I just realized that I'm not a frequent status updater. On Facebook, I have 'friends' who update their status multiple times a day or sometimes several times within an hour. I am not one of those people. I rarely feel like I'm doing something significant to post a status update about it. I mean, no one really cares that I just e-mail my parents and now I'm watching a re-run episode of the Sopranos and I'm about to take a nap since I only got a few hours of sleep tonight (see my previous posts about my insomnia problems). But I started thinking about my reasons for updating my status. I usually post a new status when there actually a story behind the statement I am making. I think I secretly, or at least subconsciously, want someone to then comment on my status so that I can proceed to post a follow-up comment explain the circumstances or story that lead up to the status in question.
Perhaps a better way to deal with my desire to tell stories about the circumstances and events in my life would be to actually blog about them. I know that my blogs don't have to be very long. There is no minimum word count requirement to post a blog. So I resolve to post an explanation here everytime I feel the urge to update my Facebook status. Then along with my summary statement I can post a link to the blog post here so that anyone who cares at all about my status can read the rest of the story if they so choose.
Now that you all (e.g., both of you) understand how this is going to work, look for posting coming soon regarding my most recent status updates:
1. Melatonin is my new best friend
2. I rode my bike to campus. It was pretty awesome.
3. I just finished spraying Lysol on everything i have touched in the house in the past few days. I even sprayed my steering wheel and gear shift in my car! I really hate being sick so I'm determined NOT to get swine flu.
Ok, so in the last one (#3) i kind of already told the story in the status update. But I do have more thoughts on the issue. Right now I'm going to take a nap before I go pick up my order from Athens Locally Grown and then go to Atlanta!
Thursday, September 3
Thursday, August 13
Registration Blues
I'm so excited about my last full-time semester here at UGA. Classes start on Monday so everything in Athens is kind of building up--kids moving in dorms, a little more traffic, people milling around downtown, etc. I, however, am running around frantically from office to office trying to get registered! I won't go into the whole story, but here's the summary. I found out mid-July that I wasn't eligible for Fall 2009. I got all my paperwork filled out and approved and still couldn't register. Finally the registrar's office fixed it so I could register but only for that day and I can't register myself so it didn't get done. This week my status in the system still says ineligible and people fixed it this morning. Now I'm just waiting for the program office to actually register me for my classes so that I can be awarded financial aid and get a certificate of enrollment from the registrar proving I am in school so I can defer on my previous student loans! (Big Sigh - how do you type that?) All this bureaucracy gives me a headache. Hopefully it will all be done today. Then I will be buried in books for the next 4 months!
Wednesday, July 29
Back to School!
I have been neglecting the blog. Probably because I've been trying to figure what exactly I'm doing here in life. Well, I've decided to go back to Graduate School and focus on that full time since the job market stinks so much. And while I was in the process of the job search, I realized how important it is to me to finish my Masters degree, even if no one else ever cares if I finish. There's something about knowing that I am capable of completing the requirements and finishing what I started.
Right now I'm waiting for approval from the Graduate School Dean's Office and then I can register. But I've already started on my reading. It's pretty exciting. I'll have to write more about what I've learned about myself in the process. But for now, it's back to school for me!
Right now I'm waiting for approval from the Graduate School Dean's Office and then I can register. But I've already started on my reading. It's pretty exciting. I'll have to write more about what I've learned about myself in the process. But for now, it's back to school for me!
Tuesday, July 7
Confession of Sin
In the past few months, I've only been posting about my triathlon training. Since that training is becoming more routine and I don't have interesting things to blog about I think I will introduce a few new topics like my spiritual, academic and professional areas of life.
So the thing on my mind today is in the spiritual area. I go to church most Sunday evenings and I have a terrible habit of being late (not just to church). My standard for church is basically that if I can get there before the Confession of Sin during the service, then I'm not entirely too late. Granted, that means that I have missed all the announcements and the beginning and never know what's going on in the church, the call to worship, a couple of hymns and the confession of faith. But I think since the confession of sin seems to be very important to me, I want to make sure I don't miss it.
Some people may think it is strange that I put so much focus on the confession of sin so I want to try to explain. When I resumed attending church regularly in March 2008, I cried a lot. That was one reason why I didn't want to go to church before that because I was always crying. Being in the worship service was very powerful to me. I knew (and still know) every day of the week that I am a sinner and I just keep on sinning like it's my job or something. But there is something very unique in the corporate confession of sin at Redeemer. What is written in the bulletin is always accurate to the root of my sin and the manifestation of it each week. It is written in words I would never think to use in describing the hopelessness of my sin. So every Sunday, I appreciate the candidness of these words and the fact that I'm not the only one saying them, but we are all confessing together. We, as a body of believers in the resurrection of Christ, confess together all that we are lacking in holiness. This is immediately followed by a time of silent confession, just between me and God. But that's not even the best part. The most glorious part of this whole process of confessing our sins is that it is completed with the Words of Assurance. That's the part of the service where someone reads Scripture that reminds us our sins are forgiven--not because of any penance that we've done, but because of God's mercy and the work of Christ.
Here's any example from this past Sunday:
CONFESSION OF SIN
Holy God, we confess that we are sinful people. Father of Mercies, we confess that we need your forgiveness. Though we know your commandments, we have broken them all. Though we have heard the great story of your redemption of the world through Jesus Christ, we have been slow to believe and quick to forget. Instead of holding onto your promise of salvation, we have often let go in order to embrace the very things that Jesus came to destroy, committing treason against our King. O God, forgive us of our guilt, heal us of our brokenness, and cleanse us of our impurity, for the sake of your son, Jesus Christ.
WORDS OF ASSURANCE
Colossians 2:13-14
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Christ, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by trumphing over them in him."
Last week, I think I was especially good at sinning. I was looking for an escape from the realities of life at every opportunity. Instead of trusting God, waiting and expecting his provision for each day, I was desperately trying to deal with my stress and anxiety on my own. I do this more often that I want to admit and sometimes I'm pretty creative with the ways I check out from life-- even making it seem like a good thing at times. But it is always refreshing to have those minutes of corporate confession to remind me that I'm not alone in this. I'm not the only one who struggles or feels any pain. And I'm also not condemned for it. There is hope because of Christ. I am forgiven. I am not left alone in my misery. And this is good news every time. Even if I hear it all the time, I look forward to the Confession of Sin every week because it is followed by the Words of Assurance.
And then I know that I'm going to be alright.
So the thing on my mind today is in the spiritual area. I go to church most Sunday evenings and I have a terrible habit of being late (not just to church). My standard for church is basically that if I can get there before the Confession of Sin during the service, then I'm not entirely too late. Granted, that means that I have missed all the announcements and the beginning and never know what's going on in the church, the call to worship, a couple of hymns and the confession of faith. But I think since the confession of sin seems to be very important to me, I want to make sure I don't miss it.
Some people may think it is strange that I put so much focus on the confession of sin so I want to try to explain. When I resumed attending church regularly in March 2008, I cried a lot. That was one reason why I didn't want to go to church before that because I was always crying. Being in the worship service was very powerful to me. I knew (and still know) every day of the week that I am a sinner and I just keep on sinning like it's my job or something. But there is something very unique in the corporate confession of sin at Redeemer. What is written in the bulletin is always accurate to the root of my sin and the manifestation of it each week. It is written in words I would never think to use in describing the hopelessness of my sin. So every Sunday, I appreciate the candidness of these words and the fact that I'm not the only one saying them, but we are all confessing together. We, as a body of believers in the resurrection of Christ, confess together all that we are lacking in holiness. This is immediately followed by a time of silent confession, just between me and God. But that's not even the best part. The most glorious part of this whole process of confessing our sins is that it is completed with the Words of Assurance. That's the part of the service where someone reads Scripture that reminds us our sins are forgiven--not because of any penance that we've done, but because of God's mercy and the work of Christ.
Here's any example from this past Sunday:
CONFESSION OF SIN
Holy God, we confess that we are sinful people. Father of Mercies, we confess that we need your forgiveness. Though we know your commandments, we have broken them all. Though we have heard the great story of your redemption of the world through Jesus Christ, we have been slow to believe and quick to forget. Instead of holding onto your promise of salvation, we have often let go in order to embrace the very things that Jesus came to destroy, committing treason against our King. O God, forgive us of our guilt, heal us of our brokenness, and cleanse us of our impurity, for the sake of your son, Jesus Christ.
WORDS OF ASSURANCE
Colossians 2:13-14
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Christ, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by trumphing over them in him."
Last week, I think I was especially good at sinning. I was looking for an escape from the realities of life at every opportunity. Instead of trusting God, waiting and expecting his provision for each day, I was desperately trying to deal with my stress and anxiety on my own. I do this more often that I want to admit and sometimes I'm pretty creative with the ways I check out from life-- even making it seem like a good thing at times. But it is always refreshing to have those minutes of corporate confession to remind me that I'm not alone in this. I'm not the only one who struggles or feels any pain. And I'm also not condemned for it. There is hope because of Christ. I am forgiven. I am not left alone in my misery. And this is good news every time. Even if I hear it all the time, I look forward to the Confession of Sin every week because it is followed by the Words of Assurance.
And then I know that I'm going to be alright.
Wednesday, June 24
Super Hard Spin Class
I went to a spin class last night with my friend Heather, who I suspect is one of only a handful of people who read this blog! I was pretty excited about it because I had heard that Tania who teaches the class is really good. So good, in fact, that someone once told me to be sure to get there early to get a bike because the class is always full. Some of the other spin classes I've been to frankly left me a little bored and I didn't workout that hard really. So trying Tania's class made me a little nervous and excited at the same time.
And I loved the class! It was probably the hardest workout I've done since my first day of Wow Boot Camp last summer. The thing is....I never push myself that hard when I'm just working out on my own. During this whole triathlon training period I have been very cautious about not OVER-training. I didn't want to push too hard and then have to take a few days off to recover (instead of maybe just one day). But now that I'm training for the next one, I'm focusing on getting stronger and faster. That translates into more interval training and sprints! And we did a lot of those on the spin bike last night. My heart rate was pretty consistently between 80-85% of my maximum for the hour, with the exception of a few recovery periods that were part of the workout. So overall, it was a great workout that pushed me much more than I would have pushed myself. Hopefully doing an occasional spin class like this instead of just training on the road bike will actually make me stronger and faster. I can tell you that almost every muscle in my body is at least a little sore this morning.
And I loved the class! It was probably the hardest workout I've done since my first day of Wow Boot Camp last summer. The thing is....I never push myself that hard when I'm just working out on my own. During this whole triathlon training period I have been very cautious about not OVER-training. I didn't want to push too hard and then have to take a few days off to recover (instead of maybe just one day). But now that I'm training for the next one, I'm focusing on getting stronger and faster. That translates into more interval training and sprints! And we did a lot of those on the spin bike last night. My heart rate was pretty consistently between 80-85% of my maximum for the hour, with the exception of a few recovery periods that were part of the workout. So overall, it was a great workout that pushed me much more than I would have pushed myself. Hopefully doing an occasional spin class like this instead of just training on the road bike will actually make me stronger and faster. I can tell you that almost every muscle in my body is at least a little sore this morning.
Monday, June 22
Round 2
I'm committed. I registered for my second triathlon today and I can't back out! It will be on July 26, so just less than 5 weeks to get faster and stronger. This one is a little different than the last one. The swim is 600m instead of 400m, the bike portion is 11.8 miles instead of the 12 miles (not much different) but I think it is more hilly than the last course. And the run is 3.1 miles, a full 5K where the last one was 3 miles. That's also a subtle difference. I've been resting my legs ever since Zumba last Monday to try to heal whatever is going on with my feet. I think it is plantar fasciitis but I'm no doctor. I want to be able to train well instead of just keep re-injuring myself so I'm going to take it slow back into the running. It's so frustrating though because I really want to be able to run faster and need some time to work on that. I may not be a faster runner in the next 30 days but eventually I will right?
Another way I'm trying to get faster is by losing some weight. When I started training for the first triathlon, I thought that the increased activity would just naturally make me lose weight. Well, that didn't happen and I think it's because I eat a lot more than I realize. I found this great website called Spark People that helps you track calories in as well as calories out and the nutrients you are getting from your food. It reminds me of the Weight Watchers online tools but better because I can track to make sure I'm getting the vitamins and minerals I need and a good balance of carbohydrates, fat and protein. Just the past couple of weeks, I have been recording what I eat most days and it has really opened my eyes to my snacking habits. Hopefully, writing all this stuff down will help me actually drop some pounds and automatically make me faster! Just losing 5-10 lbs. seems to make a significant different in my pace. Just imagine running with a weighted vest on or something. Even with 10 lbs. added it makes running so much harder! This may be part of the problem with my feet too. I suspect that I would be so prone to this injury of putting strain on a tendon in my foot if I were putting less weight on that foot.
I posted my training schedule to the left if anyone is curious what I'm doing to get in shape and train for these triathlons. This schedule is from the book Triathlon Training in 4 hours a Week by Eric Harr. It has been a great book to get me started and it has training plans for 4 different levels depending on your prior exercise experience and each plan is for 6 or 8 weeks leading up to the event. I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in doing their first triathlon. Let me know if you want to do the one July 26 (even though it's only 5 weeks away, it's not too late!)
Another way I'm trying to get faster is by losing some weight. When I started training for the first triathlon, I thought that the increased activity would just naturally make me lose weight. Well, that didn't happen and I think it's because I eat a lot more than I realize. I found this great website called Spark People that helps you track calories in as well as calories out and the nutrients you are getting from your food. It reminds me of the Weight Watchers online tools but better because I can track to make sure I'm getting the vitamins and minerals I need and a good balance of carbohydrates, fat and protein. Just the past couple of weeks, I have been recording what I eat most days and it has really opened my eyes to my snacking habits. Hopefully, writing all this stuff down will help me actually drop some pounds and automatically make me faster! Just losing 5-10 lbs. seems to make a significant different in my pace. Just imagine running with a weighted vest on or something. Even with 10 lbs. added it makes running so much harder! This may be part of the problem with my feet too. I suspect that I would be so prone to this injury of putting strain on a tendon in my foot if I were putting less weight on that foot.
I posted my training schedule to the left if anyone is curious what I'm doing to get in shape and train for these triathlons. This schedule is from the book Triathlon Training in 4 hours a Week by Eric Harr. It has been a great book to get me started and it has training plans for 4 different levels depending on your prior exercise experience and each plan is for 6 or 8 weeks leading up to the event. I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in doing their first triathlon. Let me know if you want to do the one July 26 (even though it's only 5 weeks away, it's not too late!)
Monday, June 15
Zumba!
Due to my recurring foot pain from what I'm pretty sure is plantar fascitis, I did not go for a run today. Saturdays run was terrible! And I was hurting all day from it. So I decided that I better take some time to let this thing heal completely and then ease back into the running. I was originally planning to swim this morning but I got to spend time with some wonderful friends that I haven't seen in a year instead. A great trade-off, right? Then I got a text message from another friend asking if I was going to Zumba at the YMCA. I thought this would be a good workout alternative to running or swimming and I have been dying to try it because I've heard that it's so fun! I have also heard that Tania who teaches the class is a really awesome instructor and I haven't been to any of her classes yet.
So I showed up for Zumba not knowing quite what to expect. I will say that it was so much fun! It reminded me of my Jazzercise days but I think I had more fun with it than Jazzercise and I definitely worked harder, but maybe that's just me. However, there were so many people at this class due to it's popularity that we were packed into the small aerobics room. We were all sweating so much that the mirrors fogged up and the floor was getting a little slippery from all the condensation from our sweat! I was pretty disgusting! Despite the incredible body heat and humidity of the classroom I had a great time dancing for a workout.
I don't know that Zumba was the best choice of a workout for me this week when I'm trying to stay off of my feet. I guess I was thinking that since it involves steps from various Latin dances that it would be low impact and not put stress on my feet and calves. I was very wrong about that. The salsa steps and others are often taken on the balls of your feet instead of using the whole foot. But just staying on the balls of my feet I was using my calf muscles quite a bit and putting stress on my plantar fascia! I don't know that any of this is technique correct since I am not a doctor or physical therapist or anything, but I'm just telling you what it felt like to me.
I'm glad I did Zumba because it was super fun and now I know what everyone is raving about. But I also realize that staying off your feet actually does mean "staying OFF the feet." I know I can definitely do some swimming and probably use the rowing machine in the YMCA cardio room to get my heart rate up this week. I'm not sure about biking, I don't know if that will prevent my foot from healing completely. Any thoughts about this anyone? I may try a nice easy ride on Wednesday to just see how it goes. But now I know that Zumba and anything that is actually on my feet is out of the question at least for the next week or so. :( I never thought I would be upset about not being able to run! Usually I'm looking for excuses not to run!
So I showed up for Zumba not knowing quite what to expect. I will say that it was so much fun! It reminded me of my Jazzercise days but I think I had more fun with it than Jazzercise and I definitely worked harder, but maybe that's just me. However, there were so many people at this class due to it's popularity that we were packed into the small aerobics room. We were all sweating so much that the mirrors fogged up and the floor was getting a little slippery from all the condensation from our sweat! I was pretty disgusting! Despite the incredible body heat and humidity of the classroom I had a great time dancing for a workout.
I don't know that Zumba was the best choice of a workout for me this week when I'm trying to stay off of my feet. I guess I was thinking that since it involves steps from various Latin dances that it would be low impact and not put stress on my feet and calves. I was very wrong about that. The salsa steps and others are often taken on the balls of your feet instead of using the whole foot. But just staying on the balls of my feet I was using my calf muscles quite a bit and putting stress on my plantar fascia! I don't know that any of this is technique correct since I am not a doctor or physical therapist or anything, but I'm just telling you what it felt like to me.
I'm glad I did Zumba because it was super fun and now I know what everyone is raving about. But I also realize that staying off your feet actually does mean "staying OFF the feet." I know I can definitely do some swimming and probably use the rowing machine in the YMCA cardio room to get my heart rate up this week. I'm not sure about biking, I don't know if that will prevent my foot from healing completely. Any thoughts about this anyone? I may try a nice easy ride on Wednesday to just see how it goes. But now I know that Zumba and anything that is actually on my feet is out of the question at least for the next week or so. :( I never thought I would be upset about not being able to run! Usually I'm looking for excuses not to run!
Thursday, June 11
Finished!!!!
I can't believe I did it! I finished my first triathlon! It felt incredible to cross that finish line and I had so many mixed emotions but most of all relief. The look on my face I think says it all (I guess if you know me.)
Tuesday, May 26
New Favorite Website
I found this website through a link on the Wow! Boot Camp page. For the past week, I been looking at it every day! Here's the gadget that's most useful:
Wednesday, May 20
Group Rides!
I love riding my bike! It's official. I'm so glad that I have it and I am just loving every minute of riding. I love it even when I'm struggling to climb a hill from the easiest gear and still huffing and puffing going 5 mph! I have a lot of ways I can improve to say the least. Out of the 3 events I'm training for, biking is definitely my favorite. I also went swimming today just for about 20 minutes (before the swimming lessons started). And I really enjoyed the swim too! I'm enjoying it more and more each time I do it.
But last night I went on my second group bike ride and it was so fun! As much as I love biking, it's even more fun with a group. I can't really put my finger on why, but maybe it's because I really do enjoy doing anything with other people. Maybe I should run with other people more often. The problem with that is finding someone willing to go as slow as I go to my training right! I used to run with my roommate Rachel and then she went and got married. I would jog, then walk and while I was walking she would pretty much run circles around me! Or she would do sprints up ahead of me and sprint back and then jog with me a little. It was fun!
So if anyone else wants to jog or swim or bike with me, let me know!
But last night I went on my second group bike ride and it was so fun! As much as I love biking, it's even more fun with a group. I can't really put my finger on why, but maybe it's because I really do enjoy doing anything with other people. Maybe I should run with other people more often. The problem with that is finding someone willing to go as slow as I go to my training right! I used to run with my roommate Rachel and then she went and got married. I would jog, then walk and while I was walking she would pretty much run circles around me! Or she would do sprints up ahead of me and sprint back and then jog with me a little. It was fun!
So if anyone else wants to jog or swim or bike with me, let me know!
Tuesday, May 19
Aches and Pains
I've been really trying to improve my running before this triathlon in less than 3 weeks! So I've been running for longer than I planned to originally according to my training schedule. I didn't think much about it because I felt good as a whole after each run. That was until my heels started to hurt. At first I thought maybe I had just worn out my shoes and needed to get a new pair or some extra cushion in them. I thought maybe I had bruised my heels or something from pounding on the pavement, so I took 2 days off from running thinking that would be enough time to give my heels a rest. 
Then, while I was in Marietta,I went to Big Peach Running Co. and got a new pair of Adidas Supernova shoes. I was really impressed with the added spring in the forefoot of these shoes and the amount of cushion in the heel. They also provide a lot of support through the middle of the foot and I like my shoes nice and snug. I was so excited about them.
When I got back to Athens, I went for my first run in my new shoes on Saturday, even though my heels were still a little sore.
It had been raining most of the day and the sky was still cloudy so I decided to just jog in the neighbor back and forth on the main street so that if it started to pour I would be close to home. After about a mile and a half, I started getting the aching pain running all the way from my knees to my big toes, traveling down the inside of the front of my legs. This was happening on both legs. I kind of freaked out because I have never felt pain in this area before. So I walked home and I wondered if this pain was because of my new shoes? I started to worry and wonder if I could return them to the store after I had already run a little bit in them.
I looked up some stuff on the internet and decided that this pain must be due to shin splints. I was pretty bummed about that. So I iced my legs and then took a hot bath with mineral salts that are supposed to relax your muscles and I went to bed.
On Sunday morning, I woke and got out of bed only to find that my feet hurt so bad I could hardly go down the stairs! It was my heels again but this time, the pain was in the whole back of my foot and my calves were super tight and sore. I laid on the couch researching this pain on the internet, finally deciding that it could either be bruised heels or plantar fasciitis. Either way, I need to stay off my feet and let it heel so I don't do any damage to my legs and feet. So I was double bummed about this!
I also remembered that I had my mom's Homedics massage chair in the closet, so I brought that out to see if I could massage my calves with it. I laid the back part of it on the couch and just put my leg on top of it and it worked pretty well! It definitely loosed up my calves some and made me more relaxed all together.
I did go swimming on Sunday and did some strength training, trying not to put any pressure on my feet. After my workout, I bought some athletic tape at the store and tried to tape up my feet by myself to help them get better.
On Monday, nothing was hurting anymore but I'm was still a little cautious about running. I went for a bike ride and spent a lot of time stretching and massaging my calves and didn't feel any pain in my feet or my shins. But I skipped on the running for the day.
Today, I'm planning to go walking with my roommate. She's going at 6:30am before work. But seeing as how I'm still awake at 5:15am and I haven't slept a wink, I'm not sure if I'll make it. I'm going to go swim again tomorrow and try some new drills to help me be a better swimmer. Then Wednesday I'll try to jog again. I think I was just trying to do too much too fast. Just another reminder that I'm not as young and resilient as I used to be.
And let me just say that who ever thought I, of all people, would be seriously bummed out that I have to take a few days off from running? I can only explain it by the fact that exercising and training is one of the only things that makes me feel human and normal right now. I think training for this triathlon may just be the very thing that is keeping me sane. It's amazing what a difference it makes in my mood and outlook on life when I have exercised on a given day.I thank God for the ability, time and resources to be able to move my body and exercise all of me, including my mind.
Then, while I was in Marietta,I went to Big Peach Running Co. and got a new pair of Adidas Supernova shoes. I was really impressed with the added spring in the forefoot of these shoes and the amount of cushion in the heel. They also provide a lot of support through the middle of the foot and I like my shoes nice and snug. I was so excited about them.
When I got back to Athens, I went for my first run in my new shoes on Saturday, even though my heels were still a little sore.
It had been raining most of the day and the sky was still cloudy so I decided to just jog in the neighbor back and forth on the main street so that if it started to pour I would be close to home. After about a mile and a half, I started getting the aching pain running all the way from my knees to my big toes, traveling down the inside of the front of my legs. This was happening on both legs. I kind of freaked out because I have never felt pain in this area before. So I walked home and I wondered if this pain was because of my new shoes? I started to worry and wonder if I could return them to the store after I had already run a little bit in them.I looked up some stuff on the internet and decided that this pain must be due to shin splints. I was pretty bummed about that. So I iced my legs and then took a hot bath with mineral salts that are supposed to relax your muscles and I went to bed.
On Sunday morning, I woke and got out of bed only to find that my feet hurt so bad I could hardly go down the stairs! It was my heels again but this time, the pain was in the whole back of my foot and my calves were super tight and sore. I laid on the couch researching this pain on the internet, finally deciding that it could either be bruised heels or plantar fasciitis. Either way, I need to stay off my feet and let it heel so I don't do any damage to my legs and feet. So I was double bummed about this!
I also remembered that I had my mom's Homedics massage chair in the closet, so I brought that out to see if I could massage my calves with it. I laid the back part of it on the couch and just put my leg on top of it and it worked pretty well! It definitely loosed up my calves some and made me more relaxed all together. I did go swimming on Sunday and did some strength training, trying not to put any pressure on my feet. After my workout, I bought some athletic tape at the store and tried to tape up my feet by myself to help them get better.
On Monday, nothing was hurting anymore but I'm was still a little cautious about running. I went for a bike ride and spent a lot of time stretching and massaging my calves and didn't feel any pain in my feet or my shins. But I skipped on the running for the day.
Today, I'm planning to go walking with my roommate. She's going at 6:30am before work. But seeing as how I'm still awake at 5:15am and I haven't slept a wink, I'm not sure if I'll make it. I'm going to go swim again tomorrow and try some new drills to help me be a better swimmer. Then Wednesday I'll try to jog again. I think I was just trying to do too much too fast. Just another reminder that I'm not as young and resilient as I used to be.
And let me just say that who ever thought I, of all people, would be seriously bummed out that I have to take a few days off from running? I can only explain it by the fact that exercising and training is one of the only things that makes me feel human and normal right now. I think training for this triathlon may just be the very thing that is keeping me sane. It's amazing what a difference it makes in my mood and outlook on life when I have exercised on a given day.I thank God for the ability, time and resources to be able to move my body and exercise all of me, including my mind.
Monday, May 11
Training friends
Since I've started training for this triathlon, I've met a few other people who are doing the same one. Jennifer, who is in my small group from church, is also doing the same event on the same day. We have very different schedules and so far have not been able to train together. But last week when I went to the YMCA to swim some laps, I met a few other people. I had to wait a few minutes for a lane to open up and while I was waiting, I noticed a group of 3 women that looked like that were training for something together. I recognized one of them, sort of...it's hard to tell if you recognize people when they are wearing swim caps. Once I got into the lap next to them I asked them if they were training for an event. They told me they are doing the same triathlon I am! On top of that, one of the women is the very same one who purchased the same bike that I did from the Georgia Cycle Sport. I rode her bike to try it out and see if it fit me well. The reason I recognized one of them is from Boot Camp. They are all Wow Boot Campers so we have a lot of things in common. I'm so glad that I ran into them. I got the e-mail address of one of them so that we can coordinate training and especially to go on bike rides together because there is safety in numbers!
Sunday, May 3
Clipless Pedals
Well, I got the bike and I'm really excited about it. I went on my first group ride right after I got the bike with the Nitty Gritty Bike Band. It was a "beginner's" easy ride on the east side of Athens. I think I was the only true beginner there.
And I also went ahead and got clipless pedals and cleated shoes while my bike was being fitted for me. This type of pedal is supposed to be safer and more efficient in biking, but they can be a little tricky at first, especially when stopping.
I don't know if you can tell from this picture, but the shoes have cleats on the bottom that snap into the pedals securely so that you can use your foot to pedal on the upstroke and not just the down stroke. The catch is that you are really attached to the bike. Whereever you're foot goes, the bike goes too and vice versa. This a great fact for efficient pedaling, but not so great if at any time you forget that your feet are attached to the bike!
The trick to stopping is the "clip out" of the pedal while you are coasting to a stop by turning your ankle out to pop the cleat out of the pedal. So the first time I am on the bike with these clipless pedals I did exactly that. I thought very hard about making sure I clipped out and put my unclipped shoe on the pavement shifting my weight to that leg. All went well until I moved my other foot (still clipped in) forgetting that it was still attached to the bike. I tried to put the clipped in foot on the ground and instead I started to fall bring the bike down on top of me. I skinned my knee on the pavement and felt like I was in 3rd grade again, falling on the blacktop in P.E.
The good news is that it didn't hurt and I just have a few scrapes on my knee and a bruise on the other side of my knee from the bike tube falling on me. And a bruise on my butt from hitting the pavement. I've fallen twice since then, both of the other times were also when I was stopping. I still need to figure out how to stop properly when I'm still on a incline and no option to coast.
I'm having fun riding my bike and I'm really proud of myself for facing my fears and getting out there to challenge myself -- even though I might fall. Sometimes it's almost like I'm reliving moments from my childhood but this time I'm being a grown up about it. At 28 years old, I refuse to be afraid of getting a scraped up knee or getting water in my noses while I'm swimming. Neither of those things are going to kill me and they are not even very painful, just a little uncomfortable. I don't know why I've been such a baby my whole life about things that are challenging to me. I'm finally getting the chance to have fun with biking and swimming and not worry about how bad I am at it.
I'll write more if anything eventful happens this week. I have 5 more weeks until the Triathlon event. And I have lots of training to do before then!!
And I also went ahead and got clipless pedals and cleated shoes while my bike was being fitted for me. This type of pedal is supposed to be safer and more efficient in biking, but they can be a little tricky at first, especially when stopping.
I don't know if you can tell from this picture, but the shoes have cleats on the bottom that snap into the pedals securely so that you can use your foot to pedal on the upstroke and not just the down stroke. The catch is that you are really attached to the bike. Whereever you're foot goes, the bike goes too and vice versa. This a great fact for efficient pedaling, but not so great if at any time you forget that your feet are attached to the bike!The trick to stopping is the "clip out" of the pedal while you are coasting to a stop by turning your ankle out to pop the cleat out of the pedal. So the first time I am on the bike with these clipless pedals I did exactly that. I thought very hard about making sure I clipped out and put my unclipped shoe on the pavement shifting my weight to that leg. All went well until I moved my other foot (still clipped in) forgetting that it was still attached to the bike. I tried to put the clipped in foot on the ground and instead I started to fall bring the bike down on top of me. I skinned my knee on the pavement and felt like I was in 3rd grade again, falling on the blacktop in P.E.
The good news is that it didn't hurt and I just have a few scrapes on my knee and a bruise on the other side of my knee from the bike tube falling on me. And a bruise on my butt from hitting the pavement. I've fallen twice since then, both of the other times were also when I was stopping. I still need to figure out how to stop properly when I'm still on a incline and no option to coast.
I'm having fun riding my bike and I'm really proud of myself for facing my fears and getting out there to challenge myself -- even though I might fall. Sometimes it's almost like I'm reliving moments from my childhood but this time I'm being a grown up about it. At 28 years old, I refuse to be afraid of getting a scraped up knee or getting water in my noses while I'm swimming. Neither of those things are going to kill me and they are not even very painful, just a little uncomfortable. I don't know why I've been such a baby my whole life about things that are challenging to me. I'm finally getting the chance to have fun with biking and swimming and not worry about how bad I am at it.
I'll write more if anything eventful happens this week. I have 5 more weeks until the Triathlon event. And I have lots of training to do before then!!
Sunday, April 26
Death of a Bicycle
I was riding my brother's old Huffy bicycle in order to train for this sprint triathlon in June. It's the one that has a rusty chain and gears and ancient levers to change the gears. But hey, it was a bike I didn't have pay for and it would still ride alright. So I took the bike out in my neighborhood yesterday to go for a ride and my neighborhoods is pretty hilly. I shifted gears to go up the first big hill and the chain popped off the gears. Instantly, I remember why my Dad and I never took this bike on the Silver Comet trail. The chain pops off all the time. So while I was walking my brother's Huffy along the 1 mile trek back to my house, I started evaluating my options for training. I could spend money to get this 20 year old cheap bike fixed. I could look at borrowing a bike for the event and do my training indoors on a stationary bike. Or I could buy a bike, either used or new.
The more I thought about my options, the more confused I got. I have ruled out the option of buying a bike from Craigslist or something like that because it's really important to get a bike that fits me right (if I'm going to pay anything for it). I went to the bike store where Trey works just to look. And this is what I found:
I rode a few different bikes around the parking lot and the guy adjusted the seats of each bike a few times for me to try them out. The one is this pictures is a Specialized Dolce bike and it was the one that worked the best for me. I got on the indoor trainer just to pedal for a while and see how it feels. While I was doing that, Trey walked in! I was so glad to talk to him about my options for bikes.
Depending on how important this is and whether or not I can really afford to do it, I should probably go ahead and buy a pretty nice bike. Not top of the line or anything, but something that will last a long time and be easy to ride in this triathlon or any others I may decide to do in the future.
I have a few days to decide because the one I was riding today has really already been sold to someone else and is waiting to be picked up. They have another one coming in on Tuesday that I could get. I just need to make a decision.
The other decision is about what to do with the old bike. I don't know if anyone else would want it. It works fine if you don't try to change gears too much. It's probably not worth it though. I'll figure out something to do with it.
The more I thought about my options, the more confused I got. I have ruled out the option of buying a bike from Craigslist or something like that because it's really important to get a bike that fits me right (if I'm going to pay anything for it). I went to the bike store where Trey works just to look. And this is what I found:
I rode a few different bikes around the parking lot and the guy adjusted the seats of each bike a few times for me to try them out. The one is this pictures is a Specialized Dolce bike and it was the one that worked the best for me. I got on the indoor trainer just to pedal for a while and see how it feels. While I was doing that, Trey walked in! I was so glad to talk to him about my options for bikes.
Depending on how important this is and whether or not I can really afford to do it, I should probably go ahead and buy a pretty nice bike. Not top of the line or anything, but something that will last a long time and be easy to ride in this triathlon or any others I may decide to do in the future.
I have a few days to decide because the one I was riding today has really already been sold to someone else and is waiting to be picked up. They have another one coming in on Tuesday that I could get. I just need to make a decision.
The other decision is about what to do with the old bike. I don't know if anyone else would want it. It works fine if you don't try to change gears too much. It's probably not worth it though. I'll figure out something to do with it.
Wednesday, April 22
Triathlon Training
I was going to change the layout of my blog to look all sporty before I start blogging about this, but there is no time for that anymore!
I have registered for "My First Triathlon" at Lake Lanier on June 6. This event is only for those who have never competed in a triathlon before. It is less than a sprint distance and my goal is just to finish....not in last place though. This should be an attainable goal. I entered my first 5K on Feb. 28 and I've been working on some cross-training by swimming and biking since then. Of course, I have not been as disciplined as I would like in my training, but I'm doing much better than I was a few months ago!
The event consists of swimming 1/4 mile, biking for 10 miles and running 5K. I'm pretty excited and nervous about it. But I decided to do it because I needed to set a goal that would push me. It's amazing how differently I feel and think when I have done some kind of exercise in the morning. I notice the difference daily.
Tomorrow morning, the plan is to go jogging with my roommate Mandy before work. It usually works best if I can get up early and do my workout first thing in the morning. So I'll have to blog about how that goes. Part of the reason I'm blogging about this event and my training for it is because I want some additional accountability to train with discipline!
I'll keep you posted
I have registered for "My First Triathlon" at Lake Lanier on June 6. This event is only for those who have never competed in a triathlon before. It is less than a sprint distance and my goal is just to finish....not in last place though. This should be an attainable goal. I entered my first 5K on Feb. 28 and I've been working on some cross-training by swimming and biking since then. Of course, I have not been as disciplined as I would like in my training, but I'm doing much better than I was a few months ago!
The event consists of swimming 1/4 mile, biking for 10 miles and running 5K. I'm pretty excited and nervous about it. But I decided to do it because I needed to set a goal that would push me. It's amazing how differently I feel and think when I have done some kind of exercise in the morning. I notice the difference daily.
Tomorrow morning, the plan is to go jogging with my roommate Mandy before work. It usually works best if I can get up early and do my workout first thing in the morning. So I'll have to blog about how that goes. Part of the reason I'm blogging about this event and my training for it is because I want some additional accountability to train with discipline!
I'll keep you posted
Sunday, April 5
My Computer is Back!
I finally got my computer back. There was a problem with the motherboard and it took what seemed like FOREVER to get it back. Now I can blog again. Not that I'm expecting anyone to read this and I definitely don't think anyone was wondering why I haven't been posting. But now I'm back. And I have a new theme for this blog....stay tuned because it's actually something work reading about! (At least I think so.)
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