Running Commentary: September 2006 Archives

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September 30, 2006

That old competitive fire

I went to the gym that's closer to me than the one at Georgetown this morning, and it made quite a difference to be doing a workout in normal temperatures rather than under the oppression of full-blast heat. I mostly ellipticalled and did some biking to finish out the workout. I switched ellipticals after about 10 minutes because the one I was on felt weird. The next one was noisy, but better overall. Aside from that, my workout was uneventful!

When I left the gym it was raining and chilly. It really felt like fall! Matt took his mom down to the Mall to meet up with some people and I curled up on our comfy chair and watched my tape of ER from the other night. Matt and I took a walk when he got back (it wasn't raining anymore) and discovered a new falafel joint. I have never really had falafel but we shared a sandwich.

Then we went to a miniature golf get-together for someone's birthday. There were 10 of us and we were all getting pretty competitive. I am not very good at mini golf and I get frustrated easily, but Matt is decent and we were a team, so I think we ended up doing okay. It was a fun afternoon. Tonight Matt's mom took us out to dinner at a restaurant we used to go to a lot in our old neighborhood. Now I am catching up on today's running results...I am very surprised that Sara Hall won the Fifth Avenue Mile--I never would have picked her!

Posted by becky at 10:21 PM | Comments (0)

September 29, 2006

Getting ready for our company

Matt's mom is coming for the weekend, so I am just sitting down to write my blog entry after trying to clean up around here a little bit (and cook dinner at the same time, always fun.) Matt did help, though, and just went to pick up his mom while I try to stay awake at the end of what seemed to be an eventful week.

When I walked into the gym this morning, I felt a rush of hot air. Yup, the temp was below 60 outside (I think) so the heat was on. Gross! I felt like it was blowing on me during my whole workout. Unfortunately there is nothing I can do about it. My hip felt much better today after foam rolling last night and everything was status quo on the elliptical. I read for some of it. I have been going to the library a lot and I have found some very enjoyable books. I'm not saying they are works of great literature, but they're easy to get in to. (Just finished The Whole World Over by Julia Glass, which I highly recommend.)

Work was hectic because of some stuff that came up during the day, but otherwise good. Fridays are generally quiet around the office, but this one was out of the ordinary. And I was trying to finish up some stuff since I will be out on Monday for Yom Kippur.

Happy weekend to all...I am excited to see how the first high-profile NCAA XC meets turn out! It's early in the season, but my dark horse pick for women's NCAA team champ is Michigan. (In case anyone was wondering.)

Posted by becky at 10:44 PM | Comments (0)

September 28, 2006

Mouse in the house

Matt saw a mouse in the apartment last night. Not that I'm shocked--we had heard from the other tenants that there is a bit of an issue in the townhouse--but I'm still freaked out. We all communicated by email today and hopefully we will be able to find a good pest control company to come and fix this problem for good. But my mom passed down her fear of rodents to me and I will continue to worry about this until we know we're "safe."

Anyway. I left in a rush to get out of the contaminated apartment this morning, but I still only made my usual bus. I ellipticalled and then ran two 8-minute intervals around the indoor track. The elliptical felt fine. The run felt as good as can be expected, but my hip was aching afterwards--a familiar pain that I was experiencing a lot last winter. It's got to be my stride and/or the tight turns of the indoor track, because it's surely not overuse or speed! The back of my knee is also a little tight--nothing like it was, but I always get worried. Hopefully it just needs to remember what it's like to run normally.

I lifted during lunch today so I would be home with plenty of time to clean up a little bit (Matt's mom is due for the weekend) and watch my Thurs. night shows, but the quick dinner place I went to get take out took forever and then Matt's cousin and her boyfriend stopped by. Not that I don't love seeing them! Thus, my tasks were postponed until tomorrow after work. Not a big deal, I must keep reminding myself. Anyway, that's all from me!

Posted by becky at 10:33 PM | Comments (0)

September 27, 2006

Not a fun night

A combination of anxiety and not feeling well kept me awake last night until well after 2am. When I woke up, I still felt strange and my stomach was a little upset. I put on my workout clothes, but I didn't have an appetite--strange for me--and I didn't even feel like going to the gym. So I emailed my boss and my student intern to let them know the situation and I went back to sleep for a few hours.

I felt better when I woke up, but still not 100% myself. I ate half a bagel and felt okay enough to ride my trainer, although I took it easy. I ended up getting into work at about noon and I think it was the right decision to go back to sleep. My day at work was productive but not crazy busy, just the right mix for the way I was feeling today.

I lifted tonight for a bit but not surprisingly didn't feel awesome. I just stopped by the library on the way home and loaded up on books, so now I'll have plenty to read next Monday while I'm fasting for Yom Kippur!

Posted by becky at 8:39 PM | Comments (0)

September 26, 2006

Running/healing

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I am always surprised at the dark mornings that plague the east coast before we change the clocks in October. I'm sure it was worse in Boston when I had to do my 5am runs to make it to my 8am class on time, but having company, even sometimes, helped.

It was nice and cool out this morning. My feet were cold after the walk to the bus and I put my socks on under my sandals like a big dork. At the gym, I ellipticalled and then had a few extra minutes before I had to get in the shower, so I ran for 10 minutes straight! Whoo-hoo! Definitely some aches and pains, but as for my "real" injuries, so far, so good this week.

I thought a lot about healing during my day at work today. I met a woman who had been treated for breast cancer at Georgetown's cancer center and has been instrumental (no pun intended) in getting the center's arts program a lot of positive press. She is a musician and writer herself and found that during her treatment, besides the support of her young children and husband, the only thing that made her feel better was music and poetry. We talked about how personal of a process healing/dealing with sickness and pain is. I of course thought about running: how I've read of men and women who continue to run and work out through their cancer treatments because it helps them deal with what's happening, both physically and emotionally.

And on the healing front, my grandma was resting back at home tonight. She didn't get any answers about why she passed out, but she's happy to be out of the hospital and healing at home. She told me that she is most concerned with how she looks...I told her she probably looks better than most 87-year-olds who don't have two black eyes!

I swam tonight for about a half hour after work. Compared to my weeks of only swimming, it was a quick swim. but it felt long since I haven't done much of it lately. It felt good, though...exercise is most definitely healing for me!

Posted by becky at 9:01 PM | Comments (0)

September 25, 2006

Down day

My day started off fine, except I woke up kind of late as usual. I made my English muffin to go, and walked as fast as I could with my bags to the bus. I was so proud of myself for just making the one I was aiming for. I started to unwrap my toast and the bus driver turned around and admonished me for eating on the bus. (I've eaten on there before, but I think this was a new, strict driver.) I was forced to wait until about the bus arrived on campus and I ate on the 5-minute walk to the gym! Nothing like eating on the run.

My leg is feeling so-so today. A little sore, and I'm not sure if it is from my "run" or what. I ellipticalled and that felt fine, but I am going to force myself to swim one day this week, too. Really. I read for about half of my elliptical workout, which made the time pass but always makes me feel like I am not working hard enough. I kept my t-shirt on the entire time, which is a record for me. (I can't remember if I've written about the no-sports bra rule, which I generally ignore for comfort's sake.)

When I got to my office, I had an email from my mom telling me that my (NY) grandma was in the ER because she had passed out in the middle of the night and fallen, cutting up her face pretty badly. She called my parents at 6am and of course my dad headed straight down to the Bronx to be with her. She got some stitches but they also wanted to admit her to see if they could figure out why she passed out (it happened once before in the past couple of months.) She and my dad waited until about 6pm for a bed to finally open up. I just spoke to her and she sounds really tired, but I was glad to get to speak with her.

I haven't written about my grandma in awhile, but life has been tough for her lately, basically since she found out she had breast cancer. She's kind of been waiting to start radiation--actually is scheduled for next week, but that may be pushed back--but has had to have several surgeries to remove all the cancerous cells and has had some other complications. It was important to me to see her when I was home during that Labor Day weekend, and I know my parents are taking good care of her. Still, it's hard for me, since we really grew up with her!

I did lift tonight before I came home to clear my head. I am waiting for Matt to get home and soon it will be time to go to sleep again. And so it goes...

Posted by becky at 8:56 PM | Comments (0)

September 24, 2006

Another quiet day

This definitely has been a low-key weekend for us--not that that's a bad thing! At least I have some good running news to report: I finally was able to walk/jog again this morning without any of the pain that has been plaguing me. It seemed like a harder workout than ever, though, even though I only ran 3, 5, and 5 minutes. I was just glad to feel better. Hopefully I can keep this run/walk schedule going from now on and really get back to running. That is if nothing sets me back again, and you just never know!

I "ran" on the turf field above Georgetown's gym because I thought the softness and flatness would be good for me. I thought about going around campus for the last 5-minute interval, but I decided not to push it. When I finished on the turf, I went inside and ellipticalled. I managed to read for about half of my workout, but it felt like it dragged on forever. Sometimes that happens and there is really nothing I can do about it!

I stopped at the new Trader Joe's on the way home from the gym. It is the first one in D.C. and it is pretty nice, but not surprisingly, always packed and the aisles are quite narrow. I find that I can't do my whole grocery shopping at TJ's (I/we eat too many artificial things) but they have things like whole wheat cous cous and yummy trail mix that I can't find anywhere else. They also often have free samples, which makes the shopping experience more pleasurable.

Matt did some work today and watched a little football while I read and caught up on some emails. I rode my trainer for a little while tonight while balancing my book on the handlebars--it works if the book is heavy enough, but the pages started getting soaked with sweat and tearing, so I didn't keep that up for too long as it is a library book! Anyway, I am hungry so I think it must be dinnertime!

Posted by becky at 5:45 PM | Comments (0)

September 23, 2006

Weird day

I don't know where the day went today. I got up early to ride my trainer before we went to Rosh Hashana services. I did what I could, but I don't feel like I got in that great of a workout and there was nothing on TV to watch. Just the news, which was basically the weather over and over plus some stories on spinach. I intended to at least take a walk or something later today, but it never happened. I'm trying not to be so hard on myself, but that's just kind of how I am.

We went up to Wheaton for services and they were nice, but long. I'm used to the quickie version and these were definitely not that. We got home around 2, had some lunch and then both promptly fell asleep on the couch. Not so weird for me, but Matt never naps! We slept for a good three hours! I hope we're just catching up and not getting sick or anything.

I'm not sure what we'll do tonight; maybe go to a movie if we get our act together. I feel very lazy, but sometimes you just need to have those kind of days!

Posted by becky at 7:46 PM | Comments (0)

September 22, 2006

Happy new year

This is one of those times when I wish we were still in Boston so that I could spend time with my grandparents. It's Rosh Hashanah this weekend (started tonight) and I really took it for granted the last couple of years that I would have a place to go and celebrate with a good meal and good company. (Going to temple is always sort of optional for me, although Matt and I are going to try out a new place tomorrow morning.) Anyway, I spoke to my grandmother this afternoon and we both miss each other a lot! She made sure to tell me that Whole Foods sells nice Jewish food so I can make a nice meal tonight. Too bad we're having sushi!

I felt really good on the elliptical this morning. I considered swimming, but I didn't really want to. I ran into someone I knew and our workouts overlapped a little bit, so that helped pass the time. The gym was very empty this morning...I guess the Georgetown weekend starts on Thursday like on so many other campuses! My leg pain thing is really a lot better since Barb worked on it, which is good. I can't wait to start running for 3 minutes at a time again...

My day went by really quickly at work, mostly because I had a lot of meetings. It's always good when Friday does not drag on! Right now I am waiting for Matt to come home from work with our sushi. I like setting aside Friday evenings just to relax at home, so I am perfectly content....just a little hungry.

Happy weekend and shana tovah to all!

Posted by becky at 7:39 PM | Comments (0)

Happy new year

Happy weekend and shana tovah to all!

Posted by becky at 7:39 PM | Comments (0)

September 21, 2006

Fall is in the air

As my office-mate keeps reminding me, this taste of fall weather we are having here in Washington will almost certainly be replaced by several more bouts of hot and humid weather. But I like to remind her that the overall trend is toward more of these days, not less! I'll take what I can get. I loved walking to the bus this morning without sweating (well, not much anyway) and tonight was a little chilly walking home.

Of course, I was in the gym this morning, but it actually wasn't as stifling hot as usual. I kept the tape on my knee until I was done with the elliptical. It was getting itchy but I think that and the work that Barb did yesterday on my leg is helping...at least for now. I won't try running for a couple more days anyway, but walking around at least felt better. I lifted at lunchtime because I had an appointment after work. It was nice to get it out of the way early.

All right, as my fellow bloggers will agree, it's almost time for Grey's so I better go get ready!

Posted by becky at 8:37 PM | Comments (1)

September 20, 2006

Decent day

It was so hard to wake up this morning. It was very dark in our room--although it was a perfectly clear day--and I was in the middle of this very involved dream in which I lost my car in the parking lot of Bloomingdale's near my parents' house. I hardly ever remember dreams that clearly, so I am surprised I can still recall it now. Anyway, I eventually got up but definitely felt rushed during my workout. (It's not like I'm clocking in at work or anything, but I like to be as on-time as I can.) I ellipticalled and my knee/shin thing did not bother me. I find that after about a half hour on the elliptical, I kind of lose focus and slow down unless I make a concerted effort not to. But overall it was a good workout.

I was nervous to talk to Barb about my latest leg pain, but she didn't seem super-concerned. We looked back at the MRI and the chrondromalacia is in the area of the knee (inside) that is right above the area that hurts. She agrees that I probably tweaked it somehow when I was in L.A. or on the plane ride back (or a combination of both) because that is when I started noticing it. She worked on it a bit and she said she thinks it'll clear itself up in a few days. I hope so. She also taped my knee to pull the kneecap over a little bit...I've had that done before when I had patellar tendonitis. I think it helps a little.

I lifted tonight, but I was hungry so I wasn't into it. I think I need to re-visit my twice-a-day gym routine during the week and maybe start earlier in the morning so I can get it all done at once. This schedule worked well with my flexible student days, but now that I am occupied all day, getting home so late is really difficult.

That's about it for me! It's 24 hours away but I'm already looking forward to tomorrow's premiere of Gray's Anatomy!

Posted by becky at 8:55 PM | Comments (2)

September 19, 2006

Even the Indigo Girls are singing about running...

Today was marked on my calendar with stars because the Indigo Girls released their 16th (by some counts) original album. Many people my age got into IG in high school but soon outgrew them...not me! I have been a loyal fan since a friend I carpooled with to day camp (I think I was in middle school) played the tape of Nomads, Indians and Saints in the car one morning. I know every song and my iPod collection is most decidedly IG-centric. I downloaded "Despite Our Differences" when I woke up and listened to it while I rode my trainer. I'm still getting used to it but of course I had a great time on my bike and hardly noticed my sore butt because I was concentrating on the music. I laughed out loud when I saw that one song is called "Run" and they sing about someone who "has to run." I don't think Emily was thinking of me when she wrote the song--in fact I'm sure she wasn't thinking about the physical act of running--but in my state of mind I heard it that way!

As for my weirdo leg pain, it felt fine while I was biking but then hurt quite a bit on my walk down to the bus. I iced it when I got to work and it's been better the rest of the day. I pool ran tonight instead of lifting because that would have been 3 days in a row of lifting. There was another class of fearless divers in the deep pool, so it wasn't as monotonous as it could have been.

I have an appointment to see Barb tomorrow, and I hope she will be able to feel around on my leg and see if it's maybe muscular...stay tuned.

Posted by becky at 9:18 PM | Comments (0)

September 18, 2006

Tired of pain

I'm feeling down again because it's like I have a second injury. I'm still not sure what this pain in my leg is, but I don't like it. It's not intense, but I could feel it a little bit walking to the bus this morning. I don't feel it while I'm on the elliptical, but that doesn't mean that it isn't caused by the elliptical somehow, because I go pretty hard on there and it has exacerbated injuries in the past (I think). I will try to swim some this week, but I think I just got burnt out on it with all those weeks in the pool. I did it because it was the only option, but I knew that there was an end in sight.

Anyway, I'm in the middle of making us a (late) dinner, so I'll be brief. My day, post ellipticalling, was mostly spent sitting at my desk anyway. I lifted tonight and biked a little bit. I'm reading Smashed, a memoir by this woman who basically drank her way through high school and college, and it is strangely intriguing. I have always been extremely turned off by the idea that someone would drink themselves sick, but it's like a bad accident scene...I can't look away. This is all to say that reading it passes the time on the bike! Unfortunately, the print is too small to read on the elliptical...

OK, dinner and to bed!

Posted by becky at 9:02 PM | Comments (2)

September 17, 2006

Cleaning up and relaxing

Our party went really well last night. It was great to see some people I hadn't hung out with in awhile, especially my running friends. It made me look forward to getting back to running even more. And speaking of running, or lack of it, my knee (latest pain) felt better today walking around. I woke up kind of late so I decided just to ride my trainer. I watched one of my favorite movies from the early 1990s, The Cutting Edge, while I was on the bike. It is the cheesiest movie, but for some reason, my sister and I love it and can watch it again and again. For today, it helped me forget about the pain in my butt from the bike seat!

We had some cleanup to do after our party, but it wasn't too bad. I had a couple of hours to start a new book and just chill out. After the busy-ness of last weekend, I needed the down time. Later in the afternoon, I went to the gym to do some lifting. It was really hot in there, as usual, but I don't have any other complaints!

Posted by becky at 8:45 PM | Comments (0)

September 16, 2006

Party planning

It felt really nice to sleep in today after my long week. I had two 8-minute "runs" on the schedule today, but I decided to hold off because of the pain on the side of my knee. It's not muscular, like IT band pain is, or easily recognizable as another common ailment. It just feels like a bruise and I can feel it when I'm walking around. It doesn't get better or worse, really. It's certainly possibly that this could be my lack of cartilige bothering me--I'll give it a couple of days of icing and see if that helps.

In any case, I ellipticalled (majority of workout) and biked this morning. I had US Weekly to entertain me for a little while, but all in all I was both bored and depressed that I'm still not running. I guess I should be glad just to feel better, but I want to be back to my old self.

We spent today cleaning our apartment and shopping for our party tonight. I kind of just want to take a nap right now, but I need to go get dressed and put the final touches on my (store-bought) desserts...

Posted by becky at 7:03 PM | Comments (0)

September 15, 2006

End of a long week

I woke up glad today was Friday, but the day actually went by really quickly and I was so busy I didn't even really have time to enjoy the usual slowness that comes with the end of the week. I ellipticalled today and the inside of my kneecap--which has been feeling bruised, oddly--felt better. I also was able to read for about 30 minutes of my workout, a personal best amount of time. I don't normally hold on to the sides of the elliptical machine or the moving arms--I move my own arms as if I were running--but when I read, I need to steady myself every so often. It must be a visual thing.

I moved into my new workspace and finally had a place to put up my "I (heart) Running" bumper sticker that I picked up last spring at the Boston Marathon Expo. Several people already commented on it :) I guess I could have hung it up somewhere in our bedroom, but fewer people pass through there!

Matt came back from New York this afternoon and we just had our usual Friday night dinner of sushi from our favorite neighborhood joint. Tonight we are chilling out and thinking about our plan of action for the housewarming party we are having tomorrow. Happy weekend!

Posted by becky at 9:29 PM | Comments (0)

September 14, 2006

Finally over my tiredness

This week still seems long, but I felt a lot less tired all day today, finally. I decided to ride my trainer at home this morning instead of trekking to the gym since it was rainy. I also am getting sick of the elliptical--and I think my legs are too--so it was good to change it up. If my butt didn't bother me so much on the bike, I would ride it more. I think I just have to get used to it again. In any case, a cheesy movie (Wimbeldon) was on TV, so I was fairly occupied during my workout.

My day at work flew by. I met my friend Steph (who I had dinner with last night) for lunch, which was fun. She is still deciding where to move post-grad school, and I really hope it is here! When I wasn't socializing today, I was working, of course. I had to go take a picture of students working in a lab in the afternoon and I brought my almost-full notebook with me. I put it down for a second to take the photos and when I went back to where I put it, it was gone! It wasn't valuable or anything, but I had a lot of notes in there and lists and stuff. The TA teaching the lab thought that a student probably took it by accident. I'm sure that's what happened, but do most students carry around steno notebooks?? I doubt it...

I did some pool running after work tonight to take a break from lifting--my arms were sore today. I also swam a few laps. I don't usually pool run so it was okay, but definitely not something I could do all that often--it's too boring. But I was entertained by watching a diving class for girls who looked like they were about 8 or 9. They were very cute--and fearless!

I'm off to do some chores, and there's much more of that in store this weekend because we are having a pretty big housewarming party and it's been forever since we gave this place a good cleaning!

Posted by becky at 9:29 PM | Comments (0)

September 13, 2006

Two-in-one workout

I am so used to breaking up my workouts (i.e. lifting in the afternoons) but today I knew I'd have plans tonight so I did everything--or as much as I had time for, anyway--in the morning. First I ran (I use the term loosely)--7 minutes followed by 2 minutes of walking followed by another 7 minutes. The back of my knee is fine, but my kneecap area is kind of bothering me. It's nothing I haven't felt before, and I'm glad to at least be progressing. After the "run" I ellipticalled, and then I lifted. I can't usually read on the elliptical but today I decided to try because I was so bored! It worked for about 20 minutes.

Work was very busy today and we were all scrambling around because they are installing new workstations in our suite. I forgot to transfer some files over to the computer I'm using for the next few days so I just hope that the movers finish ahead of schedule so I can plug in my computer sooner rather than later! It's supposed to be all in place on Friday.

I'm meeting up with a good friend from grad school tonight...it already feels like it's been so long since I've seen her, so I'm excited!

Posted by becky at 6:24 PM | Comments (0)

September 12, 2006

Possibly even more tired

I probably didn't get as much sleep last night as I should have to make up for what I missed (although technically you can't "make up" lost sleep; I learned that in high school during someone's presentation and never forgot it). I was sleeping when Matt came home, but I woke up for a bit after that. I could tell when my alarm went off that it was going to be a long day.

Working out tends to wake me up, even when I'm sleepy, but today nothing helped. I forgot my headphones and felt really draggy on the elliptical, so I switched to the bike. That was marginally better but when I was lying down to do sit-ups, I realized that I could fall asleep right there in the dirty (and hot!) gym. That feeling persisted, unfortunately, despite a shower and a large latte. I told myself that if I didn't feel better at lunchtime, I'd grab one of the empty offices we have in our suite and take a power nap.

But luckily, I snapped out of my sleepy daze right around noon. I don't know what made the difference, but I could tell I felt better. The rest of the day went by much more quickly than those first few hours. And now that I sit on the couch and write about tiredness, I feel myself getting sleepy again.

I did a little bit of biking and lifting tonight. Lifting was much better than yesterday. I cut it a bit short in order to get home before the polls closed--I wanted to do my civic duty and vote in the primary. In D.C., all the candidates are Democrats, so it's the primary that counts and the real election is a formality. We have a pretty good race going for mayor and I of course voted for the candidate whose parents own a Fleet Feet a block away! (That's not the only reason I voted for him, don't worry.) Our polling place is literally two houses away in a church, so there's no excuse to be lazy!

Posted by becky at 8:33 PM | Comments (0)

September 11, 2006

Not enough hours in the day (really)

I managed to sleep/rest for most of the plane ride back to Dulles, but when we landed, I didn't feel like I had slept. Probably just because I kept getting interrupted. But I tried my hardest, with my headphones on and the headband thing over my eyes. It was a very weird feeling to be starting my day in such a state of sleepiness, almost like I was in a fog. Luckily, Matt's boss got off the plane in front of me and secured a spot on the growing line at Dunkin' Donuts. I started to feel better once I had some coffee.

The drive back into Washington from the airport wasn't too bad. It was raining a little bit and the traffic didn't get heavy until I was almost at work. I couldn't believe how many cars were on the road at 6am--I guess those are the early shift people. The fact that there are enough of them to cause traffic astounded me.

I was not sure how working out on so little sleep would go. Except for the ridiculously warm temperature in the gym (even worse than usual) I actually felt okay. I ellipticalled and felt pretty normal and even awake. It was a little later in the day--around lunchtime--that my tiredness hit me. I almost fell asleep at my desk a couple of times but survived by getting up a lot and going to do errands that required walking. I debated the wisdom of going to the gym again, and stupidity won out: I lifted. Or, I tried to lift but realized that my whole head felt like it was in a fog. Luckily it didn't take me too long to get home from work, where I could finally relax.

On a completely different note, I can't believe that it's been 5 years since Sept. 11, 2001. I emailed with my old Red Cross boss today, and my current boss was also at the Red Cross with us that day. We shared a unique experience and its definitely something that I will think about forever. I didn't watch any of the news coverage today but I thought that the New York Times had some tasteful and reflective articles.

Matt's coming home in a couple of hours, so I'm thinking I may be asleep by that point (I can't believe I'm not already!). I think he will understand!

Posted by becky at 9:26 PM | Comments (0)

September 10, 2006

Beach party

Posted by becky at 12:07 AM | Comments (0)

Beach party

I tried to go use the gym at the YMC near our hotel this morning, but they don't allow guests who are not escorted by a member. So much for that plan. I was relegated back to the crappy hotel fitness room (surprising because it happens to be a very nice hotel) and the strange elliptical machine. It feels like you are going downhill the whole time, which is a really awkward sensation. It's also one of the hardest machines I've ever been on. I was panting just on level one. (I guess that's why these machines are not top sellers.) I managed to spend a half hour on it and spent the rest of my workout biking. Thankfully, the bikes they had were decent. I managed to get into a book which will help me on my flight tonight. I noticed that my knee (back) is feeling a little sore--nothing like it was, but just a little weirdness--and I'm assuming that it's due to either the running yesterday or (more likely) the strange elliptical. I hope it settles down soon. Luckily, Barb comes back from vacation this week.

The rest of the day was really fun. Matt's company hosted a beach party near Malibu. It was my first time on that part of the West Coast and it was great. The weather was beautiful (or normal, as the people from Matt's company who are based here reminded me) and we were well-fed. There were tons of kids there and it was just a wholesome day all around. After the beach, we went to walk around and eat dinner at the Farmer's Market near Hollywood. Sadly, there were no celebrity sightings, but it was a great weekend!

Posted by becky at 12:07 AM | Comments (0)

September 9, 2006

Sun and sightseeing

I ended up getting into L.A. about an hour after I had planned because the plane was delayed twice—first to load passengers from a broken plane and second because of a crazy thunderstorm that swept through while we were sitting on the runway. I was really glad I had brought a sandwich with me. I didn't sleep like I usually do on planes; part of it was certainly due to the fact that I felt really cramped. I had my bag under the seat so that contributed to my feeling like I had nowhere to put my legs. All in all, it wasn’t a bad flight, but my legs were really stiff when I got off.

I got a ride from the airport to the hotel with one of Matt's coworkers and his wife. I was very sleepy and glad not to have to drive. Matt met me in the lobby and was shocked when I told him I hadn't gotten much sleep on the plane (my reputation precedes me). Then, when we got up to the room and went to bed, Matt fell asleep before I did. I must have been all keyed up from my trip,

I woke up in the morning with that same headache I had a couple of days ago. It is probably allergy or sinus related since it comes and goes at strange times. My legs still felt tired from being squished on the plane. Matt had gotten me a 3-day guest pass to a gym near here, but when I got there they told me I could only use it if I lived in L.A. So back to the hotel gym I went. It is tiny and the elliptical was the strangest machine I've used not counting one in Wisconsin in July when we were there for that wedding. I could only stand a half hour on it. Then I ran for 15 minutes total (3x5 minutes on, 2 minutes off) and biked for awhile after that. The run felt pretty good except for my slowness. I can deal with that as long as there's no pain.

Matt played golf this afternoon so I spent a few hours in Beverly Hills, window shopping (mostly) and then came back and read by the pool. It was very relaxing. Tonight we went to dinner with a bunch of people from Matt's firm and then bowling. I bowled horribly but we had a lot of fun!

Posted by becky at 12:05 AM | Comments (0)

September 8, 2006

Such a jet setter

I'm sitting on the plane in Washington now, lamenting the fact that I just ate a bunch of almonds and there aren't any liquids allowed on the plane. Anything for safety. I didn't have time to update my blog before I left work because I was working hard to get things done so I could take off early. But I made it, even battling a bunch of traffic on the way.

I don't have much to say about today's workout, anyway! It was just an average elliptical day. I had a little social interaction as I chatted with the former Georgetown runner who I met a few weeks ago and a current sophomore on the team. We were all very sweaty because it is so damn hot in there. I fear what the winter will bring—more heat??

OK, I have to close my computer now. Hopefully tomorrow's update will be more exciting! Happy weekend!

Posted by becky at 11:56 PM | Comments (0)

September 7, 2006

The all-day headache

Today was one of those rare days (for me) when I had a headache literally all day. Actually, it didn't start until right after I finished my workout this morning. I rode my trainer since I was leaving from here and I also overslept a little bit. I felt pretty good and I had the Today show to entertain me. But then when I was about to leave my apartment, I got my headache. Tylenol helps some, but it keeps coming back. I think I am stressed about going to L.A. tomorrow. Trips stress me out because I'm always afraid I won't bring something I need (like I couldn't get it in California) and because they force me out of my routine.

Speaking of being out of my routine, I lifted at lunch today, which is unusual for me these days. It's nice to get it out of the way early, but I had a meeting to get to afterwards and I felt very rushed. But I was glad to have time for my pedicure after work! (Matt's company is having a beach party on Sunday.)

It really is too bad I can't explore the hills of L.A. that I've heard so much about from a couple of running friends. I can't do anything about it, though, so I'll try not to dwell on it. In any case, I will have about 15 minutes of running on my schedule for Saturday--I can at least run from our hotel to the Walk of Fame (according to my map)!

Posted by becky at 10:17 PM | Comments (0)

September 6, 2006

Minutes--not miles--but I'll take 'em

Matt left early this morning--before 6--for the airport. I wanted to wake up early with him, but I just couldn't. I was conscious enough to say goodbye, but just barely! Once I got up, I realized it was going to be one of those tired-all-day days. And it was. But walking down to the bus woke me up some. I was nervous because I was planning to try a little bit of running again--it had been a little more than a week since my last go around and Barb gave me the green light to try again while she's away on vacation this week. I just jogged around the indoor track (it's a real, Mondo one, it's just tiny) because I knew I would be going on the elliptical afterwards.

And...I felt nearly normal!! I hate to write it, but the pain and tightness that was holding me back the last time I tried was gone. I am certainly out of shape and just getting used to the running motion again (that is a term I picked up from Alison) will take some time. But I was able to do the prescribed 15 minutes of walk/jog with no problems. (I did 2 minutes of running followed by one of walking.) It was kind of depressing to realize how out of shape I am, but I was ecstatic to be able to take this small step.

So, yay! We'll see what happens, but for now, I'm satisfied. I ellipticalled for about an hour after the "run" (which tired my legs out, I'm embarrassed to admit). I had a hard time staying motivated--it was pretty boring. But I'm getting used to it. Tonight I did a short swim since my arms are pretty tired from lifting. I felt out of shape in the pool too--I just can't win!

I'm still pretty tired so I hope to get my household tasks done soon and get to sleep on the "early" side. Matt called this afternoon to say he had landed safely in L.A. and I expect to hear from him again soon...I hope he remembers the time difference or else I will be sound asleep!

Posted by becky at 8:43 PM | Comments (0)

September 5, 2006

Back to labor day

It's always hard to get back to work after a long weekend, but especially hard when it's pouring outside! I felt like it was the middle of the night when I woke up this morning since it was so dark out. Luckily I was scheduled to drive to work today. Even walking across campus to the gym got me soaked--the puddles were everywhere. I was wearing sandals so it was easy enough to dry off my feet once I got inside the gym and it felt great to put on my dry sneakers. My feet stayed cold for the first ten minutes that I was on the elliptical, though.

My workout was fine, nothing special. It was hot in there as usual and I wished I had a little TV to watch like I did yesterday during my workout. But aside from that, everything was status quo.

The work day flew by today. That's another thing about the Tuesday after a long weekend--there's usually plenty of work to tide you over. We also had a goodbye party for someone who is leaving, so that broke up the day. I was psyched because someone baked red velvet cupcakes with homemade vanilla frosting. Yum!

Tonight I lifted, but I was dragging a bit so I didn't stay too long. I'm feeling very sleepy now after eating dinner. Matt leaves very early in the morning (his birthday!) to spend a few days at his firm's L.A. office, so I will be helping him pack--at least with suggestions since I'll probably be half asleep when he gets around to it. I am meeting him in L.A. on Friday for a quick--and probably tiring--weekend trip. Unfortunately we aren't coming back on the same flight, either. But it should be a fun couple of days nonetheless!

Posted by becky at 10:01 PM | Comments (0)

September 4, 2006

From one home to another

I didn't have my dad for company at the gym this morning--I think he and my mom were planning to go later--so it wasn't quite as much fun as yesterday. The gym I went to today also had only the kind of ellipticals I don't particularly like, so that was a bummer. But they did have individual TVs for each machine so I was occupied with the Today show, Live With Regis and Kelly and The Simple Life (I was channel surfing.) The weight area in this gym is nice, too, so I had a good time doing that.

I had lunch with my parents at home in the early afternoon and then they drove me to the train station. The train was very crowded with college students heading back to campuses in Philly, Baltimore and D.C. But I got a window seat and read for almost four hours straight. This particular book was pretty trashy, but I enjoyed it all the same.

Matt picked me up this evening and the weather wasn't nearly as nice as it had been in New York. In fact, it was raining! But we picked up some sushi and had a nice, quiet dinner anyway. I may ride my trainer for a bit tonight, but I'm feeling kind of tired (for no good reason) so then again...I may just watch TV instead!

Posted by becky at 8:05 PM | Comments (0)

September 3, 2006

Just like a kid again

Today was another fun family day. My dad and I went to my parents' swanky gym for a couple of hours in the morning where I made my triumphant return to the elliptical after two days of biking. I felt like I worked really hard today, but it was really boring because I forgot to charge my iPod after using it on the train yesterday. There were several TVs on in front of me, but I'm not that interested in morning news or political shows! I was impressed that my dad stayed on the elliptical about as long as I did. Then we both lifted for a while. He's pretty new to the whole gym thing so I corrected his lifting technique as we went along. He told me that it would be great if I moved back to New York...so I could be his personal trainer! Glad to know my company is so valued around here!

In the afternoon, we picked up my grandma and went to the Bronx Zoo for a few hours. We were a big crowd: my parents, my sister and her boyfriend, me, and my grandma. My mom, who goes to the Zoo once a year with her first grade class, was the only one who had been there in the past 10 years or so! She was a good tour guide. We walked around and rode on the Monorail, where I randomly ran into a high school classmate. The Bronx Zoo really is great. When you're in there, you can't believe that you are in the middle of New York City. We had a really fun time and the weather was perfect for walking around.

We all came back here for dinner and now we are watching tennis. I'm sure I will be asleep before this match is over!

Posted by becky at 9:12 PM | Comments (0)

September 2, 2006

You can go home again

This turned out to be a perfect day to take the train up to New York and hang out and relax with my family. The weather in D.C. this morning was rainy, but here it's been extremely windy and stormy--the power keeps flashing on and off.

I rode my trainer this morning because the gym didn't open early enough for me to go there. I passed the time by watching The Family Stone OnDemand. It was pretty entertaining and by the time I finished my situps and everything, I had watched almost the whole movie.

Matt took me to the train station and I mostly read all the way here. It was actually very relaxing and the time passed quickly. I always have fun hanging out with my fam and a enjoying just vegging out and trying not to feel too lazy! As long as the power stays on, we're going to watch a rented movie tonight as no one wants to venture out in this weather!

Posted by becky at 8:13 PM | Comments (0)

September 1, 2006

An easy workout

I tried really hard this morning to take it easy on the bike so I wouldn't make my mouth bleed any more than it was during the night (I know this because I woke up with a blood-stained pillow.) I pretty much just read the whole time and it was as relaxed of a workout as I am capable of. I hate watching other people work harder while I'm in the gym, but what can you do? It would be very embarassing to have to go back to the dentist and say that I got a dry socket from working out.

I went to Barb's at lunchtime today, braving the wind and driving rain (now I really feel like I'm back in Boston) and she said things felt really good in my hamstring. I asked for some strengthening exercises for my quads and hams and she suggested a couple that I already am familiar with, so I will add them in. She is on vacation next week so I won't see her for awhile. I am to try running again sometime next week.

Matt and I were both going to go to NY this weekend to visit the fams, but he has a lot of work to do so I'm going to take the train up in the morning. I am looking forward to catching up with my parents, grandma and sister and meeting my sister's new boyfriend! I won't have access to a pool while I'm home, but it will have been a few days since I ellipticalled, and hopefully that will be fine.

Happy Labor Day weekend!

Posted by becky at 9:50 PM | Comments (0)