Back to school time
Yesterday my sister told me she couldn’t wait for school to start (today) because she was bored and sick of summer.
My sister is popular and in a sorority. I think she is looking forward to seeing all of her friends (and all of that exciting school work, of course!).
But wow. I never looked forward to the start of school and I never got sick of summer. Summer was my freedom. I had a somewhat reliable schedule that I could plan around. I knew when I would get to see Steven (we were in a long-distance relationship for four years). I knew I would get enough sleep. I knew I would feel sane.
College was the opposite*. My schedule meant nothing. Everything was up in the air. I had no stability. Teachers would slam us with ridiculous assignments. I felt like I had no control over my schedule. I felt like I had no free-time, until my (first) senior year.
I felt extremely anxious ALL THE TIME.
So now, when it’s “back to school” time, I think about how lucky I am to work somewhere where I get paid salary and don’t have to work overtime, and have all of my weekends off. My schedule is respected. I am in control – even if me being in control means I still overbook myself.
But that doesn’t mean I am not excited for everyone who is going back! I am. I wish I wouldn’t have let anxiety be such a huge part of my life then.
*I feel it is necessary to mention that I was in the architecture program, which practically requires marrying your projects if you want to be successful. Most students end up spending most of their free time in the studio, getting by on 3 hours of sleep or less for days and days on end. I had to cancel weekend plans a lot because I had so much to do.
Marathon (???) Training Week 10
Welcome to week 10 of marathon training! If you click on the activity link after the dates, it will take you to the Garmin connect website for full stats.
Day 64 | Monday, August 17: Rest Cross-Train
Wow – this must have been a tough workout, because I felt dizzy and weak when I was done!
I ordered a shin brace on Monday night (thanks for the suggestion, Holly!). I am excited to see if that helps.
Bike Time: 30 min | Distance: 8.8 miles
Day 65 | Tuesday, August 18: Run 4 miles Cross-Train
I wanted to run on Tuesday, but figured since my shin was bothering me laying in bed Monday night, and it hurt when I woke up, I better NOT.
I feel really bummed out when my running friends at work ask me how training is going, and I have to tell my sad story. But, telling them at least got me a referral to a doctor a lot of them use at the UIC Sports Medicine Center.
I called my regular doctor asking him for a referral on Tuesday morning, and he said he could give me a name, but all I was going to hear was “rest and physical therapy.” He told me to take two weeks off from running, do low intensity workouts, then come back to running slowly. I asked him if this meant I could still run two times a week… and he kind of said “no.”
He told me there is no reason to see a doctor, because there is nothing there (in your shin) to hurt majorly. Yeah, not sure what he meant about that. BUT, there actually is a small bump in my leg where it hurts. I can feel it when I massage my leg.
So, I hope this UIC guy can give me some pointers (my appointment is 9/3). I don’t expect a miracle.
Elliptical Time: 30 min |Distance: 2.9 miles
Day 66 | Wednesday, August 19: Run 8 miles Rest
Woke up limping. Why?! Why would I be limping?! I haven’t been running!
Day 67 | Thursday, August 20: Run 4 miles Cross-Train
I had a lunch-time run scheduled with Erin, but she had to cancel (She forgot her work computer at home and didn’t realize until she got to the office! So she went home and worked from there). I was sad I didn’t get to see Erin, but it’s probably better that I took another day off from running. It was down to the office gym for the third time this week…
Bike Time: 30 min | Distance: 8.9 miles
Day 68 | Friday, August 21: Rest
Day 69 | Saturday, August 22: Run 17 miles Run 2 miles
I left to run at 11:00 am. It was about 68°F. In August! This is wrong! I keep saying, “Why wasn’t it this cool last Saturday…?”
Anyway, my goal was to run 2 miles. I got out to the park and thought, “Ooo, maybe I can do 3 or 4!” Yeah. I ran 1 mile and walked 1 mile (plus warm-up and cool-down).
During the first .25 miles of my run, my gait was SO OFF. It was like I forgot how to run. It felt unnatural and uncomfortable. I got in to it after the first .25 miles, but my shin started to ache at about .75 miles. So I called it quits at 1 mile. LAME-O. And I probably shouldn’t have even walked a whole mile after that, because my shin was throbbing a bit. I iced it when I got home. I ice it a lot now. I don’t think it does much anymore.
Distance: 2.00 | Time: 26:01 | 1: 9:57 | 2: 16:04
Day 70 | Sunday, August 23: Cross-Train
Steven got my bike ready on Saturday, so I could take my first “real” bike ride on Sunday! And, since my awesome-o car can fit TWO bikes in it, he decided to come with me!
Love my car.
We went back to the Rollins Savanna for an easy 12 miles, which is two times around the path.
I know nothing about biking.
I like this Forest Preserve because it feels like it’s in the middle of nowhere. Once you get on the trail, there are only a few times you see the highway or houses.
We saw four deer together and stopped to take some photos. A man rode by on his bike and said to us, “that’s what it’s all about!” He’s right. Life IS all about enjoying these small things. Life isn’t about worrying about your crappy shin and how you can’t run.
There is a place to stop and look through binoculars over the savanna. We were spying on some people who were letting their dog play in the swamp. The entire lower half of his body was covered in mud!
Later we saw a hot air balloon (you’ll have to click on the image to make it larger).
We enjoyed our bike ride. I still felt like I got somewhat of a workout (I made sure to use a high gear when we were riding so I could feel it in my quads), but had fun while doing it.
My shin brace came on Saturday, so I wore it most of the day, and on our bike ride. It feels good to wear it. It distracts from the pain, but my shin still ached when we were done with our ride.
Bike Time: 1:07:12 | Distance: 11.81 miles
Week Summary:
Thank you to everyone who has been sticking around for the pathetic-ness my “marathon” training has become. I am not even really sure if I can call this “marathon training” anymore. It may become “half-marathon training,” or just, “training.” I did change the name of the category to Running/Training.
I am not terribly upset that I may not be able to run this marathon. If my body wants me to wait, I’ll wait. It’s just that now, I have to decide what to do. Should I try to run the half instead? Not run at all? I don’t really feel like going to Kansas City just to run 13.1 miles. Especially since Steven’s 10-year reunion is about two weeks later and we might go down there for that.
Vegan Saturday III | A review of Food, Inc.
Well, this is QUITE overdue! I started this draft exactly a month ago. Oops.
Anyway, a month ago, we received free passes to see Food Inc., and since we hadn’t gone to the movies in quite some time, we thought it would be fun to go. Of course, I was worried about how graphic the movie would be.
It was a bit graphic. I saw things I didn’t want to see*. BUT, it was nothing I hadn’t seen before. If anything, it was just reinforced my decision to become vegan. However, I don’t think the purpose of the film is to persuade people to become vegan or vegetarian – it is just to get people to THINK about where their food is coming from, and the decisions they are making about what they eat/buy.
After thinking about the movie for some time, I really think one of the major points of it was to expose the greed in the food industry. I really think the desire to cut costs, become more efficient, and make a larger profit has gotten us where we are – cheap and unhealthy food, unsafe conditions for workers, a mostly overweight society, increased foodborne illness and so on. The film was set up with a few small segments around these sorts of topics.
I didn’t think this information was presented in a new or alarming fashion though. Like I said, it was all information I have seen before. BUT, I think that is because this is a topic I take interest in. For someone who doesn’t, this film would probably be shocking.
Either way, I recommend it, for a refresher or eye-opener, whichever applies to you!
*Chicken coops where the chickens NEVER see natural daylight and are forced to become so fat that they can barely walk a few steps. A natural farmer killing chickens by putting them upside down in a cone-like contraption with an opening in the end then pulling them through the opening and break their necks while they scream and the other chickens watch in crates nearby awaiting their fate
Friday Question #76
What is your favorite (cold) cereal?
You know, the one you could just eat bowls and bowls of*?
I really like Barbara’s Bakery Shredded Oats. They are simple, crunchy little oat nuggets. I like to let them soak in the soy milk just a little bit, then bite into them when they are half crunchy/half soggy. Nom Nom Nom!
The unfortunate thing about this cereal is that it is EXPENSIVE, and somewhat hard to find. They used to sell it at Target, and would have it on sale from time to time… but you know how our Target is. They took it away.
Now I usually get it from my Grandma, who buys it in bulk through a co-op. I don’t think it is that much more cost effective for her, but it is for me – she gives it to me for free**! Too bad I only see her a few times a year.
*I apologize for ending a sentence in a preposition. Sometimes, I don’t know how to get away from it.
**I keep trying to pay her for it, but you know how grandmas are…
Exercise is addicting? Nah…
How ironic that this story came on the news yesterday while I was working out in the gym*:
Exercise fanatics ‘suffer withdrawal like drug addicts’
Check out this paragraph:
They reported: “Although exercise is good for your health, extreme exercise may be physically addictive. Excessive running shares similarities with drug-taking behaviour. As with food intake and other parts of life, moderation seems to be the key. “Exercise, as long as it doesn’t interfere with other aspects of one’s life, is a good thing with respect to both physical and mental health.”
The news story I saw talked about how they are not sure if this is true, because it has only been tested on rats**, not humans. Uh, yeah. I am pretty sure this is true, based on experience. What do you think?
[poll id=”4″]
The last time I saw my therapist, she told me to come up with a few things I could do instead of run, while my shin heals. I still haven’t come up with anything. Sleep in? That isn’t really a hobby.
I was thinking about biking. That involves (Steven) getting my bike ready and purchasing a helmet. I do have a giftcard to Dick’s Sporting Goods…
*A few months ago, I was working out on treadmill and a news story came out about the dangers of the treadmill. I think it was after someone famous’s daughter died from a treadmill?
**Which I do not support.
How to make your cat jealous
Data’s been a bit of a sh*tbox lately. He normally likes to “hide” behind things in the evening, and jump up at our legs playfully when we walk by, then run away. But lately, his attacks have been vicious. On Sunday morning, he jumped up on me and bit me in the thigh. When I was standing up! He left a mark.
I think he is stressed because he hasn’t had enough alone/free-time (hey, that is why I’ve been in a funk too!). But seriously, he needs to get over it (and so do I).
On Sunday, on our way to run some errands, we stopped at the animal shelter near our house. I had never been to the shelter before, but thought playing with some nice, grateful, cats for awhile would cheer me up!
Surprisingly, seeing all of the cats (over 300!) didn’t make me feel bad. They were all playing together, and a lot of people were there playing with them. What made me feel sad was seeing the dogs, alone in their kennels, begging for attention.
Anyway, one of the small tiger cats really liked me. She kept trying to crawl onto me, and play with me, and steal all of my attention.
My new friend.
Some of her fur was still on me when I got home, and I think someone noticed. Maybe Data was a bit jealous… but he was really well behaved for the rest of the day! That is, until nighttime came and he wanted to jump up on me again.
So, all I need to do to get a little lovin’ from him is spend time at the shelter everyday. Riiiiiiiiiiiiight.
Just for fun, here are some photos of the sh*tbox from this summer:
6/26 – Thinking “what have they done?!?!”
6/26 – “Who the hell is this guy?!”
6/28 – Sharpening his “claws.”
6/26 – Scandalous!
7/11 – Think he’s comfortable?
7/11 – Vacuum Kitty!
7/12 – Showing us a new way to lay on the couch.
7/15 – Sleeping on a large pile of dirty laundry (we had 6 men stay over!).
7/17 – Data is not a big fan of Rock Band.
7/21 – Playing with a ribbon from Gina.
8/9 – Steven holds Data back from bothering me so I can sleep awhile longer.
8/14 – Relaxing in the sun.
Still a bit quiet here
Thanks for being patient with me while I work through this funk.
I wanted to come up with something fresh to say, but the only things I can think of are inappropriate* – they’re not my story to tell, they’re work-related, they’re a rant about certain people, or they’re just too negative in general (you know, how Steven and I had to ask two separate neighbors on two separate occasions this weekend to be quiet at night because we could hear them in our bedroom).
Ironically, NOT talking about things with people is what got me in a funk in the first place. I think my immediate reaction when I have an issue is to talk it out with someone**. But when I can’t do that, I feel shut down and restricted, and consequently, stop talking about other things that are bothering me as well.
I don’t know why I have such a self-destructive nature, and I hate that I have to fight it. But, I take reassurance in knowing that this must be common. We all have our vices and bad habits that we are trying to break. It’s just important to know which to work on, and which are just quirks.
*Ah, one of those days you wish you had a private blog!
**Obviously. Aren’t a majority of bloggers like this?
Marathon Training Week 9 | 5K numero quattro: Rally for Autism 5K
Welcome to week 9 of marathon training! If you click on the activity link after the dates, it will take you to the Garmin connect website for full stats.
Day 57 | Monday, August 10: Rest
I spent Monday pondering whether I wanted to move down to Novice 1 Training or Novice 2 Training. I eventually choose Novice 2, because it had shorter mid-week runs, but in the meantime, I am NOT going to run pace runs until my leg feels better.
Funny side note – a woman saw my print-out of the two programs when she was walking by me to get off the train and said, “Oh! I’ve done those programs a few times!” I should have asked which she recommended!
Day 58 | Tuesday, August 11: Cross-Train
I went to the office gym during lunch and used the elliptical. I kind of worked up a sweat, but didn’t feel like I got much out of it. It just seems so… easy. Of course, I couldn’t pedal (?) backwards because that hurt my shin.
Elliptical Time: 30 mins | Distance: 2.59 miles
Day 59 | Wednesday, August 12: Run 4 miles Rest
I decided to give my shin one more day of rest, which eventually turned into two. I’ve had some pain in my left heal (which started last week, and feels like plantar fasciitis), and it was bothering me on Wednesday. Body, why do you fight me so?
Day 60 | Thursday, August 13: Run 7 miles Rest
While waiting to get off the train, a stranger (who rides the same train to the same stop with me every night) asked how my leg was doing – he noticed my limp last week. He said, “First your arm, now your leg!” I told him my story, and it turns out he is a runner as well. He has run the Chicago Marathon, and ran track in college. He said he has to run shorter distances now, since he has kids, but is signed up for the same 5K I am doing on 9/13. I have a feeling this guy is fast. He also gave me some tips on how to stretch out my shin.
I probably could have run on Thursday, but I got a headache, then I got cranky and… I also felt afraid of what would happen during my run. I was afraid it would hurt a lot and I would have to take more time off, and not be able to run the 5K on Saturday. I guess I wanted to spend one more night in ignorance.
Day 61 | Friday, August 14: Rest Run 4 miles
I decided to try a “new to me” forest preserve – the Rollins Savanna – for my first attempted run. It has a 5.5 mile crushed granite loop on a mostly flat trail. I figured the crushed granite would be better for my crappy shin.
Steven came with me, and walked with me during my warm-up walk, then worked on his computer while I ran.
This was my first run with my new shoes, and I am making SURE to keep track of the mileage I put on them! My left shin and foot felt okay while I was running. There was no sharp pain, but running didn’t feel as easy as it usually does for me – as you can probably tell from my splits! It was really stinking hot on this trail. There was hardly any shade, and I was running around 9:30 am, with no clouds. I felt pretty blah the whole time. But, I liked the new trail and will probably go back.
This run made me realize that I am going to have to add a big chunk of time onto my race pace, and probably all of my training runs, until the weather gets cooler/I heal 100%/I lose 20 pounds.
Look mom, a REAL butterfly, NOT a made-up one!
I iced my shin for 30 minutes or so when I got home, and did a little prayer to the shin gods that it would feel great for Saturday’s 5K!
Distance: 4.00 | Time: 41:10 | 1: 9:43 | 2: 10:18 | 3: 10:22 | 4: 10:45
Day 62 | Saturday, August 15: Run 11 miles Rally for Autism 5K
This 5K totally kicked my butt. BUT, I still had fun, because I got to run it with Erin!
The race started at 9:00. (Side Note: Why would have you a race start at 9:00, in August? Wouldn’t you want it to start earlier, so the racers don’t fry in the sun? You would think… but hey, I picked this race, so I should have known what we were getting in to!) We did a little warm-up jog about 15 minutes before the race started. It felt pretty good, but I was already glistening in sweat when we got back to the start-line. Since it was so hot, and the course was completely open to the sun, we decided to aim for our first mile at 8:40. And hey – we pretty much did that!
But the heat caught up to us. It must have been about 85°, and it was intense. I felt pretty crappy, and I think Erin must have too. We decided to slow it down, but that wasn’t really enough, so we stopped and sped-walked once before the second mile, and twice after that! I am happy we slowed down, because I was struggling with the heat.
We finished with a decent time – 28:20, and placed 7th and 8th in our age group*, out of 41 – but it definitely wasn’t the race we thought it was going to be! We will have to save our 26:00 5K for sometime when it’s not so hot. And we’ll have to do it somewhere close to where Erin lives, since she was a trooper to drive all the way out to this race which was closer to my house.
Erin found that extra enthusiasm at the finish! Gotta love her!
Right after the finish line, they had people spraying down the runners with water. We both went for that… then immediately looked for some shade! I iced my leg for a bit, and we hung around for the awards (which were kind of pointless to listen to, because they weren’t giving the times – some sort of computer issue/human incompetency).
Some post-race shade.
We went out to brunch afterward with our cheerleaders/photographers/husbands. It was fun to chat with Erin and her husband, Jason! I hope the four of us can get together again soon!
Distance: 3.10 | Time: 28:41 | 1: 8:23 | 2: 9:11 | 3: 10:06 | 4: 00:59
* If I would have run this race two weeks ago, when I was 24, I would have placed first in that age group! Ha ha.
Day 63 | Sunday, August 16: Cross-Train Umm…
My plan was to run 11 miles. Then after arguing discussing it with Steven, he convinced me to run 3-4, see how I felt, then decide whether or not to keep going. So, I got to the park, started walking and… my shin hurt so much while walking that I decided running shouldn’t even be in the picture. Major FAIL. I just got in my car and drove back home. And iced my shin when I got home, of course.
Week Summary: 8 Miles
Originally, I thought it was no big deal that I had to take off about 2 weeks for my shin to heal, because I am only now halfway through this 18-week training program, and figured the remaining 9 weeks would be smooth sailing.
I don’t think so. I don’t think my body wants me to be a runner right now.
I am not sure if there is a logistical, safe way for me to catch up with any training program since I am running so infrequently right now. I am seriously doubtful that I will be able to run this marathon in October, but I am going to see what my body will let me do.
Marathon Training Week 8
Welcome to week 8 of marathon training! If you click on the one activity link after the date, it will take you to the Garmin connect website for full stats.
Day 50 | Monday, August 3: Cross-train Rest
Yeah. I brought my gym bag to work, but since I was limping everywhere, I decided NOT to cross-train. Even though I wanted to.
Day 51 | Tuesday, August 4: Run 4 miles
This was my first run with Erin in what felt like FOREVER! I was super excited to run with her again. Unfortunately, I was a pretty lame running buddy. My shin felt somewhat better, but I still felt like a slow slug. We cut it short at about 3.85 miles. I hope we get a better run in together before our 5K on the 15th! Our goal is to run 8:20s and finish in under 26:00. Think we can do it?!
I noticed on Monday that the pain in my shin is starting to affect other parts of my body, like my left calf and right quad, since I am limping a lot. So… I decided to take Wednesday and Thursday off.
Distance: 3.85 | Time: 36:56 | 1: 9:22 | 2: 9:19 | 3: 9:56 | 4: 8:18
Day 52 | Wednesday, August 5: Run 7 miles Rest
Day 53 | Thursday, August 6: Run 4 miles Rest
Erin and I volunteered for PAWS at the Elvis is Alive 5K on Thursday. PAWS had us get there pretty early, so there was a lot of standing around before we finally set up the water tables and the race started. But that was okay, because it gave me a chance to chat with Erin (Okay, I was bitching a bit. Sorry Erin!).
It was fun to be on the other side of the aide station for once! I enjoyed watching the runners come in, and trying to hand them water (my coordination isn’t that good). A few of the people were wearing funny Elvis costumes and doing impressions.
I was surprised how quickly the race went by! It seemed like once the masses came in (after the super-speedy runners) it was non stop action. I really enjoyed volunteering and hope to again.
Yeah, this report is LAME. Check out Erin’s much more thorough (and entertaining report) here.
Day 54 | Friday, August 7: Rest
I picked up my new Brook Adrenalines on Friday. I ended up with blue, instead of red, but I still think they’re pretty.
I compared the tread on my old Adrenalines to my new ones… yeah., they were well past their prime. If you look at the picture below (and click on it to enlarge) you can see there is almost no tread left on the old pair on the right (especially in the two areas circled in white). Oops.
If I start running regularly again soon, I am going to by another pair and alternate between pair each time I run.
Day 55 | Saturday, August 8: Run 7 miles Cross-Train?
I tried to do Kenpo X (from the P90X series) with Steven – sort of a mixture of martial arts arm and leg moves. I did about half of it, because I struggled with balancing on my left leg and twisting it (and you know, I can’t do a lot with my right arm, because I am still recovering from that injury).
Day 56 | Sunday, August 9: Run 15 miles
I wanted to run my 15 miles, but since I was still limping around a bit on Saturday, I passed (okay, Steven told me that if I ran on Sunday I couldn’t whine to him about my leg all week because he didn’t think I should run, so I didn’t). I woke up Sunday only limping a bit, so I am taking that as a good sign.
Week Summary: 37 Almost 4 Miles
I am extremely frustrated with my body this week. Obviously.
I am thinking of switching to one of the novice level training programs if my shin doesn’t get better. Then I would only run 4 days a week, instead of 5. Maybe I would even have to cut that back to 3, and do some more cross-training. Lame.
I’ve been reading up on what to do about my shin. Everything I read says to “quit running then build mileage back up slowly.” Does anyone know if they mean building weekly mileage up slowly, or building per-run mileage up slowly? What I am asking is if I can still do my long runs, but run less that week overall, or if I need to only do short distance runs.
Eyes on my lunch
I am temporarily leaving my foggy/quiet state of mind to tell you that there has been a surveillance camera permanently installed my office’s break room.
To find out who is stealing people’s lunches.
I am serious.
Does anyone else find this hilarious?
Surprisingly, I have not yet been a victim. No one seems interested in my veggie sticks, hummus, and vegan hot dogs!
Hi! I’m Kim, a 40-something-year-old living in northeastern Illinois with my husband Steven, and our cats, Khaleesi, Apollo, Starbuck, and Eddard aka Ned. My current main hobbies are running, painting rocks, flying, reading, and eating. I follow a vegan lifestyle and work in an account management role. I write about a variety of topics and consider this a “life” blog – a place I can share anything that’s on my mind. Please visit the “About” page to get a better idea of who I am! 🙂
