Woo! I can finally get back to putting my workouts for the week on paper (or computer screen, whatever)... and while the runs are still super short, they're still runs!
Tuesday: Pushup Challenge - 12, 17, 13, 13, max (at least 17), stretching, wall sits, and core work.
Wednesday: Run 8-10 minutes. PT appointment.
Thursday: Pushup Challenge - 14, 19, 14, 14, max (at least 19), stretching, wall sits, core work. PT appointment.
Friday: Run (whatever PT tells me, but hoping for 15-20 minutes)
Saturday: Pushup challenge - 16, 21, 15, 15, max (at least 21)
I know, I know, not super exciting... I can't wait til I can detail my fun track workouts and fartleks and tempos.. oh my!
Oh! Important news on the ankle recovery front. My PT got to the bottom of why I'm having so many issues... and drumroll please... it's because of my C-section. Weird right? I'll tell you all about it later. I'm sure you'll be waiting on the edge of your seat. ha.
#2... I am RUNNING!!! I can run every other day for 8-10 minutes.... (but I might, might, go a little bit longer today because Thursday's run felt so so good. I cannot even describe the bliss I feel while running after this god-awful hiatus. Even coming back after six months of not running during my pregnancy wasn't this good... well, that probably had something to do with the 30 extra pounds, the c-section and my huge milk bags... but the point is... this is AWESOME!!!!
I, being the awesome wifey that I am, am letting my husband sleep in this morning. Kids woke up at 6 am sharp, and now it's 8 am, they've eaten breakfast and are playing sweetly in the basement. As soon as hubs stumbles outta bed... I'm outta here!
I feel like I've done you all a great disservice by my recent lack of pictures of my kids... they are so handsome, I'm pretty sure you can't have a bad day after looking at them:
Two babies + One swing = Most fun thing ever.
We don't call him Alex Monster for nothing.
No-lo playing shy.
This is the look I get whenever I catch Nolan being naughty.
Alex lovin the swing.
OK... I hope you all have a super awesome Saturday! I'll be back later to let you know how my run went.
OH!! Rachel ran a race yesterday and took over two minutes off her 5k PR. This is only a few weeks after getting a ridiculous PR at the Green Bay Half Marathon... she is on fire! Go tell her what a rockstar she is.
Ahh. I don't like the first question of this survey! I am a sucky sucky cross-trainer...
What is your favorite song to run to?
Hmmm... I would say Dave Matthews Band "Two Step" off of one of the live albums because the song is like 20 minutes long... and anytime I can run more than two miles to one song... it's a winner! Also, Eminem "Til I Collapse"... nothing like a weird white girl jamming rapping while huffing and puffing. I know, I am pretty cool.
What brand of shoes do you wear? Brooks GTS 11. Purple Gorgeousness. Oh! And I forgot to tell you guys - I do not have to give them up!
My trusty visor.
Do you wear a hat when you run? I do! I love my white Brooks hat, and also this light blue visor I scored at the Chicago R 'n R expo last year.
What temperature is your favorite for running? 55 degrees please. But, since I live in Wisconsin, it seems like it's always 30 and windy or 80 and about to thunderhail.. Do you have any big races coming up?
August 14 - Chicago Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon September 18 - Fox Cities Marathon Are you a morning, noon or evening runner? I am trying to be a morning runner because it works best with my schedule, but ideally I would be a nooner.. Do you run solo or with a buddy? Usually all by my lonesome, but sometimes with my sweet kiddos in the BOB... I am lucky enough to get to do my long runs with a buddy every so often.. What's your favorite post run snack?
Vanilla almond milk with whey protein. Mmmmmmm.What's your FAVORITE race?Chicago Rock n Roll Half Marathon!!! I ran the inaugural one, and I hope to be one of the crazy shriveled up ladies in fifty years who has run all of them. What is your favorite distance? 13.1 all the way! Love, love, love running half marathons.
What is your least favorite race?
Oh, it's gotta be the Sunset Run 5k in Kimberly, WI. It's a hot, double loop with a big hill.. It's just brutal. Shirts were also really boring... but I tie-dyed mine and now it's purdy!
Who is your running idol?
All the mamas I know who run through pregnancies and nursing months... that is the definition of bad ass.
How long have you been a runner?
About 4-5 years.
Do you run with your engagement/wedding ring on?
I do! I never take it off.
What's your favorite workout? repeats? long runs? tempo? fartleks?
Long runs. Tempos. Track Ladders. Fartleks. HILLS!!!! Really, anything sounds amazing right now because I've run 10 minutes in the last six weeks. (dumb ankle)
What race is your favorite medal from?Hmmmm... I really love the Oshkosh Half medal this year... because it was such a funny race. Read all about it here.
Do you wear a Garmin? If not, how do you track your runs?I use it on my long runs for distance... but I don't wear it during races or shorter runs usually. Not in love with the 405... trying to bait my friend into buyng mine so I can downgrade to the 305.
That's what I said when I took the ice pack off of my stupid ankle.
You know how whenever you read something about injury recovery/prevention, and they always recommend icing? You know how there's always that warning "be careful to not injure your skin with the cold"?
Well, I've always thought, what kind of dumbass hurts themselves with an ice pack? Well, that's me. I'm the dumbass.
I'm the dumbass.
Yeah, so when I was a kid, I always thought I was getting frostbite... you know, where your toes or face or whatever are all numb and white and stuff. Apparently, that was not frost bite.
This is frostbite:
Note the weird grayish patch of skin on my ankle bone. Ugh.
Today I have absolutely no feeling in the skin over the bone on my ankle, and it's very swollen. The skin is like the skin on top of a blister - all super soft and terrifyingly fragile.
Son of a bitch, my Physical Therapist already gave me a hard time for all of the bruises on my shins, and also when I dropped a TV stand on my ankle right before my second appointment.
I hope if any of you are feeling down on yourselves today... you can go look in the mirror and say "At least I'm not the dumbass who hurt herself with an ice pack."
Happy, happy Friday. Good thing it's the end of the world tomorrow.
I had Physical Therapy last night, and I feel like we're making some progress on this tendonitis. I told him I needed to run the Fox Cities Marathon in the fall... and he told me I was addicted to running like a crackhead is addicted to crack.... and then after I told him all about the race this past weekend, he said I was more like a crack dealer, because I get all my friends addicted too... ha.
I still don't know when I'm going to be able to run, but he has me on the elliptical for 25 minutes 3 times/week... so I hope we're getting close. I've really been trying to stay away from Dr. Google... because, well, it can be terrifying. I learned that lesson back when I was told I had monoamniotic twins (later found out they were diamniotic)... man, you do not want to google that phrase when you're pregnant... a lot of places will tell you the survival rate of these twins is about 50%. Thankfully, the survival rate is much higher now... anyway, I digress.
The other day, I had an awful day.... Woke up groggy a half an hour after my alarm was supposed to go off... sped to the gym... ran inside... only to find I had locked my damn keys in my car. Ugh. My momma was nice enough to come bail me out... but it set the tone for the day. Took the kids to the grocery store, and for the first time ever they screamed like madmen.. the whole time. I was totally one of those moms. It was weird too how I totally didn't even feel embarassed like I had imagined I would. People were looking at me like I was nutso though when I made up a song about my "Screamy McScreamerpants". Ah well.
Luckily, my day took an awesome turn when I got home:
Don't judge me for the big mounds of trash and micellaneous crap piled on the side of the garage. In our defense, we are renovating the garage... and you totally can't see that side from the road.
Haha. Oh, and if you don't want to watch the video, it's a groundhog. And it's super cute. In fact, just skip to like 1:25 to see the cutest groundhog face ever. I'll admit, I was a little scared when he backed out of the hole, because maybe I was encountering a particularly vicious breed of groundhog... which is why I felt the need to talk him down like a crazy weilding a gun "...be cool, dude..."
And now!
When I wake up to the peaceful sound of rain falling on the roof, but when I go to open my patio door to feel the fresh air on my face, I get a big lungful of that awful worm-smell. Ugh. I hate worm-smell.
I know guys, I too can't wait til I can go back about writing about running.. thanks for sticking around.. :)
Seriously, I suck at it, and I never knew I sucked at it. And it sucks finding out new things I suck at, because I already suck at enough stuff.
I took video of four of the five of my runner buds crossing the finish line (Mattie was just too speedy for me to capture apparently). Not only does the whole screen bounce around the whole time because I didn't realize jumping up and down while recording wasn't a great idea, but my commentary and weird screaming is a little disturbing.
I also took a video of Rachel at 10 miles, and while there isn't as much jumping, and I managed to keep her in the frame for the whole ten seconds, it's way worse...
I debated whether to put this video on here, because it's weird and a little creepy and even a little inappropriate, but then I thought it was only fair that you all get a glimpse of the real me. And, I've watched it like 6 times today, and it makes me laugh every time... mostly because of the weird frantic way I asked Rachel how she was doing, and also the seriously dirty laugh I throw out there in the end.
But in the end, I decided to post it because Rachel has taken about 14 minutes off her PR in two races... she is incredible, and has just really started hitting her stride (when in doubt, go with the pun) this season. So proud of her. So go to her blog, and tell her how awesome she is, and how sorry you are that she has to put up with me.
And if you don't want to come read my blog anymore, I understand.
And hey, if you don't want to hear my shrill 7 year old girl voice, watch it with the sound off and check out Rachel in the pink rufflebums!
All of our runners finished - and EVERYONE got a new PR!!! It was SO windy... and everyone toughed through.. and I may have cried more than a few times on the course.
Nikki, Rachel, Mattie, Alicia, and Joan (my momma!!) at La-la-la-LAMBEAU!!!
Rachel and I made awesome signs for everyone... here they are:
The name of our crew: "A Bunch of Sexy Ladies (and Matt)"
Rachel's rufflebum panties are the key to success... so glad I could add some pink striped socks to her ensemble.
Woo Hoo!! Momma did GREAT!
Ummm.. This is a long story.. and likely offensive... are you sure you to hear it?
OK, so we were all at a race a few years ago, and a spectator is standing by a church with a shirt that reads... oh wait. Nope, I googled it and I guess this is an actual shirt you can buy, so here it is:
Ha, I can't believe I found that picture. Anyway, so instead of calling Matt that not-so-work-friendly word whenever he whined about something, I'd just tell him to not be someone Jesus hates. Worked like a charm. Well, Mattie signed up for his first half marathon, and I knew if he finished it, he wouldn't be someone Jesus hates anymore.. Thus the sign.
OK, back to the nice signs.
Nikki's getting married in a few weeks, so we made this one for her fiance to hold up!
And, Alicia is getting married to my brother next year, so we may have saved a little ink and energy and doubled up the signage... sue me.
It was a wonderful day, and I cheered my heart out. And I didn't even get sad about not running until it was all over. And then I got very sad. :( But, I had a talk with the tendon, and I'm pretty sure he's ready to start behaving.
I'm uploading all of the video I took during the race... check back tomorrow!
Oh! And special shout-out to AMY!!!! I looked for you... did not see you... but I totally stalked your race results because I'm creepy. Well, let me be honest. I signed up for the text message tracking for your bib, because I'm realllly creepy. Thought you should know that about me. Anyway, you did SO WELL!!! WOOOOO!!! Hope you're out cocktailing it up girlie, you deserve it. :)
Rachel's coming up tonight and our whole running group is going out to dinner at an Italian restaurant, and then tomorrow we're going to hang out with my kiddos, and check out the expo. Very excited to spend time with my buds.
Since I can't run, I've decided I am going to be the world's best spectator. After PT today, I'm going to go get supplies to make some signs... here are some ideas I'm tossing around:
"Your feet hurt because you are kicking so much ass!"
"Getting up early to make this sign wasn't easy either."
"Your Medal is Waiting."
"Hurry up, my arms are getting tired."
Here is one I will not be making, mostly because I really don't want any of my runners to crap themselves because they're all riding in my sweet mini-van.
OK, so help me out... what do YOU want to see 10 miles into a half marathon? Picture yourself struggling.. still three miles left, and then you see a sign... and it says.... "_______"
Went to the physical therapist yesterday, and I have to say... it was great. This guy is awesome - ran Boston last year, super athlete, and totally understands my desperation to get back to running.
He did lots of balance, flexibility, and gait tests, and spent almost two hours poking around my leg. Turns out I have posterior tibial tendonitis. So basically I have a ton of exercises, soft tissue manipulation, and icing to do during the next four to six weeks. I'll be going to PT twice a week as well... and no running at all till the end of June-ish.
It sucks that I'll be out for so long, and I'm worried about all of the fitness that's slipping away... but I'm super happy to have a diagnosis and be on the road to recovery.
And hey!! It's Thursday!
You know what that means...
I hate the sudden, gripping fear you get when you log into Facebook and see that someone has tagged a photo of you... and you have absolutely no idea what it might be.
I think this especially applies to runners, see previous post on Race Photos.
Oh yeah, that's me all gaspy and uncoordinated rockin the headband. This is par for the course for running photos for me. Thanks to my future sister-in-law for putting this gem on the world wide web. :)
Hey guys, back after my long hiatus from the blog...
Had an awesome Mother's Day... we had a cook out at my mom's house. We had chicken, steak, and veggie kebabs, quinoa pilaf, fresh cantaloupe... and a delicious triple layer tiramisu cake. mmmmmm.
In honor of all of that delicious grub, I have a food-themed TTCT for you today....
1) Nick and I one of those weird disaster-prepared couples... and I am a bargain hunter. Consequently, we have a well stocked pantry. A REALLY well stocked pantry. Some call it prepared, some call it hoarding....
Yeah, so what if I have five things of fabric softener?
2) I used to hoard candy. Seriously, ask my mom. I used to collect Halloween/Easter/clearance candy in one of those heavy-duty paper boxes and keep it in my closet. I never ate any of the candy, but I liked to have a lot of it. Just in case.
3) This one's embarrassing. I found this last week in the pantry:
Yes, that's a basket of potatoes that has sprouted 16" long tentacles... the worst part is, I go in the pantry every single day. How did I miss this?
Well, I'm going to physical therapy for the leg issue, and am going to sit out this weekend at the half marathon.... but I'll get to cheer on Rachel, and all of the first time half marathoners in our group: my future sister-in-law Alicia, my former coworkers Mattie and Nikki, and my MOMMA!!!
My mom is awesome. She is 58 (err.. I mean 35) years old, and just started running in December. She's followed a training program and just did a TEN MILER the weekend before last. Seriously, I am going to cry every time I see her run by me during the race on Sunday. She's great.
Tonight, to celebrate cinco de Mayo, I'm going on a date with my hot husband to a Japanese restaurant.... I haven't had sushi since before I got pregnant... and I am totally ready for some shrimp tossing and fire shooting onion volcanoes. Mmmmm. I love hibachi dining.
Plus, Nick and I haven't been on a date in months... and we need it! I'm even going to put on make-up and curl my hair - can you believe it? :) I totally promised myself I wouldn't turn into one of those schlubby stay at home moms... and I didn't. Not exactly. I think I just started off kind of schlubby.
OK, time for a special double edition of Things I Hate Thursdays! Why double, you ask? Well, I've been so crabby without my running, that I'm thinking of about a dozen things a day that piss me off. So I'd better start doubling up or I'll be old and gray before I get through my whole list. Without further delay....
Iten #1 - When you have twins, people seriously say the stupidest things to you. Here's an example of one conversation I had when I brought my kids to the grocery store. Totally unsolicited, this guy walks up to the stroller, peers in....
Stupid Man: Oh, twins?
Me: Yep, they are.
Stupid Man: Are they identical?
Me: Yep, they are.
Stupid Man: Then why do you have them dressed differently?
Me: Well, they are two separate people.
Stupid Man: Well, they're not really.
Seriously.
Item #2. FALSE ADVERTISING. This just happened this morning, and I'm too mad to even write anything about it. Plus, the picture says it all.
The TINIEST cookie in the world.
Anyway... tell me something that pissed you off this week! Communal complaining is cleansing for the soul. :)
ha. That's a little something I've been working on with Amy Winehouse... no big deal.
My foam roller and I have become best buds... so much so that my kiddos now want to get in on the action. They start on one side and roll on their bellies until their faces smash into the ground. They love it.
Try not to be jealous of my hot starry pj pants.
Here we come!
Going for a little walk/run here soon... first time in 17 days! Pretty pumped, especially since it's supposed to be sixty degrees and sunny... finally!!
I'm feeling better still today.. and am going to try to get the kids out for a walk... hopefully that will lead into a run tomorrow. I've decided I'm going to do an eight miler this week or weekend, and if I can do that easily, I'm still on for the half. And if not, that's cool too. (see? I have a new attitude! I am pretty sure this will fix my shin.... :))
OK! So, on to the confessions....
One of my most dearest wishes is that when they have to put you under anesthesia for something (in my case, impending wisdom tooth removal), they could just take care of all of the other painful things you've been putting off. What's that, you want to fill that cavity? OK! Hey, why don't you take care of that skin tag too (nobody tells you about THOSE before you get pregnant!). And oh, you know, I could really use a bikini wax too. Great. Thanks.
I buy too many shampoos and conditioners... and then I use about a quarter of the bottle and into the cabinet it goes. Seriously, I have an entire cabinet dedicated to fallen hair products. But I'm too cheap/ environmentally guilty/ all-around guilty to throw them away, so every once in a while I bite the bullet and use up all the old stuff that I hated. This is my least favorite time of the year.
Something awesome you may not know about me - I make the perfect smoothie. Every time. Not only are they incredibly delicious and nutritious, I don't measure anything, yet somehow when I pour them out, they always come right up to the top of the glass, with no extra. I think Guinness World Records will be very interested to hear this.
OK, tell me something interesting about you!
Also, tell me what kind of shampoo and conditioner is the very best so I can stop buying crappy stuff!
Well, let me tell you about this weekend... I was supposed to go down to Madison for a wild weekend of long runs, bachelorette party, and best friend bonding... but on Friday night, I awoke to some rumblings in my belly. I'll spare you all of the graphic details, but I spent the whole night on Friday lying on my bathroom floor (which looks a lot dirtier up close, by the way) moaning and crying for my Mommy.
I don't know if was food poisoning or a stomach bug, but I haven't been able to eat anything other than a few pretzels and a banana since I got sick... but I am super ready to be feeling back to normal, so I made myself a nutrient-packed super smoothie this morning:
This bad boy has frozen bananas, frozen blueberries, spinach, chia seeds (yes, I might be jumping on the bandwagon, more on that later), whey protein, and almond milk. I expect to sprout some giant forearms a la Popeye in the next fifteen minutes or so. I'll let you know how that goes.
So, I was pretty bummed out this weekend, but let me tell you my big grown-up revelation I had. With my face smooshed against the bathroom floor praying I wouldn't throw up again, I started thinking how generally healthy I am, and how some people have conditions (or treatments for those conditions) that make them feel like that.. all the time. Can you imagine? It's unbelievable really how lucky I am with my health, I don't get sick often, I am able to run farther at a time than some people run in their lifetime, I carried two sweet healthy babies - yet I complain on my blog to my sweet readers about a stupid sore shin. Hmmm.. Really puts things into perspective.
So I'm going to work on this attitude thing... and if I can't run Green Bay with my buddies... then I'll actually get to see all of them run their first half marathon. And then I'll cry. And not just because I ALWAYS cry at races.. because I'm so happy for these guys - I'm going to tell you all about our little group before the race so you can cheer for them too (and stalk their race results!) :)
I hope you all have a super Monday, can't wait to catch up on all of your blogs!
