Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming.

5-24-13

Two posts in a row...wwwhhhaaattt???

I joined the swim team at my private pool club in Glastonbury when I was about 8.  I joined the swim team to have a sport to do during the summer.  When I was younger, I played soccer and did dance during the fall, winter, and spring.  This left the summer open to swim and take tennis lessons at the pool club, which was essentially my sisters and my residence during the summer months. I continued until I got to high school, and I regret not trying out for the high school team when I had the chance.

I didn't realize until recently how great of a workout swimming really is, and that I must have been in super-good shape when I was younger to complete the workouts we did every morning at the pool.  Luckily, swimming is a lot like riding your bike: you never really forget how, you just need to build up your endurance.

So, for my first swimming workout I did a relatively easy workout, which was a good intensity for me as I was exhausted (and starving!) afterwards.  Here's what I did:

Warm up: 25 yds, 50 yds, 75 yds, easy freestyle

2 x 25 kicking
2 x 25 pulling

Ladder: 25, 50, 75, 100, 75, 50, 25

Cool down: 75 and 50 easy breaststroke (I was tired!) and 15 free

For those of you unfamiliar with pool lengths, a standard lap pool is 25 yds or meters in length, and Olympic pool is 50 yds in length.  The pool at SC can be set up as a standard or Olympic length.  Thankfully, yesterday it was at 25 yds!  So, 25 yds = 1 lap, 50 yds = 2 laps, etc.

It took me roughly 40 mins to complete this workout.  I took A LOT of rest time between segments, however I was excited to complete each segment without resting between laps, and I even broke out the flip turns!

My goal next week is to swim twice, probably completing the same workout to build up some endurance and speed.

Here's to the water and amazing swimming-induced-exhaustion sleep!

When life hands you lemons....

5-23-13

It's been an embarrassingly long time since I have written so I decided to get back on the bandwagon.  During this absence, I successfully defended my Master's thesis, passed all my finals for the spring semester, participated in the commencement ceremonies for my Master's, and managed to hurt myself...again.

My knee is my Achilles' heel...there isn't a lot of activities that I can do that doesn't hurt my knee or make it sore the next day.  My knee started to really nag me after taking the boot camp class I wrote about a couple months ago.  I guess my knee didn't appreciate all the repetitive jumping I did.  A few days of RICE and many ibuprofen later, it felt better and I resumed my usual (albeit, sporadic) running routine.

Then, about a month ago, I played in a pick-up game of volleyball (I used to play in high school), and when I landed from blocking a shot my knee shifted during the landing and I heard/felt the ominous "snap", "crackle", and "pop".  No, I did not land on some Rice Krispies, I managed to "break" something inside my knee.  The knee swelled, I was in lots of pain, and neither of these symptoms went away.  I knew it was time to call the knee doctor again.

Before my first appointment, I decided to test the knee out to see if I was just overreacting...so I went for a 2 mile jog.  I could tell something was wrong during my run: each time I landed on my right foot, shooting pains would exit from my knee and go down my leg.  I wasn't happy.

At the doctor's appointment, I retold my volleyball and boot camp stories to my doctor.  He performed some tests and was pretty certain that I tore my meniscus and that I may have re-torn my ACL. (Noooooo!!!)  I had to get an MRI to confirm, and this week the final diagnosis was revealed: multiple meniscus tears (probably 3), and no injury to my ACL.  Surgery will be in the near future (probably early June) and rehab will take place for most of the summer.

So, the surgery is my "lemons"...now what to do about it...

1- My running plans are on hold for now.  I will have to see how well I feel after rehab and see what the doctor thinks.

2- Since I have had extensive experience with knee surgeries in the past (this next one will make number 7...), I know I need to get my legs strong before the surgery.  I started back with a weight training program yesterday and will include a lot of single-leg exercises to help with stabilization.

3- Here's my "lemonade": a benefit of attending Springfield College is unlimited use of their Wellness Center and indoor pool.  Since I will be attending a summer class, and spending many hours at the college studying for my 5 Doctoral Qualifying Exams this summer, I am creating a swimming program to do.  I used to swim competitively during the summers when I was younger, and I know this will be a great complement to running, if I ever can get back into it.  Swimming will also be a good rehab for my knee, since one of the surgery options is a meniscus repair, which would require me to be non-weight-bearing on my right leg for 6 weeks.

So, here's to lemonade! (try it mixed with some sweet tea vodka....it's delish!)

Boston

The original idea of this post was going to center around my newest knee tweak that occurred this weekend, but the scary events at the Boston Marathon this afternoon has trumped that.  Yet again, the world sends me a gut-check to remind me that there are bigger worries in the world than whether or not I can run this week.

The world is a scary place and it becomes more scary when heartless people do stupid things that affect thousands.  The Boston Marathon is a historic event.  It's an event that runners and spectators look forward to all year.  In Boston, and other places in Massachusetts (unfortunately not Springfield College), Marathon Monday is a holiday (technically Patriots Day), with schools and businesses closed so that the residents can come out and enjoy the race.  What happened today was a tragedy.

My heart goes out to Boston and everyone there.  Keep the people who were affected by today's events in your thoughts and prayers tonight and see if there are any community events going on in the coming weeks to help the people affected by this tragedy.  I am currently looking for places to donate blood; it's one thing I know I can do to help those that are injured.  I am happy to report that the small handful of people that I knew who were in Boston are safe, but I also know that others are not so lucky.

Hold your loved ones a little tighter tonight and appreciate the life you have a little more.

Race #2: Sandy Hook Run for the Families

3-27-13

Saturday marked my second race of the season.  I was a little nervous running in it because I was extremely sore from the Boot Camp class I did on Thursday evening.  I don't think I ever jumped so much in one day then I did for that class.  As a result, I woke up on Friday morning with very tight calves and hamstrings, and two unhappy Achilles' tendons.  I took Friday off to recover and decided to inflict more pain on myself by foam rolling my posterior chain in an effort to relax those knots.  It worked a little and I woke up Saturday less sore, but still feeling like my calves could pop off if they wanted to.

I arrived in Hartford at 9:00am and the city was a zoo.  The city, which is usually barren, was filled with 15,000 runners, and even more spectators to take part in this amazing event to support a community that was stricken with an unspeakable horror three months ago.  Luckily, I registered early enough so that my race bib was sent to my house, so I didn't to stand in line for an hour to pick it up.  I was able to grab my complimentary tshirt without a wait, and find a warm place to hang out before the race started at 10:30am.

Now, I am using the word "run" for a reason.  This event wasn't set up like any other race I have participated in.  It was sold out, overcrowded, and the majority of the participants were not in it to run.  This event was a successful fundraiser for a community and the run portion was just an added benefit.  With that being said, it would be frustrating to think of it as a race, as I quickly found out shortly after the starting gun, but more on that in a little bit.

Me and the BF found a warm place to chill before the run: Vaughn's.  This fantastic Irish bar opened early and sold breakfast sandwiches, warm beverages, and, of course: BEER! to runners and spectators.  Of course, part of the proceeds went to the Sandy Hook fund, so we couldn't pass on some delicious pre-run Guinness....it's 5 o'clock somewhere, right??

As I said before, this event was sold out.  There were 15,000 people taking part in the run, which meant it was going to be a very crowded course.  Participants were asked to line up on perpendicular streets by race time in an effort to get the faster runners out ahead of the slower runners, walkers, kids, and strollers.  Just like most "best laid plans of mice and men", this one also went "awry" (oh! see that high school English literature sneaking up in here?!?).  Needless to say, I spent a good amount of time after the starting gun walking, slowly, toward to start, and then spent the rest of the run dodging people and making more lateral moves than a NFL safety.  It was frustrating at first, but I reminded myself that this was a "run" not a true "race", and I did the best I could to avoid slow runners, walkers, children, and strollers.  I made a game out of it in my head, trying to strategically think of ways to weave myself around people and objects.  I even tried a little Parkour or free-running, and jumped from street to sidewalk back to the street in order to advance myself.  Despite all my fancy moves, I finished about 30 seconds slower than my race the previous weekend, clocking in at an even 29:00 min.  With the amount of people there, I'll take it.

Here's to the next phase of my running adventure: 10K distance!

A much needed kick in the butt!

3-21-13

One of the things I have learned about myself while completing this blog is that I have a serious lack of motivation with working out.  Back in the day (which was a Wednesday, by the way...just a little fun fact for you...) I would, religiously, go to the gym 4-5 days a week, complete a split body building-type workout and always end with 30 mins of some type of cardio.  Of course, this was back in high school and during my undergrad years, when I had no "real" commitments, except for classes and some homework.  As I edged closer to the "real world", "life" got in the way.

My big knee injury (torn ACL and lateral meniscus) was the tipping point, and when the lack of motivation started.  After my first 2 surgeries, I was motivated with the hope that I could come back stronger and better than before.  That quickly faded when each attempt I made to come back resulted in another injury and subsequent surgeries.  After the 6th or 7th one (and yes, all on the same knee), I was at a loss.  It hurt to move, it hurt to not move...I couldn't win (pardon the bird in the picture, I was angry...).

During this time,  I was working as a personal trainer; working 8-plus hours a day helping other people reach their goals.  Not many people know this, but at this time, I was, oddly enough, at my heaviest.  I gained a good 25 pounds by working too much, not working out, and eating horribly.  My saving grace was deciding to go back to grad school.  This gave my life a different, more normal, structure to live by and cut back the amount of time training at the gym.

While I was able to drop the weight I packed on over those years (thank you grad school stress, and no time to each between classes), the motivation of working out didn't returned with the same zealous energy it had when I was an undergrad.  With the glimpse of my 30th birthday this summer taunting me, I am worried if I'll ever regain this motivation again.

The whole point of my running adventure this year is to rekindle this motivation bonfire inside me so that I keep up with a healthy and active lifestyle.  While I don't think following a body building routine again is right for my goals, I can try to find a good blend of weight lifting, cardio, and yoga to keep me active 4-5 times a week.

This leads me to my much needed kick in the butt.  Today, I tried a boot camp style fitness class at a local gym in Glastonbury called missionFITNESS.  It was 60 mins of non-stop exercise, combining some weight training, lots of jumping, and body weighted exercise that had me burning close to 600 kcals. I loved it.  I didn't have to think about what exercises to do: it was chosen for me; I didn't have to count reps or check the time: the trainer did that instead; all I had to do was push myself to complete the workout and have fun.

I left the class feeling great and like I accomplished something.  It was just what I needed to motivate myself for my next race (Saturday) and start adding mileage within the coming weeks.  

Here's to creating a habit of fitness!

Race #1: Max's O'Hartford 5K

(belated) Top O the Morning to you all!!

Sunday marked the first race of my 2013 running adventure with the Max's O'Hartford 5K!  This race was ton of fun to run, despite the cold temperatures and rather obnoxious winds.  The race turned into a family affair, as my older sister ran the race with me and my oldest niece volunteered for the kids race.

I ran into and saw many people I knew, including the family I babysit for during the summer.  The youngest dressed up as a kangaroo for the kids race and I have to say I was rather jealous of her costume...not only because it's freaking adorable but also since it looked incredibly warm!

I did a poor job training for this event, however I finished without stopping and with a time I was happy with: 28:32...hopefully this links you to my race results...

The combination of school work, cold weather, and lack of motivation has severely impacted my run training.  I know I can muscle through 5K's, but I need to step up my game for the longer distances I have planned for the rest of this year.  My first 10K is scheduled for the beginning of June, which means I need to use April to establish I good running base (get into the habit of running 3-4 times a week...building up some speed with smaller distances) and May to add up the miles needed to complete 6.4 miles in (hopefully) less than a hour.

Here's to the next race: Sandy Hook Run for the Families 5K on Saturday.  Happy running!

Being a lab rat

3-9-13

Another small hiatus from running, but I am back...

Last weekend I went on an easy 3 mile run around the rolling hills of South Glastonbury and woke up the next morning to some tenderness and interesting bruising on my right ankle, behind my medial malleous and next to my Achilles' tendon:

I don't remember hitting it on something and that kind of ankle sprain is close to impossible to go unnoticed, so I decided to show it to a professional.  On Monday I had it checked by my AT buddy, Kelsey, at school, and she said it may be some Achilles' inflammation.  Scared to death of snapping my Achilles', I decided to take a few days off to allow it calm down a bit. 

Earlier that Saturday morning, I got a frantic email from another friend, Lindsay, at school who was desperately looking for subjects for her dissertation study.  I told her I could help and arranged to complete 3 VO2peak running tests starting the following weekend.  Then I wake up the above bruise and got a bit nervous...but luckily by Wednesday the tenderness was gone and the bruising was subsiding a bit...well, more like pooling into a fantastic watercolor-esque landscape on my foot.

So back to the cool study I am participating in.  Lindsay, is looking at the differences between wearing Vibrams FiveFinger shoes, regular running shoes, or going barefoot and their relationship with foot strike mechanics, VO2 peak (essentially your aerobic performance/effectiveness), and blood lactate levels.  I have to complete 3 running sessions, one with each type of footwear, and each session involves a VO2peak test on a treadmill.

Today was my first session.  I started out by getting my body fat assessed via the Bod Pod.  It looks a lot like the character "Eve" from Wall-E, and can accurately assess body density and body fat percentage by the amount of air displacement in the "capsule".

I had to wear the ridiculous swim cap as part of the protocol...I don't always look that fabulous...

Anywho...I was excited with the number it determined for me: 16%, but also slightly skeptical because I am not THAT fit...but, it is science, so I'll go with it :o)

For my first session, I had to wear the Vibrams.  The best part of the study: I GOT A FREE PAIR OF VIBRAMS!  It was my first time ever wearing them and I have to say they are interesting, comfortable, and fantastic all at the same time.  The hardest part about wearing them is getting your toes into the individual toe slots.  I think I got my little toe stuck in the wrong toe slot like 10 times before I finally got them in the correct places. 

Once the Vibrams were on, I was fitted with a VO2 mask, which assesses my expired air to determine cool things like my RER and VO2.  It is a bit cumbersome to run with because the face mask is very front-heavy and pulls away from your mouth.  Also, since the air you breathe in is coming from a gas container, it is dry.  I started to experience dry mouth before I started to walk...

The running protocol starts with a brisk walk, then quickly increases running speed every 3 minutes.  At the end of each stage, and before I started walking, Lindsay had to prick my finger to test blood lactate.  This is an easy task to do while standing still and can be a bit tricky (and messy!) when a subject is running.  My finger pads are already bruised, which has made typing a bit painful..

In typical SC ExPhys lab tradition, the metabolic cart decided to stop working toward the end of my run, so I don't know my exact VO2peak for this test and may have to redo it during the week...well, at least I'll get some training in this week!

My first two 5Ks are next weekend and I can't wait.  Plus, "spring forward" is tonight, which means more sunlight to do later runs, and warmer weather is predicted, which means I'll have less "it's too cold out" excuses to use to not run.

Keeping with Disney-Pixar movies, I'll leave you today with a quote from Meet the Robinson's, with a modified running twist...I dedicate this one to my sister, who I'll be running my first 5K of the season with next Sunday:
              It doesn't matter how fast you're going as long as you "Keep Moving Forward"