You have to be kidding me

Okay, so first let me say that I am really really proud of myself for the half-marathon training so far. I never thought in a million years I would be able to go out and run 5 miles in less than an hour, let alone feel confident enough to continue the training until I reach my goal of 13.1 miles. What I have achieved feels really good, and I am looking forward to adding even more mileage to my running log.

With that being said, there is one caveat. Besides being able to say, "I ran a half-marathon!", I thought the training would be a great way to get in shape and lose a few pounds. I'm 30 years old and my metabolism is not so good any more. I have put on a fair amount of weight in the past year albeit after looking back at some photos from a few years ago, I haven't reached the highest weight I have ever been (despite claiming this to numerous people in the past few months). I figured that by working out 6 days a week, running 10-12 miles per week and doing other cardio and strength training exercises three days out of the week - I would be set. Weight would just fall off of me.

Umm, no. In fact, I have lost nothing. If anything, my pants are tighter. I know I am developing muscle. My legs are more toned (the calves look lovely), my butt is firmer, my thighs are even more toned - but my belly, my inner thighs - all still covered in all their fatty loveliness. The fact is that even with 6 days a week of exercise, I am still going to have to diet. Damn it.

Mike has requested pizza for dinner tonight. It's Mama Brady's last night in town, so we will splurge. We will have breadsticks and pizza and garlic sauce. It will be lovely. Then it will be "bye bye." Starting this weekend, the Bradys will be watching their diets. I have started reading "The Mediterranean Diet" and am trying to get some good eating ideas there (meat is an absolutely optional item in the Med diet - if you eat meat, it is suggested to only have it a couple of times a week and red meat only a couple times a month). With Mike recovering from his injury, I know he will want comfort food here and there. And we will indulge sometimes. But on a much more regular basis, our portions will be going down and the nutritional intake will go up. Alcohol consumption will decrease, and here is hoping our waistlines will go down too.



I'll keep you posted.

Magic Shoes

My new shoes

It is finally that time - I am putting enough miles on the feet each week that I need to cough up the cash and get fitted for some shoes that really work. Thank goodness we all decided to take a week off the official training this week because I doubt I would have made it through with my ankle pain. Therefore, at lunch today I went to Ninth Street Active Feet and bought some new kicks. Turns out I am a severe over pronator, so I need motion control shoes to keep my foot in place. The shoes I got are the Saucony Grid Stabil 6. I won't get to run on them til next week, but I will keep you posted!

Running Log: Coach Bubba and Sore Legs

Even with Mike's injury now in our life, the training must go on. The North Carolina Half Marathon is sneaking up in a matter of about 10.5 weeks, and there is a lot of work that still needs to be done. This past Saturday, rather than doing the scheduled long run of 5 miles, Lauren and I ran in the Coach Bubba 4 mile run. Mike's Mom is in town, so I knew he would have someone with him. Therefore, I agreed to stick with the plan and participate in the race. After the alarm went off, I started to regret the decision. Lauren picked me up at 7am and we headed to downtown Durham. The temperature was a chilly 19 degrees. Yes, you read that correctly 19 degrees. We checked in and hauled back to Lauren's truck near the start line to sit in the heat until closer to start time. By the time we got out of the car, the temps were up to 22. Fantastic.

Running in races is a good time. With all the other runners around you, it makes you really feel part of something. Everyone is laughing, talking and ready to run. It is invigorating to be surrounded by a lot of runners. At least I think they are fun because I am never there to compete. The only competition I have is myself. I'm not taking first prize in anything, so the only person I have to beat is that little voice in my head that tells me to take a break when I am tired. All I want to do is cross the finish line.

The Coach Bubba run was nice. We started at the corner of Blackwell and Parish Streets and wound through downtown a bit before hitting the American Tobacco Trail. Only a short distance onto the AT trail, we were already a full mile into the race. The cool weather actually turned into great running weather. I had just enough layers to stay really comfy through the full 4 miles.

One of the most unflattering pics of me ever - but this is coming into the finish, and I like seeing that there are skinny runner looking girls finishing behind me :-) I do need to start wearing some more flattering running clothes though - my extra large jacket and baggy pants make me look extremely poofy.

I finished the race in 42 minutes, 29 seconds. For me, that's a personal best. That's only about 10:37 per mile. Wow. I am pretty psyched. To some, yeah, it's turtle slow. But to me, it's one hell of an accomplishment. We also didn't use mp3 players, as they were not allowed in this race. I saw a few folks with them, but at only 4 miles, I figured I could go without. And I did! I finished 202nd out of 268 runners. But hey, I did finish in the middle of the pack for my age group!!!!!! And big thanks to Lauren for running with me the whole race. Her support really kept me going!

Unfortunately, I am now having some nagging ankle pain. Since Lauren will be traveling this weekend, and both my running partners and I are experiencing a variety of leg aches, we are taking somewhat of a week off. My legs really need it. I need to soak my ankle a bit and I need to finally bite down and buy some custom shoes. I think that will fix a good chunk of my leg and ankle pain. Then next week it is back to the grind. To think - next Saturday will be a 6 mile run. Holy crap.

Patient Update

Surgery was postponed due to the level of swelling - the leg was a nice yellow and still very puffy after the accident. They had to put the leg back into a cast, this time a full cast, with medicated wrapping which is supposed to help with reducing the swelling. Surgery is scheduled for next Tuesday, March 3. Poor guy - here's hoping they can fix it soon. In the meantime, he is at home resting and keeping the foot elevated.

The surprises of life - and they aren't always good

Wednesday evening I set the DVR to record a Namaste Yoga episode on FitTV that was a special series for runners. I knew I needed to stretch more in my running routine, so I thought this would be a good addition to my training. When I got home from work, I cleared the living room floor, changed into some yoga clothes, put out the mat and prepared for a new 30 minute workout routine.

Only minutes before the program started, my phone rang. I didn't recognize the phone number. Like I normally do, I didn't answer. Within a few seconds, I received notification that I had a voicemail. Since I have been applying for jobs out of state, etc, I thought I should probably check the message in case it was some good news. Oh it was news alright, but definitely not good. The person leaving the message was Mike's racquetball partner. Mike had hurt his ankle. Badly. The paramedics were there. I could meet them at the ER. WHAT?

I beat the ambulance to the ER and saw Mike pull up while riding in the back. I checked in with the front desk, and the paramedics let me into the room where Mike was waiting. The paramedic asked, "Do you want to see it??" Since Mike seemed to be in good spirits (thanks, morphine!), I said, "sure." Oh goodness. His leg was totally straight and facing the way it normally does, yet his right foot pointed to the lower right. Yeah, that does not look good.

While this is not an x-ray of Mike's ankle, his in jury looked remarkably similar.
Add in a broken fibula and a couple other bone chips, and we pretty much have a match.

After 6 hours in the ER, X-Rays, CT scan and an absolutely crazy resetting of his ankle (I nearly passed out on that one), I was able to take Mike home. He has to keep the foot elevated through tomorrow morning when he will go into surgery. They need to put in a plate and some screws to ensure everything heals the way it should. He has several months recovery ahead of him, but he has done wonderfully so far. There has been a lot of pain, discomfort and waiting - but he has handled it like a champ. I am so very proud of him.

With that being said, please send good vibes, thoughts and prayers towards us tomorrow. Mike will be in surgery sometime tomorrow, and while I know the surgeon will do an amazing job, it is scary having someone you love under the knife. I will keep you all posted on his progress!!!

Our Valentine's Day (and Running Log!)

We actually made somewhat of a plan for Valentine's Day. That plan was for me to run in the morning, come home and veg out, go to Alivia's for PoP's fundraiser then either hit Sitar for Indian food or pick up some pizza, pull out the foldaway bed on the couch and watch a movie in sleepover style. The day started well (here's the running log part) - I met Meredith and Lauren at 9am to do our 5 mile run. We got going and the run went really well. I didn't time it, but we finished in under an hour. I am totally happy with that! No significant stop or walk breaks - just for one small calf lock up and the stoplight at Fayetteville - but those stops altogether were no more than a couple of minutes. We did it! We ran 5 miles! WOO HOO!!!!

Anyway, after a quick stop at Bull City Running to get fuel belts, I went back home. Mike was beyond sweet and surprised me with Dunkin Donuts, a box of chocolates, a freshly brewed pot of coffee and a beautiful Valentine's Day card. Still on a high from completing the five miles, it was an awesome morning! We then spent the rest of the day lounging. Love it. Mike eventually went to the gym himself, then it was time to get the evening started. We clean up and head to Alivia's. We have a couple glasses of wine there, hung out with some doggies, then finally decided it was time to go get some grub. We headed out towards Sitar.

As we were going down University in the Forest Hills area, Mike says, "Oh my gosh - that dog is going to get hit!" There was a large black and white dog running up University against traffic in the dark on a busy Saturday night. Mike pulls over and we both jump out and haul butt down the brush alongside University. A small break in traffic allowed us to jump in the road and corral the dog to the side. Thanks to some friendly drivers, we were able to safely catch the dog. I picked him up - and oh goodness. This was a big dog - but he only weighed 40-50 pounds. He should have been 90. He went limp in my arms when I held him. We got him back to the car and knew our Valentine's plans had changed.


We got him home and brought him up to the guest bedroom. We put down a comforter and Mike took off for Harris Teeter to get some dog food. I made the doggie comfy and searched him for any sign of identification. Nothing. No collar. He was wearing a handkerchief, but that was it. When Mike got back, doggie got a big bowl of food. He inhaled it. The poor guy was so thin. He was so sweet and docile we thought he was someone's pet, but his thin frame made us think he had been out and about for some time.

Doggie hanging out in the guest room

With our plans now derailed, Mike made a run to Little Cesars and picked us up come cheapie pizza and breadsticks. Once he was home, we left doggie to rest and proceeded with our sleepover/movie plan. We popped in Hellboy 2 and collapsed onto the bed. After pizza time, we decided that doggie may like some TV time. While the kitties were none too happy to have a huge dog in the room with them, we kept the peace and the doggie curled up at the end of the bed and slept.

Sunday was a good day. I posted a photo and ad on craigslist hoping we could find the dog's owner. We knew we would have to take the dog to the pound Monday morning (we couldn't keep a huge dog like that with no yard and three kitties in the house), and neither Mike or myself was looking forward to that possibility. After a lunch date with the girls, I swung by Five Guys to get a burger and fries for Mike. I got a dry hamburger for doggie, too. But after being home for only a short time, Mike got a call. Mike had alerted Brendan, a friend who lives in Forest Hills, to send out a memo on their neighborhood listserv. Mike got a call from a woman in the neighborhood who had just talked to someone that morning who said they had lost a dog.

We made our way over and were thrilled to reunite the dog with its owner. The thin dog was actually over 10 years old and was battling cancer. The previous year, it had a parasitic infection that took the doctors a long time to get under control. Between those two things, the weight of the dog dramatically decreased. While he was still happy, he was old and thin. When we found him, he was on his way to the park. Evidently this wasn't the first time the dog had made his escape. The lady tried to give us a reward, but we told her no thanks - it was a big enough reward to have the dog at home where he belonged.

Mike and I were both happy that this doggie ended up having a lovely Valentine's Day at our house. It wasn't in our plan for the day, but hey, we had pizza, a sleepover and a special guest who was spoiled rotten for an evening in Casa de Brady.

Running Log: 11 weeks to go

On Saturday after our 5 mile run (HOLY CRAP, 5 MILES!!!), Lauren, Mer and I will complete our third week of half-marathon training. Only a few months ago I was barely able to make it 1-1.7 miles, and here I am now running 3.5 miles+ at least 3 days a week. How insane is that??? I must admit though, 5 miles sounds damn near impossible. I have read though that if you can run 6 miles you can run a half marathon (just slow your pace). That means we are actually getting close to doing this!! Crazy - sometimes I actually think I am either not actually running this far and the world is playing tricks on me or that during my runs my body is replaced with that of another person. But soon after the run when the Advil is needed, I realize that yes, it was me running.

With all that being said, Saturday will be 11 weeks until the NC Half Marathon. Since we are operating on a 12 week training program we will be able to repeat a couple weeks out of the training. That is going to be helpful since there will surely be some traveling conflicts or even a weekend where we just can't get out there for the long run. One of those weeks will be next week when Lauren and I do the Coach Bubba 4 mile Race in Durham (technically it should be a 5 mile run for us in training).

At the end of week 3, I am holding up okay, but my legs are often sore. I have realized that the kickboxing 3 days per week coupled with running 3 days a week is just too much for my legs to handle. I think I am going to take the kickboxing down to once a week - probably just on Fridays. I love the class, but my legs get way too angry doing so much at the same time.

I also had to take a self imposed leg break this Wednesday. Tuesday's run was a nightmare. It was like I had concrete shoes. My legs were so sore I just knew that doing kickboxing was not going to work well for me. Instead, I met Cookie at the Fed for beers. Much better. Thanks to a joint run with Meredith on Thursday, I was able to make it through the 3.5 miles at a nice pace without even one walk break. As a person who has been nervous about running with someone else, I am now realizing that running with someone is one of the best things one can do when training. Tonight I kickbox - then it's social time - there's an art show at Hayti displaying the work of our friend King, there's a birthday party at Bull McCabe's for Will, and Mike suggested Mexican food to be thrown in as dinner this evening.

Then tomorrow morning I will get up and meet my running/training buddies at 9am. And we will start - we will go for 5 miles. 5 whole miles. Holy crap.

PS - A huge thank you goes out to Lauren and Mer for encouraging me as we go along. I would have already quit (hell, I wouldn't have started) if it were not for the two of you!

A delivery for me???

I got into work a bit late this morning because we were due to have some maintenance done at the house. Therefore, around 10am I walked into the office, turned on my computer and began my daily routine. Check e-mail, get coffee, etc. As I reviewed my to-do list for the day, a gentleman appeared at my door and asked, "Are you Michelle?" In his hands, he held this:


I replied, "Yes, I am Michelle!!!" I was surprised and confused at the delivery. Mike and I had no real plans to do much for Valentine's Day, but my Mom has been known to send gifts on holidays. I signed the delivery receipt and the gentleman was on his way. I found the card and anxiously read to see who the gift was from. What surprised me was who the gift was to. The lovely chocolate dipped strawberries were meant for the other Michelle on the floor, not me. Alas, I walked them down to her office and placed them on her desk. Another Michelle would receive a surprise when she returned to her desk. ::sigh:: That's what happens when you work in a place with 5 Michelles!!!!!

My new best friend

Ouch. A lot. My 30 year old 150-200 pound body (my weight is somewhere in there!) is angry at me a decent amount of the time here lately. I have good shoes and my strength is building, but between the runs and the kickboxing, going down the stairs at the house each morning is a chore. I start the day with Advil, have some at lunch then top myself off in the evening. Thank goodness for Advil.

After my two week trial of kickboxing, I think I will take it down to once a week. I just don't think my legs can handle the pressure of running 3 days a week and then kickboxing 3 days a week. Is the kickboxing fun? Hell yes it is - I just don't think my body can take it. Once a week after this week, folks!

It's official

Well, it is official. Not that it hasn't been before, but all of a sudden the move to Ohio seems very very real. I finally let my boss know that Mike got a job, and we would be moving later in the year. Announcing the move at work was the last front of my life where no one knew what was coming in the next 4-6 months. With the announcement now made, I can lobby people at work to connect me with folks they know in Ohio and hopefully help me out on the job search. Because lord knows I don't want to end up working as a manager at the Gap.

101 Things to be Grateful For (Part I)

I ran across a blog today where a woman who had just lost a close relative was fighting to stay positive about life. She wasn't a religious person, but she often turned to Astrology in times of darkness. The horoscope she pulled up that day fit perfectly. It told her to count her blessings - literally. List out 101 things she was grateful for. It sounded overwhelming, but she took on the project.

While my life is actually going pretty darn well at the moment, I think it always a good exercise to take the time and really focus on the positive parts of our lives. I think my ability to look at the positive side of things more often than not is a huge contributor to my current state of happiness. I used to focus on the negative a lot - it was easier to blame the world or the people around me for things going wrong than to take responsibility for my own emotions and feelings. The truth is, if you just let life just happen to you without accepting your own role in your happiness, you are going to be pissy. A lot. I know folks like this. Nothing is ever good, it's always bad. You know what I'm talking about. The people who can never say anything positive about what's going on in their life - it's always "this sucks," "why me," "blah blah blah." Shut the hell up and tell me what you are grateful for - there has to be something. In fact, there have to be at least 101 somethings. Take the time and list them out and see how lucky you are. Count your blessings - at least 101 of them. Go. NOW. List them and tell me about them.

Here is my first stab:

1. I have a partner in life who challenges me, listens to me and wants the same things I do out of life.

2. I have enough funds to buy good beer - or the cheap stuff if it tastes good!

3. I have a job which although is sometimes tedious allows me to help people better their lives.

4. All three of my parents are still healthy and living, and they are an active part of my life.

5. I am healthy.

6. I have great pets.

7. I have a roof over my head and a safe and warm place to sleep at night.

8. I never have to miss a meal.

9. I was able to attend college and obtain a masters with the help of parents, scholarships, financial aid and loans. And I have the ability to pay those loans back at a decent interest rate with manageable payments.

10. While I don't shop regularly, I have the ability to go out and buy new pants, shoes, etc, when I need them.

11. I finally paid off all my credit cards!

12. I have some really cool friends.

13. With all the bad judgement calls I have made in my life, I have never been seriously hurt or seriously hurt anyone else.

14. It's great to know I can and am living healthy without eating meat!

15. I have access to clean and tasty drinking water.

16. I have a few close friends who are willing to listen, and I have friends who call me to listen to them.

17. I have been able to travel to South Africa numerous times (and England once), and I can honestly say that international travel changed my life for the better.

18. I have found the strength to ask for help when I need it. This may sound simple, but it is one of the hardest things I have learned. (Thank you to Karen, my former therapist!!!)

19. My parents have always believed in me and told me I could be whatever I wanted to in life. I had no idea how important that was until I met people who have parents that never said anything similar.

20. I am thankful Mike and I are covered by health insurance shall either of us fall ill.

21. I am thankful Mike got a job so he can be what he wants to be when he grows up.

22. I am glad that the only thing I really want to be when I grow up is someone who helps out other people. I can do that a lot of ways.

23. I'm glad I have friends who do super cool stuff and tell me about it so I can sometimes live vicariously through them.

24. I'm thankful I grew up in a small town and had close friends there. It taught me a lot about life.

25. I'm thankful that I have regained contact with may of those good friends from high school!

26. I'm thankful for Facebook allowing me to keep in touch with so many people who have crossed my path at some time.

27. I am happy I am a quick learner. I may get frustrated early, but that happens right before I break through the barrier and start understanding what I am doing.

28. I'm happy that I don't have many enemies in life. There are a couple folks who I know are definitely not too fond of me, but for the most part I am well liked. That's a nice feeling.

29. I'm thankful for good eyesight and ability to hear.

30. I'm grateful that I am at least to #30 on this list. This is hard!!!!!

...to be continued

KICKBOXING

The half marathon training program consists of more than running. In fact, required running days are only scheduled for Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The other days of the week, sans the one rest day, are for cross training, stretching and strength training. So far I have been using those days to either lift with Rod or do some other cardio activity other than running (the stationary bike for me at this point). But it looks like there is now another option - kickboxing. Danny Daniels is the owner of ECSA Martial Arts Gym in Durham. I've met Danny a few times because of our mutual love for a certain Durham bar (James Joyce!) and many mutual friends.

Last week, Meredith and Lauren attended a couple of classes and invited me to try one out. Danny's running a special deal right now - you can try out one class for free and sign up for a two week trial for $40. Why the hell not?

I was nervous for last night, my first class, but I am happy to say I really enjoyed it. The first class was really just learning the moves and wrapping my brain around all the different things to think about when you are throwing punches or doing kicks. Turn your arm, don't over extend, pivot on the ball of your foot, point your toe. You start doing all these things at the same time and your mind is all over the place. But it was a kick ass workout, and I look forward to the next couple of weeks. I am going to give it a shot for that time period and decide how and if I want to incorporate it into my long term training. I will do 2-3 days a week for my trial period, and after that I will consider continuing that schedule, ramping it up to 3 days a week or cutting it down to 1 day a week. We will see!

But I can say that I am very glad I went. It felt really good, but it was also a lot of fun. I will keep you posted on the progress!!!!

On the running front, today may be the first run I don't complete in the training process. It is unbelievably cold outside today. I am considering putting on some fun music and jump roping and conditioning at home for a while rather than running. i don't know if I can do a 19 degree run......

UPDATE: I did in fact do my scheduled run last night. I got home and it was cold, but it didn't seem THAT cold. Therefore, I came inside, changed and grabbed the iPod. Although I made it through my run - DAMN it was cold.

Biz - E Bee (and Runners Log)

Wow - it just seems like I can't find a free moment these days! And when I do, I want to rest rather than blog.

I am happy to report that week 1 of half-marathon training has been completed! I ran a total of 10 miles last week - 3 on Tuesday, 3 on Thursday, then 4 on Saturday. In between those days, there was weight lifting, yoga, stretching and my favorite - a rest day. yay! Week 2 is now in effect - tonight is weight lifting again! So far, so good. Four miles doesn't seem scary anymore, and 3 is now part of routine. I am getting nervous for the 5 and 6 milers coming up in a few weeks. Yikes. Lauren and I have decided to run the Coach Bubba 4 miler to keep us motivated in the beginning.

Besides training, last week was the NC Main Street Conference, and this was the second year I attended as a representative of Self-Help. We met some cool people doing some cool things.

The bad thing I have to report is that on Sunday morning, my car was towed and ticketed from the Card Gym lot while I was doing my 30 minute bike ride. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper and am currently appealing the ticket and fees. $205 was the total cost of a ticket for parking in a lot at 9:30am for a game that didn't start until 2pm in the afternoon. I also had no idea the lot was closed that early for an afternoon game. Here's hoping the fee is waived. I will write more when I know the decision of my appeal.

AND - today is Mike and I's 6 month wedding anniversary. YAY!

Other than that, not much more to report. Life is good, and I hope yours is too!