Extremities

Just a quick post (yeah...we'll see about that) just to update on some things that I've been twittering (tweeting?) and posting about on Facebook.

One...The Bike

I found a fabulous bike that I want. WANT. WAAAAAAANT. And heck. It only costs $1200 (on sale).

Isn't she purdy? It's a Trek 2.1 Triple WSD. Does anyone have an opinion? You can also check it out here.

So, I've been doing a fair amount of riding this week on my old-trusty-transformed-used-to-be-a-mountain-bike-that-now-has-road-bike-tires bike and my HANDS are freekin' killing me! WTF is that about?

Hands? Feet? Next it'll be my hair follicles and then all my extremities will be injuried. GAH! Seriously bike folks, what is up with the hands?

Two - The PT Appointment

I finally got in to see a physical therapist yesterday at Rehab United (RU). I was supposed to see someone on Tuesday, but I made the appointment when I was at the beach with Betty last week, and somehow I entered the wrong time on my iPhone, so I missed the appointment. GAH!!!!!

The good news is that I rescheduled the appointment (after apologizing profusely, even though I still don't know how I could have entered the wrong time...3pm instead of 9am...which is crazy. I would have had a whole different thought process about how to manage a 9am appointment than a 3pm one...and I was completely thinking about afternoon the whole time...but whatever) for the next day (after extreme whining about not wanting to wait until next Tuesday!).

Anyway, for the 3pm/9am appointment, I was going to work with a newer PT. Yesterday's appointment I got to work with one of their senior PTs and he was completely awesome! (There. I got to that point).

He had to do a quick screening (a little frustrating since I'd already done a screening appointment, but whatever), watching me walk, do squats, balance on one foot, then the other... He came up with pretty much the same diagnosis as the screening PT, that my PF issues (and my IT issues back in January) stem from the fact that my left side is really weak.

We did one exercise where, lying on my side, I did a leg lift, tried to push up as Brian (the PT), pushed down. On my right side, no problem. On my left side...I could barely even hold up my leg, let alone against Brian's pushing down.

I was pretty surprised by how weak my left side is, but it certainly explains all the problems I've been having.

So, I'm going to start seeing Brian three mornings a week for the next few weeks to see if we can strengthen the left side AND to get rid of the PF. (Yeah!)

The best part about going to this place (which both Irene and Edith completely recommended to me...so thank you Irene and Edith), is that Brian completely got it...the whole thing about running and me. He was talking to an intern that it was great to work with people like me who were highly motivated to get better (yes, I'm rolling my foot over the frozen ice bottle as I write this). He didn't laugh or even bat an eye when I said my goal was to run the AFC 1/2 marathon in 6 weeks. He just said, "OK then, that's the goal. You can do it!"

He did say that I probably should stay away from running for a bit longer (since it still hurts to walk since the surfing incident, I wasn't surprised and was ready for this), but then he acknowledged that I have to do something to keep getting the endorphin high that I'm used to getting from running.

Now, this is the part where I almost cried, because he understood.

We talked about how not running has been like coming off a drug and that I need to find something to get that high...we talked about biking and swimming (which I've been doing) and maybe water jogging (which sounds dreadfully boring, but I could do it).

But we also talked about how probably, for me, those things wouldn't give me quite the same emotional, physical, and social satisfaction that running has giving me.

And, he's right. And that's when I could feel myself choking back the tears, because I physically and emotionally miss running.

Not to mention socially...I miss running with my friends.

He explained to the intern that running probably changed my life.

It did. In more ways than I can even articulate.

I haven't run for 12 days now (yes, I'm counting). I've been cranky and sullen. I'm eating waaaaaaaaaaay too many comfort foods (for me...that would be chocolate and anything that's bread). It's probably a good thing I was sick last week or lord knows how much wine I would be consuming.

I fret about going back to being a non-runner, about being non-active...pretty much like I was before four years ago when I was fat and lazy and really out of shape.

Evidence - Ignore the fabulous overalls...it was a popular look then...really!

Yeah...that's me... DramaGirl and her uncle are in the water in front of me. Walter and Turbo are in the background. I'm sure he's thinkin' "who's that fat chick?" (Just kidding...he'd NEVER say or think that. Actually when we were looking at these photos, he blamed the photographer for making me look so bad, and trust me I look this bad in ALL of them)

This was taken about 9 years ago, Turbo was about 18 months old. We were at a rock-slide park near Sedona, Arizona on a family vacation. Everyone was having a really good time sliding down these really slippery moss covered rocks into this larger pond, but not me. I wouldn't have dared. Not only because I would have NEVER been seen in public in a bathing suit, I was completely afraid of anything that required physical effort, mostly because I was weak. I'm struck by how, in this photo, I'm not even paying attention to the people around me. I was completely focused on how freekin' difficult it was to walk around, and in truth how miserable I was because everyone else was having fun in the water and I was on the sidelines, watching.

I remember this vacation quite well...one of the things I remember (besides being absolutely fabulous in the denim overalls) was how many active things I wouldn't do. Just doing this hike was a complete effort. I'm sure I got back to the hotel and ate a mountain of food, justified because I'd just gone on a hike...

This is my fear. That I won't be able to run...and I'll become THAT person again.

There's still this little voice inside me that says that all of these injuries are a sign that I really should be THAT person. I mean, who am I kidding with all this running, active lifestyle stuff anyway.

I'm pretty sure I'm not THAT person any longer. But it is part of the reason I almost cried yesterday when Brian was, oh so accurately, telling the new intern how important running had become to me...and I thought, "oh, if he only knew...if he only knew."

Yeah...even with the quirky foot, this is ME!

_____________________________

OK...Gotta go now, but stay tuned on Twitter. I'm taking Turbo and friends bowling this morning. I'm sure it'll be a fun-filled morning for me!

Different Views

Wanna know what I've been doing all week? Editing something that reads like this...

The JSR 168-compatiable portlets can provide management, data, mapping and analysis services. For non-portlet applications, multiple data services, Web mapping tools, and spatial analysis, services will be implemented by a hybrid combination of ESRI™ Web GIS solutions, GeoServer, and Google® Maps. Google Maps APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) will be used to display maps for GIS learning modules.

Yeah...I have no idea what it means either, but I did know that a comma was needed after the word analysis in the second sentence. One of the other grant writers and I went around in circles for awhile about whether or not it's "Web mapping" or "web mapping" (I said not capitalized). And yes, this is what English/grammar peeps like me do for fun. So, if you've been reading this blog awhile, and you've noticed that there are typos, misspells, and general grammar errors, in this blog semi-regularly, now you know that I could edit more closely if I wanted to, but most of my blogs are just too damn long, and so I don't...but I could if I wanted to.

In any event, I've been editing this grant proposal about improving geography instruction in high schools for the better part of this week. Betty (once again) and Elsie got me involved in this project, but ff you have any questions about geography and using GIS or GPS to teach it, ask Betty, she's the genius. I just edit.

So I've now increased about a gazillion-fold what I previously knew about Geographic Interface Systems and Geographic Positioning Systems (BTW...this is the technology that makes our beloved Garmins and things like MapMyRun and shiz like that work, so it is important dammit), but this is what I REALLY learned this week.

I'm way out of practice with that sort of "academic writing." I did TONS of it when I was writing the dissertation, but since my main publication writing these days is this blog, and since, apparently, the National Science Foundations doesn't really give moo-la for grants that include words like "shiz" and "WTF" and "abo-effing-lutely" whether they're capitalized or not, I volunteered to act as the main copy editor for this grant...which is fine with me since one whole parts of the grant which I wrote was whole-sale deleted and replaced by one of the other grant writers (no ego worries for me, the part she replaced it with WAS way better than mine). But, I'm a day-um fine editor and can spot a comma splice a mile away.

So, that's what I've been doing these past two days, and since I have no clever transition to anything running related here, I'll go directly to...

I have a freezer burn on my thigh! (yeah, see? That kind of shiz would NEVAH FLY in an NSF grant...)

Really...same thigh that had the enormous bruise, now has freezer burn because I left the bag of peas on it too long after I ran on Monday. My skin actually FROZE solid, and then had to thaw. Now it's red, and it hurts like a mother... almost worse than the original bruise. (No photos this time, I promised BBJ that I wouldn't).

WTF am I doing to myself...GAH!!!!!

The good news is that the thigh muscle seems to be healing nicely. So much so that even after I ran on Monday on the dreadmill, I went to Tuesday night's track workout with the SDTC and ran with Betty, BBJ and our newly named "Hook" or "Hookman" or "The Hook."

To explain...This is Scotty (photo courtesy of SDTC)

An early photo of Scotty, running with the track club, caught him in this "stretching" pose...

When asked about it, Scotty remarked that that was how he "reeled 'em in." (Again, I don't make up this shiz people...I just report)

Betty and I had an "awwwww did he REALLY JUST SAY THAT TO US? moment." Thus, he is now "The Hook" or "Hook" or "Hookman." I know the obvious choice would be "Hooker" but we actually already know a guy who goes by that moniker, so it's taken. In any event, I thought I would leave it to the Internet. What should we call Scotty? Vote in the poll at the right to help us decide.

Other injury reports - The PF

Went to Rusty the PT yesterday to discuss strategies to deal with the PF cuz let me tell you, after running on Monday (dreadmill) and Tuesday (track workout), by Wednesday (which was, admittedly, a 15 hour work day for me) I could barely walk!

Not. Good. At. All.

Here's why I *heart* Rusty the PT.

• When I asked him if I had to stop running to deal with the PF, he said "no" and added, "if you have a doctor who tells you to stop running, you should find another doctor."
• He gave me a set of stretching excercises to do, and I've noticed the result of it already (nothing you haven't seen before, but like the training schedule for the SDTC, because it's written down for me, I'm likely to follow it. Really, all I'm doing three to four times a day is ice-massaging my foot, massaging with a tennis ball, and doing some calf and achilles stretches, you know, the kind where you lean against a wall, and off a step...easy, right?)
• He cut out a "whale tail" out of some foam for me to put in my shoes, which takes pressure off the heel of my foot. It looks like this.

• I got to tell him about a different "definition" of "whale tail" (the effect that happens when a girls G-string or Thong becomes exposed as she walks, bends over or squats). that I learned from my students, which looks like this...
  

Finally, I wanted to post this picture for Foto Friday, just cuz I thought it was really cool, and it was posted on the SDTC website a couple of weeks ago,on one of the runs I missed.

That's BBJ (in black) with Mik and Kat in front of him (in light blue) in the pack running a couple weeks ago. I just liked the panorama view...cool.

I'll be walk/run/walk tomorrow morning with the track club...Hooray! Now I've gotta go ice/massage/stretch my foot and hip to get ready for it.

Have a great weekend!

The Dangers of Self-Massage

I had other ideas for the title of this post, such as:

• Be Careful With "The Stick"
• Don't Rub Too Hard
• Warning! "The Stick" Can Hurt!
  

Quite by accident, I ended up at the Physical Therapist's office today. (Only partially an accident...his office called...I picked up the phone...they said they could fit me in at 12:30 today, so I said, "OK.")

In fact, after I posted this morning's beautiful photo of my hip-bruise, I figured out how I managed to hurt myself. As I was looking at it's purple-ness this morning, I realized that the bruise was in the EXACT SAME SPOT as where I was massaging my hip with "The Stick"...you know...this thing...

I had been using it repeatedly, and apparently quite vigorously, throughout Friday and Saturday, in an attempt to massage my sore hip into some kind of submissive shape for the 1/2 marathon.

Apparently, massaging quite vigorously can lead to this:

My hip today...pretty, pretty...

So... I sat down with the PT. He took a good long time talking to me about my running habits, how much I ran, my stretching routine, my shoes, when I started to have pain, etc, etc. And according to him...turns out that I made three pretty critical errors which led to my hip-trauma.

• I switched shoes. He told me to NEVER switch shoes when you find a pair that work for you. I should know this, but I let myself be talked into moving out of my stability + New Balance 1223's into a more neutral shoe...BIG MISTAKE! So I'm going back to Road Runner Sports to exchange the current New Balance 1063s for the more current model of New Balance's Stability+ shoe, the 1224s.
  
• I decided to run a 1/2 marathon anyway. (ah well...it was worth it, because I had a great time and I don't have another long race in my sights until late April and the La Jolla 1/2 Marathon).

Then, I showed him my hip. (I hadn't fessed up to it yet)

He laughed when he saw it and made everyone come see my third critical error.

• I overused The Stick (clearly).

Actually, he did a really nice job of explaining how I'd probably had some small strain in my hip muscles, which may have even happened before I switched shoes, but was aggravated by the shoe switch, by the extra mileage I ran in the new shoes, then which was aggravated even more by my overuse of the stick, and then I further abused my muscle by running 13 miles on it.

He did say that only women can withstand that much pain. A man would have folded. We both joked about how the toughest women are in their 40's and who have given birth. I don't know if I agree with him or not, but I'll take it as a compliment.

His "therapy" prescribed for fixing my sore hip is as follows (Hey, I paid cash for this as my insurance didn't cover it, so I figure I own it now).

Five times a day:

• 2-3 minute ice massage - To do this, I've made a bunch of paper-cup water-pops. Then I peel off part of the paper cup and rub the ice on my hip. This is easy to do at home, but will be pretty messy to do in my office.

Here is one of my ice-massagers. Edith recommended the same thing to me for my shin splints last January when I was training for the marathon.

• 2-3 minutes "gentle self-massage," of my hip with my hand. (Yes, when he told me this, it was all I could do to not burst out laughing cuz, as you know, I am soooooo mature that way...AND oh yeah, he also told me to use "any old oil I have for the self-massage...motor oil, Wesson oil. I didn't need to go out an purchase any expensive fancy kind of oil... oh...AND, he said this all to me with a straight face. I of course was busy examining the wall paper because all I wanted to do was giggle.
  
• 20 minute ice-pack on hip.
  
• GENTLE Stretching (Vickie, he loved your pretzel stretch and said it was exactly the right one. You helped me to look like not a complete fool).
  

Next week I can start walking/running for really short amounts of time (like a 10 minute walk, 10 minute run, 10 minute walk, preceded and followed by the three above steps)...and I can add 2 or 3 minutes of walking and running a day until I'm up to an hour...then I can back off on the walking part until I'm up to full speed. Should take about a month (woo hoo...just in time for the Carlsbad 5000 and well before La Jolla!).

So...I've purchased a lot of paper cups, filled them with water, and have them stored in both the freezer in the garage and the kitchen freezer. I've promised not to beat myself with a stick again. and


So...let this be a lesson to all you tough women (and men) out there...don't beat yourself with the stick, self-massage is certainly acceptable, and use ice.

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha