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.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
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!
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!
Friday, October 8, 2010
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!
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!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, October 4, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
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.
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.
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