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December 31, 2007
Happy new year
We're only a few hours away from 2008. Running-wise, this year was certainly a struggle, but hopefully the next year will be better. It's hard when you are only getting older, but I am certainly doing everything I can to make my knees runnable again! As for everything else, this was my first full year of working after grad school, and that was good...my dad's getting sick was a low point, but the fact that he is doing fine now is reason enough to celebrate. I am not usually one for retrospection, but I'm in the mood.
So my last workout of the year was technically biking because I just did that for a little bit, but my main workout today was a run this morning. It was really nice running weather out so I was glad I got to be out there. I think it rained all night but it was sunny and not too cold this morning. I ran up to the Cathedral, down through the Georgetown business district, and back up to my neighborhood via Rock Creek Parkway. I had a few aches and pains here and there but overall felt good, just out of shape. I crawled up the last hill and wished I was invisible because I'm sure my form must have been atrocious!
We are heading up to our friends' house for a relaxed New Year's celebration. They are cooking and I spent a couple of hours today making a chocolate cake from scratch. It doesn't look all that pretty but hopefully it will taste better than it looks!
Happy new year!
Posted by becky at 5:50 PM | Comments (0)
December 30, 2007
Last Sunday of the year
I woke up with a headache today for some reason but a couple of Aleve helped it go away before I got on the bike. I was debating running today but I am "saving" the run for tomorrow. In any case, I finished watching my DVDs of "The Office" and then watched some of the extra features (although the only ones I really like are bloopers, and they didn't have any of those). I did a bunch of hill intervals for about an hour and then just biked until I couldn't feel my butt anymore and the smell of coffee brewing was driving me crazy!
It was a rainy day today, but Matt and I had seen a couple of open house listings in one neighborhood that we like so we headed up to Bethesda to check them out. They weren't really right for us, but it's good to see what's out there. Then we went grocery shopping, something I usually do alone so it was good to have Matt as a helper. When we got home, I did not feel like going back out into the rain but since the gym is closed for the next two days, I did go there to lift. There were about three people there total and the guys at the desk just waved me in--I guess I'm a regular. I was glad I went and having a snack beforehand really helped my energy level, which is usually low at that time in the afternoon.
Posted by becky at 8:44 PM | Comments (0)
December 29, 2007
Oh, deer!
Although we didn't really go anywhere until tonight, today felt like a very productive day. Matt usually sleeps until I'm back from running or working out, but today we both woke up around the same time and he found out that his Treo had died. We do not have a home phone so he will be "off the grid" for the rest of the weekend...which I thought would stress him out but I think it's actually a welcome change! I waited around to see whether we could figure out how to reset the thing, but when nothing worked I headed out the door.
It was really warm today and almost humid. I decided at the last minute to grab a long-sleeve shirt and I definitely didn't need it--it was off within five minutes. But aside from being hot and feeling out of shape, it wasn't a bad run. I was running through a residential neighborhood that leads into Rock Creek Park and realized as it was happening that I was inches away from a very large deer hanging out on someone's lawn. I was startled but it didn't look like the deer noticed me--or if he did, he didn't care. Still, you don't see that too often so it was definitely a highlight. And speaking of animals, I ran through the zoo to end the run. It was challenging as usual but I just tried to maintain a slow, steady pace up the hill and it went well. All in all, it was a pretty good run. It wasn't a long run but it felt that way because of my current conditioning.
We ended up spending all day cleaning up, waiting for the guys to deliver our new TV and for the cable guy and then setting stuff up. Our TV looks great and everything seems to be working well. I found about 25 minutes when everything was all set up to ride the bike and then we were off to meet friends for dinner at a steak place downtown. It was a fun time and now we are home...watching TV!
Posted by becky at 10:20 PM | Comments (0)
December 28, 2007
Fake Friday
Usually Friday is my favorite day of the week, but since this week has been so weird, it sort of felt like all of the other days. I started out the day by biking and entertaining myself by watching more of "The Office." I felt decent but definitely had some behind-the-knee tightness. I am almost done with DVDs from Season 3 and I don't know what I'm going to do after that. But we are getting DVR installed this weekend so that could open up a whole new world of options (but maybe not with the writers' strike going on in Hollywood.)
Work was again very quiet and I was more than able to slip out to the gym at lunchtime. It was very quiet there too so I enjoyed a little bit of biking and lifting. So nothing exciting to report there, but that's probably a good thing.
Matt and I met at Best Buy tonight to buy some cables that we will need when we set up our new flat-screen high-definition TV this weekend (it is also scheduled to arrive tomorrow). Neither one of us are big electronics geeks but I think it will be fun to have a new toy--we'll see if it increases the amount of TV that we watch!
Happy final weekend of 2007!
Posted by becky at 6:36 PM | Comments (0)
December 27, 2007
Hanging in there for another run
I would love to run this weekend--it is actually supposed to be in the 60s on Sat., I think--so I ran today and plan to bike tomorrow. I actually felt pretty good today in terms of muscular/knee stuff, but my body felt weird, almost like I had a fever (I didn't, I checked when I got back). I can't seem to get rid of these last few cold symptoms (cough and a bit of congestion) although none of it is too bad. I am a little worried that I might have a sinus or ear infection, though, because I've been a little dizzy when I lie down to do sit-ups. I will see how I feel after this weekend and potentially sweet talk a doctor at work into prescribing me some antibiotics.
Work was almost as quiet today as it was yesterday, but a few more people were around. I sent out a press release to a bunch of reporters and I'd say I got 75 percent out-of-office replies, underscoring my point that this is definitely a productivity downtime! Everyone headed out on the early side and I was very excited to go back to the gym. I had enough extra time after lifting to get a haircut, something that's been on my list for a couple of weeks now. So although work productivity is low, it's great to have more time to get all these personal things done!
Posted by becky at 8:43 PM | Comments (0)
December 26, 2007
Quiet day at the office
After four days of sleeping in, getting up when it was still dark was not pleasant. It was dark enough so that I thought it might be raining, but it wasn't (that came later). The city is definitely still empty for the holidays, and I could tell because I didn't have to stop for cars even at the biggest intersections. I did what I call my "hospitals" loop and felt okay until I developed a weird calf cramp toward the end. (In my bad leg, so probably stride-related.) I used the foam roller when I got back and iced it when I got to work and it is feeling better, just a little sore. The back of my knee felt fine when I was running but has been a little sore too during the day. Just another day in my achy life.
At first, having the office be so quiet was great. I got a lot done, cleaned off my desk, paid some bills...and then no one replied to emails and I didn't really have a lot left to do. At around 4, my boss left and told me to feel free to do the same, so I did. I trudged to the bus in the rain, bummed that the gym wasn't open. It crossed my mind to try and pay a guest fee somewhere, but that seemed nuts. Plus, I had my bike at home so I just did that and watched more of "The Office." This is a good lifting break, because I am actually looking forward to going back tomorrow!
Posted by becky at 7:15 PM | Comments (0)
December 25, 2007
End of the 'weekend'
Matt and I were both awakened this morning by the abundant sunlight streaming into our bedroom--it wasn't even too late but it felt that way. Despite being over last week's cold, I coughed my way through the movie last night ("Gone Baby Gone") and didn't feel so great when I got out of bed. That and the fact that I had run yesterday made me decide to bike today. I thought I had a few episodes of "The Office" left on the DVD I had rented, but there was only one more. I was stuck after that listening to music and channel surfing. Although my legs felt okay, it was one of those workouts that seemed to last forever. Plus, Matt was up and eating breakfast and I was getting very hungry!
After I did a ton of ironing that I had been putting off and Matt paid our bills for the month, we took advantage of the nice weather and did some errands on foot. We were surprised at how many stores were actually open. Although I appreciated it, I also think there is something nice about having a holiday where pretty much everyone has the day off. I guess that doesn't really exist anymore.
We stopped at Blockbuster as part of our errands and I got the next couple of installments of "The Office" for biking entertainment this week (hopefully as a supplement to running, not a replacement.) I already watched one as I biked this afternoon (gym still closed). Tonight we are planning on having a good-old fashioned Scrabble game--based on my recent Scrabulous obsession, I should be much improved!
Posted by becky at 6:59 PM | Comments (2)
December 24, 2007
Nice to be outside
Finally, I ran today. It was slow, and I was a little creaky, but none of the things that have been bothering me lately bothered me. I wasn't sure how to dress because last night at midnight it was about 65 degrees. It was actually really nice out--in the 40s and sunny. I was actually a little warm in my shorts and long-sleeve shirt. I headed toward the Cathedral and then cut up to Wisconsin Ave. by going through these trails that I haven't been on in quite some time. The trail is steep at points but I was going so slowly that it didn't really faze me. But I definitely was tired when I got back--I first considered biking a bit but decided against it.
Matt had to work today and I had the day off, so it was pretty quiet. I didn't want to venture anywhere there might be last-minute Christmas shoppers, so I stayed close to home. I did have to go to the post office and I was a little worried, but it wasn't too bad. Whole Foods was much, much worse--but they had express lines.
I biked this afternoon since my gym is closed, and now we are getting ready to head to yet another movie. It's Jewish Christmas!
(And for everyone else--Merry Christmas!)
Posted by becky at 5:51 PM | Comments (0)
December 23, 2007
Doesn't feel like Sunday
Since I have tomorrow (and Tuesday) off, today didn't really feel like a Sunday. I still had some tightness in the back of my leg, so I thought biking was probably the wisest choice. So my workout today was much like my workout yesterday, except I was watching "The Office." I hadn't ever seen the show until a few weeks ago, so now I'm catching up on what I've missed. I did several "hills" to break up the monotony and return feeling to my butt. Other than that, there's nothing else too exciting to report.
It was raining most of the day so it was a good excuse to stay in, lounge around, and read. In the afternoon, I did go to the gym to lift because it is closed for the next three days. Tonight we are going to continue our movie weekend with another On Demand selection...title to be determined.
Posted by becky at 7:21 PM | Comments (0)
December 22, 2007
Inside kind of day
It was nice to know I could pretty much wake up whenever I wanted to today. Of course, I still set my alarm, because that's me, and was on the bike at around 8:30, thinking about the Saturday Long Run that I was missing. But I managed to get in a decent workout myself, I think. The movie I watched ("Once") was really good, but definitely a quiet one to work out to. I had been wanting to see it for months and already knew a lot of the music from the radio station that I listen to online at work all day (WFUV in New York if you haven't discovered it yet). I neglected to start my watch so I'm not sure how long exactly I was biking, but I got off when I couldn't feel my butt anymore and I was really hungry. Nothing hurt (too much) although the back of my knee was pretty sore today, but it felt more like it was coming from tight hamstrings.
Matt and I did a lot of cleaning today. We had gift boxes (from work) to unpack and just a lot of general tidying-up that needed to be done. I think we did a good job and even moved the bed to get to all the dust that we hadn't even noticed in the year and a half that we've been here. I guess I was tired from all that cleaning because I crashed on the couch for a couple of hours after that. When I woke up, Matt was just coming home from his haircut and we realized we hadn't eaten much all day, so we went to get some Vietnamese food and then to see "Juno." I really liked it but expected I would, since it's my kind of movie!
Posted by becky at 5:14 PM | Comments (0)
December 21, 2007
Meg Ryan morning
I was kind of bummed today because I knew there weren't any movies On Demand that I was interested in watching while I was on the bike. But when I turned the TV on, "You've Got Mail" had just started on HBO. I love Meg Ryan and have seen almost all her movies several times. I hadn't seen this one in a few years so it was perfect for this morning's ride.
Oddly, the back of knee thing bothers me most when I sleep (in a fetal position, which apparently I do unconsciously, because I would wake up and stretch my legs out only to have the same thing happen again). It's definitely a lot better walking around and biking. We all know how much I hate not running on the weekend, but I just rented a couple of movies I've wanted to see so hopefully that will pass the time and make me forget what I'm missing.
Happy weekend to all!
Posted by becky at 7:47 PM | Comments (1)
December 20, 2007
Holiday'd out
Much like Alisha felt yesterday, I feel like I've been eating all day today. And all junk, because that's what's around the office, of course. I think I'm having a sugar low right now--all I want to do is go to sleep. But, we have Matt's local office holiday dinner tonight (as opposed to the all-office party that was in L.A. last week) so I'm trying to get motivated for more gluttony.
At least I did get in some working out today, though it wasn't of the running variety because my leg still hurt when I woke up. It's a little better, but it's sort of the whole back of my knee that is sore now, so I'm leaning more and more toward some sort of popliteal strain. The previous popliteal injury was an overuse injury, and this is clearly something different because there's no overuse going on now. Anyway, I rode my trainer this morning. There wasn't much to keep me occupied. I watched one episode of "The Office" and then listened to music. But the time passes either way. I didn't feel like it was my best workout, but it was okay.
Then I lifted during lunch, which will probably be the last time for several days unless I motivate to go on Saturday or Sunday, which is possible. The gym is closed on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I understand Mon. and Tues., but Wed. seems a little excessive to me. I know I should just suck it up and give my arms a rest for a week, but I will probably cave to the internal pressure and at least do some push-ups.
Posted by becky at 5:26 PM | Comments (0)
December 19, 2007
Come on!
So stepping out of my co-worker's car last night when we got to our office party, I landed weirdly on my bad knee and started feeling a strangeness/soreness in the very back corner of it, almost near my calf. I massaged it and figured it would go away. But it was still bothering me when I went to sleep and even when I moved my leg while lying down. When I woke up, it didn't feel too bad and I didn't have enough time to bike, so I ran. I felt a little bit of tightness, but it did not bother me and I was relieved. But when I got home and had showered and everything and was walking to the bus, I realized it hurt again. When I got up after having been sitting for awhile, it was killing me. It did loosen up, which makes me think it's some sort of muscle tweak, but...please!! I cannot understand why I have become this person who practically gets injured every time she blinks!
I really don't think this is related to my other knee issues, and I'm trying to figure out if I maybe strained my popliteal tendon. I had a popliteal injury in the other leg a few years ago, but I remember it being more in the middle. This is very localized--I'll have to look back in my running logs. In any case, I am definitely down about it and will have to see how it feels the next couple of days. I plan to ice it tonight also, although it is kind of cold in my apartment so that will be a challenge.
I wasn't sure how my leg would feel biking when I went to the gym. It wasn't too bad; I just biked easy for awhile and then lifted. I also tried to stretch as much as I could because that seems to help overall. Cross your fingers that this is a quick setback and not another sign from above that I should throw in the towel completely. (I am still planning to discuss surgery with my doctor, but I don't see him for another couple of weeks.)
Posted by becky at 8:35 PM | Comments (0)
December 18, 2007
Easing back into things
Since yesterday's run went well, I decided not to test fate and to bike today. Plus, when I woke up, I heard the guy on the radio saying it had been 18 degrees when he left the house this morning. Granted, it was probably into the 30s by the time I would have been going out, but considering I am still coughing a little, it was probably for the best that I stayed in.
I haven't finished it yet, but I started watching Michael Moore's "Sicko." I guess I missed it when it was in the theater. I generally think Moore is a sensationalist, but he has a talent for taking topics that are dry on paper (i.e. health care) and making them come to life. I expected to be shocked by the stories he told, and I have been so far. In the midst of hearing about people forced to choose between having a middle or a ring finger reattached, I was able to (finally) do some hill climbs again without pain. I think it was a decent workout and hopefully I can finish the movie tonight.
I lifted at lunch today since this is a week of holiday parties and tonight is my office dinner. I cautiously did some squats and other leg-strengthening things and they felt okay...not amazing, but I really want to get back to the level I was in terms of leg strength before this latest setback. I felt a little rushed, but overall I was efficient and got in a decent workout.
Off to dinner!
Posted by becky at 6:08 PM | Comments (0)
December 17, 2007
Time warp
Our plane ended up taking off about an hour late yesterday--and of course we were sitting on the plane the whole time, just waiting--so we didn't land until about 12:45 am, and then everything else just took forever and we did not get back to our apartment until about 2:30. Later than I have stayed up in ages, and it didn't really matter that I had started the day on West Coast time. Thankfully, I had already planned to take today off because I had anticipatated that something like this might happen, and I got to sleep in. Poor Matt was up at 7-something for a meeting.
When I did wake up, my knee felt pretty good and didn't look swollen (this come-and-go swelling thing is a mystery) so I decided to try running. (My cold is also much better, although I sound terrible.) I'm glad to say that things went pretty well from a mechanical perspective--the big challenge today was the wind. It was freezing, even though I did actually have gloves and a hat on. I kept thinking that it would stop when I changed direction, but it never did. But I still enjoyed my run because my legs felt okay. I feel very slow even though I haven't taken all that much time off, but at this point, a run is a run.
I did a bunch of errands today including finally going to the library to pick up some books I've had on hold. I was very excited since I am currently without a book after finishing "The Time Traveler's Wife," recommended to me by a friend. I liked the fact that it was a love story, but it was a little too science fiction-y for me.
I also went to the gym in the evening to lift, which I felt like I hadn't done in a few days. The campus is definitely emptying out for break and the gym was not too crowded. I got in a good workout and then went directly to Trader Joe's, probably not the best idea since I was hungry...
Posted by becky at 9:04 PM | Comments (1)
December 15, 2007
Exploring and adventuring
My knee was swollen again this morning and was bothering me walking around last night, so I went to a nearby gym. It was really nice and one neat thing was that the stretching area was outside (in the building, but in an open-air part). I guess you can do that with the weather that Santa Barbara has. Plus, there was an outdoor lap pool, which seemed strange to me but is actually probably very normal for the West Coast! So anyway, I was stuck inside on the elliptical and the bike. Ellipticalling didn't feel so great because the swelling--which actually hasn't happened probably in months--makes everything get sort of caught and hurt when I don't expect it. It's kind of hard to explain, but it's not too pleasant. And as for our colds, Matt is a little less sniffly but I am right in the middle of that very stuffed-up, constantly-nose-blowing phase. Lovely, especially for my fellow gym rats!
After we ate breakfast, Matt and I took the scenic route (and it was very scenic) to Goleta Park, which is next to UC Santa Barbara. We followed a route that I had seen on sbrunning.com, the site for the local running community, which followed the coast and then went around the UCSB Lagoon, which I think is part of the XC course there. It was really beautiful, but my knee was bothering me so it wasn't as much fun as it normally would have been.
We spent the rest of the afternoon reading and blowing our noses. I tried to use the gym here in the hotel to lift, but they were missing most of their weights and they only had a recumbent bike and that bothered my leg. So...I opted to join Matt, who was reading in the hot tub, instead.
Tonight we went to a really neat place for dinner, up in the San Marco pass, called Cold Spring Tavern. It was an old stagecoach stop from the 1800s and hasn't really been modernized. There is a bar next door with live music so we hung out there first. There was a woman folksy singer who I liked at first but then she covered a Patty Griffin song quite badly (in my opinion) and I sort of changed my mind. But the dinner was cozy and fun and we made it back home down the mountain safely--I'm glad I wasn't driving!
Posted by becky at 9:50 PM | Comments (0)
December 14, 2007
California snifflin'
Matt and I are like the sniffles twins. We both have colds (his came out first yesterday) and although we don't feel too bad, we are all snotty and gross. I could tell when I woke up today that we were going to be needing a lot of tissues to get us through the weekend.
So I set off for Gold's Gym this morning. I decided to walk because when I mapped it, it was only 0.7 mile away. It would have been fine had I not taken a wrong turn. It took me almost an hour to get there and when I finally did, I didn't even have a great workout. The bikes were not to my liking and they did not have towel service (gross!). My knee was also very stiff and a little swollen today. I'm not sure if it was from the run, or wearing heels last night, or what. Whatever the reason, it did not make me happy. When I finally got back to the hotel, I felt like I had been gone for a day.
Matt worked this morning and then we left LA to drive to Santa Barbara (sniffling all the way) at around noon. We ate lunch at a neat outdoor seafood place, read in the jacuzzi (it is pretty chilly here, by California standards) and then walked around the downtown/shopping area. When we were hungry again, we stopped at a recommended restaurant and it was pretty good. Now we are back and both exhausted although it's not all that late. Here's to getting a good night's sleep and getting rid of those sniffles!
Happy weekend to all!
Posted by becky at 10:57 PM | Comments (0)
December 13, 2007
The non hills of Hollywood
(In case anyone is wondering where yesterday's blog entry is, it's stuck on my laptop. Matt has a wireless card that works anywhere but it doesn't work with my computer. So rest assured it will be coming and it is not that exciting except for the fact that my day started at about 4:30 am EST and didn't end until 11:30 PST.)
In Hollywood, all the nice neighborhoods and trails and scenic stuff is in the hills. I decided to try running this morning, but I knew it would be asking for trouble to do hills. So I just ran where I knew it was flat, on the main roads of what I think is West Hollywood. It is really ugly and there is lots of traffic, but hey, it's flat. And although my knee hurt with my first one or two steps and I was ready to just come back, it started to feel more normal all of a sudden. I limited it to about 30 minutes and the pace was very leisurely. But I felt okay! I was excited. I came back and was a little creaky but got on this bike they've got in the hotel gym that seems to be from about 1988. But our room is next to the gym and I didn't feel like paying a guest fee somewhere just to bike. It was fine.
Matt was at work all day so I was on my own to explore. I needed a pair of shoes for tonight so I hit up Nine West and also a great Ann Taylor Loft that happens to have much better stuff than the ones back home. I also wanted to get a manicure and the place that I knew around here had closed. I asked around and one woman recommended a place that was two stops away on the (other) Metro, the subway system in LA. I decided it would probably be more pleasant than driving in the LA traffic and it was. I got a great mani/pedi and enjoyed the sunshine (although I hear it is nice and snowy in some of my favorite cities "back East"!).
I came back here to the hotel and relaxed for a bit and then lifted. Now we are getting ready to go to Matt's company's holiday party. It is at a studio somewhere not too far from here and it should be a good time.
Posted by becky at 9:08 PM | Comments (0)
Early rising
As is usually the case when I have to get up super early, I basically bolted out of bed. My mind felt awake, but my body didn’t. I was considering trying to run a little and then biking, but that seemed risky in terms of timing because I wasn’t sure how I would feel. So back on the bike I went, with another Spike Lee movie to watch (“Do the Right Thing”). I didn’t finish the movie, but I was able to do a few hills with only a little bit of ache in my knee—it was encouraging although of course it would be better to have no pain at all. I felt like I got a better workout in than the past few days, but it could have just been hot in the apartment and I was sweating more!
Amazingly, I was the first person to arrive for the 7:30 meeting. Even more surprising, I did not feel that tired. That hit me later during the day and now as I sit on the plane, it is more like sleepiness. I have been dozing on and off though and am looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow on the first day of our mini-vacation! (Well, vacation for me; Matt is planning to work out of the L.A. office.) I’m not sure whether a short run is going to happen tomorrow or not; Hollywood is pretty hilly but the gym at our hotel is not very helpful to a serious cross-trainer like me…however, I’m sure I can find a more suitable facility in a city that is known for its superficiality!
Posted by becky at 11:25 AM | Comments (0)
December 11, 2007
Another day on the bike
It was another morning of biking for me today, although my leg felt stronger, my knee hurt less and I could even attempt a few hills (I didn't really push it though since there was still some discomfort). I finished watching "Jungle Fever," although I had to fast-forward to the part where I had left off and the On Demand fast forwarder takes forever—it was a good 20 minutes before I got there. I was glad to finish the movie but I didn't like the ending, I found it very unsatisfying. There are a few other Spike Lee movies available On Demand right now so I am going to try to watch as many as I can.
I went to the gym during lunch, but it was rushed because I had to get back and finish something. I did a tiny bit of biking to warm up and then as much lifting as I had time for (not too much). We are leaving for L.A. tomorrow evening (Matt's company holiday party is on Thursday and then we are spending the weekend in Santa Barbara) so I am trying to get a lot done both at work and at home. To male things more interesting, I have a 7:30 am meeting tomorrow! So it will be a long day for me but hopefully a good one. I am also going to try and get in a workout in the morning…so I better go to bed!
Posted by becky at 9:36 PM | Comments (0)
December 10, 2007
Return to the elliptical
I thought it would be a good idea to change it up a bit and do a different type of cross training this morning since I've been on the bike a lot. It's just so easy to wake up and get on the bike, so I'll definitely be doing that again this week. But today I planned ahead and made it out the door in time to catch an early bus and get to the gym at a reasonable hour. I haven't been on the elliptical for any extended period of time for probably months, so it felt weird at first. As for my knee, I felt sort of a dull ache at times but definitely not the sharp pain that I've been having when walking up the stairs. It also seemed to loosen up as I got more warmed up, giving me hope that maybe this is a soft tissue thing that just needs time to go away.
I did the elliptical for about an hour and then biked until I had to get in the shower. I ran into someone I knew who was also ellipticalling (next to me) and we spent probably 20 minutes or so talking, so that passed some of the time. I haven't quite regained my reading on the elliptical skill and part of me hopes I don't have the opportunity to get much more practice.
The most exciting part of my day was staffing a TV shoot, although I have really become way too inured to meeting the local anchors and such. It was an interesting story about a family with 15 members who are carriers of the BRCA mutation that increases your susceptibility to breast cancer. The anchor was a real trouper (sp?) because she does the early morning news and had probably been up since about 2am. I can't imagine ever getting used to that schedule!
I went back to the gym tonight and was too hungry to bike a whole lot so I mostly lifted. I stupidly tried to "test my knee out" and do some squats when really I should know better and wait until it is better. But I really want to be able to run--even if it is super short--when we go to LA and Santa Barbara this week and weekend. More on that tomorrow!
Posted by becky at 8:52 PM | Comments (0)
December 9, 2007
Biking fever
We were due at a Chanukah brunch this morning on the early side, so I had to get up pretty early to bike. I had hoped to be able to try running but after the way my knee felt yesterday afternoon and evening, I didn't think it was a good idea. Luckily I noticed that "Jungle Fever," one of the Spike Lee movies that we heard music from last night was available On Demand, and I had never seen it. I haven't quite finished it but I really enjoyed what I saw and it was perfect timing after the concert last night.
The brunch was fun--a great spread and lots of cute little kids. After that, we went to do some plasma TV browsing at Best Buy and then grocery shopping. Somehow it's now the late afternoon and although I am somewhat tempted to bike some more, I am also in need of a nap and I need to start cooking for dinner fairly soon since we are having some friends over--so I think the nap will probably win out!
Posted by becky at 4:17 PM | Comments (0)
December 7, 2007
Holiday season kickoff
Tonight was our first holiday party--it was hosted by a company that Matt's company does a lot of business with. The head of the company is a real character and always has some neat gifts to raffle off. Matt and I came home with a nice bottle of cabernet sauvignon, and some people even got video iPods. It was a good time and we have a couple more holiday gatherings to stop by this weekend.
This morning I was glad to note that my knee felt a little bit better. I got on the bike again though and still couldn't do any hills without pain. I hate, hate, hate not being able to run on the weekends, especially since my friend Liz is in town this weekend, but I'm going to be "good" and give myself another day or two on the bike. This morning's entertainment was the rest of yesterday's movie and last night's "ER." Both were mildly entertaining.
I actually had a really informative conversation with my orthopedist's nurse today. I called because I wanted to talk (to the doctor) about surgery vs. the Synvisc injections that we had talked about a couple of months ago. I believe my insurance will cover the injections, but they require that the doctor calls in the prescription. Anyway, I expected to just leave a message but someone called me back and had reviewed my chart and everything. She told me to try the Synvisc first because there's really nothing to lose. I asked her about my meniscus suspicion and she said it is possible that there is some degenerative tearing, but probably not a big tear since it doesn't show up on the MRI. I described where I'm having pain now and she said there are a lot of soft tissue connections there and it could just be aggravated and that taking a few days' rest is a good way to go. I was so pleased to have had a real conversation about all this, and at 5:30 on a Friday nonetheless. My doctor is a great surgeon, but his bedside manner leaves a bit to be desired. Now I have the nurse's private number and I am encouraged! It will take 10 days or so to get the medication and then I need to get in there and start the series of injections. It's a start. (Another start.)
Happy weekend to all!
Posted by becky at 10:37 PM | Comments (1)
December 6, 2007
The cross training continues
Biking this morning was actually a lot more comfortable today. I still am limping up stairs, but there seems to have been a marginal improvement. I tried to finish my movie from yesterday, but the DVD player didn't improve with rest. In fact, it was barely doing anything at all today. So I got an On Demand movie that I didn't think I'd seen, but I knew I'd read the book it was adapted from back in high school ("Before and After"). I read this way before I read any of Jodi Picoult's books, but it is very similar--parents protecting their son who is accused of murdering his girlfriend. Very uplifting storyline...but actually, it was pretty watchable. I'm not sure I'll have time to finish it tonight because of "Grey's" (I think it's on for real this week) and other things to do.
The roads were still pretty icy this morning, and the sidewalks were worse, so I'm not sure I would have run anyway. My phone rang at 5:30 am with an automated message telling me that Georgetown was open despite the many local school closings and delays. I had to walk down to the bus slowly, but the roads looked fine. However, my bus got stuck behind...something, I couldn't tell what, and the normally ten-minute trip took about 45. At least I had my book.
I went to the gym at lunch. I was pretty sore from a few new lifting things yesterday, so I mostly biked and then did abs and a couple of other things. Things were pretty quiet around the office today although instead of motivating me to get a bunch of stuff done, it made me feel like procrastinating. Sometimes you just have one of those days.
Posted by becky at 7:50 PM | Comments (0)
December 5, 2007
Probably the only snow we'll see
It actually has been snowing here most of the day. I love it, of course, and it hasn't even caused too much ruckus like usual in the city. I am slightly paranoid that this early storm will be the only snow all winter, especially because I was on the bike and not running in it this morning. My freakish memory is also reminding me that during this week last year (or maybe next week), it was 87 degrees, so you never know what the weather gods have in store. So there I was, on the bike--which didn't feel amazing on my knee, but not too bad--slaving away while the snow fell behind me. I had a DVD of "Wonder Boys" to watch, but something is wrong with our DVD player and it kept freezing and turning off the player didn't really do anything. I liked what I saw and I wanted to see the end of it, but it is way too annoying to troubleshoot while biking. There was nothing else to watch but morning shows, where they talked about the snow over and over again. Although I did catch a little segment on this baby polar bear Knut, who apparently was born last year in Germany. I must have missed that because even though I am not an animal person, he is so adorable!
I wasn't able to do any hills because that angle hurts my knee. It's basically a few motions that bother it, but climbing the stairs and getting out of the saddle are the worst.
I had to do a bunch of walking around on campus in the wet snow, but for once I brought a hat so it wasn't too bad. I didn't go to the gym until the end of the day. I actually ran into my physical therapist when I was there and he asked how I was so I told him about my recurrent knee pain and asked him if he thought it was a meniscus tear. He did his "test" to see if it was inflamed and pressing on the spot that usually correlates to the meniscus did not bother me. But he said the only way to really tell is to get in there and do arthroscopy (as I thought). I am going to call the doctor tomorrow and see if I have to come in again or can just bypass another visit and just schedule it. I've kind of made up my mind and I'm getting impatient. The PT did say that it's possible for meniscal pain to come and go depending on whether the tear is caught somewhere in the kneecap. Gross, but interesting.
Matt is in New York tonight, so I just lit the Chanukah candles and am celebrating (not really) by myself. Happy night #2!
Posted by becky at 8:46 PM | Comments (0)
December 4, 2007
Not a complainer
I ran this morning because I had made up my mind that I was going to, and because I am used to running with various aches and pains. But despite the fact that I was able to get through almost an hour of running in the dark, cold morning, I didn't feel hard-core when I finished. I felt frustrated and defeated, because the pain in the inside of my knee was back with a vengeance. Now this could be something I aggravated on one of my runs last weekend (there was a big hill in Saturday's run), but I just have a sneaking suspicion that I have a medial meniscal tear. My latest MRI showed an area of "increased signaling" or something in the posterior horn of the medial meniscus and although it appears intact on the MRI (the ortho said it was intact), I feel like they might see something different if they went in arthroscopically. That being said, I think it's time for me to seriously consider surgery--not the lateral release, but an arthroscopic clean-up. Those of you who know me understand why I am scared of anesthesia, and I'm also scared of being worse off afterwards. But I think I am at the point where I owe it to myself to try something more drastic to get past this endless cycle of injury and rehab. I hate complaining about something like knee pain when I know there are so many more serious things going on in the world, but I am just so frustrated. I have an orthopedist appointment in January but I'm going to try and see if I can get in to see him sooner. If I have to deal with more rehabbing but feel better on the other side, it's worth it.
In the meantime, while I deal with taking this next step, I'm going to cross train for the next couple of days and see if this inside knee pain calms down. I have a DVD lined up to watch on the bike tomorrow morning and I'll take it from there.
I managed to make it to work on time for my 8am event this morning so I left right around 5 to go to the gym, where I biked and lifted. Then I went to Matt's cousin's apartment for a little Chanukah dinner (latkes and chicken). I'm glad she volunteered because I wasn't even planning on doing anything special. Happy Chanukah!
Posted by becky at 9:54 PM | Comments (0)
December 3, 2007
A good day to be inside
Although it was pretty mild this morning, the wind has been crazy all day and I think it was probably a whole lot more pleasant inside on the bike than it would have been trying to battle the wind. And tonight it is freezing with the wind chill, although I did see some hard-core runners on my walk home. My knee (inside) was still hurting when I woke up so I think I would have cross-trained even if it wasn't already on my schedule. I watched my tape of "ER" from Thursday and then listened to music for the rest of my time. Standing up in the saddle hurt my knee but it felt okay just pedaling, so I didn't do any hills. It was pretty boring and I was glad when I was finished.
I went to the gym at lunch because I had plans to meet a friend for drinks/dinner after work. It was nice and quiet and I was able to do my thing and get out of there in a reasonable amount of time. My sore neck/shoulder is still bothering me a little bit but it's definitely better than it was at the end of last week.
I've got an event to attend tomorrow morning and it starts at...dum, dum, dum...7:45. I am really hoping that my knee feels okay for a quick run in the dark. I haven't had to go that early in a really long time, but I'll survive!
Posted by becky at 8:39 PM | Comments (0)
December 2, 2007
Good run and then a tired knee
We didn't stay out too late last night--and remarkably, we found a parking spot right in front of the bar we were going to for the party--but I was tired this morning. Lately I've had a headache when I wake up and I'm thinking maybe it is sinus pressure or something. In any case, Advil or Aleve usually does the trick. It was back this morning and if I hadn't already had my standing Sunday running date with Camille, I probably would have gone back to sleep for another hour! But it was good that we went when we did, because although the morning was cloudy and chilly, the rest of the day was rainy and chilly. As much as I like running in the rain, I think it would have been pretty uncomfortable this morning.
We did our usual 8ish-mile loop and on the way back, on the Capital Crescent Trail--right after Camille pointed out the big "21" banner that someone hung on the bridge that connects the Trail with the C&O Canal in honor of Redskins player Sean Taylor--I noticed a group of runners paused to stretch and realized that it was my former morning running partners. I actually haven't seen these girls since I've been back in DC, as we are mostly now scattered across the Metro area and less serious about running then we were back then, so we chatted for a few minutes and hopefully we will find some time to meet up again before another two years go by!
My knee held up pretty well during the run, but it's been sore throughout the day. I noticed it mostly when we were going up and down stairs at an open house we went to. We aren't actively looking for a house, but we saw this ad and it actually turned out to be really nice.
Since we got back from that I have been making chili for dinner (my first time, so hopefully it comes out okay) and I did manage to ride the trainer for about 30 minutes. I can't believe it's Sunday night already--the weekends go by too fast!
Posted by becky at 6:45 PM | Comments (0)
December 1, 2007
Solo group long run
I wasn't sure if anyone I knew was going to be at this morning's long run. It was (relatively) cold, there was also a club half marathon going on, and a couple of my friends are away running the Vegas Marathon tomorrow. So there was a very small crowd, and I didn't know anyone except the fast guys, who I obviously wouldn't be running with. I also didn't realize that the route was about 16 miles, a little long for me right now. I started out alone, then caught up to a woman and two guys who didn't seem to know where they were going. We all stayed together for a couple of miles, then I dropped back because I felt like I was pushing the pace just a bit and I didn't want to ruin a run during which my knee was feeling pretty good. Our route actually went up the Zoo hill that I've been avoiding--it wasn't too bad, but I was definitely going slowly. When I came out of the Zoo, I ran into a woman who had gotten lost. She didn't want to run the full 16, and since I really didn't either, I told her to follow me (she is a bit slower) a different way back. It was actually close to what I thought the full route was, but when I got back I realized I must have been way off since I only ran about 11 or 12. Not a whole lot, but I felt pretty good, so I was satistfied.
I wasn't planning on it, but I got sucked into watching the Webcast of the Nike Team Nationals this afternoon. It was very well done, especially how the Nike athletes (Lauren Fleshman, Chris Solinsky, etc.) were the ones interviewing the high school athletes. It looked like a great event and I wished I was back in high school...with a full cross-country team, of course, since we often struggled to get 5 girls!
Tonight we are going to a 30th birthday gathering at a bar on Capitol Hill, kind of like a foreign land to me (and Matt, but less so) because we don't get over there much. I just took a nice nap but I think I was in a funny position because my knee is very stiff. I hope it wakes up soon!
Posted by becky at 7:11 PM | Comments (0)