Snowmageddon & Jillian Michaels

The blizzard that hit over the weekend here at the Jersey shore, among other places, is not technically running related (though I do know of a couple of people through Twitter who actually competed in races on Sunday after the blizzard, before everything was truly cleared!).  However, it definitely is related to working out, since shoveling is a great way to kick your own butt - if it snowed like that every day here and I didn't break down and buy a snow blower, I'd be in fabulous shape!

Normally, I like to keep up with the snowfall so that it doesn't get overwhelming, but it just wasn't possible in this storm, unless I wanted to stay up all night.  So I was greeted with 12 inches of snow when I woke up - certainly less than what those to the south were dealing with, but it was plenty for me.  I was praying that my neighbors would take pity on me and offer to use their snow blower to clear me out, or that my driveway-sharing neighbor would come out and help me shovel, but unfortunately, none of that happened.

I started with a small path on the porch for the pup and realized I was way overdressed in my warmest coat.  I switched to a slightly lighter coat, and was still sweating like mad even though it was only 29 degrees outside and I just had a base layer on underneath.  I managed to get the sidewalk in front of my house cleared (though I nixed even attempting to clear the sidewalk by the street) and then started on the driveway in front of my car.  I'd parked further back than usual, because it made it easier for me in the last snowfall to shovel that way.  Even though I have just a little car, it had blocked some of the snow and created a weird wind tunnel, so instead of a solid 12 inches of snow, I had some almost clear parts and other big drifts.  I finished up with clearing off my car and thought I would collapse, so I took a break.

Like any other workout, I needed to make sure I was well hydrated. I started with a glass of juice, because I figured I could use the sugar as well, and followed that with a big glass of water.  After a break of about thirty to forty five minutes, I was back at it again (it was still snowing, with another 6-12 inches predicted, so I wanted to stay on top of the first snowfall so I could keep up with it).  This time, I cleared the other end of my driveway - at least part of it.  The snow plows had been through twice, and because I live on a cul de sac, they didn't get close enough to the curb.  So I had about seven extra feet of road at the end of my driveway to shovel as well (not to mention it was piled a bit higher at the end thanks to the plow).  It was really defeating to feel like I'd gotten a lot done, only to turn around and realize how much was left!  I also moved my car up a bit so I could shovel the huge drift of snow between my car and my neighbor's cars. 

Then, it was time for another break and some more water and juice.  I didn't sit down for too long this time because I was so exhausted that I could feel my muscles starting to stiffen up and I thought if I rested for too long, I'd never get out there again.  I bundled up again and headed out, this time to finish up.  I tried to get into the rhythm of shoveling the top layer of soft fluffy snow, moving that to the top of an every growing pile (my arms were SO tired), and then shoveling the bottom layer, which was heavier and slushy.  When I'd get really tired, I'd move to another part that I hadn't finished shoveling yet, chip away a little bit of the snow, and just push it along the part I'd already cleared to another pile of snow.  Sometimes though, I just rested my head on the handle of my shovel - it was not fun. 

Finally, four hours after I'd started, it was clear!  Of course, the wind was so fierce that it would blow, and snow would immediately be back on the area you'd just cleared (I saw a neighbor clear his whole driveway, only to end up caught in a huge blast of wind and snow that left more snow for him to clear again).  It was a bit frustrating to say the least.  I headed back inside, figuring I'd go out again at four and then seven, when they said the storm would stop, which would be it for the day.  In the meantime, I made myself take a nice hot shower and sit with my chair massager for a little while to loosen up my muscles.

When I went out again at four, I'd just cleared my sidewalk when my neighbor came outside to say that they were waiting until the storm had stopped to plow, and they'd be happy to help me out.  Very nice of them, but I wanted to say, where were you this morning?!?!  But it did mean no more shoveling for me, so I just cleared off my car and headed back inside for the night.  My driveway-sharing neighbor also must have shoveled my driveway after the snow stopped because it was clear when I got up Sunday morning.  It's great to have good neighbors! 

With all that shoveling, I decided to put off Day 6 of Level 1 of the Shred until today.  I'm still waiting to notice any real results, though I'm feeling less exhausted in the middle of the workouts and able to push myself a little more.  I could tell I'd lost some momentum today because of the two days off - even though I was working out on Saturday with the shoveling, it was a mostly different set of muscles. So I won't skip two days in a row again.  My sister took a day off in between each of the 10 day sets, so I'll aim for that. 

Four more days at Level 1 and then I'm on to Level 2!  I'm a little bit scared, but I remember being so scared that I couldn't run 20 minutes straight, and I did that, so I'll try to remember that!

Wanna Get Down and Dirty for a Good Cause?

Yesterday, one of my favorite charities, Operation Gratitude, announced that they've partnered on the National Mud Run Series to support the troops.  You know how I love to combine running with supporting our troops, so I'm very excited about this series!  The Down and Dirty Mud Run Series features 5k and 10k off-road courses filled with military-style obstacles, commanding cargo climbs, wild water crossings, mud, mud and more mud, and a post-race barbecue, along with an awesome tech tee.  You can race alongside local military personnel, public safety officers and police academy trainees, all while supporting our troops through Operation Gratitude - what could be better?

They've got four dates and locations, including:

Los Angeles, California: April 25, 2010 at Castaic Lake State Recreation Area
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: July 18, 2010 at Fairmount Park, Belmont Plateau
New York, New York: October 3, 2010 at Pelham Bay Park
Sacramento, California: October 31, 2010 at Folsom Lake State Recreation Area

The entry fee for the 10K is $70 and the 5k is $40 (with late registrations costing more).  There's a military discount for active military personnel or public safety officers, which you can learn more about on their site.  $2 of every registration goes right to Operation Gratitude (whose mission is to send care packages to deployed military personnel around the world) to pay for 100,000 care packages. 

Also, Paul Mitchell is a race sponsor, and they'll be onsite in their own booth to cut and style your hair, with all proceeds donated to the Challenged Athlete Foundation.  So you can get all dirty, then get your hair cut for a good cause!

There's no time limit to finish the course, so if you don't want to run it, you can walk and take your time - just come out to support our troops!  You do have to leave your dogs at home though (and I would guess that goes for strollers as well.  And iPods, unless you want to be cleaning mud out of it later). 

The New York race might fall during my European conference, so I'm going to plan to do the Philadelphia one in July (yes, yes, despite the heat).  I'd love to have some company!  (And advice from any of you who've done a mud run before, particularly because this one seems a bit of a challenge - just what I need I think!)

To learn more, check out the links I've posted above, or you can also become a fan on Facebook.  You can also follow Operation Gratitude on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, or check out their YouTube videos (though you might need some tissues for that one).

I'm Still Here!!

After my last post back in early November (gasp!), I fully expected to rest through the holidays and then be back to running by early January at the latest.  It was good to get some rest - I felt the antibiotics kick in almost immediately, and really thought that it was a simple case of bronchitis and not the bronchial asthma that my doctor also suspected.  But although I was feeling much less tired than I was for all of October (it was about all I could manage to make myself take a shower each day besides sitting at my desk for work), I was still wheezing and using my inhaler pretty much through to Christmas (when it ran out and not so much because I was sure I didn't need it anymore).  I should mention that I'm not afraid to go to the doctor, but I still have the same GP as when I was living in North Jersey, so it's a little hard to make an appointment with a doctor who's two hours away and doesn't have any Saturday hours.  Particularly when I'm now taking a three-hour Saturday ceramics class, and couldn't even take off a Friday to head up there for a couple of days.

But in my head, I was planning to head up to my parents' for two weeks over Christmas and New Years, and then return to running when I got back home.  Then, three days before Christmas, I tripped walking into the kitchen (I'm SO graceful) and either broke or sprained my left big toe, or possibly tore something in there (as six weeks later, I still have pain and can't bend it at all!).  I'm at the point now where I could run on it if I wanted to because it's no longer affecting how I walk, but it did delay my return to running for another couple of weeks.  My original plan was to come home after New Year's, which I did do, but then I headed straight back up to my parents' that Thursday for my 30th birthday.  I had a great birthday dinner with my whole family, and then my sisters surprised me with a big party the following night, which was great.  I stayed through the weekend for a friend's 30th birthday party and then headed over to Europe on a business trip.  And that's when my wheezing troubles started up again - when I got home about a week later, I was feeling totally exhausted AGAIN and wheezing again (I love packed airplanes).  I had seasonal allergic asthma as a kid, and between that and my bouts with bronchitis and pneumonia over the years, I do sometimes have trouble with very cold air.  So I've put off my return to running until I can both get back to the doctor and it warms up a little, since I don't have access to a treadmill.

However, I'm working on not being a couch potato!  My sister started Jillian Michaels' 30-day Shred a few weeks' ago and enjoyed it so much that I jumped on the bandwagon (it should be said that my sister actually loves working out, which I do not, so I should have maybe taken that into account).  I started the Shred on Monday at Level 1 and have done it three days in a row now.  Actually, this is the second time I started it - during the three days I was home in early January, I did the first workout and couldn't move by the end of the day.  I almost fell down the stairs.  Twice.  It took me four days to get over feeling sore.  I think some of it was because I was using weights that were too heavy for me (they're old weights, and I was stronger back in college when I bought them) and I did it at the end of the day, when I was tired.  So I learned from that, bought some lighter weights and started doing the 20-minute workout during lunch (after a yogurt snack around 10:30/11:00, and followed by a yogurt, skim milk, fruit smoothie).  The first day was okay and I managed to get through the entire workout without needing to lie down (something else I'd experienced the first time).  Yesterday was tougher - my body was sore and I wasn't giving it recovery time, so I was spent by the end of the workout.  But another of my sister's friends who's doing the Shred assured me that I'd feel much better by day three - and lo and behold, I did.  I was able to up my game a bit and push myself during the workout, when the last two days, it was all I could manage to keep up with the "beginner" girl in the video. 

So I'm feeling pretty good after day 3, and my plan is to do what my sister did - ten days at each level (there's three).  My sister says she's noticed more definition in her arms and legs, so I'm hoping to see the same and push my endurance back up, so I can get back to running again soon.  I'm also getting in a 20-minute walk with the pup almost every day.  And I've already been checking out 2010 races - I'd like to do the same two races in May that I did in 2009 and my sister and I are planning to do the Tunnel to Towers 9/11 Memorial Race in September, as long as I'm not away on business.  And while I haven't been running, I've been thinking a lot about running, and how I really fell off with meeting my goals after I did my first two 5k's.  Some of that was because I pushed myself too hard to get right back to training after the runs, with very little recovery time, and some of it was because the summer was so hot - and I hate heat and humidity.  So this year, I also want to work on guarding against losing my motivation.  I'm thinking about joining a gym for the summer months and doing some treadmill running (though I understand it's much easier than outdoor running) and maybe doing some more runs with friends/family (though they mostly live far away - I could make weekend plans though, which would keep me running during the week!).  My overriding goal for 2010 in terms of running is to reinvigorate my love of running and get back to running three miles, three days a week.

What are your 2010 running goals?

It's Official - I have the Bronchitis

It turns out that it was a good thing I listened to my body ten days ago when it told me to stop running until I'd seen the doctor, because once again, I have the brochitis.  Or asthmatic bronchitis (which is the same, but without the infection).  The doctor wasn't sure.  But he sent me off with antibiotics and an inhaler and instructions not to rest too much because that can bring on the pneumonia. 

Actually, I thought I had the pneumonia because I feel that sick and tired.  I felt a bit jipped by the diagnosis, but for my body and my recovery time, I'm glad not to have it.

Unfortunately though, bronchitis scars your lungs every time you get it.  I've actually lost track of the number of times I've had it, though I know I've had pneumonia four times. That, you don't forget.  I blame the scarring of my lungs for my inability to run fast.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

So while everyone else has the flu or the swine flu, I have the bronchitis.  I actually prefer that over the flu, because at least I can function in my daily life, though I am still so tired that I had to take a nap during my lunch break today.  And unfortunately, the asthma inhaler makes my heart race, so I couldn't really sleep that well because my body felt like it was entering a panic attack.  Fun times.

Needless to say, I'm out of the running game for a while, which is a bummer because I was watching the NYC marathon on Sunday and wishing I could run that fast and for that long.  But I have to be careful about getting back into running once I'm recovered, because not taking bronchitis seriously and working out too soon can push me right into pneumonia.  I know, because I did that once in college.  So it will basically be like coming back from an injury and I'm worried I'll have to start over from scratch. But maybe that's not such a bad thing.  And I think once the wheezing and coughing has died down a bit, I'll really go back to yoga, because re-conditioning my breathing would be a big help.  Right now, it's so much extra work just to breathe, that walking the dog for fifteen minutes makes me lightheaded.  Basically, I plan to take this a day at a time and see how things go!

Struggling...

Okay, so my plan for more yoga has been going well.  Three days in a row now, I've gotten up early and done 20 minutes of yoga, thus reminding myself how to breathe and centering myself before the day gets started.  It helps that I've been very excited about the baby coffee maker that I got on Sunday and that I know post-yoga, I'll be able to sit for a few minutes watching tv with the pup and drinking my coffee before I have to get to work.  I'm definitely feeling the yoga in my muscles still, though not so much soreness now as the feeling of strengthening.  All good things.

But the running.  Ugh.  I planned to run today, and again wanted to get the run in before work so that I would make sure to do it.  I didn't have anything major planned - I figured since I've been so tired lately, I would stick with my fifteen minutes like Monday.  The weather is beautiful this morning too - sunny, cool but not too cold, and not windy.  I was feeling a little bit tired (I haven't gotten as much sleep as I would have liked to this week), but figured the 15 minutes would be no big deal.

Well.

Within about 60 seconds of starting the run, I knew I was in trouble.  I was EXHAUSTED.  Suddenly, like I could barely pick up my feet to run.  I reminded myself that the first mile is always a struggle and kept at it, but even with running very slowly, I knew I wouldn't make it the whole 15 minutes, which hasn't happened since I started running.  And a month ago, I was up to 26 minutes.  So. Very. Frustrating.

I managed .84 miles in 9:46, an 11:37 pace and just felt so tired.  And almost embarrassed to admit that I didn't even make a mile.  It's hard to describe the tiredness - it's not something I feel like I can power through, but just like my body is not capable of responding to what I want at normal speeds.  It comes and goes, and I was feeling better yesterday and Monday, but today it's back in force.  I had made a deal with myself that if I wasn't feeling a 100% better by today (since I've been crazy tired for almost a month now), I would make a doctor's appointment and so I now have one for next Friday.  I plan to keep up the yoga and do what I can with the running until then, and we'll see how it goes.  My mom suspects I picked something up during my trip (ah planes are great for germs) since my dad has been uber-tired also and part of me is wondering if it's walking pneumonia.  I've been feeling much more short of breath lately, sometimes with a little bit of a cough, and it wouldn't be my first dance with pneumonia (I've had it 4 times).  So we'll see what the doctor says!  Hopefully he can figure it out asap so I can feel better and get my running back up to par!

Here I Go Again...

And I'm back to running again!  All my good intentions for running in Athens flew right out the window and I spent most of my limited free time napping, because I was so jet-lagged.  I'm still not sure I ever really acclimatized to the time difference, especially after I stayed up until about 5:30am Greek time on the last night I was there and never felt tired, even without coffee.  And I had to be up at 7am to leave the hotel to catch my plane.  So all of that, plus the return jet lag and a general exhaustion that seems to have set in over the past few weeks has thrown me right off track.  I'm not sure what it is, but I've just been. so. tired. lately. 

So I gave myself this weekend to get as much sleep as possible, since I was out of town last weekend, which of course, meant I had trouble falling asleep last night (awesome) even though I was still tired all day long.  I decided I need to be doing more yoga (like every day) and get back to my running, so I picked today as the day to start, no excuses.  I know it's not necessary to start on a Monday, but there's something about starting something new on a Monday that just feels right.  I also decided that I need to be drinking coffee every day, so I got a baby coffee maker on sale at Target yesterday.  So although I was tired today, I didn't feel like my eyes were closing at my desk like I have the last few weeks!

Unfortunately, I had a serious case of the Mondays when I woke up.  Not only had I not fallen asleep until after 2am, but the puppy woke me up at 6:30. I think he knows the time I set my alarm for, and aims for about an hour beforehand, just to keep me from sleeping a decent amount of time.  I refused to let him out, since I know how long he can wait for, but he continued to whine until I finally got up about an hour later. So that started me off grouchy.  But I did get in my yoga practice, and have been feeling it all day particularly in my hip, which makes me realize how long I've been away from it.  Yoga is a funny thing for me - kind of like running - whenever I finish a yoga practice, I feel so good, so centered and much more relaxed and I think "I should do this ALL the time!"  But of course, when the next time to do one rolls around, I think, no, I'm too tired or I have something better today.  Very strange. So I'm hoping I keep it up, because it does have a calming effect on me.

I was feeling motivated after yoga and I had planned to run at lunch, but I realized I had some extra time before work, knew I wouldn't be running far, and also knew that if I waited until lunch, I'd probably talk myself out of it.  So I threw on my running clothes and a fleece (it was in the thirties this am) and quick headed out the door. 

The run was a struggle, but it felt good to do it.  My wishful thinking set my clock at 26 minutes to keep on track with where I was before I left for Athens, but about four minutes into the run, I realized I'd be happy to make 15 minutes.  I pushed myself and did do 15 minutes, about 1.32 miles and an 11:21 pace, playing the Numb (encore) on repeat pretty much the whole way - it's my go-to motivation song.  I definitely felt like I was running faster than the 11:21 pace, but I'll get there...again.  It's frustrating to go back and forth, to lose motivation, and then see how much of my endurance I lose with it and any time I take off, but I felt good when I got home and reminded myself that that important thing was that I got moving today.  If I can keep that up, I'll be in good shape.  And I only have one short conference before the end of the year, so I'm hoping that I won't be able to give myself any excuses!  Plus, I do love my post-run hot shower when the weather is so chilly!

Run Lindsay, Run Receives it's First Blogging Award - From my Sis

Despite a lack of running posts (and running!) lately, Run Lindsay, Run received its first blogging award today from my sister, over at her blog, Mommy Musings.  Thanks Mandy!

So now that I've won this award, I'm supposed to do a few things: 

1-Thank the person who nominated you for this award. (Check)

2-Copy the logo and place it on your blog. (Done)

3-Link to the person who nominated you for this award. (Yup)

4-Name 7 things about yourself that people may not know. (Hmm...)

5-Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.

6-Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

7-Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they’ve been nominated.

Here are the seven things you may not know about me:

1. I am a recovering perfectionist who likes having everything just so. I have trouble doing things if I think they won't turn out right or I won't be good at them.  But I'm getting better at it, because I've really seen how perfectionism gets in the way of enjoying life!

2. I'm one of the world's pickiest eaters, though I'll pretty much try anything once.  I really don't like seafood or vegetables, but I did just find out over the weekend that I like scrambled eggs when they have more than just eggs and salt in them!

3. I have two tattoos.

4. I have dual citizenship with the US and England, because my dad is British.  But I still don't have my UK passport.

5. I am way too plugged in to social networking and my email.  I thought I would have a forced break this weekend because I usually don't get service on my phone in Lake Placid, but AT&T has gotten better.  I checked my email and Facebook way too much.

6. I don't like talking on the phone and almost never call people.  I was a telemarketer right after college and had to make 100-150 phone calls a day, and it basically killed any desire to pick up the phone ever again. I'm always afraid I'll be bothering the person I'm calling.

7. I have a terrible sweet tooth.  I'm working on not eating as much candy lately, which was going well until I had to grab some candy as my lunch at a rest stop while driving home yesterday (the line for real food was almost out the door because 72 tourist buses had just arrived. At 3pm. C'mon people).  I drink a Pepsi every day, and really love brownies and a good chocolate chip cookie.  There's not many sweet things I don't like, though chocolate by itself will often give me a headache.

My seven blogs are:
http://lookingglasslane.com/wordpress/
http://www.hisboyscanswim.com/
http://booshay.blogspot.com/
http://thepioneerwoman.com/
http://elizabethfedofsky.blogspot.com/
http://quirkyredliner.blogspot.com/
http://www.themaverickmom.com/

I never miss a post from these ladies!