Monday, October 26, 2015

starting over is humbling (172.2)

So your advice, Vickie, about not pushing myself and over training came at a great time.  I had mild shin splints the day I read your comment, and I was ticked about it.  I had gone for a long, fast outdoor walk with a little jogging thrown in on a Friday, and by Sunday my shins were really super sore. I needed to do more miles to stay on track for my (self imposed) "training schedule," but your comment slowed me down.  It would do me no good to keep tearing my muscles & tendons with further pavement pounding, so I just rested until they healed. 

And I brought my training indoors to my treadmill and slowed down to a snails pace.  And I mean slow.  20 min miles last week (3.0mph). Tuesday=2.5 miles in 50 mins.  Wednesday=2.0 miles in 40 mins.  Those were my only two workouts last week.  And I felt like a freaking old woman.  My shins didn't hurt, but it still pissed me off.  So I made sure to eat well and I went to my OA meeting on Saturday morning.  My goal is to get this extra weight off so I can get faster and not be in pain. 

I did do an hour on the TM yesterday with a faster walking pace (I varied it from 3.0-3.5mph), with five or six running intervals thrown in. I ran at a 5.2 mph, couple of times pushed it to 5.5. The running felt amazing.  Nothing hurt. I felt strong and excited to be running again.  Of course after about 90 seconds I was struggling to breathe, and at around 2 minutes I had to slow back down to a walk. But that's how running begins. You don't go from 3.0 to 5.5 mph nonstop overnight. 

Food is much better.  I started cooking again, which I know sounds lame but I really have been super lazy on the food front and just eating what Luke eats or what Mark cooks and lots of frozen and restaurant foods.  I pulled out a couple of old Roni favorites (her greenlitebites website is wonderful), and even came up with an easy couscous/veggie recipe myself (cook couscous in veggie broth, then add chopped 1/2 cucumber, 1 red bell pepper, 1 carrot, add a big bunch of chopped cilantro--that's it. I added some avocado and you could also add black beans).  Sophie & Mark enjoy my cooking; Luke not so much--he's beyond picky (not even going there). 

I still am struggling with needing SOMETHING at night before bed.  So that is what I am going to work on with my sponsor now that I'm going to be working OA again.

I meet with my nurse practitioner this afternoon about my meds. I'll report back. 

Sophie has high school open house this and next week.  She doesn't want to go to the school in our district. She can choose any public school in the county, and we have several charter schools to chose from. So she is looking at one of the toughest charter schools that has an International Baccalaureate program (it is in downtown) but has limited number of spots and usually a lottery system to determine who gets in (there is an application process with an essay and everything).  And then another public school which also has the IB program; my good friend used to teach English at this school before she moved out of state. The principal at this high school has won multiple awards.  I had a student in my office today who went to both of these schools, and she loved the public school and the principal.  At this point the charter school is her first choice with the public school as back up if she can't get in. 

Still working with Mark 1 to 1.5 days a week.  It's going OK. I think he still wants me to work for him more, but that's not going to happen any time soon. For now the college is working with me to keep my hours flexible so I can do this.  They haven't indicated that this is going to change, and while it may not continue indefinitely, there isn't a date as to when it's going to stop in the near future. 

5 comments:

Vickie said...

Glad you were able to pace your restart. It is truly a universal tale - we feel very sad and angry (at ourselves) at good habits we let slide, we think we can just step back into the level we used to be able to do, we injure ourselves.

I restarted hand weights this fall and made myself start on the floor with 5 lb weights, then I made myself drop down to 3 lb weights when I moved from floor to standing. I was guarding my lower back. The arm moves need to "come" from my stomach. If I am not in proper position with my stomach contracting with each arm movement, I am going to bugger up my back. I am back up to 10 lb. weights for some moves. Others I use 8 lbs. some moves will always be with 5 lb weights to protect my shoulders. There is one move I always do with no weights, to protect my right shoulder. I simply do it as part of my warm up.

School searches/desicions are tough. And as soon as you get her in high school, start looking at colleges. All college tours should be freshman and sophomore year in high school, while she still has time to adjust classes. Junior year is usually a very tough academic year. Senior year flies. So I am not exaggerating when I say LOOK her first two years of high school.

Do you have a (free tuition) program thru your job? Often these include a list of reciprocity schools, not just free tuition at your school. I would look at those schools first. We draw a circle around our town and look for schools within 2-3 hours of home. Early looking means a chance to visit schools several times.

And be sure she takes physics and calculus in high school if she is possibly going into college science field. Basic chemestry is usually required, have her also take AP chemistry in preparation for organic chem in college. (Psychology is considered science. So, usually have to take math and science classes in college). No one wants to take their first calc class at a college level. One wants to have as much going for them as possible before organ chem. If she is going into anything remotely medical science be sure she takes anatomy and physiology in high school, yes she will have to take it again in college, at higher level. But often that is the first class they take at college, fall freshman year, and they only have one chance to take it. Have to pass with high grade, the first time, to enter programs. This is the stuff you figure out by third child and really wish you had known for first child.

Vickie said...

My theater kid is going into engineering program at college. Theater is for fun. She is keeping it that way. She is realistic about jobs/career.

And I think have to have an eye toward college, the whole time you are thinking about high school, in high school. Making sure right classes are offered. Making sure to take them.

My kids start taking SAT's and ACT's their sophomore year. Not just the prep, the actual tests. Another thing we have learned is to retake both tests at least once. Middle only took once and had a high enough level for college admittance. What we did not know was she would have tested out of some classes in her program automatically with slightly higher score. Youngest tested much higher second time taking SAT. ACT score was nearly identical second time. (I might have those backwards).

Vickie said...

Most everything I am telling you, you have to know, there is not a magic person in high school to tell you.

Before youngest started high school, we had to apply to be in right track in high school math program in order for her to take AP calc her senior year. So, if we had not been looking to college, summer before high school, we would have missed the boat.

College tours help hugely, because you can get an idea of what classes are required and what high school classes then prepare the best.

Vickie said...

I know several people who do their healthy fats at the end of the day, to help hold them. So if your issue is actual hunger, that is a thought. I sometimes do egg whites and small avocado as my last meal for that reason.

If your problem is a habit one, then I think the best answer is to substitute one habit for another habit. I will actually write a post on this. I have several ideas.

Unknown said...

I had to give myself permission to back way down on my training after my race, because I could tell my body needed a break. I think you have to remember the real goal is to get stronger and fitter, not to punish your body for not being exactly the way you want it to be.