A 5 miler

Geek Girl Runner did another podcast episode!  It's been a few months since her last one and I've missed her.  Having the new podcast to listen to got me motivated to get out to run today.  I also listened to a couple of Steverunner's intervals episodes. 

I put in 5.13 miles in 60 minutes.  My miles were 11:48, 11:08, 11:09, 11:03, and 12:29.  The first 4 miles were done with the run-walk-run method at a 3 minutes running to 1 minute walking ratio.  I'm surprised I got low 11's doing that, but I did.  My 5K was 35:00.  The fifth mile included more walking, especially at the end for my cool down.

While I was out putting in my 5 miles, I realized that Jim (runswim2) was doing a half-iron tri today.  He was going to try the run-walk-run method for the run part, so I told him to call me and let me know how that worked.  He called, but he wasn't able to report on the method.  His feet hurt too much after the bike and he ended up walking more of the run than he had planned. Despite this, he placed 3rd in his age group.  I can't even imagine finishing such a crazy race.

For my run, I wrapped my fingers, hand, and forearm in the contraption the PT gave me when I was first diagnosed with Lymphedema.  I didn't wear the custom glove because I think it is too tight and stops drainage at my wrist.  After the run, my fingers were pretty swollen, but my hand wasn't too bad.  So I took a shower and then put on my custom glove because it is great for shrinking my fingers.  I wore it at church and to lunch and the sports store afterward.  When I got home, I took it off and was pleased to see my fingers had shrunk considerably, almost back to normal.  My hand was swollen though, so I kept the glove off and in a couple of hours, my hand has decreased almost to normal size too.  After the run, I rated my lymphedema at 5 out of 10.  Now I suppose I'm at a 2 out of 10.

I got new shoes and have worn them on my last 2 runs.  They are Adidas adizero tempo shoes.  I'm very impressed with them!  They have pronation assistance but are not stiff, heavy shoes like most support shoes.  Instead, they are very light, have lots of venting, and the heal and ball part of the shoe seem to operate more independently than in most shoes.  I really like them.

Capable Val

This morning I completed at least a thousand forms for Jason's first day of school . . . by the way, when are they going to learn that you record an address in one place and then access it everywhere?!?! . . . .  Sorry for the tirade . . . anyway, during this process I said to Val, "Val - I need the number for the Children's hospital emergency place here on Diley."  She jumped on the computer and in a matter of seconds asked, ". . . the one in Canal Winchester?"  "Yes, that's it."  And wham - I had the number.  Amazing.  It's incredible how she has grown into such a capable young woman.

As for me, I've been remiss in writing again.  Some updates:

• I had a follow up appointment with my plastic surgeon.  It was uneventful.  I told him I didn't want to begin talking about nipple construction and areola tattoos.  His nurse showed me some pictures of nipples and areolas they have done, but she said she didn't have any really good pics because the doc never gets them to her.  She was right, none of the pics made me want to rush right out and join their ranks.  The doc talked a little about replacing the implants with bigger ones but conceded that doing so would not change the overall shape, just the volume.  I'm fine with the volume.  So I'm done hanging out with the plastics group.  I may go back if/when the scars fade and I decide to do the tattoo procedure.
• My hand was pretty swollen this week.  I think my custom glove is too tight on my wrist and thus keeps the fluid from draining out of my hand.  It does a great job keeping my fingers small though. At least one day this week, I'd rank the lymphedma at a 6 out of 10 which is the worst I've seen it so far.  I've got an appointment with the physical therapist/lymphedema specialist on Monday.
• I played softball and volleyball at a work picnic (staff appreciation event) yesterday.  I suppose we played about an hour of softball and more than 2 hours of volleyball.  My sides are sore and I think it's from the serving.  I probably served 40 times.  Although we played in sand, my ankle was fine.
• My ankle hasn't changed much in general.  It's still a problem when I get up from sitting.  Taking ibuprofen helps, so I think Jim was right and the issue is inflammation.  I need to be more consistent with the ibuprofen and I might be able to get it to go away. 
• School starts Monday and that's also the day of Valerie's first Volleyball game.   

Ankle question

So who can explain to me why my ankle hurts when I get up and try to walk after sitting awhile?  It doesn't really bother me much when I run.  And it's not a joint thing, it's muscle or tendons or something like that.  Left ankle.  Outside, above and in front of the bump.  With soreness ranging down to the top of my foot.  It's just weird.  I limp quite a bit when I get up from a chair or the bed.  After I get going, it's not too bad, though.  I suppose you'll tell me it's old age.  I'm pretty sure it's related to running, though. 

I got a 5K in today using a less stringent run-walk-run method at about 3 minutes to 1 minute.  I think I lost track of minutes a few times and I'm pretty sure I ran four minutes a couple of times and I may have only done 2 once.  My miles were 11:32, 11:09, and 10:22.  The 5K was 33:50 or so.

I wore my custom glove when I ran and I prefer it to any other lymphedema option.  It breathes a little, which is much better than the complete coverage of the wrap.  Also, it covers only what is needed, but all that is needed, like a hand bikini.  I didn't wear the glove after the run and since it's a water retention time in my cycle, I'm probably a 4 out of 10 on the swelling scale today. 

Tonight I practiced volleyball with Val a bit on the front lawn.  She looks quite a bit better than last year at this time when I was her rec coach.  She has been complaining today about her inability to pass though.  And she isn't a great spiker either.  I helped her with passing and setting and Ken helped her with spiking.  She has a few things to focus on tomorrow.  With passing it's two things:  move your feet and stay square to the net and keep your thumbs parallel.  With setting, catch the ball closer to your forehead.  And with spiking, make the ball go up before coming down (she's too short to hit the ball down and still get it over the net).

I'm reading a book I really like - just a light read.  It's called Lavender Morning by Jude Deveraux.  I've wanted to read it all day and have stolen about 3 hours for it, I'd guess. Thus, the lawn went unmowed.  However, the martinis did get polished off from last night.

Birthday girl

Today is my 44th birthday.  And what a fantastic day it has been!

A couple of my staff members are really great at remembering and recognizing birthdays.  I had a card on my chair this morning and several of them brought in snacks today.  I ate an oatmeal raisin cookie and some almonds between my morning meetings.  Then at 1pm, they scheduled a "make your own" strawberry shortcake event at 1pm.  It was so nice!  They had lots of berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries), some special cherry jam, short cakes, and whipped cream.  It was really great that they did anything at all, and even more wonderful that they made an effort to choose healthy options.  What an amazing group!  Thank you all!

I was also blown away by some staff who aren't even in my unit.  They saw me on another floor today and wished me a happy birthday.  How did they know?  Crazy.  I also got email wishes from several colleagues, including some ecards.  LeeAnn and Michelle both sent wishes from Nebraska too. 

Cards arrived from several family members who are much better at remembering such things than I am, including my Wendy and Alan, Dave and Carm, and Dick and Carol.  Jan and Jim gave me some great wine-related things last week (they are out of town this week) and my parents sent a beautiful card and money to buy something special. 

Today the crowning event was after dinner - when my wonderful husband and children made me cry with pride.  My children both gave me cards they made themselves on the computer. 

Jason's card had a pun on the front - it said "YOU ROCK!!!!" and had a background of river rocks.  The inside said "Today is a day to celebrate.  you know why . . . CAUSE IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!  Happy birthday Mom!!!  Hope it's a good one!  Love, Jason.  Fireworks were on the inside background and the back has a beautiful city at sunset. 

Val's card was also designed and written by her.  The front said "Happy Birthday Mom!" and had a rocky coast line.  The inside had a cool blue design of a huge ball, sky and water background.  On the back was a waterfall.  On the inside, she composed a poem:

Dear Mom,
Even though I'm growing up,
The road ahead is still oh so tough.
But you will help me find my way,
Through the night and all day.
And being an early teen,
I have many many dreams.
You know some aren't made for me,
So you say "Be your self and that's all you need".
And so Mom as you can see,
I love you as much as you love me.

I love you Mom.
Have a very special 44th Birthday.
Love,
Val

Needless to say, I was touched.  And very proud.

The kids got me some Galloway running books - I guess I'd better start running again!  Val also made me a happy face placemat that she has been saving since school last year.  Ken got me some martini glasses, a shaker, and the fixins for a green apple martini.  Yum!  We had my birthday celebration in our wonderfully almost-finished and beautifully done basement.  I'm now sitting on my reclining couch (that doesn't look like a reclining couch) and drinking a martini made for me by my husband.  Soon, Ken and I will watch a movie on the Netflix Instant Queue that he set up this weekend. 

What a wonderful day!  I am so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life.  Thank you all for being such positive forces.

Updates

I've been remiss in writing updates the past several days.  However, I only have the usual excuses: I'm just busy and not making writing (or running) a priority.  Some highlights from the past several days:

• I went shopping and got Valerie lots of great clothes for school.  She is in Junior High now and has taken more of an interest in wearing something beyond boys' tshirts and basketball shorts.  I tried to balance the new grown-up Val with the sporty Val and bought her many sporty tops that are not tshirts.  I'm pretty psyched with the results.  So is Val.  Now the test will be whether she'll wear them beyond the first week of school.
• We just barely met Valerie's quota for cookie dough sales.  Thanks to everyone to bought some!  This was a fund raiser for volleyball and the last day to turn in orders was today.
• Ken and I helped Val and Jason start to clear out their rooms in preparation for school.  Now Jason can use his desk again and find books on his bookshelf.  Val can hang her new clothes in her closet.  We still some work to do, but what HAD to be done is done.
• I'm involved in about 1,000 things at work, or so it seems.  I've got an increase in accountability and work for our department and a decrease in resources.  To top it off, my primary manager is retiring this year and a realignment of resources will most likely reassign my other manager.  So I will most likely be alone in the leadership role for 3 or 4 functions.  I'm meeting with the AVP and another Director tomorrow to try to apply magic dust to these and other related problems.  This week I have had much to do to prepare.
• We're trying to hire two OSU students for two roles we have open. 
• We found a renter for Mom and Dad's house.  Yea!  The paperwork is done and the keys were handed over this evening.  We spent several hours this weekend getting things cleared out and the place cleaned.  Ken and Jason finished up the work today.
• I'm participating in our staff appreciation day softball game on Friday.
• I'm also on a Hit the Road with the Buckeyes team with some members of my staff.  Teams of OSU staff members put in as many miles as they can during the football season and are eligible for prizes based on their level of physical activity.  The goal is to encourage activity and wellness.  It's also a good team-builder.

My lymphedema is acting up a bit.  I think this is the cyclical thing going on again.  After shopping this weekend, (I didn't wear the glove), I noticed both my index and middle fingers were swollen, as were my lowest knuckles.  I remember thinking I was a 4 out of 10 that day.  Today I'm less swollen (about 2 our of 10) and wore my custom glove most of the day.

New glove

Things have been crazy lately with getting ready for school and some important things due at work. 

Tuesday: lymphedema rating 3 of 10 - my index finger was swollen, especially the top half.  I wore a finger sleeve.  I didn't exercise on Tuesday

Wednesday was a really busy day.  I was home with the kids, but I had to work some of the day and did a lot of errands for school and home.  Despite being really busy, I was determined to get in a run.  My ankle was iffy, so I decided to do the run/walk/run method.  I ran 3 minutes and then walked 1 - and repeated the pattern to complete a 5K in 34:48.  My miles were 11:52, 10:57, and 11:04.  After running, I did some errands and then mowed the lawn for an hour.

While I ran and mowed the lawn, I wore my new custom lymphedma glove.  It is certainly much nicer than wrapping my hand/arm.  It also breathes much better than a wrap or the cotton glove I was wearing.  I can't believe how expensive this thing is.  It cost $250 - and after just a few hours of use, it's already getting frayed-looking.  It's solid in it's function though.  It seems much tighter than the wrap and I woke up some time in the night and took it off because it was bugging me.  Now that I have the glove, I need to schedule an appt with my lymphedma specialisty (physcial therapist) to ensure it is a good fit.

My lymphedmia rating for Wednesday is 3 out of 10.  Most of the swelling was still in my index finger, with some in my middle finger and lower knuckles.

On the weight front, I'm down about 2 pounds from when I went to my class reunion over the 4th of July weekend.  As of Wednesday, I realzed that I'm only 3 pounds shy of meeting my weight goal. Considering vacations and eating out and all the other things that have gone on this summer, that's pretty good.  I'm pretty much following the South Beach diet, phase 1, though I'm a bit less strict than I was initially and occasionally I'll eat some bread.  I've kept clear of sweets, though. 

Once I meet the weight goal, I think I'll keep going and make a new goal.  With the loss in muscle mass I've had over this year, the numbers on the scale don't tell the whole story.  I still would like to be a little smaller than I am now.

Ankle issue

I ran again this morning.  I think I'm losing ground on this running thing.  I'm slower, need to walk more often, and my ankle acts up a little more each time.  Today I did 3.28 miles in 39:04.  My miles were 11:32 (ran), 10:30 (ran), 12:39 (walked and ran).  The 5K was 35:30.  I did some stretching afterward and during the warm-down walk because my ankle was a bit weak.

After my shower, I couldn't walk without limping.  It eventually worked itself out so I didn't limp the whole day, though.  I can't decide if the issue is really ankle-related or if it's just where a shin splint is presenting.

I wrapped my fingers and arm for the run.  Upon unwrapping it, I had the following:

1. Same as yesterday:  Very minor swelling on the back of my hand and between my knuckles
2. New: Minor swelling in my index finger (both top half and bottom half)

As the day went on, my index finger lost some of the swelling, but not completely.  I didn't wear a compression glove or finger sleeve today because I wanted to see if it would go down by itself.  I want it to learn to self-correct.  Since it didn't reduce to regular size, I am wearing a finger sleeve to bed tonight.  I predict my finger swelling will go down a little but my lower knuckles and back of my hand will swell more.  I guess I'll find out tomorrow morning.

Lymphedema rating after morning run:  3 out of 10
Lymphedema hours later at end of the evening:  2 out of 10

Another great day

Another great day for my Lymphedema.  My rating and symptoms are the same as yeterday:

Rating: 1 out of 10.
I didn't wear any gloves or finger sleeves or wraps today.
I didn't even wear the glove while sleeping last night.
I still have just a slight swelling in the back of my hand - between the knuckles and throughout the outside pad.

And again I didn't exercise or go out in the heat and humidity.  However, I did get out to take Val to the sports store.  We bought fabulous volleyball shoes, spandex volleyball shorts, two pad locks for lockers, and a shoulder bag to use for a school backpack.  She was pretty psyched about the purchases.  We also went to the grocery store and bought most of her school supplies while we were getting grocery essentials for the week.


What did I do with the rest of my day?  Well, I'm almost done with the mystery I started yesterday.

No swelling today

I had a great lymphedema day today.  My rating is 1 out of 10.  Maybe even .5 if I was cutting the scale even further.  I didn't wear any gloves or finger sleeves or wraps of any kind today.  I wore the glove last night but took it off upon getting out of bed and left it off all day.  I only have the slightest of swelling, barely noticeable, in the back of my hand - between the knuckles and throughout the outside pad of my hand. 

I wonder if the lack of swelling has to do with lack of work, heat, and exercise today.  Jason and I came home from camping because he wasn't feeling well last night.  So I was home all day and didn't go out in the heat and humidity.  I didn't do much around here, either other than dealing with the dishes and making meals.  I did some work on the computer, got my emails down to a manageable list, and read a part of a mystery book. 

In the late afternoon it rained, so I took Ken's new lawn chair lounger (we got it for him for Father's Day) into the garage and kicked back with a book while experiencing the rain and lightening.  And it was good.

Running and softball

I'm happy to say that I got out to run this morning.  I didn't get out early enough, but at least I got in 3.39 miles.  Once again, I ran the first 2 miles, walked .2 and then ran the rest.  My miles were 11:41, 10:40, 11:55 with a 5K of 50:02.

This evening, Ken and I had the semi-final and championship softball games.  With the surgery in Spring, I was out most of the season but played a few games at the end of the season.  Tonight we had two tough games.  We came from behind to win the first game and I had a great play at 2nd base.  A man hit a hard ground ball to me and I fielded it cleanly and threw him out at first.  It was the best play I've had in years.  I had a chance for a repeat the second game, but I shied away from the ball and didn't get in front of it.  I did make a couple of outs in the championship game though.  I caught 2 or 3 balls Ken threw to me for force outs and I caught a pop fly that everyone thought was going to fall behind me.

My hitting was terrible all night.  The best hit I had was the last hit of the last game (to lose it).  If the short stop wouldn't have been 7 foot tall, I would have been on base.  He even had to jump for it.  It was the best hit I could have asked for, but not good enough.  We lost by one run.

Ken (short stop) had at least one double play and several hot-shot catches tonight.  One was a diving catch that he followed with what I call a volleyball roll and landed on his feet ready to throw the tagger at home.  The guy didn't run.  He knew better.  It was a fabulous play.  Ken also hit a triple in the championship game.  

It was insanely hot tonight, 90s and sunny.  My field position was in the sun the entire first game.  I lucked out and caught a very hard throw from the outfield when three quarters of the way to me, I lost it in the sun.  I heard/felt it smack in my glove so I knew when to squeeze it. Scary. 

We're off to go camping for the weekend now. I hope it doesn't continue to be this hot.  My hand will certainly be a huge swollen mess if I'm out in the heat the whole weekend.  During the game, I wore my batter's glove on my left hand the whole time and it seemed to help.  I had a little swelling in the back pad of my hand.  My fingers were fine though.

Lymphedema rating for today:  3 out of 10.  Although I ran with a full wrap on this morning, I had some swelling in my fingers and the back of my hand, so I wrapped my knuckles with stretchy tape stuff for a few hours at work and then wore the glove most of the rest of the day.  It seemed to take care of it.  Before the game tonight, my hand was looking fine. 

I'm also doing well with food choices.  I had 2 bites of my multi-grain bread at Panera today (it came with my chicken caesar salad - I didn't eat the croutons), but other than that, I did just fine.  I'll probably have a beer tonight though.  Still, I'm at least maintaining my weight if not starting the trend downward again.  I'm in the smaller sized clothes in my closet.  That's certainly a good thing.

Val made the vball team!

Val made the Jr. High volleyball team.  She had a 3 day try out camp during which the 43 hopefuls were cut back to just 12 who made the team.  We are so proud of her.  Selection criteria included volleyball skill, coachability, team spirit, and attitude.  She's got all of the above.

Now for the challenge.  Practice is 5 days a week through the season.  The season starts tomorrow.  Before school starts, practices are during the work day.  We have Monday, Wednesday, and Friday covered with our summer flex schedules.  I'm not sure what we'll do for Tuesday and Thursday. We'll have to work something out with a neighbor who made the team or with the kids' summer care provider.  After school starts, Val has practices weekdays directly after school.  Other commitments include weekday games and parent volunteering for 8th grade games (8th grade parents volunteer for the 7th grade games).    

I've had an insanely crazy work week and home week. I really need to reinstate morning workouts because running in the evening just isn't working anymore.  Tonight was a mandatory parent/kid meeting for girls who made the vball team.  Last night I was headed out to run when my boss needed something done in the evening.  Thank goodness I got out on Tuesday.  I'll try to get up early tomorrow and get out on the road.  We also have softball tomorrow evening so I'll get some exercise there, but not enough.  This weekend we are camping with Ken's parents and sister and her family.  I doubt I'll get any exercise Saturday or Sunday while we're there.

On the weight loss front, things have been going pretty well.  I ate well yesterday and today.  I had too much food tonight, but ate nothing blatantly off the South Beach guidelines.  I drank a lot of iced tea with caffeine though (I love iced tea!).  I'm trying drink more water and less diet sodas and caffeinated tea, but today was certainly not a great day for that either.

Lymphedema ratings for Wednesday and today were 2 out of 10.
The most obvious swelling place is between my knuckles on the back pad of my hand.  My fingers have been pretty under control.

Much desired but little time

With the kids back from their Cleveland visit and my renewed commitment to making better progress at work, I'm worried about being able to fit in enough exercise and weight rehab.  I'll have to find some way to balance it all better. 

I'm a bit overwhelmed with school starting again and the kids also starting religious ed, volleyball, girl scouts, and OSU club swimming.  I'd really like to get Val to swimming more often this year since she's 12 in the 11/12 age group.  Last year we were pretty lax about attending enough practices to maintain her level of fitness.  Of course, I have lots of other goals and wishes too.  I want to be more accessible and get more accomplished at work, clean the house more often, better maintain the yard, exercise 4 days a week, rehab my arms and core with weight training, and practice yoga to increase flexibility.  I know it's impossible to do all of those things given time constraints and my body's desire for 7-8 hours of sleep every night.

This eve I got back on the road and did 4.2 miles of walking and running.  My miles were 15:50, 10:49, 10:29, and 11:47.  As you can probably guess, I walked the first mile, ran the second and third, and walked/ran the last one (.2 walk and .8 run).  I think my last 5K was 34:10, if I got my math right.

I also did a little arm weight training before I went out (while waiting for my dinner to digest).  And I'll do a little more before I get in the shower.  I'm still trying to stop sweating from being out in the heat and humidity.  I hate getting in the shower right after a really hot run.  When I do that, it's like I defeat the purpose of the shower since I sweat during and after anyway.

Today my index and middle finger swelled when I ran.  The back of my hand is showing a little swelling now too.  I know the heat had something to do with that.  It's always much worse in the heat and I started to feel a bit over heated before I finished the first mile. However, I kept running to put in another mile before I walked to cool down a little.  Maybe that was a mistake.  Maybe I need to monitor and control my internal temperature better.  I am a little surprised at the swelling because I wrapped my hand/forearm in the full two-layer wrap before going out.  I think I'll start rating the level of swelling so I can review previous posts to see trending and consider the swelling  in context with exercise and nutrition.  What is crazy is that the experts say that being active is good for Lymphedema.  I'm seeing the opposite results, at least with a short-term view.

Lymphedema rating for day before run: 2 out of 10
Most present in index finger and between knuckles just under/left of index and middle finger

Lymphedema rating after run:  5 out of 10
Obvious in index finger knuckle, upper half and misshaped lower half
Less obvious but present in middle finger upper half
Obvious between knuckles just under/left of index and middle finger
Less obvious in back pad of hand

Food Journal (following South Beach Diet after a two week hiatus)

Day 1 Monday:
Breakfast: lunchmeat

Lunch: pulled chicken and low fat cheese and a V8
Snack: soy nuts
Dinner: left over roasted beef (crock pot) and raw red, orange, and yellow bell peppers
Drinks: water, Sprite Zero

Day 2 Tuesday:
Breakfast: lunchmeat
Lunch: spinach salad with roasted turkey, sunflower seeds, and hummus as dressing (also a cheese stick)
Snack: salted almonds
Dinner: small blue cheese burger (no bun) and steamed broccoli (plain)
Drinks: water, sugar-free Tea2Go Raspberry tea (with Splenda), Coke Zero

Fabulous weekend!

Where to start?

Wicked was an incredible show. If you haven't seen it, get tickets now. I read the book years ago and thought it was pretty dark and weird, so I was a little wary. As it turns out, I was blown away.  The show was funny and interesting and very well done.  Glenda was hilarious and a lot like Sharpay in High School Musical (the actress actually played that role, too).  Elphaba was green all over - very green.  She was also surprisingly girl-like and very real. 

The music was great.  Ken says the Defying Gravity song is so "me" and I can see that from his viewpoint, certainly, especially given the year I've had.  It's a song about personal power.  Elphaba has strong convictions, refuses to be brought down, does not accept that something can't be done until she tries it, trusts her instincts, takes risks, and chooses the right way, not the easy way.  I know I certainly value those things and try to live with a similar passion and courage. I know it also gets me in to trouble sometimes and I need a bucket of water thrown on me.

When we got home, I downloaded the CD of the original Wicked cast and I put it on Ken's new Droid and my Blackberry. I also bought a green Defying Gravity T-shirt which I wore to the Dublin Irish Fest today.  I guess I was a bit clueless about how the shirt might seem to those who haven't seen the show.  One guy snickered and only then did I realize that I had "Defy Gravity" written across my chest.  Hmmm.  I'm surprised that was the only response I noticed all day, after all, we were there for 10 hours.  Oh well.  I guess defying gravity is certainly something my new chest will always do. Who knew the shirt would have a literal meaning too?  How apropos. 

The festival was really great. It was warm, but we spent most of the day in the Dublin Stage tent enjoying the bands and partaking of Irish and fair-type food, Mike's Hard Lemonade, beer, water and Iced Tea. Other than the half mile jog to get there from the parking lot, today was not a day of exercise and wise food choices.

All the bands were very good but we most enjoyed the band called Solas and bought the CD.  Natalie MacMaster was amazing too.  She was one of the best performers I've ever seen.

Happy Birthday, Ken!

It's Ken's birthday today and he's off getting his new Droid Incredible set up.  While he was off doing that, I decided to go outside and exercise.

Although the day is beautiful - upper 70s and sunny, I was a bit wary about going out and doing much after the last 2 days which were fairly heavy workout days for me.  My quads and hips were sore from the cycling yesterday and my ankle has been in warning mode, not hurting, just letting it's annoyance be known.  So I went out easy and walked a mile, ran a mile, walked a mile, and then ran/walked the last mile.  In total, I traversed 4.22 miles with my miles at 15:27, 10:26, 15:53, and 11:44.

While I was on the road, I listened to Steverunner's "Caffeinated Running" episode on Phedippidations.  I don't drink coffee (and I've cut way back on Diet Coke and tea), so the content wasn't that relevant for me, but I enjoyed listening to the show anyway.  His format is such that the topic of each show doesn't take up the whole thing, it's just a part of what he discusses.  He's a grandfather now and talked about meeting his granddaughter for the first time, for example.

The kids are still in Cleveland with Ken's parents for the week.  So this morning, I went out and got Ken a Boston Cream donut (my favorite too) and put a candle in it.  Then the kids called at the pre-arranged time and on speaker phone they joined me in singing happy birthday to Ken as I took his donut in for a breakfast-in-bed treat.  Breakfast in bed is a tradition for parent birthdays, mothers day, and fathers day in our family. 

To include the kids more fully, I took a picture of Ken with his cards and breakfast and sent it to Val's phone.  It took a few tries to get enough light for a good picture.  After the first low-light pic, I said, :Wait, I have to do that again."  And Jason said "Good, I think my eyes were shut."  He's such a funny kid.  That was pretty quick-witted, I think.  Then again, I'm biased.  The donut was Val's idea, so she gets kudos for the whole breakfast celebration today.

Tonight we will have an early dinner at the Columbus Fish Market and then we'll go downtown to see Wicked. 

I hope you are having a great weekend too.

9 miles cycling

A big thing around Columbus and OSU these days is the upcoming Pelotonia cycling event.  Last year, Lance Armstrong rode part of the event (for promotional purposes, not as a race).  In 2 weeks, riders will take the the streets again to raise money for the James Cancer Hospital (where I was treated for my breast cancer).  Riders can choose from 4 different routes/distances as below:

• Columbus to Groveport (~ 23 miles) - must raise $1000 for Cancer Research
• Columbus to Amanda (~ 43 miles) - must raise $1000 for Cancer Research
• Columbus to Athens (~ 102 miles) - must raise $1500 for Cancer Research
• Columbus to Athens and Back (~ 180 miles) - must raise  $2000 for Cancer

I know several people doing the whole thing, including one of my staff members (go Sean!).

 

Right now it's common to see cyclists training for the event - they are everywhere.  People ask me if I'm doing it - I guess they figure since I'm a runner, I must be in shape in general.  Oh no.  Nope.  Not me.  I'm intimidated by the bike.  All those gears and tires that need changing and riding so fast and dangerous wipeouts and the cars flying by from behind me.  Scary. 

Yet today, Ken had the great idea to ride our bikes to my parents' new house.  It's a little over 4 miles using the shortest route and almost 5 miles the longer route.  I was wary because of the busy streets and such.    But we did it anyway and, though it wasn't easy for me, it wasn't terrible either.  A couple hills were tough and it was all I could do to just keep my legs moving while in low gear. But we didn't have to walk the bikes, so that's great.  And even more exciting news: My hand/fingers didn't swell from the ride or house work.  Amazing.

We have Trek mountain bikes that are 15 years old.  They certainly aren't road bikes.  But that's okay.  I didn't want to go any faster than I did.  Ken had me lead the whole way so he wouldn't leave me in the dust.  That was smart.  We took the short route on the way there and the longer route on the way back.  We spent about 2 hours at the house doing repair/maintenance work. 

Speaking of my parents house, I think we rented the house today.  We still need to sign the papers and get the money, but we have a renter who has been through the application and credit check and she's excited about being able to move in soon. 

In other exercise news . . . I did 5 push-ups today.  Real ones.  My pecs were a little annoyed by the blatant ramp-up of rehab, but it felt good mentally to be able to do some push-ups.  Before the surgeries, I could do about 15 or so at a time.  I'm also keeping my weight steady (still down 10+ pounds since late May) by eating South Beach-like for most meals but allowing non-diet things like martinis, beer, chicken nachos, etc. on occasion.

Tonight we have a softball game.  That probably won't be much exercise, though, unless I get stuck batting before Ken or Matt and have to sprint from first to home.  Throwing is tough with weaker muscles, though.  I don't have much of an arm right now.  It's wimpy.  I asked Ken (shortstop) if he might get the cut-offs from right field.  I wouldn't have a problem getting the cut off, but after I have it, I can't throw it in to second, third, or home from out there.  Our first base might be able cover cutoffs, too.  We'll make it work. 
  

Fabulous 5K

After work today, I went to RPAC and ran on the 1/8 mile indoor track. What a great run! I did a 5K in 32:00.

It was a relaxed run, constant pace, and pretty fast for me - like a tempo run. My first mile was 10:15. I even had enough left after the 5K to run a much faster lap (8 min mile pace for 1/8 mile).

I was sooo excited to run so well. I guess the absence of heat, sun, and hills really makes a difference.

After the 5K run, I walked another mile and then stretched for about 15 minutes.  After driving for about 30 minutes to Easton, my ankle acted up a bit when I started to walk.  It worked itself out pretty quickly though.  I guess it was just a warning sign that the run today was a stretch workout even though it didn't feel like it.  I'll need some recovery time, I think.  My calves and ankles think so, anyway.

In other great news, my hand has been pretty good today, too. Actually, it is almost like pre-Lymphedema. I only used a little finger sleeve on my index finger - even while running. No heavy wrap or even a glove.  Today is more evidence to suggest the worst of the swelling is cyclical.

Ken and I went out to Bar Louis tonight for drinks and a dinner of appetizers. It was great. We even ran into an old friend and caught up a bit.

More on lymphedema

It has taken me forever to follow up on a post I got from a fellow breast cancer survivor who also has lymphedema.  Today I joined the facebook page for "Young Women, Breast Cancer, Mastectomies, and Lymphedema" that she suggested.  I also learned about LympheDivas which makes fashionable sleeves and gloves for women with Lymphedema. 

I just ordered my first custom Lymphedema glove yesterday, but I'm not going with fashionable colors.  I've never been a fashionista, so why start now?  My physical therapist/lymphedema expert gave me lots of color choices, but I just couldn't do some crazy color yet.  Maybe I'll get more later, depending on how I'm feeling, I suppose.

It's hard to believe that I'll be dealing with this forever.  It's likely, though.  People don't "just get over it" very often.  It's something most sufferers need to manage ongoing.  I'm guessing it will get worse as I get older and if/when I gain weight.  Ironic that losing weight hasn't helped, though.  Perhaps I wasn't heavy enough to have that be a factor anyway.  Although I'd like to lose another 10 pounds, I'm not considered overweight by my doctors or by my personal health assessment provided for the work health plan.   

So, here's a weird question - how do we get a word recognized by Microsoft for all it's spell checks?  Can we petition like trying to get a word in a dictionary?  I know, I know, I could just put Lymphedema in my own version of spell check on the 3 PCs that I use most.  But it's just the principle of the thing, you know.  Microsoft thinks it's two words: lymph edema.  It's just annoying. 

That's enough ranting for today.  On to happier things. Our kids are enjoying a week with their grandparents in northern Ohio, so Ken and I are free to do whatever we want after work today and tomorrow.  Friday night, we have softball.  Saturday is Ken's birthday and we're going to Wicked.  Sunday we're going to the Irish Festival.  Busy, but fun times! 

Lymphedema appt

I went to the physical therapist today - the expert in Lymphedma.  She measured me for a custom glove and did the massage process to try to get the fluid moving.  She and I also think my issues with swelling right now are related to my cycle - I had a similar problem last month.  So I think it's an issue of retaining water in general and it being more obvious in the bad hand.  I'm not sure that's either good or bad news.  Just something to consider.

Ken and I went out to eat at a great place tonight, Gordon Biersch, and then to see an incredible movie - Salt.  I highly recommend it! 

I did very well eating this morning and lunch, but totally threw caution to the wind while out to eat and at the movies.

Fat finger at the gym

Today I spent an hour at the gym.  I rode the recumbent stationary bike for 14 minutes (3 miles) to warm up and then hit the weights area.  There, I spent another 45 minutes with weights focusing on my arms, back, and a little on my core/sides.  I was using the 12.5 weights for benching, triceps, and biceps today and 7.5 for overhead presses.  I also did some stretching and power yoga.

My lymphedema wasn't bad yesterday but is acting up again today.  Since I had issues before I went to the gym, I can't blame it on weights.  I have an appointment with the physical therapist about it tomorrow afternoon.  I don't have much hope that it will do much good though.  I wish there seemed to be more medical research and information regarding lymphedema.  It seems to be just a "live with it" thing.

I keep hearing stories about how someone's mother or sister or someone had lots of lymph nodes taken out and they didn't get lymphedema.  With only 6 removed, I'm having a tough time believing that's the problem.  Maybe the issue is nerve damage where I'm numb just below my underarm.  Who knows. 

Some day, if medical folks begin to study it more aggressively, I wonder if Lymphedema diagnosis will become more detailed like breast cancer did.  When my grandmother had it in the 70s, it was all just breast cancer - just one thing.  Now there are different types of breast cancers and different suggested treatments and such.  I wish there was a body of work like that for Lymphedma.  Then again, it's not life-threatening, so I guess prioritizing the research money on things that are more important makes sense. 

Food Journal (but no formal diet right now):

Breakfast: lunchmeat
Lunch: spinach salad with cucumbers, roasted turkey, and hummus as dressing
Snack: soy nuts
Dinner: Chipotle salad with black beans, chicken, hot sauce, and guacamole
Dessert: a million cocoa roasted almonds
Drinks: water, sugar-free Tea2Go Raspberry tea (with Splenda)

4 miles today

I haven't run for 2 weeks, so I was pretty happy with my run today.

I ran 4.15 miles today.  Well, actually I ran 2 miles, walked 3 or 4 minutes, ran another one, and then walked most of the 4th mile.  My miles were 11:19, 11:01, 12:34, and 15:44.  The 5K was 35:45.  Since I haven't run in 2 weeks and it was 1:30pm and HOT with little shade throughout the run, I did much better than I expected.  I was also having some almost reflux issues with my spicy lunch threatening me after running the first mile or so.  I made it through the 5K without it getting too bad though.

Please don't think my run/walk/run/walk process today was in any way like the Galloway method.  It was not.  If I was doing the method correctly, I would have run for only 2 or 3 minutes and then walked only a minute and started running again.  Repeat.  That's the smart way to do it.  I do have trouble allowing myself to walk because the 1 minute isn't really enough recovery.  I think that's the point, though.  It's like you never stopped running at all because the 1 minute break is just enough to give your legs and energy the break needed to go much longer, but talking only 1 minute isn't long enough to recover completely aerobically and thus the aerobic benefits span through the walk.  I should stop talking about the method though since I haven't even gotten the book yet.  I couldn't find it in Nebraska and I haven't looked since I've come home.  I may need to order it online.

Last night, I had a great at Jeff and Jen's chicken wing party.  I drank red wine and ignored the diet.  I was out until after 1am and so I was pretty slow getting up this morning.

My eating has been off course a little over the past week, but I had a pretty good day today. Maybe I'll formally move on to Phase 2 on the South Beach diet.  I've never really done this phase.  I think things are added like fruit, but I need to do more research on it.  Our kids are staying with Ken's parents this week, so from Monday to Monday we'll be kidless.  I don't think I'll be able to stay on any regular diet plan this week as we'll probably be going out and I'll want to eat sensibly but not strictly. 

Food Journal (but no formal diet right now):
Breakfast:  well, I didn't get up until almost lunch time, so I ate a Healthy Choice fudge bar
Lunch:  spicy spinach and lettuce salad with black beans, hot sauce, chicken, and guacamole
Dinner: cold left over chicken, soy nuts, cocoa roasted almonds
Drinks: water, Sprite Zero, Powerade Zero, half of a G2