Something I have in common with my cat....

So my cat and I now have something in common:

Mine:

His:


Yep - my cat and I are both taking Glucosamine Chondrotin supplements....exciting stuff! I'm taking it for my IT Band and he's taking it because he's old.

------------------------------------
Running note: I had boot camp this am and we did a lot of sprinting....and now I have an interval work out this evening...I will sleep well tonight!

**sorry for the blurry pictures - I took them with my phone so they aren't the best!***

MIA - but still running

I have been missing from my blog - but still running! In fact - I made it up to 20 miles last weekend!! And it was really hard. (REALLY HARD!!) I am still running slower than a turtle do to fears of IT Band re-injury....but I feel like I've come along way from the painful 2 milers of four months ago. My running group did a 22 miler - but because of my excursion to China, I missed too many long runs and couldn't quite jump as quickly - - so my longest run was last weekend and this coming weekend I start dropping down towards Chicago!! I have an 18 miler on Saturday! Also, because I'm insane - I signed up for bootcamp this month. So I'm doing bootcamp in the AM and then still running in the evenings...crazy (ballet ended and I get bored easily - blame ADD). As long as I really watch my knees..boot camp will be great! Plus I know it will help me work on muscles that I have kind of ignored with the running.

I am going to be more diligent in my postings working my way towards Chicago - and my first marathon.

17 and 19.....

I meant to post this earlier - but I'm so afraid of jinxing myself. I am running sans IT Band pain these days!! Since I got back from China I have done three long runs: an 8 miler - that wasn't that much fun due to a side stitch, a 17 miler - that was a tad painful on the last 4 miles, and a pain free 19 miler. (side note: the 17 miler was really supposed to be a 16 miler and the 19 miler was really supposed to be a 18 miler but I got lost on both.) I can't tell you how psyched I am to have had a pain-free run....especially one that was a 19 miler. I have been running very slowly...and walking large hills...just don't want to repeat my injury. I also bought a new foam roller.....the old foam roller was a swim noodle that just wasn't doing the trick. I've also been seen a neuromuscular massage therapist pretty regularly to help with the tightness. All in all - at this rate I think Chicago will be my first marathon - no cancellation foreseen in the future!!

Macau and Hong Kong

I meant to post sooner - but I have just been super busy since I got back. I had a great time visiting BAS in Macau....and fun times traveling in both Hong Kong and Macau. Here are a few pictures from my trip.

Pictures from our hike in Hong Kong along the Dragon's Back...way too many stairs!!




And here are pictures of Macau:






Pictures from BAS's balcony in Macau:



Macau:




Here are some pictures of the world's largest outdoor, bronze, sitting buddha on Lantau Island in HK.



I did get a little running done while I was there - and it was so incredibly hot and humid!! I did run 17 miles this weekend which I will post about tomorrow. Sorry for the delay...hope you enjoy the pics!!

Just Got Back....

I just got back from Hong Kong and Macau on Monday night.....will post more pictures and talk about my trip soon...in the meantime here is a shot from the hike that BAS and I did in Hong Kong on the Hong Kong Trail/Dragon's Back.

Week and Weekend Review...

So sorry it has taken me FOREVER to write...I have been getting ready to go visit BAS in Macau and Hong Kong. I leave on Weds - and I'm going to attempt to keep to my training schedule....(well, minus the ballet).

Last week update:

I went to Ballet on Monday and the well-dressed were there. My favorite ballerina was wearing black ballet shoes, pink tights, a black leotard, and black skirt....oh and her pink legwarmers....it was great!! Ballet was fun....but my feet were sore after it.

Tuesday I had a 4 mile tempo run. I did not drink enough water and felt horrible the entire run. I think the ground started moving up and down...my vision was that distorted. On a good note - my knee felt fine!!


Thursday we did 6 sets of 400 meter repeats at the Active Oval. My knee still felt really great...

Saturday we did a 10 mile long run. The run started closer to 9am...and was very HOT. My car said 90 when I got back in it after the run. I really need to treat these runs more like races since its so hot outside - and hydrate more!! My knee felt pretty good during the run. I did walk up and then back down a huge hill - and tried to take it easy.

Tonight I'm skipping ballet - - need to get packing!! I will write more when I get to Hong Kong and Macau!!

6 and 6...

So last week I really slacked off...I skipped my tempo run - with a great hope of running on Wednesday (which never happened). I did run the Peachtree Road Race on the 4th...and the next day I had a six mile run with the group.

The First Six (well almost six) -

The Peachtree was a lot of fun....I cheated this year! Every year I end up standing around for what seams like FOREVER waiting in my corral....while the ex (who always turns in past 10k times) would start in the first corral and be done with the race before I even started. These corrals move slower than any half marathon I have ever done....but there are 50k+ people running it (making the Peachtree the largest 10k in the world). So this year I ran with RS, EM, and RS's friend. We jumped in about .5 miles into the race....after the 3rd corral had passed by. For some reason I always thought that the people that jumped in would go to "Peachtree Jail" or something....so I was always afraid to even entertain the idea of jumping in. Well, it was well worth it!! The whole goal for this race was to see how much I could consume on the race route and have a lot of fun. There are always doughnuts outside of the Big Peach Publix...about a mile into the "official race" (a 1/2 mile into my race). I have never partaken in the doughnuts being afraid I would throw up along the race route.... (besides serious runner don't eat doughnuts during a race, right?!?!....). My biggest "drop the hammer"/sprint moment in the entire race came when I saw ladies holding trays of doughnuts....I booked it up to them. To my surprise - there was even a selection of doughnuts this year (they knew I was coming!). Not to get too crazy (chocolate with sprinkles would have been a little over the top) - I selected a honey dip doughnut (less mess). It took me about a mile to consume the entire doughnut. I wanted to throw it away a couple times, but I didn't want to litter on the route (I live on the route). After I finished the doughnut.. at about mile 3 - I saw a little girl and her family handing out watermelon. I picked up a slice of watermelon and ate most of it. Later on - about mile 4 I had my best race treat - a freezy pop!! It was great!! RS handed me a beer at some point during the race - but I thought that wouldn't mix well with the doughnut so I passed. After the freezy pop - I gave up my food search (well, actually I didn't see anymore food) and focused on running. EM and I ended up leaving RS and her friend behind as they waited for some people on the race route. We continued along the course....and EM ran her longest distance ever. She was awesome!! We crossed the finished line, picked our coveted t-shirts, and headed over for food (as if I hadn't had enough!!). So the Peachtree was very fun!! I had a great time running with friends...and eating - it was a fun event on the 4th.



The Second Six -

Saturday, I woke up early and headed over to meet my running group. Since most of the group ran the Peachtree (and I mean actually ran the Peachtree unlike myself) we had a drop down run of 6 miles. It was a very hilly 6 miles as we ran from Poncey Highlands down to downtown Atlanta. The sidewalks were fine on this run as we headed down to the city. We did see an unusual sight on our run...as we crossed a major intersection heading towards the World of Coke...we saw a bunch of homeless people circling around something....on the way back (it was an out and back run) we passed the group again...the police had arrived and there was a body in a body bag laying on the ground. Not a common sight on a run....even for Atlanta. The run was hard for me....the downhills agitated my knee a little... I feel like I'm starting to get stronger - maybe my IT Band will get back to normal soon!

This week should be fun...I have ballet tonight, tempo run on Tuesday, Thursday track workout, and Saturday a long run. Then next Wednesday I'm heading to Macau/Hong Kong for a little less than two weeks....I will try to get some runs done over there!! Should be interesting. Hope everyone had a great 4th!!

Where the Sidewalk Ends....

The post should be really titled "where the sidewalk is torn up and full of cracks and holes....Atlanta!".

Saturday, I had my 9 mile run. It wasn't as successful of a run as I had hoped - but at least I got the mileage. My knee was sore from physical therapy so I had to walk a bunch. There also was a little diversion off the proposed course (aka I gotta little lost). I also almost tripped a couple times running on Atlanta's beautiful sidewalks. Which brings me to my post title....if there is any danger in my running in the beautiful city of Atlanta - it is not going to be from getting lost and landing in a bad area of town (well maybe), robbers on my route or stray dogs....about 90% of the danger lies in the beautiful sidewalks that line the streets of Atlanta.









I run in some nice neighborhoods that surround Candler Park, Piedmont Park, Lake Clare,Inman Park, etc (note: pictures above are not of those neighborhoods)....and the sidewalks are horrible. Sometimes pieces of the sidewalks are loose and move when your foot hits them. On a run last year a piece of concrete actually flew up in the air and landed on my foot. MH has been known to trip on an unruly sidewalk near Inman Park. I just know that if I don't pay careful attention I'm going to trip at some point and fall completely on my face. Not to mention it does wonders for the IT Band.

But I found help!! Maybe. PEDS!! This little website is a pedestrian advocacy organization where you can report such issues. The website allows you to report broken sidewalks, broken pedestrian symbols, etc. (Now I know where people get those "SLOW" signs that I see on various yards - I used to think they were meant to tell me to slow down my super running speed :)!) Sorry to complain - - - It's just frustrating that such an active running city has such poor surfaces to run on! So on my next run - when I encounter huge cracks, a sidewalk like mountain of cracked concrete, or huge holes...I will write it up on that site and just maybe something will happen.


On another note - ballet was very fun last night! I made friends with the super dressed ballet lady....and by "made friends" I said a hello and asked her how long she had been dancing. I'm starting to appreciate the "properly dressed" ballet participants (we are not yet ballerinas) - it wouldn't be such a great class without them. Last night we didn't have to spot (thank goodness)...but we did a lot of jumps and some serious stretching. After the class, the school offered a free Pilates class. I stayed for the class - and boy was it HARD.... I found my powerhouse....I think...and really tried to work on the movements. The cool thing about Pilates is that its not about how the actions look (like Ballet). It is really about using your muscles and working efficiently even if you can't fully extend in a position. I really had a great time...and I'm going to take a class again soon!

Tonight is my tempo run.....the run that my knee is not a fan of - hoping for the best!!

Back to Physical Therapy...

I started feeling better on Tuesday so I decided to go to my tempo workout. My knee didn't want to go apparently because the moment I changed into my running shorts...my knee started aching. Maybe this is completly in my head...but I swear - it knew before I knew that we just wouldn't be having a good run. We did a 4 mile tempo run and around mile 2 - my knee just didn't feel well. Maybe there had been some kindof iritation from my long run....(I'm sure being sick and skipping ballet didn't help). The run was just yucky.....from the heat...and the knee pain...and the fact that I know I was not hydrated enough...it was not a good run.

Wednesday - I took the day off...and then yesterday I decided to run on the treadmill and use the bike. I also got in a little weights workout which was fun. Running on a mill....is so boring....but it was 92 degrees outside and I wasn't sure how my knee was going to feel.

This am - I headed back to PT....I didn't go at all last week...so I was in dire need. He did the ultrasound therapy and the friction massage....and then gave me the same iontophersis patch thing. Tomorrow I have a 9 mile long run....I'm hoping that everything goes well...and that its just tempo runs that I appear to have problems with. If only I could run them barefoot - that appears to work well for me :)!!

Hope everyone has a good weekend!!

Weekend Wrap Up....

Sorry for the delayed post - I have been feeling a little under the weather. I have been running (except for yesterday where I spent my entire day lying on the sofa, sleeping on and off, and loading up on vitamin C).

Thursday - Intervals were very fun. We did 5 sets of 400 meter repeats w/ 400 meter recoveries. I was able to run them barefoot and my knee felt great. I really like this barefoot running - it appears to be really helping me. I feel like I have more control with my landing and therefore it appears I'm not hurting myself.


Saturday -
I ran 8 miles with my running group leader....albeit a very slow 8 miles - it was still 8 miles. I had a little pain twice...but it appeared to go away - and I stretched and iced after the run. That has been the longest distance that I have been able to run relatively pain free in such a long time. I really feel like I'm starting to get better - I just don't want to over due it.


On a sad note - I had to miss ballet last night because I was sick. I will have to wait another whole week to see what the latest ballet fashion trends are ;)!! Oh and regarding Guitar Hero...still haven't gotten my laptop fixed...but I did get to play on Saturday night at my friend RS's party. I'm still completly addicted..!!

Guess what came via UPS last night....

I skipped going to Spin class last night for this one..... I stalked my concierge's desk for hours until finally he called at 8:15pm (could have totally gone to Spin and came back in this time) to tell me IT had arrived....

IT is Legends...





WAIT FOR IT






WAIT FOR IT**





WAIT FOR IT (as I had to do)


















of Rock!!

AKA Guitar Hero III for my mac!!





Now I would like to tell you that all my waiting ended in a fun night of rocking out to Barracuda...but sadly in the middle of my excitement for it's momentous arrival - I completely forgot that my cd-drive is broken. So alas...there was no Guitar playing for me last night!! I have to make an appointment for the Genius Bar now....I hope to be playing by Friday!!

In running news...I have my interval workout tonight at Piedmont Park!! Should be fun...and I'm looking forward to it.

***sorry for my cheezy HIMYM reference above....love that show....***

Tuesday Tempo & H20 Question

Last night - we met at the gym and did our tempo run. We did a 4 mile total run....3.1 of which was the actual tempo run. I didn't have any knee pain...but I walked the hills. I'm a litter nervous on hills...the downhills are what caused the most pain in my IT Band prior. Now I just need to work to getting back to a normal pace. I wore my asic kayano's instead of my asics that are for motion control...and I really think the extra padding made some difference on my knee....curbed the pounding a tad.



Ok - so here's my H20 question....! My running group leader has us keeping a hydration log. He has us logging our fluid intake by ounces to meet our goal for the day. Our goal is supposed to be 1/2 our body weight plus 32 oz....the 32 is supposed to represent the 2lbs of sweat that we would lose during an hour long workout. Because I weigh between 104-108...going by his plan I'm actually now drinking 80% of my body weight....where as a person in my group who weighs more and then adds the 32 oz may only be drinking 60% or 70% of their body weight. I guess my question is what is the % of my body weight that I should actually be drinking and when would I hit the "too much water-intake" point? How much water is too much water? Thoughts? Also I'm not convinced that I'm losing 2 lbs in sweat....I will have to weigh myself before and after to verify that one...but I believe it's more like 1lb for me.

Catching up: Barefoot Running, Ballet, and the Weekend...

Sorry - haven't posted in awhile.... Thursday, I had an interval workout at Piedmont Park. We did 200 meter repeats with 200 meter recoveries barefoot. It was great...I felt so strong and my feet were really able to connect with the ground and land properly. I still wore my IT Band strap but I felt really good sprinting. Thursday workouts give me a sense that I'm starting to recover from my injury.

Saturday, I was bad and skipped my run...I was a little nervous about running hills so I opted to run on the Silver Comet on Sunday and do my 5 miler there. At this point a 5 mile run is my long run. So Sunday I went to the Silver Comet at around 10:30am and did 5.2 miles....I wasn't in much pain at all (I still feel some discomfort around the knee)...I was just hot. Note for next time - get there earlier...way too humid.

Yesterday - I had ballet. The awesome ballet lady was not there. I was sad....but in her place were three women I have never seen before and they were leotard ed-out. They all had ballet tights and various color leotards on. They looked very prima ballerinaesque. Meanwhile, the rest of the class, much like myself, had black leggings on and tank tops. They were dressed better than my instructor. You have to keep in mind - I'm taking Beginner Ballet....these women were dressed like pros. Too funny....but if it puts them more in the spirit more power to them!! It makes me wonder - should I be getting a leotard too?!?!

Nah!!

I really love ballet - and its great for my leg muscles and stretching. I'm just having one problem with one of the exercises. I can't spot when we do "spotting" drills. Spotting is what dancers and ice skaters do so when they do spins so that they don't get dizzy. You basically stare at a spot and focus and then snap your head very quickly as you turn only to reconnect with that spot. The whole excercise just makes me very dizzy....which is not what's supposed to happen. We have to go across the room in pairs spotting and doing double turns. Each time we do this drill I feel like I'm about to fall over.... The sad thing is - it looks SO EASY. So that's my ballet homework for the week....must work on spotting!!

Tonight I have my tempo run....I'm hoping for a pain free run!! Oh and before I forget - I played Guitar Hero again last night!! Now, that's a workout - I was more tired from GH than from ballet. Free Bird really takes a lot out of you!!

Baby Steps....

Last night, I managed to run 4 miles total...well, I ran the flat surfaces and walked hills....but regardless - I did a total of 4 miles. Yipee!! Baby steps! I have progressed from a painful 1 mile to not so painful 4 miles. Good stuff! I have to take the victories when they come - even if they are small. I'm rebuilding all over again. I must admit this knee pain is very humbling...especially when your group leader gives you a 10 - 15 minute start because he knows you now run at a snails pace. Regardless, I am still proud that I am progressing. (Oh and I ran in the heat!!) After the run - we headed back to the gym and did 100 sit ups....much much easier for me than running :)!

Bright and early this am, I headed to the physical therapist. He did the ultrasound treatment and friction massage on the area. Then he gave me my ion patchy thing and I was out the door. Physical therapy, although completely helpful, is a tad pricey. I think I'm going to either have to find a new bff that's a physical therapist or date one for a couple months!

I was going to head out to spin class tonight, but I'm thinking that getting a massage might be a better idea. So I'm going to my sports massage therapist later today....she's great and has really helped me out in the past. Tomorrow, I have intervals at the track and I'm going to see if I can run barefoot again - that really helped me out and I felt great running.

For now - I'm just happy that I was able to run 4 miles!!

Hotlanta and Ballet

It has been ridiculously hot here...!! Granted, Atlanta is usually pretty hot - I can't remember it being this hot in June. This is not why I moved here!

So I had high hopes for my leg this weekend...however, my leg didn't pull thru as I would have liked. I made it 2.5 miles of my Saturday long run and bailed. I didn't have any sharp shooting pain, it just didn't feel that stable. So I didn't want to chance it and I turned around and ran back to my car. I'm thinking of just doing my long runs by myself for awhile and not with the group. If I run at the Silver Comet...its flat and it won't bother my knee so much. Just a thought.

The rest of my weekend was very fun...I was out and about in the heat. The most exciting part of my weekend came on Saturday night where I got to play Guitar Hero for the first time. Boy, is that fun!! I am hooked!! As a child - I didn't have video games...except the ones that came with my Commodore 64C...(Frogger. One on One with Dr. J and Larry Bird, etc..). It's too bad they didn't have Guitar Hero III then - although I may never have left the house.

Last night - I had ballet. I am really loving ballet.
1. it's inside.
2. it's helping my it band and leg muscles get stronger and stretch.
3. the teacher is great, and
4. I can't wait to see what this women wears to my class!

Last night, the ballet-ed out women was late to class. I was kinda getting sad and worried that she wouldn't show up....but then thank goodness....she arrived. When she arrived, she was all decked out in the pink sports bra, pink leotard, white tights this time (she likes to mix it up I guess) , with a white wrap skirt, but no leg warmers! I was kinda sad that she didn't have the leg warmers on - but thought she had wised up to the 97 degree temperature that was outside the doors. At one point - I was at the bar doing some stretches when I noticed the leg warmers in a clear bag next to her....I used my magical powers...and willed them on her. It worked and she put them on...scrunching them down, of course. I have to give her some credit....the class is an hour and 1/2 and about 45 minutes into it I got really hot. We were doing lots of leg work and I don't think the A/C was really on in the room. I have no idea how she stayed cool with those legwarmers over her tights like that...I would have been flinging them off in no time. Sadly, I didn't get to take her picture because I spent some time talking to my instructor after class. There's always next time!!

Tonight - I have my running group's tempo run....I'm still going to take it easy, but I'm hoping to at least be able to run over 2.5 miles! That's the goal!!

Running....

Creative blog title...! Well, Tuesday's run didn't exactly go as I had planned. I was so excited to try out my knee...and it just didn't work properly for me. We had our two mile pace test - we use this pace to determine our pace for our other runs. It took me 25:33 to run 2 miles. My knee started hurting at the end of mile 1....and I walked the entire second mile. I was very disappointed....how can I run 26.2 if I can't get past 1!!

Wednesday, I took the day off....no spinning, no running...nothing but stretching.

Yesterday, I went to my physical therapist and told him about the pain. He did an ultrasound and a friction massage on me. Then he showed me some new exercises ...and gave me the iontophoresis patch again. I told him that we had a track workout set for the evening and he suggested that I go and see how I felt. It's a crushed gravel track and we were set to do 200 meter repeats + recovery. I did the first three sets very slowly...but my knee was fine. The second two I did barefooted (per J's suggestion) and I felt great...I was even able to sprint. After those five I decided to stop - I was really feeling good about my knee, but I didn't want to push it. I got home from the workout and iced my knee and stretched some more.

I'm really hoping that I will be able to run past two miles this weekend, as I am supposed to run 6. My physical therapist has me coming in next week for another ultrasound and friction massage to try to speed up recovery. I can't even explain the sadness I felt on Tuesday...it would be one thing if I had an injury that I could see...but my knee looks fine on the outside, feels fine when I walk and do other activities...and then all of a sudden it just hits a wall and doesn't work properly. Very frustrating!! I'm hopeful that this weekend will be a different story...and I will be able to take it very slowly and run the entire lsd run without pain!!!!

I'm going to live forever, I'm going to learn how to fly

My first ballet class was last night - and although I would like to tell you it was a scene right out of the show Fame with me running across the room and flying into the air....I would be lying. Picture 15 random women from age 22 - 50 standing around in Lycra pants and various t-shirts and tank tops...trying to learn how to plié . If this breaks it down for you further....I felt like a star pupil...and my skills in ballet are lacking. There were some women who had been in the class for about 20 weeks and then others, much like myself, that had just joined. My favorite person in the class was this women who appeared to be in her late 40's. She had on pale ballet pink from head-to-toe. She had her hair in a bun with a white headband. She was sporting a pink sports bra, pink tights and a matching pink leotard over top. Over all of this pinkness she had a pink wrap ballet skirt around her waist. My favorite feature of her outfit was her pink leg warmers...which were scrunched down. I thought the leg warmers were the most daring piece of her ensemble because outside it was 87 degrees! Oh, I almost forgot she also had on the most important ballet accessory of all....her pink ballet slippers. This women's outfit screamed a combination of....high skill level/I teach a 5-6 year old ballet class down the hall. To my shock - she was just a regular student (not even of the gifted and talented ballet level)...who was not afraid to dress for the occasion.

I don't mean to make fun of her....to be honest - I think I have leg warmer jealousy....(I guess I just wish I could pull that look off and bring out my rainbow brite legwarmers for ballet class!)

she made my class very enjoyable...I actually can't wait to see what she wears next week. The class was very fun....I really worked my calves and feet. I think its going to be a really beneficial addition to my training. My instructor is awesome....Can't wait for next Monday!!

Tonight is my first running group session!! I haven't been to a run with this group in a while since my injury...and everyone is starting at the same mileage level so I'm looking forward to it.

Training begins....

Today is the first day of my training. I have ballet tonight at 7!! Then tomorrow the running group starts! I'm looking forward to a (hopefully) injury free (knock on wood) training.

This weekend was relaxing....didn't do too much. I went and saw SATC on Friday night. Loved it! I thought a couple parts were a little slow, but overall I really loved it. Just reminded me of how much I appreciate my own friends and I don't know what I would do without them! On Saturday - after very little sleep - I went with AF again to the Silver Comet trail. We road 12.4 miles....limited time. I felt very slow, and sluggish the first couple miles - I guess lack of sleep will do that...it was also super hot out. I had to keep questioning how I am going to run in this heat this summer...and how I ran in that type of heat last summer. I still feel like the slowest biker on the planet. I got passed by almost everyone...except an old woman and a guy with his child. I think I'm going to get a little sign to put on the back of my bike that says some variation of "Cyclist in Training" or "Student Biker"...just until I feel a little more secure.

Back from Baltimore...

I felt like I had a whirlwind trip with tons of activities....and I'm completely exhausted! I flew out on Saturday am and got picked up by the ex (I broke up with my boyfriend of 8.5 years in Jan)....we drove to his cousin's graduation party which was very fun! Later that night, I went to B's house and we drove to a bachelorette party...which was VERY interesting (sorry I have no pictures). Sunday am, I woke up and went to Cunningham Falls with AH...we hiked up the falls which wasn't that much of a hike...but the falls were beautiful. Check out the pics...



After the falls - where I learned an important lesson about my new trail running shoes...they dry quickly (I fell in a creek that was high enough to get them wet) - we headed to Frederick to get something to eat and walk around. I lived in Maryland for 20 some years and have never been to Frederick...very cute town, nice shops...I had no idea!

On Monday - I woke up early and went to Centennial Park with my parents. My mom walked one of her dogs (my parents have THREE Scotties) around the lake while my dad attempted to fish. His line got really tangled so he never caught anything...I almost caught a fish that was the size of a crayon!! Regardless of the lack of catch - it was still fun.


After the fishing fun - we went to the Orioles vs Yankees game!! I had such a blast at the game...we beat the Yankees 6-1...we actually almost shut them out, but they got one run in at the top of the 9th inning. It was such a fun game...even being surrounded by Yankees fans! Although - I'm not a Yankees fan AT ALL...I have to say...they are very loyal people! It was fun to beat such loyal people!! I managed only to eat one $5 hot dog at the game, I held myself back - - ...ballpark food always tastes so good!


Now I have to recover from all that running around!! Next week starts my training for the Chicago Marathon!! I am looking forward to that...and resting up this week! Oh and before I forget...this is random - my parents want a wii. I really thought they were joking at first....but apparently it's the rage around the 65 year old crowd! If I can find one...one of my lucky parents may get one for an upcoming birthday!

Off to Baltimore.....

I am off to a fun filled weekend in "the city that reads" (sadly the slogan - I'm sure in other cities people read, Baltimore just likes to advertise it). I have lots of things planned: attending a graduation party, fishing a little with my dad, hiking with a friend, and going to the O's vs. Yankees game on Monday!! Should be fun!!

Oh, before I forget I have a new training plan for June/July:

Monday - Ballet (I signed up for a ballet class for the stretching aspect, and its a great excuse to wear my ballet shoes again!)
Tues - tempo run with the running group
Weds- spin class
Thurs- intervals with the running group
Friday - drink and rest
Saturday - long run with the running group
Sunday - ride my bike

I really hope to keep to this schedule..I think it will really help me with my running and recovery!

Side note:

Happy Birthday to MH!! You don't look a day over 16!!

(this picture was taken last night at her birthday celebration and tiara passing extravaganza!!)

Spinning, McDonalds and Physical Therapy- One of these things does not go with the others..

I went to spin class again last night. I love it! It's such a fun time and as long as I don't change the resistance in the way my instructor would like me to - my knee loves it also!! I'm just having one problem with the spin class - it's making me eat McDonald's afterwards. I have found that there's a direct correlation between spinning and the McDonald's dollar menu! Who would have thought? Granted I have only been to spinning two times - but each time I am pulled by some gravitational force to the McDonald's drive thru window. Weird. I then order a double cheeseburger and small fries (who can beat $2.16). It's not that I live so far away from the gym that I need something for the ride home (I actually live a 1/2 mile away)...it's just that for some reason spinning=mcd's for me. Going forward, I may at least make steps to cut the double cheeseburger ordering out and switch to a cheeseburger (440 calories vs. 300), but I will not give up my small fry! It is about the only time I venture to the golden arches...so it might not be that bad for now!

I went to Physical Therapy at 7am this morning. My therapist had me do a lot of squats with bands, planks, activities with the ball, and some weird airplane exercises where I pretend that I'm an airplane on one foot. Oddly, being an airplane was extremely hard. Since my IT issues started my balance is really off in my right leg. I will have to keep practicing that one! He gave me another ion patch at the end and sent me on my way. I have to do these new exercises for another week and 1/2. Also, he said that I can start running, albeit very short distances. I might wait a few days to try that out!! I was just excited to know that the PT is actually working! He also said to continue with the spinning and cycling (spinning is really great for my pt)....and the mcd's.(he didn't actually say that part - but I can pretend).

Bye Bye #8....

I had such a fun time, on Saturday, riding my bike on the Silver Comet with AF. I was a little uneasy for the first couple of miles due to the amount of people walking their dogs, running, and biking. Good news though - I didn't hit a sole!! There was this one close call with a squirrel who jumped in front of me - but no casualties.

I do need to work on my balance...I can't take my hands off the handlebars just yet. I also have to figure out the gear thing....I played around with that - and I feel like I'm getting better.

I also learned three other important lessons: I need to put sunscreen on and I need to wear sunglasses and put my eye drops in (yes even with a nervousness of eyes - I have to suck it up and put drops in). My eyes are very "wind-sensitive" and I was tearing quite a bit during the ride.

So we ended up riding 20.4 miles....not bad for my 6th or 7th time on a bike. Besides the sunburn that I now have on my shoulder blades I wasn't really sore.

AF was awesome and very encouraging.....and now I am really excited to go riding again!

Oh - and oddly for some reason....I actually matched (gloves, shirt)....which I guess is very important if you have no idea what you are doing!!

Things that make me nervous.....

1. Clowns
(can't even post a picture...too scary!)

2. Disney Characters (mainly the scary ones)


3. People dressed up in costume standing outside gas stations, fast food restaurants, accounting firms during tax season.


4. watching scary movies alone

5. bees (I'm allergic)


6. eyes

7. my feet being touched

8. riding a bike


***not in any particular nervous order!!

This is just an abridged version of things that make me nervous. You are probably thinking that I'm a big wimp - but notice that things like - giving blood, skiing, sailing, driving a car, eating fast food (I'm having problems thinking of better examples) are missing from my little list. The reason I am showing you (as embarrassing as this is) my little list is because you should note item #8....riding a bike!

As my earlier posts have stated - I just bought a bike. I have always wanted to ride a bike (I'm just terrified of falling off of it). As a child - I did ride a bike...I have pictures to prove it, but it was a very small snoopy blue bike...and I didn't ride it that frequently. Oh, and there was that one time at summer camp...but that's about it in my bike riding resume.

This all has led me to today - a 31 year old who now owns a bike she is afraid to ride! Yes, that's me! BAS (who has now fled the country, probably due to my amazing cycling skills) gave me a few lessons. These lessons consisted of him holding the back of the bike and me riding around his neighborhood. I eventually was able to ride without him holding on - but I have only ridden around his hood a couple times. So guess what I'm going to do on Saturday AM?!?!?!?! Go riding!

Scary, scary, scary! I'm going out with my friend AF...who swears that she will be slow (right!). We are headed out to the SC Trail....hopefully in a section that doesn't have too many runners (I'm even more nervous that I will hit someone - my cycling skill set being super low). So wish me luck.....and pray that I stay on the bike the whole time!! Maybe if this works out #8 can be taken off my list!!

and the world spins madly on....

Last night - I participated in my very first spin class!! It was hard, sweaty, and fun all rolled into one. Following DW's advice - - I found a nice bike in the far back left side as to not be in the direct sight line of the instructor. Following all the other advice I was given - - I did not change the resistance too often (thus avoiding IT Band re-injury). I really liked the class - never knew I could sweat that much without knowing it. Although the class was called Spin Funk - there wasn't that much Funk in the class last night - the normal instructor was absent. I look forward to going when he's back. I think I'm going to try to take a spin class once a week until I start running again.

As for the PT - I am diligently doing my exercises. I honestly think it's helping but I wont really know until I get the green light to run again...and the green light better correspond to the first day of my running group which would be June 3rd...then I will have four and 1/2 months until Chicago. I don't think my little heart can take getting injured and not being able to run my first marathon again....so I will still try to go to PT, at least for June.

On other news - I went to see Jon Stewart with DW on Saturday....so funny!! It was really good to be laughing so hard!!

Physical Therapy Session #1

So I went to my first physical therapy appointment yesterday!! I now know that the road to recovery has many different colored bands, lots of ice massages, ion pain patches, loads of stretching, and strengthening my quads. I have various exercises to do with varies colored bands that will isolate certain muscle groups. Apparently - there may be some bio mechanical issues with my knee other than overuse, and lack of stretching. My knee turns in a little...and there were other things the guy said that I can't remember.. The pain ion patch thing was pretty neat...he charged it with a fun gadget for 3 minutes and then I wore it home for 2 hours. I just have to do my exercises every day and my stretches...and visit him in a week and 1/2 - - and I should be able to start running in June!! I hope!!

4 Weeks Off & Country Music 1/2

No running for me for four to six weeks! I went to the doctor today - and they just confirmed what I already knew - IT Band Syndrome. I have to go to PT for a couple weeks and really work on my cross training and stretching. Oh and do yoga once I'm back running.

I did go to Nashville this past weekend for the Country Music Half Marathon. Trying to run wasn't my most brilliant decision - but the medal was very cool!! After a really long ride (we got lost) getting to the finish to take the bus to the start (even though our hotel was about 1 mile from the start) I started in corral 10. My leg started cramping at mile 1.5 - I jumped into a medical station and had them make an it band wrap around my leg. The lady tied it a little too tight and I started losing circulation in my leg. I fixed it and tried to run a very very slow 12 minute mile. I stopped a lot to stretch and walk....but I actually had a pretty good time doing the race, despite the pain. The music was great and the scenery was very cool. Nashville is a very intersting town. By mile 11 I was ready to be done though - my leg hurt, but if I started walking it hurt even more. After the finish - I headed to the med tent for ice....and then walked, what seemed like FOREVER to the gear check to get my cell to call AH. Luckily, I ran into her outside the gear check - where she was waiting for me! She did really well at the race - as did L her friend from her loca running group, MH and DW. They all rocked it!!!

After the race - we explored around our hotel, went to the race concert at the Sommet Center, and rode a mechanical bull!! Normal post-race activities!! Here are some pictures from the weekend!!