In a way it sounds funny to say that I had a peaceful weekend, but I did. It's funny because on Saturday Ladybug was an absolute terror for a large part of the day and then ended the day with a huge fit because she was completely over tired (due to no nap despite 2 1/2 hours of trying to get them to nap) which ended with her falling asleep when I finally got her calmed down. Yet somewhere in the thick of it all (even in moments of frustration), I felt anchored as though I was right where I was supposed to be doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing. And it gave me a sense of peace... not to mention it somehow gave me some extra strength to keep my cool during it all. That's not to say I didn't yell once or twice, but it is to say it was only when it was completely warranted (like when they were supposed to be napping and I heard a giant crash 2 1/2 hours in and I run in to find them both jumping hurriedly into their beds while the glider chair and foot rest were completely upside down... I thought their dresser was pulled over on top of them due to the sonic boom sound emanating from their room).
Saturday was a bit rough on the potty training front, but Sunday was much better. Angelfish was the super pottier, keeping her underpants completely dry and poop free. Ladybug did great other than 2 poop mishaps. But the best part of Sunday was the girls' conversations with one another. One of them was when they were both going to go potty before we went to Target. Ladybug and Angelfish agreed that Ladybug would go first, and as Ladybug climbed onto the toilet...
She said, "Mommy."
Mommy: Yes, honey?
Ladybug: Please shut the door. I want pivacy.
Mommy: You want privacy?
Ladybug: Yes. Angelfish you out too.
Angelfish: I want to stay.
Ladybug: No. I want pivacy.
Angelfish: Ok.
Time passes... business is completed.
Ladybug: Ok, Mommy and Angelfish. You come in now. I done. I went pee! YAY! Your turn Angelfish.
Mommy: Great job, honey! It's your turn Angelfish.
Angelfish: Yay Ladybug! My turn. Hurry up! (Climbs on toilet.) Ok. Close the door!
Ladybug: You want pivacy?
Angelfish: Yes! (While doing a motion with her arms that was like slamming a door...)Close the door!
A few minutes later, Ladybug opens the bathroom door.
Ladybug: You ok Angelfish? Everything ok?
Angelfish: Yes. (Repeat of arm motion like before) Close the door!
Ladybug: You still want pivacy?
Angelfish: Yes, you close the door!
(This was repeated twice until I told Ladybug that Angelfish needed her privacy too and that her opening the door was invading her privacy. Mr. Darcy and I were doing our best not to laugh our heads off!)
As for my Saturday workout, my legs ached afterwards. My quads were pretty much on fire after the bike and my left shin was on fire after (and at some points during) the run. We did a 25 mile bike and then a 5 mile run. The bike was hard - not because of the distance but because of the hills. We biked a trail out in Clermont that started in one town, went to Lake Minneola, up a hill that looks small and then your bike almost stops despite the fact you are pedaling super hard in your smallest gear (can you say 6 mph while pedaling the heck out of your bike... I am not one to curse often, but I used a huge expletive while trying to get up the hill and to survive the asthma attack that decided to happen part way up the hill... my 1st one in 4 years), then back around the lake and back to the 0 mile mark of the West Orange Trail. At one point I was not pedaling and going down hill at 30 mph... so let's just say these hills were steep. But it was very fun and I really liked it. Then the run where my shin splints were evil yet again for the 1st 2 1/2 miles and then let me run the rest of the way. Pain radiating into the arch of your foot is not fun, but frozen peas are pretty helpful. I wasn't fast, but I got it done and I had a pretty good time while doing it!
And now I am looking forward to my weekly training and my girls' weekend this coming weekend. Swimming tonight is always fun, so I'll keep you posted!
Showing posts with label shin splints. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shin splints. Show all posts
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Call me a Wildwoman!
I did it! I am officially a "Wildwoman"! I finished the Wildman Triathlon, and all in all am pretty happy with myself. However, I do have somethings that I want to work on... learning to bike faster is one in particular.
But first, the good parts which in some ways include some of the bad parts. The open water swim is one of the things that I both learned from and was proud of myself. I made the mistake of not getting in the water in the area that we could have warmed up in. I will never do that again. This was my first open water swim and only the 2nd time in my entire life that I have been in a lake. I ran into the water, jumped in and within a few seconds was panicked. Not just a little, but that panic where you feel like you can't really breathe. Why? I couldn't see at all in the water. I got kicked and never saw the foot coming. I'm not someone who is normally susceptible to claustrophobia, but I think I was experiencing it then. After swimming a little with my head above the water, my brain finally kicked in and I thought to myself, "You can do this. You know how to swim and you're good at it. You can do it." And then I remembered a team member who told us that she looks for her hands, so I put my head in the water and started to swim but I couldn't see my hands. So I breast stroked for a little and decided that I needed to try again and see what I could see underwater. I could see my forearms, so I watched for those and counted to 3 for my breathing, and every 8 strokes I looked up to see where I was. Even with the panicking, I swam the 750 meters in 17:15.158. I could do it a good bit faster in the pool, but since I panicked I think I did well, especially since I passed a bunch of the guys who were in the wave in front of mine!
I think I spent a little too much time in the 1st transition. We had to run more than 1/4 of a mile to get to the transition and I wasn't running overly fast because I was barefoot and it hurt my feet, but I could have run faster and will work on that for next time. In the transition area itself, I was ok. I think I will bring a bottle of water with a squirt nozzle to rinse of my feet because that will go faster than trying to wipe them off, but other than that my set up was good and I just need to practice doing the motions of getting things on a little faster.
The bike. I did well with my cadence, staying between 85-92 the entire way. But I think I need to learn how to ride better because even with a good cadence, I was only going 14 mph to 14.5 mph. I feel like I can go faster, but I don't know how to use the bike to allow for that. Maybe I was in too low of a gear? Maybe my leg motion is not as efficient as it should be? Maybe I need to sit farther back on the seat by using my core and until my core is strong enough to maintain it, check every so often so as to push myself back? I'll be getting some books, and perhaps some specialized training if I can get it. Because of this I wasn't super happy with my time: 51:39.837 for a 12 mile bike. I know I can do better. But the good part was that I didn't crash in the dismount zone! I had studied the route map so I would know when it was coming up, and I came in mentally ready to ignore everyone around me and snapped my right leg out, put the brakes on slowly and evenly and leaned forward and to the right, had my leg down, was still and snapped my left leg out, and dismounted. Go me! In fact, I was so happy that I smiled ear from ear!
Then for the 2nd transition. I did well with it... less than 2 minutes (1:58.953), but could have been a little faster in that I decided to run back and get my water bottle. I don't think I'm going to run with a water bottle again, and may opt for getting a camel back so I can use it on the bike and on the run because I have to admit that on the bike, I didn't use my water once - which is not a good thing. I just didn't know how to get the bottle out when going so fast, and while I need to learn, I also need water in the meantime. Anyway. T2 I thought was pretty good other than doubling back for the water bottle.
The run. My shin splints decided to kill me about a mile into it, so I had to walk and run a little bit. And then somewhere I hit some uneven terrain that helped stretch my calves out and the pain in my shins stopped... and I was able to run the rest of the way. If I hadn't had the shin issue, I think I could have gone faster. But I was not wholly unhappy with my time - 3.2 miles in 30:19.883. Not too shabby for a girl who is not an overly good runner (but is trying to improve) and had to walk some because of her shins.
The end was great! I felt so good and so happy... exhausted, smelling like wet goat, but I felt great for what I had accomplished and for what I learned. A total time of 1:46:38.215. Slower than I would have liked, but this one was longer than my first (the swim was almost 2x as long and the run was 1 mile longer) and I know where I want to improve and was happy with what I did well. And I had a great time rooting for my team mates still out there and congratulating those that finished before me. My Team in Training team rocks!
So when is the next one???
But first, the good parts which in some ways include some of the bad parts. The open water swim is one of the things that I both learned from and was proud of myself. I made the mistake of not getting in the water in the area that we could have warmed up in. I will never do that again. This was my first open water swim and only the 2nd time in my entire life that I have been in a lake. I ran into the water, jumped in and within a few seconds was panicked. Not just a little, but that panic where you feel like you can't really breathe. Why? I couldn't see at all in the water. I got kicked and never saw the foot coming. I'm not someone who is normally susceptible to claustrophobia, but I think I was experiencing it then. After swimming a little with my head above the water, my brain finally kicked in and I thought to myself, "You can do this. You know how to swim and you're good at it. You can do it." And then I remembered a team member who told us that she looks for her hands, so I put my head in the water and started to swim but I couldn't see my hands. So I breast stroked for a little and decided that I needed to try again and see what I could see underwater. I could see my forearms, so I watched for those and counted to 3 for my breathing, and every 8 strokes I looked up to see where I was. Even with the panicking, I swam the 750 meters in 17:15.158. I could do it a good bit faster in the pool, but since I panicked I think I did well, especially since I passed a bunch of the guys who were in the wave in front of mine!
I think I spent a little too much time in the 1st transition. We had to run more than 1/4 of a mile to get to the transition and I wasn't running overly fast because I was barefoot and it hurt my feet, but I could have run faster and will work on that for next time. In the transition area itself, I was ok. I think I will bring a bottle of water with a squirt nozzle to rinse of my feet because that will go faster than trying to wipe them off, but other than that my set up was good and I just need to practice doing the motions of getting things on a little faster.
The bike. I did well with my cadence, staying between 85-92 the entire way. But I think I need to learn how to ride better because even with a good cadence, I was only going 14 mph to 14.5 mph. I feel like I can go faster, but I don't know how to use the bike to allow for that. Maybe I was in too low of a gear? Maybe my leg motion is not as efficient as it should be? Maybe I need to sit farther back on the seat by using my core and until my core is strong enough to maintain it, check every so often so as to push myself back? I'll be getting some books, and perhaps some specialized training if I can get it. Because of this I wasn't super happy with my time: 51:39.837 for a 12 mile bike. I know I can do better. But the good part was that I didn't crash in the dismount zone! I had studied the route map so I would know when it was coming up, and I came in mentally ready to ignore everyone around me and snapped my right leg out, put the brakes on slowly and evenly and leaned forward and to the right, had my leg down, was still and snapped my left leg out, and dismounted. Go me! In fact, I was so happy that I smiled ear from ear!
Then for the 2nd transition. I did well with it... less than 2 minutes (1:58.953), but could have been a little faster in that I decided to run back and get my water bottle. I don't think I'm going to run with a water bottle again, and may opt for getting a camel back so I can use it on the bike and on the run because I have to admit that on the bike, I didn't use my water once - which is not a good thing. I just didn't know how to get the bottle out when going so fast, and while I need to learn, I also need water in the meantime. Anyway. T2 I thought was pretty good other than doubling back for the water bottle.
The run. My shin splints decided to kill me about a mile into it, so I had to walk and run a little bit. And then somewhere I hit some uneven terrain that helped stretch my calves out and the pain in my shins stopped... and I was able to run the rest of the way. If I hadn't had the shin issue, I think I could have gone faster. But I was not wholly unhappy with my time - 3.2 miles in 30:19.883. Not too shabby for a girl who is not an overly good runner (but is trying to improve) and had to walk some because of her shins.
The end was great! I felt so good and so happy... exhausted, smelling like wet goat, but I felt great for what I had accomplished and for what I learned. A total time of 1:46:38.215. Slower than I would have liked, but this one was longer than my first (the swim was almost 2x as long and the run was 1 mile longer) and I know where I want to improve and was happy with what I did well. And I had a great time rooting for my team mates still out there and congratulating those that finished before me. My Team in Training team rocks!
So when is the next one???
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The life and times of my shins...
yes, dear readers, you probably have already guessed. My shin splints are aggravated yet again. I dare say that they are back because I am not certain that they every truly left. Perhaps they just lay in wait for me to have a really good run that I actually enjoy to rear their little heads. (Last Saturday I actually enjoyed the 4 miles I ran.) When I woke this morning, I thought that I felt a little bit of pain in my left shin but ignored it because well, it was only one little jolt of pain. I should have listened, it was the warning shot across my ship's bow. I sallied forth to the gym. Biked my 15 miles and then hit the treadmill for my 3 mile run (which on a different note, amazing the difference in the amount of sweat between biking and running...). The 1st few minutes were a tiny bit painful but nothing I couldn't handle. I kept running at a nice, easy pace and the pain subsided. But around the 1 mile mark, my legs (both of them) started to hurt, so I walked a few minutes and started running again. A 1/2 mile later, my left shin felt like it was on fire with pain. So I walked 5 minutes. Tried to run again and this time, my right shin hurt too plus the back of my calves were so tight they were painful. So, I walked the rest. I got the 3 miles in, but had wanted to run them. So, I'm back to icing them, doing my leg exercises and special stretches (which I probably shouldn't have stopped in the 1st place), but reticient that I shall overcome the evil shin splints and be ready to run the 6.2 miles at the end of my triathlon on May 3rd... you hear me legs? Listen up and listen well. It has been decreed.
On a lighter note, Ladybug has been doing great with the potty training. Angelfish has had a few setbacks (like 2 sets of pee pee clothes from school yesterday), but is on her way to being potty trained. They went to the Recommitment Social with me (and Mr. Darcy) last night and I told them we were going to a party. This was a bit of our conversation from the drive over.
Ladybug: where party at?
Me: A restaurant. Daddy is meeting us there.
Angelfish: Daddy go too? We go to his ocice (that's how she says "office")?
Me: No, we're not going to his office. We're meeting him at the restaurant.
Ladybug: Daddy's office has a lot of people. They are his friends.
Me: Yes, that's right!
Ladybug: His friends good.
Angelfish: Daddy's friends go to party too?
Me: No, just us and some of Mommy's friends who she works out with.
Angelfish: We go swim?
Me: No, it's a party at a restaurant. We can't swim this time.
Ladybug: At party we have birthday cake!
Me: It's not a birthday party. There's not going to be a cake, but we can have spaghetti. Not every party has cake, but it would be a wonderful world if that was the case.
Ladybug: No cake?
Angelfish: It not a birthday party, Ladybug. Daddy be there though!
Ladybug: And Mommy, and Ladybug and Angelfish too!
On a lighter note, Ladybug has been doing great with the potty training. Angelfish has had a few setbacks (like 2 sets of pee pee clothes from school yesterday), but is on her way to being potty trained. They went to the Recommitment Social with me (and Mr. Darcy) last night and I told them we were going to a party. This was a bit of our conversation from the drive over.
Ladybug: where party at?
Me: A restaurant. Daddy is meeting us there.
Angelfish: Daddy go too? We go to his ocice (that's how she says "office")?
Me: No, we're not going to his office. We're meeting him at the restaurant.
Ladybug: Daddy's office has a lot of people. They are his friends.
Me: Yes, that's right!
Ladybug: His friends good.
Angelfish: Daddy's friends go to party too?
Me: No, just us and some of Mommy's friends who she works out with.
Angelfish: We go swim?
Me: No, it's a party at a restaurant. We can't swim this time.
Ladybug: At party we have birthday cake!
Me: It's not a birthday party. There's not going to be a cake, but we can have spaghetti. Not every party has cake, but it would be a wonderful world if that was the case.
Ladybug: No cake?
Angelfish: It not a birthday party, Ladybug. Daddy be there though!
Ladybug: And Mommy, and Ladybug and Angelfish too!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Me & My Shin Splints...
strolling down the ah-ven-oo. Just like the old song. Yes, my old friends the shin splints are back for a visit. I have decided to embrace them as they are a testament to my hard work and my attempt to reach new distances while running. In fact, now that I have been running as much as I am, I have found that walking doesn't suit me as exercise anymore... which is saying something for a woman who started out not only hating to run but who found running for 3 minutes straight to be a bit of a difficulty. Today I was supposed to do an easy 30 minute run, but I had planned in deference to my visitors (who are in both legs this time around, although much worse in my left leg - as usual) to walk it. I couldn't do it. I walked for 5 minutes and I couldn't walk anymore. I had the incredible, undeniable urge to run. I didn't run very fast, but I actually, amazingly had a burning desire to run. I almost asked myself "Who are you and what did you do with the real Kate?" To which I now answer, I'm a new and improved version. I'm not quite at the point where I can say that I run for fun, but I definitely can say I run for sport. I gave in, and (to borrow from Forrest Gump) I was running! I did take it a little easy. For the rest of the time, I alternated running 6 minutes and walking 2 or 3 minutes.
I had a nice chat with a neighbor at the end of my run. She likes to off road bike, but trains around town so that she can have the energy for the offroading. I hope she meant it when she said to let her know and we could go for a ride sometime because I plan to take her up on it. And then I returned to the house... to discover a story about how writing in cursive is on its way out in American society and in California is no longer a required (but encouraged) part of the curriculum. This world is turning to true insanity. People are shocked when you use please and thank you (which is already being drilled into our lovely little ladies - in fact, they are now so aware of it that if they make a declaration of a want, they often take Please on the end because they know I will make them restate the request with it incorporated). No one ever really gets together for an impromptu visit, and barely do we have interaction with one another unless it is planned and scheduled. And now the beginning of the end for cursive. As one newscaster pointed out, how will you sign your name? How will you send that thank you note or a personal note (oh yeah, I forgot, people aren't doing that these days either... except for me and a handful of ladies that I know)? A computer thank you note is not acceptable, and for some things neither is printing. Cursive is a staple of a more gentile society. It is a little slower, and allows you to thoughtfully express yourself by keeping you from rushing through just like everything else we do these days. We must band together, my friends!
On to another topic before my head explodes. Ladybug is doing much better and I am hopeful that her loop will be removed Sunday morning. In fact, Ladybug and Grammie are out shopping or at the park (I'm not sure which won out) and will return for lunch (which I hope will be soon because I'm super hungry!). We plan to visit Disney tomorrow after I return from my morning workout. I'm sure I will be falling asleep on our way back! : ) But it will be much fun! I cannot decide who is more excited at the moment - Angelfish, Ladybug or Grammie!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The weather outside is frightful/delightful...
I have "Let it Snow" stuck in my head, which is pretty ironic since the weather here is a little chilly (in the 50s) but not cold and super sunny with blue skies. But, there are worst things to have stuck in one's head! Unfortunately for me, I heard the song over and over again through my entire swim at the gym this morning - an entire 3/4 of a mile swim with that song. I thought I'd be done with it and then the song would return. (I was running behind today so I had to cut something down a little... more on that in a moment.) You would have thought it would have been wiped clean during my 20 minute walk/run because I was listening to the gym piped in music.... which made me laugh because almost every song I heard had a running theme this morning. My left leg is rather painful today - it even hurt while swimming for a little bit. But I think the pool water (which was a little cooler than usual today) may have helped some... that reminds me... I have to ice my legs in a moment here.
As for why I was running late, well we slept later than we should have. It was a bit chilly this morning and Bill was cozy. While Mr. Darcy offered to wake the girls and get them ready himself, I like seeing my children's faces in the morning and I hate not getting to do it. Even on days when they are grumpy and hurt my feelings by telling me they do not want me. Yes, that's the stage they're in right now. They love Mommy one minute and then the next tell me "I don't want you. Go away." Angelfish was pretty easy this morning - as she is most mornings. She was cheery and wanted to be held and talked to and was happy to choose the shirt she wanted to wear and have some yogurt for breakfast. Ladybug was not. She did not want to get up and was grumpy enough that I told her to just join the rest of us when she was ready. A few minutes she appeared and was happy for a couple of minutes but strangely part way through changing her clothes she got mad at me for no reason and ran off and told me not to touch her. I ended up having to wrestle her into her shirt after which she pushed me and told me, "Go away. I don't want you. " and then she started pushing my legs (I was standing up) and told me "Go workout. I don't want to see you." So, I picked up my stuff and told Mr. Darcy that Ladybug was being extremely mean to me and that either she needed a time out or that Santa needed to be told that she was being mean to her Mommy. And I left. Luckily, somehow the hose was in the way of the garage door this morning so I couldn't close it and when I came back into the garage I heard poor Ladybug screaming, crying and banging on the door to the garage. When I opened it she grabbed me and gave me a big hug and kiss. I don't know if she was worried about Santa not bringing her a gift or if she really was upset that she hurt my feelings, but it was nice to be able to tell her that when she says she doesn't want me or that she doesn't want to see me that it hurts my feelings and makes me want to cry and to ask her not to do it again.
Never a dull moment when you have two 2 1/2 year olds with a big vocabulary and a detailed sense of what they want (or don't want)!
BTW, I heard on the radio that the high on Christmas is supposed to be 80. 80? Yes, 80. Insanity. Christmas is supposed to be cold so that you can hope for snow! Oh well. Shorts it is.
As for why I was running late, well we slept later than we should have. It was a bit chilly this morning and Bill was cozy. While Mr. Darcy offered to wake the girls and get them ready himself, I like seeing my children's faces in the morning and I hate not getting to do it. Even on days when they are grumpy and hurt my feelings by telling me they do not want me. Yes, that's the stage they're in right now. They love Mommy one minute and then the next tell me "I don't want you. Go away." Angelfish was pretty easy this morning - as she is most mornings. She was cheery and wanted to be held and talked to and was happy to choose the shirt she wanted to wear and have some yogurt for breakfast. Ladybug was not. She did not want to get up and was grumpy enough that I told her to just join the rest of us when she was ready. A few minutes she appeared and was happy for a couple of minutes but strangely part way through changing her clothes she got mad at me for no reason and ran off and told me not to touch her. I ended up having to wrestle her into her shirt after which she pushed me and told me, "Go away. I don't want you. " and then she started pushing my legs (I was standing up) and told me "Go workout. I don't want to see you." So, I picked up my stuff and told Mr. Darcy that Ladybug was being extremely mean to me and that either she needed a time out or that Santa needed to be told that she was being mean to her Mommy. And I left. Luckily, somehow the hose was in the way of the garage door this morning so I couldn't close it and when I came back into the garage I heard poor Ladybug screaming, crying and banging on the door to the garage. When I opened it she grabbed me and gave me a big hug and kiss. I don't know if she was worried about Santa not bringing her a gift or if she really was upset that she hurt my feelings, but it was nice to be able to tell her that when she says she doesn't want me or that she doesn't want to see me that it hurts my feelings and makes me want to cry and to ask her not to do it again.
Never a dull moment when you have two 2 1/2 year olds with a big vocabulary and a detailed sense of what they want (or don't want)!
BTW, I heard on the radio that the high on Christmas is supposed to be 80. 80? Yes, 80. Insanity. Christmas is supposed to be cold so that you can hope for snow! Oh well. Shorts it is.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Shin Splint Stink!
Oh, yes. My shin splints have not gone away in my left leg. I think they were on the mend and then I did that run last week... they probably weren't healed all the way and I made it worse. Today I was supposed to run, but walked instead for 45 minutes. I stretched beforehand paying particular attention to my calf muscles. During the walk, no pain. At end when I stretched again, I had to close my eyes because of the pain. I forced myself to stretch anyway, took a hot shower, took 2 advil and put an analgesic patch on the spot where it hurts. I really was wanting to run in the 5K on Thursday so I could eat without guilt and get a good gage of where my running is at these days. (I guess I like running more than I think I do because even on my walks lately, my body has wanted to break into a jog at the very least and I have to reign myself in.) All I have to say is that Shin Splints Stink! But, I am bound and determined that this leg will heal and I will be able to run in my triathlon February 1st. Come h@ll or high water!
Ladybug did awesome yesterday with her potty training. She is still refusing to pee on the potty first thing in the morning at home, but once she gets underpants on at school she was a champ! She came home in the same clothing and underpants that she had on all day and only had one small accident at home right before bedtime! Go LADYBUG!
I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, the padres on both sides decided to stay home, but we have some fun plans for our little family. Thanksgiving morning is the 5K Turkey Trot down at Lake Eola. Bill and the girls are planning to be my cheering section (When Angelfish sees me in workout clothes and running shoes - she knows the difference between my running shoes and my biking shoes - says "You go running."), and then afterwards are going to see if the girls will run in the Tot Trot (it's only 100 yards for 2 year olds). Then we'll come back home and cook Thanksgiving dinner (turkey, cranberry sauce - not from a can, green beans, glazed carrots, sweet potato pie, rolls, and pecan pie), watch the Macy's Day parade on TV, and eat! The next day we'll get our Christmas tree and decorate it and the house for Christmas while listening to Christmas music and drinking cocoa and eating cookies. We may head over to UCF for their Holiday Light show and whatever Christmas movie is playing too. At some point we'll try to get pictures for our Christmas card - either on our own (I have some ideas) or somewhere else. It will be nice to have 4 days together!
I'm trying to find an inexpensive club with a heated pool at the moment so I can try to resume my swimming... the quest never ends! Hasta Luego!
Ladybug did awesome yesterday with her potty training. She is still refusing to pee on the potty first thing in the morning at home, but once she gets underpants on at school she was a champ! She came home in the same clothing and underpants that she had on all day and only had one small accident at home right before bedtime! Go LADYBUG!
I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, the padres on both sides decided to stay home, but we have some fun plans for our little family. Thanksgiving morning is the 5K Turkey Trot down at Lake Eola. Bill and the girls are planning to be my cheering section (When Angelfish sees me in workout clothes and running shoes - she knows the difference between my running shoes and my biking shoes - says "You go running."), and then afterwards are going to see if the girls will run in the Tot Trot (it's only 100 yards for 2 year olds). Then we'll come back home and cook Thanksgiving dinner (turkey, cranberry sauce - not from a can, green beans, glazed carrots, sweet potato pie, rolls, and pecan pie), watch the Macy's Day parade on TV, and eat! The next day we'll get our Christmas tree and decorate it and the house for Christmas while listening to Christmas music and drinking cocoa and eating cookies. We may head over to UCF for their Holiday Light show and whatever Christmas movie is playing too. At some point we'll try to get pictures for our Christmas card - either on our own (I have some ideas) or somewhere else. It will be nice to have 4 days together!
I'm trying to find an inexpensive club with a heated pool at the moment so I can try to resume my swimming... the quest never ends! Hasta Luego!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Attempt at Swimming, Lots of walking & biking
Friday there was no workout and thus no blog. I woke up Friday feeling almost as though my head was going to pop off because it was rather stuffy and I was coughing to the point it probably wasn't going to be a good idea. But, as it was, Mr. Darcy had a business meeting in South Florida at FAU so I needed to take the girls to daycare that morning (aka "school") as it was. So, the plan was to workout during lunch. Except when lunch rolled around, it was all I could do to keep my eyes open so I straightened and swept a little (since we had our friends Jen, Steve and Audrey in town this weekend) and then after work went to get the girls and ended up falling asleep on their bedroom floor after we put them down to bed. But, I must have needed the sleep because I did a good bit better the next day.
In fact, I felt so much better that before we headed off to Disney for the day with Audrey, Jen & Steve, that I woke up around 5 am and biked for 45 minutes. 2 things I learned: 1) I REALLY need to buy those long biking pants and 2) they do not leave the giant lights at the high school football stadium up the road from our house on all night like we thought they did. There was a bit of a stretch on the road there that I was super glad I bought the more expensive bike lights with more power because it was pitch black. Just me, in the bike lane with a little bit of reflective gear and bike lights hoping to God that there would be no drunk driver around. But overall, the ride was a good one and I returned rejuvenated... just in time for the sun to come up.
After getting the kiddos dressed, fed and in the car we headed for a marathon day at Disney. It was a blast!!! Ladybug even did a good job telling us when she had to go to the potty and most of the time we made it in time, as did little Audrey (who did even better than Ladybug with it). Angelfish even joined in and went pee on the potty a few times too! We wandered around somewhat aimlessly and hit a bunch of different things, saw Mickey, Minnie & Donald Duck, and even had dinner at the Liberty Tavern where we had pictures with Minnie, Goofy, & Chip and Dale while eating. Angelfish took a header down the stairs after trying to jump on Chip (who didn't see her coming), but she was perfectly fine. I knew she was ok when I got her up and she didn't cry but shouted "my bread!" (She dropped it while going head over feet.) We even stayed late for the electric light parade (or whatever they call it these days). Ladybug rather liked it and Angelfish said she liked it but Mr. Darcy said she was afraid because some dry ice mist got on her and then Captain Hook shot of a cannon of mist and it hit her straight on (Mr. Darcy too - he said it didn't hurt just startled her and him.). When I told her that Daddy said she was scared she said "no like cloud." They were both out by the time we got on 417 to go home.
We were all tuckered out though, because even my internal clock (the one that wakes me up to work out around 5:30 or 6 am on the weekends) didn't wake me up until 6:45ish - just in time for Ladybug to run in the room and climb in bed with us. And we pretty much dragged all day. We had a fun morning with our friends - chatting and the girls playing, and then when we put the girls down for their nap, we slept too! So, I switched my off day for this week from today to Sunday.
This morning I went for a 20 minute walk. Unfortunately, after my walk/run deal last Thursday I woke up in the middle of the night in a lot of pain in my shin, so it's back to ONLY walking for now. The idea was to walk for 20 minutes, swim for 20 minutes and then walk about 5 minutes home. (In case you're wondering, I found a pair of old goggles that I forgot I owned this weekend.) Well, the 20 minute walk went just fine. I got to the pool, took off the clothes that were over my swimsuit, put on my swim cap and googles, noticed that I could see my breath in the air, stretched a little more, and then put my foot in the pool. You know a pool is cold when you put your foot in the pool and involuntarily your leg jerks it back out of the water. So, I tried again, this time being conscious of not wanting to yank my leg out of the water and tried to put both feet in the water quickly and my right foot involuntarily jerked out (it was the 2nd foot I put in). And at that point, my mind told me that this is exactly what it would feel like if I were going to swim in a tall glass of cold water that had ice in it. I am sorry to say that I did not brave it out and get all the way in and swim. I wanted to swim, but I also didn't want to either suffer from a heart attack because the water was so cold it shocked my system and I want my cold to continue to leave my body. I will be emailing the Teams in Training folks to see if they know of a heated public pool nearby so I can try to find a way to still swim, but until then the swimming may have to go on hiatus (and it's my favorite so I am not thrilled about this notion). Instead of swimming I walked another 28 minutes, and part way through realized that it is not likely that I will be running in the Turkey Trot on Thursday. I will definitely walk the 3.1 miles, but I'm not sure that my shin splints are at the point that my leg can take running it. We will see on Thursday morning, but it is most likely that I will walk (quickly of course) the Turkey Trot and still try to run the Reindeer Run in Maitland on December 13th. All in all the end goal being that I will be able to run in my triathlon on February 1st! So for today, the walk ended up being just under 50 minutes instead of the original plan, but I'm still out there... it will take more than shin splints and an icy pool to stop me!
The saga continues...
In fact, I felt so much better that before we headed off to Disney for the day with Audrey, Jen & Steve, that I woke up around 5 am and biked for 45 minutes. 2 things I learned: 1) I REALLY need to buy those long biking pants and 2) they do not leave the giant lights at the high school football stadium up the road from our house on all night like we thought they did. There was a bit of a stretch on the road there that I was super glad I bought the more expensive bike lights with more power because it was pitch black. Just me, in the bike lane with a little bit of reflective gear and bike lights hoping to God that there would be no drunk driver around. But overall, the ride was a good one and I returned rejuvenated... just in time for the sun to come up.
After getting the kiddos dressed, fed and in the car we headed for a marathon day at Disney. It was a blast!!! Ladybug even did a good job telling us when she had to go to the potty and most of the time we made it in time, as did little Audrey (who did even better than Ladybug with it). Angelfish even joined in and went pee on the potty a few times too! We wandered around somewhat aimlessly and hit a bunch of different things, saw Mickey, Minnie & Donald Duck, and even had dinner at the Liberty Tavern where we had pictures with Minnie, Goofy, & Chip and Dale while eating. Angelfish took a header down the stairs after trying to jump on Chip (who didn't see her coming), but she was perfectly fine. I knew she was ok when I got her up and she didn't cry but shouted "my bread!" (She dropped it while going head over feet.) We even stayed late for the electric light parade (or whatever they call it these days). Ladybug rather liked it and Angelfish said she liked it but Mr. Darcy said she was afraid because some dry ice mist got on her and then Captain Hook shot of a cannon of mist and it hit her straight on (Mr. Darcy too - he said it didn't hurt just startled her and him.). When I told her that Daddy said she was scared she said "no like cloud." They were both out by the time we got on 417 to go home.
We were all tuckered out though, because even my internal clock (the one that wakes me up to work out around 5:30 or 6 am on the weekends) didn't wake me up until 6:45ish - just in time for Ladybug to run in the room and climb in bed with us. And we pretty much dragged all day. We had a fun morning with our friends - chatting and the girls playing, and then when we put the girls down for their nap, we slept too! So, I switched my off day for this week from today to Sunday.
This morning I went for a 20 minute walk. Unfortunately, after my walk/run deal last Thursday I woke up in the middle of the night in a lot of pain in my shin, so it's back to ONLY walking for now. The idea was to walk for 20 minutes, swim for 20 minutes and then walk about 5 minutes home. (In case you're wondering, I found a pair of old goggles that I forgot I owned this weekend.) Well, the 20 minute walk went just fine. I got to the pool, took off the clothes that were over my swimsuit, put on my swim cap and googles, noticed that I could see my breath in the air, stretched a little more, and then put my foot in the pool. You know a pool is cold when you put your foot in the pool and involuntarily your leg jerks it back out of the water. So, I tried again, this time being conscious of not wanting to yank my leg out of the water and tried to put both feet in the water quickly and my right foot involuntarily jerked out (it was the 2nd foot I put in). And at that point, my mind told me that this is exactly what it would feel like if I were going to swim in a tall glass of cold water that had ice in it. I am sorry to say that I did not brave it out and get all the way in and swim. I wanted to swim, but I also didn't want to either suffer from a heart attack because the water was so cold it shocked my system and I want my cold to continue to leave my body. I will be emailing the Teams in Training folks to see if they know of a heated public pool nearby so I can try to find a way to still swim, but until then the swimming may have to go on hiatus (and it's my favorite so I am not thrilled about this notion). Instead of swimming I walked another 28 minutes, and part way through realized that it is not likely that I will be running in the Turkey Trot on Thursday. I will definitely walk the 3.1 miles, but I'm not sure that my shin splints are at the point that my leg can take running it. We will see on Thursday morning, but it is most likely that I will walk (quickly of course) the Turkey Trot and still try to run the Reindeer Run in Maitland on December 13th. All in all the end goal being that I will be able to run in my triathlon on February 1st! So for today, the walk ended up being just under 50 minutes instead of the original plan, but I'm still out there... it will take more than shin splints and an icy pool to stop me!
The saga continues...
Friday, November 14, 2008
A good day in the pool and on the bike...
It is a gloriously nice day in Orlando today. The sun is shining and the sky is blue and so far it's not super hot. Of course, it is expected to reach 84 today so it will be hot. But that keeps the pool from being so cold, so I really shouldn't complain!
I swam 1 mile and then hopped on the bike for a 30 minute ride (so probably about 7 miles+). It was great! I don't know if a lot of people took the day off today, but there wasn't as much of the usual car traffick this morning so the bike ride was even better than normal. And I passed the same woman I seem to pass almost every morning with the very yippy Collies. This woman wears a huge hat that covers her face and generally a baggy long sleeve sweatshirt and baggy sweatpants. I can't help but think to myself every time I see her that 1) I'm glad she walks her dogs on a leash because I think they'd try to bite me if they could; and 2) she has to be hot under all of that gear! But I digress... the swim bike combo is my favorite workout by far. Now if only I could like running as much, but I have to admit while I still don't like it, running is growing on me (like a fungus!)... when I don't have shin splints that is. : ) Oh, and I have a theory about my shin splints. I think my shin splints might be directly related to my wearing heels for all these years. I know that wearing heels does something to the calf muscles (I think it makes them be in a tightened, shortened position) and tight calves are directly related to shin splints. I think I may be on to something here, but if only I could find a way to discover if I'm right!
Anywho. On the other training front: Megan had a successful potty morning. I decided not to take no for an answer this morning about the potty. I walked her into the bathroom and told her I wanted her to go potty. She told me no, so I prepared her to sit on the potty and placed her there. She cried and said no, and I told her calmly that it was her decision, but that if she did not go pee on the potty that she would have to wear a pull up to school that morning. I also told her that Ms. Alizette (one of her teachers) told me that she goes potty for her at school and asked why she would go for Ms. Alizette and not for Mommy. (I wanted her to connect the idea that going potty can be applied everywhere.) And then I bribed her. I told her that if she went pee on the potty not only could she wear underpants but she could also have a sticker (the holy grail in our house right now is stickers). She told me to "get out of the potty room, please" and I asked her if she wanted privacy and she said yes. So, I went just outside of the bathroom and she put the potty seat back on the potty, climbed up and went PEE! YAY!! It was great! So, she got lots of praise and hugs and kisses (and she looked very pleased with herself as well) and 2 star stickers too. It was so cute because after she got the stickers, she asked if Amanda could have a sticker and I told her that stickers were for going pee or poop in the potty. So she walks up to Amanda and shows her the stickers, and says "You no want stickers too? Hmm?" (Megan says Hmm? just like yoda. I love it!) Amanda says "yes!" and Megan tells her "Go pee in potty!" Unfortunately, at that point Amanda decided she was more interested in eating. But 1 out of 2 isn't bad!
I swam 1 mile and then hopped on the bike for a 30 minute ride (so probably about 7 miles+). It was great! I don't know if a lot of people took the day off today, but there wasn't as much of the usual car traffick this morning so the bike ride was even better than normal. And I passed the same woman I seem to pass almost every morning with the very yippy Collies. This woman wears a huge hat that covers her face and generally a baggy long sleeve sweatshirt and baggy sweatpants. I can't help but think to myself every time I see her that 1) I'm glad she walks her dogs on a leash because I think they'd try to bite me if they could; and 2) she has to be hot under all of that gear! But I digress... the swim bike combo is my favorite workout by far. Now if only I could like running as much, but I have to admit while I still don't like it, running is growing on me (like a fungus!)... when I don't have shin splints that is. : ) Oh, and I have a theory about my shin splints. I think my shin splints might be directly related to my wearing heels for all these years. I know that wearing heels does something to the calf muscles (I think it makes them be in a tightened, shortened position) and tight calves are directly related to shin splints. I think I may be on to something here, but if only I could find a way to discover if I'm right!
Anywho. On the other training front: Megan had a successful potty morning. I decided not to take no for an answer this morning about the potty. I walked her into the bathroom and told her I wanted her to go potty. She told me no, so I prepared her to sit on the potty and placed her there. She cried and said no, and I told her calmly that it was her decision, but that if she did not go pee on the potty that she would have to wear a pull up to school that morning. I also told her that Ms. Alizette (one of her teachers) told me that she goes potty for her at school and asked why she would go for Ms. Alizette and not for Mommy. (I wanted her to connect the idea that going potty can be applied everywhere.) And then I bribed her. I told her that if she went pee on the potty not only could she wear underpants but she could also have a sticker (the holy grail in our house right now is stickers). She told me to "get out of the potty room, please" and I asked her if she wanted privacy and she said yes. So, I went just outside of the bathroom and she put the potty seat back on the potty, climbed up and went PEE! YAY!! It was great! So, she got lots of praise and hugs and kisses (and she looked very pleased with herself as well) and 2 star stickers too. It was so cute because after she got the stickers, she asked if Amanda could have a sticker and I told her that stickers were for going pee or poop in the potty. So she walks up to Amanda and shows her the stickers, and says "You no want stickers too? Hmm?" (Megan says Hmm? just like yoda. I love it!) Amanda says "yes!" and Megan tells her "Go pee in potty!" Unfortunately, at that point Amanda decided she was more interested in eating. But 1 out of 2 isn't bad!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Return of the Shin Splints
It's like a bad version of the Star Wars movies, although I'm really hoping this won't turn into a trilogy (or even worse a six movie saga)... my shin splints are back. Luckily though this time it's only in one leg (the left). I thought they might be making a return, but I didn't want to believe it... but this morning I did a 5 minute walking warm up and intervals of 30 second sprint and then walking back to the start (essentially 15 minutes worth of them) and then a 5 minute walk cool down. By the time I started stretching my legs at the end of the workout, I knew. So, I'll be on advil and ice and walking only for my "run" workouts the next few weeks (probably 4 weeks because evidently the 2 1/2 weeks wasn't long enough last time). Good news though is that my 1st sprint triathlon isn't until February 1st... long enough to recover and get back into it for the big day.
But, I know I can do it. As some of you know one of my dearest friends on this earth is battling cancer right now. She has been my friend since the 1st day of 7th grade when she asked if she could sit next to me in English class and another friend decided to sit with a different person in class and our other friend was late to class. I just could say no - she was new (it was a small school) and she looked a little lost. As fate would have it, we were inseparable from that point forward... pretty much until we graduated and even after we have stayed very close. It's always been nice to have someone who knew you in the awkward, gawky, braces stage and who you have such a history with. For an only child, she has always been the closest thing to a sibling that I've had - we had our tiffs and yet we always looked out for one another and as adults I think we love each other all the more for all those memories (both as kids and the ones we've made in our post-childhood years). Unfortunately, her cancer has not responded to chemo and radiation and due to where it is located is inoperable as well. She is a private person, so I hope she's not feeling upset that I've mentioned this all in my blog. I just needed to talk about it I guess, but also to express that she is my inspiration to do not only the sprint triathlon but also to take on the international distance triathlon that I will do in order to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. For all that she has gone through, I know that my triathlon experience will not even come close to comparing to what she endures or for that matter what her husband, parents and sister endure. I love her more than trees (if she reads this she'll understand... it's one of those childhood things between us) and I know I can't do anything to change what she is going through even though I so desparately want to. My fundraising for cancer research and support services for cancer patients and their families is only a drop in the bucket, but at least I can try to do something... so if you (the readers of this blog) would like to help add to my drops in the bucket (if you haven't already), please donate in support of cancer patients like my friend and their/her families as well as my triathlon endeavors via the following website: http://pages.teamintraining.org/cfl/miatri09/kmartinmou I will be eternally grateful. I know I am blessed to know my friend like I do and I hope I make her proud as well as earn money for cancer research.
God bless you all!
But, I know I can do it. As some of you know one of my dearest friends on this earth is battling cancer right now. She has been my friend since the 1st day of 7th grade when she asked if she could sit next to me in English class and another friend decided to sit with a different person in class and our other friend was late to class. I just could say no - she was new (it was a small school) and she looked a little lost. As fate would have it, we were inseparable from that point forward... pretty much until we graduated and even after we have stayed very close. It's always been nice to have someone who knew you in the awkward, gawky, braces stage and who you have such a history with. For an only child, she has always been the closest thing to a sibling that I've had - we had our tiffs and yet we always looked out for one another and as adults I think we love each other all the more for all those memories (both as kids and the ones we've made in our post-childhood years). Unfortunately, her cancer has not responded to chemo and radiation and due to where it is located is inoperable as well. She is a private person, so I hope she's not feeling upset that I've mentioned this all in my blog. I just needed to talk about it I guess, but also to express that she is my inspiration to do not only the sprint triathlon but also to take on the international distance triathlon that I will do in order to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. For all that she has gone through, I know that my triathlon experience will not even come close to comparing to what she endures or for that matter what her husband, parents and sister endure. I love her more than trees (if she reads this she'll understand... it's one of those childhood things between us) and I know I can't do anything to change what she is going through even though I so desparately want to. My fundraising for cancer research and support services for cancer patients and their families is only a drop in the bucket, but at least I can try to do something... so if you (the readers of this blog) would like to help add to my drops in the bucket (if you haven't already), please donate in support of cancer patients like my friend and their/her families as well as my triathlon endeavors via the following website: http://pages.teamintraining.org/cfl/miatri09/kmartinmou I will be eternally grateful. I know I am blessed to know my friend like I do and I hope I make her proud as well as earn money for cancer research.
God bless you all!
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