Week of Aug 14 - 2006 Half-Full Marathon Info/Training Thread

[keenercam]

Hi, everyone! I haven't beeen here all week, mostly because I have been so crazy busy but also because I've had nothing to report. I haven't had a chance to get out to wog at all since Saturday. UGH! Of course, I'll be walking like crazy this weekend at WDW. Can't believe I leave tomorrow! Thought about taking my workout clothes with me and then decided to just enjoy the weekend with my friend and count on all the walking (and pushing her wheelchair) as my excercise.

Sunny -- You know you have been one of my heros for as long as I have been on the WISH board, but those pictures really knocked me on my butt. Just last night I was practically in tears because of all the loose skin that now hangs from under my arms. It is so ironic to me that my arms looked better when I weighed 49 pounds more! I am so encouraged to see how beautifully sculpted your arms are. Now I really need to make time to add weight training to my routine. I do think I am going to get some hand weights to carry with me on my fountain walks and try to step up the intensity of those workouts. I'll use heavier ones for targeted arm work.

As for the lower back pain -- I was just at the doctor on 8/4 for severe lower back pain which he diagnosed as an inflamed sacroiliac joint. The therapy for this condition is the same as for herniated disk. The exercises are very straight forward including laying flat on your stomach on the floor and raising your upper body for 5 second holds. The therapy sheet also includes hamstring stretches. As others have said, though, he said a critical issue is abdominal muscles. He reminded me that before my tummy was really big and even though it isn't now, it isn't toned at all and the muscles are literally useless for supporting my body and my back is doing all the work. So, just as everyone here has encouraged, it seems like Pilates core strengthening, large ball work and other abdominal toning should help. Now, I just have to take my own advice. I hate it when I KNOW what I should be doing and I don't make the time to do it. The one part I am trying to do is the 2 aleve 2x/day to help the inflammation even though I have been bad about the preventative stuff. Oh, yeah, one last thing -- he said that if my hamstrings were not as well stretched as they are and if I weren't as "limber" (how funny is that!?) as I am, I'd probably be in so much pain I wouldn't be able to walk upright.

Well, good luck to everyone this weekend on your training. I will be back in the new week! I'll miss you all, but I will be thinking about how the next time I will be at WDW it will be with KeenHo and about 100 of my WISH friends, to do the 1/2!!!

 

[plutosmyfav]

I've been meaning to share this with my fellow Garminites, but keep forgetting. Does anyone use the auto lap? I really like it. I set it for 1 mile and then I use the lap screen. This helps me try to be consistant mile by mile and I have all of my mile splits when I downlad. Very nice feature!

Yes I set my autolap for one mile, too. Its great to get back and upload the run to my pc and see how my lap pace, altitude, beginning-run, mid-run, end-run, correlate. I used to think I was pretty cool doing negative splits. Now thanks to Garmin I realize I'm on a steady downhill most of the way home! This weekend I'm going to park in the middle of the path (well, not actually "on" the path, but near the middle) and work both ends so I'm not coasting at the end of the run.

I'm fairly new to Garmin running. I haven't decided what "smothing" level I like for my pace. I don't like the ridiculous spikes, but on the otherhand, I don't like waiting a minute to see what my new pace looks like either. I know, picky, picky! I used to have one mile resolution (only knowing my pace as the mile markers went by), now I want 100 foot resolution

Helen-- Awh shucks Thanks!

Cam-- Ive followed your journey since you joined WISH and I'm so proud of you!!!! As for lose/ugly skin, I noticed along the way that my arms (heck, whole bod) looked worse at some points than at heavier weights. I think as the fat cells shrink, everything gets a bit lumpy under the skin. But with time, the body does some reorganization and fixes itself (to a point). Drinking lots of water helps the skin regain some elasticity. Adding hand weights for your fountain walks is a great idea. I also did wrist weights for shopping, house cleaning, etc. I started off with 1/2 lb ones and progressed to 3 lb ones. (I haven't done that for a while). Its very taxing at first, but you get used to it. I thought for sure I would always have "bat wings" but they vanished. (My tummy is another story I don't think that skin will ever heal completely.)

Mel-- thanks for the info on martial arts. The first lesson went really well. I liked the instructor (owner) and his assistants. I could see how sticking with this could be very beneficial for DS. We'll do another free lesson next Wed and then I'll decide. I'd love to take classes, too. But I can't afford the $$$ or time. I know there are some studios that have parent/child together classes, but this studio came highly recommend to me. They also have kickboxing. I'd love to let the IC take that!!!!! So what haven't you done?????

So today should be speed work. Ugh. I don't like speed work. Last night I took DS bike riding. He rides I run. I tried to maintain a constant leg turnover regardless of what speed he chose. It was interesting.

Sunny

 

[NYcpa]

Haven't posted in ages. Exercise has been non-existant for too long. First because of a crazy work schedule and then because of surgery last Thursday. I had my rotator cuff repaired. He also for the bicep tendon was ruptured and had to do a lot to repair it because of the fraying. Now I should be as good as new. It only took a year tgo convince him that it hurt all the time. I have to respect his procrastination and try other remedies first and not be knife happy. The bandage came off Tues and the stitches come out next Tues. He decided before the surgery date it would not be a scope surgery so I now have a 4 in incision from the front of my shoulder to the back. Good thing I don't care about scars and such. I also have a 3 inch scar across the top of my left shoulder from a prior decompression surgery.

Goal is to start doing exercise of some form starting today. It will be either walking or exercise bike cycling. It still is painful to swing the arm too much and since I don't have to wear the sling anymore, it pulls on the stitches when it hangs down sometimes. It still feels really tight.

Mel - thanks for the birthday wish. Now I'm a year older but I have no intention of acting my age. The will come when I retire MAYBE. Don't they always say, you are only as old as you feel. I want to stay active for as long as possible.

Need to get motivated and go get a new tire on the car. Erin hit a block of wood in the road which put a large hole in the sidewall. The car only has 8000 miles on it but of course the tires aren't warranted for road hazzards.

Will try to be less scarce and will try to get Xterratri to start posting again also. Her schedule of classes is crazy but she makes time to ride her new "baby" on a daliy basis to stay in shape. I am trying to convice her to post a picture, it is the right color for the Dis boards.

 

[wtpclc]

Kathy - Welcome back and Happy belated birthday!!!! Yes, please get your girls to come bcak to us! Glad to hear surgery went ok. That is not an easy one to recovery from. Good luck! Good for you for wanting to get back to exercising so soon too!

 

[wtpclc]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BREE!!!!

 

[panthergirl]

Greetings to you all!

Another crazy work week so not much time on the boards for me! I blew off my long run on Saturday because my body was just worn out. I made up for it by walking to the Panthers pre-season game on Saturday night. It was about a 3 mile hike if you include the ramps to my "skybox". I got back on schedule on Sunday with a run with my trainer. Tuesday was speed work and upper body strength training and tonight is cardio intervals and abs. My trainer has really upped the intensity recently and I am starting to see some big changes. I think he probably got tired of hearing me whine about my lousy 5K times. I have another race on the 27th which is really just to get the bad taste out of my mouth from the last race.

I have enjoyed reading all of your posts. I too am a stability ball convert and I do most of my ab work on the ball. I admire all of you for your dedication. We'll all do so great in January!

Enjoy the rest of your week. Go Panthers!

Susan

PS - Happy Birthday to Bree!

 

[chimera]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BREE AND JODI!



We need Christa to make some of those death by double chocolate cookies for our birthday celebrations

Kathy...welcome back! Glad to hear your surgery went well!

Sunny...wow...amazing photos! I told DH I kinda wished I'd taken some 'before' photos at the beginning of all this, but that was my camera avoidance period.

Krista...we're living it up lately! We've got football 3 nights a week right now! I thought of you when I saw Hines Ward at the Phil-Pitt game. So what do you think about Terrell Owens?

Susan...how was the game? I haven't been to a professional game since we performed at the Bandits game when I was in high school marching band

Carrie...I set the Autolap for 1 mile, too. I finally turned off the AutoStop...seemed like it would stop while I was still going, then take too long to stop when I actually did.

This has been me this week: Some wicked upper respiratory cooties! I did my two interval days, but didn't cross-train on Tues. Today is rest and football-watching! I have my appt at the Y tomorrow for the personal trainer to help me with a weight/circuit plan for cross-training...really looking forward to it!

Is anyone else getting excited or is it just me?

 

[wtpclc]

Thought I was doing so well catching Bree's b-day and I missed jodi.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JODI!!!!!

Mel - Auto stop is just frustrating. Sorry to hear you've been ill. That's no fun!

Excited? Is that waht you call it when you feel like vomiting every time you think of how close it's getting???

 

[Jodi]

Mel - I'm getting real excited . Thanks soooo much for the birthday wish!

Bree - Happy Birthday to a fellow 8/18/19xx baby!!

 

[zoegirl]

Happy B-Day to me and Jodi!!!!!
Thanks everybody for the birthday wishes! It has been a good one so far.

Still no running this week. Just eating a lot of brownies, and Hey it's my b-day week I can do that

Supposed to run 13 with Christa in the morning. Hoping all the sugar I've eaten will kick in and get me to the end.


~bree~

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Hey CAM---welcome to the sacrum trouble makers club. YOu can be an honorary member since your injury/problem is in the same neighborhood.

I had to invest in a sacrowedgy--and it does wonders. Not sure if it will help you--but it might. I was in PT for 3 months---it had been extended courtesy of a rear ending. I have what you call them non-existant abs too. Though they do exist a little bit now. .

And the different when I run is totally awesome.

My sacrum acts up every now and again--but for the most part I am green lighted.

 

[MelRhoads]

Sunny - I don't SNOW SKI!!!! It scares me and i don't want to fall!!

 

[wtpclc]

Special Alert - Full and Half Registration ow up to 80%. Come on procrastinators!

 

[aladdinsgirl]

For those of you still debating whether or not to sign up for the half or full marathon, just got an e-mail that they are at 80% capacity. Decide quickly!!

Krista

 

[keenercam]

Happy Birthday, Jodi & Bree!!!!

Lisa -- Thank you so much for inviting me to join your club! I am hoping that I will finally get myself in gear and do something to get over this. And by the way, sweetie, I have seen your picture -- if you have an untoned abdomen it is definitely hidden somewhere in your very slender body! I guess I am learning the hard way that just losing the weight is not going to resolve my "ugly body" sydrome -- I am working on it!

Happy training, everybody, I am going to see . I am beyond excited and my friend and I are pretty psyched for Pleasure Island and "adult beverages"!

 

[wtpclc]

Don't forget - You're missing out on special e-mail newsletters by not signing up too!

 

[wtpclc]

Cam - Have an AWESOME girls trip!!!!!!!!!!

Arghhh.... I'm coveting again.

 

[lizdotcom99]

For those of you who think that I have fallen off the face of the earth, I think I have I have been resting my full 9 days....and then some after my nice long walk! I think it is time to get back to it. I am feeling fat and lazy!

I know there are LOTS of you that have encouraged me to walk the half at Disney and you MUST know that I want to in the worst way...not sure that it is in my future right now though. My dream job is turning into a HUGE nightmare. I can't really believe how much I HATE my job. I am already looking for a new one! The owner is a bully and my boss is a cheat...neither charecteristics I find the least bit attractive. I went on a job interview yesterday at Starbucks yesterday......it is THAT bad. As much as I want to say heck with it all, I think I really need to see what is going to happen with this job situation! If it is ment to be, I will there walking it with you guys.....if not, I hope to be there to cheer you on!! You have no idea how this kills me.

I have worked on a pros and cons list of staying or going.....here they are, tell me what you think:


Pros of Staying:
IF I actually make my commisions that I am supposed to make, evnetually I might be closer to making $30,00 a yer. (Of course the $50,000+ that I was told that I should easily make is a pipe dream)

I am actually doing something I "want" to be doing, and it looks good on a resume.

I have health insurance.


Pros of Working at starbucks:

It will be closer to home. Less wear and tear on the caar, gas and me!

I get a free pound of coffee every week that I work! Who know?

There is the opportunity for advancement.

I get a free pound of coffee every week that I work!

I will eventually get health insurance.


Cons of Leaving:

I will be broke....more so than I am now!

I will be working retail.

I will make a lot less money...by at least $10,000 a year.

I will miss my office job.

I will miss my secretary.

I will miss the Monday-Friday 9-5 thing......well 7 -7 thing, but hey!


Argh! As I type this I get more and more confused.... Ignore me for a while! Chat amongst yourselves and we can revisit this later!

I think the only way to help this situation is to go for a nice little walk tonight! I do think I am going ot do just that.

Thanks for letting me try to figure this all out. I think a walk might help clear the brain! Ya jsut never know what is going to pop into your brain on a little 2 miler!


Off to get back to work. Just had to take a break! Happy Training!!!

 

[lizdotcom99]

Happy Birthday Bree and Jodi!!!! Hope you have a wonderful day!!



Cam, have a wonderful trip!!!! If you happen to see a Tower of Terror antenna topper...will you grab one or two for me?

Sunny.....GREAT pics!! Wow! What an inspiration! Keep up the good work! Love those arms!!!!


OK, really, I am getting back to work now!!

 

[gatorphipps]

Christa - the phrase 'set your watch for 30 seconds and do as many as you can' scared the bewhatsits out of me as I can see people going bonkers and ending up in a dreadful mess! I'm not criticising the RW team, they are aiming at a specific market who are generally in pretty good shape but I wouldn't recommend that particular approach to exercise in your situation. Slow and steady would be my advice - and I'm seconding whoever suggested expert advice - not neccessarily a doc, but definitely a qualified pilates teacher who can tell you what position to be in to do an exercise so it'll strengthen the right muscles without mucking up the other ones.

I think Krista suggested this b/c Christa (me) did not. I may run like a wild woman, but I did not suggest this madness!

Melissa - Thanks for the advice on the biking. I think I overdo the biking then try to start out running @ my normal pace. Biking is COOL! I want to do a Tri so I can write on my leg. Hey...Disney does have a tri in September, but that will not be something I am going to attempt......Yet. I can snow ski, but do not enjoy it....it is a control issue. I am too out of control on skis. My DH is great @ it. We went together once and got in a fight on the slopes b/c I was so scared! Bless his heart! He is a good man!

lizdotcom - WOW! Here is a big group hug! Hope that you can figure things out with your job.

Ran 3 today w/DH Today is a rest day, but what the heck! Will go long tomorrow w/ Bree and DH.

Christa