Water jogging work outs and ROYALS!

I have scoured the internet to find water jogging routines and found little to nothing.  Maybe I was looking in the wrong spot but I decided to take what I saw and make up some of my own and put them here just in case anyone else would be looking at some point.  I have to do everything in a 45 minute block in order to have time to walk down to the pool, change, swim, change and walk back as I am doing most session over my lunch break.  Here are a few routines I have tried:

Warm up for 10 minutes.  One minute at hard pace, one minute recovery.  Repeat 10 times.  Thirty seconds sprint pace, 30 seconds recovery, repeat 10 times.  10 minute cool down

Warm up for 10 minutes.  2 minutes hard pace, 3 minutes medium, repeat that set 5 times.  10 minute cool down.  I also have tried on the last set of the 2 hard, 3 easy, doing sprints on the hard down the shorter sides of the pool.

Warm up for 10 minutes.  For 10 minutes alternate between hard, sprint and recover.  Change happens when you go from long side to short back to long, back to short etc.  10 minutes medium pace (what i would run for a long run) and 10 minute cool down.

I am still playing around with other ideas.  The rest of this week doesn't look good for swimming, unless I come back to town at night, which is always hard when we get settled in our nightly routines.  The pool is also closed all weekend this weekend for various meets and parties, so won't get to go then either.  The good news is, I have an appointment with the Ortho Dr tomorrow morning.  I am hoping that I will at least be able to get back to walking next week.  I have heard split results on rehab for this type of injury.  I have found some exercises you can do, but most of them seem pretty self explanatory and could be done at home without the cost of a PT session. I have even heard that running slow and low mileage might be an option for next week but I am for once in my life listening to the Dr and doing EXACTLY what he says.  Well, maybe not exactly since he told me to give up running all together.   I finally got the bill from my hospital trip and between the dog's emergency visits and my emergency visit, we are racking up quite the debt and we still haven't gotten the ortho visit bills.  Gulp.  I am praying about it and trying not to worry because I know the Lord will provide as he always does.

In other news, the ROYALS are in the World Series!!!!  Can you believe it?  We are shocked and delighted!  My hubby has been a Royals/Chiefs fan since he moved to KS, but I have been slow to warm up to either teams.  I use to be a HUGE baseball fan but fell out of love with the sport during the last strike.  I was really into the  Oakland A's and loved The Bash Brothers and the whole dang pitching staff including Dave Stewart and Dennis Eckersley.  I had the green and gold satin jacket from Eastbay.  If you are a child of the 90s, you know what I am talking about.  They were super cool and I saved up my money and bought my own, which made it that more awesome.  After the strike, I refused to watch baseball ever again.  Fast forward to a few years ago, when I was in my 7th month of pregnancy, I started spending much more time on the couch.  For those of you who know me, I am not much for sitting still for very long, so it was a shock to everyone that I slowed down and sat down LOL.  We started watching royals baseball on tv at nights since I was stationary, and I saw some really talented players who were just on the cusp of getting it together.  Fast forward once again and we are still in shock.  The boys in blue have gone on a tear and are doing phenomenal!  We can't wait to watch them rock it out in the World Series!

I will get an updated post up post Dr visit tomorrow! Keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I have so missed my running and the stress relief/high it gives me!

Things that I LOVE fall edition!

Things that make me happy.  Been trying to stay positive as I watch race after race pass that I am not running in.

The first thing is running blogs.  Almost every runner blog that I follow has had an injury that they have had to deal with and they have wrote about very candidly.  I really appreciate their honesty about thing they tried or doctor's visits they have had and the triumphs and set backs.  I love reading and going back through their blogs to find out how things turned out ultimately.

This gum.  It's the little things.  I am truly addicted.

Target pop corn and coke icees!  One bag lasts our whole family for several days.  I don't normally drink soda or regular soda but you can't beat the taste of a coke icee!  Little red loves the popcorn.

Beautiful fall weather.  I SO love this time of year.  This was behind a coffee shop we like and in front of the Flint hill's discovery center.  I wish I was running in this weather,

but I will take at least getting to bike in it.

All things pumpkin!  I finally found the pumpkin spice oreos!  They aren't the bee's knees but they are pretty good.  I am also digging pumpkin flavored beers of all kinds since I am not training.  I missed drinking beers. While I still only drink 2 at the most at a time, I am enjoying what I had been missing.  

This lady!!!!!   I can't say ENOUGH about my BRF!  While I am injured, she is adjusting her training schedule to bike and swim with me.  She even is wanting to walk when they release me to walking and has pledged to do any walking/run intervals I may have to do.  She keeps my spirits up and gives me the therapy sessions I need to stay sane through this injury:)  

This little guy!  Everything is a discovery and an adventure.  While he has his bad days, most days are so much fun with him.  We have recently turned him around in his car seat and he can see stuff while we drive and is constantly yelling stuff out that he sees. I am really loving being a mommy to a two legger.  Eating and potty training are very spotty and we are working on consistency with both.  Napping can also be a chore but most days we still get 2 hours in.  Every day is a new word and a new skill and it is so much fun watching him grow and develop.  

Water jogging is the bomb!

Day two of water jogging was a success.  While my student couldn't come with me on friday, I decided I would go anyway and see how it felt by myself.  While the 10 minute warm up and cool down was a bit boring without someone to talk to, the intervals were good and flew past.  I am pretty sure I am sore in a good way from two days of running.  The funny part was I couldn't get into my locker that I paid for and then I couldn't get my stuff out after the janitor unlocked it for me to get in.  I had to put my wet bathing suit back on to trudge around the hallways of the kinesology department to find someone who could help me.  I guess it has been way to long from the days of high school and lockers.  Even with the instruction they gave me, which were not correct, I could not figure it out till i watched one of the ladies that worked at the natatorium do it.  I made some suggestions on how to improve the instructions for those of us who aren't as smart:)  And I purchased one of these to make it easier

I had to get a new bathing suit and I am very glad I did.  Dick's had their speedo line on sale so I got this beauty for 30 bucks. Probably the most I have ever paid for a bathing suit (yes I am super cheap), but it was worth it not to have cleavage when I was running.

I also got a swim cap to try and help with the medusa hair but haven't been brave enough to try it.  Maybe today I will.  I need swimming tips and locker room etiquette training, please!  I haven't used a locker room since probably junior high.  While I am not the modest type, I know others are, so I don't want to offend anyone.  I am not walking around nude, however, do most people just change at their locker?  I have seen both so not sure what the proper method is.

Biking makes me happy, probably because I get free therapy from my BRF and we can talk more than we can talk when we run. The weather is just perfect right now for biking and I want to take advantage of it while it lasts before the KS winters hit.  Will probably try and go to Manhattan today to water jog but may even bike ride tonight, unless it rains.  I am hoping that biking isn't hurting my leg. I have had a few aches and pains here and there but nothing like it was.  I keep telling myself that this is part of the healing process and that every day it will feel different.  I have had my compressions socks on after water jogging.  It's hard to believe the water causes you to work that hard, but man, my legs are beat and tired after a 45 minute session.  

We had Dogtoberfest yesterday.  I was asked to do the dog agility demo even though I am not teaching currently.  It was muddy and tough dragging all of our equipment out but in the end, my partner Joc got a few inquiries on classes so it was worth it.  I think next year we will also have an inside booth so we can crate the dogs inside and answer people's questions. I think she would get way more business this way or should I say potential business.  Little red got his face painted while I was doing the demo.  Daddy asked if he wanted to and little red said yes but as soon as they sat down, he quickly changed his mind.  Kudos to the lady doing the painting because she did a dang good job on a slightly freaking out toddler.  He wore it all day and kept pointing to his nose to show it off.  I was really amazed at the turn out they had yesterday.  I knew it would be good but wow, that place was PACKED!  I so hope the vendors and rescue groups greatly benefited and hope we have another one next year.  Joc and i already know what we want to do differently.  I wasn't planning on running but had brought deuce to do other demo stuff with and ended up doing a few things with him that didn't require much running.  

Have a great sunday and GOOD LUCK to all of those running Chicago today!  Someday, I hope to join y'all!  Also good luck and safe travels to all of my agility folks traveling to CA for USDAA nationals.  RLH baby!

First time water jogger here!

Water jogging.  Today was my first time.  My student who joined me today and I went a few days before to get things sorted out.  What I didn't know was that I needed cash for the locker.  Now I know and will bring that tomorrow.  We were lucky in that we could just put our stuff by the pool so we could watch it.  I have done extensive research on water jogging because hello, type A here!  I hadn't gotten a ton of work out ideas but I had found a nice 45 minute work out that we were going to try.  If you are wondering, yes I wore my fitbit that may or may not be water proof in the water and hit my 10 K steps right after we were done.  I have not been a swimmer previously, so I am learning about what I need to do this successfully.  The pool provides the hydration belts, but the rest is up to you.  While normally I don't see many people other than my lab mates, I have figured out I need to invest in a swim cap for sure, so my hair isn't in knots and some leave in condition for post swim.  It tried keeping it in a bun and that was NOT successful!   I was kind of looking like Medusa post swim today.  I also mastered the swimming suit dry out thingy today.  Yes, lady glaring at me from behind waiting to dry out your swim suit, it's my first time using this gadget.  While I do think that this is an activity best done with friends and with a specific work out in mind, I do love it and how it makes you feel.  I seriously had sweat pouring down my face after doing the sprint intervals.  I really felt like I got a good work out in and wished I had started earlier.

I am still trying to find out information on how many work outs a week is a good idea, because I don't want to over do it.  I enjoy biking and biked last night and monday night for more than an hour both times, but I am still feeling some lingering pain in my leg that I am not so sure isn't being caused by biking.  It definitely isn't the same pain but still, I am very paranoid about my leg and any signals it gives me right now.

The good news is the pain has moved from my shin bone to the top of my ankle.  Is this normal?  My ankle was even slightly swollen this morning. I finished up my five days of advil yesterday so maybe that is in response to no advil?  Not sure.  Making lots of notes for the ortho Dr.  He is sure going to hate me the next time I meet with him and I have my list:)  

Biking and swimming

Since I am not running, we have been doing a lot of non running things.   I took a bunch of pictures in the park this weekend.  I worry that sometimes I give an overload of pictures on FB.  I commonly see someone post one of those E cards about pictures of kids versus pictures of dogs, since most of my FB friends are dog lovers.  I try to mix it up but sometimes the kid to dog ratio gets skewed.  Here are some I held back so I didn't overload my non kid friends.

This is gun thingy is located at our local city park.   Little red loves to sit on it and I managed to figure out how to get up there too this time.  We live about a block away so we visit frequently due to the closeness and also due to the fact that even though I try to pick up yard bombs, I miss some and it is just easier to go to the park than play in the backyard and clean the bottom of our shoes.  

I thought this picture was cool.  He loves this water fountain.  It really grosses me out even though it appears to be clean.  We had to keep him from licking the fountain head and basin.  I am not a germ a phobe, but even though it looks clean, how often do they really scrub and sanitize it?

I think I also forgot to mention that Tony and I had another date night, thanks to our live in nanny.  We went to the beautiful Columbian theater located conveniently in down town.  They had a semi-local band called Carrie Nation and the Speak Easy come and play and the tickets were very cheap. This band was a mix of bluegrass, thrash, and ska.  It was an amazing concert and I hope to hear them again!  They have videos on youtube, but seeing them live is an experience that you can't get from the videos.  Their energy had us all dancing and singing and moving to the music.

There was much to do about biking this weekend.  The trainer needed some tweaking to fit my bike so the hubby and little red worked on it.  

Then little red put his big wheel on the trainer  all by his self, while I was gone for a bike ride.  I mainly have been riding outside as the weather has been PERFECT for biking.  This really is my favorite time to be outdoors and I am sorely (see, I made a pun, get it?) missing running in this beautiful fall weather.  

My coach told me to aim for at least five bike rides a week of an hour or more.  Last night was a great ride, minus the dust from the haulers going to the CO-OP to unload corn.  Most of the fields have been harvested except for the bean fields and the sunflower field.  The moon rise was gorgeous.  My iphone doesn't do it justice.  The only bad thing is that darkness is happening earlier and earlier.  We can still bike on the weekends during the day, but soon, the only biking at night will be on the trainer.  I am hoping i love the trainer more than the dreadmill:)  I have some cool work outs to try and may just have to invest in a heart rate monitor.  Yesterday, I visited our pool center on campus.  I had found out that you can just join the pool for a much lower rate than the whole rec complex (which I would not have used) and they have deep water jogging during my lunch break.  PERFECT.  I signed up, and because I did a multiple month sign up, my monthly fee was only 7.50 a month!!!!!  You can't beat that, especially when they have the flotation belts for use for free.  My first day in the pool is tomorrow and BONUS, one of my student workers is going to go with me!  I have been looking at waterproof cases for my ipod and water proof headphones but may wait and see how things go.  I have also found a few water jogging work outs that we are going to try.  Yep, type A all the way! MUST.HAVE.A.PLAN!

I leave you with this:

Potty training has its ups and downs.  He is doing really great going pee in the potty but poop, not so much.  I couldn't find him last night after my bike ride,  and when I did, he was hiding under the end table taking a poop.  Sigh.  Needs more work but if I can't get him to go in the potty in the first place, I can't reward it.  How do you shape a poop in the toliet dog training friends???

Clarification

I had a few questions I needed to clear up from my last blog.  One of the questions was, "did you over do your training since in the blog, you stated this was a "new" activity".  I don't think I did a very good job in writing about how long I have been running and how I train so here is a run down for the curious and a bit of clarification.  I have been running for at least five year.   I originally started running when we got a foster dog in aussie rescue that would not rest unless she was physically exercised every day.  We would go and run/walk at the rec complex that had a concrete track.  I basically did my own couch to 5 K program without even knowing it.  I started on the couch to 5 K officially in 2011 and completed my first 5 K in May of that year.

Let's just say I was hooked from them on.  I am pretty sure I went home that night and signed up for three more 5 Ks immediately.  At that time I started working with a coach from CA, who made me an awesome plan that was five days a week.  I would write in a separate blog for her eyes only what I trained that day and I what I ate and she would analyze and get me feed back.  I continued to work with her till I found out I was preggers.  I did several 5 Ks in that time and my first 10 K.

After my first 10 K, I found out the weird symptoms I was experiencing during training was actually pregnancy related. I ran off and on during pregnancy, but the whole all day sickness for the first three months kind of squashed the idea of running for me and by the time my desire had come back, I was getting bigger and running was not entirely comfortable.  

I didn't do any formal running during pregnancy, but I did run my dog in dog agility until about 2 months before my son was born.  This shot is at 6 months pregnant.  I had a C-section on June 12, 2012, so I had to lay off until I was fully healed.  I tried to go back to running, but started having all sorts of issues and pain.  At that time, my massage guy suggested that I stop running and start working hard core on my core.  I took his advice, and found my favorite personal trainer and her business,  and i am so glad I did.  I did a boot camp style class, five days a week  at 5:15 in the morning and then cut back to three days a week with two days of yoga.  It was tough with a baby in the house and having to get up and feed in the night, but it was worth it.  It was at that time that two things happened, I found my BRF and I made a goal to run my first half.  Again, once I started running,  I was coached both nutritionally and physically.  For this training cycle, I ran four days a week, biked two days and took one day off completely.  

I ran my first half on 10/27/2013 and was again thoroughly hooked.  I wanted a new goal, a bigger goal this time.  I wasn't ready for marathons just yet, but I decided to do the Heartland Series, a series of 3 half marathons that are two weeks apart for two months.  I also wanted to do Hospital Hill which was in June.  

I was very worried about loosing my fitness over the winter,  so I had my coach make me a plan that included an entire winter of running.  I am type A, so I follow the plan like no body's business.  My plans are always well balanced.   I like speed work to a degree so I have some weeks where I have one day of speed work and the rest miles and some weeks where I do two days of speed work and the rest miles. I do one long run a week.  I completed all four half marathons without any issues, getting a PR in each successive one.  I can't wait to do it again this year too!  

I moved to running 5 days a week to get my body ready for marathon training after two nice long weeks off of NO running post Hospital Hill.  I started this plan in July and have had three nice big mileage months, 84 in July, 100 in August and 95 in September.  The pain started late august as I was long running out at Konza in preparation for the 25 K I was running out there end of September.  

I think these pictures illustrate the problem I am dealing with nicely.  I made them large so you can see how I run.  I have a very odd style of running but this is how God made me and I don't think we can ultimately fix it  (or at least that is what I have been told recently by the Ortho Dr).  I am ready and willing to try anything to keep running.  I have done some work with a thera band, and doing what I call the monster walk/squat to try and bring my legs more inward.  I did that for several months but have not recently.  I am open to doing and trying anything.  

I am beginning my third week of no running.  This article posted today by Remy's World made me happy to see that other runners did full months of no running, and did not loose their minds.  I did bike last week, biking around 37 miles total.  I did not feel pain during my bike rides, but it does not provide the high I get from running, which I am missing dearly.  I also have started a regime of advil, 2 every 4 hours for a total of 8 per day per my GP's advice.  I go back in to the Ortho on Oct 17th for a re check.  I feel like I need to be doing some sort of rehab in the mean time and have found some really good exercises online.  I still ice if there is pain, but I haven't really had the stabbing noticeably pain since probably Friday.  I hope that is a good sign and that means things are healing.  I want to go back to training but in a very smart and measured way.  I think that I can still be back strong for next april for the Heartland Series for sure.  Hope this clears up some confusion in some of the questions I have been getting.  

Doctor's Visits, Vet visits, and Rest, OH MY

It has been a crazy week both in life and at work. I havne't had a moment to sit and reflect, which may be a good thing.  After the pain I had monday, I decided that was the sign I needed to get the ball moving on seeing an ortho doctor.  Tuesday morning, while i was waiting to chaperone Andrew's field trip to kiddy barnyard, I made several calls to the ortho and my new GP.  As I think I wrote before, the Ortho called back and wanted to see me the next day.  Let's just say that visit was not pleasant.  While this guy is the best in the business, according to others, he has 0% bedside manners.  After sitting in a room by myself for almost an hour waiting, he blew in and was very rude to me and blew out before I could really ask any questions.  I had had x-rays while waiting, and I could see there was nothing on them that suggested a stress fracture, but i had also read they don't show up at the x-ray step.  Basically, the doctor told me that I had no business EVER running with the way my body was put together.

This is how I normally stand.  It's hard to get your natural stance when someone asks, so I am betting I am a little farther out normally than even this.  I walk like a penguin and I run like a penguin.  I have been told by my massage guy that my body will rebel at some point and will fail me.  He promised me though if I am smart about training and racing that we can keep it to a minimum and I can keep running.  The ortho doctor basically told me that I needed to find a new sport in a very snide and snarky way.  It broke my heart.  I am already dealing with not running, which is taking away my stress relief and runner's high, and now you tell me to give up this new activity that I LOVE???  REALLY?  It really was all i could do to keep from breaking down in that office.  

We scheduled an MRI for the next day to rule out stress fracture.  His concern was that the pain was not up and down my tibia but localized in one spot.  I was just ready to get a diagnosis, so we can start the rehab portion of this phase.  I know that my October half is no longer an option as is the 5 K i was suppose to run in this morning.  I know that my November races are probably also going to be a wash, well at least my half.  I am at peace with this and am ready to move forward.  

The MRI was easy.  I am very claustrophobic, so having an open MRI with only my lower half in made it easier.  Plus the tech was super nice and played me some heavy metal while I laid there.  It was funny though, have someone tell you to lay perfect still and all the sudden you feel like you HAVE to move.  I didn't know if I could make it for a full 30 minutes, but I did.  My quad was hopping like mad because of the position of my leg.  The doctor's nurse called me the next day with the results, no conclusive stress fracture, but the stress response had started.  We seemed to have caught it early enough that we can rehab it with rest and some biking and swimming.  Then a slow road back to fitness and mileage over a long period of time. I still haven't discussed the length of rehab or how to return to running.  I go back in, in two weeks for a re-check and I assume that is when we will determine a future course of action.  

In the meantime, this is my new best friend.  My boss gave me her bike trainer  and I can't wait to try it out with El Blanco.  While my heart wants to be outside running and I still glare at people as they run around my town, I know I will return and hopefully even stronger and smarter.  The biggest key to me right now is to identify what caused this, and make sure to never repeat it.  I tend to believe that I was fine till i started running out at Konza and on different terrain and on older shoes.  My coach and I have to sit down and talk with my massage guy and formulate a plan.  I am still unsure if I will have to go to PT or not.  I am honestly dreading the bills.  Between the ER hospital bill post Konza, the Ortho Dr and MRI, we are going to be hit pretty hard, even with insurance.  On top of that, two of my dogs have had to go to the vet this week, one the emergency vet with an overnight stay,  and one to get allergy testing since we can't get his allergies under control.  The Lord provides so I am trying to not worry.  I did also see my GP this week because I didn't want to cancel out from her after my Ortho got me in so quickly.  I had a great conversation with her (she is a big runner too) and we went over specific questions for the Ortho, that I needed to be on anti-inflammatories during the two weeks I was off of my leg, and that I needed to go the ER the night after Konza (because honestly the doctor that night made me feel like I was stupid for coming in).  I was really nervous about finding a new GP after mine left her practice but now I am so excited to have a home town doctor that I really, really like.  Heck, I was in the room with her for almost an hour and that is unheard of these days with doctors!  

I am looking forward to a nice weekend of cooler weather and long bike rides.  Hope you have a great weekend too.