Really?

I had a bad week that culminated in two people over the past two days asking, "When are you due?" I still want to curl up and cry.

Sick

I am just ON HOLD! Not DERAILED!

I'm going to pick back up with the first workout of Week 5 just as soon as I can function as a normal human being again. Hopefully Monday; expecting Tuesday.

C25K Week 5

I start Week 5 this week, and I am more than a little intimidated. This Saturday, I should be running 20 minutes straight. Yikes!

I'm still sore/tired from last Saturday's run, but I think I've just got an overall funk. There seems to be a super-mild flu going around at daycare, and I think I've got it. I refuse to get derailed, though!

Catching Up

So mostly I've been sick or pigging out for the holidays since I last posted. After that last really inspiring post, I did get moving again... until I got sick. (Excuses, excuses!)

11/22/09 - c25k Week 1 run
11/26/09 - c25k Week 1 run
...
...
...
1/13/2010 - 2000 steps (~1 mile) Wii Fit free step (I still weighed about the same as last time.)

I need a plan. It needs to be flexible, but I need a starting point. For now, I'm just trying to get back into the "do SOMETHING" mindset.

Here are my options, as I currently see them:

1. morning - relies on Bryan taking the boys to daycare so I can be working by 9 or so. Lately, I've been taking the boys a lot or going back to sleep to make it through the day. Or, you know, showering.
   
2. lunch - I'm HUNGRY at lunch! This would take planning a mid-morning snack substantial enough to last through a workout. Then a lunch I could eat at my desk.
3. night - needs to be after the boys are in bed and at home. Again with where do I fit in eating?
   

I Suck

The End. I hate being a flake. But I guess I like sitting on the couch more.

Will Friday be the day I "run" again?

HOT

Obviously, I haven't been running. It is so hot outside that I can barely stand, let alone run. It's hot when I wake up, and it's hot when the sun goes down.

It's just not going to happen.

So... I need a new plan. I don't have a treadmill, gym membership, or the current pocket money for either. I still want a Wii Fit, but I'm needing to save for that, too.

Any ideas for air-conditioned, pretty close to free, fun ways to keep moving? I wonder if my old Tai Bo VHS tapes still work.

Tips for Shin Splints

Most distance runners land on their heels or midfoot and roll forward to the toe. Running up on the toes, by contrast, tends to be the form of sprinters. You'll find that if you try to run on your toes for too far that your shins will probably start hurting and your calves will get tight. (link)

Many new runners are preoccupied with their breathing as they run their first few miles. We get questions about whether it's best to breathe in through the mouth or through the nose ...
Don't worry about it ... You've been breathing all your life, and your body will figure out the best way to get the air it needs. Just breathe as naturally as possible and put it out of your mind. (link)

Do your best to stay off the pavement, or you may find your legs punishing you with shin splints. (link) [I can't wait for the jogging trail behind our house to be finished!]

For shin splints, there are a number of steps you can take to speed recovery.
first, to reduce the pain, ice your lower legs after you run. Use a commercial freeze-pack that you can wrap around your leg (or just put a wet towel in the freezer before you go out for a run). Keep the ice wrap on for ten to fifteen minutes, keeping your foot elevated. To help reduce the inflammation further, take aspirin or ibuprofen with food. Never take it on an empty stomach or before running. In the evening or at bedtime wrap a heating pad around your leg and put it on a low setting.
Cut back on your running. If you can stand it, you might consider taking a few days off altogether. The important thing is not to run through the pain. You'll only make it worse. (link)

Do wall pushups, and be particularly careful not to overstretch; ease into your stretches gradually. Do these several times a day, and especially before and after you run. To strengthen your front leg muscles, try the foot press and the furniture lift. (link)

Still out of Commission

Now I can feel a knot where JTC stepped on my leg. I guess it was swollen before that I didn't feel it?

Will I be back to square one WHEN I start again? I guess that's better than square zero!

Behind Already?

I'm frustrated today because this is the second run I'm missed. I have a lot of excuses today, but the only one I can't squash is the pain in my leg. I'm pretty sure it's just a shin splint, but the dull pain has been consistent since the other night when JTC stepped on it. Pushing on where it hurts feels like touching a deep bruise.

I'll hopefully be back on track for Wednesday morning. I'll try the Week2 workout again.

Ouch

Last night, I was sitting cross-legged on the floor, and JTC stepped on the inside of my right lower leg. Something... twisted. Ouch. Is it too late for ice?

I had hoped to do my Week2, Day2 run this morning after taking the boys to daycare, but it was a rough morning. Besides that part of my leg still hurting, I was both pooped and peed on. It was already 9:00 and time to work by the time I got the boys to school.

Bryan is out of town, so I'm not sure how I'm going to get my run done tomorrow morning. I may have to sub in a Gazelle workout again. I want to do something to keep my momentum.

Skipping is a slippery slope!