So...

Okay. This blog has pretty much petered out. If anyone would like to post, to help motivate me, as well as others...PLEASE feel free! I'm feeling kind of unmotivated lately.

Username

So, anyone using this web-site for food tracking? If so, add me as a friend, or tell me your screen name. That way, I have someone watching all the food that I'm tracking (or not tracking!).

My screen name is : stephcc

I've committed to tracking starting today. :)

Legs part 2

Well, I do not have a tear in my Achilles tendon. I do have slight tendinitis, plus Platers fasciitis. A pretty bad case of it, I guess. Who would've thought. I guess my calves are mostly causing the problems, due to extreme tightness that I can't seem to overcome.

I've had a cortisone injection in each foot, and have started PT. The Physical therapist I am going to is great! He actually wants me to continue (or start again, LOL) training, so we can work out the problem as it comes. I'm pretty excited about that. PT yesterday wasn't too bad...slightly uncomfortable...but not too bad. I have to go back today and tomorrow, so I can get set up with a good home program before the weekend.

Here's hoping it works quickly!

Oh, and I've signed up for two open water swims here in my area. One in Sandpoint the first weekend of August, and then Coeur D Alene the second weekend of August. Kelly is coming out to do the CDA swim with me. Good thing...it's a 5K, and I haven't swam that far continuously in many, many years. It is going to give me something to push for, though...

First garmin ride: high school loop by martintadlock at Garmin Connect - Details

First garmin ride: high school loop by martintadlock at Garmin Connect - Details

I got a GPS

I got a very very cool gift for Father's Day. A GARMIN for the bike! I will never get lost again or forget a former route. It also has a built in heart monitor...wow!

I will be reading the manual on the plane back to Oklahoma tomorrow.

Thanks, Daughter!

I'll send you the cat eye that I use right now as soon as I replace it with the new fangled toy!!!

Legs

Well, I went to my Family Dr. and have now been referred to an Orthopedic Surgeon. Probably have to do an MRI. :( The Family Dr. thinks I have a tear in my Achilles Tendon. The swelling is still there. The pain is better, but due to the swelling, I still have a lot of pressure. This sucks! I was told to not do ANYTHING until I get into the Ortho. (which isn't until the 23rd of June). She said no running, walking (for exercise anyway), biking (so no spin class, which I'm starting to love!), and even no swimming, unless I pull the workouts.

So, until I get them further evaluated, I guess I'm benched. I still work on swimming, with pull being my main focus. Since I hardly kick anyway, as long as I stay away from Breastroke, I should be okay. :)

Time Off

After my half marathon I had terrible ankle pain. I went to my chiropractor and he made them feel much better with some STM and ultrasound then told me to lay off the running for a few weeks before it becomes a chronic problem. I was so upset, in addition to giving up my tri that weekend I was afraid I would lose all the progress I'd made in running. I'm a really bad runner so this was a lot of hard work for me.

I got halfway through the first week and realized that I LOVE time off (and chocolate covered pretzels but that's another post). That's when I realized I was burned out. I just didn't care about getting back into it at all. Ryan told me to just go with it. If I don't feel like tri training, do some aerobics, rollerblading etc. Whatever I felt like was fine. I ended up going to Florida for a week with a friend and doing some ocean swims, canoeing etc. It helped SO much!! I'm back now and ready to jump back in with both feet. The pictures of me on the beach served as motivation as well, LOL. My advice? If you ever start to feel burned out, just go with it. It will pass much quicker than forcing yourself to do something you resent. Oh- and next time, I fully expect you to meet me in FL for a blog reunion. The first round of shrimp is on me.

Fitness Swim Class

Well, I've done it. I've attended the Adult Fitness Swim Class" at the Kroc center in Coeur D Alene. It's on Tues/Thurs 12:30-1:30, and I LOVED it! There were only two of us, so the "coach" tailored the workout for each of us. After my "warm-up" (only 200 Meters) she adjusted the workout for me, since she could see I already knew how to swim.

It's amazing how just having someone on deck (even if they're a nice person not yelling at me to go) makes me actually do a workout harder. So far, I've been swimming only a couple of times a week (at the most). Each time I would do about 3,000 yards or so...but I had a hard time making myself go hard. Today, we only did about 2,000 meters (they changed the pool around so it's now meters), and it KILLED me! We had three sprint sets, and I was dead tired and completely out of breath during all three. It was so good for me.

I'm actually looking forward to Thursday!

I have a provost blog

I forgot to tell you, I have a provost blog and have been using it since late April. It was a bit risky, since you never know who is going to not be happy with things you decide as a provost, but I took the plunge. So far, so good.

Of course, I set it up so that I would have to approve any comments blogged in response to what I post. The entire campus community can access it, and as in any community, you never know what you might get.

So if you are bored, you can go scan it and find out what is going on at NSU...well...some of what is going on.

http://martintadlock.blogspot.com/

Ouch.

Well, I think I'm officially done running. I started the "easy start" program from Runner's World...and didn't even make it past the first week without having full-blown tendonitis set in. It's all over my feet, and my calves. My ankles and calves have actually swelled up this time. I'm for sure this is actually tendonitis again; all I know is I can barely walk let alone run. :( My sprint tri the weekend of July 24th will be pretty funny. I'm just hoping I'll be able to finish it, even if I walk the entire last leg.

I'm hoping the weather will change quickly, and I can start blading again. Until then...I guess I'm stuck with biking. I am trying to focus on taking more spin classes, since they tend to kick my butt, and as long as I don't do any of the standing stuff, I can still use my lower-extremities after the class.

Figured out!!!

I figured it out. I've been having allergies for a few weeks now...okay, more than a few weeks. My Allergist had told me I could take up to five OTC Zyrtec each day to help control them. I've been doing that. Well...duh! I guess I'm so dumb sometimes that I didn't realize they could make me tired.

So now I'm on a new Rx...and hopefully in a few days, I'll be down to One Zyrtec per day. Wish me luck!

I'm so happy....I thought something serious might be wrong with me!

Tired

For some reason, I've had NO energy the last three days. I don't know why. I've gotten enough sleep...that's all I want to do. As soon as I start to do anything (even going up the stairs!) my heart-rate jumps and I start to sweat. I don't know if I have some sort of bug, or if I'm just SO out of shape....maybe I'm lacking in some vitamins? Any suggestions?

Update

10 days until my first half marathon. I can't believe it. Today, my friend and I have a 6 mile steep run. It's our last day to really build strength. I never thought I'd be talking about anything over 3 miles. I'm always amazed at what my body can do when I let it do it's job.

I'm learning a lot about fueling with long distances. More specifically, what my body doesn't like. Mile 11 on Monday was faster than any of the others as I discovered that my guts do NOT like GU. Luckily, they don't close the bathrooms at the park after dark. Thank heaven it wasn't a 12 mile loop. I'm so glad I'm trying these things out before race day. That would have been a disaster at the top of a very high mountain. Yikes.

I'm still trying to figure out what to do with my ankles and feet. Any run under 8 miles or so and I'm fine, but if I throw in those last few miles, I can hardly walk the next day. I've started taking ice baths after my runs, which seems to help. I'm told, my muscles will adjust. They'd better do it fast.

I'm praying for rain on race day. My body seems to perform so much better in cooler conditions. Guess we'll have to wait it out like everything else.

Hey- weren't there more people on this blog than just us three?

Wahoo!

Well, I've lost 4.4 pounds during week 1. It didn't help that I was only able to work out 4 days, due to the last three days having the stomach flu. The stomach flu did contribute (probably entirely) to the weight loss. Either way, I'll take it!

I was able to move up to the next phase today...so far, I'm not even that sore. It consists of 50 minutes of squats, lunges, push-ups, and other stuff that makes me want to cry...however, I feel like I'm making progress...and I've done it everyday...well, except for the days I couldn't get away from the toilet (sorry for the nasty details).

Anyway...I don't know what will happen this week, once I've been back on regular food for more than a day..but at least I'm still at it!

I think I Might Be Crazy

I'm not a distance runner. Why I signed up for a half marathon on trails is beyond me. For some reason, I thought it might be fun. It's now two and a half weeks away, I'm 5lbs heavier than when I started training for it (thanks for visiting, mom and dad) and I had about two weeks where I was unable to train because of sickness. So far, I've only done a few 6 mi trail runs. Today, I'm attempting to do a 10 mi trail in the hopes that my body will magically get thinner and stronger. I think I might be crazy.

Ready!

After an amazing cruise with my amazing husband, I've gained another 10 pounds. It was so worth it! The food was amazing.

The first weekend I was back, I went to a "Time Out for Women" conference. It was on hope. They asked us to create our own Hope list. On my list, I wrote that I hope for self-control. Then someone gave a talk on taking control of the things we Can control, and letting go of the things we CAN'T. That is my goal. I'm going to take back control of myself, and do what I need to do to be healthy.

Monday (tomorrow) I'm committing to do the "Slim in Six" program. No excuses...it's not going to be a question on whether or not I am going to do the workouts that day, just a matter of when I'm going to do them. I'm also starting WW again.

So, for the next 6 weeks, I can do it! If I can go without sweets for a month, I can commit to 6 weeks of a healthy lifestyle for myself.

Wish me luck!

Running around

Sorry to never get here anymore, but my running is mainly from meeting to meeting. I do manage to go out about 3 times a week to bike and/or run. Today was a 3 mile run. I should wear a pedometer, because I believe I put in the miles during the day while walking around in a suit.

C'est la vie.

Be careful what you ask for!

Despite the lack of regular running and biking, I have cut way back on the calorie intake. Mainly because all I have time for is a fiber bar for breakfast, another one for lunch, and then a microwaved smart choice for dinner.

Keeps me healthy without really trying!

Don't stop the training!

Race Day

Race is done!! I survived, which was the big goal for Saturday. I ended up seeding myself back farther because of my gimpy shoulder. The last thing I wanted was to have people swimming over me. As it turned out, I did a personal best in my 300m swim and surprised myself with how little it bothers me to cut people off! It's still pathetic by actual competitive swimmer standards, but I was pleased. I was even happier when I realized that when I took a moment to dry off before I hit the cold air, I did so before I crossed the timing mat. This means I was even faster than I thought. I wasn't expecting to run barefoot across frost covered grass to get to transition even though I knew it was going to be a cold day. I was hoping that my adrenaline rush would be enough to distract me from my numb feet. Yeeeaaaa... not so much. It turns out I'm a wimp even with adrenaline surging through my veins!

Right onto the bike course, I was hit with a three mile hill. I was surprised how fast my feet got numb. I picked up the pace purely to get off the bike and get into some shoes. By the end of the bike, the numbness was creeping into the rest of my foot. I spent the last few miles wondering why I didn't use my toe warmers on my bike shoes. WHY?!!

The run was a little tough with my shoulder issues, thankfully I was still distracted in the first mile with my frozen feet. I felt like I was running on stumps, it was actually humorous. It's surprising how much a little pain can sap from your energy. I kept reminding myself that this race was already blown and I needed to pay attention to what my body could actually handle today. It really helped! I have such a sprinter's mindset. I want to go hard and go home, so I'm always burning out too soon. I kept repeating, "patience" to myself when I would be tempted to speed it up a bit and a tried to calm my mind and settle into a good rhythm. A few girls from my team were there to run with me. I really appreciated the sentiment.

I'm really glad I decided to do the tri even with all the issues I was having. It got a lot of pre-season nervousness out of my system, showed me my training weaknesses, (i.e. hills, hills, hills) and made me a little tougher. Next up is the trail run. I'm switching trainers, so we'll see how this goes. I think Nikki might know him, Chris Meek? Anyway, if I learn anything new, I'll be sure and pass it on! Thanks for the advice, Steph. My chiropractor told me to use the same thing.

On a funny side note, a couple in line behind me asked why we were getting body marked. I jokingly said, "So they can identify our bodies." They looked at me terrified, until I told them I was kidding. I'll try to be more helpful next time, I can be such a jerk. LOL

Okay, who's next? Any races coming up?

Panic

I woke up yesterday with a splitting migraine and calves so cramped I could hardly walk. I'm stumped. Throughout the day, I endured a series of random charlie horses in my jaw, shoulders, wrist etc. I've never had this before, I have no clue what to do about it! Race day is this Saturday and I'm not full of much confidence. Nothing has changed with my training or nutrition. I'm going to concentrate on getting water and salt pills today and see if that helps. I also scheduled a massage and a trip to the chiropractor for today. This morning is a little better but with my calves burning from walking up the stairs I'm a bit nervous about all the hills at my tri. Any other ideas?!

Miss me?

Wow. It's been too long since I've posted. The nutrition was going well until I started creatine to build up my shoulder muscles. It's funny what weight gain can do to the self esteem even if it's muscle! I haven't stepped on a scale for four days. New record, HA! I'm kind of sick of monitoring it to be honest. I feel good, my pants fit. I think I'm taking the month off from weight worries.

I have a tri this weekend that I was trying to keep really quiet so no one would show up. I really wanted to use it to gage my progress without any unwanted pressure. Well, it looks like half the team is coming to cheer me on. I was bummed at first until they offered to run the last mile with me. That might actually be nice to have some pacers there. It's still freezing here and race day is expected to be 45 degrees with a high of 50. Last Sat. I walked out to my car in my towel after swimming and whined like a little girl. I'm sick of being cold. Why am I doing this race?!!

On a happy note, I did a personal best in my 5k last week in training. Still an embarrassing time but real progress for me. I did a 26:30. Like I said, nothing to put on Facebook, but I'm just thrilled that I'm finally making progress. It's amazing how much faster you can run when you're not in excruciating pain. Now that my shoulder is feeling better, maybe I can start to bring that time down. I'm thinking plyometrics are in order.

Next on the agenda, I have a half marathon trail run on the Timp trails. Will I die? Probably not. Will I want to die? Most certainly, yes. I'm still excited though. Race officials have warned of mud, a little snow, stream crossings etc. Sounds like my kind of race. I've been up on the trails a lot training. We have some ultra-marathoner friends that have Ryan freaked out with me running alone up in the mountains. He bought me a gun. (yes, you read that right) I'm taking my concealed weapons class soon and it looks like I'll be pulling a Lara Croft for my long runs. I still think I'm going to look like a dork. That's a whole other subject. haha

I hope everyone's training is going well. I'll let you know how my race went!

Wahoo!

Elli is fixed! I can't believe that I'm actually excited to have Eli back with me. I burned 450 cals. in 35 minutes compared to the 200 I burn on the Rec. bike.

Plus, I MIGHT have figured out what's wrong with me foot? Not sure, but hoping. I've ordered some new shoes that are, once again, Saucony, but are extreme cushion, and in wide width. The ones I have are neutral shoes, but not as "cushiony" as could be. I read a few reviews on the shoes that I currently have, and a couple people have had front foot pain and swelling...they think it's from lack of cushion in the front...I'm really hoping that's what it is. That way, with my new shoes, I'll be able to start running again. I'm sick of having a painful and swollen foot!

I have managed to go blading a few more times, plus make it to the gym almost daily. My "no sweets" is also still going good. I haven't broken down yet. I can say, I am really looking forward to April 1st...but I'm hoping I'll have more control over my cravings.

Today

This AM I went with Crystal to the gym. We only stayed for a little bit, but I got 35 minutes on the bike done. (Elli is out of commission right now, and they only have one...) Later in the morning, I made it over to Coeur D Alene and did a cross machine (cross between a stepper and Elli) for 30 minutes, than swam for 30 minutes. After that, I helped my friend Mary move some large things around in her home...a fridge, table saws, storage...etc. Overall, I had a good workout day.

Thanks to Tami as of March 1st, I'm swearing off all sweet treats for 1 month. I'll see how it goes. I can do it for one month. I'm hoping that after the one month, my CRAZY habit will be gone. There are two commitments you could choose from, one month or three. I didn't do three, because I knew it wasn't realistic with our cruise being in April.

Anyway...wish me luck starting March 1st. It's something that really needs to be done, and now I have a good support to accomplish it. :)

Boring

Well, I haven't posted, because I don't have anything to post. I wasn't able to make it to my Podiatrist appointment last week (due to some car key issues), but I am going tomorrow. My foot is still swollen and still hurts. I have found the I can use Elli with relatively little pain...that was actually a pleasant surprise. I've been so bored on the stationary bike! Plus I don't work as hard as I should on it, so I wasn't burning very many calories.

I've started keeping a food journal. I do really good for a couple of days, and then not so good again. At least I'm making the effort...right?

Dad, you're doing awesome. Are things finally slowing down so you can find time to workout? It sounds like they are....

where have all the bloggers gone?

Its February! And in Oklahoma, that means spring is on the way!

But where are the blogs here to inspire me to do something about that...to get out and run and bike and sweat and all that good stuff!

Ok...actually...last weekend I biked both Saturday and Sunday. Did about 10 miles each day, which is half of what I was doing last summer, but hey, its February! I then ran 3 miles Thursday evening and just got back from doing 4 today.

Its an interesting town to run in. Neighborhoods are very mixed here, so you are running past homes that are barely livable on one block, then very nice the next, then apartments, then nice homes, then trailer parks, then average homes...etc. The home landscape constantly changes.

And there are HILLS...so my legs which burned when I first got here have now adapted a bit. I can continue up the hills at a pretty similar pace to being on the level...slowwwwwwwwww but steady. And running when its in the 40's seems perfect; biking when its in the 50's. No complaints from me about that!

But the dogs...man. Some streets here feel like you are running through a kennel rather than along a street.

We have a run coming up on campus soon for cancer, and I think I'll do the 5K. Its a fun run and you get a pink t shirt. The whole day is filled with pink on campus...faculty and staff will wear pink; half the cost of lunch that day is donated to the American Cancer Society. The men and women's basketball teams will be playing in pink and using a pink basketball that will then be signed by the players and auctioned off at half time of each game. Its cool living in a small town and being at a university so engaged in the community.

Anyway, what are you all doing for staying in shape???????? Sorry, I meant ya'll.
I am in the south now.

ice...ice...ice

I'm sitting here icing the beginning of what I believe are shin splints. So far, they're not too bad...so I'm hoping I've caught them in time that they won't stop my progress.

Monday Crystal couldn't go to the gym, and I still went. Ya me! I did go a little later...7:00 instead of 6:00. I tell you...when you go at a different time than usual, the people that are there, are a completely different crowd. I got some funny stares from the 85+ year olds that were there working out. Have you seen Happy Gilmore? Well, his grandma was there working out. I tell you, she looked just like that actress...and she was a tough old bird! Her husband, donning tight workout clothes, seemed just as tough. It was so cute watching them workout together.

Tuesday I did a new workout DVD from "Shape". It's called the "bikini workout". I think I'm certainly ready to wear a bikini after completing it. (Don't worry, I'm totally kidding.)

Today we made it to the gym again. I did 15 minutes on the bike, and then 20 minutes on the treadmill. I was able to run for 1 mile (well, jog if you want the details). That felt so good...except for my throbbing leg. I'm so tired of having throbbing legs prevent me from running as far as I'd like to. Is that a sign that I'm getting old? I did manage to do some incline training after my short 1 mile run.

All in all, I'm still glad that I'm working out...and I only wish I could do more.

Great workout

I had a great workout this AM. Did the incline trainer for 20 minutes than ran for 1 mile.

I love my orthotics! The only problem I have, is I swapped my orthotics into my other tennis shoes to see if they'd work. I now have blisters. Guess they didn't work in those shoes. Darn my fat feet! I guess they are a little two snug with the inserts. I'm going to have to find another pair of Saucony's that fit my inserts so I have two pairs of running shoes to alternate between.

In OK

Well, I am in OK. I got to run in 70+ degree weather in AZ for a few days then once here since arriving. Too cold here believe it or not. Arctic front...zero degrees at night and teens in the day. Will pass though and be back in the 40's Monday. Then I will run again.

Its interesting being here...too much to do, but all good so far.

I just need to get in the routine of running daily!

CO Tri

So, who wants to do this? I think the Swim, Run, Swim sounds fun, or maybe I should push myself some more? It doesn't look like there are team races like I first thought. What do you think?

Wahoo!

So far so good. Yesterday I went to the gym in the AM and did the bike for 15 minutes, then the incline trainer for 20 minutes. At home in the afternoon did my "Slim in 6" DVD. Only the 25 minute one, but it was enough to kick my butt. (It contains mostly squats and lunges.) Then I put the Christmas decorations back into our crawl space, which entails me squatting and walking for over 30 minutes carrying boxes. Overall, it was a good workout day.

Today, I tried to go to CDA for a "Boot Camp" class. My friend Mary said it's amazingly painful. After she did it, she was walking funny for over a week. I was really looking forward to that, but the roads were TERRIBLE. Nothing had been plowed yet..so I had to turn around and go back to Kellogg to the gym. I did 20 minutes on the incline trainer, then 10 minutes of jogging, then some ab weights and a few arm weights. I'm hoping to make it to CDA later today and get in a swim. My hubby gave me a SwimP3 player for Christmas and I have yet to try it out! I think by noon the roads should be good enough to go.