Terry's Marathon training thread (Comments welcome)

[geetey]

LOL, Beth. I am sure I will have a headache once we get a bill. This orthodontist hasn't billed us once yet since we started with him! ACK! Let's hope it is because we are under new insurance and have coverage, not that he wants to hit us after the holidays. Actually I was trying to show a headache, and then pixie dust making me happy. Not so good with the smilie message game.

My day finished up well. I didn't need any additional Naproxen (just 2) and even went to the grocery store after the orthodontist! That's big stuff for me, considering how I was feeling several weeks ago. The kids and I even went to Bath and Body Works after homework was finished, so I could grab some of their 5 for $10 soaps while they were still on sale. :jumping4:

Yesterday's rest was good. Today is 50 minutes of walk. I have put off the inevitable long enough. The rain isn't going to stop. I shall just count this walk as good practice for the marathon in case there is rain that day! Yeah... that's the ticket!

 

[sharoncity]

I am so glad you were feeling up to getting so much accomplished yesterday! That is really good news for you. And I didn't know about the Bath & Body soap sale! I hope it is still going on tomorrow as that is when I will hit the mall.

Good luck with your walk today. Don't forget your !! Doe has one with ears. How about you?

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

TTFN-
Sharon

 

[geetey]

Thanks, Sharon! I admit, I didn't walk outside. I ended up using the treadmill instead. I wouldn't have used an umbrella anyway. It might slow down my pace - wind resistance, you know. That umbrella sounds adorable!! I might have to look for one of those while in WDW!

I did 2.4 miles in 50 minutes and was able to increase my pace as I went, which is good news. I had to hold on the whole time. I think if I could have let go and walk with a longer stride, I could have gone even faster!!

 

[Tera]

Hi Terry...

Sounds like you had a busy holiday weekend, but that everything went well. I'm glad your doing better.

I know how you feel about the ortho. I have one in braces now and hopefully my youngest DD won't need them, but you never know as their adult teeth are still comingin.

Keep going with the walking and remember not to over do it.

 

[Princess Michelle]

Terry, I'm so glad you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, it truly does sound like something right out of a Norman Rockwell painting or something! LOL I dream of spending a Thanksgiving or especially a Christmas surrounded by freshly fallen snow and going out to play! Someday I will move up North and make it a reality! Too funny about your silly pooch being afraid of the snowman. Maybe he thought he was that evil looking snowman from those Lipton Brisk Ice Tea commercials!

I hope you are having a great day!

 

[AuroraluvsPhillip]

Hi Terry,
I just finished your journal. Thanks for posting in mine. I give you credit for training for the half marathon, especially as the weather gets colder. I hate the cold, but I will persist. By the time spring comes, we will be used to our workouts and can enjoy them more.

I'm a nurse too, by the way, actually a nurse anesthetist, but, like Beth, I worked as a cardiac nurse for many years. Your poor legs. IM's are so painful there. Maybe a little walk after the shot would help the pain by moving the blood around and distributing the medication quicker.

If your B/P is elevated, you could get headaches too. Exercising too strenuously will raise your blood pressure, so I think your plan of easy walking for longer distances is better. As you get healthier and your aerobic capacity improves, so will your blood pressure and your cholesterol and lipid readings.

I can't remember his name, but there is that talk show guy who has MS and he swears by his exercise routine. I read his book and he is in great shape, but says there are days where he just has no interest in exercise, but forces himself to do it because it has helped him so much. Montel Williams, that's his name, my son came up with it just now.

Anyway, good luck with your training.
Jean

 

[toystoryduo]

Good morning Terry!

Stopping by with a quick hello and to see how you are doing. I hope that all is well with you! Have a great Wednesday!

Tracy

 

[geetey]

I only have a moment before taking my son to his first basketball practice but I wanted to report this part of my day.....

I was ROCKING today!! WOO HOO!! Today was my 8 mile walk. I tried a new trail - it was a bust because it was an actual *hiking* trail - with hills! STEEP hills! I didn't get very far before I decided to need to go back to my typical walking path of a 4 mile loop.

It was cool/cold and very windy at times, but.... I finished 8 miles in 2 hours and 14 minutes!!! That time includes my warm up, stopping at the van to get a new water bottle, blow my nose and grab some tissue, and picking up and putting my radio back together! Over half of the last mile was walking straight into a terrible wind (I was at 2 hrs 2 mins at 7.5 miles). I am SO excited!! Before that last .5 miles, I had a 16.26 mph pace! Including that last section, I maintained 16.75 mph pace!

Some things I noticed
.... I had a full Black Cherry Almond Clif bar 25 mins before starting (this will probably end up being my breakfast on THE DAY). Every 30-40 mins, I had another 1/2 bar. For the last 30 min push, I sucked down a Vanilla Bean GU. Not sure if GU gave me the kick I needed. I was feeling pretty tired but that wind was a huge factor. I will have to try GU again because it is easier to carry (smaller).
.... I was walking alone and having a radio made a HUGE difference! DUH on me for not bringing one before.
.... (this is terrible BUT it worked for me) PASSING people helps! LOL! This was a first for me. I am the one typically getting passed. Today I passed THREE people!! Granted they were all 15-20 years older than me.... I didn't want to catch to someone and then end up walking next to them in uncomfortable silence, so I would get close, pick my moment and GO FOR IT! I didn't want to pass them and have them pass me back, so I kept the speed on for a nice little distance and then resumed my usual pace. I see this being a huge tool for me on THE DAY. I will just pick a body and say, I am going to pass that person!

It's all coming together!! All of the hard training is paying off! (Can you tell I am a little excited? )

From a health standpoint, I had my annual ob-gyn visit and my blood pressure was 122/78! Oh yeah!! Now THAT'S more like it!!!! I am a happy camper right now!

I hope everyone is having a good day! I will try to get journals later this evening when we return from practice. Love Ya! Mean it!!

 

[Strings]

WTG! Terry,

I am so impressed with you today. That was an awesome walk, and you've figured out some strategies for the marathon. I am also really happy to see your BP is completely normal. I haven't forgotten you, but I need to look one of the meds up at work. I can't get the info from home on it. Th other meds are all fine. I am still leaning towards caffiene being the culprit for that abnormal reading.

I hope tomorrow is a day of rest for you. Listen to your body, and rest if you need to.

Have a great evening!
Beth

 

[Princess Michelle]

Terry, I can just feel the excitement in your post! :jumping4:

8 miles! Holy cow girlfriend! You go on with your bad self passing those people!

I'm so glad that your BP was back to normal again, I know that must be a great relief to you.

 

[Tera]

Terry - Wow!!! 8 miles!!! That's totally awesome. You should be so proud of yourself. I always work out with music, especially walking. There is something about certain songs that really get me going. I need to step up my pace since I can usually do just over 3 miles an hour, but haven't tried 2 straight. You inspire me to walk walk walk

 

[geetey]

Hello Hello!!

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone! I get a smile on my face from your wonderful words.

Jean! - Hi and welcome! Thanks for posting in my journal. It is so nice to have another nurse in the house. Let me just say right now... Thank you for all you do! If you ever have any suggestions on how to make IMs more comfortable on the leg, I am open! I really need someone to come and mark my 'bottom' so I can add that area into my rotation. The trainer nurse said she can't train us there but it is a good spot.

Beth, I think you are right and caffeine was the culprit. Yesterday she took my bp twice and got the same reading. I was very happy with those numbers. And believe me, today IS a day of rest. I do believe my muscles would be protesting quite loudly if I decided to exercise today!

Michelle, you had me laugh! I was getting on with my bad self! LOL! So funny that I am excited about passing people. Who cares that they are older! They were still moving targets.

Tera, I don't think I would be trying to walk for more than 2 hours straight (unless I were at WDW ) if I weren't training for this marathon. I prefer the elliptical machine. I can go for miles and miles on those. I am definitely missing our gym in TN. It was a fitness center at DH's old job. AWESOME place! A full time trainer, lots of great equipment, beautiful set up and only $16 a month for spouses ($8 for him). What a deal! I would go after I dropped the kids off at school, so the place would be deserted. Who thought I would ever be missing a gym??

Today is a day of rest for me.

Jessie has her first basketball practice tonight. Jake and I will watch for a little while and then leave. It is hard watching practices without running them. It feels very strange to not be coaching, after coaching so much. Last night I had to bite my tongue during Jake's practice. The coach didn't run any ball handling drills - kind of a basic thing when you are starting basketball for the first time ever - but I managed to stay back. I am sure he has a plan. Can you see how much I am struggling with this? Ah, well, it was to be expected. We are the new people at the school.

Sometimes, being the new kid stinks - even when you are an adult.

 

[Auntmeme]

Hi Terry,
Happy Sunday to you! Are you resting today? I take it you were a basketball coach? hard to be self-controling when you may have more expertise. When did you move? recently? Keep up the walking!

 

[geetey]

Hi MeMe!
Sunday was a crosstraining day for me. I did the 3 mile WATP to get my scheduled 40 minutes done. We moved from Nashville, TN to St. Louis, MO in July. Still trying to adjust to some of the changes.
Yes, I was a basketball coach. I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed it! I was pretty darn good too. The kids had a blast, learned their essential skills, learned to 'think' on the court, had good records and still wanted to play. (Listen to me, patting myself on the back. ) I have received a couple of cards from old players. It is nice to know they miss me, but hard that I can't be there. Unfortunately the kids feel the same way. They are enjoying their new coaches, but I guess it's better when it is your mom. (They don't special treatment, but they do feel like they had the 'inside' scoop on new plays, etc.)
Okay, I know it is time to 'let go'. Just still having some difficulties with that.

 

[geetey]

What a crazy weekend!!!

Our madness started late Friday night, when we discovered that the humidifier (in the furnace?) was flooding the basement! ACK!! Water soaked carpet. Stains on the carpet from furniture and the refrigerator. Ugh Ugh Ugh. The entire basement was finished by a previous owner and it had the nicest carpet in the house! Saturday involved an entire day of dealing with the home buyers protection plan (their furnace guy turned on the humidifier), the service company, a water removal/restoration company, insurance company, claims adjuster, contractor, carpet company.... What a mess. Who knows how things are going to work out, but my treadmill is down there in that wet mess! (This is throwing my allergies for a REAL loop!)

Sunday was shot day and then I did the 3 mile WATP tape as my crosstraining since I couldn't go down to the basement. It is easier to WATP down on the carpeting! I was pretty stiff when I finished. I am doing okay today... bigger headache this time, but no body aches, and my fever is dropping. All in all, not too shabby for 1 pm!

Here's hoping for a dry week so I can do all of my training outside. I don't have anywhere else to go!

 

[Strings]

I am so sorry to hear about your basement. What a nightmare! I hope there aren't any issues with the insurance company,so everything can be taken care of quickly. I also hope your allergies resolve. I am so impressed with your dedication. Many would use the flood in the basement as an excuse not to exercise. Not you.

Terry, I couldn't find where any of your meds would cause the hypertension. I really think it was caffiene. That said, your last reading was normal.

Hope have a good evening,
Beth

 

[Tera]

Terry - Sorry to hear about your weekend. I hope your able to get everything dealt with. We had a similar experience a few years ago (definitely not as bad) and our insurance was quick to get everything handled. I hope it works out the same with you. Hang in there...

 

[Princess Michelle]

Terry, I sure hope your Monday is going better than your weekend!

I just can't imagine what a pain that was to have your basement flood. I hope that you are able to get everything worked out and back to normal as soon as possible.

I bet you were a really fun and great basketball coach! I can just tell from your posts. Maybe you can get back to it someday.

 

[geetey]

Well, I made it through most of the journals, but not my own. LOL!

Not a whole lot to report at my end. I have been spending my time dealing with all of the insurance stuff due to the basement. I hope we can get the stuff down there ripped out quickly because I am definitely wheezing and developing a cough. I've got to stay healthy! The holidays and the marathon are coming up!

Beth - thanks for checking those meds for me. I am glad to read that I am not taking something that could affect my blood pressure that way. Once I get back on my losing trend, I hope those BP numbers get even better.

Happy Friday everyone!!

 

[wilderness01]

Hope your basement situation works out ok. Have a wonderful weekend.