Running for two--or, mostly walking

Grrr.  I had this great post about how the restaurant at the hotel was understaffed, but the food was good, but I bumped a button and lost it.  That's what I get for using the laptop on the couch with lazy wrists.  Anyway, my favorite part about Sunday morning was seeing all the top guys hobbling down the stairs.

We had planned to see the Met, but decided that we didn't want to fight through NYC Marathon crowds and then miss our shuttle to the airport.  We ended up watching the marathon for a while (Paula Radcliffe is really tall) and grabbed some lunch.  My favorite part about this marathon was that people put their names on their shirts so you can cheer for them by name as they run by.  If I ever run a marathon, I'm definitely putting my name on my shirt.

That pretty much wraps up our NYC trip.  We got back to Logan at around 12:30 and I went directly to bed without unpacking (well, except for my toothbrush) because I had to wake up at 6:00 for work.

I felt really good Sunday, as far as knees and ankles go.  I guess all the walking that I did while there helped a lot.  So, despite the fact that I didn't follow my plan for the weekend, I still think it was beneficial.  We'll see how things are tomorrow. 

I didn't wake up until 6:20 a.m., but I made it to work on time.  I was super tired all day, but I didn't fall asleep at work or anything.  My knees and ankles were still feeling pretty good, but my shin was hurting because of my two-year-old shoes, so I decided that I need to get some new ones (or get my Birkenstocks fixed).

After work I went and bought groceries, then we hit the gym.  I tried to run there, but my knees weren't up for it (I was capable of running, which is an improvement, but at an even slower than usual pace).  I did the elliptical for 30 minutes, nothing special.  My ankle and knees were hurting on the walk home, but I'm going to attribute that to the five days I took off.  I'm still feeling a lot better and I'm going to try to run to the gym again when I go tomorrow.

So, only slightly related to running:  I've been thinking of changing my work schedule to one that would be less convenient in some ways, but much more convenient in others.  I am working 7-4 right now, which is kind of killing me.  I get up early, I work for 9 hours, I come home then hit the gym, I come back home and make dinner, then I blog, shower and collapse.  I have no energy or desire to do any of the other things that I need to do (namely, housework).  I'm thinking of changing my schedule to 7-11 and 1-5.  Then I would wake up early, go to work, hit the gym, go back to work, come home, make dinner, do some housework, then collapse.  I just don't have it in me to do anything after I go to the gym in the evening.  It's just something I'm throwing around.  I kind of think that working out while it's still light out would help with the whole energy thing, too.  I'll think about it some more and let you know what I decide. 

20 minutes on the elliptical, blah.  I wanted to do 30 minutes, but was feeling kind of fatigued, so I did some weights instead.  Paul went with me to the gym again and we tried to run, but I'm still running slower than I can walk.  It's pretty frustrating, but I am getting better, even if it is slowly.

 I talked to my manager about changing my schedule, as well as all of my co-workers, and everybody thought it would be fine.  I have to wait to change my schedule until my co-worker comes back from her knee surgery, though, so it's still nine hour days for me.  It's temporary, though, so I can handle it.

30 minutes on the elliptical after a pretty decent adjustment at the chiropractor.  I like to do the hill program because it varies.  I can't stand when things just stay the same.  I like the Planet Walk because there is varied scenery, whereas running through the neighborhood feels repetitive.

One of my co-workers tried to tell me that you can't get a very good workout on an elliptical.  I told him that my heart rate, which I kept between 160 and 180 today during my workout, said otherwise.  This from the guy who wants to run St. George next year and only runs on a treadmill and usually only 2 miles a day.  I mean, I'm running zero miles a day, but I'm not kidding myself into thinking I'm running a marathon next October.  I guess it's good to have goals, though, but I'll keep my goals realistic. 

20 minutes on the elliptical.  I wanted to do 30, but my legs were super tired after the beating I gave them yesterday.  My knees were feeling really good, so I would have ran to the gym if it wasn't dark outside.  I can do running by myself in the daylight, and I can do running with somebody else in the dark, but I don't do running by myself in the dark.  I think it's just something that I haven't quite lost from growing up in the suburbs of Detroit.  I know Logan is super safe and all, but I just don't feel comfortable.  I'm definitely going to run on Saturday, though, even though I know it will be really slow.  I'm not so worried about speed, so it doesn't matter.  For me it's just about getting out and doing it.

So tired today. I was supposed to do 30 minutes plus some weights, but I didn't have the energy. I slept really well last night, so I'm not sure why I'm so tired. I was struggling to keep my eyes open at work and then decided not to go to the gym. I told Paul that I would go if he made me, but warned him that when things stop being fun for me that is when I usually quit, so forcing me to go could be potentially hazardous. He didn't push the issue. Still planning on running tomorrow, though.

So, here's something unrelated: I work in the customer service department for ICON. We make treadmills. My supervisor gave my co-worker a project to work on and he couldn't sleep and has been on edge all week because of it. I mean, in the scope of the company, what my group does is important, but in the grand scheme of things my job is pretty meaningless, so I tend to not get too stressed out. I just go and do the best that I can, then I try to leave it at work (well, I leave everything except the stories at work...those I take home to share with Paul). I don't think that people really realize how negatively stress affects you. I told him to do some yoga, but I don't think he'll take my advice. He hasn't taken my advice about joining the blog, so why would he listen to me about this?

"Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows but only empties today of its strength."--C.H. Spurgeon 

Da-d-d-dah (fanfare)! Ran two miles today. Yeah! It was slow, as I predicted, but it felt really good. I mean, my calves were hurting pretty good by the last half mile, but I actually mean that I felt good spiritually during my run. I brought my friend Sara Groves with me and her music is really uplifting. I've decided that my workouts are more gratifying when I listen to Christian music than when I listen to whatever random thing comes up. I was actually smiling during my run and a couple of times closed my eyes while I was running to just praise God. Of course, I quickly realized that I was running with my eyes closed, so that didn't last long. I'm not fast, and my running would bring glory to anyone in and of itself, but if I mean for it to glorify God, then it will.

"To lift up the hands in prayer gives God glory, but a man with a dungfork in his hand, a woman with a slop pail, gives Him glory too.  He is so great that all things give Him glory if you mean they should." --Gerard Manley Hopkins