Running Commentary: August 2007 Archives

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August 31, 2007

'Thanks gods it is Fridays'

I was just passing by a restaurant on my way home and I yawned. These two French guys standing outside said, "Ooh la la! Thanks god it is Fridays, right?" I laughed and agreed--it was very cute. And it's true, I am glad it's Friday and also a three-day weekend. I was also glad that my day-long headache was gone when I woke up.

Since I've been having a bunch of niggles, I decided to bike this morning. I was glad to see that there was finally a movie available On Demand that I had wanted to see: "Half Nelson". I think Ryan Gosling was actually nominated for an Academy Award in it last year. In any case, I really enjoyed it (actually have about 10 minutes left to finish tonight) although it was sort of a downer and not the type of zone-out movies that I usually watch on the bike. I did not feel that great biking at first--I got a cramp in my chest, which was weird (too much water?)--but then started to be able to pick it up again when it went away.

I went to the library at lunchtime to stock up on books for the next few weeks. I counted recently and with all my reading on the bus and the bike, I have averaged about 2 books a week for the past year. It is also a testament to the fact that I am not the most careful reader, nor am I reading any great works of literature.

We are heading out to pick up some dinner. Happy (long) weekend to all!

Posted by becky at 7:14 PM | Comments (0)

August 30, 2007

I overslept!

For only the second time in my working-person (and grad student, actually) life, I overslept this morning. I still can't quite figure out what happened because my alarm looks like it was set and the volume was up. In any case, I went to sleep around 11 last night and the next thing I knew, it was 10am! I haven't slept until 10--or without an alarm, for that matter--in about as long as I can remember. I guess my body needed it.

First I couldn't figure out what day it was, and then I remembered and realized my first meeting (lunch) was at noon. I figured I had just enough time to run about 5 miles and get to my destination by then. It was hotter than usual since it was later than usual so I brought my water with me. I felt good for the first couple of miles, probably because of the adrenaline, and then not so great after that. I also had the hill up to the Cathedral in those miles, too. When I got home, I rushed to get ready and never really calmed down/stopped sweating.

I made it through the lunch meeting okay and then I had another, much more boring, meeting. I felt really groggy and realized I had a headache during that one. I never had my coffee today so I went to get some after that and it definitely helped. The dull headache has pretty much stayed with me, though...it was there tonight when I biked/lifted and still is. How could I feel crappy when I got so much sleep? It's possible I'm getting a cold or something, but I think the oversleeping threw my body off.

I'll end with this awesome excerpt of a convo that I overheard at the gym tonight between 2 guys. And if you don't know, Shabbat is the Jewish celebration of the Sabbath, which happens every Friday night.

Georgetown student #1: Hey, are you going to Shabbat tomorrow night?
Georgetown student #2: Nah, I don't think so.
#1: Why not? We gotta check out all the new girls...the fresh meat!

I had to laugh, I couldn't contain myself!

Posted by becky at 8:26 PM | Comments (0)

August 29, 2007

Rushed run

I am so used to pressing the snooze bar millions of times that I did not remember that today was a day when I actually had to get out the door at a certain time in order to make it to an appointment! I woke up with just enough time for a 5-6 mile run that didn't involve too many traffic lights. I headed up to the Howard Univ. area and just followed the lights instead of sticking to the exact streets I always run on. My knee felt pretty good for the first three miles and then got achy. It was pretty humid but not too terrible--supposedly tomorrow is supposed to be the most oppressive day of the week and then it will cool off into the low 80s with low humidity for the weekend! Wahoo!

I had a bunch of rather lengthy meetings in the afternoon and then the whole office pitched in to put together binders for a board meeting, so the day went by pretty quickly. I did an abbreviated lifting routine tonight and also biked a bit. The gym was super packed and I was disgusted by the way that the students have been leaving the medicine balls and Swiss balls all over the floor. I also got on a bike after a girl got off and she left it all sweaty when there are towels and spray bottles clearly available for cleaning up after yourself. I sound like such a prissy adult, but these things really bother me! (Clearly.)

Matt is in New York tonight at the Yankee-Red Sox game. He went there for work but decided to stay for the game as well. It is already almost 9:30 and I am just finishing dinner and hoping I can make a dent in my ironing pile!

Posted by becky at 9:05 PM | Comments (0)

August 28, 2007

Just a little less tired

I did go to bed at a fairly reasonable hour last night so I felt a little less tired during the day today (except for one really drowsy patch right around 11:30 am). Matt had to get up early today so we actually got up at the same time. I got on the bike and watched this past week's episode of "Entourage" since I was at the Indigo Girls concert when it was on and then filled the rest of the time with various MTV shows and morning news shows. Nothing was very interesting and time started to drag after a while. My legs were kind of sore for some reason that I couldn't quite figure out but otherwise I felt fine.

After the aforementioned drowsy spell, I decided to go to the gym at lunch instead of at the end of the day in the hopes that it would wake me up. I think it did, actually, although I felt sort of like I was in a fog when I was here. I might have skipped a couple of things but I think I got through my whole routine.

I got a hair cut tonight and my head already feels so much lighter! I love that feeling. My hair is really thick and grows fast for being curly (probably all that sweating) so I always appreciate the "weight loss" that comes with a summer hair cut.

Posted by becky at 8:17 PM | Comments (0)

August 27, 2007

Yellow light

The concert last night was great--the opening band was Girlyman, also excellent--but there was road construction going home and it took about two hours to get home as compared to 25 to get there. I had two passengers asleep in the back and I was trying really hard not to get drowsy behind the wheel because we were not moving at all for what seemed like forever. By the time I got home, it was about 1am...way too late for a "school night." I slept maybe 20 minutes later than usual today but I was worried I wouldn't have a very good run.

It was actually okay; it wasn't as humid as the past couple of days and nothing was worse than it had been, knee-wise. I was very thirsty the whole time, which was probably just an after effect of being so dehydrated yesterday. Nothing too eventful happened on the run, except that at the very end I scouted out the new location of my Italian Ice place (more politically correctly called WATER Ice) and saw the "Coming Soon" sign--it is a 5 minute walk from my apartment!! I'm psyched. I "ran" into Matt coming out of our apartment when I was finishing my run and all I could talk about was Rita's Water Ices. I have simple tastes.

I had my final physical therapy appointment (for this go around) this afternoon. My PT did a really in-depth assessment of everything around my knee and the tightest thing he found was my fibular head. I didn't know that could be tight, but he did a bit of ART and it hurt A LOT, so I guess it needed to be released. When we were done, he was kind of like, "Well, I think you're doing okay...keep trying to increase what you're doing and as long as the pain/stiffness doesn't get too bad, it's okay." He said all my muscles are really strong, so I should keep doing whatever I'm doing and hopefully continue to see improvement. It wasn't a rousing endorsement of a successfully completed PT regimen, but more of a yellow light. I guess that's okay for now.

My lack of sleep hit me at about 4pm, like a ton of bricks. I made it to the gym but I wasn't too energetic...it was also really crowded because all of the students are back and still have free time! It's fun to have more people around, as long as they aren't using the machines or weights I want :)

I'm trying to eat dinner while I type this, and it is not working out. Food wins out!

Posted by becky at 9:05 PM | Comments (1)

August 26, 2007

Not comfortable

It might be cooler today in terms of temperature, but not in terms of dew point and humidity. The dew point has been about 71 degrees all day (remember, anything above 68 is considered "extremely oppressive") and both Camille and I could tell that we were not going to be too chatty on our run this morning. We decided to meet at my place instead of in Georgetown so we could stay in Rock Creek Park where it is shady for most of the run. It actually was never too sunny, so that was good, but it is always a few degrees cooler in the Park.

Camille's hamstring was bothering her and I had my usual knee aches and pains, so we made quite a pair. We barely spoke until we had made it up a gradual hill that marked the near end of the run. We both had water bottles but still stopped at a couple of fountains to splash cold water on ourselves--it helped, a bit. I didn't feel quite as crappy as yesterday but it was certainly not an effortless jaunt either. I mentioned that I had lime ice pops at my house when we were almost back and those definitely hit the spot. (The NYRR gives out ice pops at all its summer races and it was something I really enjoyed that summer we lived in Brooklyn.)

My ears are still blocked from the humidity several hours post-run. That hasn't happened in a long time and it is really annoying. I have a bunch of errands to do this afternoon and I am going to try and get on the bike for a quick trainer ride but I am doubting it will happen as I need to leave by about 4:30 to pick up some friends for an Indigo Girls concert. Their set probably won't be too much different from when I saw them in Baltimore a few months ago, but I always have a great time at their concerts!

Posted by becky at 1:25 PM | Comments (0)

August 25, 2007

More than one reason for a crappy run

First, a WC shout-out: I am so excited about Kara Goucher's bronze medal at the World Championships!! She ran an amazing race and I just hope she stays healthy and is a force to reckon with next year at the Olympics.

We ended up staying out late (for me) last night so of course my plan of getting out early to run didn't really succeed--it was about 8:30 by the time I left and really nasty out. (If I were up to doing long runs with my group, I would have been done running already!) I could tell right when I started that it was going to be one of those runs where every little thing bothered me. My knee hurt, my water bottles were bouncing around, my iPod came unclipped from my shorts...you know how it is. And that's not even considering how hot it was out--as Deena said in a blog entry from Osaka, the sweat was flying off my fingertips after about a mile. I ran uphill for the first couple of miles because I knew I would be better off in the woods, and as soon as I got onto the Glover Park trail, I did feel a little better. Of course, I had to come up a big hill in the last mile of the run and I totally died, but at least I saved myself some energy by staying in the shade.

Matt played some football with his cousins this afternoon but there was no way I was spending anymore time outside after my run! I did my usual things around the house and then when Matt came home and cooled off a bit, we decided to go see "The Bourne Ultimatum" since it was perfect sit-inside-in-the-a/c weather. Despite a little problem where the screen went blank for about 5 minutes, it was pretty good. And when we came outside it had rained a little and cooled off ever so slightly, a nice surprise!

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

August 24, 2007

The beat goes on

It's hot and steamy again so I wasn't too disappointed to be cranking up the air conditioning and getting on the trainer this morning. I was hoping I would find a movie On Demand to watch, but there was really nothing that interested me. We do have a Blockbuster in our neighborhood, but I just always assume that of the endless movies available (the ones you don't have to pay extra for, that is) there will be something of interest. But no, so I had to watch another "Big Love" even though I told Matt I would wait for him! I never mind watching a second time, though--it makes me realize how much dialogue I miss the first time around.

I didn't do anything too strenuous on the bike, but I did do a bunch of "hills." I still did feel that bit of soreness in the spot kind of where my hamstring connects to my knee (on the side a bit) but I'm hoping that it will feel better this weekend as I tackle what is supposed to be a "heat advisory" day tomorrow.

This does not really have to do with much, but does this article anger anyone else? I can't imagine being a full-time student-athlete and also having to clean up after football games!!

That's it for me, I am off to do some pampering and then a birthday party. I can't wait to see what happens at the World Champs either! Happy weekend to all!

Posted by becky at 5:27 PM | Comments (0)

August 23, 2007

Back to summer (weather)

It's slowly getting more humid and this weekend is supposed to bring a heat wave. I could already feel it when I walked out the door (but maybe I was the only one). I didn't plan to run very far today since I am now running a few more days a week so I sort of meandered around in the neighborhoods near Howard University, HU Hospital and Georgia Ave. It's sort of "block by block" sketchy around there and I just always hope that the streets I choose are okay. Plus I was never very far away from any main roads. I felt all right today; a bit of a soreness between my knee and my quad which I think might have been from too many step-downs. At least I hope that it'll calm down (I will cross train tomorrow).

I went to the gym during lunch because I had a few errands to do tonight. They were vaccuuming the air vents in the (extremely high) ceiling, which made a lot of noise and was kind of annoying. But maybe it'll make the air conditioning more efficient in there! I won't hold my breath. I happened to see one of the GU basketball players working out on the Stairmaster, so that was kind of exciting. I see them in there from time to time and it gets me excited for basketball season! (I know, I'm a complete sellout/bandwagon jumper/whatever.)

On my way home, after I picked up the car from the garage where it was being repaired following an incident with the mirror, I stopped by my new favorite place: Rita's Water Ices. You never know what the flavors will be, but usually anything is good for me if it is an ice. I got a quart of lemon and a quart of passion fruit and I bet they will not last very long!

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

August 22, 2007

Another gray day

When it's below normal August temps around here, the runners go crazy with their long sleeves and pants. Of course I would never even think about wearing that many clothes unless it was the dead of winter, but today I fell into the trap too and wore...a shirt (instead of just my sports bra and shorts). I ripped it off after about 15 minutes, of course.

I felt pretty good today. I did the loop that incorporates a big, gradual hill, which I've been doing about once a week, and while I was still crawling, I felt a touch stronger and was able to maintain more normal biomechanics which prevented my knee from bothering me too much. Lately, when I'm not too tired I'm able to run efficiently (or, at least, more efficiently) and my knee knows it. But when my muscles start to rebel--even when I'm still feeling okay cardio-wise--my knee feels it.

I think I made it to work in record time today. I was running late as usual so I caught the bus instead of walking to the shuttle stop and for once there wasn't too much traffic. My walk-bus or bus-bus commute is usually met with at least a few delays, so once in a while it is nice to make all the connections.

I had PT this afternoon and we worked on getting my femur to stop rotating inwardly like it wants to (it does this on both legs) and on my posture a bit. My PT pointed out that I do weird things with my shoulders/arms and I flashed back to the first time I realized I had awkward posture and carriage: learning the violin for the first time in third grade. Some things will never change and I just have to adapt!

I had a lunch meeting and didn't get enough to eat so I knew I wouldn't be feeling so great at the gym. I did the bare minimum and even that was sub-par. I know my body too well!

Posted by becky at 8:29 PM | Comments (0)

August 21, 2007

Becky weather

During these unseasonably cool few days we've been having, several people have mentioned that I must like this weather! My intern said that yesterday was "Becky weather." I love it! It's true, I really am happier when it's cooler, even today when it was kind of drizzly. It's been so dry this summer so I was kind of looking forward to a rainy run for a change, but it wasn't really raining when I went. I did wake up at about 5:00 am hearing really loud, pouring rain and seeing a lot of lightning, but things had calmed down a lot by the time I finally stopped hitting the snooze button.

I did my Cathedral/AU loop and felt pretty good. It was still quite humid even though the temp was low. My knee did start to bother me after a few hills but it was manageable. At one point in the run, a guy came up behind me to pass me, and I was surprised to note that he wasn't really getting that much ahead of me before I turned off down another street. I didn't bring my water bottle with me but I figured out a natural cooling system: brushing my head against low-hanging wet leaves! Worked like a charm.

What else can I say about today? Work was fine and lifting status quo too. The gym is slowly but surely getting more crowded, but next week will be the test as undergrads return!

Posted by becky at 10:14 PM | Comments (0)

August 20, 2007

Still hot in the gym

Ironically, today was an unseasonably cool day, meaning that it was probably less comfortable temperature-wise in the gym than it would have been running outside. But I thought it would be good to head to the gym today, especially since it was the first day it had been open since the shut down week. But it didn't seem like they made any improvements in the HVAC system as it was hotter than ever in there. I ellipticalled for about an hour and then got on the bike until I had to shower. I hadn't ellipticalled in quite some time (a couple of weeks?) and I felt rusty at it. I only feel good on the elliptical when I've been doing it a lot, since the motion can be kind of awkward especially when I try to keep up a decent pace. I was relieved to switch to the bike after that part of the workout!

Work was pretty quiet today since a lot of people were in meetings. It is always nice to have some quiet time to get things done, especially when you don't have a door you can close. I took a walk at lunchtime to a sandwich place about a mile away since I usually wouldn't want to due to the weather.

It was back to the gym tonight for a little biking, lifting and the dreaded leg circuit. It is especially unpleasant when it is hot in there and I am sweating all over the place. I cheated and only did 3 circuits when I am supposed to do 4 or 5. I just didn't have it in me tonight!

Matt and I ended up getting to Dupont Circle at the same time tonight--a rare occurrence--so we had a nice walk home in the drizzle/still cool temps. I can't wait until it is more like today's weather all the time!

Posted by becky at 9:04 PM | Comments (0)

August 19, 2007

Sleepy Sunday

Today has been pretty unproductive for me. Luckily I felt okay on my run, although I felt very lethargic in the car ride over to meet Camille in Georgetown. I did get a decent amount of sleep last night so I am not sure why I am so tired today. We did our usual route and since it's been a couple of weeks between runs, we had a lot to catch up on. The temperature wasn't too bad today but we were both complaining about being thirsty and pledged to remind each other to bring water even if it isn't blazing out. She was going on a bike ride almost immediately after our run so of course I felt lazy compared to that, but I figured I would ride the trainer later today sometime.

We have a very dicey parking situation because we share a tandem spot with another car and another car parks next to both of us as well. The next-to-us car wasn't there when I got back from the run so I tried to back in to the garage kind of on an angle so I wouldn't have to bother moving the other car. Being the Calamity Jane that I am, I smashed one of the side mirrors on the railing of the staircase that leads up to the apartment in the process. Lovely, and that went over real well with Matt too.

I tried to improve the mood by making waffles, and that helped some. I ended up falling into a deep sleep for about two hours around noon--I couldn't believe I slept that long, and I was actually in a sitting position on the couch with my feet on the floor! Once I recovered from that we did some grocery shopping and I intended to ride the bike when we got back, but I have a headache and just don't feel like it. I am so regimented about my workout schedule during the week but I tend to slack on the weekends because I guess there are other things I'd rather do!

I'm trying out a very unhealthy (but delicious-sounding) gourmet mac and cheese recipe for dinner tonight--we're having Matt's cousin and boyfriend--so I hope I perk up before it's time to cook, or Calamity Jane might strike again...

Posted by becky at 4:22 PM | Comments (0)

August 18, 2007

Deer in Rock Creek

I was so relieved when I went outside this morning and felt how nice it was! Low humidity and not even too high of a temperature yet. Hopefully we will continue to have more of these days where running doesn't feel like a death march as August turns into September. But I won't get too excited because I know that "Fall" on the calendar doesn't neccessarily mean cooler weather.

Still, I felt pretty good today and I think the comfortable conditions were definitely a factor. My knee bothered me some but I tried to remember to pick up my knees and open my stride and that helps. Going up hills is definitely the hardest because I just can't relax--I'm working too hard!

I did a little exploring of a neighborhood I really like and then came back through a little bit of Rock Creek Park. As I (and several other runners) were going over the actual Creek, we saw two deer run by and pause for a little bit as they stood in the Creek. I don't think I've ever seen deer in there in all the years I've lived here. It was cool. (On the not-so-cool animal sightings subject, I also ran by a dead cat this morning on a more urban part of the route.)

I didn't do anything else too physically active the rest of the day despite the nice weather. I did laundry and other fun household tasks while Matt played tennis with a friend. And then I did do something exciting: I went to get Italian Ices! I have sort of an obsession with ices...they are really not available here in the DC area but they are one of my favorite New York treats. I found out recently that a Rita's Water Ice franchise opened about a mile from our apartment and I just had to check it out. I got a quart to take home this afternoon but the flavor selection was kind of sub-par. Still, I'm psyched!

Posted by becky at 6:40 PM | Comments (0)

August 17, 2007

Late Friday

I am cheating a little and back dating this entry since we just got home from dinner at the new townhouse our friends just moved into. It is just a few miles north of Matt's office in Bethesda and it is a very nice place! They were excited to have a deck and a grill for the first time so they invited us over for burgers. It was fun although Fridays are always tough nights to socialize after working all day!

So this morning I rode my trainer and watched "Big Love." Not much to report on the workout--I did some hills but mostly just tried to maintain a good pace. It was hot in the apartment (I think I forgot to turn down the air) and I drained two water bottles. I also had PT in the morning right after I got to work so I put workout clothes back on after I showered and didn't get too much of a break. (But eating breakfast helped!)

Michael, my PT, is trying to figure out why I still have pain in my kneecap. He did some more assessment-type things today and didn't notice too much, only that my posterior tibialis is really weak (on both legs) and I admitted that I don't do that strengthening exercise he taught me because it's kind of awkward. I will make more of an effort now. I suggested that he watch me run and I did demonstrate on the treadmill for about a half mile. He didn't notice much and I think that the treadmill motion might actually mask some of my biomechanical issues. Hmmph.

I am falling asleep as I type so I am going to end here. Happy Friday/weekend to all!

Posted by becky at 11:44 PM | Comments (0)

August 16, 2007

Longer than intended

I was kind of in a rush this morning so I could get back in time to eat breakfast before I left for the dentist, and of course today I miscalculated the length of my route and ended my run in a frantic (wannabe) sprint. I thought that coming up another hill to get out of Rock Creek Park would be roughly the same distance as the one I always take, and it wasn't. It was also an even steeper hill. I notice that my knee bothers me on uphills that are steep because (I think) I am chopping my stride and not using my quads. In general, my knee felt about the same as it did while running yesterday—aching a bit but not terrible. It is getting pretty swampy again and I definitely wish I had thought to take water with me today. I passed one water fountain, at least.

I just realized I forgot to mark my third blog-iversary, which occurred a couple of weeks ago. Three years worth of rants and comments about the weather—wow.

My dentist appointment was fairly quick this morning but I had to get extra Novocaine because I felt the drilling when he first started, so I was numb for a good three hours from my ear to the middle of my lip. I was able to drink through a straw but after only scarfing down a bagel on the way to my appointment, I was starving until the numbness wore off! We had a fun lunch in our suite to thank the interns from the various departments who helped us out this summer and it was good that it was on the later side so I could actually enjoy it. I am going back for the final three cavities in a few weeks. Woo-hoo!

Tonight I biked at the gym, then did a few upper body lifts and then the dreaded leg circuit. Oddly, my "good" knee bothers me more doing that and my other knee feels strong and doesn't hurt at all like it does when I am running. I will ask about that at physical therapy. I am also going to bring my orthotics back to the guy who measured me to see if he can shave them down a bit as I am still having trouble with my insteps. I might as well since I did pay 80 bucks for them!

Posted by becky at 10:05 PM | Comments (1)

August 15, 2007

Almost over the hump

My week has been going quickly so far, probably mostly because I took Monday off. I was pretty good about getting up when my alarm went off yesterday and a little worse today, but tomorrow I have to be right on time because I have a dentist appointment first thing. (Fun times as usual.) In any case, today was a running day and I did my route that goes up toward the Cathedral and American University. Continuing with the trend of something different hurting every time I run, the inside of my knee bothered me a bit today on and off. (Can you hear me sighing?) But it was not too humid and other than my knee discomfort I felt good. Only I can say that and mean it... I still am a little puzzled as to why I'm still feeling out of shape. I guess only time (and mileage) will help me answer that question.

Today was one of those days at work where I felt like I was very busy but didn't actually get a lot accomplished, if that makes sense. A couple of meetings during the day will do that! The med students started classes this week and although we don't have any classes going on in my particular building, I like walking around campus and seeing people again. I'm sure that will change when the gym opens back up next week :)

I went back to the aforementioned fancy gym tonight. Seriously, every other person there has their own trainer walking around with them and showing them what to do. Ridiculous, but I suppose many people need an external motivator. In any event, I biked a little bit and then lifted, mostly upper body.

I think I am going to watch another episode of "Real World: Sydney" tonight. It's so silly, but Matt is working late and if I do my ironing while I watch, I'll feel less guilty.

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

August 14, 2007

Another doctor check-in

We ended up getting home last night around 10:30, which wasn't too bad considering we had a bit of construction traffic on the way home from the airport in Baltimore. I had some around-the-house things to do but I managed to get to sleep at a reasonable hour. (Matt stayed up later answering some emails and catching up on work.)

Today was a cross-training day. The Georgetown gym is closed this week for the annual "shut down week" when they do projects and get everything all ready for the school year. Otherwise it is barely ever closed throughout the year...but I still hate the shut down. So I biked at home today and caught up on another episode of "Big Love" and caught the premiere of the new season of "Real World" (they are in Sydney). Very stimulating and I got in a decent ride with some hill intervals.

On the way into work I stopped to see my orthopedist for a follow-up visit to my first visit back in June. He said pretty much what I expected him to--that he would be very happy with the progress I've made if he didn't know that I wanted to be running more and at a higher level. He suggested giving it another couple of months or so and then beginning to think about scheduling arthroscopic surgery to scope my knee. He also thinks that a lateral release (of the IT band, I guess) would help me but he wouldn't know that until he got "in there." My IT band is not a complaint, but everyone has certainly commented that it is tight enough to be pulling other things over.

I do not want to have surgery nor do I want to face a three (for the clean up) or six (for the lateral release) month rehab after going through so much this year. I also know that my left knee, which has been feeling good over the past couple of years, is likely to have as much damage as the right one. On the other hand, if this could give me more years of quality, pain-free running, then maybe it IS worth thinking about. It's certainly not a decision I can make overnight.

On a lighter note, I lifted tonight at a fancy gym downtown where I have a one-week pass (pre-arranged because I knew about the shut down). It is definitely nice--pool, basketball court, brand-new machines, etc.--but for my purposes, as long as there is a bike, an elliptical, medicine balls and weights, I'm golden. Still, it's nice to live like the other half lives, at least for a week!

Posted by becky at 9:22 PM | Comments (0)

August 13, 2007

One last trip around the lake

I was sad that today was our last day in New Hampshire, but kind of glad that this would be my last time (for a long time, anyway) running around the lake. My legs were really tired this morning, probably from the leg circuit I did yesterday. They just felt super heavy and I had a little bit of knee pain for almost the whole run. If I really think about how I am striding and pick up my knees more, I feel better--but when it's hilly and I'm tired, that's nearly impossible. I am seeing the orthopedist again tomorrow and I am not sure what he will say because he expected me to be pain-free after the cortisone shot and that's not exactly the case. I've definitely come a long way in the past two months, though, and hopefully more strengthening/PT will make the difference that I need to start feeling more normal on runs.

We left the lake house for a few hours this afternoon to do a little outlet shopping in Kittery, Maine. I hadn't been there in years. Matt's grandmother was looking for a winter jacket and unfortunately didn't fine one, but the girls did well in J. Crew! When we got back, I read/napped outside for our last two hours of "vacation," did my abs routine, and got ready to go to the airport. We were lucky to get a ride from Matt's cousin who was on her way back to Boston.

They're calling our flight, gotta go!

Posted by becky at 5:31 PM | Comments (0)

August 12, 2007

The same but different

I did the "around the lake" loop again this morning but I went the other way. It really makes it seem like a completely different run! Especially this particular route, because the uphills all become downhills and vice versa. I think I like this direction better except for the last mile, which is completely uphill. I think I was doing okay today--my knee was achy on and off again, but I had covered my blister and that helped a lot in terms of making me feel more comfortable. But that last hill just took forever and I felt like I was hardly lifting my knees. It was pretty hot--even for New Hampshire--and I probably should have brought water, but I didn't, so I stayed in the shade as much as possible.

We had a big brunch at the house in the morning and then all the "kids" (except my sister and her boyfriend, who had to take off early to get back to NYC at a reasonable time) hung out by the lake. It was hot enough so that we had to spend most of the time in the water. It was really a lot of fun.

Most of the other kids volunteered to play a game of touch football in the afternoon, but I opted to do my PT exercises and leg circuit instead. I am not coordinated enough to play those kind of sports and my knees don't like it when I make sudden stops and starts.

Matt and I are staying one more night here before returning to the oppressive South. It's been really nice being here and I am glad to have an extra day to relax.

Posted by becky at 5:54 PM | Comments (0)

August 11, 2007

Nice and cool, for a change

The thermometer said 63 degrees when I was getting ready to go running this morning--I was very psyched. Of course, it was getting warmer by the minute, but it was the first time in a while that I stepped outside and didn't think, "Ugh." In fact, I thought, "Ahhh."

The only run I know around here (we're in Barrington, NH, near Durham) is the loop around Swains lake. But it isn't like it sounds; you only see the lake a couple of times because a lot of the roads that follow the lake are set back enough that you can barely catch a glimpse. It's all on pretty back roads which are scenic and not really flat--either up or down. My knee was hurting on and off throughout the run at its usual level but I was glad that it didn't get worse from start to finish.

I was pretty tired when I was done and it was nice that I could relax and read for most of the rest of the day! I did go for a swim in the lake--the first swim I've done in quite some time--and for part of it Matt was holding my feet as he sat in a floating seat and I dragged the two of us. My arms are pretty sore from that! It was fun though.

Tonight we had a lobster and steak cookout here instead of going out to dinner with 14 people. It was really fun and the weather was gorgeous. We always have fun when we come to the lake house and so far this weekend has not disappointed!

Posted by becky at 6:21 PM | Comments (1)

August 10, 2007

Running away from the heat

This will be quick as I am getting ready to leave work to pick up Matt and drive up to Baltimore for our flight to New Hampshire. I think the humidity is supposed to get better everywhere on the East Coast this weekend, hopefully NH included! I am looking forward to a few days of relaxing (and hopefully running) since I feel like I've been going nonstop since last week with all the wedding craziness last weekend.

This morning I was on the bike, catching up on Big Love since the On Demand is back in working order. I did my usual workout of alternating steady-state cadence with 90 second climbs. My legs were pretty tired from that leg circuit I did yesterday, but not sore like I thought they'd be. That means I'll just have to work harder next time.

That's about it for me since I need to get on a quick conference call before I head out. Happy weekend to all!

Posted by becky at 3:49 PM | Comments (0)

August 9, 2007

Another day, another ache

It actually wasn't as horribly hot out this morning as it had been the past couple of days. I woke up in the middle of the night sweating and turned down the a/c, so I was surprised when I stepped outside and actually felt a breeze! Don't get me wrong, it was still hot and humid, but it was like the edge had been taken off.

I managed to keep the tape on my knee, but it was getting kind of curly after sleeping on it and I knew it wouldn't last long. Taping has never done a whole lot for me; I don't think it stays on well with my sweat level and it makes me feel kind of like the walking wounded. (Incidentally, I ran into my physical therapist when I was leaving work tonight and he said he was surprised the tape didn't last through a run!) I felt pretty much the same today as I did yesterday--the top of my knee is now hurting and I think it's just irritated as I can tell the difference between my aches and pains right now. I will bike tomorrow and maybe that'll help calm things down. We are going to Matt's aunt's lake house in New Hampshire this weekend and I am really, really looking forward to some beautiful (but challenging) runs. I hope my knee holds up. We went there a couple of summers ago and I remember struggling on the rolling hills...and I was in shape. Uh-oh.

I lifted at lunch again today so I would have time to do some errands tonight. I did mostly upper body but tried this new leg circuit that my PT showed me yesterday. Since I am "an athlete" I was supposed to start with 5 sets of 20 times 4 different exercises--squats, lunges, these weird step/jump things (on a step), and squat/jumps (squat and jump up reaching for the ceiling). I could only do 4 sets, and even that was brutal! I can't wait to try it again and hopefully get better.

Matt is on his way home with some sushi and I made a salad so I wouldn't feel too lazy. I must go start my packing for the weekend excursion. I am excited to go to New England, my favorite part of the country, but I will also be psyched to be in town the next few weekends after that!

Posted by becky at 9:06 PM | Comments (0)

August 8, 2007

Dog days

Since everyone on the East Coast is dealing with this heat wave, I won't complain too much about it. Suffice it to say that today we set a new temperature record of 102 degrees, and that doesn't say anything about the dewpoint/humidity. Just an all around uncomfortable day, and I am very tired despite having spent a lot of time in the air conditioning.

My run this morning was pretty crappy again. Somewhat less knee pain, but after having virtually none a couple of days ago, anything is disconcerting. And of course the weather makes it hard to breathe which just adds to the discomfort. Having my water bottle helped but I was really glad to get back home and into the a/c again.

I biked for a bit and did some lower-body lifting stuff at lunch. It was nice and cool in the gym (for once) and I did not want to go back outside to walk to my office as I knew that I would start sweating almost immediately. Later in the afternoon, I had physical therapy, and I was even more glad than ever that it is in a building only a five-minute walk away. My PT showed me a couple of new stretches and taped my knee to try running on, but I don't think it will help because that type of taping is for patellarfemoral pain and I have patellar tendonitis pain. Sigh.

Matt and I had a nice dinner out tonight and now we are back waiting for the a/c to kick in...there's no way I can go to bed before it does!

Posted by becky at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)

August 7, 2007

It's the dew point, stupid

I did take earth science in eighth grade (made the honors class by the skin of my teeth) so I'm sure I learned about weather then, but that was years ago and all my knowledge has been replaced by useless running trivia. Since the weather is so gross this week, my cube-mate and I had a discussion about what makes the weather feel so oppressive. She thought it was the combination of the dew point and the humidity, so I looked it up and verified that she is correct. The dew point right now is 77 degrees and the humidity is 71 percent. According to my weather sources, dew points over 68 degrees are considered oppressive. So there you have it.

I'm not sure of the temperature stats from this morning, but I'm sure they were similarly oppressive, and I can attest that I did not have a comfortable run. Unfortunately the weather was not the only thing bugging me as my knee was misbehaving. I did one of my standard runs up that goes up to the neighborhood around the Cathedral and then near American and then back through the neighborhoods. My knee was just kind of achy, despite all the stretching yesterday. I didn't wear my orthotics again, though, because of my healing blisters, so that could be contributing. Maybe I will try them again tomorrow since the blisters feel a lot better today. I definitely had to wring out my sports bra when I got back, but boy was I glad that I brought water with me.

I had a busy morning at work and then a couple of friends and I went down to a restaurant on the Georgetown waterfront for Restaurant Week ($20.07 lunches and $30.07 dinners). The food is all local and it was really good, but the service was kind of lacking. It ended up taking longer than we all planned but it was a good time.

When we got back, I hurried and put on my clothes for physical therapy. But when I got there, I realized my appointment is actually tomorrow. Oops! I didn't mind too much because I had a lot to do. I couldn't bring myself to change back into my dress, though, since I was already all sweaty from the walk there and back (it is not far). So I just hid behind my desk and was all changed and ready to lift when I left work!

Stay cool, everyone!

Posted by becky at 9:19 PM | Comments (0)

August 6, 2007

Even more insight

It wasn't too terrible getting up this morning, but it was so disgusting walking down to the bus. I felt like I was swimming through the air because it was so thick. The one saving grace was that it was raining on and off. The bus driver did not have the air conditioner on, either. I should have asked him to turn it on but I decided to be a martyr and suffer in silence. Luckily it was pretty cool in the gym, where I ellipticalled. I had a few aches and pains but it was otherwise uneventful.

My first post-gym stop was an appointment with an osteopath at Georgetown who was recommended to me by a runner acquaintance. I happened to run into this person at a party a few months ago and she excitedly told me about this lifesaver of a doctor who had changed her life and allowed her to run again after a back injury. I figured it couldn't hurt to make an appointment since it was so convenient for me. He is apparently very popular and it took until now to get in to see him. He spent about an hour and a half assessing me and releasing all of my really tight muscles. I don't know exactly what he did, but it loosened me up for sure. He also wrote down a bunch of things for me to give my physical therapist, which is helpful. I hope he helped me but I guess I'll have to wait and see how things turn out in the days and weeks to come! I did make a follow-up appointment with him for the next available day...October 24. Popular guy.

I tried not to go outside much once I got to my office after the doctor. I managed to do pretty well and it was still nasty out when I left at the end of the day to go to the gym to lift and then of course my walk home (which has a lot of uphill) was sweaty as can be. I saw on the weather that today was considered pretty seasonal and tomorrow is going to really be hot. Is this for real??

Posted by becky at 9:52 PM | Comments (1)

August 5, 2007

Early start for a Sunday

We ended up making pretty good time on the way back from New Jersey tonight (despite a big rainstorm) and I am glad that I may be able to get a decent amount of sleep tonight! My alarm went off around 5:30 am today and I had a hard time remembering why I was getting up so early on a weekend. Then I remembered that today was my friend Julie's wedding. Matt went back to Brooklyn last night after the rehearsal dinner but I stayed over with another girl in the bridal party. I know her both through Julie (the friend who was getting married) and because she was on the track team at Penn (a 400-800 runner). [Incidentally, for those who know my 30-second ab routine, she is the one who taught me--just another piece of Becky trivia to tide you over.]

In any case, we both woke up around the same time this morning because she was off to the hotel to get her hair and makeup done. I opted to do mine on my own so I could at least get a short run in. We were staying in the house where Michele grew up and she fortuitously lives about a half mile from a park that marks the beginning of the Glen Rock section of the Saddle River bike trail. It was nice and shady and marked every tenth of a mile--much better than the markings on our local bike paths. I just did an out and back run. My sore calf didn't bother me and my knee was pretty well-behaved too, but I didn't wear my orthotics because of the blister problems. It was much less humid today as well so I felt much more comfortable all around. I will cross train tomorrow and hopefully that'll help the blister-healing process.

The rest of the day was spent at the wedding--taking pictures, trying not to sweat during the outdoor ceremony, and just having fun. It was a great time and everyone had fun despite the bridal party's early wake-up times. Matt and I are of course exhausted now but as I wrote earlier, we were lucky enough to escape much of the Sunday beach traffic and will go to bed imminently.

Posted by becky at 10:40 PM | Comments (0)

August 4, 2007

Two bridges

I might as well update now since I probably won't have time tonight (or tomorrow, for that matter). I was a little nervous about my run this morning since I knew it would be really hot and humid and I didn't get up as early as I probably should have. I brought a frozen bottle of water with me in my waist belt thing--heavy but the only thing that actually stays cold on the run, so I don't mind too much. I headed down to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade first even though it was a little out of the way. Despite the heat, there were already a ton of people out walking, running, and biking. Then I went over the Brooklyn Bridge, which is always tough when it is hot because it is very exposed, but there's something neat about crossing it on foot. My knees were feeling good but at about that point I started to notice my blister again, and a new one on my heel. These turned out to be the biggest hindrances in my run, better than knee pain but still quite uncomfortable.

Once I got over into Manhattan, I ran through Chinatown (which smells awful in the summer) and back into Brooklyn over the Manhattan Bridge. That bridge is my favorite because the pedestrian/biker bath is below the actual bridge and it is pretty much always shaded. Once over that bridge, I went down into Dumbo for a bit and then back home as my blisters were really killing me at that point.

If not for the blisters, it was a good run since I felt strong knee-wise. Both of my calves have been really tight lately when I return from runs and today the left one was especially bothering me. I rarely have calf issues because I do not get up on my toes but I think I may be running a bit differently now and my calves need to adjust--I'm not sure, but I'll keep an eye on it.

We took a walk this morning but it is so hot outside that we don't feel like doing too much. I would like to bike a little at the gym across the street (I have a guest pass) but somehow I doubt that that will happen either. We need to leave for the rehearsal dinner in New Jersey at about 4pm, so it's kind of a shortened day. Hopefully it won't be quite as humid for the wedding tomorrow because we will be taking pictures outside and I don't want to ruin them by looking all sweaty!

Posted by becky at 1:27 PM | Comments (0)

Memory run

Posted by becky at 1:27 PM | Comments (0)

August 3, 2007

Boring bike

Today was a planned cross-training day. I was all set to ride the bike and catch up on a couple of episodes of "Big Love," but something was wrong with On Demand and I couldn't get any of them to work. So I listened to music and entertained myself by doing hill-climbing intervals but it was one of those workouts where it feels like the time is crawling by--I think everyone has one of those once in a while. I felt strong and pain-free doing the hard efforts and was just pretty much glad to be finished!

Matt and I had planned to leave for our weekend in New York around midday so I did a little bit of work at home this morning and then some errands. When I got in the car to drive up to Matt's office to pick him up, the thermometer reading the outside temperature said 80 degrees because it had been in the garage. It crept up to 99 when I was on the way to Bethesda and then 102 when we were on the NJ Turnpike. Crazy heat--I was just glad I didn't have to spend too much time outside. We did have a lot of traffic getting to New York, but at least we were comfortable.

We are staying in Matt's mom apartment in Brooklyn, but we've got the place to ourselves since she is away on vacation. It is not far from the apartment we lived in during the summer of 2005 and it is really nice. We chilled out here for a bit when we arrived (actually it was more like turning on all the air conditioners) and then went to the West Village to meet friends for dinner at a really good Spanish restaurant. It started to rain just as we were getting out of the subway and almost back at the apartment, so we got caught but it wasn't too bad! I am hoping to do one of my Brooklyn runs in the morning--I hope I remember where to go!

Posted by becky at 11:36 PM | Comments (0)

August 2, 2007

Return of the evil blisters

I am not going to go into details but suffice it to say that I have a very disgusting infestation of ants in my apartment and I am completely grossed out. I have been noticing it but it got a lot worse when I noticed something this morning. So when I left for my run, I was not in the best of moods and I felt like things were crawling all over me. Soon, though, that feeling was replaced by just being hot and really sweaty. It is one of those August days where it's not even that humid but the air feels like a furnace, even in the morning.

In addition to being uncomfortably hot, I noticed about halfway through the run that I was developing a new blister on my instep after not having any problem with the orthotics for that foot for more than a week! I think the orthotic might not have been completely flush in the shoe and I was also wearing very, very thin and kind of slippery socks. I also got a blister on my heel today! I just don't get it. But on the positive side, my knee felt pretty much the same as yesterday, which is pretty good!

I went to the gym at lunch today because I want to try and deal with my ant problem before I meet a friend for dinner tonight, and just the five-minute walk was unbearable. When I first came out of my cold building I was fine, but I couldn't wait to get inside the gym after a couple of minutes. I did mostly upper body today.

Matt's plane arrives in Dulles pretty late tonight so it is likely that I will be sleeping when he comes in, but I am still looking forward to his return so that I don't have to be alone with my ants anymore.

Posted by becky at 4:12 PM | Comments (0)

August 1, 2007

Not too many complaints

My knee did start to bother me a bit when I got tired, but all in all, this morning's run was the best I've had in a while. I wore my new pair of sneakers--I run in the Gel-Evolution and no one has ever heard of it but it is a motion control PLUS shoe by Asics, and this iteration was said to control pronation even more. Although it would be in the 90s by the afternoon, it wasn't too hot yet and definitely less humid than it's been during the past week or so. I decided to run as shady a route as possible to take advantage of the low humidity (normally, it is just as nasty in the shade as in the sun) and I think I ended up doing pretty well. A lot of it was in Rock Creek Park, which I haven't done too much of lately. I incorporated a big hill (one that I used to live on, actually) and allowed myself to go as slow as possible so long as I didn't have any pain. I felt like I could have practically walked up faster, but I need to just rebuild my strength and ability to run and not just racewalk up hills! I must have worked something, though, because my legs were definitely tired when I got back home.

Not much else excitement to report from the day. I am reading a new (to me) book about a Hmong girl with epilepsy and how the cultural and language barriers between her family and her health care workers affected her condition--it was recommended by several of my public health school friends and I am just getting around to reading it. It is very interesting and engrossing so far. I read outside at lunch and that was about all the break from the air conditioning that I needed.

I biked tonight and then did my lower body and core strengthening, no arms. I did a lot of these side-step things with the theraband to strengthen my glute meds (sp?) and I am slightly worried how I will feel getting out of bed tomorrow!

Posted by becky at 9:52 PM | Comments (1)