Sunday morning

It's going to be a long, ssssssllllllooooowwwww run this morning, that's for sure! I went to visit friends I haven't seen all summer (they of the "parental" variety...me not!) and finally got to see the house the M.&T. built - okay, renovated - oh, so many years ago. These guys are famous for planning big blow-out parties the exact same day as I have a work function, or I'm out of town or I'm off on a scheduled (read paid for) run. Decided last night that it's now or never.




I don't know how or when this happened, but dang it, all my friends (and me...) are a bunch of forty year olds!!!!! Mid to late forties actually...in fact, one friend just celebrated her 50th!!! Yikes!!!! forty year olds were our parents...not us...yet there we were, discussing the glory days of our youth, and taking care of our now elderly parents, and knee/ankle/wrist/back strains and pains...kind of humorous, I suppose, if you were to stand back and observe from the sidelines.



What really strikes me as funny is one couple in particular, C.&T. - I used to live with C. until T. came along, proposed and gave me the boot (but I'm not bitter!)...anyway, they now have 3 children under the age of 9 and are apparently STARVED FOR HUMAN CONTACT! And C. is always notoriously late...pretty sure her mom went 10 months before she decided to make an appearance. Anyway, the invite was to show up anytime after 7, most of us got there about 9ish (I didn't get the address from T. until after 8) and C&T showed up at midnight! They were at another party earlier (hey...their social calendar is busier than mine!) but wanted to hang out with grown ups some more. Needless to say, I'm trying to leave, as I know I'm getting up bright and early to head out for a 10k run in the morning, and she's practically got her arms wrapped around my leg, refusing to let me go!!! I managed to give her the slip and bolt for the door at 1:15!!!! It's going to be a slow one today...

But I'm up and eating breakfast of a latte and oatmeal (oats, milk, almond butter, nutella and a mashed banana) and am dressed and semi-ready to go.

Just waiting on H-woman, as she's the wheels this week. Going to try a new spot (South Glenmore Park), as we're both getting kind of bored with our usual loop. Who knows what the rest of the day will bring, but I'm hoping for a small nap!
Later,

A full day

Which started bright and early, as H-woman picked me up at the crack of stupid...okay, 7:15, but it's a Saturday, for crying out loud! We went to Weight Watchers, where it's a good thing Faye rocks...there's no one else that I'd be up at 6:30 am and driving over 11km to see. The plan is still working...you know the plan...journal, making premium fuel choices, move more, sweat every day, take care of myself otherwise...anyway, down another 2.4 pounds this week, so another milestone acheived...41.6 pounds down total!

After a great meeting, we went into Kensington to meet up with E. for coffee. We need to rethink the time, as H and I got there at by 8:30 and no one else is showing up till 9. We were done our coffee and breakfasts before E. even got there. But had a nice visit anyway, before H. dropped me off to go meet up with S. I had another appointment to attend...taking my baby boy George to the vet.

I do not have children of the human variety, and that's by my choice. I do, however, have two adorable fur-babies, and one has been acting not himself lately, so it was time to take him in and get him checked over. I did my very best not to let my imagination run away with itself (there were a few tearful nights as I anticipated the worst) but after meeting Dr. Sean we are both feeling much better (who ROCKS, by the way! - He's so kind and calm and explained everything, and even gave George kisses and scratches while he was examining him - you can tell this is a man who truly loves animals and what he does for a living...that's very important to know that he's not just in it for the money)...long story short (we are waiting on the blood and urine analysis on Monday) but it appears that I am now the proud parent of a diabetic cat. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, because it can be dealt with. Other diseases scare me far worse, trust me. So, after Monday we'll find out what the official diagnosis is, and go from there. As Dr. Sean put it, cats get more like type-2 diabetes, which is more controlled with diet and exercise than insulin. So while we may have to start out with daily shots, if we get his food intake and insulin levels under control, we can stop the shots. But that bridge is still a ways away, so we'll cross it later. We're back home and together and that's all that matters to me.

After that, I went over to B's place to feed her fur-babies (she's back tomorrow night) and gave them some extra love and brushing today...except I forgot my antihistamine, and remembered that I really am allergic to cats! I broke out in hives along my chin, and totally clogged up in the sinuses and chest. Silly me! Dropped in on my pharmacist (who's in the area) to drop off a prescription and ran into the younger dude (the son of the store owner) who's also a runner. Talked running for a while, then stopped by a Running Room to pick up a foam roller (in anticipation of tomorrow's 10k run and the hip/leg pain that follows) and then to Safeway for some groceries (out of spinach for Monsters...the horror!). Came home, did 3 loads of laundry (I live on the top floor of a 3-floor walk-up and the laundry room is in the basement, so it's a workout!), had a brief nap on the couch and then made dinner.

Tuna burgers...H-woman talked about them last night, so I whipped up a small batch. They were very tasty - a can of drained tuna, some finely diced celery & onion, horseradish Dijon mustard, some fresh dill, S&P, panko bread crumbs and egg. Fry till golden. Ate them with a sliced red pepper and tomato, a tarter sauce of mayo, relish, more horseradish mustard and parsley, and some whole wheat yolk less egg noodles tossed with yogurt Caesar salad dressing and parm.

Now just trying to get motivated to jump in the shower and head out to a friend's place for a few drinks. Granted, I still don't know the address of said location (maybe they're trying to avoid me...I wasn't included in the original email invite either!) so I may be getting all dolled up for nothin'. Times like this is when I really hate being a single person...I hate walking into parties or bars alone...but I am a grown up, so let's get on with it already!

Details tomorrow...

Later,

Squats good...

Can barely sit down, after yesterday's focus on legs, but I do love how my butt feels these days!

Only woke up once with leg pain last night, so that seems to be getting better too. Got up and started the day with a Green Monster. Stopped in at the 'bucks for my usual 5 shot, non-fat, extra-hot latte. Needed the kick-start this morning. Mid morning fuel up was a Coconut Pie Larabar (my FAVOURITE!!!) before running over to Bridgeland to care for the kitties. My legs were lead today though, so I walked back. I know I have Boot Camp tonight, so I'll save my energy for that.

Lunch was left over beef stir fry on rice and two kiwis. Plugged away at work, and got so involved in a mini-project that I didn't notice the time, until I realized I had to leave to get to Boot Camp! Rushed home (carrying all my 'work' workout gear, two go cups (one for coffee, the other for monster), lunch bag, jacket (+10 when I leave for work, +27 when I come home!) and other assorted goodies stuffed in my pack. Extra workout, as far as I'm concerned. Wolfed down some Liberte non-fat Vanilla yogurt and some Kashi Cinnamon squares before heading out again.

Boot Camp rocked again tonight. I managed to do the Douglas Fir trail run in under 8 1/2 minutes (with my bad ankle) which I was happy with, but I still hate it when I am sucking wind by the time I get to the top. A stranger would never know that I run EVERY DAY by the way I stand there, trying to breathe. But I pulled it together and managed to do a couple of fast flights of the final set of steps before we headed back to our mats. Did incline push-ups matched off against squats (10 push-ups, run across field, 20 squats, return and 9 push-ups, continue countdown) while the boys did chin-ups. Then we swapped off...because of my shoulder issues, I do the chin-ups from my back, while everyone else did the regular kind. There are chin-up bars under the Crescent Height stairs, so I think I'm going to add some practice reps to my Tuesday and Thursday stairs (haven't been there for two weeks now, and I MISS THEM) to build up my upper body strength. That and I hate failing at things... Did some bicep curls, triceps work, more leg work, and finished with core and abs. Then Trainer Josh had a new toy...one of those scales that measures your body fat, muscle/bone percentage, visceral fat, BMI, etc. I am very happy that I have managed to get my BMI under 29 (yay me!) and my visceral fat (the bad kind that wraps around your organs and such) 7 (less than 10 is good)...of course, who knows how accurate these things are, but I did like the weight it showed as well!

Came home, and decided I wanted a really simple supper...and I'm too exhausted to really cook! So I had my Lemon Carbenara pasta...while the pasta cooks, I soaked some sun-dried tomatoes and diced up some roasted red pepper (packed in water). Whisk together 1 egg and the zest and juice from 1 lemon. Once the pasta is done, drain but leave a little of the pasta water in the pot. Return pasta to pot, put on low heat and add the egg mix. This is important...start stirring and do not stop until the sauce thickens. Careful or you end up scrambling the eggs, but done right and you end up with a fluffy, thick lemony sauce. Add the tomatoes and peppers, some freshly torn basil and top with grated Parmesan. Yum, yum, yum...

Still hungry, so I had another bowl of Kashi squares with almond milk. Now I have a very satisfied tummy... Going to ice my ankle or knee or thigh (which ever body part wants it the most!) and watch some TV. Then early to bed, as I've got to get up bright and early for weigh in.

Later,

On the road to recovery

After D - the chiro-dude, tried to literally rip my leg off yesterday, I didn't think it could hurt any worse. I was, of course, wrong! Now my hip flexor was flared up...sigh...up at 3 am, but I only needed one more Advil and an ice pack, and then I managed to get back to sleep.

Started the day as per usual with a Green Monster and then enjoyed a mid-morning fuel up of the last of my Liberte Coconut yogurt and some All Bran buds.

The run at lunch was a little slow...it's amazing how badly the hip flexor is used to do silly things...like lift your leg in a forward motion! But I pushed on, and finally the whole leg started to loosen up. Fed the cats, cleaned up the puke, cleaned the litter (hey...I don't treat mine this good! Kidding!!) and ran back to work, completing 5.3K in about 42 minutes. The run back being a bit quicker than the run there. I wore a cap today, since it was so bright and sunny, but all that did was make me sweat so much, I looked like I dipped my head in the river. People were looking at me odd, and I know they were all thinking "we don't have showers here...where did she wash her hair??"...not washed my friends...that'd be all natural ME!!! hehehe...

Returned to a lunch of raw veggies, the last of my light Laughing Cow cheese and some Rivita rye crisps. Worked on a spread sheet that had me seeing double after a while, and then perked up with my afternoon snack of the rest of the fruit salad and a 1/2 c of 1% cottage cheese.

Got to Boot Camp with time to spare, but the leg and hip were both acting up. Uh-oh, thought I...after all, Trainer Josh had warned we would be working on legs today...he does not lie!

Ran two loops of the stairs/hills (I'll take my camera, to try and capture the scope of our "warm up") and then did one lap of the stairs. The hip was not pleased...in fact, I'm amazed I can move at all right now, given the number of lunges, squats, more lunges, sprints, jogs, more squats, hold squats and even more lunges that we did. Then we got down to the mats and did donkey kicks, peed on the fence (side lifts, but I like what T-J calls them better), leg extensions, thigh lifts, and inside thigh lifts. Then after some thrusters for 20 second intervals, we concentrated on some upper body - to even things out! Finished on the mats with some core work, and there goes another hour. It really does fly by rather quickly. I stayed behind to make sure I did some good, solid stretching of the hips and thighs before heading for home.

Finally made the stir-fry with the beef I've been marinating since Tuesday! Sliced it thin, added celery, green onions, carrots, red & orange peppers and red & yellow tomatoes. Finished it with some Epicure Teriyaki Ginger sauce and ate it with brown & wild rice. Even managed to leave some for lunch tomorrow!

Did decide later that I was still hungry, so I had a quick snack of Kashi Cinnamon Squares and unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

Since I find myself watching TV with my eyes more closed than open, I'm heading for bed.

Later,

I may not win but dang it, I'll never quit...

That mantra goes through my head as I'm running or walking these days. Gets me through Boot Camp as well! David at the chiropractors went at my hip (I never knew I could bend that way!) and thigh (O.M.G. - I confess to whatever it is you think I did!!!) and foot (not nearly as bad, but oowwwiiiieee anyway!) with a vengeance today as my IT band is still very inflamed. It was feeling a tad better last night, but then I woke up at 3:30 (I think I was rolling over) with searing, blinding pain! Hope to avoid that hell tonight - just finished icing it and will medicate shortly. And I'll have the ice pack ready for an early morning application, if need be.

Breakfast today was a Green Monster, with a mid-morning snack of milk and some All Bran Buds. After a half run/walk (I left my Garmin at home, and that ruins a run for me now...how am I supposed to know how far, how fast, how much my heart is beating, etc??), so I ran to the kitties place to feed them, and then walked back to the office afterwards. Lunch was leftover pasta salad from last night and an apple. Sunshine, or something like that, but what ever...it is NOT a Pink Lady, and I'm really bummed about that!! Hopefully they show up soon at the market...not sure how much longer I hold out. Afternoon snack was more fruit salad, this time with some Kashi Cinnamon squares. Yum...those are good! Went to the chiropractor and then limped my way home...okay, it wasn't quite that pathetic, but I felt a lot of the walk home! Brief, accidental nap on the couch during the news, and then I did the "what do I want for supper"...which is odd, because I already had some steak marinating in the fridge. But after wandering in, looking in the fridge and wandering back out again, several times, I settled on a light meal of pasta in a delightful fromage sauce...KD! Kraft Mac & Cheese for you Americans...we Canucks have always called it KD. And yes, I have a special pot and spoon that I cook and eat KD with. I stirred in relish (trust me, I got my veggies in today...not worried about the lack at dinner) and it was exactly what I wanted. Satisfied, I resumed icing my leg and deciding what time to go to bed. Which will be soon...I have a bit of a headache, but I think that's more to do with the "cold front" that blew into Calgary today (just cloudy and muggy, but not cold).

Even though I've updated my weight (which you may notice is different than WW, because this number is from my scale at home and on Tuesdays...WW is Saturday and is never the same as my home # anyway), I have unofficially dropped out of the 15-week challenge. I haven't quit (because I don't), as I'll continue to weigh and challenge myself each week, but I just won't waste my time sending it off to wherever it ends up. No feedback for over 7 weeks now...doesn't make it fun anymore. And if it's not fun, why do it?

Still in pain

But it's getting better...although my thigh did hurt to touch today. To the point that my skirt rubbing on it made me cringe sometimes! Dr. Chow is a bad man!!! But after my run at lunch, it felt a tad better...seriously, the leg feels better when I run. I think it's got something to do with the blood flow or endorphins or a combo of the two, but either way I'll take it. Didn't even feel too bad at Boot Camp...where I announced my milestone to rave reviews! And immediately started to sweat!! Run to warm up (leg didn't really like the hills, but I pushed out two and a half laps) and then running through ladders, over hurdles, throwing in full sit-ups, thrusters, burpees, squeegees...the list goes on and on! But as I said yesterday...I will never complain about Boot Camp again!!! And stretching...I stayed behind to do some good quad and thigh stretches to get everything back where it belonged!

Returned to a normal day, food wise as well. Started with a Green Monster. Enjoyed a mid-morning snack of Rivita Rye Crackers and almond butter. Run (5.3km over 43 minutes) and return to a lunch of carrots, mini cucumbers, more rye crackers and Laughing Cow cheese. Afternoon snack was some of the fruit salad I made that had grapefruit, nectarine, peach, kiwi, cantaloupe, blueberries and bananas. Topped that off with coconut yogurt and All Bran buds. That fueled me through Boot Camp quite nicely.

Came home and made a simple, warm pasta salad. Tossed yellow and red tomatoes, red pepper, capers, basil (tried a new type at the Farmer's market that is almost minty...very unique) with evoo, white wine vinegar and S&P. Cook whole wheat bowtie pasta, adding chickpeas, corn and asparagus at the last minute to warm through. Drain well, toss with the previously mentioned items and some course grated Parmesan, and Bob's your Uncle! It was in the Best Health magazine that a friend sent me a subscription for, although I did add my own touches. And I have more than enough for lunch tomorrow, with some more fruit salad.

Yay...I like it when I'm prepared. Less stress for the morning. Oh, and I've got some steaks marinating in a mix of soy, lime juice, chilies, garlic and canola oil for a quite stir-fry tomorrow night.

Off to put some ice on the leg, and some Advil in the system, which combined should mean a better night's sleep tonight (although last night's wasn't nearly as bad as Sunday).

Later,

Hip Pain...

Had a terrible night's sleep (or lack thereof, as it were) because of the intense pain radiating up from my feet, ankles, knees and hips!! I sleep on my side, and just could not get comfortable. Many, many milligrams of Advil didn't even help...at the most dulling the pain, but never getting rid of it. It's a good thing I was heading off to the chiropractors today for another ART session and a sit with a laser (intriguing...).
Because of the lack of sleep, and the fact that I was heading in a half hour early, I didn't even make lunch or a Green Monster. Bought a breakfast sandwich (egg on toasted English muffin, a slice of real cheese, not the plastic stuff, ham, lettuce and tomato...quite delish) before my run and had a glass of milk at home. Yes, I was still heading out for a run...I have to go feed the cats, after all, so I'm committed either way. And quite frankly, everything feels better when I run, as opposed to just sitting.
Ran (5.3km, 48 minutes, 8.32/km, 352 calories burned, 135 bpm or 78% cardio) and fed the cats. Got back to work, and bought lunch of curried chicken on rice with steamed carrots. Lunch was very good, but I did limit myself to a half order. The sauce was pretty creamy.
Went to the chiropractor and had the laser treatment first. I'm not quite sure what this is supposed to do, as you sit with this thing under your foot (or what ever needs to be treated) and then after 10 minutes, it gets switched to another laser, and then 10 minutes later, a third kind. All I know is I felt nothing in the foot, but was about to black out from the pain in my knee!!! Finally got into a treatment room, and put the heatpad on the knee (aaaaaahhhhh...) and waited for the doctor. The guy who did the ART the first time was great...it hurt but it was a good hurt. Today was PAIN!!!!! OMG!!!!! Granted, today was the actual doctor, but holy mother make it stop! He attacked (after limbering up first!) my knee and hip, deciding that while new runners are a good thing, they can also take some getting used to. Should have gone for a shorter run first...I learned that my AT band was practically fused with my quads, it was so inflamed, so he really did a number on my leg. It does feel better...then he went after my foot. I really did almost cry this time! But again, that's the whole point...break up the scar tissue so the muscle can heal. I have another treatment on Wednesday, and will look into getting a foam roller before then.
Met up with H-woman for dinner at our favourite Vietnamese place...thoroughly enjoyed the salad rolls and chicken satay pho. Belly full, we headed home (H-woman has wheels now, so she drove) were I did have a brief nap on the couch during the news. Then we headed out again to the local grocery store to pick up a couple of things...how did my bag get so full?!? But I am going to make a great fruit salad for lunch tomorrow, and enjoy that with some Liberte coconut yogurt and some cheese and crackers. Sounds just fabo!
Off to medicate again (Advil is a wonderful thing!) and put some ice on my knee and ankle. Then it's bed time!!!
Glad to hear our down East bloggers survived Bill.
Later,