Monday, May 24, 2010

So the problem is what?

I'm not sure if I'm disappointed or relieved right now.  My appointment with the orthopedic surgeon was kind of a let down.  I went for x-rays which apparently showed nothing. The doctor told me that he's leaning toward just really bad tendonitis but is scheduling me for a MRI to double check.  The MRI will confirm or deny tendonitis or a stress fracture.

I guess I'm happy that it's not stress fracture but I'm super frustrated.  I just want to know what's wrong with me so that I can fix it and get back into training.  I suppose the MRI will do that.  From there if it's just tendonitis I'll do some heavy duty physical therapy complete will some nasty deep tissue work.  Better than a boot.  I am seriously starting to think that this is all in my head. 

I also found out that apparently my knees are weird. Not the doctors words of course. My knee caps track up and out rather than just straight up and down.  I need to be aware of potential injury and really take care of them.

So now I just wait. This is the last week of the yoga challenge.  I've done 17 classes, it will be 18 after the class I do tonight.  If I got to every class for the rest of the month I'll hit my 25 classes.  Not so shabby.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Just Not My Day

I'm not having the best day.  I woke up about 3:45 this morning with a stomach ache. I though that it was probably just from being hot or hungry so I got up and went to the 5 am yoga class.  Bad idea.  I had to leave the room early for fear of vomiting.  I got showered and dressed, still feeling like total crap.  I walked out to my car and something seemed a bit off. I walked to the passenger side to discover that my window had been broken out.  A rock had be thrown through the window so hard that it totally shattered my window and hit the opposite door, knocking off the light cover.  Seriously?  At this point I started tearing up. I already felt like total ass and now this.  UGH!




At this point I decided that I need to let Pete and Lisa know I was going to stay home.  I almost tossed my cookies right there in the parking lot.  I picked the glass off of my seat and drove home.  I still haven't cleaned it up yet.  I just got off the phone with the police department. They informed me that there have been 20 Honda Accords stolen lately and the 1997 is the preffered model.  Flipping fantastic.  She said to take every precaution.  Well duh, I already lock the doors and park in crowded places.  Short of never leaving the garage, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do.  I guess it's good that the car wasn't stolen.  There is my positive spin on the situation.

Oh yeah and PT yesterday, also bad news.  They referred me to an orthopedic surgeon.  Now not to worry, it doesn't seem that I'll need surgery on my ankle, but they are almost positive I have a stress fracture.  I have an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon on Monday.  First I'll have to get x-rays.  If they do see the stress fracture, I'll have to wear a boot.  Booooo.  I was given a range from anywhere in between 3 weeks and 8 weeks.  That would mean I'd basically be limited to the pool for exercise which is just a total bummer.  It could be worse, I'm not fighting for my life like Jason.  Who by the way, is making some really positive progress but is not out of the woods yet. 

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. Until then I'm resting, trying not to get pukey and cuddling with Lucky.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Time for Vacation Yet?

Well of course not.  Nope, not until September. Even though the month of May is flying right by, September seems so far away!  It's only 3.5 months away which means October is only 4.5...I have got to get back on the road. I may have to start a countdown. One of the days until our trip to Paris and London (yes, we're going on another fabulous vacation this year. Yeay!) and the other one for the days until the Denver Marathon

Still going strong with the challenge and my body is feeling it.  I don't know that I really see any huge changes except that I can get further into the poses than when I first started. The number on the scale has dipped slightly but I think that is because when I get home from a sweaty session at 7 or 8, all I really want is a green monster and some peanut butter graham crackers.  That combo definitely does not replace a real meal. Last night Josh and I forced down some steak and veggies so that we got enough calories for the day.  Last week ended like this:

Wednesday-50 minutes Elliptical+Bikram
Thursday-Bikram
Friday-Off (first day in weeks)
Saturday-75 minutes Elliptical +abs
Sunday-Bikram

This week has started off pretty well though I'm taking today off to grab a beer at Lefthand after work and PT.

Monday-55 mins Elliptical+abs+Bikram
Tuesday-Bikram
Wednesday-Off (I've forgotten how awesome rest days are)

Sarah G. came up to do the class with Brenna and I on Monday. She was suprised at how much of a workout it is. She's going to come next Monday too. I swear the studio should be paying me to do yoga there since I'm bringing in so many newbies. 

Well, lunch is over and it's time to get back to work before I head off to PT this afternoon. Update to come.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

I Miss Running

As of today, it's been 18 days since I've run. It's the longest I've gone without running since June of 2009 when I took time off to let my tendonitis in my knees heal.  Of course I knew that I needed to take time off. My calf and ankle still hurt. I'm pretty sure that my ankle hurts because of a stress fracture, otherwise it should be healed by now.  Ugh, as the weather gets nicer more people are outside hitting the pavement and I envy them. I am ready to at least have the option to run.  Not even having the option is what's really getting to me. 

Plan of action: get into PT as soon as possible. Get back into my icing and foam rolling regiment.  Continue with yoga and cross-training so I don't lose every ounce of fitness I have. I realize that it's going to be hard running again and that I've probably lost some speed. I don't even care (ok I care a little bit), I just want to run!  I want to run so badly that I'm actually seriously thinking about pool running for fun.  To answer your question, yes I may have gone crazy. 

Since I'm all registered for the Denver Marathon, I have started looking at training plans. I think I'm going to stick to a 3-4 day/week running plan with yoga, pool running and other cross-training.  I'll definitely do speed workouts at least once a week. I figure if I do a 16 week plan, I have until mid-late June to get my ankle/calf situation under control.  I've decided the Bolder Boulder is out, which totally sucks, but there are tons of other smaller and less expensive races out there this summer. 

One of these days I'd like to be able to train and get through a marathon without injury. A girl can dream right?  Here's what my workouts have looked like so far this week. Sticking with the challenge!

Saturday-20 mins bike + 25 mins Elliptical +abs
Sunday-50 mins Elliptical + Bikram
Monday-60 mins Elliptical + Bikram
Tuesday-Bikram

Oh and you should totally check out this marathon recap from Beth who also happens to live in Longmont. She had to withdrawl from a race last year because of injury. She came back from that and totally rocked the Colorado Marathon.  She'll be joining Nancy (MIL) in Boston next year.  If she can do it, I can too right?

Update: PT appointment made. Next Wednesday at 4:30 pm.  Done and done.  Hopefully I'll get some good advice on what I can do to expedite recovery and when it's safe for me to start running again.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Yoga Challenge: Week One Down

The first week of the challenge is over and I'm feeling good!  It feels so good to sweat at yoga.  It's probably the only place you'll catch me working out in tiny little shorts and my sports bra.  If women older than me and in far worse shape than me can sport it, so can I.  Plus the room has lighting that make my abs look pretty awesome...you know like existent.  Here's how the first week went:

Saturday-Bikram + 35 mins on Elliptical + weights/abs
Sunday-Bikram + 40 mins on Stationary Bike + weights/abs
Monday-Bikram
Tuesday-50 mins on Elliptical + weights/abs
Wednesday-Bikram
Thursday-Bikram
Friday-Bikram

Six classes down, 19 to go to get the biggest discount on next months membership.  I can already tell I'm becoming more flexible which is awesome.  My legs are also getting stronger because those standing balance postures are killer.  Hopefully this will help me with running as well. I'm sure it will feel amazing after runs...once I can actually run again. The ankle is still hurting. I tried a couple steps running, shooting pain plus a few days of hobbling around. Note to self: call to get an PT appointment ASAP. 

Anyway, I took before measurements to see if I lose any inches by the end of the month as well as pictures. So the pictures are awful...I'm way too pale and they just look like crap so I'm not putting those up, but I will post my pre-Bikram measurements later this week. I don't think I'll really lose any weight, I'm not really trying to, but I do think I'll be more toned than I am currently.  Toning, relaxation and injury healing are the primary goals. Though I wouldn't mind looking like this.

Jason Update: He's in stable but critical condition. They were having issues controlling his brain swelling so they did a craniotomy to give his brain room to expand.  A CT last week indicated that he does not have brain damage right now but they will be repeating those tests this week to figure out what his long term brain function may be like. Keep thinking of him.  If you're interested in checking on his condition, Rache is running this website.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Life Is Short

For some reason today I knew I needed to talk to my friend Rachael.  She no longer has messenger at work so our daily musing on work, life, etc. have been cutoff.  Anyway, I sent her a text to let her know I was thinking about her and we needed to catch up because I felt like I had no idea what was happening in her life. I got a response with very bad news. Rachael's best friend, love of her life, style and soul twin, Jason had an aneurisym last night which caused a massive seizure. Luckily they were able to get him to the hospital and he underwent brain surgery this morning.  Though he made it through surgery it's a grave situation.  At this point the doctors have no idea if or when he'll wake up.  He'll remain in the ICU until he shows signs of stabilization.  They told Rache and Jason's family that his chance of survival is about 50% for the next 30 days. If he can make it through the next 30 days, he'll have a higher chance of survival.  I figure that a 50% chance is better than no chance, but Rachael was right when she said that the Jason she knew and loved could be gone forever.  Because of the aneurisym and seizure it's likely that he'll have some brain damage. 

This is just so sad. Here I am worrying about not being able to finish the race in Nashville, which is now under water, and complaining about my stupid injuries which are nothing compared to what Jason and his family are now going through.  Not just his family but all the people that love him.  Life is short.  Anything can happen.  Jason was happy, healthy and now he is in a hospital bed fighting for his life.

Please send your thoughts and prayers his way.  Remember to tell the people you love just how much they mean to you today and every day.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Bikram Challenge

Saturday marked the start of my new challenge. Josh and I headed to The College of India Bikram Yoga Studio near out house after a trip to the Boulder County Farmers Market (so glad it's open!) and Great Harvest for our loaf of bread for the week.  We were warmly greeted by Zach who was our instructor.  He was very welcoming and made us feel comfortable right away. 

We grabbed our towels and mats and headed into the hot room.  Hot is was. As we walked by the thermometer we saw that it was 106 degrees.  I was sweating already.  We should have arrived a bit earlier as the Saturday morning class is the most popular. Poor Josh got stuck by a guy who he swear he could hear sweating.  I wouldn't be surprised, they guy looked like he'd peed his pants when he stood up. Not that I can say much because I was a sweaty beast at the end of the class.

The last time I did Bikram yoga was with Liz back when I was in high school so I wasn't sure how my body would respond. I was relived to discover my body was very happy to stretch and bend in the poses.  By the end of the 90 minutes I was drenched and so was Josh!  My body felt great, especially my calf. It was really sore when I woke up but after class I could barely feel the tightness anymore. 

I did some Googling on how many calories you burn during a 90 minute Bikram class and I found out it's anywhere from 600-1100 calories. Wow!  I used this calculator to figure out that I burn about 886 calories per 90 minutes. No wonder I was so hungry when I got home from class.  After attending class again yesterday, I'm really feeling my muscles.  The balance is a killer workout for the legs and I even feel it in my arms and shoulders from holding my arms out.  Amazing the strength it takes to hold up your own body parts.

The Beginners Challenge is in full swing.  Tonight will be my third class, third day in a row. Josh's friend from college Brenna is going to join me. She said she needs some motivation to get into some sort of exercise routine so I'm helping her out.  Plus it's really nice to have some company. Anyway, back to the challenge.  Here are the milestones and what I get:

Do: 25 Classes Get: $50 Monthly Unlimited
Do: 20 Classes Get: $60 Monthly Unlimited
Do: 15 Classes Get: $75 Monthly Unlimited

I plan on going to class at least 4 days a week for the month.  Ideally I'd  like to go every day this week to start off the month right and get my body into a routine and more used to the heat.  But of course I still need time to go to the gym so we'll see how my schedule works out.  I'm aiming to get to the 20 classes this month.

So why Bikram and what are the benefits?

Well I wanted to do something totally different.  So many runners swear by yoga for helping them improve balance, core strength and overall mental fitness. I figured it worth a shot especially since I am sidelined from any hard cardio activity because of my stupid ankle and calf.  Some of the benefits I've found online:

  • Warm up the muscles for greater flexibility
  • Help achieve a deeper stretch
  • Reshape the body & restore flexibility
  • Expands one’s capacity to breathe deeply and fully
  • Flush out toxins
  • Burn calories by balancing metabolism, simultaneously raising energy levels and improving the efficiency of the immune system
  • Reduces levels of stress
  • Increases balance, coordination, focus and discipline
Check out this interview with the 'inventor' of Bikram. Pretty cocky I'd say.

Side note, I registered for the Rock N' Roll Denver Marathon on Friday. Yes, I know I'm taking a break but it's like five months away and I had to use my discount from Nashville before it expired.