Moving Forward

Yesterday was spent, reading, sewing and sculpting... what a perfect day. :) 

Today I snowshoed with my running friend and out husbands up by Snowbasin Ski resort. It was a perfect day for it. The snow was beautiful up in the moutains the sky was clear of the pollution... Loved it :)

My husband had a particularly loud snoring night, the last time I looked at the clock it said 1:30, I thought to myself if he keeps it up for much longer I will just do a morning run. But he must have calmed down shortly after I thought that. 

So I ran my normal loop after work, there were still some icy/snow parts on the parkway but for the most part it was clear. While I was running up I could see that the sun was setting because the peaks of the mountains were pink. I was running east. When I turned to run back I was completely and pleasantly surprised to see half the sky lit up like it was on fire. As I ran back it changed from brlliant golds and oranges to pinks, violets and grays. Right as I got out onto the streets just the very rims of the clouds were violet and there was a thin bright pink line on the horizon. It made me remember all the times when I was a little girl my Mom would call me out into the street to see the sunset. I can say one positive about all the pollution. It sure make a fantastic sunset. 

Laps: 9:00, 9:15, 9:07, 8:59, 9:08, 9:06, 9:05,

It felt very fast even though my times don't really show it. Harder then it should have. I think I was trying to hurry and get my run in before it was completly dark. My left knee is really bugging after I run. It dosen't hurt when I run but bugs right after and when I sit for a while. I will try to be better at icing it.

The air quality today was pretty murky, I also had been having some tummy issues today. (I think I chewed too much sugar free gum today... sometimes it gives me a tummy ache. So I ran on the treadmill and can I just say that I really hate the new year at the gym! Everyone thinks they need to start working out so the gym was packed!So any way my knee was bugging so I'm worried to do any kind of speed work when it feel like this, so I just ran at about 9:30 - 9:00, I ran a bit faster, about 8:30 for about a mile in the middle. When I got to 6 miles I slowed it way down until the hour was up on the treadmill. 

So I ran a bit of my normal run up the parkway. I had a couple funny things happen tonight. First when I was walking to the locker room at the gym to change into my running stuff. You need to walk by the pool, and there was a guy, pretty big guy, but that's not the point. He had a big tramp stamp tatoo. I thought only girl got tatoo like that. Then when I was running out on the road before I got to the parkway this funny old man was riding his bike by me, he had on a cowboy hat with flowers and flags around the brim. He also had a big long beard that came about to the middle of his chest. I gave him a nice smile and wave, he didn't respond. When I got to the parkway it was flooded under the road, so I had to backtrack and run down to a street light to cross, I swear it was the longest light in Ogden. As I was waiting for the light a young kid ran up to the intersection on the other side, as we both crossed he kept running with me, Me on one side of the road him on the other. He pulled ahead of me but soon peetered out so I was able to pass :) I had one slip and fall, so after that I decided to head back. Now that my bottom was wet from the fall, I was getting cold. 

He pollution is out of control, I think we are suposed to get a storm tonight but I don't think it will be enough to clean the air. Temps for tomorrow are predicted to only be in the low teens.

Laps: 9:09, 9:27, 9:36 (I think this was when I fell) 9:14, 9:10, 9:05

My knee felt better today then it has in probably 3 weeks. It gives me some hope that it might be getting better :) Ran 7 miles in 1:03:15, I still took it pretty easy because I don't want to stress my knee too much. I finally seen blue sky today!!! Yahoo!!! but temps were about 10-15 degrees colder then yesterday. I'll take the sunshine!

Side note: I have looked over my past running milage. I have not always tracked my mileage, I started tracking it in 2007.

2007 - 1322.97

2008 - 1852.45 huge jump! I joined the blog in March of that year.

2009 - 2011.10 I made the goal to run 2009 miles in 2009 about the middle of the year. I honestly didn't think I could do it.

A quick easy 4, not really much to say about it. I was babysitting the grand kids right after work so I only had a bit of time to hit the treadmill.  

 Thought it was funny

Didn't sleep well again! Just could not shut thing down. Today's run was hard!! and we were very slow. Sue and I ran trails with our yaktrax. It was fun but I really need a nap. Don' think I will get one but hopefully I will sleep better tonight.

Funny night tonight... I decided to try to cross train a bit more so I thought I had packed my running shorts and my biking shorts, but when I got to the gym I had just packed my bike shorts. I had a late night at work so I knew my time was going to be limited, So I decided to run. I had not worn these bike shorts in a while and when I put them on it was not pretty. With my new holiday poundage I looked like a packed sausage... plus there were holes in them... wonderful! But I knew that I needed to get a workout in so I marched out to the treadmills. Of course the gym is packed with all the new years people, and all the treadmills are full. One came open just as I was untangling my headphones and guess where it was.... yup right up front so I could have four rows of people behind me as I ran in my holey bike shorts... Fantastic!! Did my run at about 9:00mm pace, then some quad work and stretching. 

For this first time in I can't remember, my husband was home before me. I came home to dinner and a bubble bath already for me :) What a guy :)

I was at the gym again today, my knee felt a bit better today. I think all my icing and the KT tape might be helping a bit, along with the quad workouts that I have been doing. Kept the first 2 miles at 9:30mm, then the next two at 9:00, then next two at 8:30, then the last one at 9:00. I had to stop at mile three to go potty, while I was washing my hands there were two ladies talking about their weight. The one lady had to be about 105 max... she was tiny and was saying how she was happy she was not too thin because that was not attractive. You could see every muscle and fiber on her! I'm standing there with my terminal pudge!!! Augghhhh so awful, I just put my headset back on and went out to run. There is a guy and his wife that show up every time I'm at the gym... he has on mountain dew lounge pants and she has on Dr. Pepper louge pants. Then there was the guy on the treadmill next to me that had on doc matrin boots and walk at a very very slow pace for an hour! What is the point? People are so weird! I'm sure they look at me and think the same. 

Nothing felt good tonight, man I thought things were feeling better then the next day everything feels so much worse! I might have to go to a doctor. Kept it to a pretty slow pace, and after I found a foam roller and did some stretching and rolling stuff to see if I can get things feeling better. 

On a side note, Barbie's brunette friend hopped on the treadmill next to me... I think everything on her was plastic. She was all dolled up too. She only ran for a very short time and at a very slow pace. I don't think she even broke a sweat. It was probably a good thing, I was worried that there was going to be an accident of whip lash or maybe someone tripping over all the mens tounges that were hanging out of their mouths. Boy I must not be feeling very happy because that sounds so mean.  

Air quality today is about like pea soup. I can't see any of the mountains! Treadmill running is getting on my nerves! Yesterday was brunette Barbie, today was brunette Fabio. His hair was about as long as mine and he didn't have it pulled back, just hanging long. I don't know how he could run like that I have to have mine all off my neck and face. Anyway he was swinging his head around like he was running for a romance novel photo shoot. I caught him looking at me a few times and I was about to tell him "Yes buddy chubby old ladies can run and by the look of I paces they can do it faster then you" Like I said I think all this treadmill running and stinky air is making me cranky. I think my achy knee is not helping my mood either. 

Kept the pace at about 9:15mm... Here's to hoping the icing, stretching and meds start doing the trick!

Nice easy run... not much to say about this run... Pretty uneventful.

Went snow shoeing with Sue and our husbands. It was fantastic to get out of the valley and up to the clear sky and clean air! Probably not the best training for my running, but it was the best for my state of mind! Had tons of fun laughing joking and yes falling (I'm so clumsy) I might try to get a small run in tomorrow, but I'll have to see how my knee feels. It's really buggy today!

Busy day at work, all this week I have people from our other facilities, from all over the world, coming to our facility. So I'm busy making sure all the meeting are running smooth and everyone is feed and happy :) Plus there will be tours tomorrow that I will have to help with. Man it makes for a crazy day. 

Knee is still a bit buggy, but I think it's a tiny bit better. I took it easy on the treadmill. 6.4 miles at about a 9:22 pace. Not too much going on tonight at the gym. There was one guy running on the upper track that ran like he was holding a walnut between is bottom cheeks. After a few laps he seemed to loosen up a bit. 

I decided to not run because my knee has really been hurting. I finally made an appointment with the doctor, but that is not til Feb. 3. I opted to do the spin bike for 30 min then the eliptical for 30. I was a puddle of sweat, but not happy :( there is nothing that can really take the place of running.

Knee is even worse today if that is possible. I don't know if I will try to do spin class and eliptical again tonight. I will keep you posted. I'm so bummed... I need to start training for all the races I want to do... Ogden in May, I'm hoping with rest, massage and seeing the doctor things will turn around fast, until then I'm not a happy girl and it is showing. Husband is on alert LOL.

Another day of biking... I did 45 minutes on the spin bike that they have in the back far corner of the gym... so needless to say I didn't have the best position to do any people watching. Hmmm oh well, knee felt slightly better. Here's to hoping things will get better. 

It will be a not be running again today, I go see the massage guy tonight after work, so I'm really hoping he can help it out some. Then my husband booked a room at the State Line. My husband and I are complete opposites sometimes, and this is one of the times. He loves to go gamble and eat at the resturants... stay up til all hours of the night. I on the other hand don't. But I usually get my way and we don't go do things like this, and I need to be a bit more flexable so that we can both have fun.

Knee is about the same as yesterday. Still hurts especially when I first get up from sitting for a while or getting up in the morning. For now I do not think it's getting better. I still have a week before I see the doctor and I'm completely stressed that this will set me back too much. It's starting to effect my ability to sleep also, last night was horrible! All I can think about is "what if I don't get better" Makes me completely sad.

Wish me luck... I will really try to have fun with hubby even though it's not my cup of tea.

Today was the first day in I can't remember that my knee didn't hurt to walk on in the morning, and also one of the first nights that it has not woke me up in the middle of the night. So I think I'm on the healing process.

I did 6 miles on the eliptical machine at the gym.... it was mentally painful!! I had forgotten my ipod so I had no music :( Did tons of stretching and abs after. If everything keeps feeling better I might try an easy run on Thursday. Here's to hoping things are getting better :)

Four miles on the eliptical and 1 verrrrryyyyyy sloooowwwww mile on the treadmill. It was feeling better towards the end of the mile. I also ran just a tiny bit on the indoor track, it felt better then the treadmill. Did lots of stretching, abs and some upper body weights. Let's hope the knee feels OK in the morning!

Tonight I decided I just could not get on the eliptical machine. So I did 50 minutes on the spin bike in the back of the gym. I cranked my ipod, closed my eyes and envisioned I was leading the pack during the Tour de France...Hey a girl can dream right? and it help pass the time. My knee bugged a bit more on the treadmill tonight so I iced it a ton when I got home and I will try to be more consistent with the icing. 

No running today, just 60 minutes on the spin bike. Long enough to establish a big puddle of sweat on the floor.

Had a hard day today... it seemed like anyone that talked to me about my knee would say "The doctor will tell you not to run any more" or "My knee started hurting so I had to stop running" Seriously I was almost in tears. Do they realize how much I miss running? I purposely made an appointment with a doctor that "is" a runner, so is my foot doctor, so they know how important running is to a person. Any way my knee was feeling a bit better today, but I didn't want to chance it. 

Ran with Sue today... I'm hoping it was not too much for my knee. We ran the parkway by her house, it was very nice! Ran 5 miles then walked a mile then ran almost another mile.

laps: 9:25, 9:39, 8:52, 9:00, 9:10, 14:57 (walking) (.93) 9:08

Today is my youngest daughters birthday, she is 17, she is the baby of our family... boy that makes me feel old!

As much as I loved my run with Sue Sat. it didn't love my knee, and I paid the price for it Sunday. I was hobbling about quite a bit. Today was better but I didn't want to chance anything so I decided to bike at the gym. It was a perfect day for running and having to go into the gym and sweat it out on the stupid bike was not fun!! But my knee is not hurting as bad so I think I need to do this for a bit longer. Doctor appointment is on Weds. so hopefully I will get some answers. 

All the bike were occupied when I got there so I did about 5 minutes on the stair stepper, til one came open. I think I got about 29 floors. Then 60 minutes on the spin bike again... pretty boring, but I made a sizable sweat puddle so I must have been working a bit :) Then I did some squats with the ball against the wall, abs and lots of stretches.

Just got back from the doctor... They took x-rays on my knee and had me try and do a few things. Most of the time when he was manipulating my knee it didn't hurt. But then he had me squat on my knees and try to waddle... I couldn't this hurt too much. The other thing was to stand on my hurt leg... squat slightly and then try to wiggle. Again this was too much. X-rays showed a slight thinning of my meniscus on the inner part of my knee. But he said that it was understandable with my age and running and didn't really seem to be concerned with it. So he scheduled an MRI to get a better idea of what is going on. I go tomorrow night, then see him again on Tues. Until then he has said no running... just elliptical (Suck... Suckedy ... Suck)

On the bright side, when he was asking about my miles and running... upcoming races etc. He said, Moab in 7 weeks maybe out but the Ogden full is still looking good! Here's to hoping is all gets worked out!

For today I will not be able to make it to the gym... between work and babysitting the gradkids, along with other obligations, I won't make it there. But I will try and go for a good walk at least.

An hour on the elliptical... a bit of upper body weights, some abs, stretching and that was is. I need to get up extra early to get to the gym in the morning since I can't run. My oldest sisters birthday is today, but we are having a party for her tomorrow. This is a big one for her (60) but don't tell her I said anything LOL 

Here is a picture of the doll I made for her. It's not a great picture... I too it with my phone. The background is my messy desk in my studio, and she still needed a few details when I took this picture. I will post better ones on my blog tomorrow after her party. 

Got 45 minutes in on the elliptical before I had to get ready for my sister's birthday party. We had her party that "The grand America garden room" it's a beautiful room with fantastic food. I'm sure I eat more then I burned today.

Check out the pictures of my sisters doll on my blog. There is a link at the side.

7.50 miles on the elliptical in 70 minutes. Today was a beautiful day with technicolor blue sky. Man the inversion breaks for a bit and I'm stuck in the gym. I can't imagine why so many people were inside the gym today. 

I never really think of myself as competitive person, I mean I never have a chance at winning races and stuff. But tonight when I got on my machine I looked at the time and mileage of the two men on each side of me and I made sure that I beat the mileage before either one of the got off there machines. If I could read the other machines I would try to beat others, but since I couldn't I just tried to find my zone and do my time on the machine. 

Go to the doctor after work tomorrow so I will see what the MRI says. I'm hoping the just give my some good drugs and let me run :) (Just kidding kinda)

So my daughter went to the gym with me tonight. It wonderful to have her with me but it's difficult because she wants to be around me, but dosn't have the stamina to go as long as I wanted on the elliptical. Oh well it was great to have some fun company.

 Doctors prognosis... It's degenerative knee stuff, and inflamation. So I got a script for some anti-inflamatories that are on a national back order! So I will need to call the doc tomorrow and get a different medicine. One more week of no running (Suck!!) to let the meds do their trick. After a week I can try to run on the treadmill, if all goes well I can increase my mileage. If not he will give me shots in my knee (Yuck!) I really don't want that. Oh and I need to take the inserts out of my shoes that the foot doc had made. He thinks they have over compensated and that is what has inflammed my knee. I'm hoping this will all do the trick, and as I was talking to him I did get the new inserts about mid December. Right about when I started having trouble. Let all cross our fingers that this is the fix! 

Boy my days have ran into one another and I can't remember how much I did on the elliptical the other nights. I should change my blog so I can count all my cross training. Oh well.... 5 miles on the elliptical tonight. The count down starts... I should be able to start running on the treadmill in 6 days!!!

Got my hubby to go to the gym with me. Even though we didn't really workout together. I did 60 minutes on the elliptical and he did some weights before he did about 20 minutes on the elliptical next to me. Then we did abs and stretching together. It was nice to have him with me. I can tell that I'm getting a bit depressed with my recovery. My intensity in my workouts is not as good. I really need to refocus on my diet and try to get a bit more focus in my workouts also. 4 more days on the elliptical... the count down continues.

5 on the elliptical abs and stretching... the count down continues. 3 more days! 

5.50 on the elliptical, pretty easy I did about 31/2 at a higher in tensity. 

So I counted my meds, and I have been on the anti-inflamatorys for a week... that means that tomorrow I can try to run on the treadmill!!! I will do a few slow easy miles on the treadmill and then I few on the elliptical! Let all say a little prayer... cross our fingers... rub the Budda belly and hope, hope, hope that all goes will and that I'm ready to slowly start back into the running world!

OK... I have finally quit crying enough to write my blog. I did not have a good day and I'm scared and angry that I'm not getting better. I warmed up on the elliptical for 1.25 miles then went to the treadmill for my first try at running. I made about .50 before I was in too much pain and had to get off. I went back to the elliptical to get another mile, but I could not keep from tearing up so I headed home. I will start to post my cross training (elliptical miles) because it's just too depressing to see all the 0 on my blog. I don't know how to add the cross training to my blog. I go to the doctor Tuesday after work, he had said that if things did not go good he would do cortazone injection. I'm terrified of this option. I have heard nothing but horror stories that people end up worse then they were before the shots, or they don't help at all. Has anyone here had shots and did they work? Any advise would help.

6 miles on the elliptical while keeping my strides per min between 180 - 190, then the last .40 to finish out the hour with my strides between 140- 150. I think I'm over my self centered crying bit. There was a couple of times today that were touch and go, but like I said... I think I'm through that phase. I decided to stay positive and think of this as a time to concentrate on other body parts that I can get stronger. I did lots of arms and ab work after my elliptical time. I will try to stay focused on getting stronger in other was that hopefully will be helpful in the long run. 

Long day at work... my workout was a repeat of yesterdays workout...hmmm I think I need to get creative. I'll try to think of something for tomorrow. LOL

I just want to run!

Talked hubby into going to the gym with me again. We did tons of abs together with a weighted ball, fun drill that you need two people to do. Then I did a bit of arms and 6 on the elliptical. I just made a toasty Almond Butter and strawberry jam sandwitch with a cold glass of milk!! MMMMM

On elliptical

OK here is the good the bad and the ugly of what I have been going through.

I had an appointment on Tuesday the 23rd. In the morning I was getting ready to go to an SEOP at my daughter school I was all ready and didn't want to click my heels on the hard wood floors so I turned to tip toe into the other room and there was a definate pop and soooo much pain. My knee had not been doing great but this really didn't help. At the doctors appointment that night he told me I have torn my miniscus, so a cortazone injection will not help this. He told me it will not heal on it's own so I need to see an othopedic surgen.

The guy that I go get body work done by also works on all the ellite athletes at WEber State Univercity, a few are trying to qualify for the olympics. Any I called to cancel an appointment that I had with him and he told me the name of the surgen that has worked on the ellite runners knee. I have an appointment with him Monday morning.

So long story is that I will get fixed and I will run again, but it is going to be a longer journey then I had originally anticipaited. After many tears I have resolved that I will get through this and everthing will be fine.

Sorry I have not blogged in a while. After the insident with my knee, I didn't try the elliptical for two days, and only got three in today, it's still a bit tender. Then we have been having some computer issues at home. I will try to keep you posted on what is going on. It would be nice to hear of other people have gone through this surgery and had succuess.

Thanks!

Six on the elliptical, upper body weights and core.

The past two nights I have not been sleeping very well. I will get some new ear plugs and see if this helps. (I love my hubby but he snores something terrible).

Update on my knee: I went to the orthapedic surgen Monday and was told that the tear is not clear on the MRI. The little PA was telling me that it's an age degeneration thing. I personally wanted to kick him in the shins. When the surgen came in to talk with me he said that it very well could be a clear tear and until the did the scope he would not know for certain. He asked how important running is to me and I said "Very!!" He said the scope will be the best idea then. Lets pray it does the trick . I will be off running for 6 or so weeks after the surgery. So much for all the spring races I wanted to do :( They said that it's most likely genetics that is causing my kne issues. If/when I running again I think I will need to find someone to help evaluate my running so I can do it without as much pounding on my knees.

5 on the elliptacal, back bicepts and abs. My youngest daughter has been my gym companion the past few days. It's kinda fun to have her with me. She seems to want to go all the time so I will keep asking her as long as she wants.

No elleiptical today, stepped out of our truck onto the tip toe of me hurt knee and POW! pain again! After an hour it didn't hurt but I thought I better give it a bit of a break. I will be back on the machine tomorrow!

6 on the elliptical... felt pretty good, finished in just 11 seconds over the hour make, I tried to keep a pretty good pace. Knee feels a bit wobbly after I finished, but not really painful.

5 on the elliptical. 

Surgery

Recovering :)

Well I'm sorry that I have been absent from posting any information. Thanks to all of you who have been sending me your best wishes on my recovery, I apprieciate it more then you will ever know. I will try to fill you in on what has been happening.

First, I'm one week post op today, I went to the gym and did a slow spin on the bike for three miles. Lots of upper body weights and abs. My knee is still a bit swollen and the four insertion points are still tender, but they removed the stitches yesterday and that was very good, because they were painful. I don't know why they have to make them so tight, it was like they were all the way through to my bones. 

The update of what the doctor said... well first the PA (Physician Assistant) was the one to come in and talk. I didn't like him last time he was the one that kept saying things about my age and stuff. Anyway he came in and showed me the pictures they took of my knee. The real issue I have is that I have arthritis on the back of my knee cap. Then there is also some weird band that usually dissolve before birth, but some people keep it, well I guess mine was one of the biggest they has seen. He said that it (the band) was probably the cause of most of my pain. And that they removed it. So I"m thinking great news right? I asked about running. He said that I needed to be more mindful of my knees, but that because everything else looked good and knee caps are not weight baring, I should be able to run again. Maybe just not marathons though. So I"m feeling great... I can deal with no marathons as long as I can do some running right? Then the doctor came in a completely punched me in the gut. He told me basically that my knee is a ticking clock and if I run I will need a knee cap replacement, if not an entire knee replacement. I was stunned... hurt and left the office feeling completely empty. I still don't know what to think of this diagnosis. I know their are plenty of people running that doctors have told them not too. Is this just a scare tactic? I have alot of thinking to do.

In the mean time my family was faced with another blow. My youngest daughter has had eye issues when she was little. She always seemed to injure of get sores in her left eye. It has not happened for since she was little. Doctors never seemed to concerned, they would give us some drops, and then she would be fine. A few years back we had he vision checked and her left eye was worse then her right, they said she had some cornea damage, but said the vision should be fine to drive, but could not be corrected with glasses. Well about a week ago she said she got something in her left eye (of course) in her jewlery making class. I flushed out her eye and with in a day it looked a bit better. Then it started to look bad again. So I took her to the doctor. Long story short, we have spend the past three days of every hour on the hour, round the clock, putting drops in her eye... taking her to a cornea specialist and finding out she has a virous in her eye that is the leading cause of blindness in young adults. They don't know why it flares up... but she is now on a schedule pills and drops to get it under control. 

My sweet husband has been great at trying to keep my spirits up, telling me that he is sure I will be able to run again.... just being more careful and cross training more. Between all that is happening I'm trying to hold it together but I still have moments. I stopped by the book store to get my favorite doll magazine and started to cry when I saw the runners world magazine. I guess there is one positive to stress.... I'm down almost 9 pounds LOL... I will up those one pills that Sno talked about and hope it helps... sorry for the long and rambling post... my plan is to try to make it to the gym the rest of the week and keep working on getting stronger, I don't see the doctor for 4 more weeks... daughter goes back to the cornea doctor in a week... keep us in your prayer... and thanks :)

I just could not bare the thoughts of being inside the gym today. It was just to lovely of weather to spend inside. So I wrapped my knee and walked my neighborhood. It felt wonderful to just be outside on such a great day even if it was just walking. I did make in under an hour LOL. 

four miles on the elliptical... I'm a bit slower then I usually go on the elliptical, but I did get a sweat going. It's funny how you miss that. I  know there are tons of people who hate to sweat, but I'm not one of them, it always makes me feel better. 

So I went for a lovely bike ride, 18.92 miles. I put 5 in the mileage because I don't have a cross training section, so this was my guess on the equivilate. Can anyone tell me how to add the cross training to my blog. Also the best equation for converting biking to running mile. 

Anyway the parkway was beautiful and there was lots of bikers, walkers, and runners. Still makes me a bit sad to pass runners knowing that running is what I really want to do. But I'm still only 2 weeks post op so I have some more healing to do. 

I had texted Carolyn this morning to wish her the best of luck and to have a wonderful race. I was so pleased that she called me just after she had finished the race. She told me she was 6 minutes faster then last year!!! So excited for her, I can't wait to read her race report, it sounded like she had a wonderful race.

Happy weekend bloggers :)

5 on the elliptical, I was able to keep a fast RPM today then I have since the surgery. Felt pretty good and was able to get a GOOD sweat going! Did some upper body weights and then abs and stretching. Feel like I'm getting a sore throat which is so weird I never get sick and I can't even remember the last time I had a sore throat. Hope is just dry or something. 

4.5 on the elliptical this morning... started to struggle towards the end... I think I should have had breakfast before I went to the gym. Did arms and abs.

5 miles at a high intensity then one more at a moderate to easy intensity, all on the elliptical. This was also the first time I did a workout with out my knee wrapped. Felt pretty good! Did lots of arms and abs after. 

Update on daughters eye... We went back to the cornea specialist and her eye is looking better, there has been some significant improvements, and we go back in a week again to make sure it keeps getting better.

Update on my cold... yesterday was miserable... today I feel  about 70% better :)

Well today ended up being a short day at the gym, but I got my hubby to go with me. He is nto big on doing the cardio stuff... I'm not real big on the weight stuff so it's a pretty good trade off when we go together because we can get each other to do more of the things we  don't like to do. But on the bad side by the time it was to do cardio we didn't have too much time, so four really intense miles on the elliptical was all the cardio I got. 

Spend the day with my girls ( two daughters, oldest granddaughter and daughter-in-law) doing some crafts at the color me mine store then enjoying some cookies at great harvest. Not the best for my diet... but great for my spirit to be with all my lovely girls :)

6 on the elliptical... starting to sound like a broken record. Kept it at a pretty high intencity pace. Then did arms and core work. Felt good to get a nice sweat on. Tomorrow, after work, I will be taken my daughter to the cornea specialist again to see how her eye is doing so I probably won't get to the gym. Keep her in your thoughts that her eye is getting even better then it was :)

5 miles at a higher intensity then .3 slower cool down on the elliptical. 20 minutes upper body weights then abs and stretching. Felt pretty good.

Update on daughters eye... Great news!! her eye has improved so much! The cornea specialist lowered her dose of pills got rid of some drops... added one new drop. Her vision is almost back to where is was before this trouble and the doctor thinks it will get even better!! Yeppeeee I'm can't be happier that things are looking so much better! Has to go back in about three weeks for another check-up. 

Bad news... my youngest granddaughter fell off a stool and broke her arm...she is doing good, but man things just keep getting crazy!

6 on the elliptical, I ramped up the resistance more then I have since the surgery. It still felt pretty good. Being back to work and having to use alot more stair then I do at home make my knee feel a bit weird. Not hurt, just not feel normal, I hope this goes away as it heals more. 

So there was a girl next to me at the elliptical machines and she stayed on for quite a while. But I notices she was not sweating at all!! I mean what the heck! I seriously leaving puddles! I have it dripping off my chin, elbows, you name it, it's pretty gross. How can she not be sweating at all, or maybe it's just that I'm the weird out of shape one... either way just thought it was weird. 

5 on the elliptical, at a moderate pace. 30 minutes weights and abs. 

I'm off work today, the first time in 15 year that we have Good Friday off with pay! Yahooo!!!!

4.00 on the elliptical. I would mess with the crossramp and resistance at every mile. Moderate then hard. I needed to mix things up a bit so after the elliptical I got on the TM and power walked 2 more miles. For some reason the TM seems to bug on the knee more then the elliptical. 

I need to do some arranging of my schedule to see if I can fit in a spin class or something different, the routine I'm in now is getting boring... any suggestions? 

Busy day today and tomorrow

Happy Easter :)

Lovely brisk walk with my sweetie this morning, before all the Easter festivities. We had our moms, kids, grandkids and my daughter-in-laws parents and brother over for dinner and egg hunt... it was a blast!

5 on elliptical... weight abs etc.

5 on elliptical .50 cool down walk on treadmill. 

More weights and abs. I need to find something new to try.

Tried to do a modified jun workout... but it didn't really go the way I had hoped. I don't think I have the foot speed to do the step ups on the step fast enough, and after the first two sets of one minutes my knee started to bug. I did lots of planks and weights in-between the step up stuff and then more after my knee bugged. I thought I might need some more aerobic activity so I did four on the elliptical. I tried one more time to do the step ups after being on the elliptical and I think I could do it a tiny bit better. Also the first time I tried any weights with my knee. There is a machine at the gym where you sit and push the weights away from you with your legs. This machine also has the legs pushing separately, I was a bit surprised how much weaker my left knee is. This is something I need to work more on. 

6 on the elliptical, kept it at a moderate/hard pace, until the last mile the a moderate/easy pace. More core work... then took the big ball, behind my back and then slid down the wall to work my legs/knees. Knee is still a bit buggy when I do this kind of thing.

Made an appointment with my NP doctor. Since the surgery been having some fatigue issues and a general down feeling. It's been a while since I've had all my blood work done so I think it will be a good thing. I would also like to get some of her ideas on the artheritis and running issue. I hope for some good news, I could use it.

Did spin class with my hubby in the morning. Fun and sweaty... don't know how to calculate the miles for it so just left them blank.

5 on the elliptical... computer is broke and we have laptop loner from my son-in-law while he fixes the computer... what a pain. So I will keep thing kinda short. The one thing that really struck me was the little girl that got on the elliptical just as I was about finished. If Carolyn sees Barbie on her runs, this girl was a Bratz doll with the additional tattoo package. Lovely leopard bra that was hanging out from her top, and her hair was teased to at least a 5 inch poof on her head. I won't go into all the details of her make-up that could take too long. But it was amazing! Then there was me with my sweaty pony tail... mismatch outfit (I swear I just grab what is clean) and a puddle of sweat around the machine. LOL what a sight!

5.4 on the elliptical, then weight and abs. 

Had to get my blood drawn for some tests before I go to the doctor. It took them four pokes before they could get my vein. OUCH!! I warned them that I have bad veins! I have not been able to get on other blogs much... hopefully  soon our computer will be fixed.

My daughter went with me to the gym, it's fun to have the company, and I figure pretty soon I won't be cool to hang around with so I will cherish the times that she wants to be with me.

5 on the elliptical then arms and abs. Kept it at a moderate level today, I have not been sleeping very well and fatigue is starting to set in. Good thing I'm going to the doctor soon.

Still feeling a bit tired... not too bad. Did 5.5 on the elliptical. 5 at a high intensity then cool down at .50 did some squats with the big ball behind my back on the wall. This was the first time since the surgery that it didn't hurt too much and I was able to feel like I was working my quads instead of hurting my knee. YAhhhh I must be healing a bit :) Then did back and ab work.

Did not sleep well at all!!! So no sleep = no workout tonight. My running friend, and our husbands are biking the river pathway tomorrow morning. It should be nice. Then all the house work, yard work etc. 

Crazy day!! When a 1-2 hour bike ride turns into a 5 hour bike ride! We had a total of 6 flat tires (5 of them on the ride, one fixed before we left). Then tons of weeding and gardening when we got home.

It is about a 19 1/2 mile ride, but I averaged it to 7 for my milage.

My youngest daughter and I sweated it out on the elliptical for 5 miles. Then did some abs and stretching. It was nice to have company at the gym. 

Two steps forward... one back :( Took my youngest to the cornea specialist after work last night and she has lost a bit of vision. The inflamation is not undercontrol... so new drops again. These ones are a bit scary because they are steriods. The problem is that they can either help with the inflamation... or make the virus come back. I go see my NP doc in a week. I will have her do a perscription for blood work of my daughter, then have my daughter see her. Maybe there is something that can help that way.

Daughter and I went to the gym after the eye appointment. Did a bit on the elliptical and then lots of stretching... hamstrings are very vary tight!

There won't be any gym time today :( I have a sister date planned with my sisters LOL. We will be making books. I will try to post some pictures on my blog later.

So, my plan is to test drive my knee on May 4th, and I was thinking since my daughter has been going to the gym with me I might be able to get her to start running a bit, since I need to start out slow, it's a great apportunity to have her start too. But there is one thing that I'm hoping someone can help me with. My daughter is a 30DDD/E!! Yep can you believe it!! Where on earth can you get a good/comfortable sports bra for someone that size. The one she wears now, would not hold up to running, it is just doing minimal help now. As you can see because of this question I personally don't have this problem, she can thank genetics and her father's side for this. LOL Anyway if someone has any ideas I would appriciate it

Quick night at the gym before I had to go to a nurtition class that I had wanted to attend. Pretty good class, but I'm hoping next time it will be more on practical application more then the education of why you should do it. I understand the whys I just would like more help with stratigies and methods to implement and get the family on board also.

5.4 on the elliptical, 5 at a high intensity then .4 cool down. Lots of plank and side planks, until my arms were shaky then abs.

Five on the elliptical with my daughter... arms abs and stretching

3 miles on the elliptical, then body pump class. It's been forever since I have taken this class and it showed! My whole body was shaky by the time I finished. The lung and squat tracks bugged my knee a little bit, but not too bad. Today was the first time I could stretch my quad by holding my foot to my but and have my foot touch, so I'm getting more mobility back in my knee!

My legs were still sore from the body pump class on Saturday. I can tell I really need to do more of that class!
5.4 on the elliptical, messed with the crossramp and tension of the machine to change it up a bit.

Did a mini test drive on the knee... after we got off the elliptical and stretched, my daughter and I ran around the indoor track three times, so that is really not much at all, we did it in our stocking feet. Knee didn't hurt, but felt different... weak.  So, that was a pretty much it :)

Did a bit more on the elliptical, also tried to keep it at a higher intensity. Felt pretty good... a bit of arms and abs, lots of stretching. 

So... it has been a bit over two months since I have had any diet soda/caffeine, I was not a huge drinker, and the first week or so were a bit hard but I don't really miss or crave it anymore now. So I thought to myself, lets really get to the core of my problem. I have a huge sweet/chocolate craving, and started last week cutting this from my diet. I was doing pretty well until yesterday and today... man I know that I can never tell myself never, because then all you do is think about what you can't have. I had been so good, but one of my friends at work got chocolates from her supplier and she came to my desk to share. I had three!!! I know you are thinking that is not that bad... but then I had a bag of M&M's and then they brought cake to celebrate a graduation of one of our techs, and I had a piece of cake AHHHH!! I was out of control!!

  OK now that I have confessed all my sins I feel much better... I will try my best to be better at controlling my need for sweets, this is going to be one of my biggest challenges! I am down 7 pounds so I'm happy with that... but I still have a bit more to go.

I go see my NP doc tomorrow after work so I'm hoping she will have some good advise to deal with my knee and good news on all my blood work.

Busy night, no sleep to little sleep lately, so it was a short workout at the gym, three miles at a high intensity on the elliptical then one more at a moderate intensity. Then I took off my shoes and ran .40 on the treadmill at a very slow 12mm pace. I wanted to go more but I keep thinking I need to ease back into this and not re-injure myself. My knee didn’t hurt but still felt weak. It did feel like it was going to give out on my twice, and from what I remember the doctor telling me, that feeling is more because of your quad then your knee, so this means I need to do more to strengthen my quad. Looks like lots of squats are in my future.

Update from my doctor visit: Looks like my feelings were pretty accurate. The blood work says I’m in adrenal fatigue, and my thyroid looks so bad she wants me retested in two more weeks. DHEA is in the toilet along with all other hormones. She told me I need to see her more often until I get my numbers under better control. I love visiting her but she is not covered by my insurance so this is out of pocket!! Wishing I had planted a money tree a few years ago! Also from the blood work it looks like I don’t tolerate gluten very well. This could be contributing to all the inflammation/arthritis. Looks like the Metcalf’s are going gluten free! Don’t know how the family will be taking this new diet. She did give me some new things to try for the arthritis, will see how that goes, but I think the big key for me will be the diet. In the back of my mind I was thinking “Great, the one thing that I don’t really do very well, is now going to be my biggest challenge.” Isn’t that always the case? At one point in our conversations she said. “Let’s try these things so we can get you back running” That sentence seriously put a lump in my throat, and tears in my eyes! Finally someone who is on my side!

Some of the talk with the doctor turned to minimal shoes when running or 5 fingers. Then on of the people I work with sent me this link about running http://www.posetech.com/ I know that I need to change things about my running but I’m so confused as to what I need to change and how to go about doing it. Is running barefoot or in minimal shoes in and of themselves enough to change the way I run? Or do I need to have my gait analyzed? Has anyone ever read Chi Running? They claim to make it so you are running faster with no pain or injuries. I’m just so confused on where and how to start this. Any and all advice would be helpful.

Sorry for the long post. I hope you read it long enough to maybe help me with my questions.

Moderate effort on the elliptical with my daughter. 

Hubby and I took the day off work and so I talked him into going to the gym with me. He likes to do the weights, so did lots of shoulders, and arms. Then did four on the elliptical and .50 running bare foot on the treadmill. !!

Spent the rest of the day sculpting a new head for a fairy doll. Oh ya that is what I call a great day!

Quick and easy at the gym by myself.... 4.5 on the elliptical .50 on the treadmill, barefoot.

5 on the elliptical, the .75 in my stocking feet on the treadmill. The soles of my feet were a bit tender after this run, I might try to run with my shoes on tomorrow. I also need to do more weights tomorrow.
So I'm signed up to run the Ogden marathon in two weeks, and I know that I can't do it, but I think I will be able to do the 5K. So do you think it is wrong to not pick up my timing chip, then run the 5K with my bib? I don't really care about my time because I know I'm not going to be fast. I just really want to participate in some part of the day, and I don't want to spend another 30 dollars. So what do you think... is that wrong?

Have you seen those Windows 7 comercals where the person thinks back and in their mind and they are much more attractive. That is probably how this run was... I just could not stand the thoughts of being in the gym on the elliptical or treadmill today so I talked my daughter into doing a run/walk with me. She wants to do a 5K soon and has not run much so I knew having her there with me would keep me from running too much or too fast on my knee. We did a 5 min run/jog (averaged about a 10:40mm) followed by a 3 min walk. Repeated 4 times for a total of 20 minutes of running. My knee bugged just the tiniest of bits at the first, but by the third/four run it was feeling a bit better. So in my mind I was an olimpic runner, but the reality was an old lady shuffle LOL. I have to say it felt fantastic to be out doing it, even if it was slow. Seeing my daughter want to start running is great! Most 17 year old girls can't stand hanging with their moms, but she really wants hang out and run with me.

Tomorrw I will be on my own, my daughter has some after school things. So I won't run even on the treadmill and give my knee a break. Plan on high intencity on the elliptical for 5-6 miles. Then some upper body weights and abs.

Did some interval training to mix it up a bit. I have a tendancy to do some workouts day after day and I think that is one of the reasons I don't see alot of change in my weight and performances. So I did about 20 min. of arms, sholders and back weights. Moving quickly between machines. Then intervals on the elliptical, 2 min at a moderate pace, 2 minutes at high intencity. It took me a couple of reps to get the right settings for the two paces but after that I did the program 50 minutes, then a monderate easy for the last ten minutes for an hour of cardio. Tomorrow will be an easy workout. I won't be able to take my daughter because I will need to get a quick workout in before I go to the nutritional class again. I'm hoping I like it a bit more this time.

4 on the elliptical, started at a moderate/easy pace and getting progressively harder. Ended with sweat dripping so I figured I was working at a pretty good pace. Then lots of core/abs and stretching.

So I attended the nutritional class again last night, and have come to a few conclusions. First, I'm really starting to hate the phrase "It's a process" or almost as bad "It's a journey" These phrases make me feel left in the dark. What is the process? Just give me the clear cut steps to it and I'm sure I will be able to accomplish it. Left on my own I'm confused by conflicting information that leaves me stuck. I don't know what steps to take to get out of the pothole of misunderstanding. Maybe it is because I work in an Engineering department for 8 hours a day, which is completely process driven. You need to have a process for everything. Clear cut instructions for every job that needs to be accomplished. They want it so easy that someone can walk in the door... read the instructions and complete the job without failure. After 15 years of this I'm now so conditioned that without some sort of work instructions, the fear of failure stops me cold. And that brings me to another thought that has been rolling around in my head. Auntieem had posted the other day that she is someone who charges toward thing that she fears. This statement has been playing over and over in my head since I read it. I couldn't sleep well last night because it got me thinking so much about this. It seems so foreign to me, how can someone be so bold! It also reminded me of my friend that I lost 5 years ago, he was very much like that... so fearless, and I had promised myself that I would try to be more fearless in my life.... but here I am 5 years later, still the same and now getting all stuck in stupid ruts that I can't seem to figure my way out of. Wow this probably has more to do with other things than the nutritional class... sorry for the rant. Maybe I need to seek some professional help.

Nutritional class talked about the benefits of eating raw... getting the live enzymes of raw foods into your diet because then your body doesn’t rob your immune system to help digest food. It makes sense, we are continually eating dead foods, robbing our immune system to help digest the food, then leaving our immune system susceptible. It gets worn out and then we get all the auto immune troubles. (arthritis, fybromialga, lupus, etc) It really gave me some things to think about.

Tomorrow will be a crazy day... going to my daughter-in-laws graduation among other things... hoping to be able to get our run/walk in with my daughter, before hubby wants to go out on a date

Big goose egg today but I don't regret it. I got to spend a lovely afternoon with my son, daughter-in-law, grandson, and my daughter-in-laws family after her graduation. She is an incredible young lady and I'm so proud of her. Then date night with my sweetheart :)

Lovely run with my daughter and the dog this morning. We ran on a trail up above our house. We were a bit slower probably due to the hills, but it was very nice. Knee bugged for the first bit then seemed to calm down.

Busy day! Had to get my blood drawn again, then I go back to the doctor on the 18th. Had to get my daughters blood drawn, she is also going to the doc. So we had a late start to our workout. 5 on the elliptical then stretching and abs. My hip and knee were a bit buggy this weekend. I'm starting to worry about running the Ogden 5K. It might be more then my knee can handle. I guess I can always walk if I need.

Having some stresses that I'm not used to has not helped me with my sleep issues. I think I have slept 5 hours over the past two nights. Not really feeling to well today at work. So I don't know what my workout will be like tonight.

I did 4 on the elliptical then one on the treadmill in my stocking feet. Hubby was able to join me and our daughter at the gym so after the cardo portion, we did some back and sholder weights. Then hubby and I had a plank challenge... seeing who could stay in the plank position longest. (elbows and toes)... I won :) we didn't time it, I told him we needed to next time. But I think it was right around one min before he put his knees down.

Sleep was slightly better, but still not what I need it to be.

Not a good workout... I really didn't feel very well, I think my lack of sleep is really starting to take a tole on me. I did sleep a bit better last night but I'm still not feeling refreshed. Hoping that meds will be adjusted soon and I will get feeling better.

Just did 41/2 on the elliptical and then tried to do a bit on the treadmill... but it was a no go. My gait felt completely off and I just could not relax, knee started bugging quite a bit so I ended up stopping, I was quite depressed after this workout, felt like a bit of a set back. I'm worried about running the 5K this Saturday, I have not had any expectations, just wanted to participate, and in the back of my mind I kept telling myself I can always walk for a bit. But you know that you really don't want to do that. It looks like I might have to anyway.

On a side note: Still going strong with the no soda/caffene, if fact I really don't miss it at all. But I'm struggling with the no sugar. I knew this one would be more difficult and I thought that I had mentally prepared myself for this. But it is a strong drug!! and it is everywhere! Everyday I try to recommit myself to this goal, because I know I will do/feel much better when I can do this. But I'm failing miserably... augghhh!!

Knee had been buggy all day... so I took it very easy and just hung out on the elliptical with my daughter for 4 miles. Very easy/moderate pace. Feeling very discoraged about this race. I know that I will be having to walk at times, and worried that it might just be too much for my knee. Lots of streaching after we were finished.

Easy four on the elliptical with my daughter :)

OK... I'm not doing this as a race report because I was not officially timed. I pulled off the timing chip from my marathon bib, then ran the 5K with my friend and her daughter. So I met Sue (my running friend) and her daughter at a store then hubby drove us to the start area. There is not alot of parking there so it worked out nice. We huddled into the middle of the people and waited for the start. I told Sue there was no need to stick together because I knew that I would be slow. So when the gun went off they took off, and I started my slow run. It just felt fantastic to be a part of it, I have to say I was so happy to be out there. Cardio wise I felt fantastic and just wanted to GO, but I knew that my knee would not like it so I just kept my slow pace. About at the half way mark I caught up to Sue and her daughter... funny how young adults are... they think they can run without much training. Sue's daughter was having trouble and they were walking. So we did a run walk thing to and finished all together!! It really felt wonderful!!! I didn't time myself, didn't wear my gamin and made an effort not to look at the time, because I didn't want to get sad that I was so slow, I think I was running about 10:30 mm.

Sunday family decided to hike to Timpanogos cave... I probably should not have done this... it's a 1.6 mile hike but I can't remember the grade, I think my son said we gained a foot of ellivation for every five steps we took. Anyway going up was no trouble, but come down really bugged my knee and I'm paying the price for it today. I will have to take it easy on it for a couple of days and hope it gets feeling better.

Knee was still a bit buggy after all the weekend activity, so I took it easy on the elliptical. Then did arms and shoulders, abs and lots of stretching after.

No gym time today, had to get me and my daughter to the doctor. Found out that she has thyriod issues also, was not too surprised, but a bit sad that she will be dealing with this now. She took the news better then I thought she would. My meds were adjusted so fingers crossed that I start feeling back to normal soon. Then we had to go to the cornea specialist. Good news!!! her eye is doing tons better!! Her vision is back to were it was before all this happend. Now we are just stepping down gradually from the drops that she is taking and hoping that there won't be any more flare ups. The NP doctor wants to get her thyroid in order before we start any suplements for her eye thing. All in all a busy but good day in the fact that we are at least on the right path to better health for bother myself and my daughter.

Too much homework for my daughter so I was at the gym alone. Did intervals on the elliptical. 2 min moderate, 2 min hard. Trying to keep my RPM the same between the easy and the hard intervals. My knee was feeling OK so I thought I would get a mile on the treadmill, but it was a no go :( It's still a bit buggy so I decided to back off and hope that it will feel better soon. Then did upper body/back machines, abs and tons of stretching.

We are going on vacation to California Saturday... I hope I will be able to get some gym time in at the hotel or some biking/running along the beaches. Also just looking forward to some down time.

No time to workout today, off work early to pack... go to concert tonight, then off the Cali  in the morning. I might workout at the hotel a bit, bike on the boardwalk, walk alot, but mostly I just want to enjoy and relax!!! So I won't be posting for a while, but I hope everyone has a wonderful week... stay safe and see you soon :)

Back from vacation! We had a fantastic time in SoCal. Not alot of time exercising... but I walked a ton at the Getty museum, Disneyland, and along the beaches. Then one day we rented bikes and rode for about 40 miles round trip, we didn't go fast but it was beautiful!! All along the ocean. If I lived there I would be on the every day either biking or running. 

Spent the morning at the gym with hubby... lots of upper body and back work, then 4.00 on the elliptical. Did the interval setting so got a pretty good sweat on :) Now I have been working on dolls!! I love vacations!

I have finally been sleeping better... still not feeling refreshed, but at least I'm not waking up 3-4 times a night! I think my meds are helping but I think I will still need some adjusting, I get my blood drawn again on Monday so will see how the numbers look.

5.2 on the elliptical, first 4 at a high intencity, then backed off a bit, then stretching and abs. Busy night so didn't get much more done at the gym. Hopefully Hubby will be able to workout with my tonight, I always do better at getting some good weights in when I workout with him.

I think I need to do some other activity besides the elliptical, so tomorrow I think I will try the bike. My thought is that maybe something different will help my knee abit more. Don't know if this will be any help though.

4 on the elliptical... as I was sweating away I noticed a pretty blonde with a cute pregnant tummy... I thought is was RAD and was so excited to see her!! I was about to go ask her what she was doing in my neck of the woods when she turned around and I realized it was not RAD... :( Other then that not much to say... did arms and abs

45 minutes on the spin bikes that are in the back of the gym. It felt good to mix it up a bit, my knee bugged for a bit but I kept adjusting the tention and stuff until I found the sweet spot and was able to get a good ride in. Had a pretty good puddle of sweat under my bike when I was done. Lots of streatching and abs.

Didn't sleep well last night, don't really know why, but my hip and knee were pretty acky also. Sue want to try to hike/run the trails on Saturday so I think I will take it easy tonight.

So I met up with Sue at the trails this morning it was wonderful! My heart and spirit felt wonderful, but my knee struggled. There was a few other runners on the trail and seeing them effortlessly running down the hills made me sad wondering if that is ever going to be possible again. But I need to focus on what I can do and even thought we hiked more the ran I loved being there!

Then when I called my hubby on the way home to see what he was up to he told me he was heading to the gym.... so I met up with him for an hour of weights! Today felt great, I just hoping I can get my knee feeling better soon. 

Now off the do chores and hopefully some doll work, then wait to read the race reports of the bloggers who raced today!!

My daughter and I needed to go get our blood drawn again... this will probably be a monthly thing until we are both doing better with out thyroid stuff. Then we went to the gym. 4.2 on the elliptical at a moderate to moderately hard pace. My hubby showed up after he got off work, so I did a bit of arm weights with him. Then daughter and I did where you put your back against the wall then slide down until it's like you are sitting. This dosn't hurt my knee, but seems to be a good exercise for my quads, after that we did abs and streatched.

Probably the best thing that has happend because of my knee, is that my husband and daughter now participate in going to the gym and working out with me.

My exercise mojo had left me today... so I really struggled through getting myself to the gym and muddling through 4 miles on the elliptical. I did an interval workout to try and change it up a bit. The interval workout consisted of 5 minutes warm-up, then 2 min. moderate pace, 2 min. hard effort incline and pace. back and forth for the 2 min. until I got to 4 miles. then a bit of a cool down. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

An hour on the elliptical... my goal was to keep a pretty fast pace. Felt pretty good, then did a bit of weights... abs and stretching. Daughter was with me tonight :)

A quick 4.25 on the elliptical with about 5 intervals of high intensity. Then some weights, did more squats and leg machines also.

Worked out at the gym with hubby... lots of weights for back and arms, then some for legs. Did 3.00 on the elliptical then tried to run on the treadmill, only made it .80. I could not get a smooth feel to my run, it's not that it hurt so much... just felt uneven. Hard to explain.

Met Sue at the parkway, it was a bit rainy and very windy. I told her I was probably going to have to walk some of the time and she was fine with that. She brought me a knee brace that her hubby had used for a while. It's neoprean with a padded donut shape around the knee cap, and the knee cap area open. So I was able to run/walk pretty good today!! We ran down to the 21stree pond, around the pond then back to the Monroe street parking lot where we started. By the time we stopped it was coming down pretty good. I personally love this!! it made be feel like a real runner, someone who runs no matter what! I have not felt that in a while.

3 on the elliptical, then one on the stair stepper. My knee bugged for a little bit when I started the stair stepper, but felt fine by the time I finished. Hubby showed up to the gym just as I finished and we did weights together :)

on elliptical

on elliptical

On elliptical

So I have also been doing weights with hubby and daughter in other days, just having difficulty getting myself to blog.

Going back to my knee doctor and NP doctor on the 30th. Hope to get some resolve on some of my issues and PT for my knee.

Been gluten free and sugar free for 5 days, struggling!

30 minutes on the elliptical then 30 on the bike. 

At the gym by myself tonight, 4 on the elliptcal then 2 run/walk on the treadmil in my stocking feet. It was starting to bug my big toe at the end of my run on the treadmil. I guess I must push off of my big toe quite a bit. Knee felt the best is has since my surgery!!! I was very happy. I thought it might be a bit buggy today but again it feels pretty good. I don't know what has changed besides being gluten free and sugar free for the past week (Today is my 8th day still a bit of a struggle) I don't think one week can make that much of a difference, maybe it's just that I have not tried to run for a while, or that I have been doing more weights, or maybe a combo of all of thee above. Anyway it was a pretty good day!

An hour on the elliptical, lots of stretching... need to do more weights!

I love my hubby, but sometimes I just don't understand him. Every Weds. he buy breakfast for some of the men he works with (they all take turns, Weds. is his day) so on our way to work we pick up his breakfast burritos from Beto's (they are so yummy!). He decides to buy me one... I look at him and say, "I don't think they are gluten free" He says it's just the wrap... HMMM I don't think he understands there is a 0 tolorance policy to this diet. Even small amounts of sugar and gluten are not good, especially at teh begining when I'm trying to get my imune system to calm down. But I got to say it was only with love that he got it. I felt bad saying no... so I took it and gave it to one of the people I work with.

Alone at the gym tonight, well there are tons of people, just not my hubby or daughter. Did my weights first because I resist doing them more so I thought if I do them first I am more likely to do them, then after I do cardio. I will always want to do my cardio. 5 on the elliptcal.

Sticking to the gluten free sugar free diet was a challenge today at work. They had a retirement party for a gentelman who had been with the company for 35 years. I had to help and there was tons of cookies and punch. Luckily there was also some fruit and vegi trays... but I really wanted a cookie!!! I was good though!!

3 on elliptical, 1 running on treadmill

4.00 run walk with Sue on the parkway by her house. It was a pretty nice run, knee seemed to bug a bit more then the first of the week.

There have been a few times this week that I have been bit in the but by not reading a lable before I buy a product or eat something. Gluten and sugar are hidden in almost everything!! So I have been trying to be more dilligent with my lable reading. I also fixed some meals and lunches ahead of time this weekend so I will always have some things prepare when I need them.

Muddled through 6 on the elliptical then 3 on the bike. Lots of stretching!!

So there was a lady that got on the elliptical in front of me. I have seen her many times at the gym. She is probably in her mid 50's, pretty goos shape. The thing I noticed today was that I'm pretty sure she had skin colored hose/tights on! I could not imagine wearing hose to workout in, I don't even wear them with my dresses in the summer! I'm sure she thought they made her legs look better but holy cow that had to be uncomfortable.

Last two night I have not slept very well, I'm really feeling it now.

30 minutes on the recumbent bike, upper body weights, then 1.5 run on the treadmill in my socks.

I have two doctor appointments today. 1) with the knee doc. I'm hoping I can have him get me some PT so I can get over this last hump. I think I have gotten my knee as far as I can on my own and maybe some PT will help get it even better. 2) NP doc... this is the appointment I'm need more but also am more worried about. She had me read a book on a new appoarch to dealing with my Hashimoto's, it makes alot of since and I have now been gluten free and sugar free for about 2 weeks now, but I'm still not feeling great and I'm just concerned/angry and at the end of my rope! Really hoping that things will start changing soon!

On a side not to this gluten free thing. I have been struggling to find some good bread alturnatives. Out of the three loaves of bread I have purchased there was only one that me and my daughter could eat. The others tasted like styrofoam. Looks like this weekend I will be experimenting with making my own, wish me luck.

Hoping to make it to the gym after all my appointments - Updates to come :)

5 miles on the elliptical with a couple of hard/fast/steep intervals mixed in. Then chest, back and leg weights. The one mile run on the indoor track. All in all felt pretty good.

So as you can see I didn't get to the gym after all my appointments yesterday... and how did they go you ask? Well I still pretty much hate the knee surgen, I'm sure he is very good at what is does, but because I'm not a top rated collegent runner, or someone who performs at that level, and also because I'm over 40, I feel that he dose not want to help me at all. He basically told me that I can deal with things the way they are, until they get worse and then he will see me to replace my knee. I told him, "I don't think you will ever see me again." So I left there feel very angry! What an A## H*%# !! Then I went to my NP doc, still very frustrated with my health, she was much better at dealing with me, but I told her, if things don't get feeling better soon just get me a gun! Yes I was being dramatic, but I guess I really wanted her to know, things need to change. We decided to add some new meds, change some dosing of others, hope that the dietary changes I have been making will start helping soon, and then I will get my blood drawn in a few weeks and see what has happened. Soooo frustrating!!! But I'm hopful that things are turing around, with my running and my health, I have to be positive with things... that is at least 90% of the battle.

5 easy miles on the elliptical

Running/hiking trails with Sue. Made it farther then I have since the surgery, but was in a bit of pain later and very tired!! Needed to take some meds for pain so I could sleep.

Fun but really steep hike with hubby and friends. We did alot of scrabbling up hills...even thought it was a realitivly short time and hike my legs were tired from all the steep climbing.

No running... but lots of lounging and playing in my doll room LOL

4 on the elliptical, then squats, chest and arms... then two miles stocking footed on the treadmill.

4.00 on the elliptal, then lots of weights and stretching.

on the elliptical

Son exchange cars with me, and I forgot to get my gym bag out before he took my car.... big nothing, so we went on a date night. Dinner and a movie, when we were at dinner the lady at the table next to us said to me.... Don't I see you at the gym like all the time? I mean you are always there... you are super fit... LOL made me smile.

Sue is on vacation so to I talked my hubby into going to the gym with me. When he goes we always do more weights then I want, and more cardio then he wants LOL I guess we even each other out. my three was on the elliptical and I knew my time was short so it was at a very hard level lots of intencity.

Three miles on the elliptical, then a bit of weights, still a bit sore from the weights I did with hubby on Saturday. Then one mile with shoes, and one mile without shoes on the treadmill.

Quick workout tonight, three miles on the elliptical then a mile barfoot on the treadmill. Finished up with stretching and abs. Wanted to get finished quickly so I could get my lawn mowed, and take care of some other things around the house. Feel like I'm slowly loosing ground on the house work.

For the past few visits at the gym I see a young girl that could be Caroline in Colorado's little sister. I swear she looks just like her. When I was running on the indoor track the other day she was up there doing yoga, every time I came around the corner she was in a different pose. She is very strong, one time she was in the pose where you rest you knees on your elbows and ballence, it's pretty crazy.

Three on the elliptical, upper body weights, then 1.5 miles running on the indoor track. So as I was running I started talking with a couple other ladies that were running. Asking the usual questions "Are you training for a race" If yes "What one" you know the usual running talk. Then asking them to register for the 5K race that my work is sponsoring. As I was talking with one girl she commented that I seemed to be limping.... crap... I thought I was doing better! My knee was bugging a bit but not as bad as it had before. I think I will bike tomorrow. After my run did stretching and abs.

45 minutes on the bike, kept is at a good speed, then did a few hill climbs just for the fun of it. Estimating a 4 mile run effort

Ended up being 6 miles even!! Today was our (Sue and me) annual birthday run and breakfast at The Oaks. We always run trails up by snow basin ski resort. Today we ran/hiked the green pond loop. Had a wonderful time... knee did OK :)

4 on the elliptical, bit of weights then had to be done a bit early to pick up hubby!

4 on the elliptcal then two on the treadmill, one was in my stocking feet. It's werid but my knee always feels better when I run without my shoes. Sue, my running friend gave me a book for my birthday based on the  Pose Method of running. I havenot started it yet, but it will be interesting and hopefully helpful.

Back from a fun vacation up at Bear Lake! I did not run while I was up there but I did swim, play in the water, read my book, play with the grankids, do lots of arts and crafts with the family, eat too much LOL .... like I said lots of fun!!

So back to the usual... 4 miles on the elliptical then some weight training and 2 miles on the treadmill, one with shoes, one without.

Four on the elliptical

4 on the elliptical

one mile on elliptical, weights, one mile on the treadmill. This was the fastest mile I have been able to do since the surgery.

Ran with Sue on the trails above 22nd street. We made it all the way to the houses!!! This is the farthest I have gone since my surgery! We were about 8 minutes slower then we were before... that is a bummer but I was happy with the run!

I got my hubby and daughter to the gym with me!!! Hubby spends he entire work day out in the heat so he opted to swim, then came out and did some weights with me. Daughter and I did about 3 on the elliptcal, then I ran 2 on the treadmill. I think she got in about 1 mile of running. She is still at the run/walk phase.

5 miles on the elliptical... stress seemed to be a factor today, just wanted to sweat for a long time and not think about anything so I stayed on the elliptical hoping to rid myself of the stressfull feelings. I ended up mowing the lawn also when I got home... then needed a long conversation with my hubby, after that I was feeling a bit better.