Days Of The Week

Yesterday

We spent time at home fixing things around the house and gardening. I found more "planted" avocados, planted by my dog. The only thing is now some of the avocado seeds are starting to sprout. Someone suggested I dig those up and give them out as gifts. Aside from finding the sprouts, I pulled a lot of weeds and stray grasses, and that was just a small section. I really do need a bulldozer to take care of everything and just be done with it.

Today

Workout at RU today.
I got the usual killer workout, except this time I did barbell squats with 85#.

We're having some very un-San Diego weather here today. It feels somewhat tropical and humid. I was rained on. I'm glad it wasn't just me drenched in sweat when working out.

My PT sent me an e-mail, per my request, with a general workout for when I'm not working out at RU, 4 days of running - varied between my long runs, intervals, hills and tempo runs, strength training 2 days, and (of course) the two days I workout at RU. I just did the math. That's 8 days. Last time I checked there were only 7 days in a week, unless I missed something, and even so, I should have at least one rest day. I don't think he meant the workouts as it reads, but it does read as 8 days.

I found a really good referral to a raspberry buttermilk cake recipe off of Not Soccer Mom's blog, who found it on another blog, but it's also on Epicurious.com. The recipe is pretty straight forward and, in my opinion, easy. I've made this cake three times already. I might have to try this cake with blueberries next. It comes out exactly as it looks here:

Photo from Epicurious.com

Saturday's song:
Dream Of The Blue Turtles - Sting - Run-DMZ

PEACE

Dream Of The Blue Turtles

Activity: Run
Date: 06/27/09 07:48 AM
Distance: 5.24 miles
Time: 0:55:43
Speed: 5.6 mph
Pace: 10' 38 min/mile
Calories: 501



The track club run started at Harbor Island, but I opted to go only as far as the Embarcadero at Ash St. and back. I suppose I could have gone further with some of the other runners, but I don't have any thing longer than a 5k planned. I really don't need to pound out the miles right now. This week BiM actually let me post a map of where we ran. Our run went in a different direction today because another section near Spanish Landing is prepping for a Tri tomorrow, and they're already setting up, otherwise we probably would have run in that direction. I felt OK for this run, I was running at a good pace, not fast, but I didn't want to wipe myself out, either, especially since I had a good (hard) workout at RU yesterday. My running form is off, and I suppose it will take a long time to correct it to almost normal. Someone volunteering with the track club was kind enough to take pictures today, and I'll post those as soon as they become available.

Other stuff:

A brief conversation with my grandson this morning upon looking at the cover of an April issue of The Reader, a San Diego free publication:

The Kid: "Mimi?"
Me: "Yes?"
The Kid: "What's that a picture of?" "Is it a lizard?" "It looks wrong."
Me: "No, that's a sea turtle."
The Kid: "Did you know that when turtles flip over they become boats?"

It's finally starting to feel like summer.

Thursday's song:
No One Ever Told Me - Wheat - Barbie2be

PEACE

No One Ever Told Me

TIART

"This week's theme is ... Yeah, no one ever told me this about running.... Now that you are a runner, what is something you have learned about running that no one ever told you before. You didn't read it in a book, a blog or hear it from a friend or another runner. Or...maybe you did, but you didn't understand it or remember it until you learned it yourself."

No one ever told me that I'd run one 5k then suddenly want to do another event, and eventually I'd get the chutzpah to sign up for a marathon, no matter how many people thought I was a psychopath for wanting to do so.

No one ever told me that I'd be making so many new running friends through blogging. The running blog community has been amazing, even though my non-runner friends and family are concerned that they're all psychopaths.

No one ever told me that I would break a bone from running. Who breaks a bone from running? Me. I didn't fall or get beat up. The diagnosis was a femoral neck stress fracture. I got a bonus surgery, complete with hardware, and a 4 night's stay in the hospital, and mind altering medications. Wooohooo! (NOT!) I always thought my injuries would be limited to blisters, losing a toe nail or two, sore muscles, and perhaps tendinitis. Call me enlightened.

No one, not even the doctors, ever told me that I couldn't run after my surgery. Even before I had the surgery they said I'd be running with in 4 to 6 months of the surgery. They were right. It wasn't pretty, but I was up and running. I'm still working on making it look pretty.

No one ever told me that I would travel by plane to run in out-of-state events. I wouldn't think to travel to those places, otherwise. The Rock 'n' Roll half marathon in Las Vegas, NV in December on my calendar.

No one ever told me that I would own more running shoes than other types of shoes, because I'm always in search of just the right shoe, and bonus points if I find my perfect shoe on sale for less than half price because it's from two seasons ago.

No one ever told me that I would remember the Boston Marathon qualifying times chart, and I can't even remember my husband's work phone number.

Finally:
No one ever told me about the sense of well being and satisfaction that running gives me. I can pound out any frustration or problem while running. It's such a release. Sure, life's problems or frustrations may still be there, but I can handle things better and with a clearer head after a run.

Monday's song:
Struttin' With Some Barbecue - Louis Armstrong

PEACE

Struttin' With Some Barbecue

Thursday a friend of mine mentioned he could possibly get comp tickets to a Yanni concert, the only thing we would have to pay would be the $4.00 processing fee. My reaction was "Sure, whatever." $4.00 for a concert ticket is pretty cheap. You can't even see a movie for $4.00. I sort of tucked the concert idea away in my head, and didn't think much about it until my friend called on Saturday afternoon to firm up the details. I'm not big into Yanni, but I'll listen, plus I'm familiar with a couple Yanni songs. I kept thinking "I hope we stay awake for the concert" because we woke up bright and early to go running that same Saturday morning. We were pleasantly surprised that the seats were not in the nose-bleed section of Cox Arena, but just 6 rows up from the floor, at a slight angle of the stage. The concert was anything but a sleepy concert. Yanni had something like a 22 piece orchestra, mostly strings, cool lighting, plus extremely talented singers. It was a pleasant surprise. Yanni truly looks really happy doing what he's doing. I've been to some concerts where the performers look like it's just another gig, another day at the job. The concert wasn't what I expected at all. It really was great and we were all blown away.

Sunday we hosted Father's Day at our house. My husband insisted on barbecuing. He requested shrimp for Father's Day, so I obliged and found some huge tiger shrimp, shell on, de-veined, which were the hit of the day. He also barbecued steak, bratwursts, veggie kabobs and corn on the cob. We had a ton of food and drinks, so much that we have enough left over for the 4th of July. We didn't over buy, it's just that people brought more stuff. We also had perfect weather. Unlike the day before, we had gorgeous weather, perfect to have everyone gather outside.

Today I'm feeling like a slug. You bet I indulged a bit yesterday. How could I not? Shrimp, steak, wine coolers, apple pie, family and friends? I didn't have RU today, thank goodness, so I did a much more scaled back workout at home instead:

Squats - Several sets while watching Oprah...
Push-ups, real ones - 5 sets of 12,
Abs to failure on a stability ball - around 200ish,
20 minutes of stretching, mostly hips, quads, sides.

I supposed I could fit in something else, but I'm still dealing with the food hangover...

Saturday's song:
Grey - Yellowcard

PEACE

Grey

Activity: Run
Date: 06/20/09 07:47 AM
Distance: 5.16 miles
Time: 0:59:02
Speed: 5.2 mph
Pace: 11' 27 min/mile
Calories: 500

Today's run with the track club was along Harbor Island, near the airport. I went out about marathon pace for this run. I just wasn't feeling it today, maybe because we arrived late, but I got in just a smidge more than 5 miles, so it's all good. I also ran most of the way with AKA Alice, which helped the run go smoother -- It's always better running with a friend. For us Californians, the weather was a bit chilly. 62 degrees doesn't sound cold when you read the numbers, but we had high 70s to low 80s yesterday, so, yeah, the temperature drop and the grey skies made the air feel a lot cooler.

I wanted to post a map of today's run, but for some reason BiM isn't letting me.

Thursday's song:
Give It To Me - Timbaland - Barbie2be







PEACE

Give It To Me

Yesterday

RU workout

Here's what my workouts at RU typically looks like, with several variations:

10 minute warm up on recumbent bike

4 sets each of:
*Barbell squats 10 reps, 65#
*Lunge matrix with two 25 pound dumbbells, equaling something like 50 lunges total
*Jumps - onto an 12 inch high cushy form X 15 reps
*Step ups - onto an 18 inch high cushy form X 15 reps

Then one set each of:
*Hip drive lunges with am 8 pound weighted ball, two different foot stances, 20 total
*Jump lunges matrix X 5
*Step down lunges, from a 6 inch step X 10
*Ab dolly - 5 sets, W formation.

I feel like I'm missing something, even though what I posted looks like plenty.

Stretching

Ice.

I thought I was done after the fourth round of that first set of exercises, but I pounded those exercises out with time to spare, so he threw me a few more.

I felt better yesterday, too.

I asked B to suggest a workout at home so it coincides with what I'm doing at RU. The idea is to not go into overkill. I have a pretty good grasp of what I should be doing at home, however, sometimes he'll throw in something that I've pounded out the day before, like abs. I'm hoping we'll get more into that next week.

Today

Activity: Run - Treadmill
Date: 06/18/09 10:00 AM
Distance: 3.00 miles
Time: 0:32:00
Speed: 5.6 mph
Pace: 10' 40 min/mile
Calories: 304

HIIT on the gym treadmill. Lowest points at 4.0 mph, highest point at 8.0 mph. I felt like tossing my cookies when I was done. I guess I'm still not completely over what ever made me feel crummy last weekend.

Yesterday's song:
Fit But You Know It - The Streets







PEACE

Fit But You Know It

Product Review!

I had the opportunity to try out a sports bra from Moving Comfort. I've heard of Moving Comfort before but never tried any of their products. The bra I selected is from their back closure sports bras selection, the Dori bra, pictured above, retailing for $44.00.

For some reason, I'm not sure why, I've never tried a sports bra with a back closure. I believe I am now a convert. Since this sports bra has a back closure it's much easier to put on and take off. I've had some sports bras that are so hard to put on/take off, it must look like I'm being strangled. The back closure was a nice little revelation for me. I'm not blessed in the chest, so I figured I never really needed a back closing sports bra. I was so wrong.

I'm surprised how well this bra fit. The sports bras I purchase are letter sized, and depending on the make, I'll take either a S or M. Per the sizing guidelines on the Moving Comfort site, the bra I selected in S fit me perfectly. No gapping where some sports bras don't offer much support, and not so tight that I feel like I can't breathe and the girls are squished.

This is also one of the most comfortable sports bras I've tried. The fabric is soft and breathable. I've used it while running and for working out, and it never rubbed or chaffed.

Coverage is pretty good, however... When it gets a little nippy out, things could be a little nipple-y... It covers better than some sports bras, in that respect, but there are other sports bras that cover the headlights (high beams, what ever) better. I don't want to worry about what the girls are doing. This is actually a minor criticism because I really do like this bra and would consider getting another one.

This bra is machine washable, and it says to tumble dry, low, but I hang dry my sports bras. It washes well and came out looking like new.

Along with the standard white and black, it also comes in ocean blue and mojito (green). Of course, I selected mojito. Besides, I never had a bright green sport's bra, and it was time I had one. I love the color.

In conclusion:
I really like this sports bra! I also like a bargain just like everyone else, and I don't think I've ever spent $44.00 for a sports bra. This particular sports bra would be the exception. I would much rather save up to buy a sports bra that fits so well than to purchase two sub standard sports bras for the same price*. It's all about the comfort.


Monday's song:
Going Through The Motions - Aimee Mann


PEACE

*The brand I usually buy retails for around $30.00, but I always purchase them on sale.

Going Through The Motions

Can I have a do over?

The weekend started out just fine with a short run at the lake in my old neighborhood with the track club, got to see all of my track club friends, followed by brunch at one of the track club member's homes near by. It was a great morning. By the time we returned home I was ready to go back to bed and it wasn't even noon yet. Some flu bug just got me. I spent most of my Saturday in bed. By the time I got up to do anything it was already 6 PM. Sunday wasn't any better, but my brother was in town and we needed to meet him and my sister-in-law for lunch, along with my dad and his girlfriend. They wanted to barbecue at my house (not my idea, by the way) , but I quickly nixed the idea and suggested meeting out somewhere. My brother, who doesn't know the area any more, wanted to meet at a touristy Mexican restaurant, the one I always get sick at. I really didn't care, so I didn't suggest someplace else. Getting together was nice. My meal was just OK. I didn't eat all of it and it still upset my system. Dang. I went home and spent the rest of my day back in bed, until about 8:00 PM, when I decided the dog hair on the floor was getting on my nerves and decided to vacuum. That was my exciting weekend. It had the potential to be great, but, ah well.

Today was RU. It was a bit of a struggle today, but I stuck out the exercises and never let on that I felt crummy. I did all of the usual things, lunge matrixes , pylometrics, some weights, stretching, etc... I figured the sooner I got it all done, the sooner I could leave. Under normal circumstances I like the workouts and I like to be challenged. Breathing was even a challenge today.

I'm going back to bed.

Tomorrow HAS to be better.

Friday's song:
Flick Of The Wrist - Queen



PEACE

Flick Of The Wrist

My bracelet from tinahdee came in today!

I love it, and it STAYS ON!

I'd never get employment as a hand model... Too many freckles, which my grandson refers to as "sparkles."

Yesterday's song:
Reelin' In The Years - Steeley Dan - Step Away From The Cake

PEACE

Reelin' In The Years

My son noticed a box of hangers from Costco. The number 50 was on the box in rather large characters. He said "Mom, is that on purpose, I mean, did you buy those just because they had your age on the box?"

*GAH*

Then he asked me if I felt older now. I told him I felt older last year.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes!

I did have a very nice birthday with my family. We went out for sushi at an all-you-can-eat sushi place, mostly because it was casual and I we could take the grand kid. A more "formal" setting would be for the grown-ups only. I really wanted the little guy there. Besides, he actually likes sushi.

Sports rehab, which is now coaching, still feels like rehab, especially today. I had some assisted stretching within the confines of the stretching cage. My piriformis muscles on my right side are still tight. In my mind I have a pretty high pain threshold, but today pushed the limits and I had to go to that sandy beach in my mind to deal with the EXTREME discomfort and to avoid speaking in tongues.* They also had me do the usual exercises with a lot of twisting, lunging.

By the way, I found out that, along with Michael J.Fox and Donald Duck, I share the same birthday with the sports rehab place. I was told that they opened for business on the same day as my birthday, 6 years ago.

Other than a few random 5ks with in the next few months, I have no definite longer run event plans at the moment. The Las Vegas Rock 'N' Roll half marathon event in early December keeps coming up in conversation. The guys at sports rehab are discussing going as a group and I might consider going with them, provided they figure out the logistics. It could be fun. What I need to do is remain half marathon ready.

Tonight was our office party, celebrating three June birthdays, mine included. I am kicking myself for not putting the media card back into the camera. We had some incriminating, I mean, good photo opps. Someone did bring a camera, but it might be a long time before the pictures are downloaded and e-mailed to me.

Everyone keeps asking me if I'm going to do anything to commemorate turning 50, such as having a big party, get a tattoo, doing something wild. The Chicago trip was part of my birthday celebration, I made the trip early due to work schedules. I did make a "happy birthday to me" purchase for myself, not over the top, but it's a hand made bracelet that looks like one of these:

The word I've selected is "PERSEVERE." I found this bracelet over at Mizfitonline.com as a give away. I knew my chances were slim to none of winning, and this time was no different. I didn't win. I really liked the idea of this bracelet. I also liked that it is personally crafted, not mass produced. The word "PERSEVERE" sums up everything for me. I'm still here.

Monday's song:
Kumbaya - Peter, Paul & Mary... and many others

PEACE

*What I really wanted to say were several cuss words, but I promised myself to keep things Isay and write relatively clean since my 5 year old grandson can read just about everything now, and listens qute attentively.

Kumbaya

A three part blog post

Part 1

Activity: Run
Date: 06/07/09 08:12 AM
Distance: 3.13 miles
Time: 0:31:25
Speed: 6.0 mph
Pace: 10' 02 min/mile
Calories: 299



Yesterday was the AFLAC Iron Girl 5k/10K event. I did the 5k. The above stats are just an estimate based on my GPS, as official results haven't been posted yet. This was a chipped event, so my time might be either higher or lower than what my GPS shows.

FINAL RESULTS
2842 Irene M F4549 335 27/157 335 31:11 10:02

My morning started early, at 5 AM, however the early morning hour is getting to be the norm, and I find my self waking up early without an alarm clock. I donned my neon green t shirt, the one from my second marathon, which sort of matches the neon green of the Heffers race day shirts. I didn't want to mess with the Heffer's Chi, Karma, color coordination, fashion sense, or something, since I was getting a ride up to the event with AKA Alice and some of the herd. Besides, the color made it easy to find everyone.

I'm soooooooooo glad I opted for the 5k. I just wasn't ready for the 10K, even though I found a few track club members there who were in the 10K who also ran the marathon last week. The race began near the Del Mar race track, on the fair grounds midway, and finished right on the race track. It was weird running on the race track because we were running on the poly-crap. (Yes, that's the proper technical term, as used by AKA Alice). It's basically recycled carpet ground up and spread on the race track, making it softer for the horses, however, more difficult for people to run on. I understand that this year the poly-crap was flattened a little, making the surface a little easier for the runners, but it was still weird. This was one of those runs where I wished they had starting corrals because, for some odd reason, there were a lot of walkers who began their walk right in front of the start line. There was plenty of going slower than I needed to at the start, just because I couldn't get around some of the walkers. I really wasn't going for speed, but still, it's a chipped event if you're running, meaning there are plenty of people running for a time goal. I saw a few track club members on the 5K run, and it was fun watching everyone race in to the finish the 10K.

The goodies at the end of the race were pretty decent. They offered a nice tech t-shirt, a finisher's medal, a bagged breakfast (which I brought home only for my grandson to scarf it down), a stuffed AFLAC duck that says "AFLAC!" three times when you squeeze it, plus the usual stuff you get in race goody bags, like lip balm and sample sized Luna bars.

I also went to breakfast at the High Dive in my neighborhood with the AKA Alice and the herd. After a couple of mimosas we were rather relaxed and happy. Kumbaya.

Mik, Kat, Me, Betty, AKA Alice

Check out AKA Alice's blog for more pictures and detailed explanations. I left my camera in the car during the race.

Part 2

Last night we had a few of friends over to help celebrate my birthday. This year my birthday is on a Tuesday, a work day, and I honestly didn't want a big deal party. It has absolutely nothing to do with turning 50, as the age thing has never been an issue, it has more to do with the past year I've had, which pretty much ripped up and rearranged everything I do and believe in. Some of the stuff I've blogged about, such as the injury, all the other stuff is off limits. It's amazing that I never needed Prozac. I'm ready to put the past year behind me in a subdued way. Our friend Sam played his guitar for me, well all of us - we were all sitting around a back yard table. Sam played several classic Spanish songs (just beautiful), and since our friend's little girl was there, he played some songs for her, like "Itsy Bitys Spider." (So cute!) The gathering was simple and far from over the top, but that's what I wanted. I'm still not sure what I'll be doing tomorrow. The office birthday celebration is on Wednesday, but there's three of us with June birthdays, it's going to be anything but low key. My office can get a little goofy and loud. It's all good.

Part 3

Today was sports rehab with a twist because it's technically not rehab any more, but we're still working out the kinks from after the marathon, and that's where the rehab part still applies. I worked on the piriformis muscles and hips with a lot of foam roller, a lot of stretching, then the weights with deep lunges, pylometrics, and running. Lather, rinse, repeat.

My brother called me this morning (and yesterday) because he won a second place medal in a 10K he did somewhere in Northern California. I don't remember what his time was, something ridiculously fast. He always calls me after a race, which he did yesterday as we were leaving the AFLAC race venue, just to say he finished and that he might have PRed. He called up this morning all excited that he placed second in his age group, and got a medal. My brother is 53 and there's some hella fast guys in his age group. No one is slowing down, even with age, so there's plenty of competition. He always comes in 4th place in smaller races, just by seconds. I'll post his results once they show up on Athlinks.

Thursday's song:
Rollin' With My Homies - Coolio - Katiefeldmom

PEACE

I've just realized... I linked AKA Alice's blog 8 times...

Rollin' With My Homies

5k?

THIS Sunday?

Yep.

I've signed up for the Aflac Iron Girl 5k/10k starting at the Del Mar Race Track.

Am I ready?

Mentally, yes. First off, it's advertised as a girl's event. Since I didn't get into Nike , this will be the next best thing -- and shorter -- and more cost effective. Event fees were about $16 with a couple of sweet discounts. The motivating factor is many of my track club friends will be there, Penny is driving down just for the event, and thoughts of mimosas with AKA Alice and friends at breakfast is enough to even slightly sway me. It's purely social. Who said anything about athletics?

Physically, not really. The muscles in my right leg are telling me that I'm crazy. I have a mild case of shin splints and my piriformis muscles (butt muscles) are really tight. What I really need is a massage.

No need for speed. I don't need to shatter any records

Monday's song:
Pump Up The Jam - Techtronic

PEACE

Pump Up The Jam

Photo courtesy of Runningskirts.com

Here's my San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon 2009 play list, with songs suggested from everyone! If you gave me more than one song, I picked only one song from your list, unless it was suggested more than once. There were only a couple of songs I couldn't find on iTunes. Here's what the play list looked like, but not in this particular order. I shuffled the songs.

I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) – Pit Bull
I Wanna Be Sedated – The Ramones
Crazy – Seal
Satellite - Guster
Face Down – Guster
If U Seek Amy
The Pretender – Foo Fighters
Ballroom Blitz – Sweet
Hold On Tight – Electric Light Orchestra
Lights Out – UFO
America – Neil Diamond
Beautiful Day - U2
Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
Are You Gonna Go My Way – Lenny Kravitz
Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) - Kate Bush
Anthem Of Our Dying Day – Story Of The Year
Fantasy – Earth, Wind & Fire
Let’s Get It Started – Black Eyed Peas
Better Life – 3 Doors Down
Animals – Nickelback
Pump Up The Jam – Techtronic
Ready, Steady, Go – Oakenfold
Huddle Formation – The Go! Team
Hot ‘N’ Cold – Katy Perry
So What – Pink
Come On Eileen – Dexy’s Midnight Runners
My Humps – Black Eyed Peas
Dirty Dancing – New Kids On The Block
What I Got – Sublime
Hallelujah – The Helio Sequence
(Don’t Fear) The Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult
Just Dance – Lady GaGa & Colby O’Donis
Alive – P.O.D.
American Woman – Lenny Kravitz
Roll to Me – Del Amitri
All Star – Smash Mouth
Torn – Natalie Imbruglia
Anyway – Martina McBride
Time To Say Goodbye – Andrea Boceli, Featuring Sarah Brightman
Die Another Day – Madonna
Mercedes Benz – Janis Joplin
Circus – Britney Spears
Mercy – Duffy
Starship Trooper – Yes
Who Let Te Dogs Out – Baja Men
Desire – U2
Wild in the Streets – Bon Jovi
Seven Nation Army – The White Stripes
Born To Be Wild – Steppenwolf
Marathon – Rush
Poker Face – Lady GaGa
What I Am – Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
Goa – John Powell
Under African Skies – Paul Simon
Fighter - Christina Aguilera

Some marathon photos courtesy of my friend Richard:

Go!

There we are!

There I go!

Getting a high five from a Marine!

This is the lady who I sang the Brady Bunch Theme with.

Yesterday's song:

Marathon - Rush

PEACE