« September 2008 | Main | November 2008 »
October 31, 2008
Happy Halloween
It was almost as hard to get up today as it was yesterday--maybe even harder because Matt was all snug and warm next to me. Part of me thought I should take another day on the bike since my knee is probably still not so happy with me, but the other part of me really wanted to go outside. Of course the runner in me dragged me out, and actually my knee wasn't too bad during the run (it hurt afterwards, though). It was chilly but comfortable, and the temperature was on the way up--it went from the 30s in the morning to the 60s in the afternoon. I did my AU Park neighborhood loop which is moderately hilly but really nothing too steep. I enjoyed looking at everyone's Halloween decorations since it was the first time in more than a week that I'd run in that area. When I got home I biked very briefly--but long enough to watch a DVR'd episode of "The Hills."
I had to take the car in to the garage on the way to work today because our beloved "Dented Avalon," as we call her, has been making a funny noise. It is apparently leaking steering fluid. They filled it up but I need to take it back for a more extensive examination...great. At least it is drivable.
Things were busy at work today but I was also distracted by tracking the cross-country conference championships going on. The Princeton women totally dominated the Heps but that performance was of course overshadowed by the Washington women scoring a perfect 15 later in the afternoon. Very impressive!
Matt and I both made an effort to get home in time for the trick-or-treaters. There weren't as many as I expected, but the ones we saw were cute. It was all over by about 8pm--our neighborhood has a lot of very little kids! Our next door neighbor, age 3, cried when her mom told her to say, "Trick or treat!" to ask us for candy. We didn't mean to scare her!
Happy weekend to all!
Posted by becky at 9:28 PM | Comments (1)
October 30, 2008
Back to business
When my alarm went off this morning, I wondered if it was the middle of the night. I did end up getting a decent amount of sleep, but I was groggy when I got out of bed and attributed that to the time change. I worried that I was going to feel like that all day...but first I needed to get in my workout. Once I started biking, I felt a little bit more awake. I think my knee was glad to be off the roads and it was nice to do something different (and catch up on some shows) after several runs in a row. Nothing too exciting to report about the workout but it went well.
I didn't feel too tired during the day at work, either. It will probably hit me tomorrow. It was nice to be back in the office and catch up on all that had happened when I was gone. It is a social place so it is usually fun to be there. I was busy most of the day and ready to get back to the gym by the time it was over.
I started a new book on the bike ("American Wife" by Curtis Sittenfeld) after finally finishing the Stephenie Meyer series last night. Then I lifted and it was quite refreshing after not having been to (that) gym in a week. I should take these breaks more often, I guess...
Matt is back from all his travels as well and we are preparing for the onslaught of trick-or-treaters tomorrow (i.e. putting candy in a bowl). I am excited as this is our first Halloween in our house!
Posted by becky at 9:43 PM | Comments (1)
October 29, 2008
Heading home
I am sitting in the airport waiting to board my flight back to DC. I hope I managed to get a little work done in addition to the snoozing that inevitably comes (for me) with air travel. I've enjoyed my time in San Diego and the conference, but I am definitely glad to be going home and getting back to my routine.
I did get to Balboa Park for the final time during my trip this morning--I felt a little rushed because I woke up a little late. My knee bothered me off and on and was better when I remembered to think about my form. I think my legs are pretty tired from four days in a row of running on pavement so I am not surprised I am having some issues and I look forward to being on the bike tomorrow morning. I've missed a lot of TV as well!
I did almost the same run this morning as I did on Monday but I tried to get closer to the Morley Field/Foot Locker course area this time. However, I didn't get as close as I wanted to actually run there, I just saw it in the distance, looked at my watch and realized I had to turn around.
I am getting excited to see how the marathon goes this weekend in New York for Kara, Katie, et. al. Seems like there is a lot of excitement in the media as well and that bodes well for the sport.
Posted by becky at 3:39 PM | Comments (0)
October 28, 2008
Just one of those runs
I kind of knew when I woke up that I wouldn't be having the greatest run today. I felt kind of tired but most of all I was coming off two good ones in a row and I was doing an out-and-back on concrete (okay, it was along the ocean, but still). The other shoe was bound to drop, and it did. It wasn't awful the whole time, but my knee started bothering me about a mile in. I did manage to hook onto these three men running just ahead of me for a few miles and that kept my mind focused on the task at hand. And I was sure that my knee was going to drive me nuts all day following the run but it actually wasn't too bad. I have been meaning to ice all day and I am going to try and do that before I go to sleep tonight.
Today was another packed day at the conference and I was a little sleepy at points and wishing I was outside (it was really hot today, I think in the 90s actually). I had some time in the late afternoon to find a better-equipped gym than the fitness room in the hotel and I spent a couple of hours there biking and lifting. It made me feel better but the gym seemed kind of grimy. The fact that they don't have towel service might have tipped me off to that fact. Gross--who would join a gym without towels??
Tomorrow is my last day here; I have a mid-day flight so I will be in the air most of the day after hopefully a better run and a few hours more of public health.
Posted by becky at 8:54 PM | Comments (0)
October 27, 2008
Starting the day off right
Why is it that conferences where you are sitting inside all day make you so tired? I am about to fall asleep very shortly after a long day. I am quite glad that I got out for a run this morning, I must say. I was a little nervous because I left before the sun came up, but I am in a well-lit area and I stayed on the sidewalk to be safer.
Since we had gone to Balboa Park yesterday, I knew the way so I decided to tackle the hill and see how things went. San Diego-area native Alisha also gave me some tips on how to get to a more runnable part of the park...unfortunately I turned the wrong way at one point so I will hopefully adhere better to her directions on another run before I leave. In any case, it was uphill getting to the Park but it was gradual and I just focused on my form. Once in the park I just did a little out and back until I had to head back. Coming back downhill gave me some twinges but my knee has actually been behaving quite well since then. I was pleased with the effort and with the great cool, dry weather in the morning.
I did my situps in the "fitness room" here at my hotel and was saddened to see how pathetic it is. There isn't even an upright bike and not too much in the way of strength-training equipment. I am really hoping to have a little bit of time to lift tomorrow afternoon so I may have to seek an alternate location. We'll see.
The day at the conference was long but I learned some interesting stuff and had a great time catching up with professors and grad school friends at the Harvard School of Public Health reception this evening. But I sure am beat and can't wait to crawl into bed!
Posted by becky at 9:43 PM | Comments (0)
October 26, 2008
Another sunny day in SD
Both Matt and I were falling asleep toward the end of our dinner last night. When we got back up to our room, it was clear that there were other people at the rooftop pool/club who weren't as tired. The music was super loud with a thumpin' bass beat. Matt managed to fall right to sleep watching the end of the Phillies-Rays game and I managed to read myself to sleep not too long after that. But I did wake up several times during the night, not being used to my surroundings and hearing lots of weird noises.
Eventually it was time to really get up--I was meeting a colleague also in town for the APHA meeting who had a long run to do. I was really nervous about even accompanying her for a few miles--a couple of years ago we would have been perfect running partners but I didn't know if I could keep up. She slowed down a little for me and I sped up a little for her and my knee actually felt all right. We were running along the Embarcadero path along the ocean so it was very flat (and all concrete, unfortunately). I ran about 35 minutes with her and then turned around while she continued along her way. I felt like I could have gone longer but my max lately is about 70 minutes and I didn't want to chance it. It was a good thing because my legs were dying when I was almost back! But I ended up biking a bit and lifting after that and I was feeling fine, it's just that my legs aren't used to much more pounding time right now.
Once I was all done and cleaned up, Matt and I went to brunch at a cute cafe right near the Convention Center. Since I was so close, I picked up my nametag and materials and then we went back to check out of Saturday's hotel and check me into the one I'll be in for this week, just a few blocks away. They didn't have a room available so we checked our bags and took a long walk to Balboa Park. I had been there for the Foot Locker meet that one time but the park is huge. My legs are pretty tired from all of our miles of walking around but it was really a lot of fun. I want to try running there tomorrow but it is pretty hilly and I'm not sure how my knee will do.
We had an early dinner tonight and then Matt took the train back to L.A. I've been diligently working on a couple of things ever since save for a little dessert break. Tomorrow morning kicks off a full (and I mean full) day of sessions so I am going to try and get a good night's sleep.
Posted by becky at 11:30 PM | Comments (0)
October 25, 2008
Extra long Saturday
If yesterday didn't feel like a Friday, today certainly didn't start out feeling like a weekend. My alarm went off around 4 and after a couple of snooze bars, I got up and got on the bike to at least do something aerobic before sitting on my butt for the next few hours. I didn't notice how early it was once I started my workout and just enjoyed my shows and felt pretty awake--I knew it would all hit me later (and it did).
My time at the airport feels like eons ago. Everything went smoothly but was hectic as travel always is these days. I got in a couple of hours of sleep on the plane, started the fourth (and final) installment in the Stephenie Meyer series, and watched two episodes of "Gossip Girl." I could have been productive and done some real work, but I reminded myself that it really was a Saturday!
Matt arrived in San Diego about a half hour ahead of me so I met him at our hotel. He picked the trendiest one in the Gaslamp District and it is really nice, with a rooftop pool, a supposedly excellent restaurant (we are eating there tonight) and other trendy things. We ended up walking down to the waterfront/touristy area and having an excellent lunch at The Fish Market, which is fairly touristy but the good food outweighed that factor. After that, we took a cab over to Coronado Island--somewhere I hadn't been since the Foot Locker meet several years ago (2002?). The Hotel Del Coronado is fun whether you are a high school runner or just a regular person, and we had a nice afternoon sitting (and sleeping, in my case) on the beach. We headed back to our own hotel when it started getting chilly and I biked a little bit in the hotel gym while Matt caught the last hour of sunlight at the pool. There are APHA attendees everywhere from downtown to Coronado--you can tell by their name tags!
I don't think I will be able to stay awake very late tonight but so far it has been a fun weekend!
Posted by becky at 9:49 PM | Comments (0)
October 24, 2008
Is it really Friday?
Today definitely didn't feel like a Friday. Part of it is the fact that I am leaving very early tomorrow morning to go to the American Public Health Association annual meeting in San Diego. Since Matt is in LA and I don't have much going on until Monday work-wise, he is going to take the train down for the weekend. Normal people would look forward to the California weather, but today was cloudy and in the 50s and I loved it! I was a little bit chilly when I first stepped outside to run, but quickly acclimated.
Today's run wasn't so great. I can't stand how different one will be from the next. I think my knee was bothering me today because I had to stop short in front of a dog about a mile in, and that hurts the bursa or whatever it is that still bothers me. It's almost like once it is irritated, it doesn't go away for the rest of the day. I also just felt a little tired for no good reason. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for an out-and-back on the Capital Crescent today...not sure. But I was glad to get a run in because as much as I would like to run at 4am before getting on the plane tomorrow, this whole damn knee thing was potentially caused by a fall during a dark, pre-dawn run in April 2007, so I am going to try and bike at 4am instead. (Logical? Perhaps not.)
I don't have any other workout news to report and considering my early wake-up time (even if I don't bike), I should get packing. Happy weekend to all!
Posted by becky at 8:06 PM | Comments (0)
October 23, 2008
On the bike again
This morning seems like a long time ago. I had a hard time getting out of bed and ended up short on time to bike. I did what I could while catching up on some of my medical dramas ("House" and "Grey's"). I was less than impressed with both, but they occupied me while I was pedaling away! My knee felt good this morning and I was able to power through a bunch of hill intervals with no ill effects.
Today was a quick day at work because I had a lot going on. Between conference calls, summarizing conference calls, emails, meetings, etc. it was the end of the day before I knew it. After not lifting yesterday, my muscles were ready for a challenge today and I felt good. I also did a little spin biking because this morning's workout was a little short.
Matt is about to take off for LA right now. A nighttime east-west flight would totally mess up my internal clock so I hope he gets some rest en route!
Posted by becky at 9:21 PM | Comments (0)
October 22, 2008
One to remember
Except for some sore stomach muscles and some low-level knee discomfort (the usual) I must say I had a pretty good run this morning. I used to feel like I jinxed myself writing about my decent runs but I feel I must document them. I decided as I headed out the door (chilly and windy) that I would take the Capital Crescent Trail in the opposite direction that I usually take it--toward Silver Spring instead of toward Georgetown. It was super dark for the first half of the run but I did see a lot of other runners and bikers with lights shining in my face so I wasn't too worried. Once you pass Bethesda, the trail is soft and gravelly and that is really nice. Instead of turning around at the halfway mark, I decided to make a big loop. That involved waiting at a couple of major intersections, but it was less boring. It ended up being really nice and I was glad to have had an enjoyable run.
I'm blogging early today because Matt and I are going to an event downtown tonight. I am not really in the mood to get dressed up (of course I'd rather go to the gym) but I think it will be fun. Matt leaves tomorrow for LA too so it will be nice to spend the evening together.
Posted by becky at 5:23 PM | Comments (0)
October 21, 2008
Nice and cool
Although it was hard to get out of bed this morning because it was so chilly in our room, I enjoyed the great running weather. It ended up getting very windy this afternoon, but this morning it was nice. I needed gloves for nearly the whole run. It's very early for gloves--and I'm sure we will have another warm spell soon as the past few Halloweens have been in the 80s, if I remember correctly.
I felt decent today. I had some knee discomfort but nothing out of the ordinary as of late. I don't think my pace has increased dramatically or anything, but I have been noticing that I need to add on to my new Bethesda routes to make them last as long as I expect. I think that's a good thing.
When I got back, I biked very briefly and watched most of "The Hills" from last night. I've got my sister watching it now so at least there is someone to share my obsession! I even noticed that one of the girls from the show had a cameo on this week's "Entourage." Not sure I should be proud of that!
Work was pretty hectic today--lots going on at once and I probably forgot to call someone back or follow up on something. But it does make the day fly by...and my gym workout seemed to go pretty quickly as well. It wasn't quite as crowded as yesterday and I was caught up in my Stephenie Meyer book while I was on the bike.
I can't believe we are now less than two weeks away from the election...there are enough political bloggers out there and I don't need to add to the fray, but I am just like (mostly) every other young person I know when I think happy Obama thoughts!
Posted by becky at 9:33 PM | Comments (0)
October 20, 2008
Monday bike day
After a few decent days of running, I was pretty glad to have a biking day today. I'm sure I would have enjoyed the chilly temps (below 40!) this morning, but it was nice and comfortable inside, I must admit. Plus I still have a lot of catching up to do on my shows. Today I watched "Dexter" and "The Office"--talk about two different kind of shows! From serial killers to office antics...but both were good. On the bike, I tried to get a good workout in without trashing my legs, as that has been the case lately. I'm not sure if they are just more tired from doing a little more running or what, but my runs after biking have been kind of challenging. We'll see what happens.
Today definitely felt like a Monday at work--I was pretty busy, but the day seemed long and a coffee break (literally) was necessary around 2:30 pm. I think I was dragging a bit because I walked the few miles to work too fast (I can't help it) and it was almost like a second workout right after the first. It was chilly but I got sweaty from my backpack and ended up being really cold for a few hours until I dried off. Lovely, I know.
The gym was really crowded tonight but thankfully everyone was being respectful of personal space. I'm thinking that as the weather gets cooler, no one is working out outdoors anymore, hence the increased gym attendance. We regulars notice these things!
Posted by becky at 9:21 PM | Comments (0)
October 19, 2008
Autumn in New York
I guess I was worried about how I'd feel on my run this morning (I had access to a gym so I could have chosen the treadmill) because I woke up several times during the night thinking about how my knee felt. But it was such a nice, cool morning that I really wanted to try, and I know from experience that (fortunately and unfortunately) my runs have been inconsistent. I just decided to relax and see how it went--and luckily it went pretty well.
I only know a couple of routes starting from Matt's mom's house and all of them involve the mile or so from her house to any road leading anywhere (so 2 miles round trip). Today I ran up a winding but not super-steep hill to one of the entrances of the Leatherstocking Trail, which is now linked with a bunch of other trails in Westchester known as the Colonial Greenway (I learned this from a brand-new sign on the trail). The trail part of the run was only about a mile, and I was reminded how long it had been since I had done any real trails. Between protecting my knee and being out of shape, it was slow goings--but fun. The run went well overall and I avoided being passed by anyone until the last couple of miles when a guy in an oversized sweatshirt blew by me! Grrr.
I lifted a little bit when I got back and then got ready for the 91st birthday brunch. It was a nice time and the restaurant was on a golf course which looked beautiful on such a pretty fall day. We took a 5pm flight back, giving me enough time to grocery shop, etc. before having to worry about dinner. All in all the weekend seemed to go by really quickly, but it was nice to spend time with family.
Posted by becky at 8:35 PM | Comments (0)
October 18, 2008
That damn knee
Good one day, bad the next--that is how my running has been of late. There's never any way to tell when I wake up and am walking around my house, either. This morning I had to head out pretty early because we had a noon flight to New York (we are in town for Matt's grandfather's 91st birthday this weekend). My knee felt fine and I was ready for a nice fall run as the temps were below 50 and it was really sunny. I did one of the new routes that has become a weekend staple; most of it is the very well-manicured neighborhood of Chevy Chase. My knee started to bother me before 10 minutes. I know by now how to change my stride a little to make myself feel better, and it is never super painful, but it is more the mental challenge of having to deal with a little discomfort. I hate it. Otherwise things went well and I enjoyed the weather. When I got home, I biked for 10 minutes--that's all I had, should have woken up earlier--to loosen up my legs and then we had to get ready to go.
I've been kind of bummed about the knee as I always am on days like this, especially since it's been a little sore since. I also feel like I don't get as great of a workout on days when I'm not feeling so great, which annoys me. Aside from that, though, it's been a nice day. We visited with Matt's grandparents for a little while in the afternoon (the party is tomorrow) and then hung out with our friends and their nine-month-old. We had dinner with Matt's mom and we're just staying in tonight. I am hopeful that my knee might benefit from a little ice tonight and allow me to run on the Leatherstocking Trail tomorrow morning, but we'll see.
Posted by becky at 9:12 PM | Comments (0)
October 17, 2008
Chilly again
We went to sleep with the air conditioner on and woke up to a 20 or so temperature drop. Hooray! I was debating a long-sleeve and it was off within a couple of miles. I ran on the Capital Crescent Trail today and surprisingly saw more bikers than runners. After yesterday's knee adjustments my knee felt pretty good, but my body felt more tired than I would have expected--I'm not sure why. Part of it was probably the fact that once I turned around, I was going slightly uphill. But a decent-feeling run on a crisp morning is enough to make me happy, at least for now.
I walked to work (45 minutes) today because Matt left before me with the car to take it to be inspected. It was also on the Trail--although another part than the one I had run on. It was a nice walk except I had to rush to make a call. I was sweaty again by the time I got there...and this is with the cool temperature!
Tonight I went with a couple of friends (one a runner who is training for an Ironman in a few weeks) to a Girlyman concert at one of the best venues around, Birchmere. It was really fun but we were definitely all yawning by the time it was over.
Happy (Prenats) weekend to all!
Posted by becky at 11:35 PM | Comments (0)
October 16, 2008
Special delivery
It was good to catch up on some shows this morning while I was on the bike, but I have so many more waiting for me on the DVR--and tonight is Thursday, the best TV night! Anyway...let's just say I'm all caught up with "The Hills" and "90210." I am also almost through with Season 1 of Mad Men and I think that is the only one on DVD. As for my legs--I didn't have any problems with the side of my leg like I did while biking on Monday morning. My knee bothered me now and again when climbing hills but otherwise I was able to work hard and continue to damage my bike with sweat. (That is another story, but it is really rusty and salty despite my constant care.)
My next stop was my osteopath. He was only running 30 minutes behind, which was amazing. He takes an hour with each patient, which is just one of the reasons I love going--I don't feel rushed. His daughter is my age and played on the Amherst College tennis team with a grad school friend of mine, so I asked him about her. Turns out she was giving birth to her first child that very morning!! I was really glad she was able to hold out until after my appointment! I discussed my gait analysis results with him and he loosened up some of my tight muscles and connections. He thinks the remaining pain in the knee might be due to some inflammation in a bursa sac that is in that area. He said everything else looks pretty well aligned except my feet, which were tight. I am to keep a rubber ball under my desk and do some massage/pressure point stimulation. Will do--I actually used to do that all the time when I had plantar fasciitis problems and I probably never should have stopped.
The sky is darkening behind me so I will sign off here. I am heading out to a Cornell happy hour tonight instead of the gym--mixing it up! I think I will survive though and perhaps even benefit as I have been pretty sore this week.
Posted by becky at 5:36 PM | Comments (0)
October 15, 2008
Another okay run
It happens every year, but I am always surprised at how dark it is in the mornings in October. And I (luckily) don't have to run at 5am like some of my friends do every single day! When I woke up today, it was so dark that I thought it was raining. Nope, but it was really hot and humid. I had to drop off some mail at someone's house so I let that dictate my route. Originally I had planned on a flatter route after yesterday, but it ended up kind of hilly. Not terrible, but definitely rolling. Luckily the dead-leg feeling was gone.
My knee felt pretty much the same as yesterday--not terrible but some pinching discomfort off and on. I will do my best to describe exactly how it feels when I go see my osteopath tomorrow and I really hope he has some insight. He usually does, but I worry that one day he'll say that this is the best my knee is going to be.
My time at the gym was fine so not too much to report there. I am distracted by the debate, so I will end here!
Posted by becky at 9:14 PM | Comments (0)
October 14, 2008
Dead legs
I have no idea why my legs were so heavy and sore this morning, but they certainly were , from the first steps I took. I guess from more biking than usual, because I didn't do any lower-body lifting yesterday, I swear! I unfortunately chose a hilly route, too, so things didn't improve much. The Mass. Ave. hills are great for hill training but probably not the best idea for me--you live and learn. As for my knee, well, it felt like it usually does these days: discomfort on and off but nothing too terrible. I will shout it from the rooftops if I get through a run pain-free. In case you were wondering about the weather, today's highs reached the mid-80s (close to a record) but in the morning it was pretty comfortable. And dark--this is the time of year when it doesn't get light out until well after 7!
I had to do a couple of errands at lunch and I can attest to the fact that it felt like a (nice) day in the middle of summer. Fall temps are supposed to return at the end of the week and I can't wait!
The gym tonight went pretty well. I avoided anything that might make my legs more sore, or at least I hope I did. I am pretty much addicted to the Stephenie Meyer books right now so I was quite entertained on the stationary bike. I am not a fantasy/vampire person at all but I feel that I've opened the can of worms so I might as well read them all!
Posted by becky at 10:03 PM | Comments (0)
October 13, 2008
Domestic duties
I had the day off and Matt was working today, but I was actually up a little earlier than he was. I had a bunch of house-related appointments and I wanted to have enough time for a decent bike workout. So downstairs I went for some "Mad Men," "90210" and various other shows. My one complaint today was the outside of my left leg. I felt like I had a muscle cramp there every time I stood up to do a hill interval. I used The Stick for a minute and then helped a bit, but eventually I just stopped doing hills and got my heart rate up by increasing the resistance but staying in the saddle. My butt was definitely ready to be done after about 90 minutes or so.
I spent the rest of the day supervising the installation of our new kitchen sink (although not well enough because I somehow missed the fact that the plumber reversed the hot and cold faucet directions), making sure the alarm got fixed and then...unpacking wedding gifts. My parents brought down literally a car-full of wedding gifts this weekend and I had to open all the boxes, wash and put away more than 50 various crystal stemware pieces (among other things). Not my favorite thing in the world but I knew I had to do it. Some of the vases (we have so many vases!) and less useful things went down to the basement, but most of it is accessible.
I was proud of myself when I got that done and started reading (and napping) instead of working on an upcoming lecture that I am giving. Then it was time for the gym and oh, where does the day go? At least I crossed a couple of things off the to-do list!
Posted by becky at 9:44 PM | Comments (0)
October 12, 2008
Wish I could have been racing...
This has been a hard fall for me because many of my co-workers have caught marathon fever and although I love giving training advice, it is tough to hear in detail about long runs, races, etc. And of course today was the Chicago Marathon. I probably wouldn't be doing it even if I physically could, but I'd like the chance! But aside from that little pity party, I did have a good run today--except the last mile or so when my knee began to hurt--so I've got to be thankful for that. I ran mostly on the Capital Crescent Trail and passed a couple of top local women who I used to know from track and races and stuff. We smiled at each other and I marveled at the speed with which they were barreling down the trail. Those were the days...actually I was never that fast. But you know what I mean!
After my run, I cleaned up and became brunch-maker. My parents came over from their hotel and my sister and her fiance had spent the night at our house. With help from the crew, I made challah French toast and other goodies and we had a nice brunch. Then the men went to Home Depot and the ladies to downtown Bethesda for a couple of hours. I was really glad not to have to go to HD (a place that scares me a bit) and that my dad could help point Matt in the right direction! We all had lunch after that at our house and then the New Yorkers hit the road.
Matt and I did a couple more errands after that and then were finally back for the day. He went to play basketball and I rode the trainer for awhile. One of my tires definitely has a hole in it--not that it matters on the trainer but someday I will probably want to take the bike outside.
It was a really nice weekend, and I have tomorrow off too, so it's great that it isn't a "real" Sunday.
Posted by becky at 8:45 PM | Comments (0)
October 11, 2008
Fall=warm and sunny weekends
The past couple of weekends have been really nice--high 70s and low humidity. Of course, I'm ready for real fall temps, but I do need to remember that this time of year in D.C. can be very pleasant. I had another decent run this morning so I was certainly glad for the comfortable weather. I did basically the same loop that I did last Sunday, through some very nice Chevy Chase neighborhoods that are a little bit hilly but nothing too crazy. It took me a couple of miles to settle into a pace that was comfortable for both my lungs and my knees, but I ended the run feeling strong and my knee has not even been bothering me too much since. I biked a little bit when I was done while watching this week's "Grey's Anatomy." Still not too impressed with that show this season. And the soundtrack isn't as good as in seasons past.
Matt's mom came down for a memorial service today so Matt went with her to that while I stayed behind and cleaned our house and waited for my parents to arrive. They are here for today and tomorrow and brought down all these wedding gifts that they've kept in their house for five years--now that we have a house, we can finally store, display and even use them! Today is also my mom's birthday so we are doing some stuff to celebrate too. My sister and her fiance came down on the train as well so it is family weekend--we are heading out to dinner right now. Hope everyone had a good Saturday!
Posted by becky at 2:19 PM | Comments (0)
October 10, 2008
Mixing it up at the gym
I was surprisingly sleepy last night after napping/relaxing all day during the fast. I guess it was all that food at once making me just want to curl up in a ball. Of course our alarm went off at 2am--we are having problems with it but it was still really scary. Matt had to wake up pretty soon after that to catch his 6:30 am flight to Boston for a day of undergrad recruiting interviews, so I guess it was worse for him. I mixed it up today and went to the gym to run on the treadmill and lift since I missed a couple of days this week.
I ran pretty comfortably for about an hour. It was quite warm in there and I was sweating all over the treadmill and the floor as usual, but no one seemed to mind too much. There was a women breathing hard with her mouth open (pet peeve) on the treadmill next to me for about 30 minutes. I just turned up my music and tried my best to zone out. I increased the "speed" gradually until the 30-minute mark, then took it easy for a bit, then ramped it back up. My knee was pretty much the best it is these days, which is to say not totally painless, but not too bad. And I do find that my knees feel better getting off the treadmill than when I finish a run on the roads. But the treadmill is so boring! It felt like 2 hours on there, I don't know how people do it.
I toweled off afterwards and lifted as much as I had time for. I had been drinking a Gatorade/water mix during my run so I didn't even get low energy while lifting, which tends to happen when I combine workouts. It's never as nice to shower in the gym as it is to shower at home, but it was nice to just get dressed and walk the 10 minutes to my office. I knew I had errands to do this afternoon so it was really for the best.
I am off to pick up Matt at the airport. Happy weekend to all!
Posted by becky at 8:40 PM | Comments (0)
October 9, 2008
Counting the hours
Today is Yom Kippur, the once-a-year day of repentance that requires a sundown to sunup fast. As has been my tradition for the last 10 or so years, I fudge that a little and have a little morning snack in order to fuel a short workout (in days past, a three-mile run; today, an hour or so trainer ride). I figured as long as I am forced to take it easy today, I might as well try to calm the irritation down in my knee and bike again. In fact I should have been icing all day but my hunger pangs made me unable to do anything like that.
Matt and I really enjoyed services at American last night and today. They had a student rabbi from New York who was excellent. When we came home this afternoon, we waited for two scheduled house-related appointments to show up. One did, and the other one completely forgot--super annoying. I spent most of the rest of the afternoon reading Running Times and Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight".
We are off to our break-fast--I can't wait!
Posted by becky at 6:23 PM | Comments (0)
October 8, 2008
Solid effort
In an ideal world, I would have woken up really early with no problems, had no knee pain, run and stopped at the gym to lift, and felt really proud of myself. Instead, I woke up earlier than usual (but not as early as I tried to), realized my knee was still sore, and got on the bike. On the bright side, I knew it would be my only workout of the day and I got in about 90 minutes of hard riding with hills almost the whole time. My knee didn't bother me when clipped in and I vowed to ice it a few times during the day to see if that made a difference (see below for the rest of the story on that). I wouldn't have been so bummed about not being able to lift today if tomorrow wasn't out of the question (Yom Kippur) and Friday is looking challenging as well. Trying to roll with it...and at least I got to enjoy "Mad Men" and a few MTV shows that will remain nameless.
So when I got to work, I went to the freezer for my ice pack that I keep there...and no ice pack was anywhere to be found. This was quite annoying, to say the least. I talked to our office manager about it and I think she felt bad, so she went out and bought a couple for the office. Of course they weren't cold, and by the time I remembered, it was almost the end of the day. Oh, well.
Matt and I both left work early to be able to grab a bite to eat before services. We had a special treat, too--my college friend Claire, who lives in the Bay Area, is doing a little East Coast tour this week and she and her husband and son (who I had never met!) joined us for dinner. Too bad it was brief but it was nice to catch up!
Posted by becky at 9:15 PM | Comments (0)
October 7, 2008
Broken record
I had a sub-par run this morning. Basically my knee was bothering me off and on from the beginning, but it wasn't getting worse so it was more of a mental bother than a physical one. It almost feels like it needs to crack--and sometimes it does--which does help it. I did a variation on my American (University) loop, which has a bunch of downhills as well as a bunch of uphills, although nothing too steep. I saw both the AU cross-country teams (men and women) on their morning runs. I noticed most of them were wearing more clothing than I was--I ended up regretting my choice to leave the long-sleeve shirt at home. It was pretty chilly out there this morning. Perhaps that is always why in addition to my knee issues, my legs felt heavier than usual. It all added up to a run that felt longer than it actually was--never a good sign!
My knee was a bit sore throughout the day, so I tried at the gym (after a little biking) to loosen it up and force it to crack a little. This sounds worse than it was. But I think I tried too hard because now it is actually a little more sore. I'm considering going to sleep with my ice pack to see if it makes a difference. Can you hear me sighing?
I am going to pay attention to the last few minutes of the debate. And monitoring debate-related Facebook status changes, of course!
Posted by becky at 9:57 PM | Comments (0)
October 6, 2008
Monday comes quickly
I fell asleep on the couch last night watching our Sunday night shows and despite the extra sleep I still felt kind of tired this morning. But it was somewhat easier to just roll out of bed and onto the bike than to have to go outside in the still-a-little-dark-ness. Plus I had some good shows waiting for me--another episode of "Mad Men" and the rest of "Dexter" that I had started yesterday. Both were really good and I was able to get in a good effort on the bike. I focused less on the hill intervals and more on keeping my heart rate up in between. No problems to speak of.
Today felt like a Monday for sure and I don't have any exciting stories from the day to share. As usual, I could be found after work at the gym--first on the stationary bike reading the first Stephenie Meyer book that my office-mate has lent to me so we can talk about it--and then doing my usual lifting. The book is definitely easy to read, but I'm not sure I'll be able to suspend my disbelief through 300+ pages!
Posted by becky at 9:48 PM | Comments (0)
October 5, 2008
Victory!
Today's accomplishment wasn't crossing the finish line of a race--although I did wish I could have been running in the Army Ten Miler--it was finishing the assembly of our Adirondack bench and chair that have been sitting in pieces in the entry hall for weeks. We just put our minds to it and got it done. Woo-hoo!
I also managed to have a pretty good run today. It was a gorgeous day again and I made up a new route. The first ten minutes were uphill, but it was pretty much rolling after that with no huge hills. When I was stopped at a light soon after starting out, this adorable old man all bundled up in a leather jacket asked me if I was cold. I was actually pretty warm and I told him so! He was very surprised--it was a cute moment.
My iPod was all charged up which made my run more entertaining and I went about an hour at what seemed like a decent (current) pace and with a manageable level of discomfort. My knee seems to get better as my runs go on--I'm not sure if that is because I am settling more into a natural pace, or what.
When I got back, Matt was just getting ready to take his mom to the airport to go back to New York. We ended up doing things around the house (and errands) for the rest of the afternoon. I had a dish to make for Thursday's Yom Kippur break fast (it is now in the freezer) and was glad to cross that off the list. In the late afternoon, Matt played basketball and I caught up on "Dexter" while riding my trainer. It was a nice, relaxing day and now we have some lovely outdoor furniture to sit on for the rest of the fall.
Posted by becky at 8:02 PM | Comments (0)
October 4, 2008
Superb Saturday
Today has been a really nice day so far. Although 7 minutes into my run on the boring Capital Crescent Trail, my iPod ran out of batteries. I knew it was probably time to charge it, but I didn't get a chance last night. It was really a beautiful day out and I tried to think of it as a chance to enjoy being outside, etc. etc. I kept hearing snippets of people's conversations (the trail was very crowded with Team in Training groups, bikers, and other runners/walkers). Here's a sampling of what I heard: "...that bank went under..."; "Sarah Palin isn't a real hockey mom..." --just a typical day on the trail in Washington!
As for me, I didn't feel too bad but I did have some knee pain off and on despite taking a few Advil before I left. I didn't get passed by any other runners and I had to pass a couple of Team in Training groups because my pride just made me speed up. I couldn't help it. I got kind of shaky/low blood sugar at one point before I turned around to go back toward Bethesda but I stopped at the one water fountain along the route and I felt better after that.
When I got home, I rode the bike for a bit and caught up on "The Hills" and "90210" from a couple of weeks ago. While I was working out (both inside and out) Matt was handling the phone-fixer guy from Verizon and the termite inspector (no termites!) It worked out well.
I cleaned and did some household things for a couple of hours after that and then went to hang out for the rest of the afternoon with my good friend Liz. Since she has moved back to the area, we've only managed to see each other a couple of times--we need to do better! She lives on Capitol Hill so it was fun to explore an area that I must admit is very foreign to me. We had an awesome (and cheap!) Jamaican lunch and then we walked around Eastern Market (outdoor flea market) for a bit. It was a really nice afternoon.
Matt's mom is in town for the night so I am about to start preparing dinner for all of us. I hope my menu goes over well!
Posted by becky at 6:54 PM | Comments (1)
October 3, 2008
Friday at last
Actually, Friday came pretty quickly this week, considering my significant travel on Sunday. That doesn't mean it wasn't tough to get out of bed this morning--I had my usual snooze button issues. It was also a little chilly in the house this morning--so much so that I grabbed a long-sleeve for my run (I knew it would be off within a few minutes, and it was). I headed out to do my AU Park loop and knew from the first few steps that my knee would be bothering me off and on today. It really wasn't too bad and definitely improved when I really, really concentrated on my form, but it was annoying at times. Sigh. When I got back I biked very briefly while watching "The Hills" and called it a day. Another one-workout day in the books.
We had a little office tennis tournament in a local park this afternoon. I never really played tennis even when I didn't have knee problems except occasionally with Matt, but I went to socialize and cheer people on because it was such a nice day out. It was fun being outside and not being hot. After that it was off to my manicure appointment and then Matt and I had dinner at a just-opened branch of a local Lebanese chain restaurant (not really a chain; there are only a few). Now we are both yawning and looking forward to sleeping!
Happy weekend to all!
Posted by becky at 10:11 PM | Comments (0)
October 2, 2008
Breaking that routine
Today was a rare non-Friday weekday when (gasp) I only worked out once. I had a work event tonight downtown and I knew I wouldn't feel like just getting to the gym or on the bike at 8pm, so here I am about to watch the vice-presidential debate along with the rest of America.
But this morning, I wasn't on the couch, I was on the bike. I intended to be on there a little longer, but I didn't get to bed as early as I hoped last night and that translated into not being about to wake up! But I worked hard as usual; I did hill intervals while watching another episode of "Mad Men" and then last week's premiere of "ER" (so sad!). I felt good and didn't have any problems with my knee later walking around except the usual stiffness when getting up from my desk.
I think that's it for today. It's almost the weekend...yay!
Posted by becky at 8:50 PM | Comments (0)
October 1, 2008
Trying to make my knee like hills more
I think I can now say with certainty that my knee tends to feel better on flatter courses. However, unless I want to run only on the Capital Crescent Trail or on the treadmill, I am going to encounter some hills. I'm not ready to resign myself to level ground just yet, so I'm stubbornly continuing to do my hillier runs. Today it was what I call the "Mohican Hills" after of a neighborhood sign I pass in a residential area. Nobody around here knows what the little neighborhoods are called unless you live there, but apparently this one is Mohican Hill (I added the "s" to signify that there is more than one hill on the route). Anyway, my knee was never that bad, but I definitely noticed it today more than yesterday. When I was almost back, I was about to cross in front of a car stopped at a stop sign when I noticed that the car was moving and the driver (a kid most likely on his way to the high school) didn't see me at all. His passenger sort of halfheartedly pointed at me, and I jumped (or hobbled--I don't jump well these days) out of the way. I need to remember that no one is paying attention to anything but themselves and their own hurried commutes in the morning.
Running was all I had time for this morning since I woke up a little late. I was definitely more tired today than earlier in the week, and I'm not sure why. By the end of the day, I was yawning all over the place and I wondered how I would make it through my gym workout. I did perk up somewhat although the yawning came back.
Matt is staying late at work tonight but I am enjoying actually being a little chilly inside my house for the first time since we moved in. I really do love the fall here because it contrasts so starkly to the summer.
Posted by becky at 9:44 PM | Comments (0)