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March 31, 2008
Neverending Monday
Actually, most of today went by quickly, because I was busy at work catching up on stuff I missed while I was at the conference. I had a little bit of a slowdown at about 4pm and probably should have gone to get coffee, but it was raining and I was lazy. Ah, well.
It's always somewhat easier for me to get up on Mondays because I've had a bit more sleep over the weekend. This weekend wasn't quite that way but yesterday's nap helped and I didn't struggle too much this morning. I got on the bike and turned on the DVD player, expecting to see that I was on my last "House" of the DVD but there was a surprise--this one has 5 eps so I will have one for tomorrow. (I'm not sure what I'm going to do in the next few weeks when I can't ride my trainer while my knee is healing--I guess I will put "House" on hold for a while.) Today's episode freaked me out a bit as most of the ones about kids do, but it made the time go by fast. I also watched a little bit of "The Cutting Edge 3", which has been sitting on the DVR for several weeks. It was even worse than "CE2" and I'm not sure I'll finish it.
I continue to be nervous about my surgery although I was thinking very positively about it when I had trouble with the Metro escalator today. I'm not unable to climb stairs, but it isn't particularly comfortable. I am hopeful that I am doing something that will help change that, although I spoke with someone this past weekend who had arthroscopic surgery two years ago and although it helped for awhile, she's back not being able to run. I am still thinking positively about it but that was not fun to hear.
I got in a quality lifting workout (and a little biking) at the gym tonight although I was starting to get hungry (as usual) toward the end and rushing a bit. Matt had a work event tonight so I am home by myself on the lookout for our rodent friends. I hope Matt comes home soon!
Posted by becky at 9:53 PM | Comments (0)
March 30, 2008
Finishing my busy weekend
It was definitely harder to get up when it was still dark today than it was yesterday. I got to bed before midnight last night but it wasn't quite enough hours of sleep. I felt okay riding the trainer, though--the Gatorade-spiked-water must have woken me up. I watched "House" and the Real World/Road Rules Challenge reunion show, which barely held my attention. It was another fairly quick workout but as usual, I did what I could in the time I had.
The one session I had to go to this morning was actually packed and it was definitely worthwhile. I went down to the exhibit hall to get coffee before the speakers started and was dismayed to see they had run out. There was a coffee shop in the hotel lobby so I tried that--it was closed for some reason. It was definitely good that the speakers were dynamic because I was hurting for some caffeine!
After the conference and some grocery shopping, I was home and on the couch ready for a nap. I did fall asleep but had surgery-apprehension dreams. I woke up and needed to de-stress so I headed down to the gym for some ellipticalling and abs work. It did make me feel a little more calm (what am I going to do when my healing knee prevents me from dashing off to the gym??) and I came home with a little more energy. Not sure if that will last the whole week, but it's a start.
Posted by becky at 8:28 PM | Comments (0)
March 29, 2008
Only what I had time for
The day is only half over, but I already know that I won't have time for another workout today. I had to leave the house around 8:30 this morning to make it to the conference on time, so there was no Saturday sleeping in for me. I ended up sleeping longer than I wanted to, but managed a short but decent trainer ride ("House" and "The Hills" entertained me again). I kept thinking about the fact that outside my window, runners were streaming by in the National Marathon and Half-Marathon. They had a nice, cool morning and I was very jealous. But I just have to stay positive about my knee and hope that next year that can be me! (Even if I'm not actually running, if I'm able to, that would be a small victory.)
My route into Virginia took me down Rock Creek Parkway and past a lot more runners out enjoying not the race, but just a beautiful spring morning and the recently bloomed cherry blossoms. I tried really hard not to resent them, but I did, I must admit.
The rest of my schedule today after the conference will take me further into Virginia (!) to a friend's baby shower and then we are having friends stay with us tonight. Hopefully they won't mind the sound of the early-morning trainer ride tomorrow!
Posted by becky at 11:51 AM | Comments (0)
March 28, 2008
Rude awakening
I had a very weird experience last night. I think I must have been having a nightmare and I woke up with my knee and hip killing me. The next time I woke up, it was because my alarm was going off and I was all disoriented and shut it off. Finally, I woke up with that feeling that I had overslept--and I had. It ended up okay because I didn't have to be at my conference until mid-morning, but I was all discombobulated. I hopped on the bike for a quick workout, dashed to the post office to pick up some stamps, and before I knew it it was time to leave.
Three of us from work are attending this conference, a gathering of health journalists, and one of the sponsors is Georgetown so I saw a lot of my old colleagues already today and expect that I will run into a few more before the weekend is over. I spent most of the day in sessions and all of them were pretty good. It's always tough to lose a weekend of freedom but I am hoping that I will get a few hours to myself on Sunday afternoon--we'll see.
Happy weekend to all!
Posted by becky at 8:20 PM | Comments (0)
March 27, 2008
Maybe not such a long wait?
It was somehow easier to get out of bed this morning to the sound of Matt's alarm, which I'm less used to hearing. I don't know why he had it set an hour before he ended up getting up (wishful thinking?) but it worked. I finished another four-episode DVD of "House" and watched the finale of "In Treatment" while I sweated it out on the bike. My knee wasn't so great today. I think I tweaked it in the gym again, which happens way too easily. In any case it wasn't worse than it's been in the past few weeks, but it's always a downer when it is feeling better and then it isn't.
Today was a ridiculously hectic day at work and my stress level was building all day since I'm going to be out of the office at a conference tomorrow (but still on email, apparently). When I ran out to get a sandwich at lunch, I noticed that I had a message on my cell phone. It turned out it was my knee doc's nurse, letting me know that he could fit my surgery in at the end of the day next Friday. Although it isn't ideal because I won't be able to eat or drink anything all day, I think I am going to go for it just so I will be able to stop worrying so much about the procedure and get to work on the rehab and recovery.
I didn't eat as much as I should have today because I was so busy, and I paid for it at the gym. I was really struggling and a Balance bar helped some but I couldn't wait to be done.
Matt's in New York for the night and I have plenty to keep me occupied in terms of work emails and planning for my busy weekend which kicks off with the first day of the conference tomorrow.
Posted by becky at 9:32 PM | Comments (0)
March 26, 2008
The countdown begins
I guess spring is a popular time for knee, shoulder and back surgeries. I finally got a surgery date today and it isn't until May 15. Now that I have made up my mind, it seems so far off. But judging by how quickly the last couple of months went by, I think the date will be here before I know it. It is a Thursday so that will be good since I can take Friday and the weekend to recuperate. Our anniversary is that Friday so Matt will have ample opportunity to demonstrate his commitment to me.
I will keep doing what I am doing for the next seven weeks and try to do a little running if things go well--what else can I do? I know it is important to keep doing my strengthening stuff in the gym and I am pretty confident I can keep that up with the hopes that it will make my recovery a bit easier.
As for today, I rode the trainer in the morning ("House" and "The Hills") and felt rushed the whole time because I got up a few minutes late. Although sometimes I feel like I have a better workout when I am conscious of my time. My knee felt pretty much the same as always; not too bad once I warmed up. And after work I hit the gym for a little stationary biking and lifting. I just felt kind of off the whole time--I don't think I ate enough during the day. We had a few delays on the way home and didn't end up eating until about 10--I sure was starving by then!
Posted by becky at 10:19 PM | Comments (0)
March 25, 2008
En-knee-gma
The week continues to go by (funny how that happens) and another Tuesday is almost in the books. I pressed the snooze bar on my alarm several times and had a hard time getting out of my warm, comfy bed. Eventually, though, I stomped down the hall (to scare away any rodents) and got ready to bike. This morning's "House" episode was good but very strange, having to do with hallucinations about alien abductions. You never know with that show. I also watched what I believe is the second-to-last "In Treatment" episode, which was supposed to be dramatic but I found kind of boring.
Fast forward to the end of my day and the gym. As I said yesterday, when I don't run for awhile and my knee doesn't get worse, I start to imagine that all my problems have gone away and I start thinking that the surgery isn't such a great idea (not that I was able to get in touch with the surgical coordinator today, either). So I hopped on the treadmill tonight, fully expecting to have to switch to the bike or the elliptical. Oddly, except for some hamstring tightness, I felt almost normal. Sure, I was going slowly, but my knee wasn't bothering me. I walk/jogged three miles and we'll see how things feel tomorrow. Most likely I have a piece of cartilage getting stuck periodically in a painful position, and the clean-up will help that, but this was curious. The plot thickens...maybe!
Posted by becky at 9:04 PM | Comments (0)
March 24, 2008
Manic Monday
Today wasn't really a "manic" Monday, but there were a few panicked moments when I realized the extent of the rodent problem in our townhouse through email correspondence with my neighbors. I am not going to go into details because I don't want to think about it, but we are bringing in a pest control place that was helpful to us about eighteen months ago and I hope the same is true in this case.
My morning workout went fine; I biked and started the third season of "House." I worked up more of a sweat than usual but I don't think I was working all that much harder, so it was probably the temperature inside. My knee ached a little when I woke up (inexplicably, unless I am doing a lot of moving in my sleep) but felt okay on the bike. I tried to reach the surgical scheduler at my doctor's office to no avail today--the longer I don't have it scheduled, the more I try to convince myself that I don't need the surgery. I'm sure the next time I try running again I'll remember what's what.
Everyone seemed very busy at work today and the day went by quickly. I went to the gym in the evening and biked a little on the stationary bike and then lifted. I am still having a little trouble with my shoulder/neck although it is much better than it was last week. I can't tell exactly what bothers it because it isn't usually sore until I wake up the next morning. Anyway, that's the beginning-of-the-week update from Becky-land.
Posted by becky at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)
March 23, 2008
March is maddening
I spent a lot of today watching basketball, which was mostly frustrating because Georgetown lost (I can't help it, once a Hoya always a Hoya) and tonight the Cornell women are getting embarrassed by #1 seed UConn. Still, March Madness only happens once a year and it is fun to watch one exciting game after another!
My workout this morning was a rather long elliptical session. It just seemed to go on forever. My knee does well on the elliptical (it must be a good angle for all my messed up cartilage) and I read for the last 30 minutes or so, which helped pass the time. I did some abs stuff afterwards but I was too hungry to stay at the gym much longer!
As for the rest of the day, there was the aforementioned basketball-watching as well as grocery shopping and a very quick bike. Matt and I just basically hung out and caught up with our news of the week since he had been gone and busy before that. I can't believe we are heading into the last full week of March!
Posted by becky at 8:28 PM | Comments (0)
March 22, 2008
Crossing chores off my list
Today was a very productive day in terms of things I've needed to do around the house but haven't had time for in a while. Of course the day started with a workout--a rather long bike ride that took me through two "House" episodes and the finale of this season's "Real World/Road Rules Challenge." I had planned on having to take a break to get off and buy tickets to an Indigo Girls concert at 10:30, but it turns out that it's NEXT Saturday that they go on sale, so I had a nice interrupted block of time on the bike (Matt is still away so I didn't have him waiting for breakfast, either). My knee was its usual self--pretty much okay but a bit bothersome now and then and when climbing hills. It was a good workout but boy was I glad to get off the bike when it was done.
The rest of the afternoon was spent cleaning--including Swiffering all the floors which is a workout in and of itself--ironing and doing errands. My front bike tire needs a new tube, which I bought today, but haven't been motivated to change yet. I did about an hour of ironing but it wasn't too bad because I got to watch Duke lose in the NCAA tourney. After all those chores, I was looking forward to finishing this book that I've been reading in tiny increments for weeks, but I promptly fell asleep as soon as I started.
I forgot to mention yesterday that I had a good conversation with my orthopedic surgeon's nurse. She answered all my questions and it looks like I am going to have the surgery--arthroscopic clean-up and debridement--as soon as I can get it scheduled.
Matt comes in from L.A. tonight and I am looking forward to his return! He's only been gone a couple of days but it somehow feels like longer.
Posted by becky at 7:55 PM | Comments (1)
March 21, 2008
Good Friday
Today seemed to go by really quickly. I was not psyched to get up when my alarm went off, but eventually I found my way out of bed and onto the bike. My knee has reached a point where it pretty much feels decent except for that one spot on the inside where it doesn't. It's fine for biking or ellipticalling and I'll take what I can get right now. So I watched an episode of "House" and one of "In Treatment"--my usual dose of depressing but intriguing television. I guess I was more into the episodes than I thought because time passed at a nice clip.
A lot of people were out of the office today for the Easter holiday weekend or spring break, and those of us who were around were distracted by the candy in the kitchen and the NCAA basketball tournament. I had two meetings in the early afternoon that broke up the day and before I knew it, it was the end of the day. Not too many people were sticking around past 5 today!
Tonight I went to a birthday get-together for my friend at a bar not too far from our neighborhood. We tried to get a table at the restaurant part of the bar but there were no tables until 10:30. So we moved to a tiny Eritrean restaurant down the street, and it was awesome. They made us a great meal and it was totally low key, unlike a lot of the places in this recently gentrified neighborhood. We may complain about the mediocre food in D.C., but ethnic African restaurants are very underrated.
Some of the crowd was going out to yet another bar after dinner but I am ready for bed. Happy weekend to all!
Posted by becky at 11:07 PM | Comments (0)
March 20, 2008
Tired today
I woke up this morning with a bit of a headache in the spot that signifies two nights in a row of not enough sleep. I hope to make up for that in the next few nights. I definitely felt like I was dragging on the bike. My knee did not feel all that different but I was just low on energy. At least I had "House" and On Demand was working again--phew. Maybe my legs were a little tired from yesterday's ellipticalling because I hadn't done it in awhile, too. In any case the workout was one I would call "okay."
Matt and I drove to work together, which was nice since we have been so busy this week and he left tonight for L.A.--we finally got to catch up! I was a little worried that I'd be super tired at work, but I was okay save for one rough patch in the mid-morning. I missed a call from my knee doc because I was on a conference call, but I was glad that he was in touch. I am going to speak with his nurse, who is awesome and has been helpful in the past, tomorrow. I am about 80% of the way to a decision to do some sort of surgery on this knee, and today's "run" attempt nearly sealed the deal. I did the same thing on the treadmill that I did earlier in the week, just some very easy running interspersed with walking breaks, and the inside of my knee started hurting after a couple of intervals. I gave up and biked. I can do other things that seem to use my knee, like squats and lunges, without pain, but not run, and that is the most important. Hopefully I will get some more of my questions answered when I speak with Stacey tomorrow.
Posted by becky at 9:45 PM | Comments (0)
March 19, 2008
Morning at the gym
I have plans tonight--and my shoulder/neck problem is still bothering me, so I did all my working out in the morning today. I tried to get as much sleep as possible since I've been feeling tired and get in a workout decently long enough so that I wouldn't feel guilty about socializing rather than going to the gym after work. I walked down to the gym and had a fun time ellipticalling, just because it was something different. I listened to my iPod and just concentrated on how I was feeling. I did not up the resistance all that much to reduce stress on my knee, but I was going at my usual fast pace and didn't have any problems. After that, I got on the upright stationary bike and read while I rode. That's one thing I wish I could do on the trainer--and I think there is actually some sort of contraption you can get to hold a book, but I've never fully explored that option. On the bike next to me--before I got there and after I got up--was a local running scene celebrity of sorts, the owner of my neighborhood Fleet Feet who also happens to be the father of our running and tri-enthusiast Mayor. He is always very friendly and I hope I am in the type of shape he's in when I am his age.
After I finished with the machines, I barely had time to do an abbreviated ab routine and then I skedaddled home, realizing I was already running late. As I was walking in, Matt was leaving. He's been working really late this week and had an early meeting this morning--I feel like I've barely seen him. Plus, he's going to L.A. tomorrow for a couple of nights. We'll figure out a time to have a conversation soon, I hope. I was invited to join him in L.A. but I have a lot of stuff going on at work and a weekend cross-country trip just tires me out too much.
I am meeting a friend downtown for a foreign movie I don't know much about, but the reviews were interesting. It is a rainy night so I suppose it is a good time to go to the movies...and I will pretend that am not thinking about the fact that in my "old life," I would be gearing up for a soggy night on the track!
Posted by becky at 5:05 PM | Comments (0)
March 18, 2008
Technical difficulties
I woke up definitely a bit sore from my running experiment but with no major aches and pains. I was on the bike as soon as I could get ready and looking forward to some more "In Treatment" since it is getting very good. But there was something wrong with On Demand! It kept giving me error messages despite the fact that I tried ten times. So it was the rest of "Cutting Edge 2" which worked out perfectly in terms of the amount of time I was on the bike. It was entertaining, but of course predictable. At least it was something to take my mind off the monotony of riding the trainer. My knee bothered me a little bit on hills so I cut back. Otherwise the workout was status quo.
Speaking of status quo, not much to report from the rest of my day. I was kind of tired by the time I got to the gym and I felt like I was just going through the motions. I also had the misfortune of being there at the same time as this group of loud, obnoxious guys who were talking nonstop about their NCAA basketball picks and why other people's picks were stupid. Lovely.
Matt stayed at work late tonight, so I came home without him and he missed a nice dinner of trout, Brussels sprouts, and orzo. I am heading to bed as early as I can because I plan to be at the gym early in the morning and I am doubtful that I will feel like waking up when the alarm goes off!
Posted by becky at 9:49 PM | Comments (0)
March 17, 2008
Slow start to the week
Today felt like it dragged on longer than it should have! I didn't feel too tired when I woke up, but I had a sleepy spell in the afternoon and now I am definitely looking forward to going to bed. This morning's trainer ride was good; I felt pretty normal and I watched two gripping episodes of "In Treatment" and then (to change it up completely) a bit of "The Cutting Edge 2." It's a remake/sequel (don't ask) of a childhood favorite so I was curious and I DVR'd it. We'll see if I finish it.
Matt and I commuted to work together and since I hadn't really been outside until I walked to my office from his, I was surprised at how chilly it was, mainly because of the wind. Brrr! It did warm up later but I was "caught unawares" as they say. At least I didn't have far to go. Once I got to work my day went pretty quickly--aside from the aforementioned sleepy spell--and I headed out to the gym when I was all done. I was considering another trial run/walk outside although when I got ready to go out, it occurred to me that maybe I should try the dreaded treadmill, just to make things more efficient and to ensure that I really did go very slowly. I've never done the r/w thing on the treadmill before and surprisingly it went really well. I forced myself to run at a terribly slow pace that I don't want to admit, but maybe that was the key. My knees didn't feel too bad--the most discomfort I felt was in my damn shoulder, which is still bothering me, and my hamstring, which could have been a function of the treadmill since that has happened in the past. I have been feeling pretty good since and even walked up the Metro escalator afterwards with nominal discomfort. As always, the next couple of days will tell.
Although that was good news, I've also been emailing with my knee doctor about the possibility of an arthroscopic "clean-up" and he concurs that it is a realistic option since I've been struggling for so long now. I don't know how long it will take to get it scheduled, but at least the wheels are in motion for this next step.
Posted by becky at 10:00 PM | Comments (1)
March 16, 2008
Another busy one
In years past, I made it a point to go to the Nike Indoor Nationals in Landover, MD, not too far from here. But this year we had a house we wanted to look at and I had a few other things I wanted to get done, so I decided to skip it. Unfortunately it is the last year for the event to be held here in the Washington area--it's really too bad.
I managed to get on the bike before 9am this morning which was good considering we stayed up late watching "Saturday Night Live" last night (actually, I fell asleep on the couch). I watched a couple of episodes of "House" and then caught a bit of one of my old-school favorite movies, "Can't Buy Me Love." Matt woke up when I was about done and then he got on the bike for a little workout.
We headed out to look at this house we had seen the outside of yesterday, and it was really nice. We'll see what happens, though, because it seemed like there were a lot of other interested people there as well. By the time we got back it was late afternoon and Matt was preparing for his first fantasy baseball draft of the season. I went to the gym for a bit to elliptical and try to stretch a lot to work this kink out of my neck/shoulder. I must have had the TV at a weird angle when I was biking yesterday. It is very tight and sore. The foam roller helped but you have to be careful in the neck area, so it's hard to get a knot out.
Matt and I are both doing a bit of work/reading tonight to get ready for the week ahead. Although we were psyched to see both the Cornell women and men get bids to the NCAA basketball tournament, both of them have extremely tough first-round opponents. Where's the Ivy love??
Posted by becky at 8:25 PM | Comments (0)
March 15, 2008
Weekend half over already?
It was great to sleep in this morning, but I've been on the go ever since. Well, not literally, of course, since a lot of that was on my butt on the bike, working on something, or driving, but you know what I mean. I watched a couple of episodes of "House" on the bike and then talked to Matt about what he was reading in the paper. He was waiting for me to eat breakfast again (even though I gave him full permission to go ahead) so I was kind of in a hurry to finish up. I was on there working hard for almost 2 hours and my legs were very rubbery when I got off. As for my leg, well, I had a few niggles here and there but nothing too terrible. (The usual, these days.)
Matt went to his office for most of the afternoon and I worked at home for a couple of hours and then went up to a discount running store in Rockville (about 40 minutes away). I decided last week that I need to get rid of some of my older (approaching 10 years) gym shorts. They are my favorites, but they are getting raggedy and shrunken from being dried every week. They had a lot of 50% off stuff at this store so I stocked up. I keep thinking of last summer when we went to the Nike employee store and how awesome it was that everything was half off. Amazing.
On my way back from Rockville, I picked up Matt at his office and we went to see the outside of a house that we will probably see tomorrow when it is open. We walked around the neighborhood for a bit since it was about 65 degrees out. We stopped at Whole Foods on the way home and are planning to watch "The Darjeeling Limited" tonight since it just arrived from Netflix. Should be a nice evening.
Posted by becky at 8:33 PM | Comments (1)
March 14, 2008
Finally Friday
I was glad when I woke up and remembered that today was Friday! I was worried about how my knee would feel after yesterday's "run." Truth be told, it did not feel 100% normal, but it is more a little sore than anything else, and closer to my pes than to the inside-of-knee spot that has been bothering me most recently. I only noticed it on the bike on longer hill repeats, so I decided halfway through just to cut those out. I entertained myself today with the latest episode of "Real World/Road Rules: The Gauntlet III" which is always fun. But the episode must have gone a little over an hour because the DVR cut off before it was really over. I'm sure I'll be able to figure it out. Anyway, my workout was fine and on the lighter side for the week since I plan to be on there for a long time tomorrow morning (oh, joy).
Work was super busy again today and before I knew it, it was time to go home. Or, as per my Friday routine, time to get my manicure. Matt and I just had our usual Friday dinner of sushi from our favorite neighborhood joint and are enjoying a relaxing evening in.
Happy weekend--I am excited to see what happens at all the NCAA/HS national meets!
Posted by becky at 10:33 PM | Comments (0)
March 13, 2008
One foot in front of the other
For all my fans out there, I just realized forgot to publish yesterday's blog entry--it was sitting on my computer, neglected. Sorry about that. As for today, the exciting news is that I did a little bit of running, but I can't really tell how it went yet--that will have to wait until tomorrow or the next day. I had a decent amount of time to bike in the morning after getting up reasonably on time. More "House" was on the agenda and I enjoyed my episodes as usual. My knee felt very normal. I had hoped to run a little before biking, but I hate feeling like I'm rushed when I am trying to gauge how I feel, so I thought I might have time this afternoon.
Work has become very busy all of a sudden, now that I am more or less caught up to speed on things. I like it that way but today was one of those days when you blink and it is 4pm. I am already looking forward to the weekend, although I have work to do on a project that I am doing with some old Georgetown colleagues.
It was really nice out--sunny and about 60--on my walk to the gym, so I decided I would put my stuff away and then venture out. The gym is very close to the Capital Crescent Trail--a relatively flat part of it--so I thought that was a good idea. I did a bunch of ~3-minute run/walk intervals. I was wearing shorts I don't usually run in, and they were riding up all over the place and really annoying me. As for my knee, well, it didn't hurt in "the spot" but it was a little stiff. In fact I was just stiff in general...I was almost embarrassed to be out there on display for everyone to see, but that was overshadowed by my happiness to be outside. When I got back to the gym, the knee was a little tender, although not (yet) where it has been, which might be good. I biked for a few minutes and then lifted. We'll see what happens in the next couple of days. Even a few minutes of running once in awhile is a treat for me right now!
Posted by becky at 9:27 PM | Comments (0)
March 12, 2008
Sensing a pattern
I am a creature of habit, so it is not surprising that my biking in the morning-lifting in the afternoon days are starting to blend. This morning I was excited to have some new "House" episodes to watch since it had been several days. My knee felt pretty good, no major complaints. I noticed that my mind was wandering a bit despite the fact that it was a good episode--not sure why. I did feel less tired/sleepy when I woke up, which was a very good thing.
It was "pizza Wednesday" at work again today, always a nice treat. Not exactly healthy, but we get salad too and it's fun once in a while. Sometimes people hang out and eat together but things have been really busy so most of us ate in our offices. I share an office though so it is not as antisocial as it sounds!
The gym was status quo. One of the trainers told me I always look "intense" and wondered what sport I played. It's not exactly intensity, it's more a matter of getting through my workout as quickly as possible so I can go home and eat dinner!
Posted by becky at 9:53 PM | Comments (0)
March 11, 2008
A better knee day
This morning was another one of those when I hit the snooze button on my alarm several times without even thinking about it. Finally, I happened to look at the numbers on the clock and realized that I needed to get out of bed right that minute. Unfortunately I forgot to turn off the alarm and it woke Matt up the next time it went off. (It wasn't that bad since he had an early meeting.) Anyway, I was glad to note that my knee felt better than it did yesterday. I got on the bike as quickly as I could and it wasn't bothering me on hills or anything, which was a good thing. I watched some more "In Treatment" episodes and felt like I got in a pretty decent workout.
I was on foot again for my commute to work because of Matt's early meeting, and I was worried about being able to walk up the escalator (it pains me to stand there and waste time when I could speed things up) but I actually felt okay, being careful not to put too much weight on the knee. I also only walked halfway up just to be safe (Bethesda is one of the steeper escalators in the Metro system) and I think that was smart.
Work was fine and I learned about a potential new project related to gun violence prevention, which sounds really interesting. But I felt very sleepy--or rather, drowsy--at various points during the day, almost like I couldn't keep my eyes open. This has happened to me in the past and I'm wondering if it has to do with something I am eating or the temperature in the room. I can't figure it out but it is one of the worst feelings in the world. (Any suggestions are welcome.)
I felt fine at the gym and it was strangely empty, so I was able to be pretty efficient. Matt picked me up at Trader Joe's afterwards (it is across the street from the gym) where I stocked up on some of my favorite items. Not a bad place to go post-workout because they have lots of samples!
Posted by becky at 9:46 PM | Comments (0)
March 10, 2008
That old familiar feeling
It sure was dark this morning. I woke up on time, for once, so that I could run/walk for a little while before biking. Unfortunately it didn't go as well as last time. I haven't had any inner knee pain for several days (even after the last "run") but on my second three-minute jog interval, I could start to feel a little discomfort in there. Not too badly, but I don't understand what triggers it. It's not like I'm overdoing it here. Anyway, it is definitely not like it was, and hopefully whatever is irritating it will subside, but it is upsetting. In any case, biking was fine--this week's "In Treatment" episodes were available for my viewing pleasure as of this morning--but I was just preoccupied thinking about my knee.
Let's see, not much else exciting to report. It was nice to have my officemate back (she was on a work trip at the end of last week) and there was a lot going on today. I did my thing at the gym and then checked in with Matt, but he wasn't ready to leave work yet. I was too hungry to wait around so I took the Metro home and made myself dinner! Now it is time to pay the bills...the excitement continues!
[Wait--Matt just reminded me that I do have exciting news! A picture taken at Saturday's benefit appeared in today's issue of Bisnow, a real estate social newsletter that lots of people who are "in the bid'ness" read. You can check it out here: http://bisnow.com/res.php?p=915 (scroll down). ]
Posted by becky at 9:47 PM | Comments (1)
March 9, 2008
Saying goodbye to 'The Wire'
This weekend seemed to go by incredibly fast--and I'm assuming that losing an hour had something to do with it! We just got through hosting a little dinner party in honor of the series finale of "The Wire." Matt and I have watched ever since the first season premiered about 5 or 6 years ago and have always been fans, so it is really sad that it is finished--we definitely think that it is one of the best shows on TV, if not the best. I made fondue and then a bunch of us sat transfixed for the last hour (actually more like 90 minutes) of the show. It was really good and the writers tied things up well, but not unrealistically so.
My workouts for today were a long trainer ride in the morning and then a shorter one in the afternoon. I finished my "House" DVD and all of the available "In Treatment" episodes, so I was really channel surfing after that and tomorrow I may just listen to music. My knee doesn't seem to feel any different after my running experiment yesterday so hopefully I can do a little more of that this week (but I won't hold my breath). My cold is better although now I have a cough.
We looked at one house this afternoon and then Matt went to the office and I made two different grocery store stops and had a little time to bike before having to start getting ready for dinner. It was a busy and fun weekend!
Posted by becky at 11:01 PM | Comments (0)
March 8, 2008
Biking in the rain
We ended up playing a fierce game of Scrabble with our friends last night, so we didn't get home until about 12:30. I tried to get up on the early side but I must have turned my alarm off instead of snoozing and it was almost 9 by the time I got up. I was thinking of trying a few minutes of running before getting on the bike, but it was raining already and I decided that maybe I would have a chance to do that later (which I did). Usually Matt is sleeping while I'm biking, but he woke up right as I got on the bike and was waiting for me to be done to have breakfast. I made it through an episode and a half of "House" and a couple of "In Treatments" before I started feeling guilty, and my butt was killing me. I felt fine, knee-wise, although my cold is now in my nose and I was very sniffly.
My afternoon went by really quickly because I cleaned and then I fell asleep on the couch for a couple of hours. Matt went to get a hair cut and I thought about joining him, but decided to take my books back to the library/try a little running. I had the books in my backpack but they weren't too heavy. I did a few run/walk intervals of 2:30, and the inner knee pain did not bother me. I did have some tightness behind my knee, but that's pretty normal. The worst part was that it was raining on and off and super windy the whole time. But I was relieved that I am making progress--at least for now. I am going to give myself one more chance to progress after this latest setback and if not, then I think it is time to go in there and see if there is a tear.
We have a fundraiser tonight for Children's Hospital that a bunch of people from Matt's company and the real estate industry in general are going to. I don't particularly feel like getting dressed up with my runny nose, but it is a casino night so hopefully it will be fun.
Posted by becky at 5:26 PM | Comments (0)
March 7, 2008
Respecting my body
I woke up a couple of times during the night to note my stuffy nose and scratchy throat, but I didn't feel too horrible when I woke up. Still, I know that if all goes well I'll have my butt glued to the bike seat for several long workouts this weekend, so I thought it would be in my body's best interest to take it easy this morning with just a short bike. My latest "House" DVD finally came, so I was entertained. Aside from what happened onscreen, the hour was uneventful.
Work has been quiet today because several people are out today and it's not a huge office to begin with. I am trying to wrap things up so I can run and get a manicure before we go to our friends' house for some takeout and Scrabble, but I am not moving as quickly as I would like today. I feel kind of like I am in a fog. I hope it lifts!
Happy weekend to all!
Posted by becky at 4:02 PM | Comments (0)
March 6, 2008
Only human
I think I am getting a cold, and it has been developing (slowly but surely) all day. I woke up not feeling very rested despite getting a decent amount of sleep. I biked as usual and felt pretty much the same as yesterday--my knee was okay even on hills and I didn't have any other aches and pains. I am running out of "In Treatment" episodes but luckily a new "Real World Road Rules Challenge" episode aired last night and my DVR caught it. That show is so silly, but it's kind of fun to watch people being active (during the challenges) especially compared to watching people in therapy.
The first couple of hours at work seemed to drag today, and a conference call I had got rescheduled, so I wasn't stressed. But then a lot of work resulted from another meeting, and as I started to write what I needed to, the project became more time-sensitive. At the same time, I started to realize that my throat was hurting. Tylenol didn't do a whole lot and neither did a hot drink from Starbucks. By the time I left, I was wondering whether I should just skip the gym...but decided to try it. I biked for 25 minutes before I just couldn't take it anymore, I felt so crappy. I tried lifting and it just didn't happen. Ugh, there's nothing I hate more than an unfinished workout but it was useless.
When I got home, I thought I should check my temperature, even though I just feel kind of "off"--weak and such--and not feverish. I have a low normal temp, but it was only 98.0 so I think I'm good. Maybe I am just run down, who knows. I have a lot to do tomorrow so I am going to just relax tonight and hope that does the trick.
Posted by becky at 9:02 PM | Comments (0)
March 5, 2008
And on the tenth day...
Because I keep such close track of how my body is feeling through my blog and my running log, I knew to expect some improvement in my knee on about the tenth day since I first had the inner knee pain. What that means, I have no idea, but so far the pattern is bearing itself out as I had an easier time walking up the stairs today. I am definitely going to be extremely cautious when I do add some running back in and go in minutes rather than miles. Maybe that's part of the problem here and why I keep having things go wrong (maybe, but there are other things at play as well, like my arthritis).
My bike workout was rushed in the morning. We stayed up way too late watching (disappointing) election returns and I pressed the snooze bar a couple too many times. It was also pouring right around the time we went to bed--and I mean raining harder than it has in ages. It didn't keep me awake, but Matt kept talking about it as I was drifting off. In any case, I did what I could and watched a few "In Treatment" episodes. I thought I would have another Netflix by tonight but it is not due to come until tomorrow.
Not too much else to report on the day; it was fine. We heard at lunch from a couple of our employees who traveled to the global seed vault in the Arctic last week to help promote its opening--that was pretty neat. Then of course I lifted after work. I was tired and hungry and just sort of going through the motions--one of those days.
Posted by becky at 10:33 PM | Comments (0)
March 4, 2008
Is it Tuesday?
Because I was out of the office at that meeting yesterday, I kept thinking today was Monday. Hopefully that will make the week go by faster! My days are also blending together since I'm basically doing the same biking workout every day. Today was no different although I wasn't on there quite as long as the past two days and my butt thanked me. I watched "In Treatment" and was pretty into it. My knee continues to feel less painful and allows me to do longer hill intervals but I can still feel it going up the stairs. Progress is progress, I guess.
I went downtown again today for a few hours to help one of our other teams staff an event. It was warm again (72) so it was nice to be out. The event went well and I got to know two of my younger co-workers since we were sitting together for a couple of hours. It was fun.
I went to the gym after work (natch) and did a little bit of biking and some upper body stuff. Matt and I just got some falafel and are camped out watching the primary coverage...go Obama!
Posted by becky at 9:07 PM | Comments (0)
March 3, 2008
Spring has sprung
I had a more relaxing--or less rushed--morning today because I was working from home in the morning before going downtown for a meeting. I heard how nice it was supposed to be today on the radio when my alarm went off and I just tried to think about how not running right now is okay because I am healing my knee...of course, that is probably not really going to bear out because of my lingering problems, but whatever works. I happened to DVR the Tyson American Cup gymnastics meet on Saturday because I noticed it was on when I was trying to find something else to record, so I watched that this morning. I haven't watched or followed gymnastics in ages but since it is an Olympic year, I figured I could start getting to know the latest crop of "America's sweethearts." I already knew about Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin and they were the only ones that the announcers talked about...but it was definitely fun biking entertainment. All of the Americans competing in this meet looked alike because every one of them had a blonde ponytail! As for me, my knee improved incrementally as it has every day but still bothered me now and again.
It was a nice day to walk around downtown. I didn't have to deal with too many steps, but I did notice that my knee still needs babying when I go up. Ugh. I always think it's all better and then I have the same old stair problem. Anyway, I spent most of the late morning and afternoon at this meeting and then was very close to another branch of my gym that I used to go to years ago. I was only about a mile from home at that point so I walked home after lifting and it was warm enough so that I was fine in shorts and a t-shirt. Sure, I'll be complaining in a couple of months, but the change is nice for now!
Posted by becky at 9:35 PM | Comments (0)
March 2, 2008
More weekend fun
It was a beautiful day today, so although I spent my workout time inside on the bike, I did get to spend some time outside when Matt and I walked around looking at some neighborhoods and open houses later in the afternoon. Things went well on the bike--I felt much better in terms of the knee pain when doing hills. I still kept them short, though. I was kind of uncomfortable just given all the days in a row that I've been sitting on my trainer, but I tried to block it out. I watched two episodes of "House" and since I've seen almost all of them since the series premiere, I can say that I think they are getting better as the series continues.
Matt and I lounged around for awhile in the morning and early afternoon reading the paper and doing all those Sunday things before setting out for our aforementioned exploring. We saw a few interesting neighborhoods but not any houses that were too intriguing. Like I said, it was in the 50s and sunny and it seemed like everyone was out to enjoy it. It is supposed to be about 65 tomorrow...yikes.
Matt got on the bike when we got home and I did a little ellipticalling (at the gym). My knee felt good there but still bothers me on stairs--this was obvious during our open house tours. Tonight we watched the second to last episode of our favorite show, "The Wire," and it was awesome. I can't wait to see how the writers end things, but I am so sad to see it go.
Posted by becky at 10:37 PM | Comments (0)
March 1, 2008
The never-ending bike workout
I got a lot of sleep last night--about 10 hours. I guess I needed it! I could tell that it was very windy outside so that made me feel a tiny bit better about having to get on the bike for my workout (just a tiny bit). The first hour on the bike went by pretty quickly, but then time started to drag. I watched two episodes of "House," the blooper reel included on the DVD, and an episode of "In Treatment." By the time I was done my butt was quite numb and my legs were shaky. As for my knee, it felt pretty much the same as it has every day this week and I am still gimpy going up the stairs.
After refueling and getting some feeling back in my butt, I cleaned up our apartment and then did some errands (dry cleaner, etc.). I had to pick up Matt at Dulles at about 4 and I decided to do a little browsing in the Gap before that. Now that I am casual at work almost every day, my wardrobe needs a little updating. If I were running as much as I was running three years ago when I was in grad school, I could fit perfectly into all those clothes, but as it is, my legs are also more muscular from biking so much since then and it is just not fun to sit in tight pants all day.
Matt came in reasonably on time and we took a field trip to Wegmans since it is only about 10 miles from the airport. We associate Wegmans with our Cornell days, although they now have supermarkets all over Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia--just not in the urban areas close to us. We ate in the cafe and then had fun finding products we hadn't seen in years. Unfortunately they did not seem to carry Matt's favorite brand of cream cheese, Temptee, which is ubiquitous in New York (even upstate) but nearly impossible to find in this area.
Tonight we have dinner plans with another couple. I feel like it has already been a long day but I am looking forward to (hopefully) getting a second wind.
Posted by becky at 6:45 PM | Comments (0)