Weekly Workouts 11/30 – 12/6/15

It has been a slow exercise week, but my work has certainly not been slow. I have one more set of papers to grade (out of 4 classes) and then final exams this week to give and grade. After that, we are leaving on Thursday for a family trip and will be back Tuesday night.

Once back, we’ll decorate for Christmas, bake some cookies, wrap some gifts, and then I’ll wrap up my online class. I can’t wait for Christmas break and not having to be attached to my computer for awhile.

There will be no Christmas cards this year. We end up doing cards about once every 3-5 years so no big surprise there. 😉

Weekly Workouts:

Monday – Swimming laps for 1,000 yards at the Y before work. I had a good time and effort felt on target.

Tuesday – Rest Day

Wednesday – Back to the Y pool for laps today. I was running late so I only managed to get in 750 yards. It felt like I got in the pool and then it was time to get right back out. I’m looking forward to longer sessions in the pool after the semester ends.

Thursday – Rest Day

Friday – Another quick swim of 750 yards. Today’s swim felt so hard and the opposite of Wednesday’s swim.

Saturday – Rest Day

Sunday – Rest Day (I considered going for a walk, but I decided to pamper my foot before our family trip)

Things I did well: I think that the green juice and smoothies 5 days out of 7 have been keeping me healthy during this stressful time of school. Yay! Glad to be swimming consistently.

Things to work on: Once we get back from our family trip, I’m hoping to start walking again to see how it goes, but the walking on our trip will let me know if I’m ready for that or not. Yes, that was an awkward sentence. I’m brain-fried so deal with it. 😉

Weekly Workouts 11/23 – 11/29/15

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, enjoying time with family and friends. I was signed up for the Ridgewood 8K Turkey Trot again, but had to bow out because of the tendonitis. My husband and brother-in-law ran and it was a lovely experience being a spectator and cheering on the runners. My daughter and I brought our chairs, hot cocoa, and muffins to enjoy our time better. The runners had ideal weather. My husband did better than expected, beating my time from last year by almost two minutes. Not that I was keeping track. 😉

Here’s a picture of them with the turkey hats I bought them as a surprise. I’m hoping to add to our costumes for next year. The other picture is of Bill at the starting line.

After the race, we went home to relax and then make food for our Thanksgiving meal. We all gathered at my older sister’s that evening and finished up with some goofy pictures. If you can’t tell, my shirt says “I run for Pumpkin Pie.”

The entire Holiday weekend was spent with family and friends. I didn’t get the papers graded as planned, but I certainly enjoyed myself. I am thankful for family and silly Turkey hats.

Weekly Workouts:

Monday – Swam laps at the Y this morning before class, getting in 1,000 yards.

Tuesday – Rest Day

Wednesday – Went hiking with my daughter, sister, niece, nephew, and a friend that I went to college with. It was beautiful weather and smelled of Fall. She stayed with us a couple nights and we had such fun. She is full of energy!

Thursday – Rest Day

Friday – Went to cycling class at the Y this morning, testing out how the foot would do biking. I had some pain during class and then felt it afterwards. I was bummed out that biking might be out for awhile. 😦

Saturday – We had my family over for a college football game and I suggested a walk (yes, during the game, Ha!). My Mom, older sister, niece, and daughter went with me and we took a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood and down to the park/pond. We could not have asked for better weather this holiday weekend. GORGEOUS!

Sunday – Rest Day

Things I did well: Got more cardio in besides swimming this week. Green juices/smoothies are firmly in place each weekday (although we skipped it Thanksgiving Day).

Things to work on: Figure out what exercise doesn’t hurt my foot. With the cycling class and walking, I’ve been in a lot of pain this week. Again, it’s so weird because it’s fine 85-90% of the time, but the other times are incredibly painful. I’m frustrated, but will keep working on this.

Weekly Workouts 11/16 – 11/22/15

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

I have had a nice break from my online classes since the middle of September. A mini-session course (11 weeks of material covered in 5 weeks) started on Monday so I’m back at it and very busy as it’s also nearing the end of the semester for my traditional classes. I will admit that I am a little burnt out and looking forward to Winter break.

As for the tendonitis, things were going well and I wondered if I should still take the medication. Well…I forgot to take my pill one night and my foot hurt significantly much of the next day so I guess the meds. are helping.

What are your plans for Thanksgiving? We are staying here and gathering at my older sister’s for our meal. I get the easy work of making a vegetable. I’m good with that. 🙂

Weekly Workouts:

Monday – Rest Day

Tuesday – Rest Day

Wednesday – Lap swim at the Y before work. I felt awkward in the beginning of the swim and then ended up swimming my fastest 1,000 yards yet. Woohoo! I would say that my regular swimming and new technique are paying off.

Thursday – Rest Day

Friday – Back to the Y pool this morning. Laps weren’t as speedy, but not far off. My arms felt like jello after the workout and I was pleasantly tired.

Saturday – Rest Day

Sunday – Rest Day

Things I did well: Green juices/smoothies 5 days this week.

Things to work on: Did you notice how many rest days I had this week? Yeah…so did I. It was my intention to walk once or twice to see about the foot. Part of me was scared, thinking it might make my foot hurt more again. The other part was pure laziness. That’s got to change.

Weekly Workouts 11/9 – 11/15/15

Happy Monday!

I made my students happy by bringing in Krispy Kreme doughnuts today for a special Monday treat. I apologized for not bringing a healthy alternative, but most were okay with that. 😉

I am finally over the cold and can breathe again. I also sound almost normal…finally!

Very light on exercise this week and I could feel it, both physically and psychologically. I’ve been grumpy and know that I am missing my running endorphins. Swimming is wonderful, but it doesn’t seem to provide the same level of mood-boosting benefits.

I was so frustrated about the tendonitis this week that I had talked myself into running anyway because I wasn’t sure if the rest was helping or not. It seems better and then I’ll have the excruciating pain for no reason. I figured I might as well try to maintain my fitness level instead of letting it all disappear. I know; I’m being melodramatic. I also need to listen to the doctor and give it time. I know this…I’m just not happy about it.

Weekly Workouts:

Monday – Rest Day (Still sick – had to cancel my afternoon class)

Tuesday – Rest Day

Wednesday – Rest Day (Still can’t breathe today)

Thursday – Rest Day

Friday – Swimming laps at the Y this morning. I was nervous how I would feel and whether I could breathe during the workout. Turned out okay and I kept it short because it tired me out quickly.

Saturday – Rest Day

Sunday – Rest Day

Things I did well: Hmmm…does resting count? I did get my green juices/smoothies in during the week so I’ll go with that instead.

Things to work on: Up my swimming workouts and start walking to see if my foot can tolerate it.

Weekly Workouts 11/2 – 11/8/15

My workouts are going to look quite a bit different for a few weeks. I am doing my best to listen to doctor’s orders and let the tendonitis heal. This week I’ve been struggling with a cold/fever, as well, so my workouts have been very limited.

Besides that, my Mom had surgery on her broken wrist to put in the plate and screws. The doctor said it went well and they didn’t have to wait too long. I know she was nervous so that is a good thing. Please send positive thoughts her way that it will heal quickly. I know she is itching to help my younger sister more.

On a happy and exciting note, our family scheduled a vacation for December to Universal Studios. We have never been and our daughter is thrilled to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I’m good with trying out some butter beer. 😉 We are so happy and fortunate that my husband has vacation time again. I’ll still be teaching an online class, but will work it out. Oh, the joys of being an adjunct professor…

Weekly Workouts:

Monday – Swim at the Y before work, but I didn’t get there on time so I had to cut it short, only swimming 750 yards.

Tuesday – Rest Day

Wednesday – Another swim at the Y this morning. Again, I was late…this time because my daughter was not cooperating. AT. ALL! Not sure how I got through this morning without blowing a gasket. I keep praying for more patience…work in progress. The swim helped, even if it was shorter than usual.

Thursday – Rest Day

Friday – Back to the pool and I got in a full session. Woohoo! I also tried a new technique that made me faster. I am embarrassed to admit that I got the idea from a 2 minute video on Facebook advertising a swim training program. Progress is progress, however it is introduced. 😉 I’m excited to see how much more time I can shave off with more practice. Once I get a stronger kick, I think I’m going to be more dolphin-like and less barge-like.

Saturday – Rest Day

Sunday – Rest Day

Things I did well: Kept up my swim schedule this week, even if a couple of the sessions were short. Went to the doctor to check on my foot.

Things to work on: Need to either swim more or try to walk and/or bike. I have to find something that doesn’t worsen the pain. Because of my limited workouts, I know that I need to crack down on eating. Otherwise, it’s going to be a rough Holiday.

What the heck is Extensor Tendonitis?

I now have an answer to why my foot has been hurting for weeks.

A little backstory….my husband and I were on a dinner date last weekend, enjoying some yummy Mexican food while our daughter was at a sleepover party. We were chatting while I was doing my best to get to the bottom of my tropical drink cup. 😉 That piercing pain hit the top of my foot, I stopped talking abruptly, my eyes teared, and I couldn’t breathe for a few seconds. It hurt that much. Bill looked at me, waited until I settled down, and made me promise to call the doctor to make an appointment. I agreed because the pain has been intense this week and was making it difficult to walk normally. My last run was Thursday so I know running wasn’t helping.

I called the Doctor’s office on Monday and was able to get in Tuesday. After telling her my symptoms, and my fears that I either had gout or a stress fracture, she told me that she thought it was tendonitis. I was a little skeptical because of the piercing pain and because it was on top of my foot. She ordered an X-ray to rule out a stress fracture and gave me a prescription for an NSAID, telling me to rest and ice the foot, only doing what doesn’t bother my foot/intensify the pain.

I went to get the x-rays right away because that was my day off. It wasn’t painful at all and I got the results soon after – no stress fracture. This was good news and then I went about doing some research about tendonitis. It looks like I specifically have extensor tendonitis, which is “one of the more rare types of ankle tendonitis,” according to the web. More reading…”This causes pain on the top of the foot.  The extensor tendons pull the toes up.  Pain is often worse when running.” – See more at: http://www.foot-pain-explored.com/ankle-tendonitis.html#sthash.srkwHQy3.dpuf

Since Tuesday, I’ve been icing my foot daily and taking the meds. The piercing pain has decreased significantly, but the foot is still uncomfortable and I limp a little. I haven’t been on a run, choosing to swim only for right now. That means that my plans for the Turkey Trot 8K are out.

I’m wondering how biking would be on the foot and will carefully experiment in the next week or two. Unfortunately, recovery takes weeks to months. I’ll do my best to be good and cut that recovery time down. 😉

I am sitting here writing this blog post while having hot flashes/chills because I got hit with my husband’s cold yesterday and now have a fever.

I think it’s time to get healthy…before waiting until the New Year. I want to feel better! Who’s in?

Weekly Workouts 10/26 – 11/1/15

Life is certainly interesting. Our weekend was supposed to be filled with Halloween fun and my niece’s rollerskating birthday party. She turned 3-years-old yesterday and is the cutest thing. 🙂 My husband wasn’t feeling well so just Brenna and I went to the birthday party Saturday afternoon. I decided not to roller-skate because my foot has been hurting so I got Brenna ready to go with her skates. Here is a picture of my sister and niece getting their skate on.

Below is a picture of my Mom, who decided to skate because of how much she enjoys it. She wobbled a little bit and then started to dance around. I told my Dad that she was getting a little cocky and he said that it was in the blood (my Grandpa used to get out on the rink floor and whiz past us).

Unfortunately, not long after this picture was taken she fell down and was in immediate pain, saying that she thought she had broken her wrist. I looked at it and it was already swelling and misshapen. We got her skates off, shoes on, got a bag of ice, and packed her in the car to go to the ER. Dad and I went with her and I waited outside while they took x-rays. Definitely broken…and a rough break at that. At first I was relieved because they hadn’t mentioned surgery, but then they did. She’ll have to have a plate and screws put in. Thankfully, she got some good pain meds. and got a break from the pain for a little bit.

We all feel terrible and hope that she recovers quickly. She said that she was being selfish for skating, but I disagree. She was trying to enjoy herself and there’s nothing wrong with that. Maybe less dancing next time, though.

I ended up missing trick-or-treating at our house, but Bill took Brenna to her cousin’s to check out their neighborhood this year. My sister and brother-in-law had a bonfire and set up a projector to play video games on the garage door. It was a sweet set-up. This means that all of the candy that we bought to hand out is still at home waiting to tempt us. I can’t say that I’m heartbroken about that. 😉

Weekly Workouts:

Monday – Started my birthday off right with my usual lap swim at the Y, covering 1,000 yards. Pace was good for having ran yesterday evening.

Tuesday – Rest Day (unplanned). I had a run/walk planned, but my foot has been really hurting me. I thought I would give it a day to see if that helped.

Wednesday – More swimming at the Y this morning before work. Felt slow and that may be because of my dinner at Red Lobster last night with my parents and daughter. Ha!

Thursday – Decided to test out the foot with a run/walk this evening. Tried to do my usual intervals, but had to cut my third running interval short. My pace was good, but my foot hurt too much. Does not bode well for the Turkey Trot…stay tuned. I probably got 2.5 miles in this evening.

Friday – Another 1,000 yards swimming at the Y this morning. I really want to increase my swim time, but I get to work right on time as it is. I might switch my swim and run days so I can swim longer.

Saturday – Rest Day

Sunday – Rest Day (unplanned). My foot hurt to walk on it today. My husband made me promise to call the doctor this week to make an appointment. I have the pain narrowed down to either gout or a stress fracture. I’m not sure which I would rather it be. Blah!

Things I did well: Swimming is going very well. I told my husband that even when I feel slow, I am so much faster than I used to be. There was a time when breaking 7 minutes for 250 yards was a success. Now my normal for 250 yards is 5:45. I am doing my best to remind myself of this and to celebrate my progress. Green juice/smoothies at least 5 times this week.

Things to work on: Find out what’s going on with my foot and do my best to recover and get back on track without losing too much fitness/endurance. Consider getting to the Y for a cycling class during the week because I don’t seem to be getting out on the road bike.

Weekly Workouts 10/19 – 10/25/15

It is official…I am 40-years-old today. Not sure how that happened, but I’m embracing it and vowing to make this another fantastic decade…an even healthier one. We had a lovely family birthday celebration this weekend. It was my Mom’s birthday on Friday so we had our joint celebration, getting some take-out Peruvian chicken and I made a big bowl of macaroni and cheese. Go comfort food for the win!

My daughter drew me a birthday card, which you can see here:

My sisters know me so well- my older sister made me a Life is Good card and my younger sister painted me a Life is Good picture. AWESOME!

We ate cake and had ice cream, enjoying the evening and time together. My Dad and Niece had a scary face contest. I’ll let you decide who won. 😉  My niece’s birthday is coming right up and she will be 3. Such a fun age!

Gotta have a picture of the other birthday girl, too, so here is a sweet pic of my parents:

You’ll see that my weekly workouts are very similar to last week as I am trying to keep the same schedule. So far, it’s working very well for me.

Weekly Workouts:

Monday – Swam laps at the Y before work and had my fastest time yet for 1,000 yards. I felt so strong while swimming and wanted to keep going, but had to stop because of time.

Tuesday – Did a run/walk while my daughter was at boxing. I am cutting back on my walking times so this week’s intervals are 5 minutes running: 2 minutes walking. I did 4 intervals and then walked some more to cool-down. I probably covered 2 2/3 miles. I’m not sure I mentioned it before, but my Garmin stopped charging so I haven’t had specific distances unless I am running on the American Tobacco Trail with the mile markers. Not happy about that. 😦

Wednesday – Felt sluggish in the pool today when completing my laps. Considered swimming a shorter distance…then I reminded myself how much I like swimming and finished up.

Thursday – My husband joined me this time for my run/walk during our daughter’s evening boxing class. I did another 4 intervals of 5 minutes running: 2 minutes walking and then walked to cool-down, waiting for my husband who did a continuous run. I increased my distance to 2.75 miles. I’ve noticed that my breathing is getting better, even if it’s still very hard.

Friday – Last swim at the Y this week before work. Another slower swim and my form suffered. My body was tired today so my rest day is needed and welcome tomorrow.

Saturday – Rest Day

Sunday – Went to the American Tobacco Trail with the goal of running continuously. I need to show my body and mind that I can do it, even if that means a slower pace. I had to give myself a pep talk and then finished up 2 miles, walking for a half mile after to cool down. I ended up jumping over a small snake, not sure if it was still alive or squished. That woke me up and gave me a little more pep in my step for the end. 😉

Things I did well: I am thrilled that my exercise has been consistent for 3 weeks now! I kept up with my scheduled workouts and had my weekday green juices/smoothies, even 2 juices on a couple of days.

Things to work on: I never got my bike ride in as my sister wasn’t feeling up to a ride Thursday. I’ll have to try again soon if the weather cooperates.

Weekly Workouts 10/12 – 10/18/15

Hi There,

It has been another solid week of workouts and a better week of nutrition. I told my husband that I can feel the difference in my running already from having a couple of consistent weeks of sessions. This is what I needed to gain some confidence and make it so I want to see more progress. Results are addictive, that’s for sure!

The weather has been perfect for outdoor runs…even a little cold some days. No complaints right now, even though we had a frost this morning. I’m trying not to get in the cycle of wishing for the next season. Actually, I never hope for winter to be here, just spring, summer, and fall. 😉

It’s almost my birthday and I turn 40 this year so the time of reflection is creeping up. I’m sure I’ll have a separate post about that soon. I’m not freaking out, just looking at life.

Weekly Workouts:

Monday – Swam laps at the Y this morning. I didn’t feel great in the water, but my time was okay. It was a nice quiet morning at the pool, even with the water aerobics class going on.

Tuesday – Ran around a local pond while my daughter was at boxing class. I like to get my workouts done before the day starts, but on Tuesdays and Thursdays, it works out best to run during her class. I did a run/walk for about 30 minutes.

Wednesday – Another trip to the Y before work for lap swim. Pretty sluggish today after yesterday evening’s run. I decided to focus more on technique and form because I knew speed wasn’t going to be happening today.

Thursday – Back to the pond during boxing class for about a 2 1/2 mile run/walk. I covered more area in the same amount of time and felt stronger than last week.

Friday – Last swim of the week at the Y. I love working out and not dripping sweat! The water temperature was just a little chilly and perfect for swimming laps.

Saturday – Rest Day

Sunday – Had a lovely run/walk at the local rail trail. It felt like fall and I was a little chilly to start because I wore short-sleeves, but knew I would warm up quickly. I ran for a mile, walked a 1/4 mile, and then finished with a 3/4 mile run. I only did 2 miles, but the goal was to run longer intervals and not push it. Goal accomplished and I felt like I could do more. It was nice to finish a run wanting to do more and looking forward to the next run!

Things I did well: Worked out 6 days this week and had one rest day. That is the goal, especially as I am keeping the workout sessions shorter than usual. Green juices and smoothies 5 days out of the week. I also did better at limiting sweets and added sugar.

Things to work on: Still didn’t get on the bike this week. 😦 I really do enjoy riding so this makes me sad. The good news is that I have a bike date set with my older sister for Thursday of this coming week. I’m so looking forward to that!

Weekly Workouts 10/5 – 10/11/15

I finally feel like I am back on track after being sick/stressed out. The workouts might not be long, but they’ve been consistent this week and that is a start. I’m excited because the “indoor” pool opened at the Y this week so I’ve been able to swim laps again. It surprises me how much I enjoy swimming.

My traditional school had it’s fall break so I had off on Friday, which was a lovely change. I celebrated by getting a morning swim in, then went home to tackle an organizational project in the kitchen. I love to organize! It took the rest of the weekend to weed through unnecessary items, move some things around, and then straighten up. I’m very happy with the results, but will probably still tweak a few things. I bought some labels and had way too much fun with them. 😉

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Weekly Workouts:

Monday – First time in 3 weeks for a swim. I was so happy to get back in the water and find my zen place. I swam 1,000 yards and my time wasn’t significantly slower than earlier this fall. I’ll take that!

Tuesday – Went with my Dad to the Y for a treadmill workout while he walked and lifted weights. I love going to the gym with him. Since he and my Mom are staying for at least a few more months while my younger sister gets chemo/has surgery, we visited a couple of gyms nearby and he has signed up for one that is more reasonably-priced than the Y. I’ll miss our gym trips, but I’m glad he’s found a good place. I did a run/walk for 2.75 miles and felt pretty good during the run intervals.

Wednesday – Back to the pool for another 1,000 yards, with an even faster time than Monday’s workout. I felt energized leaving the Y for work today. I think it also helped that this was the last day of teaching before Fall Break. 🙂

Thursday – I did not want to run today. Fortunately, my husband said that he would go with me to a local trail while our daughter went to boxing class. I struggled as it was hot…and I was mentally weak. I finished up about 2.5 miles of a run/walk. An older gentleman cheered me on when I passed his bench. It was so sweet and I soaked it up, telling my husband that I’m a hit with the older crowd.

Friday – Swam laps at the Y this morning…on my day off. Yes, that’s right; I am determined to find my mojo again! 1,000 yards at a slower pace. I think the run/walk late yesterday tired me out a little.

Saturday – Rest Day

Sunday – I’ve been happy to go swim this week, but dreading the runs. I had decided to skip today’s run (wasn’t feeling it and wanted to keep organizing the kitchen), but then my husband gave me a guilt trip and reminded me that we are signed up for an 8K Turkey Trot. I took a nap in the afternoon and then gave myself a pep talk, got dressed, and went to the local rail trail for a run/walk. I only did 2 miles and I still consider that a success because I didn’t want to go at all. 2 miles is better than 0. I did mostly 5 minutes run:3 minutes walk intervals. It was very pretty out and felt wonderful in the shade. My breathing has been so difficult lately. I am hoping that this gets better from here with regular workouts again.

Things I did well: This week I consistently exercised with 6 days of workouts. And, I am back in the pool! Had my green juice/green smoothie 5 days this week.

Things to work on: I want to focus on the run and swim, but I do miss the bike so I would like to get at least one ride in per week.