December 28, 2005
I'm moving...
...here: http://runningshorts.typepad.com/
Come visit me!
Thank you Alison for welcoming me into the eliterunning.com community and supporting me (both technically and, much more importantly, in the pursuit of my goals) throughout the entirety of my time here. I loved blogging here and I love the other eliterunning bloggers I've met on-line and in person. I think eliterunning.com is a very special place and I'm leaving only b/c I don't seem to run so much these days :) It's still my passion though-just along with lots of other sports.
I hope anyone who follows along will still come visit me in my new space. It's basically the same as this, just in a bit more separate place than an elite running community. So this isn't REALLY goodbye since all that's changing is my URL :) Gotta love the internet!
Posted by Audrey at 12:18 AM | Comments (1)
December 26, 2005
2005 Sports Year in Review
(If you want to read a link you need to click on it and then scroll up)...
The successes
*I managed to PR at a couple of distances. This gives me hope that I haven’t necessarily topped out yet. In an 8K on 1/1/05 and then at Tufts 10K in October where I also had new 4 mile, 5 mile, and 6 mile PRs.
*I started swimming. I learned what a pull buoy is and how to take care of my hair. I figured out it was normal (thx to other bloggers) for a swimsuit to stretch to twice its normal size and all that means is it’s time to get a new one.
*I did my first tri (sprint distance in July).
*I started playing soccer for the first time in almost two years.
*I started a blog.
*I met (online AND in person) other bloggers. I love knowing people that value the same things as me that and share the same passions.
*I beat my family members in the race on Thanksgiving. Kidding!! The real success of this event was that we all did it together.
*My diet is better. This is a true miracle.
*I have a better handle on how to care for my injuries.
*I ran in just a sports bra (and shorts) for the first time.
*I ran a race in 98 degrees.
The..umm…developmental opportunities that remain
*I think the furthest I hit this year was 8 miles.
*I still get hurt a lot.
*I didn’t qualify for Boston.
*Junk food is still too much my friend.
*I'm sure there was additional heartache in 2005. Truthfully though, most of it centered around my injuries.
Goals for 2006 to follow shortly….
And for the present moment:
Today we shot things. Clay. I don’t know a lot about shooting but I hear that is considered a sport. The gun was really heavy! We all hit some things which is nice. However, it’s yet another sport we’re merely passable/borderline horrible at :)
Four of us played tennis today. My sis is hands down the most improved from last year. I told her that and she replied: That’s funny. I win that award a lot for all kinds of different things! She started giving examples and it’s true. It’s hilarious! I also think she is so tough. She has a bad ankle (she can’t run-well, she can play tennis and such but she can’t run run) and she NEVER complains about it. When asked directly she'll tell us that, "Yes, it hurts from playing tennis" but she just sucks it up. Tough cookie.
Night!
PS. I just looked through my blog to see if I missed any highlights/drama from 2005 and it is awesome to have a record of it all. Everything from the hung over swim to the tetanus shot, to training in the DC heat, to the New England ice, to the rave runs of WV...it's all there.
It was a great year.
Posted by Audrey at 11:22 PM | Comments (3)
December 25, 2005
Merry Christmas and Hanukah and everything else
I was at outside the pool this morning at 6:55 waiting for them to open at 7. At 7 the lifeguard showed up. I waited for him to change into official lifeguarding clothing, unlock the locker rooms, and turn on the lights. Then I swam for 10 minutes, sprinted and rested for 10, and swam another leisurely 5 minutes for 25 total. I stopped b/c there was the chance my Dad was waiting for me in the lobby at 7:45.
He had told me he wasn’t coming if it was raining. When I woke up at 6:30 I could hear the rain so I had brought gym clothes (rather than outdoor running clothes) and planned to run at the gym. However, he was there which was motivating enough to get myself outside as well. I headed up to my room to put on outdoor running clothes and then we walked towards the front door of the hotel. It had stopped by raining by this point.
The desk clerk held up his hand in a stop signal and said in a grave voice, “Be very careful out there. It rained and then froze-and we’re working on it-but it’s slick.” Apparently a whole lot of employees had fallen in the parking lot this morning. My father and I said thanks and headed out. We ran on the golf course again. It was gorgeous. It was slick. There was one small hill where we both stopped running and just kept our feet still and slid down the hill. My feet went out from under me and I slid and landed on my butt and continued sliding down the hill like I was on a water slide. But up and at ‘em. I got up and we continued down the hill.
By the end of the run I felt similar to how I felt while swimming. Tired. I was lagging behind my Dad again (this time by a lot more). I have a slight cold but I think the main problem is some sort of anemia (not the altitude-I’ve been here before and it was never a problem). I have bruises on my legs again and my soccer bruise from weeks ago hasn’t healed. Soo….more multivitamins I guess. But I feel pretty tired and working out feeling like this is dreadful. As I’ve blogged about before this sometimes hits me and then it passes in a few days. I guess I’ve been lucky it never happened on race day.
We then rallied the rest of my family (in truth my mom was already roaming the hotel in search of coffee but the other 3 kids needed to be woken) and we went to x-mas breakfast (I only wished they could have infused iron into my chocolate chip pancakes) and then exchanged some of our Christmas presents. Somewhere along the way I bummed a multi-vitamin from my sis. I finally wrapped my presents which included a framed picture of all family members participating in the Thanksgiving race that I am giving to all participants and my mom (so four runners-I wanted one too!-plus my mom) and a swimming care package for my mom (that she requested). It includes a swim cap, goggles, and special shampoo and conditioner that gets out chlorine.
Then all the kids and my Dad played tennis. We rotated one person off. That was not as tiring.
It’s been a good x-mas so far. Lots of family time and lots of (exhausting) sports. Enjoy the time with your friends and family and eat lots of iron rich foods!!
Posted by Audrey at 04:18 PM | Comments (2)
December 24, 2005
You're glad you're a runner when...
…you have to wear a tennis skirt. Talk about an unforgiving piece of clothing. I was buying them for my sis and I a few years ago and I remember asking the woman if they are supposed to be THIS short. She said the ones I had picked out weren’t even that short-the girls were always trying to get them as short as possible. My goodness. I wear running shorts but I feel like this is shorter-or maybe it’s just the fact that it’s a skirt. Let’s just say I was glad I was a runner this afternoon. Anyway, my sis and I looked like huge nerds b/c we have the same skirt and we both brought the same color shirt to wear. We were like twins that dress alike. We played with my Dad and littlest little brother. My Dad is pretty good, he used to play in HS, and the rest of us are passable. The kids all took lessons at some point and we're all good enough to get the ball over the net so we can rally-but it’s pretty damn ugly on all counts. I personally have no ups. I also distinctly remember yelling (as I was sprawled out on the court) “well, you know, my bunion!” [I was kidding]. And at first (while I was warming up, I swear!!!) I kept missing the ball and my Dad asked why I wasn’t wearing my glasses. Unfortunately, I had to mumble...”well, um, I do have my contacts in.” He didn’t hear me so my sis was forced to loudly repeat, “contacts!!” I love playing but I could use some serious work.
Then I lifted while my little brother ran 2 miles on the treadmill. We had to instruct him to run (we actually thought he was going to run further). Even though he just ran his first season of x-country and is doing indoor track (and he LIKES doing those things) he’s not self-motivated yet and would rather play video games. (He doesn't have to RUN, but he does have to get some EXERCISE). To compound problems, yesterday when my Dad and I went running we forgot to invite him. Isn’t that horrible? It’s always been just the two of us and we forgot that he runs now too. I flirted with the idea of going for a swim just now, but, to be honest, I have cramps and it’s not going to happen. I took my swimsuit out, looked at it, and then curled back up onto my bed. My sis just looked at me and laughed.
Happy holidays to you!
Posted by Audrey at 05:04 PM | Comments (0)
December 23, 2005
Karma and Rave Run
At my spin class yesterday this woman set up shop on the bike right next to me. By coincidence the two bikes were unnaturally near each other. She was close to say the least. Then she started sniffling and blowing her nose a lot and I was inwardly freaking out about breathing her exhaled air and getting sick. She then started yelling out things like “wahoo” and “yeah” during particularly invigorating biking segments, further expelling air on me and, in truth, bothering me psychologically. Fortunately, however, karma turned a blind eye on my thoughts. In the locker room she was the one who happily and competently came to my rescue.
I showered and returned to my locker. I couldn’t open it. I had accidentally used someone else’s lock. I stood there in a towel. Crap. I asked a random woman if she could find one of the trainers to cut off the lock but she just looked at me blankly. The sick, breathing woman overhead me and said, I know JUST what you need. I’ll be right back. She went to get the general manager who had to find a female trainer to enter the locker room with giant bolt cutters. I just camped out in my towel until they all trooped back in. That’ll show me to think bad thoughts!!! I feel guilty!!
20 minutes after arriving at our hotel today my dad and I were running on a golf course. It was 50 degrees out and we were running in shorts on the snow. My dad commented it could have been one of the “rave runs” they show pictures of in Runners’ World. We’re in the mountains and it’s gorgeous here. My dad and I ran together for 24 minutes. We were running next to each other and all of a sudden he was speeding up, literally going cross-country across the golf course in the packed snow, and up and down hills. With the brisk pace I was a few steps behind him. Then he stopped after 24 minutes and I ran another 17 by myself for 41 total. It was tough. I wonder if it’s b/c I’m at altitude but we’re really not that high up and I think anyone would completely laugh at me for thinking I’m at altitude. The foot is feeling better though-even though my parents are appalled at the bone sticking out. But it’s how it functions that important, right?? I was a happy happy camper on today’s run. Now I am well fed, with an internet connection, and hanging with the sibs. Life is good.
Posted by Audrey at 10:59 PM | Comments (2)
December 22, 2005
Only the best for my bike
Partially in response to PJM’s winter bike riding tips I wanted to clean my bike before I left for a while. However, I live in an apartment building and there appears to be no hose in the basement and I couldn’t find a sink or water spicket. I thought it was going to be a huge production to clean it but it turned out to be quite easy. I brought my bike outside, used my Brita water container (the largest container I have) and poured it all over the important parts. Then I sprayed some lubricant on the chain and brought it inside. It took about 5 minutes. I have no idea if I accomplished anything (maybe you need more pressurized water than filtered Brita) to actually dislodge sand from the mechanics-but I tried.
I am all packed and ready to go. I am going to take a brief nap and then drive over to the gym and either spin or arc trainer or something and then leave right from there for NJ. I’m trying to wait rush hour out…
Happy holidays all :)
Posted by Audrey at 03:56 PM | Comments (0)
December 21, 2005
Running
I’m exhausted. I have no idea why. I passed out for an hour this afternoon b/c I could not even comprehend what I was trying to type. Luckily, my bed is perhaps 2 feet from my computer.
I ran for 30 minutes this morning (I literally had the eggs cracked and in a bowl and decided that I was procrastinating by not going running right then so I temporarily stored them in the fridge). I can run on anything flat and paved where my foot will land flat on the ground. When I tried to run next to the path on the dirt or on cambered roads I would use the side of my foot more which would hurt. The outer part of my foot is still inflamed which I knew even before I went running. It hurt this morning when I got up and I bent and prodded it. I didn’t know if that was because I stopped taking anti-inflammatories, b/c I was running around trying on sneakers last night, or b/c there is something seriously wrong with it. I decided to go running. It feels okay now although it’s obviously still a bit tender. From when this has happened before (ironically last x-mas) I feel like I can for the most part run through it (in appropriate sneakers) and it will just take a week or two for the swelling to completely subside. It just takes a while to get better and it is of course on my mind way too much. I’ll see how it feels over the next few days. (Does anyone else with bunions have any thoughts on this?)
I could use Beth’s help. I am taking a take-home nutrition final all about how foods are digested, absorbed, and metabolized. It’s hard and it’s not my friend right now. It’s my last piece of work though. I have two more classes tomorrow and then I head out after rush hour to WV-via a 6 hour stop in NJ to meet up with my family and sleep.
Posted by Audrey at 07:28 PM | Comments (1)
December 20, 2005
10 Degrees is No Excuse
Remember when I speculated that my nutrition class thought I was recovering from an eating disorder b/c of the questions and comments I posed? (If I was recovering from one I would be proud of the fact that I was getting better and just as forthwith with my comments, but the truth of it is that I don’t have one.) Well, I was on the money. I made another comment today and after class a woman approached me b/c she was concerned about her daughter (a HS runner) and she wanted advice "from someone who had been through it." I did the best I could to help but I’m no expert. I basically validated her concerns-telling her that from what she describing it sounded like her intuition was corrected, commended her for recognizing the symptoms, and tried to work through with her the best steps forward for her and her daughter. A few moments later I passed the mom in the cafeteria and, as if to further illustrate I don’t have an eating disorder, I was eating a giant (trans-fat free!) chocolate cookie. The timing was really weird. The mom definitely noticed the cookie b/c she commented she was on her way to get one herself.
My foot is feeling better today. I went to the running store to return a pair of unused narrow sneakers to get a pair of normal width running shoes. I hope those will help. I am not sure how to address the issue of my soccer shoes. Those are way too tight at my toes and I was unable to find a single pair with more room up front. Also, I am in love with the guy from the running store-and he wanted to watch me walk without sneakers. I had to roll up my pants to my knees. I REALLY need to shave (hey, it’s 10 degrees here, no one sees my legs), and my socks didn’t match (I swear the washer/dryer eats my socks). I was seriously DYING!! Also, my new sneakers are SO ugly.
I was the only woman at the pool which was weird. I swam for 30 minutes, with the pull buoy, without the pull buoy, some sprints. I’m going to miss my goal of using up my whole swim card by x-mas by one swim. Booo!!
PS. I already have more muscular arms from all the lifting and swimming in the past two weeks. My mom is going HATE it when she sees me later this week (she didn't like it this summer when I was tri training either)!
Posted by Audrey at 08:56 PM | Comments (6)
December 19, 2005
No love for Audrey
My soccer team lost 8-6 last night. There is some electronic thoughts (IM and e-mail) to the effect that things may have gone differently if myself (a fwd) and another kid (a defender) were there (one comment was in the guy (joking?) form of “and we all hate you for not showing up last night”). I do feel badly that I couldn’t play last night. I wish I could have. But I’m not an idiot. I don’t feel excessively badly b/c there is no way I could have. (Ok, if it was about 10 times more important I may have been able to, but in this instance it wouldn’t have been worth the crippling aftermath-and the need to purchase even bigger shoes). So…that sucks. I wish I could have been there for whatever it would have been worth. I am toying with the idea of sending my team a giant, zoomed in, e-picture of my foot as proof of my injury. But that would be very disgusting. This actually happened before. Last Thanksgiving I broke my toe and then had to bow out of a relay race. I guess the way I wrote the e-mail lent itself to everyone thinking I was kidding about the injury and I just didn't want to race. That one was probably my fault.
I just got back from the gym. It’s been a tradition for years that I go workout after a final or big project. I made it in perfect time for a spin class. We did mostly climbing. I lifted upper body. Then I got back on my regular bike and did some errands. Oh my legs were tired. Exhausted tired. (It occurred to me this type of training probably would have been helpful to prepare for the tri). I went to the post office where they gave me my refund. I was, of course, secretly hoping that the letter tracking system had been off and my entry HAD gotten to the race on time. Unfortunately, that was not to be, and all I got was my $13.65 in postage back.
Posted by Audrey at 02:48 PM | Comments (0)
December 18, 2005
Fat shoes
I’m wearing my fat sneakers. My normal running and gym sneakers are narrows and they fit b/c the side where my bunion hits happens to be all meshy. However, right now my foot is so inflamed I am wearing my fat sneakers (of normal width). I put them on yesterday and it was just this feeling of, “AHhhhhhhh…” The fat sneakers feel so luxurious-like slippers-without them rubbing my poor foot. I even started skipping the bottom right eyelet when I lace them. It’s even more “Ahhhhhh…”
I think it’s getting better. It’s hard to say though.
I biked over to the pool this morning. I swam for ½ an hour. I just did some laps, them some sprinting, then more laps. I am not really at the point where I should/could be any sort of real workout. The guy I was sharing a lane with invited some woman in the next lane over to circle swim with us. She was a collegiate swimmer and was circle swimming with some slower people. That was kind of cool the guy thought our lane-even with me in it-would be faster. I am pretty sure he wasn't just hitting on her :)
No soccer tonight. My poor foot and I have a final tomorrow. This weekend ended up not being so fun b/c I have so much work. Four more days till I head out of town.
Posted by Audrey at 06:52 PM | Comments (2)
December 17, 2005
Post Office and Bunions are Bad
My bunion hurts. I have been taking anti-inflammatories and icing all day. I have no idea how long it will take for the inflammation to go down. I guess I won’t run until it gets a bit better. I think that means no soccer tomorrow. This happens every once in a while and I freak out and do various google searches involving combinations of the following words: bunion, inflammation, treatment, surgery, exercise, running. However, I finally have an injury I can cross-train through :) I biked gently for a few miles today and did some core stuff and some push-ups. One of my errands via bike was a trip to the post office. I tracked on-line my Express mailed entry to the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. Imagine my surprise when it arrived this morning-not yesterday morning like it was guaranteed. I am very mad. I didn’t even get my refund or the chance talk to someone at the post office b/c the line was about 40 people deep. Again, I am very mad. I am never using the post office again for anything important. What if this was for some REALLY crucial thing in my life?? Isn’t the post office doing poorly against its competitors? I am NOT surprised.
Off to dinner with some health friends. Becky is on the invite list but I actually have no idea if she’s going. If only I could go barefoot...
Posted by Audrey at 05:15 PM | Comments (0)
Girls Night
Girls’ night in rocks. We had wine, food, Sex and the City, and discussion. These other girls have been to a lot more bars and restaurants than me (they have or had jobs-before returning to school-while living Boston). It makes me realize there is a lot more to Boston that I haven’t seen-a night life. My life was so different in DC!!! I was a much bigger partier. I guess I’m older now and in school. I ran right before so I iced my foot (the bunion) while we chatted. I ran for 38:12 along the Charles in the dark. There were some puddles and some areas were pitch black but overall it was a good run. It wasn’t too cold and it was really pretty. Off to bed.
Posted by Audrey at 12:09 AM | Comments (0)
December 15, 2005
Deformed and Lost
I was up until 2 AM but I got up at 6:55 AM, brushed my teeth, put on a coat and sneakers, and drove over to the post office. I Express mailed my entry to DC for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in April. Last night I found out (one day after on-line entry for the race filled) that I am going be in DC the weekend of the race so it would be perfect if I could run it (and Barb will also be there racing!). Then I dropped off some dry cleaning and drove back home and slept from 7:30-9 AM before getting up for school. It’s a good thing I went to the post office this morning b/c the website was updated today and it turns out mail-in entries are being cut off tomorrow. However, even though my entry will be there by tomorrow there is going to be a lottery for the remaining spots so I won’t know if I am in for about a month.
I was outside my 1.5 mile radius of my house for an appointment today so I decided to hit up the Copley branch of my gym. Because it’s more downtown than where I live there is less space available, and the gym is built “up.” Each floor is narrow, but there are about 4 floors. I have been here once before, but I got lost then too, and I couldn’t remember where everything was today either. On my search for mats to stretch on some guy stopped me from climbing down some back stairwell that led outside, and then leaving the mat area another patron watched me walk into the men’s locker room. Am I wrong here-but I am thinking he should have said something BEFORE I did that, right??
I ran 4 miles in 36:03, progressively getting faster. My Taylor’s bunion is kind of scaring me. It looks gross-bigger than usual-but there is not much to do about it. I think my soccer shoes, which (like all soccer shoes) are not very wide in the toes irritated it-and once it’s irritated it is this vicious cycle. It freaks me out a bit b/c I worry I will need surgery on it someday or it’ll get so bad I can’t run. I don’t know. There’s just not much to do about it that I’m not already doing.
I don’t want to end on a sad note though. It was a good day (especially if I don’t glance down at my socked foot with a lumpy bone protruding from the side)!! Cheers people!
Posted by Audrey at 09:23 PM | Comments (1)
December 14, 2005
My Dad's Clothes
Per the blogging game circulating on the internet:
1. I have a horrible memory for events that happen in my life so a few years ago I started a (still current) list of every guy I have ever kissed.
2. After college I lived with a guy who had a girlfriend named Audrey (not me).
3. Since graduating from college I have gotten glasses, found gray hairs, had two foot surgeries, developed a bum knee, become more Type A, and chipped a tooth…
…gotten faster, started weight lifting, bought a bike, started sleeping, spent more time outside, traveled, watched a lot of movies, and learned how to study.
4. In HS I had to wear my Dad’s shirts to school for a week b/c my own clothes didn’t fit.
5. Last x-mas I put on my mom’s engagement and wedding rings just to see what it would look it since it’s going to be a while. I’ll admit the diamonds are appealing if not the idea behind it.
As for today…it was a good day. Lots of different things happened to mix it up. I didn’t have to work. I met with one of my favorite professors for over an hour and barely talked about school. We had a school department holiday party. I got treated for my itchy ankles (said the doc, “You don’t have a case of frostbite but what you do have is a case of eczema"). Whatever it is, just give me something for it!! I went x-mas shopping which was fun-but I didn’t have my car so I was walking home with big bags of stuff and a giant shovel in single digit weather at 9 at night. Excellent planning on my part.
I lifted (first, so I could digest from the holiday party), stair mastered, did core stuff, foam rollered, and did balance exercises and wall sits (the latter is good for the knee).
Per item 4 from above: Senior year I had a nasty above the elbow arm break from playing softball that resulted in a huge padded sling securing my arm to my torso. I was playing second and put down the tag-and didn’t move my mitt like I should have. A girl built like a football player slid into my arm. It was very very disgusting and I couldn’t wear any of my clothes until the swelling went down and I could trade the padded sling for a cast up to my shoulder. This injury sucked and I couldn’t do anything for myself (like take a bath, go to my school locker, or zipper a coat). My mom wouldn’t let me stay home from school even though I cried. In retrospect, she was definitely right. It built character.
Posted by Audrey at 10:33 PM | Comments (1)
December 13, 2005
Ankles are still itchy, but I found socks
At 4 PM I bundled up and headed out the door. After 30 seconds I could feel the cold air on my raw ankle skin. It was annoying to turn around, but I knew I shouldn’t run another 40 minutes with my ankles exposed. The only thing is that I don’t have many choices of long socks. I usually wear short cotton socks-and by “usually,” I mean always. I have never worn running socks before. Today I knew I had to try it out but I only had two choices, both gifts from a college roommate: Lance Amstrong Livestrong socks or socks with the state of TX on the ankles. I went with the first pair I grabbed-the TX ones. The longer socks and the tights covered my ankles and I was able to run much more comfortably. I didn’t notice any real difference from the cotton socks so I was pleased with that. I would definitely wear running socks again.
I did a 30 minute loop involving Commonwealth and Harvard Ave. and then added on for 10 more minutes to amazingly end at my doorstep after almost exactly 40 minutes. I have been wearing the puffy REI mittens I bought last year after I moved to Boston and they are a lifesaver. In Virginia I would go on these 10 mile runs with flimsy cotton gloves and would always end up with my hands in fists, curled into the palm part of the glove to avoid frostbite.
When I went to work today the temperature was about 13 degrees and according to weather.com it felt like -2 degrees. It was flurrying a tiny bit. My coworkers just cannot believe I bike. They all (all of the time, which is actually really really nice of them) offer to drive me home. Here is what they have to say (repeated each time I go to work):
-Do you have a helmet?
-Do you have a hat?
-Are your hands cold?
-I can’t believe you’re biking.
-Are you crazy?
-Isn’t it dangerous?
The one receptionist NEVER says anything when she sees me drag my bike in every day. She has taken it in stride. In fact, she made her own little exercise room at work with a treadmill and lots of other equipment (she lives in an apt so can’t store the stuff there.) I also met with a new professor today and he saw my helmet and said, “Oh, you bike?” not something like, “You know it’s cold out, right?” which I thought was very cool of him.
The thing is, I don’t think people realize that for me it’s not bike vs. car or bike vs. public transportation. It’s bike vs. walking, which is no great shakes either in the cold, just much longer. It’s really not so bad if you’re dressed appropriately. What is bad is that the shoulders of all of the roads are reduced b/c of the snow. My new pet peeve is drivers who stay too far to the right of the lane so that you can’t get by them.
PS. I think my skin must just be really susceptible to the cold. I had a winter running shirt on today that (obviously) covered my stomach. But when i got home I put my hand on my stomach and couldn't feel it (my stomach). I looked and my stomach was all red. I guess the cold air got up under my shirt. The good news is I can feel my stomach again now, but I guess I have to be careful about combining chilly air with my ankle and stomach skin.
Posted by Audrey at 05:41 PM | Comments (4)
December 12, 2005
Rainbow
My ankle is blue/green. My knee is purple. My upper ankles are red. My taylor’s bunion is purple/red.
The worst of the four issues is the ankle itchiness. Everything else is minor. No exercise today. It’s become a habit to take the day after soccer off. I might do some sit-ups and knee stuff later.
Nothing too much else to report. This upcoming weekend should be fun-an undergrad girls night in, a grad girls night out, a soccer game, and I have to go x-mas shopping-which means I really have to buckle down during the week with my work. PS. My bike is ridable, but the break noise is still not fixed...which means I get to bring it back. Boo!!!
Posted by Audrey at 06:45 PM | Comments (1)
I'm an apple
I went swimming. That was enjoyable. I have to admit that when I am healthy and running I am less inclined to head to the pool. This was the first time I have been in a couple of weeks. I swam for 30 minutes total: 5 min w/out pull buoy, 5 min w/ pull buoy, 5 min w/out, 5 min w/, 5 min of 50 yard sprints w/ 10-15 seconds rest, 5 min w/out pull buoy. This was a challenge b/c (and this is truly unbelievable) I was the fastest person in the lane (there were three of us) and we kept passing each other. I was sprinting, a 65 year old woman was backstroking, and a 20something guy was using a pull buoy and resting a lot. It was definitely a crowded lane.
My bike got fixed for $5 (for the labor). The guy had to “true the wheel” and fix the hub or something. They were nice to me which I was worried about b/c at a different bike store in Boston they seriously pay no attention to me, take days to fix my bike, and charge me a lot. It’s been a long time since I used my bike carrier on my car and I was having flash backs to the summer. I feel much better now that it’s fixed. I was pretty annoyed about it yesterday.
We tied our soccer game 6-6. We moved down to the rec league and tonight we played the team that won the league in the previous season. We did well and we have a real goalie this season. I predict good things for us. I ran 15 minutes by myself before the game. The shoulder on the road is even more non-existent than usual b/c of the snow so I tried to run in some developments off the main road. It was still pretty dangerous though and I need to find somewhere else to run.
My freshman year RA is staying with me tonight. She is in town for interviews. I think it’s so weird that after 7 years she is staying at my apartment in Boston. It’s one of those things where who would have thought when we met when I was dorky 18 year-old that A) we would be friends when I was a dorky 25 year-old-and that B) she would be staying with me in my apt in BOSTON. I never thought I would live here. The two of us went to dinner with another friend from undergrad and the guy I was sharing a pool lane with this morning (and on one previous occasion) walked into the restaurant. Weird.
One of my friends e-mailed us and mentioned some weird esoteric law school paper she is writing and I wrote back and mentioned the BMI presentation I was working on. I mentioned how I am learning that gaining fat in an apple shaped vs. pair shaped manner is important (apple shape is linked to worse health outcomes). Now all of my friends are e-mailing each other announcing whether or not they are apple or pair shaped! (Some claim they must be both :) and are calling themselves pearples and papples.)
Posted by Audrey at 01:15 AM | Comments (2)
December 10, 2005
12/10/05 might as well not have existed for all the good it did me
Today’s the kind of day where I know if I worked out one of the following would happen. I would either:
A) Get hit by a car on my way to the gym;
B) Pull a muscle;
C) Fall off the machine;
D) Slip while showering afterwards; or
E) Lock myself out of the apartment.
Things have not been going well today. One of my groupmates for a paper turned in half of his piece of the paper late (the other half of it he didn’t turn in at all). I can deal though. I can accept that people have other things going on in their lives besides this project. I read it. It needed to be edited-a lot. Hey, I like to edit, and it’s always hard to merge documents by two different authors. I can work with that. But it’s not fine when other classmates are treating the computer lab like it’s happy hour!! Who can concentrate amongst all of their discussions?? Damn happy/chatty people!! So I left.
I went home, checked the internet schedule for my pool and then called them (no one picked up) to make sure they were open. Even though no one picked up the phone it looked good. I biked over, skidding my way through the choppy wintry slush. There was a swim meet. I biked home. I broke my bike on the way back. It’s making some weird repetitive noise when I use the back breaks. I tried to check out the tire and play around with it but I have to take it to a shop tomorrow.
It does in fact get worse from there but I won't belabor it.
I decided I am sitting still. I am NOT going to the gym. I am supposed to be resting my legs today anyway-henceforth the swim plans. It’s definitely safe to say, however, that I hate today. Rarely have I been afraid to leave the house like I am right now. I can’t wait to go to bed and start over.
-See, writing is good. I just reread this post and it all looks darn ridiculous....maybe it is safe to leave my apt....tomorrow.
Posted by Audrey at 06:16 PM | Comments (3)
December 09, 2005
Snowflakes
My run today was awesome. It’s snowing here. I ran at about 10:45 AM. I ran for 30:48. I went exploring on the streets near my neighborhood. I found out there are a LOT of churches and temples in my town. There are also some cute parks. Sometimes I ran on the roads but when shoveled or packed down sidewalks were available I hopped up there. It wasn’t too cold out at all. I thought I would try out my sneakers from the summer that I stopped wearing b/c they give me blisters…and…wait for it….wait for it…they still give me blisters. Shocking.
The snow seems to be letting up and has transformed into mush. I guess that’s good so I can go to the supermarket. I just now finished all of the peanut butter in the house. That is NOT a good situation. I also need to power through some homework. I have two friends coming into town this weekend (separately, they don’t know each other) so I hope to spend some time with them.
Posted by Audrey at 01:00 PM | Comments (3)
December 08, 2005
On the Rebound
Today was rebound day from dressing up yesterday. I took my bike, puffy mittens, helmet, and ponytail to school. To top it all off I wore a winter running shirt to school. I like this shirt a lot- it’s nike with the little swoosh on the neck and it’s pale blue. However, it’s probably not that professional looking. At least the cashier didn’t give me a hard time about my lunch today. I purposely went to the same lady as yesterday to do a comparison. I think today's look clearly screamed STUDENT.
After school I went to the gym b/c I was being a baby about running in the cold. It’s only going to get worse here but I just didn’t feel like running outside. I ran 4 miles in exactly 36:00 minutes. The first two minutes were 10 min/miles, the next two were 9:30, and then I kept lowering it so that I ended at 8:34 pace. I played around with the elevation a bit too. Then I foam rollered. This was very exciting b/c I got to use a new foam roller at my gym. I have always used the mushy ones that have seen a lot of people’s sweaty legs and this was much better. Then I biked home and that brings me to right now. I actually need to buy a shovel b/c it is supposed to snow a lot tomorrow but I unfortunately don’t think that’s going to happen.
Posted by Audrey at 06:41 PM | Comments (0)
December 07, 2005
Breaking Out
Lots of fun things happened today. Boston got very cold. I used a hair dryer. I left the 1.5 mile radius that I exist in on a daily basis.
The hair dryer-I had to go to a meeting with my boss today so I wore business casual (instead of jeans and a sweatshirt) and I didn’t bike to work. I wore slacks, a collared shirt, a sweater, and real shoes. I used a blow dryer, did not pull my hair into a pony tail, and did not put a helmet on my head. I didn’t wear makeup, but I did put on earrings and a real watch. I ditched the backpack in favor of a trendy messenger bag.
Me, “Hey…hello!!!” Classmate, “Sorry, I didn’t recognize you.” Me, “Oh, um, no helmet or ponytail today.”
Classmate #2, “Your hair looks cute. Did you get a haircut?” Me, “No, I just washed and dried it.”
Cafeteria cashier as she charges me full price for the first time in a year and a half: “Not a student.” “Yes I am.” “A student?” “Yes.” “Here?” “Yes,” [now give me my food!!!]
I feel stylin. You too can feel stylin with just shampoo and a blow dryer. The only catch is you have to wear your hair in a ponytail and use a bike helmet for the three months previous. It’s so cliché, but this makes me wonder what I must usually look like! I am guessing NOT GOOD.
Also, I refer a lot to the fact that everything I need to exist is within a 1.5 mile radius of my house. Except for my runs and my soccer game on Sunday night, I haven’t gone more than 1.5 miles from my house since Thanksgiving-until tonight!! I went downtown with a friend for dinner. Besides seeing my friend it was very nice to be back on the T and head back to Boston to do something I used to do a lot pre-student life-go out to eat.
On the way home from dinner I stopped at the gym and did the Arc Trainer for ½ an hour. Then I lifted, did some foam rolling, some sit-ups, and some balance exercises. My skinny runner legs are back. When I run a moderate amount my legs get skinny. When I don’t run, they are normal sized. When I run A LOT, they get big. So right now they are skinny.
My finger is feeling better. It was sore for a few days but there is no real pain now. B/c it was sore for a few days I am pretty sure it was broken. However, there was almost no swelling or bruising like some previous breaks so I don’t think it was that serious.
I am so busy. Even when I am home it is not relaxing at all. I am looking forward to Christmas break (still 2 weeks away) and watching all of the Lost season 2 episodes my sis taught me how to (legally) download!!!
Posted by Audrey at 11:15 PM | Comments (1)
December 06, 2005
Fancy Running
I felt like a huge dork this afternoon. Does anyone else feel ridiculous when you are dressed to the 9s in running clothing? I feel like hard core runners should be dressed in really casual clothing that looks like it was thrown on b/c you were in such a rush to get out the door. In the summer that look is easy to pull off-everyone is in shorts and t-shirts or technical (wicking) tank tops and short-sleeve shirts or sports bras. But in the winter running clothing is so obviously running clothing. It looks all fancy.
Today’s outfit: running tights, long-sleeve wicking top, big poofy mittens, nike hair band/ear warmer, reflective running vest, and my usual sneaker ID tag. It was actually still a tiny bit light out when I left for my run and I was hoping it would quickly get dark so no one could see me in all of my fancy running apparel that just looked like I was trying to say to the world, “Look at me, I am a serious runner! And check out my butt” (in my tights).
I clearly have a complex. I mean, they make special running clothing for a REASON, right? But still.
I ran for 41:45. I biked 6 miles today. I went to school and back three times. Part of the reason there were so many trips was that I forgot something at home. But still!! That’s so many trips. It was 32 degrees during my run. Lots of people are still running and biking in Boston (all wearing more casual clothing than I was today) which is cool. I just can’t figure out how to make my running outfit more casual looking while still wearing all of the wicking clothing (and tights are way more comfortable than warm-ups). I don’t like to wear layers. I think I am giving this too much thought…
Posted by Audrey at 10:31 PM | Comments (3)
December 05, 2005
Needed something to write about-welcome to my privater life
Nothing much is happening today. I would have liked to workout but between laundry, school, work, more school, sucky pool hours, and homework it’s just not happening. I rode my bike today and I think it may be nearing the end of bike riding season. It snowed yesterday and all of the salt and whatever else they use on the road played havoc with my breaks. I was skidding a bit which is problematic in the heavy Boston traffic. I did notice that I am much more hard core than in years past :) I actually think I need warmer bike gloves-something that was never an issue last year since I stopped biking sooner.
In professional news, I did have one moment of redemption today. In the spring I used an organization I was involved with in college as the subject for one of my grad school papers. It was a quality improvement project and I wrote about how to improve one aspect of the organization. Many of the current members of the organization helped me with research and I sent the final paper to them. A few days later I received a nasty e-mail back in response to my suggestions. Today, seven months later, I got an e-mail from the organization president (the one who sent me the previous e-mail with bullet points outlining where I went wrong) telling me they had implemented some of my suggestions-something they hadn’t foreseen in the past-and they wanted to let me know and thank me. I have to say, in addition to respecting the organization’s willingness and ability to make changes, I also respect this guy for thinking to write me-and then for actually doing so-after our last interaction. That takes a lot of balls (I could NOT think of another word to use that captured what I meant!) and it makes me want to make sure I do the same in the future when I am in the wrong (I am sure there is a big “wrong” due in my future soon).
He probably also knows our paths are likely to cross again someday: small world, close-knit alum group, and my sis is a current member. I'm glad he wrote. I'll feel better if I see him in the future and I hope he will too.
Posted by Audrey at 09:02 PM | Comments (1)
*We WON*
We were in the playoffs (seeded last of about 9) and our first game was against the 2nd place team (1st place team had a by). We won the game 3-2 in overtime with a “golden goal” (first team to score ended the game without finishing OT). It was craziness. We heard the other team mumbling and they could not believe we beat them. My team played so well. It was very exciting. We killed 1.5 hours before our next game and then lost approximately 6-1 to an amazing team. Finally, 2 hours later than originally planned, we retired to the bar. Season 2 starts next week and we are dropping down a competitive league.
Four people responded to my e-mail on Friday announcing they wanted to run with me pre-game. At the appointed time it was just…me. As I was about to head out one of them arrived and we ran together at a sane pace. I wore my reflective vest b/c you could easily die on the main road in the ice and dark where we run. We ran for about 15 minutes. Chivalry in a running club apparently manifests itself by letting the girl run on the inside so she has less of a chance of getting hit by a car. I forgive the two non-shows (um, I would regardless) b/c they both raced yesterday morning for our club in a giant relay race and then partook of the post-race festivities for a while. :)
My running club from DC called asking me to volunteer at a race on Saturday. I mean, I’m all for pitching in to help…but I'm just not going to be able to make it down south.
Posted by Audrey at 08:48 AM | Comments (3)
December 03, 2005
On the up and up
I hope he doesn’t mind that I am linking his page…but, if you’ve ever wondered how long triathletes abstain from sex before competing (and even if the thought has never crossed your mind but now you can’t STOP wondering) this poll is for you. Internet users weigh in and you too can vote. The sample size is small-but the results are very interesting.
Today: core stuff, knee exercising, foam rolling, and ½ an hour on the stairmaster. I wasn’t going to workout, but, except for the core and knee stuff, I basically sat at my computer or slept in my bed all day long. I decided that was really unhealthy so I went to the gym at 7 PM. I think it should be a personal goal to leave the apt every day. I decided to stairmaster b/c the idea of biking just did not appeal to me and I don’t think the elliptical is good for my knee. I am considering tonight’s workout the start of my “training” for the Tower Climb in February. I did this last year with some friends and it was SO fun. Our team name was "Social Climbers." I’m not really going to train, or maybe I am. I don’t know. It seems silly to train for the stair event-but is it more silly than trying to run faster? Hard to say.
Posted by Audrey at 08:06 PM | Comments (1)
December 02, 2005
Not in polite company
I went to work for a few hours and then came home. I had originally intended to run immediately but I was absolutely starving (it was 11:30 and I had eaten cereal at 7:15) so I ate some leftover pizza and watched Real World Austin outtakes while I digested. I also spent some quality time on the phone with the computer repair people. I just got my computer back AGAIN. Apparently it’s normal for a fan to still make noise after it’s replaced. Normal it may be-but it’s still annoying.
I headed out around 1:00 and ran for 25:10. I did a baby loop around a smaller body of water (I think it may be a river) than yesterday. I was dressed for winter running but by the end I had taken off my gloves and earwarmers. The only thing of note is that as I was getting ready to go outside I attempted to place my keys in the little pocket near the waist band of the inside of my tights. But I dropped the keys. In my pants. Onto my quad/knee. I quickly retrieved said keys while looking around and hoping no one else came out of their apartment to see me with my hand down my pants. I will admit the key retrieval process did not look particularly classy.
The run was completed. I am showered and dressed in comfy clothes. I went supermarket market shopping. I ate again. The toilet is fixed. Now I am finally prepared to do schoolwork for 3 days. This does not promise to be a very fun weekend at all.
Ps. I’m still undecided about the finger. It was worse this morning, probably from swelling at night, but it is a bit better now. I think I may have chipped a tiny bone piece but nothing major. The most important thing is that I decided I don’t need medical treatment.
5:40 PM Addendum: Check out the treadmill bicycle someone from my club just e-mailed out. I don't even know if this is a real product!
Lest anyone do what I am doing for the finger...My mom, a radiologist, says that yes I should have it x-rayed so that if it's broken it can be put in the correct position for healing. (I knew she would say that but it seemed royally dumb not to check with her at all. I would have listened if she had been more emphatic in her e-mail about needing to go). So, I'm still not getting it x-rayed, but that's not necessarily what anyone else should do. I'll just refrain from weight lifting.
Posted by Audrey at 03:43 PM | Comments (3)
December 01, 2005
Boston Active After Dark
I got out of class at 3:20 and raced home in an effort to get my run in before the sun set. It was already getting dark when I left school. On my way out of the building I bumped my finger against a lamp post, possibly breaking it (my finger). I was SO annoyed. I do that all the time. I have always had easily breakable fingers and toes. (For example, I have broken quite a few fingers playing goalie in soccer-just for fun, I’m not usually a goalie). As I hustled to my bike I tried to bend and unbend my finger to evaluate pain and movement. It seemed okay but then there was some sharp pain. It’s still under evaluation at this time. I continued home, gripping my bike handlebars gently with my broken hand, and entered my house.
It was getting darker out.
I changed and used the bathroom and then the toilet started to run-extremely loudly. There was missing water in the tank. I called my landlord and he talked me through how to temporarily fix it with a hanger before the plumber can come tomorrow. I HATE dealing with toilets b/c I am worried that I won’t be able to turn the main valve to turn the water off if something bad happens. I live in an old apartment and while I understand everyone’s crystal clear instructions to “just turn the main knob” in the event of an emergency, I just know it’ll be too tight or rusted or something.
I was not amused by this whole toilet scenario as I watched the sun set. Honestly though, once the sun was down and I was no longer racing to beat it, I chilled out a lot and was able to get ready at a sane pace.
I went running around a pond. It was 4:45 and it was pitch black. I was a little freaked out at first b/c I don’t usually run at night. Fortunately, there were quite a few other people out walking or commuting home from work via bike and that made me feel better. I ran for 35:56. I am not tired from soccer earlier this week so I think I am just out of shape :) (I don’t know why I put a smiley there-that’s not funny!) Anyway, it felt awesome to run. All various injured parts felt good and it was a great temperature.
Posted by Audrey at 05:58 PM | Comments (2)