Saturday, October 22, 2011

Always A Spud?

Having taken two weeks from running, I am extremely frustrated to say that I am still experiencing pain in my ankles and knees. It is very disheartening.  I do, however, toy with the fact that I shouldn't be hard on myself. If there is anything I've learned from talking with others who have tried to change their lifestyles through diet or exercise, it has been the affects of too high of expectations and not being able to give yourself credit for what you have done. I was talking with my grandma yesterday, trying to encourage her in a new adventure she is about to embark on, and I told her that no matter what, she needs to be proud of herself. For the little victories. For taking it one day at a time. And basically I need to practice what I preech.
So having said that, I am, unfortunately, not going to be running in my 10-mile race, in order to take care as to not permanently injure myself. I know (at least I tell myself this) that I cannot possibly be the only one who is building a collection of shirts and gear from races she has not been able to run... right?

In other news, my manly man will be gracing me with his presence in the very near future! And with that comes some Insanity. I mean, it very well may be insane in multiple ways, but more specifically, the Man and I will begina 60 day Insanity challenge. He told me the other day that he gave one of the workouts a try, and that... well... I don't think he really actually said much after that. He just breathed a few heavy breaths which communicated to me that there is a pretty good chance that I miiiight die one of the first few days. Welcome home honey! Let's go kill ourselves! Yep, we're pretty crazy.I'm excited! And I think it will be great for my legs and ankles to take a bit of a break from the same stress day after day. When we start, I will let you know our beginning "Specs" and our ending ones. T says that if we aren't ripped by the end of this then it will never happen. So at least I will be able to set my mind at ease knowing that I will just never be ripped. But I have a feeling we'll be looking pretty fly by the end of this.

I haven't been very good at keeping up with my spudly efforts. As of late the only thing my arms have lifted is a paint brush and a roller. That is all about to change.... I guess I'd better go enjoy my last couple of weeks on the couch.


Peace, love and insane husbands and wives

Friday, October 7, 2011

I have no idea what day it is

Well I injured myself running. I guess it's kind of no surprise, considering I was training so much more than I am used to, and working, and doing crazy active things with my nieces. So yes, this last week I spent more time with an ice pack than the road. I was quite frustrated about this for the first few days. I went and got yet another pair of good, supportive running shoes yesterday, hoping and praying I was making the right decision for my seemingly needy feet. I took them out for a jog today, hoping to only do about 2.5 miles, making sure as to not injure or irritate my ankles and shins further. After a few strides they seemed alright, but the problem seemed to lie more in my dang feet. They were numb. And yes, I stopped several times to adjust my laces, making sure they were not too tight, and I STILL couldn't get the numbness to go away! FRUSTRATING! I just want to run! And feel confident that I will be able to cross the finish line on the 29th! Sigh... Man! But I do have to admit, it was quite nice to be lazy this week and not have to work so hard. But after a couple of days I began to really miss how much better I feel when I run... and the lack of guilt when eating m&m's that I would normally feel had I not burned a few calories. Life without exercise is a life full of guilt... because I don't have the excuse that I ran today, so I deserve those m&m's.

A great thing that I realized this week is that I have achieved three of my few goals upon starting this blog.

1) Use it as a guilt-tool to get me to exercise because I know people will wonder why I haven't blogged about it.

2) Get someone who is not a)my mom, b) one of my sisters, or c) any person I have ever met, to comment on one of my posts.

3) Find others who have been "encouraged" by my feeble efforts and begun a running career of their own. What a humbling honor to be able to encourage someone to go down the hellishly rewarding road I've been on!


Thank you, to you two or three of four people, who read this. You help me get off my butt and do something (most of the time).


Peace, love & encouraging one another

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Day 21: It's all about day nineteen

I'm busy.  The spud in me is crying out for a couch because since arriving in the great north I have had few opportunities to really, truly just veg out on the couch. Between working 40 hours a week and then training, and then seeing family and friends, it's been an entirely different experience than my usual day to day routine at home. Once again, I am not complaining, I am simply stating that the couch potato in me is like, "what's up with this?".

On Friday I only worked a half day, so I was able to enjoy the absolutely breathtakingly beautiful weather. We're talking 66 degrees, clear blue sky, awesome breeze and sunshine. The trees around here are incredible these days, as they prepare themselves for the frigid winter. I am so thankful to be here during this brief time of the year. When people ask why one would enjoy living in the north, what with the never-ending winters, it is no surprise to hear that it is because of this short period of time. It makes the rest of the year completely worth it.
I went to the lake, setting out to do two laps around it. One lap is 2.5 miles, so I was ready to go and break another record with 5 miles. Prior to arriving at the lake, I went to Schuler Shoes and purchased a new pair of running shoes. As you know, I have been having a lot of problems with my toes and my calves. Based on my foot needs, my foot strike, and what feels comfortable to me, I have done a lot of research on the New Balance Minimus Trail shoes. I understand that they are made mainly for trail running, but they can be worn on the road. I have gone back and forth with shoes that provide more support and shoes that mimic barefoot running, and after much debate, decided to give the Minimus a try. Either way I knew I would want them for when I'm back in Texas and give the trails a go. So I went to the lake set out to do my first lap in my new kicks and the second in my old. It took about 3/4 of a mile to get into the groove, but after that I felt great in my new shoes. My calves didn't hurt at all and my toes never even got close to cramping up. On my second time around, in my old shoes, I no more than started and my calves were on fire. I had to stop about 4 times to stretch, and it was all I could do to make it around that last lap. So, I can safely say that on Friday, I learned the importance of good running shoes. They will make or break your running experience.
All in all my time at the lake on Friday was just wonderful. The weather, my attitude and my body were all in sync and I was happy. I did make an observation. Minnesotans are extremely active. Young and old alike are out running and biking and walking. It makes me happy to be around so many people who are doing what they can to take care of their bodies (until an older man blows past me while running. A little part of me struggles to not consider myself completely pathetic. But then I remember how freaking lazy I am, by nature, and I run on with my head held high, knowing that no one else knows my inner spud. I intend to keep it that way, and trick those around me into thinking that I'm a super hot athlete.)

After spending the day climbing stair after stair and the waterpark yesterday, and anticipating rock climbing today, it's safe to say that my derrier can expect some good couch time tonight.



Peace, love & athletic old people