Motivated to Succeed

12:30 PM - Went for a bike ride before doing mounds of homework. Emma left to go home today and I kind of feel down in the dumps. I don't like this whole living in different states junk. Kind of bites the big one. I have a lot of homework to do. Major presentations and finals and final projects all due this week. My achilles and bottoms of my feet hurt something fierce the last three days at work. I go on Wednesday to get seen by another specialist and hopefully once I get new orthotics things will be better. I did 80 mins at a good clip on the wind trainer though.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I ate a little more the last few days than I wanted to, but I'm going to try hard to eat a little better and bike a little more and try to keep the weight down. I really should aim to get to 166 again though. I'm 10 lbs away from goal!

Total Time: 1:20:00 Total Disance: 25 mi Average Speed: 18.75 mph

8:15 AM - Woke up around 7:00 this morning after getting 9 hours of sleep. I really needed that sleep. I was tired! Had to get a bike ride in especially after both Jonny and Harry poked fun at me this morning saying that I was putting on "Papa Pounds" (though I was informed by my sister that I have to be a dad first to put those on). Hmm, so yeah I didn't feel too awesome today, but I got on the bike and biked hard for 80 minutes reading another 100 pages from Michael Connelly's 26 Miles to Boston. Some good stories in there!

Total Time: 1:20:00 Total Distance: 26 miles Average Speed: 19.5mph

Arm exercises afterwards for 20 mins. If I get my presentation stuff together for tonight's class I am going to try to do another 15 or 20 minutes on the bike before going down to Albany.

2:30 PM - Was on fire today! Got so much work done. Now I just have to wait to turn it all in! I have a presentation tonight and then have to prepare one for next Wednesday and then finally Christmas break! Did a solid, steady 20 mins and change on the bike.

Totatl Time: 21:00 Total Distance: 6.75 mi Average Speed: 19.3 mph

Off to the Orthopedic today to hopefully get fitted for new orthotics! Wish me luck! I will update before class tonight! :) Make it a great day!

UPDATE: Back from the doc's office. The guy was nice and he examined my feet and my gait when I walked and we agreed that my feet are not exactly built to be a distance runner's. They are completely flat and my collapsed arch I guess is the result of a severely weakened postfibular tendon or something like that which is the tendon that controls your arch when you walk. He said that its weakness has resulted in all the other muscles in my feet having to do a lot more work than they should which has hence put stress on my achilles tendons. We figured this out by having me stand on my toes, and then he wanted me to go up on one foot only and then the other and I was surprised to find I couldn't do it! I smiled, embarrassed but he said don't worry about it, now you see how your feet have been "cheating". He said that even though I can go up on my toes, it is usually when both feet are on the ground so as to compensate for the other's weakness. I am hoping I can find stretches/strengthening exercises to do so that I can help myself heal.  So long story short, he took impressions which made me chuckle because they looked just like BigFoot footrpints in the foam, and scheduled a follow up in a few weeks when the orthotics will be ready. Bad news is the pricetag. $350.00 for the orthodics, today's visit, and subsequent followup and fitting sessions. But if it means I can be a runner again, I guess it is worth it. Afterall, there is no feeling like a jog on the open roads.

Short ride on the bike today.  I was going to do more but I just didn't have the drive in me after long morning at the doc's office. Ended with 250 crunches and arm exercises with free weights.

Total Time: 16:00 Total Distance: 5 mi Average Speed: 18.9 mph

I tried to google it and I think that what the doc must have said was that it was either the tibialus posterior or tibalus anterior that I need to strengthen (as in the tendon running from my heel bone through my arch). If anyone knows any strengthening exercises that'd be awesome!

I watched this video off of youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vZVq3ov914

I also remember now about four years ago when I got my set of first orthodics, the ortho telling me to try to do an exercise where you place your feet 1-2 feet from a wall and make your feet into arches (especially for me since I have flat feet). He told me to try to work up from 1 to 2, to 5 mins at a time but I never felt any beneft of it so I didn't do that. (This was back in 2003 when I first started running. I guess I should have listened!)

I'm going to try to do both of these exercises to see if I notice any benefits while I'm on my feet at work the next few weeks.

11:00 AM - A little warmer than the last two days. We got three inches of fresh snow last night and finally it climbed out of the single digits. Now they are saying it might be warmer than normal. Go figure. Haven't had time to get in a ride in almost a week with working Friday, Saturday, Sunday and finishing final projects to hand in. It has been quite eventful! Finally done with this semester on Thursday night for a month break. I really need it!

Update on the achilles/foot issues: Feet did not hurt nearly as much this weekend at work. I found that new stretch and strength exercise which is supposed to help the posterior tibial tendons. I have been doing the toe raises in the "^" shape, 3 sets x 12 reps about two or three times a day and have already started to see a difference. Had a strange "pop" sound from behind my left knee yesterday when I stood up from wrapping gifts, but it only hurt for a few hours and pain is mainly gone today.

Hopped on the bike and used the wind trainer today. Did 90 minutes of nice solid riding. Really needed a good ride :). Drank 48 oz. of water on the ride. I was amazed I was that thirsty. Also, as I finished 50:50 last week, I decided to revisit Ultramarathon Man by Karnazes and read 125 pages of that while on the bike. Arm exercises and 250 crunches.

Make it a great day!

Total Time: 1:31:00 Total Distance: 30 mi Average Speed: 19.8 mph

SWEET! ORTHOTICS ARE DONE! JUST GOT THE CALL. BAD PART: CAN'T FIT ME IN UNTIL NEXT TUESDAY :(. Bummer! But at least I am one step closer to being a runner again! Woo hoo!

10:00 AM - Finished up some final project work. Have a presentation tonight but then my semester is essentially done. I will just have to go to class tomorrow evening at 7:00 and then a month off! I'll also be halfway through the master's degree program. Woot!

Went on the wind trainer this a.m. Really can't wait for spring and running outside :)! Did 61 minutes hard effort. Felt good!

Total Time: 1:01:00 Totatl Distance: 20 mi Average Speed: 19.6 mph

8:00 AM - Up and at 'em early today. Snowing already. Supposed to be real treacherous tonight which sucks. "Snow, sleet and a lot of ice" is what they are calling for. I had all 3 papers that we're turning in today done last class, but she wouldn't take them so I had to hold onto them all week. I will just be happy when I can get them turned in and off my shoulders. I just hope she lets us out early because I work at 8am tomorrow :(. Also really need to try to keep myself from eating yummy foods - I feel so fat. I need to be under 170!

Hopped on the bike for an early morning ride. Finished reading Ultramarathon Man again and started another reading of Pam Reed's The Extra Mile (fitting, no?) Felt strong. Just wish I could get out on the rides. The time goes so much faster out there and a 2 or 3 hour ride is nothing. But sometimes I feel like even an hour on the wind trainer feels like an eternity!

Total Time: 1:01:30 Total Distance: 20 mi Average Speed: 19.5 mph

Embarrassed that I have not been blogging that much. Simply have not had the time to exercise with work and school finishing up. Finally got my stuff handed in. Huge storm in the northeast shut down everythign and made it problematic with our final classes last Thursday night. Good news from today: GOT MY NEW ORTHOTICS! I am supposed to wear them 1 hour today and then add an hour each day until I get up to 7-10 hours. Then I can start jogging in them. Follow up scheduled for next month sometime. I am excited. I hope that this will mean new and better things on the horizon! Keep the faith! Waddle on friends! as our friend John "the Penguin" Bingam would say!

Kind of somber story.. reminder to treat each day like it is our last and to keep the faith. Everyone please pray for all those affected by winter weather this year.

My sister's exboyfriend Will is a pretty good guy. He and his two brothers have had a pretty rough few years lately with his mother passing away in 2005. Though he doesn't come around the house much any more, his youngest brother, Shane (9) is like a brother to me. My mom takes care of him a lot and he spends a lot of time here. Well his father's new girlfriend has family in the area and I guess her parents' best friends moved up to Scotia near here a year or two ago. With the power out everyone out here has been using generators and her parents' friends started theirs up to keep the heat on. They left the door open for ventilation, but I guess the door closed in the heavy windstorm the other night. Well to make a long story short their daughters dog was over there and she called to check on it. When no one answered she went over, and found that her father had died in his sleep and her mother had woken up and tried to get out but had collapsed on the bed, also expired. :( Needless to say this is not what Will and Shane's family needs to go through right now ;(. On top of that I have to see their other brother, Jeremy (19) at work tonight. Hoii.. 'Tis not the season for downers like this

I got my final grades in for the semester (all A's). I earned my second consecutive 4.0 GPA of grad school and actually second 4.0 of all time! I seem to do a lot better at grad school than undergrad! I was stoked to see the grades! :) So happy!

Orthotics update: They feel good! :) Wore them almost 6-7 hours today pain free. I think in a week or two I might try jogging!

11:00 AM - It is unseasonably warm here with a projected high of 56 degrees today, though I wasn't able to go running outside because of the intense fog. I have not had much time for exercise the last few weeks with the holiday rush and all. I feel kind of blah. I know I've gained weight. I'm going on a diet starting today. I am anxious to start running again and I hope that 2009 will prove to be much better running wise for me than this year. I feel like a failure sometimes because I haven't accomplished all that much this year and I've put on about 10-15 pounds since all the summer biking. I need to be more disciplined in my approach in training as well so I don't suffer all these setbacks. Did a 45 minute hard effort on the wind trainer this morning.

Total Time: 45:00 Total Distance: 15 mi Average Speed: 20 mph

_________________________________

OPERATION SLIM DOWN: DAY #1 -

Starting Weight: 180.0 pounds

And so it begins... I was going to wait until January 1st to start this plan, but we all know that so many New Years' Resolutions fail. Maybe it has something to do with the date?! Therefore I am starting my own diet a little sooner. Some of the prescriptions for my planned diet include: frequent, smaller meals each day, eliminating as many breads as possible, and no eating after 8:00 pm with the exception of a cup of tea at work. For the time being I am going to blog what I eat so I can monitor calories. And for my calorie tracker I will now put how many calories I eat per day rather than total calories burned. Here goes;

8AM Breakfast: 2 cups of coffee with 1/2 cup of skim milk (50 calories)

12 PM Lunch: 2 cups steamed broccoli with pepper and garlic (60 calories; 8g carb), 1 orange (100 calories; 22 g carb), and 1 large red delicious apple (80 calories; 22 g carb); 2 large glasses of water (32 oz)

3 PM Snack: 1 large red delicious apple (80 calories; 22 g carb); 1 serving Reduced Fat Triscuits (120 calories, 21 carb); large glass of water.

5 PM Dinner: 1 cup long-grained brown rice (210 calories; 44 g carb); 1 cup steamed broccoli (30 calories; 4g carb); one serving of fat free chicken tikka masala (homemade with skim milk) (125 calories; ~25 g protein). Dessert of 1 orange (100 calories, 22 g carb). 2 large glasses of water (32 oz)