Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Taking a week off

Of running, that is.

Seems like this week is a good one - I am in Calgary for work meetings this week. The hotel actually has a pretty nice exercise room, and a pool in which I can swim laps.

The plan is to ride bicycle and to swim for exercise this week. And stretch, stretch, stretch.

I tried going out for a long run on Saturday, planning on some loops from my house in case the hip/knee started being cranky. About 3 miles in to the 5-mile loop, things were not good. I actually talked to someone at the grad open house I was at on Saturday about the troubles I am having (I think she's a physical therapist or running coach or something like that) but my description of where the pain is, and the pressure point in the front of my hip that alleviates the knee pain, she figured I have a pinched nerve. She also suggested that I needed to do some abdominal strength work. And I knew that, but was ignoring it.

So I biked this morning. About 10.5 miles in my 45 minutes.

Now I need to hop into the shower, and get ready for a day of training.

Woo hoo.
~a

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

What do you mean it's not Friday?

Sure feels like it should be Friday tomorrow. I hate it when that happens.

It has been a long week already.

I was at the rail yard until 10pm last night. And I was tired. And dusty. It was not as stressful as last year, I will have to say, but when you have to yell at volunteers for doing things that they should not be doing (and have been told to keep the parade participants from doing these things), you start to wonder why you are allowing these people on to your property. It is a working rail yard/intermodal yard - case in point, there was a train that departed a little after 5pm. People started showing up to line up at 4:30. Then there was the kid that I told him and his "adults" to cross the tracks or stay off of them. Then I find him LAYING in the middle of the tracks. Hello???? Yes ladies, you need to watch the children you are responsible for.

But, they have been finding more and more business for that yard, and I really think this is the last year that we are going to allow the parade to stage there. I just don't want to deal with the parade and truck and rail traffic. Too many kids, and not enough adults that care to supervise properly.

Anyhoo, I'm off to home, to grab my suit so I can swim laps/run in my friend's pool.

ta!
~a

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Hippy, Hippy shake

Don't you love the human body?

I think I have it figured out. I need to stretch my left hip lots more than I have been. I got up at 5am this morning to go for a run. Knee band in place, was feeling pretty good for pretty much all of my 3 miles (in 31 minutes!). After I was done, and walking it out, with the knee giving me twinges, I started pressing on the muscle in my hip. And lo and behold... if I got the right pressure point, the pain in my knee went away.

I think I might have to go find a masseuse.

But I also stretched a bit, and that muscle is kinda sore. Hopefully if I keep doing some good deep stretches it will help!

Last night was spent getting new anti-virus on the computer. We were having connectivity problems... couldn't get the web up, even though it said there was a connection. After 15 minues on the phone with the customer service rep, up and down the stairs to unplug and reconnect the modem (yes I had done that before, but they made me do it again) we discovered it was the anti-virus software, so I updated it to the newest version, and things work again! Woo hoo.

Tonight, I get to do "security" at our Shoreham yard in NorthEast Minnepolis. The Norteast parade is lining up in our rail yard, and I will be driving around in my company vehicle to make sure that people are behaving, and not doing things that they should not be doing. All I have to say is that there better not be any kids on unicycles running through the yard. Those kids (and parents that cannot control those kids) are out of control. Last year I saw a couple of kids on the unicycles ducking in and out of the intermodal trailers that were parked there, with truck traffic going in and out of the yard. When the adults in the group were told to control their kids, and that we have had problems and that they had been warned about this - they played dumb. Helloooooo - you are jepardizing the whole parade by your actions! (How do I really feel?)

Anyhoo - off to hit the shower!

~a

Monday, June 18, 2007

Pain in the...

Knee.

Yep. It's still there.

I bought myself a knee brace, and I don't think it is working so well - I think the brace is not adequate for what is going wrong. It might mean a visit to the doctor, and not a self-diagnosis.

I went for a run on Saturday. Waking up, the weather station told me that it was 68 degrees with 83 percent humidity. Blek. But, I did get out there anyway. Met, started out with at group of people, but dropped behind when I saw Jess. I trailed behind a couple of them for a while, until I had to start walking because my knee started hurting. Walked and ran the rest of the way, stopping to adjust the knee band, stopping to stretch, stopping to remove sand/stones from my shoe. 7 miles in about an hour and 20 minutes. I did it, but was not real happy when I was done.

Not sure where I go from here. I'm thinking about asking my friend if I can do some "running" in her pool, to keep in shape and not aggrivate the knee, and let it heal some.

and again.... Yuk.

~a

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Blah, Blah, Blog

I'm home all week folks...

And I seem to be busier than ever. Why is that?

So my random thoughts and other assorted stuff for the day.

Yesterday was my husband's birthday. I called him in the morning (because HE is out of town, on vacation, fishing in a tournament) and had to be prompted to wish him a happy birthday. He's 48, the old fart! I'm planning on making him a fabulous dinner on Friday, and will give him his gift then. Note to self: buy husband's birthday gift...

It is hot outside. Yet still cold in my office. I hate that I have to wear closed shoes and my wool blazer in the office, or I freeze to death.

The scale told me I weighed 175 pounds this morning. After sweating buckets on my run, but hey, you take what you can get, right? So I have eaten Golden Grahams for breakfast, sushi and beer cheese soup for lunch, and some "flat earth" chips (yummy, by the way) and am sitting here pleasantly full. I have not been counting points since before Isle Royle, yet I am still not gaining... but actually losing. Hmmmm - cut out some of the crap, and stop eating when you are full. Is that how it works?

I'm wearing size 12 pants today. And they are not tight.

I bought an exercise outfit at Target yesterday: A running skirt and a top (okay, so I can't find a picture of the skirt). And darn, they were awful cute on the rack. I need to return them today, since I was not feeling the clothing love when I got home and tried them on.

We are haveing some folks over on Saturday, to celebrate Eric's birthday. So I have been madly working on some house projects. And my "new" sewing machine hates me. It keeps jamming. It's the machine that my mother has had for years, and she had it overhauled before she gave it to me, but it is acting up again. I think it is actually older than me - if I remember correctly, I believe mom sewed her wedding dress with this machine. So, I had to resort to using my "old" sewing machine, which I know is older than me. It was my great aunt's machine - I still have the reciept from when my great uncle bought it for her. In 1948. They sure don't make things like they used to! The house projects include making roman shades for the bedroom, and cushions for our wooden benches on the patio.

I also have a friend of a friend coming over tonight so I can look at doing some alterations on her bridesmaid dress. Damn, I love being crafty! (yeah, I'm also kind of cheap... why buy things when you can make them for a fraction of the cost?)

Oh running. Yeah, have not been doing enough lately. Got out and did 3 miles this morning. Taped my knee, but after sweating, it came off. I need to get one of those velcro straps. I bought something at Target that was "designed for women's knee pain" but it's a patellar (kneecap) brace, and does not support the IT band area. I guess I need to go into an actual drug store and browse their selection of braces, since it appears the tape is not going to work (or I need to get new tape - the stuff I used on Isle Royale worked!)

I think that's enough randomness for now. Have a great day!

~a

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Alive, but definately busy

Yep.

I managed the whole Isle Royale trip.

and I am back in one piece. and I figured out what I needed to do with my knee so I would survive - it appears to be an IT band issue, and a judicially placed piece of first aid tape worked wonders! Especially the day we missed our turn, and hiked almost 16 miles, rather than the 10 we had planned.

All with 50+ pounds on my back!

I did figure, if I can do 16 miles with 50 pounds, up and down hills in a day, I think I can possibly handle a marathon.

Last week, back after the trip, I spent two days in Thief River Falls for work, then I spent the next two days out at a derailment, so there really was no time for updating here.... sorry! I am working up a description of our trip, which I plan to post when I get that done.

I also decided not to run the 1/2 marathon with my friend today. With all the business, and letting blisters heal, I figured it was the best thing. Plus I only got to run about 5 miles on one day this week - but I know I need to get back at it.

The other thing about my vacation: stepping on the scale Monday morning, I had lost 5 pounds. I guess 50 miles might just do that for you!

Running off to a friend's housewarming. And I promise, I will be running tomorrow!
~a