Fun Facts

And now for something completely different (any Monty Python fans out there?): a frivolous blog post filled with some interesting facts I've learned about Wisconsin and birthdays.

WISCONSIN
Did you know we're the No. 1 state in the production of the following:
1. Horseradish.
2. Overall Cheese production and no.1 in American, Muenster & Italian.
3. Oats.
4. Cranberries (a gimme - everyone knows this) - over 4.35 million barrels last fall.
5. Green & yellow beans for processing (i.e canned goods).
6. Goats milk.

We're No 2. in the production of the following:
1. Milk.
2. Mozzarella Cheese.
3. Cow's milk.
4. Carrots for processing.

We're No. 3 in the production of the following:
1. Potatoes.
2. Sweet Corn & Peas for processing.

We're No. 4 in the production of Maple Syrup, and No. 5 in the production of tart cherries and cucumbers for pickles.

BIRTHDAYS
Most Popular birth month in the USA? August.
Least Popular birth month in the USA? February.
Most popular birthday? October 5th.
Least popular birthday? May 22nd.

Who Knew ??????????

Week 1 Taper Report

I'm at the end of taper week number 1. I'm tired, as often happens in a taper week, as the body absorbs and rebounds from all the training it's endured, but performing well. A testament to my body's continued ability to adapt more efficiently to the training load was revealed to me in my sports massage last night with "Angie Man Hands". I'd gone two months without a massage due to my crazy life schedule. We both expected to find lots of bound fascia in tight IT Bands and hamstrings, but I was remarkably pliable. Only my left calf and right hamstring behind the knee needed a little bit of work.

With fewer miles run this week(only 22), and the loosening of muscle fibers thanks to Angie, I had a strong 6 mile run on "Ye Olde 12 Hill Route" - a neighborhood course created by Joe that incorporates, well, 12 hills! It's a challenging route that Rosanna and I tackled together last year at this time (Z, remember that rainy morning?), finishing in 1:07:53. Today's time? 1:03:00, equalling a 10:30 mile pace. It seems I'm consistently shaving off 4-5 minutes from various route times and distances from 2010. Naturally, this is awesome, but today's feat is even more rewarding because of the difficult nature of the interval training - with hills still to climb within the last mile. AND, to improve my time on this course with the wind always pushing me back. The wind. It's become my spring time nemesis. If winter running is known for cold & snow, spring running is known for wind.

While I only had to do 6 miles, Joe hammered out 10 miles in 1:26:33, just over an 8:30 minute pace. Earlier in the week we weren't certain he'd be able to do this run over fears he had herniated another disc. Last week Saturday Joe awoke to a sore, stiff back, greatly impacting his range of motion. There was no obvious cause for this strain. After 5 days, his back neither worsened nor improved, so he consulted with his neurosurgeon Thursday. Given the series of bad luck Joe's had (since May 2010: metatarsal stress fractures, a month of rabies vaccines, severe colitis flare, bad side effects of prednisone), I think we were both privately holding our breaths, hoping for the best, but prepping for the worst: a herniated disc that would sideline him from running. BUT, it seems a hex has been lifted.

The doctor feels it is a lumbar strain, rather than herniated or bulging discs. The protocol is to not lift more than 25 pounds & rest for 10-14 days, but understanding Joe's training regimen with races pending soon, he indicated it would be okay for Joe to continue running with the awareness that he may be more sore, but not likely to cause any further damage. He prescribed a muscle relaxant, and advised the continued use of ice and acetaminophen until there is a resolution. Chiropractic care may be added down the line as well. Joe has registered for the Trailbreakers Half, so we will race together next Saturday - half marathon #1 of 3 for the year! Hoping for a beautiful day ... not too windy, clear ground, not too hot, not too cold, and sun. Please, just give us some sun :)

Taper Time!

In a week of massive workloads (we're down 3 staff, necessitating coverage of 40 additional clients) creating frenetic 9+ hour days and early morning sessions of running, weight lifting, TRX'ing and Spinning, my carrot this week was reaching 1:00p.m. today. This would mean my 12 mile long run is over, and I'd be easing into my 12 day taper before the Trailbreakers Half Marathon. Showered, stretched and fed, I am already on my way to 2 weeks of easier physical activity. Imagining this moment also pushed me through today's distance. The first 10 miles were fine, and the last 2 were interminable. I began to struggle mentally and physically. I was tired, and my core was tight - was it muscular tightness or was it stomach discomfort from my Clif Shot Blocks? I dunno, but my mind was screaming, "Quit! Quit! Quit! Walk the rest of the way." I countered with "I've got this. What's 2 miles? Finish strong!". And finish strong I did. Are you sitting down? I shaved 5 minutes and 13 seconds off my fastest 12-mile time. This is huge in a sport where seconds make all the difference. I set a 10:44 pace, which gives me a good idea of what to expect race day. With adrenaline making me move faster, I hope to finish the Trailbreakers with a 10:30-10:45 pace, equalling about 2 hours 15 minutes, which would constitute a PR.

Joe had his bone density test yesterday (results in next week), followed by his infusion. He hasn't experienced the fatigue side-effect the infusions give other people, but this morning he awoke more tired than usual. Was this from the infusion or his own crazy work week and increased training load? Either way, it's a moot point, because he ran 9 miles today with a pace 10 seconds faster than last week! His heart rate continues to fall as well, and was an average 9 beats per minute slower today than last week. Again, huge progress. And get this, Joe is thinking about doing the Trailbreakers with me now. He'd consider it a training run (he's due for an 11-miler that weekend), and walk some of the distance if need be without expectation of PR'ing. I hope he signs up!

Enough about our running progress - how 'bout the progress of the boys? Closing in on 10.5 months, Chaco continues to grow bigger, tipping the scales at 11 pounds this morning, while Denali has leveled out around 9.2 pounds. They're both healthy, with spunky individual personalities, but perhaps a little better controlled overnight since we acquired water guns :) Prior to the guns, when they felt it was time to get up (say around 2a.m.) Denali would jump atop a dresser that sits under a window, knocking things off as he made his way to the window shade, which he would pick at until he could wiggle his head under it to look into the pitch black night. Meanwhile, Chaco, after flopping down by my head to purr and painfully (sandpaper tongue) lick my neck, would claw at the carpet in the bedroom doorway. The noise and potential damage of these behaviors continually awakened us and required one or both of us to get out of bed to stop them. A few squirts of water mysteriously striking them in the middle of the night (hey, where did that come from?)has almost kaboshed those rituals. No harm, no foul.

Health Report

For my 40th Birthday, I wanted to establish my health baseline through a full physical with complete blood work, and a mammogram. If there's no family history of breast cancer, and my family has none, you don't need a mammogram before you're 40, a fact that I loved until I turned 40! I had my mammo on Friday, and it turned out well. No problemo's there. The only problem is that I found the experience humiliating. Nothing like standing there with your boobs hanging out, and then having them handled up and down, left to right, pushed, pulled, and readjusted for the perfect mammography angle! The recommendation is to have one every year after 40, so in another 361 days, guess where I'll be? At least we don't need colonoscopies until we're 50!

My blood work revealed an important truth - my vegan fitness oriented lifestyle is enough to overcome bad DNA. Heart disease with high cholesterol and high LDL numbers run rampant in my family. Both maternal uncles have had quadruple bypass heart surgeries before or near the age of 60. Their father had multiple strokes before the final one killed him. My mom typically has high lipid panel numbers despite exercising and eating right. Here are my worry-free fasting results:

LIPID PANEL
Total Cholesterol = 180
HDL (the good stuff) = 106 (this makes me a super rock star!)
LDL (the bad stuff) = 83 (anything under 130 is good)
Triglycerides = 57 (anything under 200 is good)

MISCELLANEOUS
Glucose = 76 (perfection)
Hemoglobin = 12.7 (ma, thought you'd be interested in my H&H numbers)
Hematocrit = 38
Protein = 7.1 (6.0-8.05 is desirable)

Three cheers for perfect health.
Hip Hip Hooray!
Hip Hip Hooray!
Hip Hip Hooray!

Just 3 Weeks To Go...

My first half marathon of 2011 - The Trailbreakers here in Waukesha - is three weeks away, on April 2nd. I'm feeling strong and prepared at this point. I ran 27.5 miles this week, reaching mile 225 of the year, and find my legs bounce back quickly - rarely feeling stiff or sore. Today was an 11 mile long run through strong Westerly gales (or to be more literary, I could say a dogged zephyr!), and it couldn't have gone better. Well, actually, it might have gone better if it wasn't so windy, cause the wind can slow your time down considerably, but that said, I ran this route 4 minutes faster than I have in the past. My overall pace for this hilly course (and lets not forget that cold wind!) was a 10:40 pace with an average heart rate of 161. The last time I did this route my pace was 11:00 and my average heart rate was 160. What this tells us is that my conditioning continues to improve cause I can run longer and faster without increasing my heart rate, and for those who understand the technical workings of athletic endeavors know this reflects a higher lactate threshold. Yes! Accomplishment is what keeps me running - not a pure physical love of running, which I find is rare amongst runners. That's right, most runners don't particularly enjoy the act in and of itself, it's the sense of success, of making progress, as well as the weight management benefits, that keeps most of us coming back.

So where is Joe at with his running? I am excited to share that he is doing very well! He ran 8 miles today, which is the distance that has historically been his breaking point - literally the point in time when his metatarsals begin to fracture. At the end of his run, his feet felt fine, so next week it's on to 9 miles. Joe also passed the 100 mile mark for the year today, running his first 20 mile week in a looooong time. AND, his heart rate is coming down, as his speed increases. (You may recall that Prednisone had increased Joe's resting heart rate to an alarming 90 bpm or so, which left little room for a comfortable increase during cardio activity. He's been off Prednisone for a month now, and it is finally working it's way out of his system.)

Next weekend is my 12-miler and then I begin a 2 week taper. Fingers are crossed that spring-like weather arrives soon - I have to admit that the wind, the snow and the ice are really getting old. Race day could be snowing & sloppy,or sunny and invigorating. I think we're long overdue for the latter, so I'll cross my toes as well :)

Secret Birthday Weekend

Festivities for my 40th Birthday began 5 days in advance... There I was hammering out my 5th mile on the treadmill early Wednesday morning, when Rosanna walked in with a vase full of brightly colored flowers and a card. Thursday morning I arrived to work to find my cube decorated with balloons, "Happy Birthday" chevrons hanging around the perimeter walls, metallic confetti on the desks, and party favors on the side. Later that day, my closest co-worker's took me out to Taste of India, and generously plied me with gifts from Vera Bradley and J.Jill.

By the time Friday dawned, I wondered how much better my birthday could get, and how the secret getaway planned by Joe would unfold. But before the fun could commence, Joe & I dutifully completed our long runs (Joe 7, me 9) in the chilly rain. Runs done, bags packed, we hit Tandoor, then I94 West to WI-82 West towards Mauston, then beyond Mauston into a beautiful part of Wisconsin unknown to me. Up large hills, around sharp bends, and down precipitous slopes, we made our way to a secluded cabin. The log cabin, named "The Bear's Den", came into view as we inched up an icy single track road. And here is what I saw...

This 640 sq. ft. tri-level cabin would be our home for the next 48 hours! With views of unfolding bluffs and rolling tree covered hills, we would see no people, no light pollution, nor hear unwanted noise. We would also have forced down time with no Internet, TV, or phone service. Naturally, Joe thought of everything. He brought all my favorite meals and snacks, movies (a selection of my favorites: Seven, Jesus Christ Superstar, American History X, Fight Club, Gladiator) to watch and a plan to hike at Wildcat Mountain State Park (just 6 miles away). Saturday was a chilly & breezy day which kept people inside, and allowed us to have the trails to ourselves. The trails were still deep with snow, and steep at times as you worked to reach a vista like this...

Once we felt amply windburned and hungry, we returned to the cabin for a lazy lunch, followed by reading, which lent itself to unintended napping. Waking near dusk, we strapped on snowshoes to hike the vast valley and hills surrounding "The Bear's Den." The darkness encroached quickly, inspiring coyotes to howl and owls to hoot. It felt magical, and in the distance, our cabin looked magical ...

Sunday the sun took over to spread joy & light on my actual birthday. The celebration extended throughout the day. Joe had sprinkled me with gifts over the weekend (thoughtful gifts given at thoughtfully planned moments - for example, he got me a Black Eyed Peas CD, and had it in the car to give to me while driving to the cabin at the point in time when he knew our radio would lose NPR's signal), but had more gifts waiting for me at home. He made my favorite homemade pizza, as well as homemade brownies, with ice cream to boot!

And just when you think things couldn't get better? Sitting on the counter in the Saturday mail pile our pet sitter brought in, was a letter from Sequoia Kings National Park confirming we got the permit and dates we requested for our dream backpacking trip this summer! The greatness of the past 5 days, including over 50 Facebook birthday wishes (somehow they mean a lot, ya know?), AND knowing I still had today off, made this possibly the best birthday ever. I think my 40's are going to be amazing.