One positive foot in front of the other...

I keep trying to tell myself....

I had my first 'bout of "tissue therapy" scheduled today. What this entailed was beyond me. Since I was finally out of pain I figured I should get my Z1/Z2 easy spin before PT as I didn't know know what laid ahead. Do to the location of PT and the God forsaken AM rush hour I was forced to mount an icky spin bike vs. my beloved Carnage which also meant I had to get up at 4:45am. Ugh - Bah humbug. I get on the bike and try to clip in. Nothing. Oy! Forgot Speedplay's don't work with SPD pedals %^#$%#%^#$%^&!!! So I was forced to use the foot cages. I strapped in, started spinning and was looking forward to getting lost in my book. But I never got lost, instead I was bothered by an annoying spin neighbor and the 20 questions he had. The whole 75 minutes I was tortured by my tool of a neighbor, bored out of my mind in Z1/Z2 and uncomfortably locked in foot cages. Does it get any better?

Oh Yes it does!

AM PT - The ART of Graston Therapy .
The name Graston makes me think of an evil doctor who likes to play with sterling tools in his basement while torturing his victims. Why must it be a "he"? Because men are the root of all evil, pretty sure of this. Anywho "Mark" we'll call him asks me what I think my pain tolerance is. 1-10. I rate myself a 9. I'm a pretty tough cookie (sweet and spicy might I add, like a ginger snap!) and can be cooked hot while still remaining chewy...but I'm not burnt. Mmmm, I want a cookie now. OyI Off track I went, back on I must go. Have I lost ya yet? When I ask him why he wanted to know his answer was "This is going to hurt. You need to know this and be prepared for it." He was then kind enough to strap my foot down because some "victims" have a kicking reflect. He starts by warming my calves, achilies, heel and arch with an ultra sound. It was warm and kind of tickled. Then he takes an instrument that I think resembles a garden hoe and starts scraping my calves lightly. The texture of my calves make me think of riding my bike of chip seal...bad vibrations. At this point he was only pre-riding the course....moments later he laid the pressure on the garden hoe. Oy! The initial scraping hurt but quickly my endorphins kicked in and it felt good....kind of like a tattoo. That good pain lasted only on the left side, the less serious side. The right side never felt good. It hurt like a mother****er the entire time. I will be proud to say I never once had the urge to kick. I just bit my lip instead. The procedure wasn't all that bad. 10 minutes or so of sharp pain. What I should have been warned about was the the aftermath. For the next 4-5 hours my arches, heel and achillies burned. It felt like someone had lit them on fire. Not only felt but looked like as well as my feet turned brightly orange and red. The subsided after a few hours and I started to bruise. I get to look forward to this twice a week. Does this count as mental training?

My energy was low throughout the day and my body felt ill. I was poisoned by lactic toxins. And the whip cream of the cherry? My soul hurts for making someone's heart ache.

One positive foot in front of the other...repeat after me.

I'm at a loss for words

"For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind." - Emerson

"You must accept that you might fail; then, if you do your best and still don’t win, at least you can be satisfied that you’ve tried. If you don’t accept failure as a possibility, you don’t set high goals, you don’t branch out, you don’t try – you don’t take the risk.= - Rosalynn Carter

"Depression is a prison where you are both the suffering prisoner and the cruel jailer." - Dorothy Rowe

"I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom." - General S. Patton

"We are like tea bags – we don’t know our own strength until we’re in hot water." - Unknown

"I will keep a smile on my face and in my heart even when it hurts today." - Og Mandino

"Repeat: I want to be able as years pass by, to look myself always straight in the eye." - Unknown

"I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars." - Og Mandino

"The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand in times of challenge and controversy." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words." - Unknown

"If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realizing that you are the author and everyday you have the opportunity to write a new pag" - Mark Houlahan

"You can be pleased with nothing when you are not pleased with yourself." - Lady Mary Wortley

Support & Bondage

sums of the last couple of days

The saying goes "If you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all" - reasoning behind my lack of blogging. No one likes a Debbie Downer so I have tried to keep the darkness to myself as much as possible.

"Walking with a friend(s) in the dark is better than walking alone in the light." - You tell it Helen Keller. When I'm alone I'm a complete mess. I feel as if I've fallen down a hole and I did not land in Wonderland. I just need to remember the Darkness is only a mirage. It's an optical illusion of my mind that only appears in solitude. I have found Kryptonite for the Darkness. It comes in the form of my mother, my friends and my work. I am really blessed that I so many people that care about me.

After the cortisone shots I was forced to take 3 days off. The physical aspect of resting wasn't THAT bad. I'm not really concerned with losing fitness. Fitness comes and goes. As long as I allow myself to fully recover I will come back physically much stronger. Not to mention a tough ass mental state. The hard part is coming to terms that my entire race season plan had just been flushed down the white porcelain God we pray to when we drink too much. That it's self is a mind****.

Anywho, Dean finally has one up on me as I bailed on my Friday night swim 200 yards in. My achillies hurt to push off the wall and the visions of ruptures dancing in my swim dreams was not a pretty picture. So I bagged it and washed my sorrows away in some delicious sushi and heart warming Saki. Thanks Dean!

Saturday was much better as I spent the whole day cooking. I made a jalapeno potato soup for my lunches next week and then prepared home made jalapeno black bean burgers and fresh guacamole for the BBQ that evening. Earlier in the week I had planned a BBQ as a send off to Wildflower and my room mate's first marathon. Just because I was no longer racing was no reason to cancel the BBQ, my room mate was still racing as was another friend. I did want to cancel as I had issues controlling my *ahem* allergies all day...the allergies made my eyes red and created tears at the drop of a hat. Damn you allergies! Thankfully by the evening they had subsided and I was able to pull myself together. It was at this point I realized what a positive influence my friends make on me. They got rid of my allergies! And they all contributed to create a beautiful BBQ. I was uber happy that my mom made it and brought her delicious angel food cake w/fresh berries. I did not appreciate the baby stories on the other hand! No more mention of marble head!

Sunday I awoke in pure darkness. The weather was forecasted to be very un-Oregon like. Clear sky's with a high of 70....and I was stuck unable to do anything active. My mama being the ray of sun she is kept calling and txting and made the clouds in my head part. Then my friend Lauren met me for a walk around the waterfront. This was bittersweet. It felt so nice to be out with a friend getting some highly beneficial vitamin D. 30 mins or so in my right achillies hurt and I was forced to sit for a couple minutes and let it rest. It continued to hurt for the rest of the day :( Again I found happiness in cooking when I made dinner for my room mate and I. Thai coconut chicken soup and shrimp salad rolls. They were delish!
We then laughed the night away watching Shrek 2. I heart Puss-N-Boots!

Monday came around and I finally had a workout on the schedule. A 2000 yard swim - with pull buoy and legs tied together with a rubber tire. I was excited to have a challenging workout. 1/2 through the energy excitement turned into painful fatigue. Swimming with your legs tied together is sadistic bondage! It's not right at all. Alas I did it...and my lats told me so all day long. Swim was followed up with my first PT visit. One leg has responded to the cortisone while one has not. One is significantly stronger and more flexible than the other. Can you guess which is the good leg? Anywho - I got shown more stretching to do and got the A-ok to start spinning/cycling and aqua running in Zone 1 (AGH!) as long as I have no pain during or after. At this point I'll take what I can get! I can't surpass zone 1/2 for a couple of weeks. Once the cortisone kicks in on the other leg I will feel completely healed and I'll still be seriously injured. It's very important I keep my PE in check. Doc is going to wait until Thursday to start the tissue therapy to avoid complications with the cortisone shots.

Work is another place that keeps my mental state happy. I have a very supportive boss and co-workers. Today I got to take CS calls. I really enjoying talking to other athletes. It keeps me positive.

My glass next weekend is not half empty but half full.

I will not be able to race in the Wildflower HIM BUT I will be there to see my room mate finish her first marathon. This will indeed be priceless. I have seen all the hard work and dedication she has put into her training. I am excited to be able to see her run across the finish line. Salt and vinegar chips with a PBR Jesse?

Ending with the blog title - My friends/mom/work are the glue that supports me. The tire tube bonds my legs together so that I can swim :) Bonding naturally happens through hardships - and I wouldn't give that up for the world.

Going down that yellow brick road.....

to recovery.


This week has humbling.
Sunday - 7 mile run on bark chip. Pain was less than in given weeks and I was excited aqua running was removed from my training schedule and my land mileage was increasing.

Tuesday - 3 mile run on road. Pain was almost intolerable at the end. I knew at this point I had a problem that would not get fixed on its own.

Wednesday - Got in to see a podiatrist in which I was diagnosed with Achillies Tendonitis
I was then given a shot of cortisone to each leg (this was a last resort option as my condition is pretty bad and I can not use ice as therapy as I was then diagnosed with this little gem - Raynaud's syndrome. Received a prescription for a high dose anti-inflammitory and referred to PT.

Thursday - In pain from the cortisone injections and going through a mental mind**** reading about all the risks and complications from the injections.

Friday - Today I came to terms with the situation. I am injured and it will not be an easy injury to over come. I currently run a high risk of rupturing my achillies tendons, in both legs. Participating in Wildflower next weekend would put my health and future racing at great risk. For the second year in a row I will be signed up for that stupid event and never show up to the start line. It's just not worth it. Speaking of worth....I have decided to pull out of CdA. IF my recovery went 100% flawless (when does that happen?) and I heal uber quick then yes, I have the fitness to finish an Ironman. But what good is that? That gives me no self of accomplishment. I did an Ironman last year. It's not a matter of IF I can do one. It's a matter of going into a race with full health and racing to the best and highest of my capability. Trying to execute a successful recovery while dealing with the stress and pressure of my goal PR is too much for this Kat to deal with. So I'm done. I will focus on full recovery for the next few weeks - months.

My racing calendar is now going to be built around my recovery. IF things workout in the next 4-6 weeks I will shoot for my IMC PR. If things take longer than hoped all summer racing will be off and I will only be concerned with Ironman Silverman in November.

I am trying to keep my head out of the darkness that surrounds me. Anyone have any good advice in over coming depression?

Torment

I am in darkness and can not escape the agony. It's a complete mind****

Lemonade

Normally I am a "see the glass half full" kind a girl but not today.
At the end of December I was given a task to make lemonade....thus far I have failed miserably.

My left foot/achillies tendon grew pissy after the 30 day run challenge followed up with the birthday ultra marathon. I listened to those around me - TAKE TIME OFF. I took 2-3 weeks off from running and used my trigger point religiously. I started back up again mid January and most of the pain was eliminated. Then sporadically it would come back. I kept my run mileage low and whenever I would feel pain I would give myself a few extra days off from running. I took all the advice I was given. I used vitamin I for inflammation, I elevated, I compressed, I took ice soaks - night and day. I used that stupid trigger point kit morning, during my work lunch and at night. I stopped running and started aqua running. I bought endless massages. Well....the light came out of the tunnel and one day about two weeks ago the pain stopped. Lol, it wouldn't be THAT EASY would it? Nope, because my right leg now decided to turn B**** and now has the same symptoms. Again, ice, compress, elevate, cut down run mileage, trigger point, vitamin I. You name it, I did it. I was not being stubborn Kat. I tried to play it smart....and still I was getting screwed.

My coach became my only saving grace. This morning I was referred to an podiatrist. Not just a podiatrist but an Ironman podiatrist that understood that I needed to be fixed, and fixed quickly. I got an appointment and treated the same day.
I knew I was in the right place when I was sitting in his exam room surrounded by maybe over 20 marathon medals and numerous Ironman and HIM plaques. I stayed entertained by a computer screen flashing random foot facts. It was pretty amusing. The doc was even so kind as share a piece of a caramelized pecan candy (I say a piece because a whole one would have put someone in a sugar comatose) he brought home from the New Orleans 70.3 last weekend. I think he felt sorry for me as I was on the verge of tears.

Diagnosis - Achillies Tendonitis in both legs
Today I got
*Cortisone in both legs - Ouch!
*Prescribed a high dose anti-inflammatory.
*Custom orthodics.
*Sent home with a sock that will stretch my achilies while I sleep
*Referred to do lots of PT.
*Need to get new run shoes - goodbye Newtons :(
*to find out I have Raynaud's syndrome and if I ice anymore I risk my toes falling off as several vessels have already burst leaving them sore and purple.

*Last but not least....Next week I walk up to a start line knowing I will not see the finish the line. Doing so means I still have a shot at running/racing IMCdA - the BIGGER picture.

I need to find some sweeter lemons. Does anyone have any to spare? Pretty please?

Boom Boom Pow

Monday - AM Swim at the new 24hr Fitness. 2700 yards. Brrrrr. I don't think this pool is heated! I swam into (not literally :)) a lady that I had swam with at the Hillsboro 24 a year or so prior. She recognized me by my fish fin swim cap. Seriously, am I the only one that likes to swim with a fin on my head? Hehe, you can always find this Nemo! Anywho, it was good to catch up and have motivation to pick up my pace. Energy levels were much higher in the pool and I enjoyed the heat therapy that followed.

Tuesday - "Pain can be endured and defeated only if it is embraced. Denied or feared, it grows."
AM Spin 60mins Z4/Z5 intervals - execution!
First couple weren't so bad. Got my legs fired up and my heart rate elevated just 15 mins out of bed! The last interval burned like a mother****er. Getting my HR up past 170 on the bike is a challenge for me...I was happy to look down and see 178 and rising. Hit targeted watts per interval.
Black Eyed Peas - Boom Boom Pow is a good song to hit Z5s too.

In the evening I got my Pilates and TRX on and then went for an easy 3 mile run.
Apparently my run form got jacked up somehow...which could be reasoning behind for my current issues. I focused on a tight core and picking up a dime with my tailend....kidding on part of that! Butt (hehe) which part? How silly would one look running down the street with a tight a$$? Ahahahahahaha! Anywho, that didn't work....I'm questioning if I'll be able to even run at CdA.

"Great is the power of habit. It teaches us to bear fatigue and to despise wounds and pain.”

AM Swim - 2800 yards - I drowned that just about sums it up.
A little more in depth - I was tired. Energy was low and my arms did not want to pull or turn over. Lost the pull buoy at least once. I'm surprised I didn't end up hitting the wall on a flip turn. I did lose count of a 50 during a 600 set, so I think ended with one extra. Kind of felt sorry for Dean as I'm pretty sure Oscar my evil head came out...

Off on a tangent. Some lady asked to circle swim with Dean and I today. It was at a point in our set that was not feasible. She grew a hissy fit and then said that it's supposed to be 3 people per lane. When I returned from our 50 I asked the other lady beside her what her 100 pace was and if she wanted to join us. When I look over to the other lane the first lady who asked to circle had a damn aqua belt on and was hoping away. Not swimming. Not even aqua running, but slowly hoping around. How the F*** are you supposed to circle swim around an aqua runner or a "floater"? Grrrrr. This really angered me. I have never asked two people to circle swim while I aqua ran. I can split a lane with a swimmer but if there are two in the lane and they are there first they get that lane. It's just how it is in the world of aqua running. It's people like her that give aqua running a bad name. Sadly most aqua runners are just like her.

The aqua aerobics class tried to invade the pool during cool down. Seriously people, wait your turn!

My evil head was chopped off when I had the famous La Provence oven baked honey cream oatmeal. It's my favorite!
I gave into my fatigue and took a long 80 min kat nap.

AM Run- 7 miles Nike Bark Chip Trail
ugh, I was scared to run. My "pissy foot" is fine but now the other one is giving me issues. I swapped shoes this run to see if it would help. I don't know if it was the shoes or having Joe there to run with, but this run was not hard on my feet. I think Joe just happens to be my good luck charm running buddy as I almost never have pain when I run with him. I did have fatigue. It was HOT. Ok, not really HOT but warm. I haven't ran in 60+ degrees in a long. 70 felt hot, especially since it was mostly in the direct sun. Eh, I sweat like a mofo and returned back to the house with enough salt on my face to rim a tasty margarita.

I followed up the run with another Kat nap - 45 minutes.

Why am I so tired?!

When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

Thursday and Friday could have gone unnoticed. Training was light and easy. A spin here and a run there. My "injured" foot is no longer "injured" and feels fine BUT the other one has now decided to turn B****. WTF? I'm a little concerned that my shoes may be an issue. I normally run on my mid to forefoot. The shoes I've been in for the last few months propels me to my toes, thus making me faster and efficient. BUT the speed and economy comes with a price as some serious wrath is unleashed on my achillies. I'm going to test out my old Brooks and see if they help. If so I'll just cycle through two brands of shoes. One for faster tempo training or race day and the other Z2 runs.

Saturday Bike - 52 miles with a 45 min TT
I was uber excited for this ride. I've never done an actual TT before. The plan was to hit high Z3 to mid Z4 and I executed a mid Z4. The first 5 mins sucked. It took me a bit to get my cadence and watts were they needed to be with the wind and road that laid ahead. After that Carnage, and my quads were synced. 10 mins in and I go for my malto mixture. Ouch, new bottle and I smack my lip....BAD. For the next 5-10 minutes all I thought about was how my lip felt swollen and I was going to end this ride looking like I had a collegian injection. The last 25 minutes of the TT I was in my groove. I was able to grind through the higher watts and do so with a smile. Speaking of a smile. As I'm grinding away happily I notice I have a huge grin. I am so HAPPY. Then I thought, am I giving it enough? Should I be smiling? Shouldn't I be suffering? So I stopped smiling. I thought for a minute. Grrrrr. ROAR! Grrrrr. Nope, that doesn't work either. I'm going to go back to my happy face and I went, smiling like a silly fool. The end of the TT felt good. The recovery was welcomed as was riding with Sue and Alanna.

Want to give a shout out to Don for closing my aero bars in. They felt fantastic and made me that much more AERO! Another shout out to Sue for letting me borrow a trainer to get my low rpm high wattage grinding sessions in. Have I mentioned how much I love you guys!?

Recap - In the last few weeks I got a coach. My volume has dropped a lot. My intensity has picked up a bit.
I have new found TIME - I am cooking like a mad scientist. Reading 3 books at one time. Duel In The Sun, Fast Food Nation and Are You THere Vodka? It's me Chelsea. All different kinds of reads, all really good. I have been able to go out and do more, enjoy movies, see friends I haven't seen in ages and well.....live the good life.
I have new found ENERGY/PASSION - I am excited for every workout. A month of so prior I had lost my spark, my drive, my direction. It has all came back with a fury. My drive is fueled by my direction which has ignited an inferno. I'm on fire baby.
I have once again found my long lost love - Training / Racing.

The elevator to success is out of order

You’ll have to use the stairs… one step at a time.

Tuesday - 90 min bike
Entertainment was brought on by Sin City

I arm wrestled Superman and I lost....must find kryponite
Somehow I lost thumb wrestling too. Who thumb wrestles?
Did you know Superman wears pink?

Wednesday - AM Swim 3k y
Got my a$$ owned in h2o and saline this morning. Upper body hurt. It felt heavily fatigued. I think it was DOMS from the Monday night aqua run and TRX Tuesday morning. I think I've come to find out why I like swimming with Dean so much - he whines just as much as I do. Lol :)
On a side note - I wonder if sleeping with my pull buoy between my legs would be the same effect as a pillow. If I did sleep with it could I count that as part of my training?

PM Run - 3.2 miles easy - Nike Bark Chip Trail
Beautiful Day, Beautiful Run

We had Blue Seventy and Zoot clinics at work in the last two days. I feel like a wetsuit, compression, tri geek knowledge animal. Have I mentioned how much I love my job?

I need a new trainer. Anyone have opinions on Compu vs PowerBeam Pro?

Intensity

AM Swim - 2500 yards - lots o drills

PM Aqua run - Workout set coach
Anger/intensity/fire was fueled by the F***stick that infuriated me on the way to the pool.

45 mins aqua run
5 x 2 min Z4s w/1 min Z2 recoveries. Recoveries? You can't recover from a 180+ HR in one minute. For the love of God these intervals were hard. Executed each one keeping my HR up from 178-183 for each set.

It days like this I'm glad I have found a coach. I'm so f***ing pissed off right now I want to go run, bike or swim hard. I want to unleash my aggression. BUT since I'm paying someone to tell me what to do I won't. I am frugal and will not waste my money or my coaches time. Maybe I'll just go down and unpack some of my dishes to break them. I can always buy more. F***stick!

A Quick Weekend Recap

Saturday AM -
Swam 3k with my buddy Dean. We recovered with bacon whole grain waffles, banana's and need I say - more bacon.

I went shopping at Winco which I count as part two of my training. If you shop at bulk food store you know what I'm talkin' about!

Afternoon bike -
I had rolling hills on the schedule. I asked for some help creating a route because I am unfamiliar with rollers around the area. Well apparently Sue is too because we ended up with hills, lots and lots of hills. My training plan was to go up each hill at a specified zone grinding away at 45-55 rpms. Wouldn't have been so bad if we had rollers. I swear the hills never ended. The low cadence grinding was such a weird feeling. My HR never elevated even though my watts were high. My quads burned like an inferno but my breathing was regulated. It was pretty bad*** IMO. What was not badass was casper the ghost trying to push me over on my bike. The wind aka casper picked me and Carnage up and moved us several feet laterally - on more than one occasion. It was scary. I was rather proud of myself for sticking with it. The wind and descents are something that are constantly work in progress.
At one point we got a break when we had to stop for a train.

And here I am at the top of one of the many hills.

Upon the finish I was ready to be done. My quads felt cooked. I was a little demoralized at how fatigued my muscles felt when my cardio system didn't feel worked much. When I got home and look at my Garmin data I felt much better. 3600 feet in 45 miles. My avg HR was 137 and never peaked above 166. 166 is still in my hr z2 and I was pushing watts way about that zone. Avg cadence came to 46 moving and 60 pedaling. I was grinding away. My favorite part of the ride was taking Sue and Don home. We got to bomb down this huge hill, bunny hop a "bump" and then grind straight back up and I do mean straight up! It was awesome!
I drank my "incredible hulk" recovery drink and followed with this delicious home made Pad Thai

The night was short lived with quality time with ice and my trigger point - typical Saturday night.

Sunday -
Sleep sucked, legs twitched for most of the night. Miraculously I woke up and felt well rested with zero muscle pain or fatigue! Booyah! Thank you Trigger Point and ice. Spent 60 mins getting my pilates on with a little TRX thrown in for good measure. Then I did my 3 mile recovery run into the sun rise. Run felt great. No muscle pain or energy fatigue. My feet did not hurt. The sun was shinning. Today was going to be a very good day!

Thanks to Sue and Don I have working Power and my bike is already for Wildflower. The question is am I ready for Wildflower?

In good company

Sat up in bed. Ouch. Laid back down. 5 seconds later - deep breath. Sat back up. Ouch. This feeling was not going to go away soon. I sucked it up. Fatigue and soreness is only temporary. What is sore might you wonder? That would be my back, lats and arms. F***ing aqua running. But today, today I was to run on land.....mild fatigue and soreness wasn't going to hold me down! I met up with Joe for what has become a regular Friday morning run.

2 laps around Nike Campus bark chip - 5.2 miles - Z2
I asked Joe for a posture check at the beginning of the run. I felt like I looked like the hunchback of notre dame. But alas it was all in my head...or upper body. Posture was still a-ok, I just felt tired. My feet were a little pissy during the first 10 minutes but quickly settled down. I had no pain for the remainder of the run or throughout the day for that matter! I did a famous "Kat drop and roll" almost 2 miles in. I wasn't paying attention and managed to trip running up fill to land on my face. Ok, well maybe not my face but my hands and the side of my knee and hip. Ouch! I think the energy it took to fall was actually worse then the landing. I quickly got back up and along we ran. By the end of the run my upper body had loosened up (maybe from the famous Kat roll?) and I was feeling much better.

Evening Spin - 70 min with some good "work" put in the middle.
I rocked my Zoot recovery compression tights all days which I think did wonders on my legs. They didn't hurt or feel fatigued all day.....until I took them off. Then they felt like a ton of bricks. I was assuming that the bike was going to enforce some serious pain on my quads. But you know what they say about those that assume right? You make an ass out of you and me! Once I straddled Carnage I felt fine. Energy was high and watts were not difficult to maintain. This might have been possibly due to having company during the spin. They say that misery loves company. Do they mean that company makes misery less miserable? Hmmmm, food for thought. Anywho my buddy Josh accompanied the spin and provided a good DVD for mild entertainment while "zoning" out. Back to food for thought - Recovery came in the form of Chicken/Shrimp Peanut Pad with fresh Thai Basil. Yum Yum soooooo good. Forgot to get a picture to share :(

A good day of H2o

AM Swim - 3000y
Speed work - challenging but all maintainable. I have to say I'm growing annoyed of the pull buoy.

PM Aqua Run - 60 mins
Z2 w/ Z4 intervals.
Motherf****er this s*** was hard! Each interval my avg HR was between 175-180. Research I've gathered about AR is that the avg HR is 5-10bpm lower then land running being that the core is cooled by surrounding water. Cooled? Say what? Why was I sweating and my skin tone the color of a chili pepper? Sweating in the pool I felt like an oxymoron. I can actually say I had a good run. It was challenging; mentally and physically. When I got out my legs started spasming. Not in a bad way like cramping. More like I ignited some fast twitch muscles and I was now experiencing a sparkler fireworks finale Booyah! Zoot compression please save my restless legs during slumber for I get to run on bark chip in the AM!

BTW - Still pain free!

Buzzzzz

Spin was motivated by Bea's eye pluckiture (yes I make up words).

AM - 75 min spin
Grinded away on the big ring while Bea and Elle battled it out in a mobile home.
Pain is relative.

Run was inspired by the butterfly that flew around me as I tied my shoes - Hi Emily
PM - Easy 5.5 mile run /8:00 avg
I ran floating on cloud 9, easily, happily and pain free.

Float like a butterfly, Sting like a bee - buzzzzzz

Swim, Water Run, Spin ...Oh My!

AM Swim/Run
2500 yards - let me just say that 1200y of paddles burns and what burns even more is when it's followed by aqua running.
30 mins of aqua running - this is soooooo much better with a friend. Thanks Dean! You made my run:)

PM Spin - for 45 mins I zoned "pun intended" out to Kill Bill. Re-watched O-Ren Ishii segment - it's my favorite...wait, it's tied with Elle Driver's eye plucking.

Recovery is taxing!

Saturday - Spun almost 2 hours to Kung-Fu Panda
My quads were feeling that stupid kickboard from the swim the night prior. The spin was a more challenging than I had anticipated = this made me happy.
Sue saved my up and coming bike week and let me borrow a CPU to work w/my Power tap until I get mine back from Saris. Sue - You're the best! Scones? :)

Afternoon 90 min massage w/a hot therapist. It was my lucky day! She had magic fingers and worked deep into my feet, calves and back. Oh goodlord pain never felt so good. Lol, several times she had to tell me to breath again...f***ing A it hurt. I left massage drunk - seriously loopy. I had to have my room mate escort me around for the rest of the afternoon, which turned out to be great bonding time.

As the night moved on the massage set in and my lymph nodes became swollen like golf balls. Yuck. My back felt like someone had taken a shredder to it. Tummy felt nauseous and pukey :(

Sunday - I woke up and could barely sit up. My lats where on fire! With each move I felt a deep throbbing pain. Oh joy, it's going to be a long day. Spent the next hour working it all out and lubing up my joints with Pilates. It's amazing how well Pilates flushes that crap out.

AM Run - Joe joined me for an easy 5.5 mile run around the hood. It was a great run and almost completely pain free. I find I enjoy running with others much more than running alone. Don't get me wrong, a run in solitude can be great....but I think it has a time and place. I like talking and hearing other people talk - yes, I am a social runner.

Post run I got my TRX on for 15 minutes and then shocked my feet and calves with ice and hot warm soaks alternating legs/tubs. Then another 20 min with Trigger Point. Man oh man, recovery is taxing!

Now I'm off to get lost in Wonderland - 3D yo!

Don't Rain On My Parade!

Nike Bark Chip run - 2 loops - 5.2 miles
Sleep did not happen last night. I was up at 11:30, 2 and then 3:30. I couldn't sleep. My legs were twitching for whatever reason and I was giddy with the thought of running in the AM. Maybe, just maybe my legs were trying to multi task and get my run in while I slept? Don't they know, good only comes to those who wait. 5:30 rolled around and I could not lay restlessly in bed any longer. It was go time! Laced up my new All-Weather Newtons, strapped on my Garmin, linked up to the big computer up in the sky and I was off - like a rabbit. I kid, I kid. Today was an easy run day. Easy as in? I ran in Storm of the MotherF'ing century. Sideways pelting down rain. Ouch, the hard rain and cold hurt......but nothing could "rain" on my parade. I was running pain free in the feet and legs. Go me! Ouch that wind hurt! Felt like Dorothy in my baby blue Gortex jacket and sparkling silver and red Newton's praying not to get swept up by a tornado of wind. The bark chip was uber soggy, which was uber soft my oh-so rough and tough footsies. I soaked up the Oregon liquid sunshine and enjoyed this run to the fullest. Run Kat Run! :D

I arrived at work to find a nice little Easter basket sitting on my desk. A nice gesture? Or my bosses version of payback from when I brought in the brownies a week prior? You make the call. I sat at my desk rockin my Smartwool slippers, wrapped in a fleece blanket with a heating pad on my lap....not to leave out rockin' a whole lot of wool base layers and sweater. I soaked my feet in ice buckets post run to prevent any kind of flare up. The run in the wind and rain followed up with an ice soak left me cold and numb for most of the day. As the hours went by I was taunted by dancing miniature malted eggs, peanut m & m's and the ring leader - Cadbury Crème egg. I kept strong until 2 pm, than I broke down and devoured that chocolate. Mmmmm sugar induced comatose.

Evening Swim - 2500y
Hard repeats suck but at least the yardage goes fast. Tonight I experienced quad burn - ouch!

And now for something different.....
Why do all the Easter egg hunts have age limitations? This would be a great time for me to practice my "open" water combat on land! Oh what? You know you want to!

Gooood Morning America!

Wow - Do I have energy?! Not only am I energetic but NOTHING on my body hurts.

Spin - 90 mins
I attempted at what I thought was Z3 picks in the big ring (still missing powertap CPU). Who knows what zone I was really in. Hopefully my PE was spot on. outside of my few picks up I spent the 90 minutes day dreaming....and ended up drooling on myself. Yea, a few of you know what I'm talking 'bout.

Spin was followed up by this little nightmare -
I swear after drinking that I was going to turn into the Incredible Hulk. Yuck, Ick, Gross. Seriously though - I better not turn into a she-man. She-Ra on the other hand I'm cool with. Princess of POWER!

I've decided to throw my hands up at my Polar RSX300RD. The foot pod pacing is never accurate and I've had way too many problems with spotty data and weak transmission. Today I sucked it up and bought a Garmin 310. I'll give it a test "run" tomorrow ;)