Category Archives: Running

Running

Say that three times fast

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Welp. I was finally able to see my primary doctor about my knee pain. The pain showed itself initially on a long run a month or two ago, but since then it likes to reappear when I’m walking too far or sitting too long. And of course when I’m running. The knee brace helps some, but still. I’m trying to train for a half marathon here, and I wanted to be sure I wasn’t doing any permanent damage to my knee.

The good news is that there is no permanent damage. I suspected that after my visit to the free clinic, but my doctor confirmed it. Her diagnosis was Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, or Runner’s Knee. She recommended R.I.C.E. – rest, ice, compression, elevation – which I’ve kinda sorta been doing already, with the exception of rest. Resting is hard. She said it would probably be best to stop running for awhile, and just stick with my home exercises. She didn’t say NOT to run, but just that I would heal faster if I didn’t. Oh, and she gave me some rehabilitation exercises to do at home that will help strengthen the muscles that support the knee, which should help to prevent this from happening again down the road.

Since the weather in the coming week is forecasted to cross over to triple digits, and I hate running on the treadmill, I’m not all that sad about not running. Putting a pause on the training makes me a little nervous though, because my half marathon is only 65 days away. But – I have to trust that the home exercises are going to keep my body fit and help prepare me for running 13.1 miles. Also, I’m adjusting my expectations so instead of running the whole race, I’m okay with having to take walk breaks. The ultimate goal is to finish, however long it takes me.

Disability, Exercise, Food, Running

Annoying habits

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I have this tendency to latch onto a thing – an idea, a method, or a new habit – and become obsessed with it. It’s crazy annoying. For awhile there I was obsessed with running, and one might say I still am, but I think it’s just become something I really enjoy. I don’t have to remind myself to run regularly. I just do it because I want to. I feel “off” when I don’t.

So right now I’m still a little obsessed with my new eating plan. It’s going well, I just am waiting for it to become a true habit so I don’t have to think about it so much. It will just become “the way I eat”. I’m really hopeful I can get to that point, because I’m loving the energy I have now and I don’t want to go back to battling fatigue.

I’ve been running three times a week, and on the other days I’m doing exercises at home. I think the exercises are helping my running. I’m still having knee pain when I run but I went to a free injury clinic at the local running store and they assured me there was no damage. So they said I’m okay to run, with caution, and encouraged me to keep my appointment with my primary care doctor. So I’m running short distances (2-3 miles), but with walking breaks in between as needed. I’m doing lots of stretching, elevating, and using Icy Hot to manage the pain. My hope is that I’ll be able to keep building my stamina for the half marathon while waiting to see what I can do about the knee.

It occurred to me yesterday that I am in a major state of boredom. All this energy, and I’m running out of things to do with it. Without giving it much conscious thought, I have apparently turned to online games and shopping. The online games are harmless, aside from being colossal wastes of time, but the shopping could be more problematic. I am spending money on things we don’t need, and that’s not a good thing. We live on a budget, and we don’t borrow money, so the money I’m spending comes out of necessary budget categories, like food and utility bills. Stuff we have to pay for, right?

So I’ve decided I need to find something more productive to do with this energy. I just don’t know what that is yet, but I’m sure I’ll come up with something. I’ve got some crochet projects to start and finish, and a couple people I would love to send notecards to. Also, I haven’t vacuumed in awhile, so I might get to that this week. Maybe.

What are you up to this week?

Exercise, Food, Health, ItWorks, Running

It’s Working!!

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People! I was so excited to get on the scale this morning and discover I had finally dropped below 125. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but I’m short, and though medical professionals would say I’m within a healthy weight range, I am not happy with where I am. Or shall I say, where I was? Because I’ve lost almost 7 pounds since starting this process, and my goal is to lose another 9.

I’m still on this diet plan of six small meals per day, and I’m still really loving it. I believe it’s something I’ll be able to sustain even after I hit my goal weight. I’ve also been drinking my daily greens and the occasional skinny coffee and chocolate mousse meal replacement (my new BFF from It Works!!) and I’m exercising every day with my daughter. I invested in two cheap yoga mats so it’s a little more comfortable to do the floor exercises. We’re up to day 18 and doing 50 second planks (which apparently are no longer “her jam” lol).

The best news of all is that I still feel so much better. Light on my feet most of the time. In the past, a trip like the one we took to the zoo would have knocked me down and I would have needed several days to recover. It’s no small miracle that I was able to be up and around Sunday, given all the physical activity I did on Friday and Saturday. I have energy to do the things that need to be done, with plenty left over to do the things I enjoy, like spending time with my family, running, walking the dog, etc.

Now if we can just get this knee back in shape so I can get back to training for my half. The weather has been kind of perfect for running and I really miss it. I might get out for a short jog tomorrow, we’ll see.

Kids, Multiple Sclerosis, Photos, Running, Uncategorized

Summer break has begun!!

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We started off our summer break with a trip to the dentist yesterday (because I’m the best mom ever) via Spec-tran. Then today we went to Taco Bell via bikes (theirs) and feet (mine). I refused to buy fast food for the kids so they opted to pay for their meals. I was just in it for the miles.

This run went pretty well, considering my recent knee problems. I wore a new knee brace that was surprisingly comfortable to wear. I still had some knee pain beginning in the 4th mile, but the compression from the brace seemed to keep it tolerable. What I noticed in the beginning was that the added support on my right knee seemed to help me lift the left leg when I began to experience a little foot drop. I’m not sure how or why that works but I’m not complaining. The drop foot used to be so much worse and now I barely think about it. I’m just praying my body continues to cooperate as I add on more miles.

I really love that my kids enjoyed riding their bikes while I ran. This will allow us to go to a lot more places around town. They get their fun and I get my training runs. It’s a win-win. Of course the ultimate bonus is that we are spending quality time together.

I am super excited for this summer. Kids are getting bigger, I am getting stronger, it’s gonna be great.

Health, Photos, Piper, Running

We were on a break

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Piper looks like she’s mad, doesn’t she? Probably cuz I didn’t bring her with me on this run. She’s passive-aggressive just like her momma lol.

It felt great to get back to running after my 8 mile fail a couple weeks ago! The knee is healing but I wrapped it for this run just to be on the safer side. I’ve been trying to be careful while staying active with walks and home exercises. The safest bet would be to keep resting it but I’m stubborn and I missed running!

So small steps, slow, short runs, compression wraps, and ice afterwards and I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll be able to keep training for that half. The good news is that though it gave me a couple twinges during the run, the pain didn’t last and the knee feels great now! Yay for healing bodies!

In other but sort of related news, I’m really excited to share with y’all some of the changes I’ve been making with my health. I’ll try to get a post up about that tomorrow. Stay tuned and happy Friday folks!

Books, Cochlear implant, Exercise, Faith, Friends, Kids, Running, Writing

What day is it?

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It’s been that kind of week. I’ve been confused about the day all week. But, all for good reason. None of it is because I’m drunk, so I’ve got that going for me. Not being drunk is always a plus.

But also, I’ve just had a lot of great things going on! My son’s baseball season is in full swing (excuse my accidental pun), I was able to visit with several really great friends this past week, and the weather is warming up so we leave the doors and windows open and the breeze and the birds chirping is it’s own kind of intoxicating. Let me just note here how truly grateful I am to be able to hear those things, the breeze and the birds. Cochlear implants for the win.

My son had some friends over for a sleepover last night to celebrate his birthday (he’s 12!!) and that was fun and not terribly crazy. He has some really great friends. It’s funny to think back on previous year’s birthday parties and how much anxiety I felt leading up to each one. Overwhelming anxiety. This time? None. Zilch. Nada. And I don’t know if that’s because the kids are older or if I’m in a better state of mental health but I suspect it’s a bit of both. I know it’s a lot of the latter though, because I can’t even remember the last time I had an anxiety attack. And that there is another reason to be grateful.

I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. Tons. It might not seem like it because it doesn’t always make it here on the blog but my mind is constantly in a state of gathering ideas and formulating posts in my head. I just finished a book about writing by Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird, and I’m convinced now more than ever that deep down, I am A Writer. It’s what I long to do, nearly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I wake up and think, “what did I just dream about? I could write about it.” I want to keep writing, whether anyone is reading or not, because maybe one day I will write something that touches someone in a good way and makes their life a little better than the day before. I can only hope.

So. Today is Saturday. Most of the day has been extremely relaxing. A lot of cleaning up from the slumber party and then just your regular putzing around. I took a wicked nap, ended abruptly by the dog barking her head off when hubby came home from an afternoon at the shooting range. I’m pretty sure I jumped a couple feet straight up from the bed.

I did go for a run yesterday with a friend, but my knee started hurting in the 3rd mile, so I know I still have some healing to do from when I messed it up a week or so ago. I’m pretty confident it’s IT Band Syndrome, but I think it might be a good idea to see a sports therapist to check it out and give me some pointers on my running form. Also, I need more strength training if I’m really going to do this half marathon without damaging myself, so I’m looking at getting back to CrossFit. I had sort of slithered out of going a few months ago so I’m in contact with the trainer to see if she’ll forgive me for going dark on her and let me come back.

Tomorrow is Sunday! Back to church, and this week we’re working in the kids’ church so I get to play with the little ones. I miss hearing the sermons but I do love the babies. I can never understand what they are saying but a couple of them know some basic ASL so that helps a lot.

I was going to sign off but then I was looking through my pictures and see that so much happened and I totally forgot to blog about it! Like the Walk MS, and maybe other things. I’ll get to it. Pinky promise. Let’s talk again soon.

Cochlear implant, Photos, Running

Gorgeous day for a run

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So I was anxious to get out and run today. I want to stick with my half marathon training plan so I don’t get too far behind. However I let my anxiety cross right over into stupidity and I forgot to stretch before hitting the pavement.

Of course I paid for that.

After 6 miles my knees were in so much pain I had to walk the rest of the way. I’m pretty sure it was my IT band causing the pain, so I just iced the knees and took an anti-inflammatory once I got home. I’m gonna be sure to stretch next time, always, and hopefully I haven’t done any permanent damage. So glad I took this happy smiley selfie half way through! It really was a beautiful day to be out and about. Wind in the trees, birds chirping. I heard it all and I’m still so grateful that cochlear implants allow me to. Super super great day. God is good!!

Family, Friends, Photos, Running

Mason 5k 2019

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So Friday night was just us girls, as the boys had a baseball tournament (post to follow). It was Staci (pictured above, left), me, and my daughter, Natalie. She will kill me when she finds out I posted the picture below, with her goofy smile and scraggly teeth.

Now when we got to the race Natalie decided to be a major grump because she was going to have to wait for us to finish running, and she had no friends there (so she thought) and she couldn’t even partake in the bounce house because she was too big (so she said). I refused to let her attitude frustrate me, and I told her that she could be grumpy, as long as she stayed nearby so I could find her after the race. (This was a small town race and we knew a lot of the people there so I wasn’t worried with leaving her alone.)

I told her that as soon as the race started they would be setting up a snack table at the finish line for the runners, and that she was welcome to grab a snack while she waited. This perked her up quite a bit. Then, she asked me if she could run with me at the end, and I explained she could watch for me near the finish line, and when she saw me coming up the hill, she could join me in crossing the finish line. Then Staci asked her if she wanted to run the race, because it was probably still early enough to sign her up. And guess what? She said YES, she wanted to run it! I couldn’t believe it! So we rushed over and got her a bib.

My original plan with this race was to shoot for a new PR, but when Natalie decided she was running, I thought for sure she would poop out like she did with the one mile run two years ago. But I was just so thrilled she was running with us that I gave that up. I would walk if she needed to, just so we could stay together.

And then as we were waiting for the countdown, Natalie saw that a friend of hers was running, so they paired up. We counted down, the gun went off, and so did Natalie and her friend! They left us in the dust. I saw her one more time at the turnaround, and then again at the finish. She was smiling the biggest smile, and waving her medal proudly. She was a 5k finisher.

I did beat my original PR, which is exciting, but it paled in comparison to Natalie’s achievement. She turned her attitude around and stepped out of her comfort zone. She didn’t know if she would be able to run the whole way, let alone run it in 34:32! Not bad for a beginner. The best news is that she had such a great time, she says she wants to run another 5k in the future, perhaps with her brother and me! This one proud momma right here.

Faith, Friends, God speaks, ItWorks, Running

I’m excited about some things

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So I’ve been making some pretty casual prayers for the last couple months about wanting direction from God, where does He want to use me, that kind of thing. But then this past week I made a much more intentional prayer, telling Him I really had a strong desire to be an encouragement to other people and to share with them how I got through such rough times, with God’s help, and how they can too. So I told Him that’s what I was feeling, and asked that He show me where He wants me, where He can use me for His glory. How can I be an encouragement to others when I’m “stuck” here at home most days?

Then I was at my weekly Bible study on Wednesday morning and the leader of the program approached me and asked if I would consider being a group leader next year. What?! I mean, YES! She said I should go home and pray about it, but I explained to her what I had already been praying for, and that this sounded like it was the answer to my prayer. And God is just so cool like that. She and I talked again today, more in depth about what the responsibility entails, and I have to say I’m even more excited. This is going to open up so many more opportunities to build relationships with other women and I get to share my heart, my Jesus, with them.

So that’s going on, and I’m super geeked. Also, I’m still committed to working this ItWorks business even through some bumpy starts. I was replenishing some of my own products and ordering some advertising bling (blender bottle, new purse) and they sent me the wrong stuff and duplicate items and I was tempted to regret the whole decision to be a distributor. BUT, it gave me a chance to interact with their customer service, which was mostly awesome and extremely helpful. And while I’ll never be the gung-ho marketer trying to get you to buy stuff you don’t need, I think this is gonna work. Because I truly love all the products I’ve tried and I’ll be honest and open with anyone who shows interest. So when people come to me with questions – which they have! – I’m happy to point them in my direction. As in – wait for it, here’s my shameless plug – “You can check out my website at stillmindy.itworks.com! Some of my favorites are the Chocolate Greens and the Keto Energy. And I’m a huge fan of the loyal customer program!” – End of shameless plug, moving on…

The other thing I’m excited about is tomorrow I’m running another 5k race! It’s the Mason 5k, and this was my first ever race back in 2016. My son has run it with me every year, but this year he has a baseball tournament so I’m on my own this time. No worries! My friend Staci, who I believe has also run this race every year with me, is joining me again. So fun to run with friends. My 5k PR is 38:34 and I would like to beat that, but given the knee pain I’ve been having, I’m not sure if that’s realistic. I learned the other day that runners over 40 are called “masters athletes”, and that we need longer recovery times, which I haven’t been exactly doing, so I may have screwed my chances by pushing too hard. I’m just going to try and have fun and do my best.

And that, my friends, is your Thursday recap. Hug someone today!

Photos, Running

My 8ish mile run. Ish.

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Today I ran/walked almost 8 miles. I had a successful 8 mile run last week but this one didn’t go so well.

The first 4 miles were fine. Around 5 or 6 my left knee started hurting. I’m not sure why it does this, or whether I should get a knee brace or bother seeing the orthopedic surgeon again. When this happens I generally push through the pain until it gets too unbearable, and then I walk for awhile to give it rest. I need to be careful with it so I don’t end up with permanent damage.

Around mile 7 my left leg just completely gave out on me. With no warning, as soon as I put weight on that leg it collapsed. Thankfully, or miraculously, I was able to catch my balance. So I didn’t fall, but I was nervous to keep running. I pretty much walked the rest of the way home, with short bursts of jogging tiny, careful steps every now and then.

The last mile though, was all walking. Walking, and telling myself this was not a failure, because im doing the work. I’m not a slacker, right Bob? This is just part of my training process, and when my body is telling me I’m pushing it too hard, sometimes I need to listen. Today was definitely one of those times. So training is going well, I guess.

I was chatting with one of my infusion nurses yesterday and she told me she wanted to start running, but wasn’t sure how to go about it. I shared with her that I started really slowly, and had great success with the Couch to 5k program. I encouraged her to just start, and keep moving a little farther each time. It’s a slow progression but if you stick with it and keep your eye on your goal, you can do it!

I still really love running and I love that it brings people together who maybe wouldn’t normally have anything in common. It’s been such a great thing and I hope I never have to give it up!