A Picture of Something You Want to Try But Are Scared to Do….

  

Ragnar.  Another one of those things that is on my bucket list.  The bucket list I’ve never written down.  It involves lots of running and not enough sleeping.  I have friends who’ve done it, but I’ve never felt like I could ever do it because of my IT Band issues.  (That’s the medical term for my knee pain that will cripple me for days if I run through it.  And there’s only so much I can run through it before I’m crippled.  Trust me, I’ve learned this the hard way.)

Back in October, I was just a week out from doing the Casa Grande Triathlon and I went out for a run.  I felt good that morning, I stretched, did my yoga, foam rolled… everything I  am supposed to do before I go for a run to minimize my knee pain.  And 11 minutes into my run, it started.  I had to walk/jog the rest of the 3 mile loop.  I came home and lost it.  I cried.  I was doing everything I know to do to be able to run and I couldn’t even run for 11 minutes without pain.  It just didn’t seem fair.

So that’s when I did what every self respecting Stay at Home Mom would do… I got on Google.  I started reading forums and blogs and chat discussions about how to handle ITBS.  Almost every forum had multiple mentions of ACT (Active Release Technique).  I didn’t know what this was, so I Googled that.  Turns out it’s a stretching technique used by Chiropractors to help people with issues like mine.  I’ve never in my life been to a Chiropractor, and I had no idea if this treatment was legit or a bunch of made up internet you-know-what, so then I mentioned it on Facebook.  Because if you ever need a referral for something, Facebook is the place to get it, right?

A girl who used to live in my ward had not only heard of ACT, but had worked for a Chiro who is licensed in it.  Oddly enough, I had already been on her webpage checking it out.  I took it as an omen that she would refer me to the exact same Chiro that I’d already done some internet research on.  I called her up, asked her some questions that I was too embarrassed to admit to, and then called to schedule my first appointment. 

I didn’t really know what to expect, but for anyone who is dying to know… she basically digs her elbows into pressure points in my hip area and then rotates my leg around into very painful positions while holding the pressure point.  It’s about 15-20 minutes of weekly torture.  But after the first session, I saw improvement.  And now 5 sessions in, I was able to run 5 miles with minimal discomfort on Friday night.   I’m to the point where I’m going in every two weeks, and hopefully in the next month or so, we’ll be down to one visit a month.

The best news, is that after just two sessions, I felt like I could commit to join a Ragnar team made up from ladies in my ward for the race in February.  Everyone of us lives in my ward, or has lived in our ward at some point.  And, I’m not running the shortest distance!  When I first committed, it was under the condition that I got first dibs on the shortest leg.  But now, I don’t want the shortest leg!  I don’t want the longest either, but I’m so excited to challenge myself in ways that were never possible before.  I find I am actually looking forward to running now.  I love it.  I still have to stretch and do some yoga and some foam rolling, but at least I can run a decent amount pain free.  It’s an amazing feeling!  So, yeah, I’m still scared to do Ragnar… (mostly because ya’ll know how much I love my sleep), but I’m so excited to be able to do something that I never thought would ever be possible.  So thank you Google, my FB friend Whitney, and Dr. B!  And thanks to my new found love for running, I may even survive the holidays without gaining my usual 10 pounds from over eating! 

Wii are Getting Fit

We got a Wii for the family for Christmas. It's been so much fun to play with and everyone loves it.

For Mother's Day, I asked for a Wii Fit. I've been a bit too sedentary over the winter and have put on a few pounds of belly fat. I figure if I can add some yoga/weight training to my aerobic routine at the gym, I can burn this belly off a bit faster than I put it on. (This isn't anyone in my family....)

The first thing you do when you start the Wii Fit is the Body Test. It's a combo of balance, BMI and weight. You can set a weight loss goal and it will track your progress day by day. It's like having a personal trainer. (Again, not my family.....)

I love how it tracks every member of your family in their fitness. My kids all LOVE it, and hey, they need exercise just as much as I do... I don't want a house full of couch potatoes all summer long.

Apparently, I really need to focus on my balance too. I used to have much better hand-eye coordination than I do now. After completing the daily balance test, it will often ask me, "Do you trip a lot when you walk?"

Gosh... how did it know that??? I always thought it was because I have puppy dog sized feet. Guess there's more to it...

Gym Challenge

My brother and I started a gym challenge two weeks ago... then we both got sick and well, it hasn't gone too well since...

This week I went to the gym twice - Tuesday I did 30 minutes on the Elliptical and Thursday I swam laps for 30 minutes... (during which time I think I pulled a muscle in my ribcage...) Now it hurts when I cough or sneeze or laugh too much! Saturday I stayed home and did 45 minutes of Yoga. That's all I have to report for the last week. I hope to improve this week. But really, I need more than just "bragging rights" on the blog to motivate me... I think we need to be working towards some kind of reward, don't you agree, Adam?

So, if any of our blog buddies have any ideas for a "reward" please let me know. We live over 1000 miles away from each other and we are both on a tight budget. Any suggestions would definately be welcome!

Desert Grande Triathlon

Saturday morning was clear and cool and most importantly calm (no wind) ... we headed down to Casa Grande for their annual Desert Grande Triathlon/Duathlon. Here is my bike with my friend, Hillary's bike... we were in the minority as far as bikes go... most people had super streamlined road bikes... maybe next year....

Hillary and I just before we lined up to start... I did the Triathlon, she did the Duathlon (torture in my opinion... running, then biking, then running AGAIN!) I'd much rather swim!

The first leg... swimming... my favorite part! As prepared as I thought I was, the swim was much harder than I anticipated! Swim time: 9:33. ( I thought I could do it in 8:30, but I've been swimming in a 25 yard pool and this was a 50 meter pool, so my estimations were a bit off I guess....) I was really trying to save my legs during the swim, so I gave it everything I had with my arms and shoulders... the end result of that was that I could barely pull myself out of the water at the end. I was shocked at how hard it was to get out of the pool!

No pictures of me on the bike, which is just as well, because this was my weakest link. I didn't have biking clothing on, didn't have a road bike and didn't even have toe clips for my shoes! Oh well, I still had fun, although I was wishing I had my ipod or someone to talk to... 10 miles riding solo gets boring and tedious after about 15 minutes. (I missed you on this stretch, Maureen! Remember how fun the bike was when we did the Pleasanton Tri all those many moons ago?!?)
I didn't pass one person on the biking portion of my race... which can be disheartening, but thankfully I was prepared for that reality. I blame it on my fat tire handicap.... My bike time 54:25 (this includes the transition from swim and dropping off the bike to start the run).

The bike to run transition is BRUTAL! I had practiced it, but it still didn't prepare me for the real thing! I used Eric's garmin GPS watch to keep track of my milage and pace and it was an absolute LIFESAVER because I could easily tell how much father I would have to go before I got to the end... here I am just crossing the finish.... I was sooooo dang happy to see that finish sign, I can't even tell you! My run time was 29:45! Based on my treadmill training, I thought my best possible run time would be about 33 minutes, so I was dang happy about this one!

My overall time was 93:43!!! I was estimating 105 minutes, so I was very happy to come in twelve minutes under the expectation! Many thanks to Eric for getting up on the crack of dawn on Saturday to drive me down and cheer for me and take pictures and to Hillary for sticking around long enough to cheer for me when I crossed the finish line! I wish I could have done the same for her, but she finished before me!

I've come to a very interesting conclusion about myself... I have to be motivated by something to workout. When I don't have a "reason" to go to the gym, I can find all kinds of reasons to talk myself out of it. When I sign up for a race, then believe me, I'm motivated to get my butt to the gym and get prepared. (I have the same issue with cleaning my house... I often invite people over because it is about the only motivator to get myself to get it clean!)

Now I'm going to attempt something I've never tried... Eric and I are going to sign up for a 10K run on Thanksgiving morning in Mesa... I've never been able to run much past 3 miles, so this will be quite the adventure for me. Only 3 and 1/2 weeks to really ramp up my running, but I think for the first time in my life, I can actually do this! And, I've finally got Eric excited about trying out the Triathlon circuit... he was really wishing he had signed up with me on Saturday morning!

Motivation

I love to exercise, but I'm having serious motivation issues lately. While the kids are home, I am totally content to stay and home and hang out with them, not get my backside to the gym. So, I heard that in November there are a couple triathlons in the area and I've decided I'm going to do one! I did a sprint "tri" 4 years ago with my good friend, Maureen, and LOVED it! We signed up for it because we knew if we paid good money to be in a race, we'd get our backsides out to train. And we did... but mostly we trained so we didn't embarrass ourselves in a public place where people are generally considered athletes! :) (For my Bay Area friends, it was the "Tri for Fun" series in Pleasanton at Shadowcliffs. I highly recommend it!) So, I've decided I need motivation like that again! This triathlon is in the "sprint" category also and it's totally doable for me by November. The swim is 1/4 mile (it will be 8 laps in a 50 meter pool - sweeeeet, no swimming with the nasty fish this time!), a 12 mile bike ride and a 2 mile run. Easy, right?

This week I bought a yoga DVD and got out my old Pilates DVD that I love. My goal is to do 20 minutes of yoga every morning and 20-30 minutes of pilates every evening to help get me limber and toned. That's always one of my biggest failings in exercise... now, I just need to get back to the gym and get going on the treadmill! And now that I've told all my cyber friends my plan, I will have to follow through, right?!?

A New Solution...

Not to the computer problem... but we may have that worked out tonight.... maybe.... I'm borrowing Eric's laptop right now to get online, but still can't access my email... I'm apparently typing in the wrong password for online access and so I still haven't seen my email!

Over the last 6-7 months, my workout routine has been sporadic at best. I've been suffering from chronic allergies and asthma and it seems that I get one head cold after another. I'm not sure why I've been suffering so much lately, but I've had a really hard time exercising on a regular basis when I feel so crummy all the time. This week, I've had no computer and lots of motivation (my upcoming weekend away....) so I've been to the gym all 3 days this week. That's a miracle for me! I've also started in on a new head cold complete with some nasty sinus headaches. I'm dreading getting on a plane tomorrow with my current sinus situation. So, I remembered that my mom told me that swimming helps to clear her sinuses out when they are clogged up. So yesterday, I headed for the lap pool and swam for almost half an hour. I logged three quarters of a mile. It felt really good and my head felt clear (for at least a couple hours). So today, I decided to do exactly what I did yesterday... again. I wasn't sure how long I'd be able to go... I've never swam like that two days in a row and I was worried I'd be sore. The first 5 minutes were hard, but after that it was much easier. I ended up swimming one mile (64 laps in a 25 meter pool) in exactly 40 minutes. Yes, I was darn happy about it and my sinuses once again were clear! I wish I had time in the morning to work in a swim session before I head to the airport, but I don't think I do! I'm definately packing my suit, and goggles, just in case I need to spend some time in the hotel pool clearing out my sinuses this weekend!