Weekly REST-up

I figured I should call it what it was!  LOL.  This week was all about resting and healing.  I'm tired of this injury and I felt like I just kept pushing myself and not really healing completely. Biking even seems to make it tighten up and get inflamed, so, I rested.  A LOT.  There may have even been beer involved.  ;)

It actually wasn't as good as it looks.  Rey brought it home for me and I was pretty excited to try it, but it wasn't as pumpkin-y as I had hoped.  Rey came home on Tuesday, so this made my week of rest really enjoyable and easier to tolerate!  <3

Backing it up a bit, I did workout on Monday, I did some machine work, showing off my new shoe trend.  It's all the rage, ya know, wearing one flip-flop and one shoe.  I also used the bike for a bit.

The verdict is out on whether this was aggravating the injury, so I decided to just completely rest the remainder of the week. It may actually be my minimalist shoe (AND that would include using a flip flop) that is causing too much strain on my achilles.  Wah!  I love my shoes!

Since I wasn't going to be burning any calories working out, I wanted to get back to what makes me feel best, tracking my calories.   I got back to logging everything on MyFitnessPal.  I've been logging for over a year, but for a while now I slack off and by the end of the day.  This week I started logging morning to night again and feel much better. A little more vigilance on my part never hurts. It's also much easier to stay in my calories when I'm not running, I don't have my huge runner's appetite.

 

All in all, this week went fairly well for not running at all.  We finally got some fall weather and had lots of family time. 

 Monday is a big day.  It will be 5 weeks since the heel bursitis/achilles issue started and the day I have decided to try my running shoe on and attempting a run.  It may or may not be a run with the heel cut out of my shoes.  LOL.   It will also be my 100th blog post.  Nope, no pressure there!  

I am trying to prepare myself for the idea that I might not be able to run and that I might have to rest even more.  It's my own fault for continuing to try and run and not completely rest so I could get better, but I have to learn from that and not push myself to where I continue this cycle.  I feel like had I rested completely from the beginning, it might not have taken this long.  

In any case, Monday will bring my 100th blog post,  whether I'm running or not! Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend!

Wide-angle Wednesday

Just a moment first to think about what happened 12 years ago.  I cannot believe it has been 12 years and I want to pay my respects to those that lost their lives, and those that were left behind.  I will never forget. 

This week is going pretty well, considering. All is right in my world, aside from my injury, because Rey is home this week! I'm enjoying every moment.  If you know me at all, you know what else makes me happy... so without further ado, just a few things that make me smile:

I hope everyone is having a good week!   What is the first thing that came to mind that makes you smile when you think of Disney?

Weekly wrap-up

1 mile.  Yep, I ran a whopping ONE.MILE. this week. LOL.  I'm ok with it (for now), I did some cross training and I'm in a "hopeful mood" about my heel healing.  (I giggle every time I put heel & heal in the same sentence...yes, I'm 13.) 

Monday-16.3 mile bike ride

Tuesday-strength training & 1 mile via flip flop (indoor track)

Wednesday-rest

Thursday-LOTS of strength training

Friday-tons of walking(shopping with my girl)

Saturday & Sunday-more rest

All in all, it really was not a horrible week, considering I couldn't run.  It could have been much worse (emotionally/mentally).  I think the week got better as I went along.  Friday was probably the most fun, we went into the city for a dentist appointment and a girly shopping day. 
(yes, I'm going to blog about shopping...if I can't run?!?...)  

 For those of you that don't know, I live 100 miles from Saint Louis (grew up in STL and moved out here 9 years ago) in a very rural area, we basically have a Walmart.  Blech!  So, I miss going to Target and the mall most of all.  We brought E, Savannah's friend, along for some shopping fun! 

 Yes, it's true, even escalators are fun for us country-folk.  

Target was the first stop, I had a date with the active wear!  I bought another razorback shirt I love, just in a different color. 

 Oh and can I just say?  Is my kid growing superfast or what?  I took a picture of Savannah and realized that she's already changed in the last few months! Compare February to now. 

 

My mind is blown.  She's going to be 13 next month but I feel like she's 16!  Ack! I digress...

So, had a fabulous day, had some Starbucks, walked a TON and wasn't too sore, and had some quality time with my girl.  After taking E home, we went out to dinner alone, it was so nice!  She even obliged and took a selfie with me!

So, I feel pretty good about this week, considering I can't run.  I have been a little clumsier?  A little forgetful too, I'm wondering if that is somehow because I'm not running/getting those endorphins?  In any case, I'm not wallowing on the couch with ice cream, so I call it a good week!  

Oh!  I forgot the pic of my new shirt.  It's really more of a look-at-how-my-shirt-shows-off-my-tattoo pic, but that's ok.  LOL

 

Ok, shew!  I sure do have a lot to say on this running blog for someone that didn't run this week!  ;)

DITTO.

April just said it all.  Seriously. No need for me to type up a post today b/c word for word, she said exactly what I would say for myself.  Thanks April, saved me some time today.

Dealing with injuries without losing it. 

Happy Saturday folks!  

Wide-angle Wednesday

Is it actually Wednesday?  Today is a rest day for me.  I got in a good upper body workout yesterday and I did run around the indoor track in 1 flip flop and 1 running shoe.  I only did a mile or so, but it didn't hurt, so that's good news.  Obviously I'm not going to run a ton in a flip flop, but it's nice to know it can be done. 

Not only is it Wednesday, but it's September!  Ahhh!  I've been down about not running, but just looking through my fall photos perked me up, so I'm going to post a few more than normal.  I LOVE fall.  LOVE it.  The colors, the smells, the leaves falling, the wind, cool temps, bonfires, pumpkin everything, Halloween...  so you get a bunch of random fall stuff today just b/c it's cheering me up!  

  My Kitty!

 

 Savannah (in the Mickey shirt) and her BFF's

 

 

 Do you love fall too?  I'm headed into the city on Friday and there's a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks just waiting for me.  ;)

 

 

Just keep swimming...or riding...

or anything but running, apparently. 

I would love to say this is going to be an inspirational post (cause I need some, pretty please)  I'm just not sure where it's going to go, so I cannot make any promises.  I'm going to dump it all here and see where we're at when I'm done!  

Before I start, congrats to all the Disneyland Dumbo Double Dare runners yesterday!  It was so much fun watching everyone from afar.  Happy Labor Day as well. 

I woke up ready to run!  I had no pain at all this weekend, I'm not uncomfortable at all when I'm walking around in flip flops, it's like I'm not even injured...until I put my shoe on.  Ugh.  I was so excited but as soon as I slipped on my shoe,  the heel was burning.   WTF?  I took the shoe back off and after cursing and putting  my flip flop back on, I headed out to petsit.  I was in a REALLY foul mood.  I looked like this: (note, this is a reenactment so it may have been much uglier, you would have to ask Dallas. LOL) 

 When I was done (petsitting & pouting), Dallas suggested we bike instead of trying to run.  I was pretty close to running in my flip flop, so it took some convincing.  Eventually I relented and this is how I rode...

At some point Dallas told me to slow down, I was so frustrated that I guess I was taking it out on our ride and he wanted to go for distance, not speed.  I realized as I got lost in my music that I was playing with the idea of running when we got back to the house. It was going to take quite a few more miles to convince me that I shouldn't.  So I kept riding. 

We stopped by the house around 10 miles for a drink of water and I knew if I didn't get right back on the bike that I would be off running in my flip flop...so I kept riding.  

At some point I WAS enjoying the ride, I do like biking sometimes, but I don't get the same feeling when I'm biking as I do when running.  Around mile 14 I had exhausted myself enough that I thought I might be able to finish up the ride and not try to run when I got back to the house.  We made it home at 16.3 miles, lots of hills thrown in, and my bum was sore and my legs like jello, but I still felt a bit like this: 

It's just.not.the.same.

Jeez, here come the waterworks.  Running is my happy place.  It's not about the sweat or the workout, there's something more there.  I go deep in myself, I am ONE with myself, my breath, my feet pounding the ground. It's like meditation and there's just no other activity that makes me feel the way running does.  It seems cruel that I can't do it and that injuries seem to plague me.  

Sigh.  So, Miss-overly-dramatic has to deal.  First World problems, I tell ya.  There are so many things to be grateful for, including the 16 mile bike ride I was just able to take!  It's not the same, but it's something. It's more than something, more than lots of people can do.   I have been described as a pretty persistent person.  I guess I am, I think because I don't feel I have any other choice.  What choice do I have?  Give up?  and do what? Sit here and pout more?  So, I'll keep swimming... or I'll keep riding and I'll do whatever I can until I can run again.  I WILL run again, because to me, there's just no other alternative.  And my face most of the time is going to be like this:

 I'll fake it until I make it and persist until I get what I want.  I'll run in flip flops down Main Street and through that castle if I have to, but I'm going to run my race!

Weekly wrap-up

There is so little to wrap up, I almost didn't post.  I'll be mad later if I don't have a wrap-up, even on the not-so-stellar-weeks, so here I am!  Heel bursitis is still keeping me from training much.  I ran only 2 miles this week and biked 18.  I did a little upper body strength training too.  That's it.  *sigh*  My shoe bothers the heel (it doesn't hurt at all when I have no shoes or flip flops on) so I rode my bike in flip flops. 

It wasn't too hard to do, but I felt like I needed to be more cautious and go a bit slower.  

In an attempt to make myself feel better, I got a new Sparkletech skirt!  I love it!

 I would be much happier with it if I could actually RUN in it though.  I know, I'm complaining.  Sorry. I'm trying to stay positive, I don't actually have to start my half training until October, so that is a good thing.  It's just frustrating to have an injury that only hurts when something touches it.  My 2 miles was ok, but I can feel a burning when my heel pushes on the back of my shoe and I don't want to injure it more by pushing it.  I did try to run on the TM barefoot for a bit, but that is something you have to build up to as well and I could feel pulling in my achilles, which cannot possibly be good for the heel bursitis.  I don't want to irritate it more.

  I suspect this week will bring more cross training, although if I have to wear my shoes to the gym, I might as well try to run. 

The only other thing going on this week is that I'm all about twitter and following everyone in Disneyland this weekend!  It's been so much fun seeing all the photos and updates from Dumbo Double Dare.  It makes me excited for the Princess!