305 and Me

I did it! I got my 12 mile run in today and at a faster pace than my 11-miler last week. I was nervous that my inner left knee would act up and prevent me from reaching this milestone, and while it felt tight at times, it held it's own. Post run, I've been aggressively treating it with ice, arnica, Chinese plasters, ibuprofen and stretching. The big Trail Breaker race (marathon, 1/2 marathon & 5k) in Waukesha was happening today, and I intersected it's route and runner's on a couple occasions. I was running the opposite direction both times, which stirred confusion of some faces :)

I ran with my new Garmin Forerunner 305, and loved it. This behemoth contraption takes up the better part of my lower arm - just kidding - though it is a huge square chunk of plastic resting on my wrist. There are a million wonderful features. I set it up to alert me every time my heart rate fell out of it's prescribed zone (this is a zone set by me for specific kind of runs - my long run zone is different from my sprint zone or my fast run zone), as well as each time my pace fell below a certain level, also determined by me. Each time I fell out of my heart rate or pace zone the 305 beeps - a series of beeps ending on a high note if my heart rate got too high and a series of beeps ending on a low note if my pace got too slow. Sometimes both beeps were going off at the same time, which was maddening! For example, going up hills I slowed to a crawl while my heart rate climbed. I also set the 305 up to alert me at 1 mile intervals. At each mile a screen pops up telling me what mile I just completed and what my pace was for that mile. At the end of the run I can view the run statistically mile by mile (this tells me my average heart rate, pace and calories burned for each mile), or by map all within the face of the watch. If I choose to, I can also upload my run info to the computer to get graphs and charts to enhance my training. This will show patterns and trends that I can address. What I noted today was that my best paced mile and worst paced mile differed by 3 minutes! I ran my best miles in the first 4 of 12. Miles 9-11 slowed quite a bit, but I rallied for mile 12 and finished strong. I burned over 1300 calories running 12 miles in about 2 hours and 15 minutes. This new toy is going to be loads of fun!

Whirlwind Week

This week has been insane… Perhaps not the best choice of adjective given my line of work! I’ve had to put out fires all week long – a lot of clean up on the client case from last week (the one with the criminals squatting in his house), another client deciding to go off meds, others needing emergency therapy sessions, another having a sudden move come up, and on and on it goes. Barely had time to hit the bathroom some days. Throw into this a gazillion meetings.

Some of these meetings involve me taking on new roles at work, roles which I would welcome at any other time but now. At my annual review in December, I shared that I was bored and feeling unchallenged. My boss heard me, and is directing new responsibilities my way. Waukesha County, in conjunction with several agencies, has federal stimulus money to use on a program for securing housing and mental health services for homeless mentally ill adults. I am to be the County liaison – this means I’ll gate keep by going to Jeremy House, our local 8-bed homeless shelter for mentally ill adults, and assess the needs of referrals. I am also being pulled into a new treatment program within our department that is similar to the main program I operate out of. The key difference is this new program will generate huge revenue and has more paperwork involved at the start-up. Since I’m a paperwork whiz, I was a natural shoe-in to get this program up and running. The paperwork isn’t what you might be thinking – I’ll be doing in-depth clinical assessments with treatment recommendations. This can take 20+ hours of time – reading through records, interviewing collateral contacts, meeting with the client, all to compose a picture of the person, what their strengths are, their barriers to meeting desired goals, and identifying what services could help them overcome obstacles and recover from their mental illness. I’m happy with the changes underway, and just hope my caseload simmers down so I can get to this new stuff.

Last week Sunday I ran 11 miles, and by the end of it my legs were as stiff as boards. An hour of stretching helped loosen them a bit, but they never bounced back as well as they usually do. Perhaps I’m dipping into the over trained category, or perhaps my body is tired of running 30 miles per week. My inner left knee felt tight during my runs this week (and here’s a hoot – I’ve been referring to 6 mile runs as “short runs” now – guess it’s all a matter of reference and perspective), so I’ve taken the past 2 days off from running while still cross-training for movement. Tomorrow I am slotted for a 12 mile run – my last super long run for a while - and after that, I will begin my taper for the South Shore Half Marathon.

Joe received his orthotics Tuesday and after breaking them in for a week or so, will try running in them. After three weeks off from running, the swelling in his second metatarsal is starting to dissipate.

Spring? Is that You?

After a week of sunny warmth, opened windows and people populating streets and sidewalks, clouds, light snow and the all too familiar 30's have rolled in for today, the alleged spring equinox. But, we're moving in the right direction, headed towards the ease of summer ... right?

This has been an exhausting week between a demanding work and training schedule. There were days at work when I barely had time to slip away to the bathroom. Yesterday was the craziest day of all. I learned that one of my client's had a bunch of criminals living with him. This is a vulnerable client who will do anything to be accepted, and that translates into him befriending thugs who take advantage of him. My co-worker and I played Cagney & Lacey to investigate this situation. We pulled up to my client's house and there he sat on the front stoop with the hooligans. It's a long and confidential story, but it was a 3 hour ordeal, the police were called twice, "Cagney" & I had a moment where we feared for our safety, and in the end, we got my client safely removed from the situation. Later, when we looked up the criminal squatters, we found huge rap sheets - you name it, they've been charged with it: burglary, auto theft, sexual assault, intimidation of a witness, domestic violence, battery, resisting arrest, bail jumping, etc.

On the training side of things, I ran 2 miles on the treadmill in my Vibram Five Fingers (VFF) for the first time. It felt amazing. I felt light and nimble. My feet turned over faster and I felt like my feet left the ground more readily than they do in shoes. I didn't feel too sore afterwards, though I could feel a difference in my foot and leg muscles as I ran. Next week I may try running 3 miles in the VFF's - slowly building up.

Following such an exhaustive week, I note how amazing the restorative power of sleep is. Is there anything more healthy you can do for your body then get quality sleep? I slept 10 hours last night and feel terrific this morning. No sore spots from the week, my face is clear, my mood is light. It helps knowing I don't have to step foot outside of the house today. I can lounge in my jammies, read, watch a movie, update this blog. By tomorrow morning, when I'm slated for an 11 mile long run, I should be in top condition and ready to pound the pavement.

Dio likes sleeping in late with us too. He sleeps next to my head on the edge of the bed - all living creatures in the house lined up in the same bed :)

Speaking of Dio, he had his annual exam this week. He usually needs to be anesthetized for these appointments cause he's so surly, but the vet wanted to avoid that if possible. It took 3 vet techs to hold down a 7.8 pound cat with the aid of a plastic muzzle (the cloth muzzle doesn't work, as Dio gets his claws loose and rips it off). Earlier in the week I had convinced myself he had stomach cancer. He'd vomited 5 days in a row, and that made me think of how an ultrasound last November found his stomach lining is thickening, which could be a sign of cancer. Given Dio's plethora of chronic health issues and his advanced age - he's 82 in human years - anything could be possible. Luckily, my worries weren't confirmed, and Dio came out with a clean bill of health. His blood work showed his thyroid, liver and kidney (his 3 problem areas) values are within normal limits. So he's going strong at 16.5 years old. That's a relief.

1/2 Marathon Approaching Fast!

As I was donning my green this gorgeous St. Paddy’s day, I realized how quickly time is moving. “Crap!”, I said to myself in a quiet panic, realizing my half marathon is only 4 weeks away. I’ve been running since July, and have not followed a training plan outside of my own head. I had plenty of time to slowly and safely build myself up, and I have. In fact, my own slow build was better than a formal training plan, granting me many months to increase my distance to prevent injury. I’m running, injury-free, 30 miles per week, and this weekend my long run will hit 11 miles. I’m ready for the South Shore Half Marathon distance wise, but I hadn’t thought about how I would handle the final training weeks, and how I’d taper my training to be in prime condition for race day: April 10th. This realization lead to a frenzied yet focused examination of past training plans, until I found a match for my final 4 weeks. As the luck o’ the Irish would have it, I am exactly where I need to be on an intermediate training plan, so I now breathe a sigh of relief that things are all figured out and under control. I know what I’m doing in training everyday for the next 4 weeks. My life will be about sleeping, eating, living and breathing running! If any of you have the motivation or the umph to come cheer me on along the course or at the finish line, I'd love it. As the time gets closer, email me ifyou might come, and I can tell you where and when to expect me at various points in time along the route. Here's the route:

Blarney 5k

Really, what could be more fun on a Saturday morning than running in a race that you're fit and prepared to run? Heather, her daughter Caitlin (15), and I ran the Blarney 5k this bleak and wet morning, while Heather's 10 year old, Isabel (not pictured), ran the "Twinkle Trot" (try saying that 5 times fast!).

There were 900+ runners for this event that raises money for the Wauwatosa Historical Society - and aren't the t-shirts cool? The course was challenging with 3 long, steady, relatively steep hills to manage - pacing yourself was key. I ran 10 minute miles, which I'm thrilled about given the difficulty of the course. The run was a strong run no doubt as I took this week as an "absorption" week - a week with fewer miles run and less speed work incorporated, as a way to let my body absorb the more intense training of the past 3 weeks. With this run under my belt, I have hit the 300 mile mark - 300 miles run in the past 16 weeks!

Broken

Joe’s right foot has been sore and swollen after runs in the past few weeks. Yesterday he saw an orthopedist, Dr. Zho, and had his suspicions confirmed. He either has a stress fracture of the second metatarsal of this right foot (last year it was the 3rd and 4th metatarsals that fractured) or the start of a stress fracture. This means he’s out of running for a while, which is a huge disappointment, especially since he’s worked so hard at doing everything right to avoid injury. Dr. Zho feels this is an issue with body mechanics, and referred Joe to an expert pedorthist to have custom orthotics made. Joe sees the pedorthist, Kyle, on St. Patrick’s Day. Joe hasn’t given up on the Madison Half Marathon, hoping he can heal enough to begin running with the orthotics in a few weeks or so.

Metabolism

Every so often my gym offers metabolic testing. It’s complicated science and chemistry at work that accurately finds your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Your BMR refers to the amount of calories your body burns at rest or the amount of calories used everyday just to exist as a human being. It does not include how many calories you need to have based on activity level – in part your activity level is what has determined your BMR. You may be born with a low BMR, but you can increase it through exercise. I had my BMR tested in the early 1990’s and it was around 1300 calories. By 2006 my BMR was up to 1850 calories – this was during a time of extensive training for my 10 day Wonderland backpacking trip, and now, 4 years later, my BMR remains 1850.

When you know your BMR you can more accurately see how to reduce caloric intake for a specified amount of weight loss instead of randomly deciding to go down to 1200 or 1500 calories, or whatever. Your BMR can also tell you if you need to eat more, how to train harder for a higher BMR, etc.

The test is administered by a registered dietitian. You cannot eat or exercise 4 hours prior to the test – this has something to do with biochemistry. The breakdown of food and carbon dioxide in your system reveals your BMR in some fashion… the details of all this escape me. The test takes 10 minute and entails you wearing a clip on your nose so all of your exhales are registered through the tube stuck in your mouth. For me the test requires focus because I begin to panic at times that I'm not able to breathe right, or that I'm about to drool all over the place. This part of the test is not fun. But getting the results is enlightening. My BMR is 1850 calories, but based on my current level of activity, I can eat up to 2800 calories per day without gaining weight. Of course I'd like to lose weight - about 5 pounds or so. In this case, I can eat 2400 calories per day and lose about 1 pound per week. When I'm not training as hard as I am now, I'll need to scale my caloric intake back to 2000 or so. I've been more hungry in recent weeks as my mileage has hit 30+ miles per week, so I'm happy to know I can start eating more AND lose weight :)

39

Hello Blog Buddies,

Today is my first full day living life at 39. Had my first 10 mile run as a 39-year old, my first Oreo cookie as a 39-year old (after you run 10 miles you can eat anything, right?!) and my first skunk-y night as an any-year old. Shortly after 3a.m. we were awakened by the searing screech of a vixen in our yard, followed shortly thereafter by the strong scent of skunk permeating our house. I don't know if the fox was trying to attack the skunk, or if the fox was mating and scared the skunk with it's screams, but either way, something made that skunk raise it's rear legs off the ground and blow stank directly into our bedroom. It's amazing how little buffer is offered by bricks, mortar and sealed windows. How did those molecules of skunk spray seep into our house?

My birthday was awesome. Of course Joe paid attention to hints and clues I dropped throughout the year to select just-what-I-wanted gifts. He also picked up on my desire to see "Shutter Island" so we braved the theaters on a Saturday (remember we hate all those popcorn chomping people in the theaters!) and thoroughly enjoyed the film. It was a day of fun and relaxation. Nice and low key, but special. Dinner was my favorite: Joe's homemade spicy mushroom pizza. Birthday treat was also my favorite: East Side Ovens vegan brownie (the size of a man's foot) with vanilla ice cream. I bounced to bed.

I love to turn a year older, so I'll never be one of those women who gets coy about revealing her age. Turning 39 is alright, but I almost wish I could scoot ahead to 40. I seem to have a touch of synesthesia, which gives me a different sense or feel for numbers than just their outright number status. To me the number 39 is sharp and angled, like grey crumbling, jagged mountain peaks, set against a stormy sky. On the flip side, I loved 38, which felt round, whole, all-encompassing - a lush green saddle of wildflowers and tarns between welcoming snow capped peaks. This synesthesic perception does not affect me too deeply - it's just a visual of the numbers for me. I'll embrace the last year of my 30's and work on making myself the best I can be when I hit 40 in exactly 366 days!

Metatarsalgia

Two posts ago I mentioned that I have metatarsalgia in my right foot. Here’s a picture of the area affected. I began having soreness in the area shown here about 7 months ago, which has increased in frequency and duration the more distance I run. At one point I was running about 8-10 miles per week, and now I'm up to 30. What is happening is that my first and second metatarsals on the right forefoot are bearing more weight – or the brunt of the pounding - when I run. This causes the head of the metatarsal to become inflamed, which then impinges a nerve that runs between the toes, thus leading to pain. This didn’t happen when I ran in 2008, which leads me to believe that the loss of sensation in my left foot and hamstring, though not noticeable in my activities, may still be causing a slight shift in body mechanics, wherein my right leg and foot support my weight more than the left. Just a theory, but it sounds good to me. Metatarsalgia doesn't usually lead to anything bad, though it can become painful enough to sideline people. Ice, ibuprofen and rest helps me, but get this, so does chiropracty. I went in today for my monthly neck and back adjustments, and asked if there is anything they can do for the feet. My doc said, "If there's a joint we can fix it!" I had some ultrasound with electric stim on my foot, and then she adjusted my ankle, metatarsals and toes. My foot feels much better! (lets see how long it lasts...)

20/20

How do you like me in these huge glasses from the 1980’s? These were prescribed for me over 20 years ago for astigmatism. I rarely needed them or used them, and had plum forgot I had them until a couple weeks ago. It seems that as my birthday draws near, my vision draws far. I’ve always enjoyed perfect vision. At my annual eye exam last year I asked (rather smugly, I might add) if there was an average age at which point people’s vision begins to change, and my doc said around age 40. And here I am creeping up on 39, and literally, within the past month, I’ve realized my distance vision is changing. Sitting on the couch I can no longer read the digital numbers on the DVD player, or the times being posted during the Olympic competitions, or our announcement board at work when I’m at the far end of the table. I called my ophthalmologist for an appointment only to learn my insurance will not pay for an exam before my annual due date!!! (oh well, at least I have insurance, right?) This means I have to wait until July 25th or later to be seen (hee hee, be “seen”). In the meantime, these old clunkers are helping me see the TV and digital clocks with more clarity. Stay tuned for a more fashionable look in another 5+ months!