This weekend I started feeling better, and I attempted to do my long run on Saturday. Since I wasn't sure how it would go and since I didn't want cold air on my ear (an ear ache had been the worst of my symptoms) I decided to run on the treadmill. I had run 10 miles on the 'mill the previous week, and had managed to pass the time pretty pleasurably by reading my kindle. I thought I would do it again. I think between tiring easily from my cold and adjusting my normal gait a bit to accommodate reading, I did something to my back. I promptly exacerbated the problem by sitting down on the couch in a strange position to read a book I had assigned for my class. Two hours later my lower back felt sore and by the next morning I was in a fair amount of pain.
Monday was the worst. I didn't sleep well on Sunday night, as I was unable to find and stay in a comfortable position. I skipped my run in exchange for alternating heating and ice packs. Yesterday was somewhat better, but I spent a 12 hour day on campus. My back is still bothering me a bit, but after only one run in the past week (4.2 miles on Saturday), I decided that a short, slow, gentle run might actually help to loosen up the tightness in my back.
I ran mid-morning as a break from grading midterm exams, and I'm sad to report that it was not a miracle cure for all that ailed me. However, I do think it helped loosen me up a bit, and it doesn't seem to have made anything any worse than it was. And it felt good to sweat for the first time in several days. Hopefully, I'll be pain free again soon. Because it's definitely frustrating to have essentially lost a week of training.
Running + Yoga + Academia + Outfits + Food + Travel + W(h)ine
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Weekly +/- 2.12
I realize that I write from a position of relative privilege when I complain about a cold or a muscle spasm. They are trivial bothers compared to struggles with cancer or chronic back pain or with the devastation in Japan. So with that in mind I'm going to mostly focus my weekly +/- posts in the future in terms of how my training is going and how I'm progressing (or not) towards my monthly goals and my more long term 2011 goals.
In the - column:
- My cold has been throwing a wrench in my training this week and in my monthly mileage goal. It's also made me a bit of a whiner and a crank.
- My goal of getting more organized has been a mixed bag so far. This was evidenced by the difficulties in tracking down all of my necessary documents to file my taxes, and the fact that I had to reset about five pins and passwords because I didn't remember them in the process.
- Again, I have not been maintaining my food journal consistently. I have also been eating strange things at weird intervals - probably again due to the cold that will not end.
In the + column:
+ I have allowed myself to catch up on sleep this week. Although I'm still not feeling 100%, I feel more rested than I have in months.
+ For the past week, I have been making daily to-do lists, and that has kept me more focused and on track and productive than I have been for a while. I have been breaking things up into categories and then prioritizing them. It soothes my inner nerd even when I can't check everything off the list.
+ My mom had her first series of injection treatments this week. It has helped to reduce the back pain she has been dealing with for months tremendously. She goes back for another set next week.
+ Since I have not been shopping in 2011 and since both M. and I got some reimbursements (and M. got his first ever honorarium as a speaker), we were able to donate some more money to relief efforts in Japan and to move some money into savings.
How has your week been? I hope its pluses have outweighed its minuses!
In the - column:
- My cold has been throwing a wrench in my training this week and in my monthly mileage goal. It's also made me a bit of a whiner and a crank.
- My goal of getting more organized has been a mixed bag so far. This was evidenced by the difficulties in tracking down all of my necessary documents to file my taxes, and the fact that I had to reset about five pins and passwords because I didn't remember them in the process.
- Again, I have not been maintaining my food journal consistently. I have also been eating strange things at weird intervals - probably again due to the cold that will not end.
In the + column:
+ I have allowed myself to catch up on sleep this week. Although I'm still not feeling 100%, I feel more rested than I have in months.
+ For the past week, I have been making daily to-do lists, and that has kept me more focused and on track and productive than I have been for a while. I have been breaking things up into categories and then prioritizing them. It soothes my inner nerd even when I can't check everything off the list.
+ My mom had her first series of injection treatments this week. It has helped to reduce the back pain she has been dealing with for months tremendously. She goes back for another set next week.
+ Since I have not been shopping in 2011 and since both M. and I got some reimbursements (and M. got his first ever honorarium as a speaker), we were able to donate some more money to relief efforts in Japan and to move some money into savings.
How has your week been? I hope its pluses have outweighed its minuses!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Workout Wednesday 3/23
Wednesday: off - sick
Thursday: off - I was on campus all day and then I needed to prepare my birthday dinner
Friday: 3.5 mile tempo run
Saturday: 10.1 mile long run
Sunday: Restorative Yoga Practice
Monday: 4 mile tempo run
Tuesday: off
It wasn't the best of weeks in terms of mileage, and I woke up feeling congested and achy yesterday, so I'm taking today off from running. I'm hoping that taking it easy for another day or so will truly get rid of this cold this time. How's your workout week been? Any fantastic training sessions?
Thursday: off - I was on campus all day and then I needed to prepare my birthday dinner
Friday: 3.5 mile tempo run
Saturday: 10.1 mile long run
Sunday: Restorative Yoga Practice
Monday: 4 mile tempo run
Tuesday: off
It wasn't the best of weeks in terms of mileage, and I woke up feeling congested and achy yesterday, so I'm taking today off from running. I'm hoping that taking it easy for another day or so will truly get rid of this cold this time. How's your workout week been? Any fantastic training sessions?
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Weekly +/- 2.11
In the - column:
- My heart continues to go out to those effected by the devastation caused by the tsunami in Japan. I donated to Doctors Without Borders and UNICEF, but I wish I could do more.
- My flight back from Louisiana kept getting delayed and delayed. Rather than missing my connection and getting stranded for the night, I rebooked it for the next day. While I was happy to spend another evening with my mother, losing the day made for an especially hectic week.
- I came down with another little cold the day after I got home. I probably picked it up on a plane. Fortunately, a day of working from home in pajamas with dayquil and tea on Wednesday seemed to nip it mostly in the bud.
- My husband had to be away for a work-related event for part of this week, so he wasn't around for my birthday.
In the + column:
+ M. might have missed my birthday, but I celebrated it by having a little dinner party with some good friends. I made the dinner and my dear friend S. made birthday cupcakes. I had a wonderful time, and Bailey behaved herself commendably.
+ I ran the longest run I've ever run on a treadmill. While I've done a 20 mile training run and run a marathon before, the longest I'd ever managed to do on a treadmill was 7.5 miles. Yesterday I had to do my long run inside and did all 10 scheduled miles on the treadmill.
+ I met one of my writing goals for the month this weekend - a couple of days late, but considering how much longer this task took than anticipated, I'm glad to have finally crossed it off the list.
How has your week been?
- My heart continues to go out to those effected by the devastation caused by the tsunami in Japan. I donated to Doctors Without Borders and UNICEF, but I wish I could do more.
- My flight back from Louisiana kept getting delayed and delayed. Rather than missing my connection and getting stranded for the night, I rebooked it for the next day. While I was happy to spend another evening with my mother, losing the day made for an especially hectic week.
- I came down with another little cold the day after I got home. I probably picked it up on a plane. Fortunately, a day of working from home in pajamas with dayquil and tea on Wednesday seemed to nip it mostly in the bud.
- My husband had to be away for a work-related event for part of this week, so he wasn't around for my birthday.
In the + column:
+ M. might have missed my birthday, but I celebrated it by having a little dinner party with some good friends. I made the dinner and my dear friend S. made birthday cupcakes. I had a wonderful time, and Bailey behaved herself commendably.
+ I ran the longest run I've ever run on a treadmill. While I've done a 20 mile training run and run a marathon before, the longest I'd ever managed to do on a treadmill was 7.5 miles. Yesterday I had to do my long run inside and did all 10 scheduled miles on the treadmill.
+ I met one of my writing goals for the month this weekend - a couple of days late, but considering how much longer this task took than anticipated, I'm glad to have finally crossed it off the list.
How has your week been?
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Registered: Minneapolis Marathon!
My birthday is later this week (and since I couldn't treat myself to a day of shopping because of GAAD), so I treated myself to an early birthday present. I registered for the Minneapolis Marathon on June 5th!
I had considered registering for this race a while back, but was hesitant because I'm planning to run the Madison Half-Marathon with a friend the weekend before. However, if I run the half on Sunday 5/29 and then only run once or twice during that week, I don't feel like my legs will feel too substantially different on the day of the marathon than they would if I just ran an 8-10 mile taper run the weekend before.
Also because I decided to register for a half-marathon in April and since, with a teensy bit of tweaking of my current half-marathon plan, I will be in double digit long runs again at the end of this week, I think I can be marathon ready in 12 weeks. I would really like to continue building on the base that I've been committed to building since just before the start of the year. Plus, the spring is such a great time to train that I wanted to be able to take full advantage of that.
Wish me luck!
Are any of you planning on running this race? Do you have plans for any spring marathons?
I had considered registering for this race a while back, but was hesitant because I'm planning to run the Madison Half-Marathon with a friend the weekend before. However, if I run the half on Sunday 5/29 and then only run once or twice during that week, I don't feel like my legs will feel too substantially different on the day of the marathon than they would if I just ran an 8-10 mile taper run the weekend before.
Also because I decided to register for a half-marathon in April and since, with a teensy bit of tweaking of my current half-marathon plan, I will be in double digit long runs again at the end of this week, I think I can be marathon ready in 12 weeks. I would really like to continue building on the base that I've been committed to building since just before the start of the year. Plus, the spring is such a great time to train that I wanted to be able to take full advantage of that.
Wish me luck!
Are any of you planning on running this race? Do you have plans for any spring marathons?
Friday, March 11, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Three Thing Thursday
I've never done one of these, but my schedule is all wonky this week so I thought: why not?
1. It is very tempting to just spend all day reading things on my new Kindle, but goals aren't going to accomplish themselves. I'm limiting my Kindling to the evenings and trying to spend most of the day in productivity - working on a publication project or grading papers.
2. I'm loving running outside again this week. My average pace on my runs is a bit faster than it was in the autumn - although it's not as fast as I'd like it to be. After months on the treadmill, I'm finding it hard to regulate my pace and keep it steady. I'm going to try to hold it steadier on my 8 mile long(ish) run tomorrow.
3. I tried Cara Cara navel oranges for the first time this week, and they are so delicious! My mom and I went through an entire bag in four days. We went back to the grocery in search of more, but sadly they were out. I will be on the lookout for them in the future.
How's your Thursday looking?
1. It is very tempting to just spend all day reading things on my new Kindle, but goals aren't going to accomplish themselves. I'm limiting my Kindling to the evenings and trying to spend most of the day in productivity - working on a publication project or grading papers.
2. I'm loving running outside again this week. My average pace on my runs is a bit faster than it was in the autumn - although it's not as fast as I'd like it to be. After months on the treadmill, I'm finding it hard to regulate my pace and keep it steady. I'm going to try to hold it steadier on my 8 mile long(ish) run tomorrow.
3. I tried Cara Cara navel oranges for the first time this week, and they are so delicious! My mom and I went through an entire bag in four days. We went back to the grocery in search of more, but sadly they were out. I will be on the lookout for them in the future.
How's your Thursday looking?
Monday, March 7, 2011
My New Toy
My birthday is coming up in a couple weeks. Since M. has to be out of town for it for an academic workshop that he's been invited to participate in putting on and since I was headed out on the road again, he bought me an early birthday present on Saturday.
I've been wanting a Kindle for months! First downloads: The Complete Works of L.M. Montgomery, Gargantua and Pantagruel, Don Quixote, and The Decameron.
I'm at my mom's house in Louisiana for the week. The good news is that she finally had a follow up appointment with a specialist and he believes that surgery can be avoided. The plan is to treat her lower back problems with a series of injections over the next couple of months. In the meantime, though, she's still in pain and is not supposed to lift much of anything, and I thought that since I'm on "spring break" I could help her out around the house. My plan is to do a bit of cleaning, get some work done on a publication project, and grade a mountain of midterms while my mom is at work during the day. Then I'll make dinner and we can hang out together in the evenings.
But with the light on my kindle cover I may have come up against an unanticipated snag: the temptation to continue reading late into the night while bundled up in bed. Between my mom catching me doing that last night and the fact that I'm reading Anne of Green Gables, I feel like I'm about 10 years old again....
Do you have a Kindle? What are you currently reading for pleasure?
 |
| Source |
I've been wanting a Kindle for months! First downloads: The Complete Works of L.M. Montgomery, Gargantua and Pantagruel, Don Quixote, and The Decameron.
I'm at my mom's house in Louisiana for the week. The good news is that she finally had a follow up appointment with a specialist and he believes that surgery can be avoided. The plan is to treat her lower back problems with a series of injections over the next couple of months. In the meantime, though, she's still in pain and is not supposed to lift much of anything, and I thought that since I'm on "spring break" I could help her out around the house. My plan is to do a bit of cleaning, get some work done on a publication project, and grade a mountain of midterms while my mom is at work during the day. Then I'll make dinner and we can hang out together in the evenings.
But with the light on my kindle cover I may have come up against an unanticipated snag: the temptation to continue reading late into the night while bundled up in bed. Between my mom catching me doing that last night and the fact that I'm reading Anne of Green Gables, I feel like I'm about 10 years old again....
Do you have a Kindle? What are you currently reading for pleasure?
Friday, March 4, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
March Goals
I knew that February was going to be so busy that my only goal was to keep my head above water for the past four weeks. March will be busy, but things shouldn't be quite as hectic so it's time to refocus and start working towards accomplishing my 2011 goals more proactively again.
Fitness/Health Goals:
- Be more consistent with journaling all of my food intake. Most weeks I've been good at the beginning of the week about doing this, but I tend to slack off around Thursday evening. I'm going to share my journal with a friend the next couple of weeks so I have a reason to be more consistent.
- Run 70+ miles in March. I have my first race of the year coming up in April, so the miles need to be logged.
- Drink more water during the day. I've gotten into a bad habit of not drinking much water during the day and ending up feeling dehydrated each evening. I'm going to try to make sure I drink a glass before every meal and one during every meal in March.
- Focus on one yoga pose in particular each week in March. First up: Vriksasana
Writing Goals:
-Get the transcript of the project I'm co-editing off my desk by March 15.
-Translate 15 pages of the transcript into English by the end of the month.
-Organize my campus office and clean my writing desk at home so that when I have time to work on other projects I don't have to spend time digging for files.
-Acquire everything I need to revise and resubmit an article.
Do you have any goals for March? What are your tips for organizing your work space and keeping it organized?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)