Finding my way back February 22, 2006
Posted by vollenda in : General , add a commentThings are going okay. I wish I could say I was completely on track but there have been some small victories. I went running on Saturday for 30 minutes and there was no pain, not perfect but okay. I also went running last night for 30 minutes, which was a success given that I was thisclose to bailing on it. But I went and I was happy I did. When I was done, I stopped at Rite Aid to pick up some glucosamine and I was kinda dancing while listening to Depeche Mode. That’s when I knew I was really on my way back.
Friday before I left for Laughlin, I went for a 90 minute ride and it was great. Not much traffic, sunny but cold. Definitely could have gone longer but I didn’t want to overdo it and I had to finish packing anyway. The commutes this week have been fun and really, really cold. It was 33 this morning. It felt good once I warmed up. 
Now if I could just get back to swimming. It's just so hard to get my butt out the door at 5 when it's that cold. I can't wait til it warms up. It's staying light later now which is great for the commute home.
The one good thing out of all this is that I’ve made a lot of progress on my nephew’s blanket. I am almost done with it. I just have to finish some satin stitching (eyes, nose, etc) and then backstitch the outlines. Woo Hoo! I've been working on this since August. I would say an average of 10 to 12 hours a week. Sometimes less when I was training harder/more and really tired. I'm sure my nephew would understand. Don't you think?
Failure to Launch February 16, 2006
Posted by vollenda in : General , add a commentI’m still vacationing…if only it were on a tropical island. I finally got Hobbes back on Saturday. He is good as new but different. The fork is painted slightly different though probably only I would notice it’s not the same. They gave me the old fork for a souvenir and I thought I might hang it over my door like a big wishbone. ;P And a reminder. I also bought a different frame pump and two new bottle cages. When I rode home, my right leg kept bumping against one of them and I realized it was slightly bent. But some good news - they were able to finally true one of the wheels so now I have an extra wheel. I rode for an hour on both Saturday and Sunday - easy, easy spinning. It felt good to be back on my road bike but also a little scary. I also got a massage on Saturday as a treat to me. I was mush after and it felt good and I really, really needed it.
I started bike commuting again on Monday. That’s been going well and I’ve been enjoying my bike time. I bought a small digital camera on clearance at Target over the weekend and I’ve been taking pictures during my commute to test it out. So, needless to say, my commutes have been at an easy pace as well.
I haven’t gone running or swimming this week. Well, I tried running last night but there was a failure to launch. My knee has been doing pretty well, it doesn’t bother me when I walk and only bothers me a little going up and down stairs. I’ve been using these balls and they seem to help. So last night, I thought I would try and see how it goes. But I felt a slight pain with the first few steps. Maybe I hadn’t warmed up enough? So I walked some more and tried again. Same thing. So I stopped and walked home. I’ll try again this weekend and if it’s still not good, I’m going to the doctor, crazy, busy work be damned.
So…I haven’t felt like blogging lately but I have been lurking around and reading your blogs. I am back to not being able to post comments on some blogs but just know I haven’t abandoned you all. I want to thank everyone for all their support and encouragement the past few weeks. It really does help, like this morning I was feeling frustrated that I’m still having issues and there was a comment from Bryan reminding me to be happy for what I CAN do since it’s more than most people do.
I’m off to Laughlin for a 3 day weekend with family to celebrate some birthdays. There should be 25-30 family members there so it will be fun. I don’t gamble or golf so I’ll probably take my cameras to help fill the time. I was hoping to see Matthew's new movie (Failure to Launch) but I don't think it's out yet. Darn. Have a great weekend everyone and hope all your training goes well.
Piff February 9, 2006
Posted by vollenda in : General , add a commentTriathlete Lisa is on vacation this week. On Monday, the back of my knee went piff and I’ve been taking it easy ever since. I got a ride home from work on Monday, rode to work on Tuesday and got a ride home, and haven’t been on my bike or in the pool or running since. Am I okay with that? Mostly.
On Tuesday, I found a small bald spot on the back of my head. I’ve lost my hair before during stressful times. When I was 12 and my parents were divorcing, half my hair fell out. It was weird but kind of fun because when it grew back in, it crew in curly. Where before, I’d had stick straight hair, now I had waves. As a kid, you think it’s weird and cool. A few years ago, I started losing hair again. As an adult…not so cool. I also started having nose bleeds and found out I had high blood pressure. I was probably at my highest weight then. I was a complete mess. But my hair grew back and I got my blood pressure under control with meds.
When I told my mom that I had another bald spot, she said “What, but you’re so happy now.” And she’s right. I am much, much happier than I was back then. I have been stressed with the conversion at work but I’ve learned to handle my stress, mostly thru my workouts. Or so I thought. But I have been stressed the past few weeks and biking, running, and swimming have added to the stress instead of making me feel better. I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself to keep going despite the accident. Like I couldn’t/wouldn’t let myself be human. And I felt like I wasn’t really hurt so I should just suck it up and keep going. But I think I started back too soon and didn’t listen to my body. My right leg has not been a happy camper and I ignored it. Well, I can’t do that anymore. Yes, I am vain. I like having hair. More importantly, I am in this for the long run and I have to make sure I don’t do anything to jeopardize that. So I’m on vacation this week or so. Regular Lisa for now. I HAVE GOT to learn how to relax and just let things happen without trying to control everything, my training included. Some things are out of my control.
Some good news though…Hobbes is fixed! I talked to the bike shop yesterday and they said he would be ready by the end of the day. I’m picking my bike up on Saturday morning after the massage I booked. A treat to celebrate my promotion.
Happy Training all.
Just want to sleep February 6, 2006
Posted by vollenda in : General , add a commentMy right knee started hurting on my ride home on Friday night. Saturday, I rode to the gym and swam 1500. It bothered me during the swim during the push off and a little during kicking. I rode home and decided to skip the run I’d planned. On Sunday, it was feeling a better so I headed out. I started out on the railroad tracks thinking the soft dirt would make the run go easier. But the unevenness and rocks aggravated it, I think. So after the first 2 ½ miles, I switched to the sidewalk/road. I made it 10 miles before I quit. Then I walked a couple of miles. I also walked about 1 ½ miles over to my friends house for the Super Bowl party. But I skipped the football game during half time.
Today it’s better but it still bothers me going up and down the stairs. And when I start off on the bike, it’s usually my right leg that starts off and that kind of hurts. It’s such a habit that I don’t know if I’d know how to start off with my left leg. I may ask Wendy to give me a ride home tonight. Oh yeah, I skipped the swim this morning and slept in instead. I just can’t seem to get back in the groove. I have moments where I am fired up and can’t wait to get training and racing. Then I have moments where I just don’t care and all I want to do is sleep or be a spud and cross-stitch in front of the TV. I'm still having problems getting my nutrition on track as well. It’s crazy and it’s driving me crazy. Must carry on…
So Far So Good February 3, 2006
Posted by vollenda in : General , add a commentRunning is going a lot better. I had a great run on Wednesday night. I ran 4 miles and nothing hurt and I had lots of energy. I had a little twinge where my bruise is on my thigh but that went away after the first mile. It felt so good to run without pain. Last night after my ride home, I ran 8 miles. The first 5 miles were good and at around marathon pace. But then my body asked me to slow down and take it easy for the other 3 and I did. I included a little bit of hills in the run. A quarter mile hill around mile 4 and then a steady uphill for all of mile 7. My quads and glutes are a little sore today. I also don’t think I drank enough water yesterday or had enough carbs before the run because when I stopped at one of the lights at mile 6, my calf started to cramp and I immediately stretched it out. After that it was fine.
I decided today would be an Active Rest Day. Since I can’t ride Hobbes tomorrow, I’ll go to the gym and swim. And then go for a 5 mile run. I’m hoping to do another long run on Sunday. I’ll play it by ear and see how it goes. Then it’s Super Bowl Party time. I’ll have to leave a little bit of energy left for the Annual Half Time Football game we play. Always girls vs. guys. The guys have to play fair but we don’t!!! ;P
Have a great weekend everyone. Here is this week’s quote…
"I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it, and I'm afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: hard work–and realizing what is opportunity and what isn't." ~Lucille Ball, actress/comedian
He Paid!!! February 1, 2006
Posted by vollenda in : General , add a commentThe man who hit me dropped off the money for my bike at the LBS today. They are ordering the parts it needs and I should have it back by next weekend. That is way, way too long without my bike. I really miss it. Of all the disciplines, the bike is my favorite and where I feel strongest and the most like I’m flying. I miss that feeling.
I went to the gym for a swim this morning. I met Kylie there. I only swam 1500 but I was happy to make it there at all. I have been so tired since the accident happened. All I want to do is sleep and I’ve gotten out of the habit of getting up early in the past 10 days. 4:15 comes way too early. Stay snug in bed or go out in the cold and swim. This morning, I made the good decision to go swimming. A small success. I plan to go running tonight.
I almost wasn’t going to post my numbers for January because I am so disappointed in them. They are not at all what I expected/planned/hoped and it’s discouraging. I haven’t even looked at my training log since the accident happened. I didn’t want to see the empty pages and the lack of numbers. I know it was the accident that threw me off but I was expecting to hit my first ever 100 mile month in running and it didn’t happen. 
Anyway, here they are…
Swim – 19,900
Bike – 353.5 miles (283.5 on my commuter bike and 70 on my road bike)
Run – 80 miles
What was good about January? I ran my first Half Marathon. I swam my first 4000. I got to go on a group ride with Kylie and Jer (and have bagels). I got to go to the Getty Museum. I got great new turtle lights. I ordered a new bumper sticker for my non-existent car. But hey, I can use it somewhere else… ;P