Diagnosis

Tendonitis and IT Band Syndrome.   No surgery required.  Yay!

So, how is it treated?

Ice, ice and more ice. Followed with stretching and topical anti-inflammatory cream. 

But..but..Doc...I teach yoga..I stretch all the time. 

"Apparently not the muscle that needs stretching."  Lol.  Love it!  A Doc with a sense of humor ;)

I can go back to running.  However I'm told that I need to 'back off" when I feel pain.

So my plans are to go out Thursday night and hit the park.   It will be one week since I last ran.  I reworked my training plan to incorporate this injury.  I need to do 1.75 miles or more to stay on plan...body permitting.  

Yes running mentor ..I still plan on Fargo! ;)

Everyone keep your fingers crossed!

Can you feel the love?

As promised, here are some pics of my office that my co-workers enthusiastically decorated for my birthday.

 

Starting to Panic

I realized the other day that the Fargo 5K is five weeks away.  Considering that I haven't trained consistently for a couple of weeks, that my left knee is swollen and I can't run on it without cringing in pain, this 5K is giving me much consideration.

My trainer told me to skip the gym this weekend and not even do upper body as I had requested or suggested.   He's only been here a month and knows me well.  He knows that once inside the gym, I would "test" the knee and do some sort of cardio on it.  Smart man.   And as he, or someone pointed out to me, we use our lower body to stabilize ourselves even when we do upper body routines. 

So, no gym this weekend.  Given the fact that I'm headed to Minneapolis next weekend, I won't get any gym time in then either.   There goes my health insurance discount for the month of September.

All that aside, my main worry is yoga.  Though I made it through classes last week, I'm hoping that this injury isn't something that will sideline my yoga (teaching) for a while.  Given that I just spent quite a bit of money on advertising and my classes are starting to have 10-15+ people consistently every night, it would really suck to have to postpone for surgery or teach on crutches, albeit possible to instruct without demonstrating or doing the poses. 

This is really beginning to suck.

And of course, I'm getting the teasing and ribbing about "everything falling apart when I turned 50." 

I, personally, do not find it amusing.

It was just a day.

So today was my first day back at work after vacation.  I knew I was screwed when I saw the black balloons from the parking lot.  I wanted to turn right around and go home and pretend I had another week of vacation. 

But I sucked it up and went inside.  Yes, it was as bad as I was expecting.  I took pictures on my phone but I, techie guru that I am, am having issues getting from phone on to the blog.  So stay tuned.

Yoga was pushed to tomorrow night, so I went to the gym tonight.  My left knee has been really bothering me when I run.  (Do NOT even go to the "getting old" joke!). 

Running seems to really aggravate it as yesterday morning I went out (yes running mentor, I did the run on my birthday!), but it hurt...alot.  Needless to say I was swallowing Aleve and Tylenol all day and sitting with the ice pack last night.   I made an appointment with the doctor for next Monday - soonest I could get in. 

I don't want to lose my cardio, so I was on the Elliptical cross trainer tonight.  I did 3.2 miles (a 5K).  Leg didn't bother me hardly at all, certainly not like it did while running.  WTF??  Will see how the week progresses and how it goes with my yoga classes on Tuesday and Wednesday night. I need my body for yoga...so I need to coddle this knee along. 

Other than that...it was just a day. 

Peace Out!

The Start of the Second Part

I turned 50 today.  I don't feel 50, and certainly hope I don't look 50. 

The days leading up to my birthday have been filled with a lot of reflection and wonder.  I look back on my life and ask myself "has it been good?"  and "could it have been better?"

I ask the questions and think, "if not, what would I have changed." 

Can't say that I would have done any "do overs" per se.. everything I've done has led me right up to this point.  And while I won't say my life is as I had imagined it back when I was a young, naive 18 year old...my life isn't bad either.  In fact, it's good.   I have my health (although with a few more aches and pains), I have fabulous family and relatives, my husband is a great man, my friends are awesome! (you know who you are!),  my job keeps me busy (and pays the bills) and teaching yoga keeps me inspired.

While some are quick to say that 50 is the start of everything going downhill, I prefer to think of it as the start to the second part of my book. 

You see, books come in parts.

The beginning  is where all the characters established, timeline is established and the plot begins to be revealed.

The second part is the meat of the book.  It's where the action happens, all the good stuff takes place; the living happens, the plot is in full swing - be it good, bad, or the ugly. 

The third part is the ending.  That's where it all comes together and it all makes sense, and the reader determines if it was a good book, a great book, or classic that will be remembered through the years.

Turning 50 is the start of my second part.  I'm still in the living phase, the plot is in full swing, the characters are having a blast and life is happening at break neck speed.  ..

How it will end is still a mystery, even to me - it's main character. 

I'm still writing each chapter, one day at a time.

Needed this today!

"Dead last finish is greater than did not finish which greatly trumps did not start" - Running shirt via @LJ3000 -- Real Runners (@RunningQuotes)

Day #2

So I wake up after sleeping in - which, by the way, is 6:30ish.  I grab myself a cup of coffee and contemplate my day.  I know I'm going to complete a project today, I just need to decide which one. 

You see, I have this method.  Call it quirky, call it odd, call it whatever you may like...but it works for me.

I think about the projects.  Each one has a specified timeline associated with it.  You know... cleaning the hallway closet should, in theory, take me 2-3 hours of uninterrupted time.  The key there is "uninterrupted."

I'm a procrastinating perfectionist (browse blog for said definition).  In order for me to tackle a project, say...cleaning the hallway closet....I need to have that 2-3 hours of uninterrupted time.   If I don't think that I can start (and finish) it in that time frame, I move on to another project (and determine it's timeline of completion) or don't do it at all.

Got it?  Capiche`?  With me so far? 

Ok, so as I was saying....I was all set to do the hallway closet this morning.  I can start it at 8 and fnish it by 11, just in time to start preparing lunch for the hubster.   (remind me to blog later about cooking on vacation).

I'm just about ready to get to it (after just one more cup of coffee), when hubster calls.   "Will 10 0'Clock work for you?"   Huh?    Ohhhh yes, the tire appointment that should have happened yesterday but hubster didn't get the tires in to the tire place in order to get them put on.  (He messed with my timeline yesterday too!)

"Noooo.... this afternoon works better...that way I can go from there to yoga." 

Now...to some of you, it's not a big deal.  "Just go get the tires put on at 10 Sherry".  I hear you out there.   But you need to understand.... I had my heart set on doing the hallway closet this morning.  In MY time frame...2-3 hours.   Sticking a tire appointment IN that time frame just messes with my time frame.     I can't start something and leave it unfinished when I leave the house.  It needs to be done....today...in my time frame. 

Ya, I already know what you're saying.   "Start it and come back and finish it after the tire appointment." 

Are you people not hearing me???!!!    I can't start something and leave it unfinished when I leave the house. It needs to be done....today...in my time frame.  .

Ya, hubster didn't get it either.

I went to the tire appointment.

Hallway closet isn't getting cleaned.  (I'm out of the mood now - and refers you to the definition of procrastinating perfectionist). 

Bright spot is, hubster bought me lunch at The Depot.   (Refers back to the reminder to blog later about cooking on vacation).

Vacation Time!!

Yes blogstalkers, I'm officially on vacation!  Woot!!!!   I haven't had any extended time off since last May when my niece graduated from med school.   So this is going to be heaven.

What do I have planned?  A whole lot of nothing.  I'm not going to stress myself out about doing big projects.  I have little ones that I'd like to get done, but if they don't, they don't.  Feel me?  

You might be asking yourself what have I done so far? 

Not a damn thing...except update my blogs, drink some coffee, talk to a friend on the phone, make the bed, drink more coffee, and....that's about it.  lol

Time to get the day rolling though...for real.

Peace out!

Forgive me Running Mentor

...for it has been 8 days since my last serious run (5K).

I went out the other day and struggled through a 2 mile run....so I'm not even counting that as a SERIOUS training run.   And to be honest, I didn't even count that as a run.  Failure is an adequate term to discribe what that was.

Today however, I decided that if I'm going to make my second 5K in October, I'd better get back on the horse.

I loaded up on Aleve (knees giving me issues), cranked my ipod to Jon Bon Jovi and headed out.  A beautiful morning for a run.  Temperature was perfect (aroumd 59) with only a light breeze. 

I was actually looking forward to it.  Kinda.  Sorta.

Too bad I struggled on this run also.

 I did 2 miles, but again the pace wasn't stellar.  I wasn't expecting to break any land speed records as it has been 8 days since my last serious run.   On the 5K I averaged a 13:55 mile (can you say tanked?!).   Today's pace was slightly better, albeit not by much:  13:02.   :(

So....  officially...I'm restarting my training plan....again!