10K in 1:06:14

Today's another Sunday with much activity.  I took Val to swimming this afternoon and ran a 10K in 1:06:14.  My miles were 10:55, 10:47, 10:52, 10:42, 10:27 and 10:51.  I used the pattern of running 4 minutes and walking 1 minute throughout the entire 6.2 miles.  I usually run 3 and walk 1, but it was a bit chilly out and I was in shorts and a t-shirt, so I needed to do a bit more running to keep warm. 

I felt great during the whole run today.  I didn't have to do the pleading with myself that I often do when running: "Just 45 more seconds and you can walk a minute, hang in there."  There was no time when I just wanted to stop short of the 4 minutes.  I think I cut the walk short once - I assume during the 5th mile since it was faster than the others - but I don't remember why - some environmental reason like dogs or cars or something annoying me. 

After the run, Val and I went shopping and got her a bunch of sweat pants, a shirt, and some ski pants.  We couldn't find a winter coat that worked.

Tonight, Ken and I have volleyball.  I'll be running around for 90 minutes, trying to get the second hit of each play, so I'm sure I'll get a second great workout in today. 

I haven't given an update on the Lymphedma in awhile, so I should tell you that a couple of times this week, I would rate the swelling in my hand as only a 2 or 3 out of 10, which is much better than it has been in a month or so.  It had been running consistently at a 5 or 6.  To fight the swelling of the past month, I've been wearing a compression glove or wrap to bed each night and much more often during the day, too.  I took off the custom glove after my run today and it hasn't gotten any worse this afternoon.  I'd rate it as probably a 2 or 3 today.  My pointer finger rarely swells anymore.  My middle finger is still an issue, but not too bad today.  Most of the swelling now is in the back on my hand, from the bottom of my fingers to my wrist.

I went to out dinner last night and visited with some friends who I haven't seen in a long time. It was wonderful to reconnect.

Running in Bexley

I put in 4.23 miles today.  My miles were 11:11, 10:45, 10:10, and 11:10.  I ran in Bexley, my favorite place to run in Columbus.  Bexley has lots of shade, not many cars on the side streets, and great houses.  It's also where I had my first job in Ohio (Capital University in 1988) and bought my first house (1994).  Ken and I lived there for a year or two after we got married and we used to ride our bikes throughout the neighborhood.  That's how I found my favorite street, Parkview.  My good friends, Jeff and Jen, still live in Bexley and I love to go visit them.  I often park at their house when I run in the area.

Today, I parked at Capital University and ran North past Jeffrey Mansion on Parkview.   I started by running 3 minutes and walking 1 minute, but that didn't last long.  I had to stop at the light at Broad Street and also lost track of time looking at houses and such.  Thus, my walk breaks weren't at even intervals, as is obvious by my splits.

I saw the Bexley High School boys' cross country team several times during my run.  During my third mile, they came up from behind me, engulfed me, and then left me behind - all in a matter of 10 seconds or so.  It was weird; like I was a rock and they were the river.  They were running easily and relaxed, but fast.  And they were talking and moving around to change who they were running and talking with.  I'm a solitary runner so it was foreign to me to see them running together like that.  Surely some of them are a lot faster than others, yet they were putting in lots of miles together as a group.  I got nervous as they approached and I worried that I was in their way.  But it didn't seem to bother them at all that I was on the sidewalk and going slowly.  They just ran around me and were nice and relaxed and comfortable with sharing the space.  Interesting.  I have read and heard about community aspects of running but I had never really seen a running community in action until today.

Geeky old lady in the weight room

I thought I was coming home after work today, but right before running out the door this morning I decided to pack my gym bag, just in case.  Then it turned out that Jason had lots of homework so Ken took him home from swimming early and I waited at RPAC for Val. 

Since I was at RPAC anyway, I decided to do a weight-training workout.  In my gym bag I found my compression shorts but no shorts to go over them.  I also found the above-the-ankles socks instead of the shorter ones.  Great.  Oh well, I decided I wouldn't be a slave to fashion (or embarrassment), so I went to work out anyway.  I wore my longest compression shorts (almost to my knees), a short-ish OSU v-neck tshirt, above-the-ankle socks folded down, weight lifting gloves, my Ironman watch (I thought I might run afterward), and my running shoes.  I laughed as I walked into RPAC knowing I'd be "that geeky old lady in the weight room." 

To match my geeky outfit, I decided to listen to the Wicked soundtrack on my Blackberry during the workout.  I did all upper-body work, including several (5 or 6) sets of 10 benching the bar (45 lbs).  I also did lots of curls, some triceps, obliques, and smaller arm muscles.  As I was finishing up, Dan, one of my staff members, came over and said hi.  He had seen me at the bench press.  Great.  Dan is 20-something and very strong, athletic, and active.  So now I'm the geeky old boss lady in the weight room.  I was quick to tell Dan that I used to bench 105lbs but since they cut both pecs in half, I've just started benching the bar.  He was great and said "Well, hey, you have to start again somewhere."   You are so right, Dan.  Thanks for being genuinely supportive.

Aside from my attire in the weight room, the "funny" for the day was Val's conversation with a friend.  Her friend asked what Val's favorite subject was in school.  Val said she liked Language Arts/English the best. Then she qualified that statement with "well, except I don't like the words."

Busy weekend

Happy birthday to Michelle Z and Lee Ann!

I ran on Thursday this week, but didn't get a chance to log it because of the mad dash to get the basement ready for carpet installation on Friday.  I ran while the kids were at swimming and had to force myself out there.  I really wasn't up for it, so I decided to do 30 minutes easy and outside.  I didn't realize it was incredibly windy and that half of the run would feel like running up a steep hill as I fought the wind.  Yeah, I know, I'm a wimp.  Anyway, on Thursday I put in 3.37 miles by running around the stadium 6 times.  I ran the 5K distance with the miles at 10:22, 10:13, and 9:48 and finished the 5K in 31:21.  Then I walked 5 minutes or so as a cool down.

Today I ran slower and longer.  I put in 5.32 miles with the run 3 minutes and walk 1 minute pattern throughout, except for the last mile in which I walked more.  My miles were 10:57, 11:06, 11:20, 11:15, and 11:42.  My legs were pretty sore and my hips tight toward the end.  I wore cushier shoes this time, though, so my feet didn't hurt.

As I was getting out of the shower after my run, I realized that I have to play 90 minutes of competitive volleyball tonight.  And we've been playing a 5:1 (5 hitters and 1 setter) with me as the setter.  So I'll be running like crazy all over the court.  Oh well, I need the exercise.

So we did get the basement floor completed this week.  We haven't gotten the furniture and such put back in place yet, though.  Yesterday I was shopping for a big TV stand/console for a big screen TV we don't have yet.  Ken is out researching the TVs today.  We'll be getting surround sound and a blue ray and I don't know what all else, too.  So it will take awhile to research before we pull the trigger.  We did decide on the furniture piece though.  Our TV stand/console should arrive in a couple of weeks.  We bought it discounted at American Freight.  I hope we can get all this stuff done before Thanksgiving.  We expect company and it would be great to watch the football games on our new system in our almost-done basement.

Yes, I know, we've been working on the basement for years and years.  Probably 13 years.  It's getting close now.  We just need trim/baseboards, some doors sanded, and finishing solutions for the stairs, stairway wall, and ceiling area there.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Happy birthday, Dad! 

For Dad's birthday, he witnessed the ground-breaking on a college facility that he was instrumental in bringing to our small town in Nebraska.  Dad is running the county's community college presence out of a small office tucked away in the public library and he begs and borrows classroom facilities where ever he can get them.  This new facility is Dad's legacy to the community.  Although the credit for it will go to those who raised the money, he was the one who sold the college on the need for it and laid all the groundwork. If all goes as planned, he will manage the new facility for a few months after it opens next year and then he'll retire and move to Ohio.  The timing of his retirement is not set in stone, so I hope he'll get some time in the new office since he has worked so hard to make it happen.

I did a tough run today.  Though I would normally lay off running the day after a fast 5K, I had the time and the weather was perfect for a "long" run this evening.  I ran 5.5 miles in an hour.  My miles were 10:51, 11:04, 10:46, 10:24, and 11:13.  I did the distance with a 3 minute run and 1 minute walk pattern throughout until the last few minutes which I walked as a cool down. 

Since I've been running while the kids are at swim team practice, I've been running at OSU quite a bit.  When the weather is bad, that's great to be at OSU because I use the 1/8 mile track in RPAC and am quite cozy while my suburb friends are fighting the rain or running on treadmills.  However, when it is nice, I'm often uninspired when forced to run on campus.  It's just too city-like and full of people and cars and such.  So today I decided to do a longer run and set out on the Olentangy Trail through the Tuttle Park, Clinton and Northmoor areas.  I just did a simple out-and-back plan:  I ran 27 minutes away from RPAC on the trail and then ran back to campus and around the stadium to finish up a full hour of running. 

Val was beginning her post-swimming dryland workout when I returned, so I headed over to RPAC to do a few weights.  I benched the bar (which isn't 40 lbs as I previously asserted, but 45lbs.) 10 times and did 3 sets.  I also did some obliques and curls before cleaning up and picking up Val. 

I haven't eaten well lately, especially today, and it caught up with me.  I wasn't feeling great after the workout and Val took care of me when I got home.  I picked up some comfort food (broccoli cheese soup from Panera) which helped some.  Then a little later Val surprised me with a glass of hot chocolate and told me to put my feet up and read.  She takes good care of me.

The bottom of my feet were sore during the last mile or so - and are sore even now as I walk around in my socks at home.  I guess I'm unaccustomed to 5 miles.  I think I'll go take my daughter's advice.

Volleyball and 29:45 5K

Ken and I started our volleyball season last night.  It was great to be on the court again and I got a trial by fire, certainly.  We had a more experienced group, so Ken suggested we run a 5x1 - that would be 5 hitters and 1setter all the way around.  Any guesses who the setter was?  Yep, the short one.

I ran all over the court getting the 2nd hit almost all the time and setting up the balls to be whacked over by the hitters on the team.  It was really fun - like old times.  We lost the first one by 4 points, but were rallying toward the end.  The second game we won by 8 or so.  Unfortunately, we ran out of time after just a few minutes in the third game, so we had to take the loss since we were down something like 4 to 2.  That's okay, though.  It was our first time playing together and it seems like we'll be a pretty competitive team in this league.   

I didn't wear a glove when playing volleyball and my hand didn't swell noticeably any more after or during playing.  It's swollen all the time now from the lymphedema. 

Today it was cold and rainy while the kids were at swimming, so I ran around the little track at RPAC.  I ran a 5K in 29:45 and only walked a little when I stopped to get a drink of water from the water fountain after my first and second miles.  I was pushing pretty hard the last mile, and especially the last half mile.  I was just trying to hold on to the pace which was on target for the sub 30 minute 5K the whole run.  I was listening to music which helped keep me moving.  Still, the last mile, I had to be intentional about distracting myself from the desire to slow down or walk.  I was very happy with the success of this run which was probably my fastest or at least my second fastest 5K ever.  I followed the run by a mile walk as cool down and a little stretching.

I wore my custom glove when running and afterward I noticed a bit more swelling in my middle finger than before, but it went back down to normal swelling after the walk cool down.

The back of my hand, my wrist, and my middle finger are always swollen now.  I'd rate the swelling overall as a 5 out of 10, sometimes reaching to a 6 when the middle finger gets really tight above the middle knuckle.  The palm of my hand seems to be a little swollen too, but that may come and go and is difficult to see.  Ironically, the pointer finger which started all this mess does not get swollen much anymore.  I guess it has delegated that responsibility, perhaps pointing here and there where there is room for more fluid.

Ran yesterday

I ran yesterday but didn't get logged in to the blog to do a post.  I was at RPAC while the kids were swimming and it was so nice out that I decided to run outside even though I forgot my Garmin.  I know . . . how sad is that?  My first thought was that I would have to run inside because I didn't have the Garmin.  Then I thought how silly that was.  Who cares how far I run?  It's not like it's a training run, just maintenance.  And even if it was a training run, I could estimate speed and measure time. 

So I ran 35 minutes (I had my ironman watch) and I'd guess I was running about a 10:15 pace or so overall because I did the run 3 minutes and walk 1 minute routine.  I ran around the stadium over and over again.  I'm not sure why I did that.  I intended to do a lap around the stadium and then head on out into the rest of campus, but I got stuck in the lap rut.  I guess my mind was occupied because I was catching up on Steverunner podcast episodes (Intervals and Phedippidations).  I've been running with music sometimes lately and have gotten behind on what's going on in Oxford, MA. 

I took the kids to swimming today too, but I couldn't workout during that time today.  I had to officiate a mock swim meet for the younger swimmers on our team.  I was impressed with the group.  Even though it is pre-season and many of the young swimmers are inexperienced, they did a very good job overall.  We didn't have nearly as many disqualifications as in the summer league or even as in the official B meets early in the season.  Go OSU Swim Club!

My lymphedema hasn't changed much.  The back of my hand is still swelling, along with my knuckles and middle finger.  I think the palm of my hand is getting into the game too.  I've been wearing a glove or wrap almost all the time except in the shower and when preparing food or washing my hands.  And the swelling doesn't seem to react to anything in particular like exercise or eating habits or sleep or wearing the custom vs. cotton glove vs. wrap.  I can't find anything that consistently makes the swelling better or worse.  I got a wide Velcro support for around my wrist since the glove is too big there, but that hasn't made a noticeable difference either, regardless of how tight or lose I make it.  I know I need another appointment with the PT.  I'm just discouraged with it all.  The appointments don't seem to be make a difference either.

Bench Press Victory

I benched the bar today.  That's 40 pounds.  And I did it after completely tiring out my pecs (pectoralis major muscles) by benching 6 sets of 20 with 10 pounds, 1 set of 5 with 15 pounds, and 1 set of 5 with 20 pounds.  Even my tired pecs could bench the 40 pound bar 10 times despite spending the previous 30 minutes doing significant upper body weight training.  That's really great!  I almost cried when I benched the bar.  I've been so afraid to even try it.  When I have a spotter around, I may put weight on the bar next time.  Woo Hoo!

To understand my reaction, you'd have to know that I've always been really strong in my pec muscles and upper body in general.  I've been able to serve a volleyball over-handed since the 3rd grade.  My best swimming event was breaststroke.  As a sophomore in high school, I beat a star football player in a fingertip pushup contest (real ones, not with the knees down).  More recently, about 6 years ago, I could bench over 100 pounds.  Then I got breast cancer and in addition to losing both breasts, the doctor had to cut my pec muscles clear through to put the expanders behind them.  Now my pecs are no longer along my chest wall.  They are now curved over my B-cup sized implants.  So, in addition to the trauma of losing my breasts, I also lost a significant source of pride; my upper body strength. 

So it was great today to see that I'm starting to get some strength back.  I'm sure I over-did the upper-body workout today.  I'll be really sore tomorrow.  However, I'll be smiling.  I benched the bar. 

Worldwide Festival of Races

Almost.  But I blew it.  I went out too fast and didn't have the mental toughness to hang in there.  Today, I did the Kick the Couch 5K for the Worldwide Festival of Races in 30:26.  Just 26 seconds slower than my goal.  And I walked twice in the last half mile.  I was so spent - just done.  When I saw I wasn't going to make it, I gave up and walked the last 10 yards or so to the finish.  My legs were wobbly and I walked another half mile afterward to cool down. 

My mile splits were 9:27 (unheard of for me!), 9:55, and 10:01.  Dang, 30:26.  So close.

It was hot today so I waited until the sun got low enough to allow the houses to cast shadows on my route.  It was still hot, but shady most of the way.  I've been having a lot of hand swelling caused by my lymphedma, so wore a custom glove with an ace bandage wrapped around it and up my forearm to my elbow.  During the second mile, I couldn't stop focusing on the heat under the wraps and the throbbing.  The throbbing may have been perceived and not real, but it annoyed me.  My mind was not cooperating with the mental state I needed for this race.  During the last mile, I could only think of hanging on . . . and instead of believing I could, I was pretty sure I couldn't.  If I could have distracted myself, I know I could have made up the 26 seconds because I would have been able to run more and walk less.  Grrrrrr.

Oh well.  It was a good run.  Today was probably my second fastest 5K race ever, just behind the Race for the Cure in 2008 when I finished in under 30 minutes.  Actually, my run today was among the 5 fastest 5Ks I've ever run, including in training, so I know I should feel pretty good about it.  And I do.

Earlier in the day, I put in a good hour or more of volleyball.  We played parents against Val's 7th grade volleyball team.  The parents won the first game and kids won the second.  We didn't get to play a third because it was time for pizza and the award ceremony.  The awards were a certificate and a patch with Ridgeview Jr High around the outside and a volleyball in the middle.  They didn't have individual awards because it's a team sport.

After I ran the 5K and got my legs to stop wobbling, I changed out of my soaked clothes and mowed half of the lawn.  I had to stop because it was dark. 

Whew!  What a long day.  Now it's bedtime.  Good night!

Progress at work and home

I took a vacation day today and worked on home improvement projects.  I intended to do office work too, but didn't get around to it, so this will be a full day's vacation.  It was worth it, though.  I got so much done.  I helped Mom and Dad finish the insulation project in their basement and then we went to a carpet place and chose carpet for our basement.  I can't believe we'll have finished floors in our basement by the end of October.  It's been a long time coming.

Mom and Dad took the kids out for ice cream and Ken was out at a friend's surprise birthday party tonight.  So, I stayed home and got in a run.  I did 5K in 32:02 using the run 3 minutes and walk 1 minute pattern throughout.  My miles were 10:28, 10:35, and 10:10.  I finished up with a 6 minute walk for cool down. 

My Lymphedema has been a problem for several weeks now.  My hand is swelling and not going back down.  I've been wearing different gloves almost all the time (even during sleep) and trying different combinations of gloves.  Tonight when I ran, I wore the custom glove, wrapped the wrist with tape because it's too big, and then put on the ace bandage wrap around my hand and up to my elbow.  The wraps seem to help during the run, but after I take them off to take a shower, my hand swells again.  Now I've got the glove with the bean bag back in it to push down the swelling.  It usually works pretty well on the flat part of my hand, but not on my joints that attach my fingers.  Grrrrr. 

Oh well, other than the swelling, everything is very good.  We're moving along with a much needed reorganization at work and I'm very hopeful we will be more effective and productive as a result.  Work is always much more fun when we are doing well as a group.  Tomorrow is Val's last volleyball game of the season.  Actually, it's several games.  We have a tournament that starts at 8am.  That's almost as bad as a swim meet!

Go Tigers!

Val had the big rivalry volleyball game tonight.  Pickerington Ridgeview Jr. High played at Pickerington Lakeview Jr. High.  Although they beat us in a tournament last week, we won tonight.  The coach started our top six players for each of the 3 games.  Val came in very early in the 3rd game, though and played the rest of the game.  She played well, had several hits, got her serve over, and even made the winning point.  I didn't stay for the 8th grade game, but Val reported that they won in 3 games, too.  It was a great night for Ridgeview Jr. High Volleyball. 

After the game, I intentionally had an easy run this evening.  I did the 3 minutes run and 1 minute walk pattern for 2 miles (10:21 and 10:23) and then LeeAnn called, so I walked another mile and a half at about a 17 minute mile pace and chatted with her awhile.  In all, I put in 3.6 miles in 48:55.

Mom and Dad are visiting from Nebraska right now.  We're working on their house and our house both this trip. Their house is getting insulation in the basement and some lawn work.  Ours is getting a new light in the pantry and a head start on some flooring in the basement.  We're going to try to use Allure vinyl planks that look like wood.  We'll buy some boxes and put it down to ensure it doesn't look cheap next to our nice kitchen and other finishings.  If we like it, we'll go with it for the floor and then get a huge bound carpet for the center of the family room. 

Ran again

I know I shouldn't have, but I did.  I ran again tonight.  It was a cool night but with no rain, so I ran Valerie's overdue book to the library and then detoured around the neighborhood to put in at least 30 minutes on the road. 

I did a 5K in 31:02.  I ran the first mile (no walking) in 10:13 and then walked 1 minute.  Then I ran another mile and walked another minute. I'm not sure if I walked during the third mile or not.  My miles were 10:13, 10:10, and 9:44, so I'm guessing I didn't.

Now I'm sore.  Actually, my quads were a bit sore before the run.  My calves were also tight.  Now my calves are very tight.  My quads loosened up a little, though.  I guess my IT bands took their place because now they are saying "uncle."  I know I shouldn't run two days in a row when I'm not used to it.  I also shouldn't run 3 miles every time I run.  I should go back to the measured 3 minute run and 1 minute walk to avoid injury.  But, hey, it was a great night for a run.  And it felt pretty good.  And it was a little chilly for walking.  I'm sure I can find all kinds of excuses for the poor choices.  But, hey, I usually have excuses NOT to run, and today it's the opposite.  I'd say that's progress.

My hand is still swelling a lot.  I'm rotating gloves and wraps to try to switch up the pressure areas.  Each glove/wrap has its advantages, so I'm trying to get the best compression out of each of them at least once daily.  Tonight I'm wearing the full wrap again.

Val had a great volleyball game tonight.  She didn't miss a serve.  And she served 5 in a row before the team got a side out.  We won tonight in two sets.  Wednesday is the big game, though.  We play the other Pickerington team (dreaded Lakeview) who beat us pretty bad in the Volley for the Cure tournament that didn't count for league play.

5K in 30 minutes

I did an indoor track workout at RPAC today and ran a 5K in 30:00!  My miles were 10:00, 9:50, and 9:13.  I walked three times, but only once for a full minute.  The other two walk breaks were about 40 seconds or so.

I can count on one hand the number of times I've run a 5K in 30 minutes or less.  I did it once on that same RPAC track while training for the Race for the Cure in 2008 and then during the actual race.  And I did it today, despite including a little walking.  I'm not even in serious training.  I haven't been doing speed work or anything.  Well, hmmm, maybe this run-walk-run thing is sort of like speed training for me.  I don't intentionally push the speed, but I have been running faster when I know I get to walk in just a few minutes. 

Today I listened to music instead of podcasts, so I'm sure that sped me up a bit.  Although I intended to do an easy run, the music and the digital clock hanging over the lanes at three places over the track, encouraged me to do otherwise. It felt great.

My hand has been swelling more this past week.  I'm always at a 3 out of 10 and sometimes a four or five.  I'll wear my glove more consistently this week and see it that helps.  I stopped wearing a glove at night, but will probably reinstate that practice.  I may even do the full wrap thing tonight.  Yuck. 

Yesterday I returned from another fabulous HR Technology Conference and now want to find time to synthesize all these ideas and learnings into goals or actions.  I really need to slow down a bit and take some time to think and organize and plan.  I'm getting caught in the do-do-do-do cycle and can easily get caught up in the busy and forgot the important.