning dew. I forgot that when you run barefoot your feet get full of grass clippings and turn green. I forgot that the sunrise looks that much better when you're running. I forgot the tiredness, the feeling of completeness.I forgot what it feels like to fly across the ground.
Some wonderful groundskeeper came and turned on the sprinklers for the last few minutes of my run as I completed my last lap around the fields.
I forgot what it was like to be in love with running.
Thankful for every minute. every step.
4:00AM. My alarm goes off. Normally waking up at 4am would leave me tired and groggy and mostly one cranky girl that no one should talk to until a minimum of 3 cups of coffee have been consumed. Not today though. Today, waking up at 4am is OK. Today I'm glad to be awake.
4:45 Hop onto bike and ride to Physical Therapy in the semi-darkness.
5:00AM-6:00AM Physical Therapy.
At the end of physical therapy my therapist and I started talking about what I should do. I had done a couple of runs in segments--you know the old run/walk routine. This time, however, he looks at me and goes "3 miles Go run a 5k. "
I leave and I'm all excited that I get to try running again for real. I pull up to my super secret run-walking-where-nobody-can-see-me spot and get off my bike. "Go run a 5k". I know my therapist said this without realizing what it meant, but what it meant to me was that I FINALLY get to run the 5k that I was supposed to run at a last-chance track meet 2 months ago. I know it's not the same and it's not technically a race. However, it is still a 5k.
I like to think that I'm really tough, but when I realized what I was about to do, that I finally got to run my 5k, that I was really going to run, I got really choked up.
I forgot what a real life run feels like.
I need two puffs of my inhaler (thank you asthma.) I always start off too fast. I always have. I probably always will. So about two minutes into my run I pull up a little bit. I have to remember to take it easy because well, I am injured after all....I mean I was injured.
I forgot what it feels like to change your stride. And I forgot how dry your mouth gets while you run. There are little twinges in your legs letting your body know what's going on for the first couple minutes until you ease into your pace. You get so hot while running. In biking there's windchill and in swimming the water is usually cold. I forgot how hot running can be. I forgot what full-on 100% gravity feels like. I forgot what the grass feels like on your toes and the way the ground feels when you step in mud. I forgot that your shoes get all soggy from running through the the morning dew. I forgot that when you run barefoot your feet get full of grass clippings and turn green. I forgot that the sunrise looks that much better when you're running. I forgot the tiredness, the feeling of completeness.I forgot what it feels like to fly across the ground.
Some wonderful groundskeeper came and turned on the sprinklers for the last few minutes of my run as I completed my last lap around the fields.
I forgot what it was like to be in love with running.
Thankful for every minute. every step.
Random Facts for Friday
"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." ~Albert Camus
1. My favorite color is lime green.
2. My current favorite song is "Dog Days are Over" by Florence + The Machine. (love the song. video? judge for yourselves) Dog days are over? heck yes they are!!!
3. I feel very strongly that on days that I do pool workouts I do not need to shower. Being immersed in water for over an hour totally counts for showering.
4. I go to physical therapy 5 days a week right now. A lot of people complain about physical therapy but I really love it. I TOLD you. I go to the best physical therapy place in the world.
5. I'm posting two things today. Usually I try to appropriately space out my posts but I've been computer-less for the past week so since I'm a bit overdue I threw out this rule.
6. I love watching Wizards of Waverly Place on Disney Channel. I don't care what you think about this.
7. I have always wanted a horse. I thought it would wear off eventually but it didn't. I still want one.
8. Someday when I'm out of college and have a real job and I order pizza I will CERTAINLY tip the delivery boy/girl a minimum of $10 because I've been there and I know how hard it is to live off of tips from delivering pizzas (disclaimer: if the delivery person is a creeper or hits my mailbox they will not be receiving my $10 tip)
9. In gradeschool I was the only girl on my school's cross country team. This is why I can spit while running better than the guys on my college team.
10. I was only spanked once as a little kid. I stepped in dog poop and then dragged it in my house. my dad makes fun of me for it to this day.
11. I still refuse to run on anything except grass. I still insist on doing portions of it barefoot because it feels soooo amazing on my legs.
12. Yes, I'm still afraid to hurt my knee.
13. I eat too much peanut butter. It's so horrible but I don't really eat meat so it's one of my only sources of protein therefore I feel like my immense consumption is justified.
14. I did a speed workout in the pool yesterday and for some reason. I'm particularly tired and sore. And no. I didn't shower.
15. During track season I got down to 7 toenails. ew.
16. I can't touch change. It's disgusting and germy and it smells funny. When I buy something I usually put the receipt in my hand and make the person put the change on top. From there I slide it into my wallet where it stays until I dump it into my change jar at home. I don't remember the last time I intentionally touched change.
17. I hate people who go to the gym and run on a treadmill when it's sunny and 70 degrees outside. Seriously? Come ON!
18. At the beginning of my first "real-life run" this past Tuesday I got all emotional. Refer to today's other post.
19. On that subject being injured taught me a lot. I could have lived without Patellofemoral syndrome but not without what it taught me about myself.
20. Today was my longest run since the beginning of May.
1. My favorite color is lime green.
2. My current favorite song is "Dog Days are Over" by Florence + The Machine. (love the song. video? judge for yourselves) Dog days are over? heck yes they are!!!
3. I feel very strongly that on days that I do pool workouts I do not need to shower. Being immersed in water for over an hour totally counts for showering.
4. I go to physical therapy 5 days a week right now. A lot of people complain about physical therapy but I really love it. I TOLD you. I go to the best physical therapy place in the world.
5. I'm posting two things today. Usually I try to appropriately space out my posts but I've been computer-less for the past week so since I'm a bit overdue I threw out this rule.
6. I love watching Wizards of Waverly Place on Disney Channel. I don't care what you think about this.
7. I have always wanted a horse. I thought it would wear off eventually but it didn't. I still want one.
8. Someday when I'm out of college and have a real job and I order pizza I will CERTAINLY tip the delivery boy/girl a minimum of $10 because I've been there and I know how hard it is to live off of tips from delivering pizzas (disclaimer: if the delivery person is a creeper or hits my mailbox they will not be receiving my $10 tip)
9. In gradeschool I was the only girl on my school's cross country team. This is why I can spit while running better than the guys on my college team.
10. I was only spanked once as a little kid. I stepped in dog poop and then dragged it in my house. my dad makes fun of me for it to this day.
11. I still refuse to run on anything except grass. I still insist on doing portions of it barefoot because it feels soooo amazing on my legs.
12. Yes, I'm still afraid to hurt my knee.
13. I eat too much peanut butter. It's so horrible but I don't really eat meat so it's one of my only sources of protein therefore I feel like my immense consumption is justified.
14. I did a speed workout in the pool yesterday and for some reason. I'm particularly tired and sore. And no. I didn't shower.
15. During track season I got down to 7 toenails. ew.
16. I can't touch change. It's disgusting and germy and it smells funny. When I buy something I usually put the receipt in my hand and make the person put the change on top. From there I slide it into my wallet where it stays until I dump it into my change jar at home. I don't remember the last time I intentionally touched change.
17. I hate people who go to the gym and run on a treadmill when it's sunny and 70 degrees outside. Seriously? Come ON!
18. At the beginning of my first "real-life run" this past Tuesday I got all emotional. Refer to today's other post.
19. On that subject being injured taught me a lot. I could have lived without Patellofemoral syndrome but not without what it taught me about myself.
20. Today was my longest run since the beginning of May.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Random Fact Fridays....
Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success. ~Swami Sivananda
1. When I'm rehabbing on the Alter-G treadmill I listen to the song "Defying Gravity" from the musical Wicked every single time. And I laugh every single time.
2. I bite my nails compulsively. In traffic. Before races. At work. During any kind of crime show. The list goes on...I told myself that when I was mature enough I would stop. I'm unsure that I'll ever be mature enough.
3. I work at a really snazzy office. Everyone here drives convertibles and BMW's and such. I drive a green 2001 Buick LeSabre. I'm sure all the lawyers are jealous.
4. My second job is delivering pizzas for Domino's. I feel that the Domino's customers appreciate my green Buick more.
5. I don't believe that I would be the same without at least 2 cups of coffee before I leave my house.
6. I'm convinced that running barefoot for the last 5 minutes of all of my runs is going to help me stay injury-free.
7. Because of this....I really want a pair of minimalist shoes but I have no idea which ones to buy so I haven't bought any.
8. My room has to be clean before I can go to sleep at night.
9. I own a collie. His name is Dakota...but every single person I've ever met automatically assumes his name is Lassie.
10. I'm a psychology major. Someday I want to work with criminally insane people.
11. Now that I'm rehabbing I refuse to run anywhere where people I know could possibly see me because I don't want them to see me run/walking.
12. I still have not fallen off of my bike.
13. I'm an only child
14. I've never been on a roller coaster. Not because I'm scared. I just haven't.
15. The quote doesn't really have a lot to do with this post. But I still felt the need to put one up there.
16. I played the flute for 12 years of my life. I don't have time anymore but I miss it now and again.
17. As soon as I'm done with collegiate running I plan on training for a half Ironman.
18. Though I'm 21 years old I'm really really excited for the new Harry Potter movie to come out.
19. Sometimes while running if a good song comes on (and I'm far enough out of town) I stop and have a random solo dance party.
20. I'm convinced that if I start talking about how good my knee is feeling and how good my recovery is going I'll jinx it somehow and get re-hurt again.
1. When I'm rehabbing on the Alter-G treadmill I listen to the song "Defying Gravity" from the musical Wicked every single time. And I laugh every single time.
2. I bite my nails compulsively. In traffic. Before races. At work. During any kind of crime show. The list goes on...I told myself that when I was mature enough I would stop. I'm unsure that I'll ever be mature enough.
3. I work at a really snazzy office. Everyone here drives convertibles and BMW's and such. I drive a green 2001 Buick LeSabre. I'm sure all the lawyers are jealous.
4. My second job is delivering pizzas for Domino's. I feel that the Domino's customers appreciate my green Buick more.
5. I don't believe that I would be the same without at least 2 cups of coffee before I leave my house.
6. I'm convinced that running barefoot for the last 5 minutes of all of my runs is going to help me stay injury-free.
7. Because of this....I really want a pair of minimalist shoes but I have no idea which ones to buy so I haven't bought any.
8. My room has to be clean before I can go to sleep at night.
9. I own a collie. His name is Dakota...but every single person I've ever met automatically assumes his name is Lassie.
10. I'm a psychology major. Someday I want to work with criminally insane people.
11. Now that I'm rehabbing I refuse to run anywhere where people I know could possibly see me because I don't want them to see me run/walking.
12. I still have not fallen off of my bike.
13. I'm an only child
14. I've never been on a roller coaster. Not because I'm scared. I just haven't.
15. The quote doesn't really have a lot to do with this post. But I still felt the need to put one up there.
16. I played the flute for 12 years of my life. I don't have time anymore but I miss it now and again.
17. As soon as I'm done with collegiate running I plan on training for a half Ironman.
18. Though I'm 21 years old I'm really really excited for the new Harry Potter movie to come out.
19. Sometimes while running if a good song comes on (and I'm far enough out of town) I stop and have a random solo dance party.
20. I'm convinced that if I start talking about how good my knee is feeling and how good my recovery is going I'll jinx it somehow and get re-hurt again.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Adventures in Physical Therapy-ASTYM
Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity. -Hippocrates
So the newest thing at the best physical therapy clinic on the planet is a process called ASTYM. ASTYM stands for "a stimulation” of the body’s healing response, which results in the remodeling/resorption of scar tissue and the regeneration of degenerated tendons. " according to the website.
Let's be honest. I'm really willing to try anything at this point. I'm ready to cut my IT band in half...But before I do anything too drastic I gave some alternative massage a try. The idea origionated after one particularly dreadful experience on the Alter-G My leg was done "hurting" but in reality I hadn't done any type of weight-bearing activity in weeks. Everything from my toes to my butt was tight and sore, as though I was being punished by my body for shocking it into running again. My evil IT band saw my weakness as an opportunity to strike again and immediately after the run became so tight that instead of PF syndrome coming back my biggest worry turned to re-developing IT band syndrome instead!
After one of the therapists heard that he asked me if I'd be up for trying something a little different, but that may help more than just stretching alone. That's how I was introduced to ASTYM. I've had massages and ultrasounds and stimulation therapy and ice and heat and even deep tissue massages. But this was something very different from anything else I've ever tried.
ASTYM is a little scary at first. It consists of plastic tools which kind of resemble those things you use in the winter to scrape ice off your car. Only instead of scraping ice they're used to fix your degenerative tendons. In my case they're used to iron-out a few stubborn bumps in your IT band so that my knee moves up and down like it's supposed to instead of diagonally.
The therapist starts out but putting coco butter on the affected area. Treatment that fixes my IT band AND my dry over-chlorinated skin? yes please.
Next he (or she) runs the plastic ice-scraper things up and down your legs. It's not necessarily "painful" but it does feel kind of strange. The areas that have scar tissue or degeneration feel kind of bumpy when the tools go over them. So in theory this stimulation, in connection with stretching and strengthening exercises (HIP EXERCISES!!!) is supposed to make the healing process super speedy.
I give this technique two thumbs way up. Though I was skeptical at first I haven't had any pain while running since my first treatment with ASTYM. I would most defiantly recommend it to anyone who's combating any sort of tendon or muscle issue.
Healing, is a strange and complicated process. It takes a lot of patience and hard work and rest all at the same time. Sometimes, when none of that works you may want to try ironing out your tendons with a windshield scraper.
Friday, July 1, 2011
A Minute of Thanks
"And when you can run, keep going, and thank God for what you've got"
I used to run 13 miles at a time. Like it was easy no less. And O.K. I'm going to be the first to admit that I frequently took this for granted. There used to be a lot of days when I would stop in the middle of a run and look around, marveling at how awesome it was that I could comfortably run ten miles away from my house and know that I could make it back. I felt so blessed and so lucky. Every run was an adventure and each time I was able to make it that much further.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that running for me used to be like swimming and biking is now. It used to be exciting and challenging. Don't get me wrong, I never stopped loving it. But I did defiantly start taking it for granted. Instead of how many miles can I run, it was how many miles must I run. It became a chore. It stopped being about the act of running, pure and simple. Instead it was about how many miles I could get in during a week, how many miles I had to run to equal the times that everyone expected me to run. Running was just training miles that I had to do to equal the end result-the times I was supposed to be hitting.
It's not that times and racing aren't important to me. They are. In fact, I think they're even a bit too important. But all those miles and all that running for all that racing was for all the wrong reasons. It wasn't for the love of running anymore. Instead it was for the winning of races, the expectations of other people. Running never used to be about what other people wanted for me. It was the only thing that I had all for myself, something that no one else in the world could understand. All of a sudden it was never enough, never good enough, never fast enough. So what happened to that gift?
My love and appreciation got lost somewhere along those 50 mile weeks when the focus was not on running, but on winning. It wasn't fun anymore because the fun doesn't come with the winning. When you win a race they don't reward you with a good time. They give you a trophy, or a t-shirt.
Now I'm not running 50 miles a week. I'm lucky if I get 5. Winning? no. Happy? yes. I used to get annoyed when I "only" had a 30 minute run. I figured that it was hardly worth it if I only got 4-5 miles in. I thought that to be "worth it" a run should be loooooong. 10 miles a day anyone?
.What I miss most about running didn't come from being injured and not able to run. Being injured is frustrating, I'm not saying otherwise. But I think that it was going to take being injured in order for me to realize that I need to re-vamp my running. I mean where is that girl who used to be a midfielder in soccer just so she could run more? Where is that tough little girl, the only girl in fact, on the cross country team in gradeschool just because she loved to run? Who wore her running shoes under her prom dress in high school?
What I miss is that freedom and that pure joy that stems from running across a green field and feeling fast. During track season I wondered a lot what it would take for me to get that love and joy back. Maybe a 15 mile run during the summer? Maybe running a really really good 10k?
As it turns out for the first time in my life running was not the answer. In fact the answer was not running. Nothing makes you appreciate the ability to run when you can't do it. Remember that girl who thought she was too good for measly 5 mile run? Enter the new Katie who 2 days ago got to go on a real life run for the first time in weeks. One minute run, one minute walk...alternating every minute for 20 minutes. a.k.a. 10 total minutes of running. And you know what? I was thrilled with each and every one of those 1 minute segments.
Yesterday I broke through again comfortably running 3 whole miles on the Alter G. Real-life running is just around the corner!
But now there's a new challenge in it for me. Instead of the usual running 60 miles/week, working on my core, yada yada yada, the challenge is to cherish every single minute that I get to run. Every minute is a blessing, each mile a gift. Running isn't about me, but about something greater than me. The triumph of endurance, the discovery of strength, and the celebration of the God-given abilities each of us has.
So run faster, and give thanks every step of the way.
I used to run 13 miles at a time. Like it was easy no less. And O.K. I'm going to be the first to admit that I frequently took this for granted. There used to be a lot of days when I would stop in the middle of a run and look around, marveling at how awesome it was that I could comfortably run ten miles away from my house and know that I could make it back. I felt so blessed and so lucky. Every run was an adventure and each time I was able to make it that much further.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that running for me used to be like swimming and biking is now. It used to be exciting and challenging. Don't get me wrong, I never stopped loving it. But I did defiantly start taking it for granted. Instead of how many miles can I run, it was how many miles must I run. It became a chore. It stopped being about the act of running, pure and simple. Instead it was about how many miles I could get in during a week, how many miles I had to run to equal the times that everyone expected me to run. Running was just training miles that I had to do to equal the end result-the times I was supposed to be hitting.
It's not that times and racing aren't important to me. They are. In fact, I think they're even a bit too important. But all those miles and all that running for all that racing was for all the wrong reasons. It wasn't for the love of running anymore. Instead it was for the winning of races, the expectations of other people. Running never used to be about what other people wanted for me. It was the only thing that I had all for myself, something that no one else in the world could understand. All of a sudden it was never enough, never good enough, never fast enough. So what happened to that gift?
My love and appreciation got lost somewhere along those 50 mile weeks when the focus was not on running, but on winning. It wasn't fun anymore because the fun doesn't come with the winning. When you win a race they don't reward you with a good time. They give you a trophy, or a t-shirt.
Now I'm not running 50 miles a week. I'm lucky if I get 5. Winning? no. Happy? yes. I used to get annoyed when I "only" had a 30 minute run. I figured that it was hardly worth it if I only got 4-5 miles in. I thought that to be "worth it" a run should be loooooong. 10 miles a day anyone?
.What I miss most about running didn't come from being injured and not able to run. Being injured is frustrating, I'm not saying otherwise. But I think that it was going to take being injured in order for me to realize that I need to re-vamp my running. I mean where is that girl who used to be a midfielder in soccer just so she could run more? Where is that tough little girl, the only girl in fact, on the cross country team in gradeschool just because she loved to run? Who wore her running shoes under her prom dress in high school?
What I miss is that freedom and that pure joy that stems from running across a green field and feeling fast. During track season I wondered a lot what it would take for me to get that love and joy back. Maybe a 15 mile run during the summer? Maybe running a really really good 10k?
As it turns out for the first time in my life running was not the answer. In fact the answer was not running. Nothing makes you appreciate the ability to run when you can't do it. Remember that girl who thought she was too good for measly 5 mile run? Enter the new Katie who 2 days ago got to go on a real life run for the first time in weeks. One minute run, one minute walk...alternating every minute for 20 minutes. a.k.a. 10 total minutes of running. And you know what? I was thrilled with each and every one of those 1 minute segments.
Yesterday I broke through again comfortably running 3 whole miles on the Alter G. Real-life running is just around the corner!
But now there's a new challenge in it for me. Instead of the usual running 60 miles/week, working on my core, yada yada yada, the challenge is to cherish every single minute that I get to run. Every minute is a blessing, each mile a gift. Running isn't about me, but about something greater than me. The triumph of endurance, the discovery of strength, and the celebration of the God-given abilities each of us has.
So run faster, and give thanks every step of the way.
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