New Week, New Weather

AM: 30 mins. ellip.
15 mins. core
PM: 45-50 mins. ellip. (can't remember)

Back at it. The weather is changing, which is awesome. I could get used to 50-degree mornings and 70-degree afternoons. Now all we need is the leaves to start changing for it to really feel like fall...

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Week in Review

3 miles running
6 miles walking
1 hour 15 mins pool
5 hours 30 mins ellip
1 day off

Well, I ran this week...sort of. Things still aren't back to normal, but I was happy to be on the feet for a few minutes on Monday and Wednesday regardless. Hoping to really up the ante next week--maybe 5 miles?--and see how things feel. I'm sad I will miss yet another xc meet this weekend, but keeping my sights set on November. Gotta keep chugging along.

Oh, and dogsitting Sanford was way fun. You should help me convince Jordan that we need a puppy ASAP!

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Sunday Funday

AM: 60 min. walk with Sanford
PM: 45 mins. ellip.

As I type this two days later, I'm still pretty sore from walking Sanford. Or rather, should I say, from Sanford walking me. That puppy is a bundle of energy, and while she doesn't weigh an ounce over 30 pounds she is deceptively strong. Our walk started at Queens, where I left the car with Jordan so he could accompany the team to McAlpine. From there Sanford dragged me down Wellesley, along the main thoroughfare of Queens Road West, then down Princeton into Freedom Park. Once in the park we made several friends, including an adorable rescue mutt named Murphy and a variety of joggers. After making a big loop in the park we headed back to Chandler's place by way of Jameston, one of us still full of energy and one of us thoroughly exhausted.


My view for most of the walk

My workout in the afternoon was a bit lackluster, but to be honest my legs and feet were pretty tired from the morning walk and from the hour Jordan and I spent on foot at the Festival in the Park. Forty-five minutes was about all I could take on the torture machine before my legs and feet were aching, so at that point I was more than happy to call it quits. Plus, I wanted to watch Jordan and some of the guys on the team play a pickup soccer game on the elementary school fields next door. It was a great time and they were actually much more coordinated than I expected. It was also one of the most diverse sporting events I've ever attended. I counted one Ethiopian (Futsum), one Kenyan (Nelson), one German (Simon), one Norwegian (Marius), one El Salvadorian (Benny), one Mexican (Jordan counts for the purpose of this census-taking exercise), one Jamaican (Oscar) and Devin (who technically is Irish...by way of New Hampshire). A little later in the game I was joined on the sidelines by Holly, then by Chandler and Sanford. If I had the slightest thought that my morning walk had worn Sanford out, it was quickly dispelled by watching her sprint full speed after the boys for the next half hour. What I wouldn't give for that kind of energy.

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"R" is for "Rhodesia"

Day Off
Dog Walking x 2

The workout just didn't happen today, but it was largely unavoidable. Actually if you count dog walking as a workout then I pulled a double. Jordan and I are dogsitting for Chandler's rambunctious pup Sanford this weekend while she watches the Horned Frogs destroy Clemson on their home turf. At any rate, I put in 7 hours non-stop on the feet at work today, which meant that I missed both ends of the 10-5 window at the fitness center. A cold drizzle post-work eliminated any chance of getting in the outdoor pool either, so I was content to drink wine and put my feet up while Jordan got waterlogged on his second run.

Our evening was rounded out with leftover dining hall cuisine and a double feature of Yahtzee and Scattergories at Chandler's while Sanford looked on. Trust me, I'm aware of how lame this sounds, but it was actually a decently fun evening. My personal favorite moment was during the "R" round of Scattergories when we were each supposed to fill in the blank for "State." For some unfathomable reason, Jordan was unable to come up with "Rhode Island," the only state in the entire United States of America that begins with an "R," a state he resided in for four years of his life and as recently as Tuesday was inhabiting. Nope, instead he left his line completely blank. I even had the foresight to fill in my own "R" blank with "Rhodesia," the now-defunct African state, so that we wouldn't both duplicate "Rhode Island" and end up canceling out each other's points.

It's times like this when I wonder why I didn't apply to any Ivy League schools. And, furthermore, how he graduated from one.

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3 Miles=3 More Than Last Week

Friday, 9/25
AM: 30 mins. ellip.
15 mins. core
PM: 50 mins. ellip. incl. 25 mins. "predator"

Thursday, 9/24
60 mins. ellip. incl. 5x5 mins. on, 5 mins. off

Wednesday, 9/23
AM: 25 mins. core
25 mins. pool
2 mile run, 1 mile walk
active stretching
PM: Chiro
40 mins. ellip.

Tuesday, 9/22
AM: 60 mins. ellip. incl. 15x1 min. on, 1 min. off
PM: 25 mins. pool
active stretching

Monday, 9/21
AM: 25 mins. core
25 mins. pool
1 mile run, 1 mile walk
PM: 45 mins. ellip.

Yup, I've run 3 miles so far this week. Don't act like you're not impressed.

In all honesty, though, it didn't feel great. I'm still kinda gimpy and my right quad feels like it's doing absolutely nothing. It's like the muscle just died or went to sleep or something. I did both of my "runs" with Holly post-morning practice, and both times my leg just felt tight/stiff/awkward from the get-go and never really got better. It never got unbearable or anything, but it certainly wasn't normal. I can definitely tell that it's muscle-related, not bone, which six weeks ago I would've thought was a good thing and now seems to just be semantics. The doc says I can continue attempt a wog every other day if I feel like it, so long as it's not more than a few miles at a time. And I gotta be honest, the prospect of running two miles in pain is more appealing to me than not running at all. I miss it soooo much. I suppose I'll give it another try one day this weekend and see if things have improved at all. Tomorrow is an unlikely option since I work all day, but perhaps Sunday.

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Week in Review

0 miles
6 hours 5 minutes elliptical
3 hours 5 minutes pool
5 AFDs
1 non-dining hall night out (Sushi 101 with Jenny Matz--yay!)

Another week of "successful" cross-training in the books. My hip/quad feel stronger every day and I'm genuinely hopeful about running at some point next week. My latest discovery is that I can do some fairly high-impact stuff with absolutely no pain (think high-knee drills). When I do that, I'm completely pain-free on both the impact and the push-off. Has to be a good sign. Where I'm still experiencing some discomfort is with the kick-back motion inherent in running. To me, these two pieces of information mean that the muscle is still bothersome but the bone is not, which is definitely good news. My patience for cross-training is waning and I'm pretty eager to get back into the running scene, especially with the approach of cooler fall weather.

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Rules Were Meant to Be Broken, Fitness Centers Were Meant to Be Open

AM: 30 mins. pool
PM: 60 mins. ellip. incl. 5x5 mins. on, 5 mins. off

This morning was full of racing action, though not for myself. Jordan, Tanya, Pezz and a few thousand other people were slated to contest the CVS Downtown 5k in Providence at 11:15 sharp. I was excited and nervous for each of my friends as gun time approached, and couldn't wait to hear from Jordan post-race. Turns out he didn't end up running as fast as he'd hoped, but still secured a spot on the Ivy League Ekiden team. One out of two isn't bad. Tanya didn't really run a great race either, but Pezz ran well, as did my friend Jennie from Atlanta. Turns out she and Tanya were roommates at the host hotel and quickly realized they both knew me--what a small, small world the elite running community is.

Full of post-race energy, I was eager to hit up the fitness center for my own workout in the afternoon. Since they're supposed to be open from 3 to 9 on Sunday, and the dining hall opens from 5 to 7:30, I decided to head up around 4:30 for an hour workout, figuring I could finish at just the right time to hit up the dining hall for dinner. So, imagine my frustration when I arrived to discover the lights were off and the "closed" sign displayed. Yet the side door was still open...hmm...so, I texted Jordan reporting the state of the situation and asking his advice.

Me: Just got to the fitness center. Lights are off and the closed sign is up but the door is open. What should I do?
Jordan: Turn on the lights and flip the sign.

So, yup, that's what I did. Turned on the lights and fans, flipped the sign, unlocked the front door...et voila! The fitness center is now open for business!

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