Month 2 good knees

Today I ran awesome. I pretty much constantly increased the speed as I kept bumping into the consul. I ran almost the entire thing at a 6 which is a 10 minute mile. To those of you who are full deal runners, that's not much. But two weeks ago that was a sprint for me.

So awesomeness! I'm trying to just own the 2 miles and not have any knee pain. The research I've done on IT band issues is to run until is hurts then stop. The idea being to build up the non-painful part and stop as soon as it hurts.

I went a wee smidge beyond that point as I really focused on placing my feet right. With lots of focus I can run and have it not hurt at the end. I just want to own 2, so in a month or two I can own 2.5, then 3 and so on.

Good:
Ran 2.5 miles
Weights
400 each back/sit ups
100 push ups
100 knee/hip exercises.

Month 2

Light day today and I just couldn't stay away from the lake! The weather was cold but sunny and really nice. I was tired and low energy. I had a really hard time keeping going and my knees hurt. But oh well that's what light days are for!

Good:
Ran maybe 2 miles or maybe only 1.5? Walked the rest, total 2.8 miles
400 each back/sit ups
100 push ups
Switched to exercise band exercises that target both knees and hips. Place bands around ankles and squat in derby stance. Step left, return to start, step right, return, step forward, return, step back return. Or whatever order you like. 100 each direction.

Week 5

Finally made it into the second month of running! That's 28 consecutive days of running.
So today was my big Green Lake debut. It rained, I was nervous...

It was great! Running in the rain felt awesome. The path was perfect with some little hills and plenty of flat areas. Not too many people, beautiful views. I actually passed a few other runners!
I've been tempo running, which I am really digging. It makes the end of the run feel so triumphant!

My knees were pretty sore towards the end and I was good about stretching and taking aleve beforehand so I think its the knee wraps. When I don't use them my knees hurt. I got a set online but the tops dig into my tendons above the back of my knee. And actually when I use the ace bandage it seems to feel really good. So I think I just need a little support. Cheap pharmacy wraps here I come!

Oh and I over shot my car so I added an extra .5 miles to the 2.8 miles.

Good:
3.25 miles
400 sit/back ups
100 push ups and knee exercises.

Week 4

Sick baby last night so no gym today. Felt good though knees were a little sore.

Good:
Ran 2.5 miles
400 each back/sit ups
100 each knees and push ups

Week 4, getting better!

So again with a really tired day. Got on the treadmill and figured I'd do one mile and call it quits. I'm actually starting to like that mentality. With no expectations I don't start out exhausted.

So I start running and it feels great like 4 minutes in. Super great. No pain, lot's of energy, actually I didn't even feel tired anymore. So running is starting to make me feel more energenic instead of wiping me out. This is what I'm working for.

Anyways I went 2.5 miles and felt good the whole way. The last 10 min had minor knee aches. The knees just need more time to get strong. I could have gone farther but I was really glad to just own the 2 miles and feel really good about them.

I'm starting to realized it's better to become strong at one thing and then add on, instead of adding on when I can just manage it. If I want more miles I'll just do another run in the evening. It feels good to have running feel good.

Good:
Ran 2.5 miles
400 sit/back ups
100 knee
100 push ups
May be back for more later!

Week 4, tired as hell

Geez louise I was tired today. Getting out of bed was murder. But I did it, dropped off the kid at school and went to the gym.

I got on the treadmill and figured I would do a light day of just 1 mile. I was exhausted and had even considered, if only momentarily, of not going to the gym at all. But then I would just be sitting at home getting bored.

I got through the first mile and felt better. I love when I get to the "I love running!" feeling about 10-15 minutes in. Everything warms up, feels good and the effort is nice. I don't even breath heavy. I've actually been increasing my speed lately to get my lungs working.

Sadly the "I love running!" feeling only lasts for another 10-20 minutes and then it goes back to "when can I stop?". It's ok, it gets better almost every day.

Anyways finished running and did weights like super weak. But I made and have been eeking out the sit/back/push ups over the last few hours. Just sooo tired!

Good:
Ran 2.4 miles
Weights
400 each back/sit ups
100 knee
25 push ups, but I'll finish them throughout the day today so I get 100.

Today was beautiful out. I can't wait for some dry days where I can get some skating in at the playground. It's coming soon though!

Week 4, cold is gone

Apparently the whole eating well and exercising thing is actually good for you. The minor chest cold never really took hold. Something that may be helping is that I haven't had anything to drink the past few nights.

Oh right. Yeah well as soon as I decided I wasn't going to drink, well all I wanted was to drink! Well not all the time, but towards the end of the day, during the tired and sore, post work out feeling. So it didn't go so well. But I think it was contributing to my late night eating and grogginess. So I get a do-over.

The past few nights have been drink free. Really I don't drink that much when I do, but 2 drinks is really all it takes to make me think making a huge meal at 9pm and eating until I have indigestion, is a good idea.

Today's workout was light, but I plan on doing another little run before I go to tonight's scrimmage.

Good:
Ran 2.3 miles 30 min
400 each back ups/sit ups
100 push ups
100 knee exercises.
Hopefully I'll add on a few miles later in the day.


It's later and I got a few more in. So total today is 4.5 miles and 60 minutes. Walked the last 5 minutes on my toes.

Week 4 strong day!

Today was great! Still a little with the chest cold, but I was feeling ready for a good workout. I was stronger today, did the weights with a lot of them heavier than before.

Ran really well! No wraps, no aleve, and only a couple minutes soreness when I warmed up and then a tinge of soreness at 25 minutes. Ran all the way to 30 minutes instead of stopping at 25 for my usual easy weights day run.

Good:
Ran 2.75 miles
Weights added extra
400 each back ups, sit ups with weights
100 push ups, starting to look more like push ups too.
100 knee exercises.

Week 4 getting a cold

The past few nights I've been waking up in the middle of it with a slight cough and that awful lung feeling you get when a cold starts. But it's always been gone by morning. Yesterday I felt sore and tired all over and towards the end of my shift I felt like I was sleep walking.

This morning I woke up with the chest cold feeling and bailed on the run at Green Lake we had planned. By noon I was feeling more together and went for a short run anyways. It was hard, and hurt and I stopped a lot shorter than I wanted to. But Sundays are my light day, and some days are just going to be like that.

Good:
Ran 1.8 miles walked the remain .75
400 each back ups/ weighted sit ups
100 push ups
100 knee exercises

Week 4

I'm switching to weeks, then months, then years! Well, weeks for right now.

Good day! Got new running shoes, which I had some concerns about. I ran on the treadmill, no childcare today, and never hit the "wall"! Well until about 32 minutes. But whatever! And pretty much pain free!

They are loud though, super clompy. Maybe some breaking in will help that.

Good:
3.4 miles 45 minutes
3 minutes of hills
400 each back/sit ups
100 push ups
100 knee exercises

Day 21, 2011

So this whole lower carb thing is kicking my ass. Today I ran ok, no significant pain! And it wasn't super hard, just a challenge. Hey, it's running! It's not supposed to be easy.

I got new running shoes today! I haven't tried them out yet, and they feel too small and hard, but I'll have to see how they do over the next week or so.
I really want to run tonight, but it's dark and rainy and I think I'm calling it a day.

So super sore today. Maybe it's the push ups? I don't know but I woke up super rough.

Anyways I got through the run and went on to weights. Wow, what a difference a little lack of carbs can make! I got that weak burning sensation super fast and actually had to do a light day on some the weights. And I had some light headedness during the leg section. Yeah I hope it actually does something!

Order a real bathing suit. One that is actually supposed to be good in the pool! On sale. Oh Yeah!

Good:
ran 2.2 miles 30 minutes
weights, a little light
400 each weighted sit ups/back ups
100 push ups. actually I did 125, but I had to make up for 25 I was supposed to do yesterday today.
100 inside/outside stretch band leg exercises. The kind you use a exercise band with and pull out with your ankle to work your knee muscles and hip muscles for stability. They are classic knee injury exercises, but I figure if I do them before an injury, maybe I won't get an injury!

Day 20, 2011

Big breakthrough day! So the past week I've been getting to about 1.5 miles or 15 minutes and having my knees hurt and motivation wane. I've dealt with this by pushing to just barely 2 miles and trying again later in the day.

Well today I kept going, I never hit the 15 minute wall! I felt great, just a twinge of sore knees, more on my left this time. And went all the way to 33 minutes and 3 miles before I slowed to walk the rest. 40 total. What a huge improvement!

Added on a couple of 1 and 2 minute hills to boot. Yeah!

Good:
3 miles, 40 minutes.
400 each back ups and weighted situps
100 push ups.

Day 19, 2011

So today is day two sans significant carbs. Let's just say the workout was on the low energy side. I barely made the 2 miles at the gym before doing weights. I try not to worry about it. If I can lose some more pudge a few lame days will be worth it.

My knees were hurting when I ran at the gym so I really felt like I didn't get much of a workout in. So I decided to do another run this evening. A few hours and some aleve always makes the knees better. And I wanted to finally try running outside. Yeah it pretty much rules! It felt great and wasn't harder than the treadmill. Wrapped the knees and they did soo much better. Dur.

Good:
Ran 4 miles
Weights
400 each weighted sit ups and back ups
100 push ups. They are on my toes, but I still only get like a 3 inch dip. It's cool, they'll get better over time.

Ghetto dip

Yeah I like the cheap, easy and mildly ghetto food. Which means it tastes "ok" and took little to no effort to make!

Ghetto dip is a little number I brewed up to have lots of dip to eat veg with without it being high calorie.

Cheap salsa- from costco- about a cup
4 heaping tablespoons of hummus- from costco
mix and serve with veg, lots of it!

I love hummus and salsa so the two are perfect mixed up, and the salsa seriously cuts the hummus calories. You could totally make your own, and sometimes I do, but it's winter man! There is no good produce!

Day 18, 2011

So today was kind of a bummer day, well sort of. My knees are bugging me again. This is still no surprise and I know it will go away but it affected my running this morning. I only made it 21 minutes and 2 miles before I had to stop and walk for a while.

But because this is a fool proof plan that is about my life and not some short term goal, it was no big deal. But I did feel ansy the rest of the day until the second half.

So I went back and ran another 2.5 miles! My knees were still sore, but not so bad.


Good:
Ran 4.5 miles 50 minutes
400 each back ups and sit ups with weights
65 push ups, getting slightly deeper
20 rollouts with that wheel rolly core thingy.

Day 17, 2011

Good knees! Slight ache towards the first 1.5 miles, but not much. No wraps today so I'm happy that my knee and on down is starting to feel good.

Goals are to slowly increase mileage and times, but just by a few minutes each week. If I add an extra 5 minutes to each week I'll be stoked. And with running faster the mileage just adds up without really thinking about it.

And some of the derby girls are going to join me on my wee-nie running experience so I should get some additional runs in once or twice a week.

Good:
Ran 2.5 miles 38 minutes
400 each sit/back ups with added weights to the sit ups. They are actually getting too easy!
35 push ups. Getting better by feel and some day they will actually be real pushups!

Day 16, 2011

Knees only had the slightest touch of achiness towards the end. It appears my body has surrendered and realized I won't stop running. Submit submit!

Now to get new running shoes. My poor legs deserve it.

Good:
Ran 2.4 miles
400 each back/sit ups
30 push ups

Tomorrow I start 2 weeks of super good eating. No more pancakes, late night snacks and chocolate whenever I can find it. I will triumph over the gut.

Day 15, 2011

Two weeks in and it's getting a bit better! My knees/calves whatever were significantly less sore today. I've been spending a lot of time researching running techniques, exercises and stretches and they seem to be helping a lot.

Ran faster again today. Did the sprints for a whole 5 minutes this time. So much easier this time around.

Good:
2.25 miles run
400 each back/sit ups
20 push ups, but I plan on doing more before work.

Day 14, 2011

I am in the land of tight legs and sore knees. It won't last, maybe another month or two and my body will stop freaking out.

Things that are cool. I did 3 minutes of sprints at 6 and forgot I was sprinting. And running at a 5 is totally cake. Yeah! So I'm faster, but the knees were the issue today.

I stretched out real well and didn't have the calf or other random issues. But toward the end my entire knees, i.t. band style, were aching. Oh well, more stretching and strength exercises.

Good:
Ran 2.25 miles
Weights totally increased by 5-10 on a few
Situps and back ups 400 each
35 pushups.

Day 13, 2011

So my left calf is finally all better! Though I had a little twingey pain in my left knee. Wrap and Aleve seem to help.

I did the first half of cardio day with almost the entire run at a 5. That's considerably faster than I normally do and I'm super happy about it. It's not that I want to run super fast, I just want to be able to call it running.

I've been having some problems with the last 5 minutes of the run where I start weenie-ing out. I seemed to have solved that by sprinting the last 5. Or rather I do a 2 minute sprint, sprint for me that is, at a 6, then run at 5 for 2 minutes, then finish the last minute at a 6 sprint again. Just the changed up in focus seems to help.

So I'm really liking how running feels on my body, except from the knees down. Which sucks. But I really can't expect to go from a couple times a month, if that, to everyday, increase speed, time and mileage and not have some running pains. Funny how quickly your expectations rise.

Good:
3.75 miles, 50 minutes
400 each back ups and sit ups
35 pushups

Wild rice burrito

So we shop at Costco. We're broke all the time, have small children, and often I really don't feel like cooking anything fancy.

Tonight's meal was a great combination of Costco foods. Cheap and easy.
I actually purchased the wild rice at the co-op as Costco only has wild rice mix.

Wild rice burrito:

Can of Amy's chilli, Amy's lentil soup, or what have you. Everything tastes good in a burrito.
Wild rice, just the black stuff, boiled in a bunch of water for like 30 minutes or until it bursts.
2 boca burgers, nuked and crumbled into the chilli.
Big white processed tortillas. Microwaved for 20 sec to make nice and soft.
Cheap salsa!

drain the rice, mix in the can of chilli and heat. Dump on your nuked tortilla, add a little shredded lettuce and tomato if you're fancy. Cover in salsa!

Damn good!

Sorry no pictures, I was hungry!

Day 12, 2011

Knees are doing good, but the calf is still having issues.

Things that are good about my calf. The pain stops when I walk or run faster. I can adjust my stride to compensate it pretty well and run fairly pain free. And it is slightly less painful today. These are all good indications of cramping and not injury. Yeah!

Good:
Weights, went up a bit again.
Ran 2 miles, 30 minutes
400 each situps/backups
20 push ups. I know, but I'm working up to it.

Day 11, 2011

Well some days I am just a freakin genius!

So my right knee is back in fighting form, yeah! But the left calf is still having some issues. It makes for running a little difficult and especially on cardio days where I try to run for 45 minutes in stead of 30.

Anyways I was doing good for the first 15 minutes and then it started aching and being a bit crampy. When I run I compensate for any aches or pains by adjusting my stride. Because I run such a short distance for a short easy time and pace, I'm not really in any danger of doing serious damage.

But I'm a beginning runner, at least on a regular basis, and the muscles still need time to adjust so there are some growing pains.

I got through 30 minutes and 2 miles at an easy pace with a little limping and decided to stop. It was shorter than I wanted but it would have to do. Then the genius struck. Why not just run another 30 later in the day! Yeah I know, brilliance.

Worked like a champ. Legs felt better and I even got an extra mile in.

Good:
Running 4 miles, 60 minutes, with the last .2 of a mile at a 6 mph pace!
400 each situps/backups

Day 10, 2011

Yesterday it was my right knee, today it was my left calf. It's ok though!

So this is the beauty of running daily. Somedays are not as good as others. It doesn't really matter as I got some miles in and that's all that's important.

Today it was just barely 2 miles. But it was 2 miles! Two weeks ago I wasn't running anything, so yeah!

Someday I would like to be at a point where I run 3 miles on my chill days and 4-5 miles on my cardio days. But not yet. And fortunately there really is no rush.

I also made the adjustment, freaking brilliant, of running before doing weights. Yeah that helps a whole heck of a lot. Need to do more warm though. Anyways.

Good:
Ran 2 miles 30 minutes
Weights, went up 10 on a few.
400 each back ups/situps with hip addition.

In about a month this is going to translate into serious improvement to my skating. Right now my body is building new muscles and adjusting to the activity.

Day 9, 2011

So how did I go from being intimidated and excited about the prospect of running 2 miles, to being disappointed that I only ran 2 miles on my "rest" day. Hmmm.

Good:
Ran 2 miles, 30 minutes
400 each situps/back ups
15 pushups. Yeah 15, rock on. Oh and they were like a 3 inch dip. One step at a time right?

I'm adding a hip addition to the sit ups and back ups. During certain exercises I hold my legs off the floor and either have them held open or closed to work my hip muscles. I'm having a little bit of i.t. band soreness so I want to get my hips stronger. And it makes the exercises a little harder.

And Sundays are my official "rest" day. So other than the light running and core work I'll be resting.

Day 8, 2011

Had a bout yesterday! So I didn't get a chance to blog.
The game when sooo well!

My ref group is running really smoothly. I was working penalty tracking and was so incredibly pleased with the teamwork and support I received from everyone I worked with. There was not one time that I felt like things were out of control.

It feels good to have come this far and know what I'm doing, what we're doing. My next phase is to work on more penalty calling and start reffing on wheels. It may take a few months before I work a scrimmage, much less a bout, on skates, but really I'm in no hurry.

Life is good.

Good:
Ran 3 miles in 45 minutes.
400 each back ups/sit ups.

Day 7, 2011

Good:
Ran for 30 minutes, 2 miles.
Weights
400 each back ups/sit ups

Bad:
Really sore knees. Had skate practice after a cardio day and it definitely made my knees a bit tender.
Was really really tired on the treadmill after the weights. I had to work soo hard to keep going. I even took a 1 minute break in the last five minutes. I made up for it, by running extra during my cool down, but it was seriously taxing today.

Day 6, 2011

Good:
Ran for 3 miles, 45 minutes. Walked for another 1.5 miles, 30 minutes.
400 each backups/situps

It felt really good today. I didn't constantly want to stop. Of course as I got closer to finishing I kept watching the clock. But it felt great. Good knees, good strength and my face is not the beet red it has been the last 5 days.

Really working on portion size currently. I have new clothing that is more form fitting and being bloated from a carrot binge just does not work. And really I can't wear flannel pj pants everyday.

Bad:
I got nothing! I was good last night. Too much popcorn, but yeah whatever!

Day 5 2011

Good:
Weights! and more running. 30 minutes 2 miles.
400 each b/s ups

Still want to stop the whole way. But I get excited about running and actually can't wait to do it. What's up with that?

I suppose in a few weeks I won't have so much trouble. but if it wasn't a challenge, I suppose what would be the point?

My knees are doing really well, which kind of a surprise. But then again I have been essentially training for 11 months to get to this point. So maybe not a surprise.

Bad:
4 apples with peanut butter. Yeah maybe a few too many? And that's way too much peanut butter.
And 2, thankfully only 2, shortbread cookies. 100 cal a pop. Lame. But 2 is way better than the other night with the chocolate covered pretzels. So breakfast and lunch were a meal replacement shake. Yeah.

So a bunch of us with the league are starting the Roller Derby Workout Challenge on the 8th. And no sugar or refined carbs then. So maybe I need to get this sugar snack thing under control by then!

Day 4 2011

Good:
Cardio day, 45 min running 2.75 miles, 30 min biking 11 miles.
400 each backups/situps

Bad:
Skipped breakfast and had a meal replacement shake for lunch as I consumed at least 1000 cal of chocolate covered pretzels last night. 50 f-ing calories each! Such bull! I made my husband go put them out in the truck.

Need to work on better snacks, or least way lower caloried desserts!

Day 3 2011

Good!

Weights. Increase a few of them by 10lbs.

Ran faster today! 2 miles in 30 minutes
Knees doing great!

Increased back ups and sit ups to 400 each.

Day 2

Good:
Extra weights day. I usually do mon/wed/fri but the kids are with the grandparents so I got to go have some alone time!

Ran for 30 minutes, well 20 with a 5 warm up 5 cool down.
This was hard today as I did it right after lifting weights. And I haven't had breakfast or even much to drink, so it tested me. And the last 7 minutes of running I had to talk myself into going the whole way.

But I did it. Yeah me! 30 minutes, 1.75 miles.

Work tonight!

365 days of the good, bad, and not so ugly

So it's a new year. I've come a long way but it doesn't mean anything unless I keep going and make this a lifetime commitment.

So I'm going to do the 365 days of good stuff, bad stuff and what it's doing for me.
Because that is an f-load of blogging, there may be brief posts, but I'm taking it one day, everyday at a time.

Big goal for this year. Running. Even if it's only 20 minutes and only slightly faster than walking, I'm doing it. Every day.

Good:
2.5 miles run. 45 minutes total
350 situps
350 backups
stretched.

Bad:
stole about a pancakes worth of bites from my kids sugary fat laden breakfast. Good thing I ran!
Will try to make up for it the rest of the day by being more lean with lunch and dinner.