I've had a tough time with my right heel and tendon lately. Scaling back on the high impact stuff, I've done some biking and pilates instead of my bootcamp. I'm nervous. I still do strength training but its not been at the same level as when I was doing the cardio/strength circuits w/ bootcamp and I hardly run. I went today and I think I did about 5 days ago. My original goal was to get to about 8-9 miles a week or two before the event but now, I think 4 is my max. And no running on streets or sidewalk which yeah, makes sense, its just a bit inconveinent! I REALLY want to successfully complete this Tough Mudder so I don't want to injure myself (duh!) but I also want to be in (good) shape. I scaled back so much these last 10 days or so, mainly because I was sick for a few days, but also because of my tendon. I think I'm going to go swimming a few times too - but since I've had zip training when it comes to swimming, it wont' be the best workout for me. Still, its good for the body and we need to swim 30-50 feet for the event so I need some practice.
.......on another note.... when I was sick I had a horrible sore throat and it was the worst one I've ever had. Richard discovered online that if its a type of cold sore, raising the pH will help get rid of it. Immediately after gargling with milk of magnesia, I felt TONS better. Seriously, it felt like a miracle drug! I also took antibiotics in case it was something like strep, thanks to talking with my father in law. Before I started feeling better, I had asked Richard for a blessing. I'm so grateful to have Richard in my life. He truly helps me and complements me.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Running at the beach
I've rarely gone running at the beach which is a shame since we're pretty close. I do, however, run along a bikeway that goes to the beach fairly often. Today, I determined that since the weather had warmed up and I knew I needed to get used to being wet, cold and sandy/muddy, and running up some hills, I would run at the beach. The girls and I had played at the beach in field 2 at Jones Beach today. We were there from about 1 to 240. It was good. Azure was starting to get cold. Luckily I had her blankie with me. :)
Later that evening after Richard got home, I went out and used my new compression capris on my run. I gotta say, they feel nice. Love em! I also wore a new LS shirt that is supposed to dry quickly and I love it too. It didn't seem to dry quickly but it never felt heavy. The shirt so did not keep me warm as its such a thin material but its made for higher temps. Surprisingly enough, for me, I kind of enjoyed running along the dunes and going about calf high in the semi-polar water (or more, depending on the waves). I dipped my feet in the water earlier with Violet and yikes! Brrrrr!!! That evening though, I didn't feel too bad. The big factor in that was wearing shoes I think. I felt much colder at the start when I was dry and after I was done and entering into my car. The exercise kept me fairly warm. What bugged me to a degree was how heavy my shoes got with sand and then especially the way the sand "smushed" my toes. They already felt kinda bizarre from the cold. My shoes drained the water pretty well but the sand just kept coming in. Ick.
When I was going to my car, oh man oh man, I wish I had a camera! The storm front was coming in and it looked AWESOME!! All of these cloud layers that were quite distinct. Just beautiful. Hopefully I can find somebody's pic of the storm coming in, one day. I've already looked a few times. :)
Later that evening after Richard got home, I went out and used my new compression capris on my run. I gotta say, they feel nice. Love em! I also wore a new LS shirt that is supposed to dry quickly and I love it too. It didn't seem to dry quickly but it never felt heavy. The shirt so did not keep me warm as its such a thin material but its made for higher temps. Surprisingly enough, for me, I kind of enjoyed running along the dunes and going about calf high in the semi-polar water (or more, depending on the waves). I dipped my feet in the water earlier with Violet and yikes! Brrrrr!!! That evening though, I didn't feel too bad. The big factor in that was wearing shoes I think. I felt much colder at the start when I was dry and after I was done and entering into my car. The exercise kept me fairly warm. What bugged me to a degree was how heavy my shoes got with sand and then especially the way the sand "smushed" my toes. They already felt kinda bizarre from the cold. My shoes drained the water pretty well but the sand just kept coming in. Ick.
When I was going to my car, oh man oh man, I wish I had a camera! The storm front was coming in and it looked AWESOME!! All of these cloud layers that were quite distinct. Just beautiful. Hopefully I can find somebody's pic of the storm coming in, one day. I've already looked a few times. :)
Nice
Even though part of last week we were still wearing snow jackets, these last few days I've been loving my shorts, capris and flip-flops. Right now its raining outside and we saw our first lightning of the year. (BTW, I got my first sunburn of the year on Monday. We played for over 2 hours). We've been playing outside a lot the last 7 days. I needed it! We all did.
Yesterday evening I got home with the kids from being at waterfront park from about 415-545. They had some fun with a friend from church but played a bit with other kids too. The playground and swings are a lot of fun for the kiddos. They really like the larger, handicap chair swings. The ice cream truck was there but thank goodness it was gone by the time we got out of the restroom (yea, they opened the restroom!) We also went down to the water and threw rocks, wood, plants, small children, etc. in the water. ;) Good times! Ah, such a nice day.
I felt 'inspired' to come back to the park and have an impromptu cookout as we packed up to go home and tried calling Richard a few times to see if he could do it (didn't really want to do it without my man). At home, I gathered what we had to make some burgers and had to go next door, with Violet, to CVS to get a few more things. In my care to make sure we had everything, as we are leaving the apartment, I realized I forgot the matches. As I'm grabbing them, I realized I forgot something else, the meat. :) Yup, go me!
We get to the park and the sunset was amazing! The kids run around, having fun, while I watch/play with them and Richard cooked the food. He asked me if I had a metal spatula. Oops. Didn't even think of that one. :) I went to the car looking for something to use. Would our old license plate frame work? Possibly. We ended up using the lid from the glass pickle jar. Still playing and it starts getting cold and a little dark. So, the burgers are ALMOST done, we've munched on the kettlecorn and cheese puffs, when employees come into the parking lot yelling the park is closed. Nice. Thanks. It was still a fun, spontaneous evening which continued on at home. And nice pictures too.
These next photos were taken after we came back in the evening to cook.
Don't you just love the sky at dawn and dusk? Its made even sweeter by the Sweet Stacey Siblings! brought to you by the Sexy Stacey parents ;)
Yesterday evening I got home with the kids from being at waterfront park from about 415-545. They had some fun with a friend from church but played a bit with other kids too. The playground and swings are a lot of fun for the kiddos. They really like the larger, handicap chair swings. The ice cream truck was there but thank goodness it was gone by the time we got out of the restroom (yea, they opened the restroom!) We also went down to the water and threw rocks, wood, plants, small children, etc. in the water. ;) Good times! Ah, such a nice day.
I felt 'inspired' to come back to the park and have an impromptu cookout as we packed up to go home and tried calling Richard a few times to see if he could do it (didn't really want to do it without my man). At home, I gathered what we had to make some burgers and had to go next door, with Violet, to CVS to get a few more things. In my care to make sure we had everything, as we are leaving the apartment, I realized I forgot the matches. As I'm grabbing them, I realized I forgot something else, the meat. :) Yup, go me!
We get to the park and the sunset was amazing! The kids run around, having fun, while I watch/play with them and Richard cooked the food. He asked me if I had a metal spatula. Oops. Didn't even think of that one. :) I went to the car looking for something to use. Would our old license plate frame work? Possibly. We ended up using the lid from the glass pickle jar. Still playing and it starts getting cold and a little dark. So, the burgers are ALMOST done, we've munched on the kettlecorn and cheese puffs, when employees come into the parking lot yelling the park is closed. Nice. Thanks. It was still a fun, spontaneous evening which continued on at home. And nice pictures too.
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| Azure didn't mind leaving me. |
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| Azure loves these rockers! (what would you call them?) If she's not on a swing, she's on a seahorse or dolphin. |
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| climbing the spiderweb |
Saturday, April 6, 2013
This is awesome!
I really, really enjoyed reading from this blog. Its called The Actual Pastor. I have no idea if this Dad shares very many viewpoints with me, or if he's totally off the map on other areas of life, but, from this one post, I know that he shares some wisdom.
*****Parents of small children PLEASE check it out! You will love it!!
http://www.stevewiens.com or, specifically:
http://www.stevewiens.com/2013/03/12/to-parents-of-small-children-let-me-be-the-one-who-says-it-out-loud/
*****Parents of small children PLEASE check it out! You will love it!!
http://www.stevewiens.com or, specifically:
http://www.stevewiens.com/2013/03/12/to-parents-of-small-children-let-me-be-the-one-who-says-it-out-loud/
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Azure's "How to be demure 101" training
Go Azhie-Boo!
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| First, you play hard to get. |
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| Next, practice being swept off your feet. |
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| Its always good to practice "falling" in love |
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| Look good no matter what, even if you have dark circles under your eyes or food smeared on your face. ;) |
Violet's Tough Princess training
She kicks some booty!
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| Keep your chin held high. |
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| Never sell yourself short. |
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| With the right shoes, anything is possible! |
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| Use your head - while taking risks! |
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| Be down to earth. |
My tough mudder training
Even though I signed up for the Boston Tough Mudder last year, somewhere around August, I didn't start the bootcamp that's listed on their website until February. Even then, I didn't push myself really hard until March. To be fair, I didn't want to start training until after I had recovered from my half marathon in October and it was kinda rough. I really, really wanted to be faster than my first half marathon time back in 2006. I was! By about 20 minutes. :) Enough bragging! Things got a little crazy with the hurricane and with the holidays. So, I was weak and didn't stay steady through the end of fall/winter.
Man, this training has been hard! There are 3 levels listed in the site and I chose the mid level one (good for people who exercise regularly but haven't pushed themselves too hard before). Its rough!!! Some types are easier, but overall, its still hard. And I wanted to bump it to the next level right around this time, the beginning of April. :/ Probably not going to happen for at least another 2 weeks, maybe. Basically, I do the bootcamp 3X/week sometimes just twice and then I run about 3X/week. Sometimes I do pilates or Billy Blanks Bootcamp instead of the TM bootcamp. I think its good to have just cardio on one day and then do circuits then next. I finally have started doing some monkey bars. That must be rather funny to see if you're a bystander. "What the heck is she doing - oh, trying to be a kid. Hmmm....good luck with that lady."
After reading a lot of what other participants have written I think I need to do: sprints, run thru some cold water/mud, work on shoulder/back more and do trail runs. I plan to run through Jones beach, into the water and quickly up the dunes but still....its cold!!! The days are still around 40 so you know the water, is, well, semi-polar. I've got a pretty good distance right now - most recent run was 6.27 and I plan to hit at least 8 before tapering. The total distance of TM is 10-12 approx. I need to do some hill work or trail runs. I've done some runs in this park & preserve by our home. Its been good on my knees. The base is about 1.5 miles and there are several trails going up to the top, approx. 115 feet high. Its a neat place - a converted landfill. Go figure - its one of the nicest areas around to feel like you're getting away from the noise and traffic. There are some really cute Nigerian dwarf goats and some quail too. Highly recommend going there if you're on LI or around NYC.
One exercise, log bog bombers (er, something like that), is a "burpee." You start in a squat, with your hands touching or close to touching the ground, kick your legs out to plank (the 'start' position of a push up) then jump up. Do that as fast as you can for 2 minutes. Yeah. I can get around 1:15 before I'm soooo dead. Its similar to Billy blank's squat thrusts but you jump instead of doing a pushup. Another hard one is everest: get in plank but you put each foot on towels (if you're on hardwood floor) or paper sheets (if you're on carpet) and then quickly bring each foot up towards your chest. Fast for 2 minutes. I may not be describing it well, but those two exercises are hard. Full push ups for one minute are tough too! Its where your chest touches the floor. I think my max is 12 full pushups without a break and then I usually do 10-12 pushups from my knees. I can kind of do a chin up. I just need a little acceleration to help me up! Starting every chin up from a full hang?? Nope. Probably never will. But with a little help....I can do wonders!
Well, its been a rather rough month of workouts but I'm happy to be getting in good shape. If only I could eat carefully too. Still, you need your energy, right??! I just hope that my left wrist wont give out during that final week or during the event. It sometimes give me real pain and I don't really know why. Any thoughts? I think its similar to carpal tunnel but not too sure.
Richard's been really supportive. I'm so happy to have him in my life. :) Sometimes we work out together and enjoy kickin' butt as a couple!!
Man, this training has been hard! There are 3 levels listed in the site and I chose the mid level one (good for people who exercise regularly but haven't pushed themselves too hard before). Its rough!!! Some types are easier, but overall, its still hard. And I wanted to bump it to the next level right around this time, the beginning of April. :/ Probably not going to happen for at least another 2 weeks, maybe. Basically, I do the bootcamp 3X/week sometimes just twice and then I run about 3X/week. Sometimes I do pilates or Billy Blanks Bootcamp instead of the TM bootcamp. I think its good to have just cardio on one day and then do circuits then next. I finally have started doing some monkey bars. That must be rather funny to see if you're a bystander. "What the heck is she doing - oh, trying to be a kid. Hmmm....good luck with that lady."
After reading a lot of what other participants have written I think I need to do: sprints, run thru some cold water/mud, work on shoulder/back more and do trail runs. I plan to run through Jones beach, into the water and quickly up the dunes but still....its cold!!! The days are still around 40 so you know the water, is, well, semi-polar. I've got a pretty good distance right now - most recent run was 6.27 and I plan to hit at least 8 before tapering. The total distance of TM is 10-12 approx. I need to do some hill work or trail runs. I've done some runs in this park & preserve by our home. Its been good on my knees. The base is about 1.5 miles and there are several trails going up to the top, approx. 115 feet high. Its a neat place - a converted landfill. Go figure - its one of the nicest areas around to feel like you're getting away from the noise and traffic. There are some really cute Nigerian dwarf goats and some quail too. Highly recommend going there if you're on LI or around NYC.
One exercise, log bog bombers (er, something like that), is a "burpee." You start in a squat, with your hands touching or close to touching the ground, kick your legs out to plank (the 'start' position of a push up) then jump up. Do that as fast as you can for 2 minutes. Yeah. I can get around 1:15 before I'm soooo dead. Its similar to Billy blank's squat thrusts but you jump instead of doing a pushup. Another hard one is everest: get in plank but you put each foot on towels (if you're on hardwood floor) or paper sheets (if you're on carpet) and then quickly bring each foot up towards your chest. Fast for 2 minutes. I may not be describing it well, but those two exercises are hard. Full push ups for one minute are tough too! Its where your chest touches the floor. I think my max is 12 full pushups without a break and then I usually do 10-12 pushups from my knees. I can kind of do a chin up. I just need a little acceleration to help me up! Starting every chin up from a full hang?? Nope. Probably never will. But with a little help....I can do wonders!
Well, its been a rather rough month of workouts but I'm happy to be getting in good shape. If only I could eat carefully too. Still, you need your energy, right??! I just hope that my left wrist wont give out during that final week or during the event. It sometimes give me real pain and I don't really know why. Any thoughts? I think its similar to carpal tunnel but not too sure.
Richard's been really supportive. I'm so happy to have him in my life. :) Sometimes we work out together and enjoy kickin' butt as a couple!!
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