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Today my heart feels a little heavy about some things going on in life; things I have no control over, and things I just need to sit and wait to see where it all falls. It’s frustrating to have things like that, isn’t it? In light of that, today’s post is going to be a bit more lighthearted. Here are a few facts.
1. I am happy that even in the midst of the tougher things in life, we still have the opportunity to be thankful for things. Right now, I’m specifically thankful for a few things: the deep support and love from various family and friends, my cat (always there to love and put a smile on my face!), time to be out working in the yard, sunshine, a faith and a God to lean on, stupid reality TV that allows me to forget about life for a bit, and technology so I still have the opportunity to talk to my brother who is playing soccer in Europe right now.
2. This weekend I’m visiting one of my good friends. We worked at a camp together in 2005, and I’ve seen her three times since then for a total of less than 70 hours. This time I’m spending the weekend with her and I’m so excited! I’ve spent about the least amount of time with her of any of my friends, but she’s one of my very great friends. We have so many life experiences in common.
3. Fact. I have the best cat in the world. He’s more like a dog mixed with a baby. He’s awesome and gives me hugs and follows me all over the place and loves me more than I thought an animal ever could. He’s one of my best buddies 🙂
4. This summer has been both much worse than I thought it would be and better in some ways than I thought it would be. Lots of surprises and curve balls, but that’s what keeps life interesting…. right?
5. This summer I REALLY really fell in love with biking. I found a trail that I really love, but I wish I lived closer to it so I could regularly bike there!
6. I’ve read more this summer than any summer since before 2000. Impressive, right?
7. I LOVE LOVE LOVE summer and wish I could go back to the end of May and do it all again.
Now it’s your turn to share! Tell me a fact about your life right now? Have you found a “new love” in something that you enjoy doing over the last few months?
The trail itself is pretty nice, and a number of places seemed to be new. It follows an old railroad track, and at bridges you can see some of the original infrastructure. The trail runs right alongside a river, and the whole ride we could see people on inner tubes floating on the river (how fun is that for a weekend activity?!). Along the trail there are also a few small, quaint little towns that are fun to explore. In Lanesboro (10 miles into the ride) we stopped to eat a small, quick lunch, then continued on our way. We turned around at about mile 16.5 and headed back to the town of Whalen to stop at the Aroma Pie Shop (we were 18 miles into the ride at this point) to get some delicious homemade pie. The three of us each got a pie (Blueberry Peach, Strawberry Rhubarb, and Strawberry Mango), and split the pieces into thirds to enjoy them. After 18 miles of biking, the pie was absolutely delicious! It’s definitely worth the stop if you are in the area!
5 miles later we were back at Lanesboro (23 miles into ride) and I started to feel a bit dizzy. It was getting pretty warm out, and I started to get dizzy because my POTS was acting up. My hands were all shaky and I could tell my heart rate was getting a bit weird. I knew I immediately needed some salt to help with my blood pressure, so I found a little sandwich shop that had packets of salt. I grabbed a few and immediately ate 2 of the packages of salt (with lots of water), and put an extra packet into the bottle of gatorade. I took about 10 minutes to walk around a cute little shop, and then I was feeling much better.
We set out on our final 10 miles home, and I was surprised that, despite going farther than I ever have before on the bike, I wasn’t really feeling that tired. I think this had to do with the bike I was riding. I’ve trained on a heavy (30+ pounds) bike, so I’m used to doing hills and long rides with that. That Saturday I was on a borrowed bike that weighed about 15 pounds, and the lighter frame made a HUGE difference. Despite going up several hills, I never FELT like I was going up hills since I was flying without the heavy bike. I can’t believe that a bike can make that big of a difference!
In total I went 33 miles, and I had a really great time. The trail itself was absolutely beautiful, and provided great shade in the hot sun. There are little restaurants, hotels, and real bathrooms (no Porta Potties!) along the trail, and it really is the perfect weekend activity! Despite the fact that I had a small hiccup with POTS, I was really happy with ride and wished that we had the time to go a bit farther.
So, I’ve hit a new accomplishment this summer: 33 miles on the bike!
Stay tuned– I have another knew PDR to talk about soon!
Well. I’m another year older as my birthday was yesterday, the 6th. I have to admit, I’m not a huge fan of seeing my age slowly tick higher and higher. But then, as I was running today, I was thinking that on my birthday 3 years ago, I couldn’t even run half a mile. So, while I am three years older than at that time, my body is so much stronger and healthier than then… so that sort of makes me younger, right? 🙂
My day was pretty great. My mom had to teach a Pilates class first thing in the morning, so I went to her class to spend a little time with her. After that I went on my annual Birthday run. I did a 5K run,and counted that as my Birthday Bash virtual race. It was pretty humid outside, so my pace was a little slower than usual, but for my birthday runs I never like to go fast anyways. I like to take time to think about the last year of my life, and appreciate what my body has done for me over the last twelve months. The run was fun.
After running I went out for a delicious Greek lunch, and they sang to me and I got a free Greek dessert! I laid outside for about an hour and read, and then did a few errands and chores around the house. Then I went on a bike ride with my family, followed by dinner and cupcakes (the same I had last year!) with my family and my sweet neighbor who has been, in many ways, like a grandparent to me (and has known me since I was 2). The day has been filled with texts, facebook messages, tweets, and phone calls from friends and family members, and it’s been fun to connect to so many people in my life today! That’s one nice thing about birthdays- you get the chance to hear from and connect with people that you might not have for a few months.
Now I’m sneaking in a few minutes of Shark Week before I head to bed. I’m thankful to have been given another year of life, and am excited to see where this year goes!
Do you do an annual birthday run? Is there an activity that you really love to do on your birthday? (I’ve always been happy that my birthday is in the summer so I can spend the day outdoors!)
I took this picture a few days after the race. The circle outlines the knot; as you can see it was pretty big.
I wore an Ace bandage for about two weeks and didn’t run, and within two weeks the knot went away and it wasn’t so painful anymore. I decided that I wouldn’t go to sports medicine unless it got worse. On and off throughout the summer it would hurt, but I wrapped it faithfully and used ice massage after working out. It did fine until I went to Florida. There, I walked barefoot on the beach every day, and didn’t ice or wrap. Then I came home and spent an intense weekend doing pilates barre, and again, no icing and wrapping. That week after the pain flared up again in my ankle and the knot was back. I had a hunch that it was tendonitis, but I wanted to make sure it wasn’t something worse (like a stress fracture), so I finally made an appointment to head to sports medicine.
My appointment was a week ago, and I was diagnosed with posterior tibilal tendinitis, which is basically just an inflammation of the tendon seen below:
It could be better, it could be worse. I’m bummed about the diagnosis, but i also recognize that there are lots of things that could be worse, and so I feel pretty mixed about the whole thing. After finding out what was up, I nervously asked the doctor what it meant for exercising, especially running. GOOD NEWS he said- “you can run as you’d like as long as you listen to the pain and back off when you need”.
Here’s the plan:
- Physical Therapy- I went last Wednesday and received a few strengthening exercises for the ankle area.
- Orthotics- I have had orthotics since March, but had only walked in them up until my appointment. I’ve done one run in them since my appointment and they didn’t bother me at all. I will wear these as I train for my next race. This provides support and takes some of the pressure off of that tendon as it keeps my foot more in line and doesn’t allow the arch to collapse on impact (This should also help the IT band pain that I experience. Here’s hoping!).
- RICE- I’m doing ice massage a few times each day, as well as wrapping my ankle with a simple ACE bandage after workouts and when my ankle hurts. I’m sure this will help as it helped during the first part of summer.
- Continue to rely on cross training- I love all sorts of exercising, so only running 1 or 2 days a week doesn’t bother me. Cross training will help to take away the impact on that tendon from running.
- Listen to my body and don’t try to be a hero. If my ankle feels great, I’ll run. If I start to run and it’s very clear that my ankle isn’t having it, I’ll listen to my body and rest it. No need to be a hero and push through, only to inflame it worse.
So, that’s the plan right now. I have good hope that I will be able to continue running and walking as I heal, but I’m sure each day and week will vary (just like it has throughout the summer).
I’m thankful for different friends who understand the various things I’m going through in my life. We definitely aren’t meant to do this life alone, and our community of friends and family can be truly fantastic. I’m so thankful for friends who totally “get” the things that I’m going through or processing.
I’m thankful for the warm summer rays of sunshine. YES YES YES. We had a very cold weekend (I’m talking 50’s and rainy- BOO!!), but this week has been beautiful and sunny and in the 80’s again. I love the sunshine.
I’m thankful for the yards I get to care for throughout the summer. I take care of one of my neighbor’s yards throughout the summer, and I’m so thankful for all the extra space to get to be outdoors and take care of the lawn!
I’m thankful for great surprises. When summer started, I had no idea that I would have my certification for being a Pilates Barre Instructor before it ended! I love the good surprising twists and turns that life can take!
I’m thankful for homemade peach jam. The last two days I’ve made two delicious batches of peach jam. Not only do I enjoy the process of actually making the jam, but I also enjoy getting to eat it over the next 12 months 🙂
Now it’s your turn to share! What are you feeling thankful for today? What’s one of your favorite “unique” food items that you make?
So. I have some pretty exciting news…
I think i’ve mentioned a few times on the blog that I used to be a dancer. Dancing meant at least an hour or hour and a half every single week was spent at the barre doing all sorts of exercises. I didn’t love it so much at the time, but once I stopped dancing I really loved it! I also really love cardio and I love doing pilates. When I realized that there was a fitness class that encompassed all three of these loves, I knew I needed to jump on that train as fast as I could!
The weekend of July 19th I headed to Minneapolis, Minnesota to complete my Pilates Barre Instructor Training! Those three days were intense, and some of my favorite days of this summer! Each day we started our training off with an intense hour long barre class that left me shaking and dripping with sweat. The rest of the day was spent going through a very big binder of exercises, discussing proper form, cueing, and modifications in case of injury. We practiced each exercise multiple times, so it felt like hours and hours of exercise each day. I left each night with a head full of knowledge and a body full of aches. Every morning I woke up in even more pain, but excited for another day of training!
Like I said, these were 3 of my favorite days of the summer. I love getting to mix 3 forms of exercise that I really enjoy into a class that is fun and a great workout! Not only do I feel that becoming an instructor has dramatically improved my own practice, but also I’m excited to be able to pass this love onto others as well! I’m also excited to put this form of exercise into my next half marathon training cycle!
Since this all happened so quickly, I haven’t even looked for a place to teach yet, although I plan to do that soon. Right now, I am enjoying creating some class plans and continuing to practice myself!
Now it’s your turn to share! If you could get one certification (in ANY area of life), what would it be? Have you ever done a barre class (or, specifically, a pilates barre class)?
Disclaimer: I was offered a free bib by Color Me Rad in exchange for talking about this race on various social media outlets.
I’ve seen the pictures on Facebook. Friends clean and in white clothes, excited to race, as well as friends covered in their newly dyed outfits at the end of their 5k run. When Color Me Rad reached out to some of the Sweat Pink Ambassadors about running their race, I knew I needed to immediately sign up (I’d been planning to do a “fun run” as one of my 13 races in 2013, but hadn’t decided on which one yet). I’ve wanted to run this race for a number of months now, and I’m excited to say that I’ll be running the Color Me Rad 5k in Indianapolis in September! I can’t want to run through the clouds of color and have a fantastic time on race day!
Here’s the exciting news for each of you! For those of you who want the chance to run a Color Me Rad race, I have a promo code for 20% off the registration price for any race location! This code will run from Monday July 29th- Wednesday July 31st. Just enter the code “radfun” into the code line when you go to register!
Here are a few places you can connect with the great people at Color Me Rad:
Happy Friday! This week seems to have zipped by so quickly! I want July to SLOW IT DOWN because I really love summer. I thought I’d post a few random Friday facts today:
1. I step back a bit from my blog in the summer, and I really like that. I think it helps me avoid burnout, and it gives me the chance to take a little breather. I miss it a little, but I also love all the extra free time to be outside.
2. I LOVE to be outside. I’d be outside most of every single day if I could be!
3. I’ve decided that I really do enjoy weeding. Weird, right? I’m pretty sure I know no one who loves to weed as much as I do. It meets my need for creating order and getting stuff done, and I love the time outside (see above) to listen to podcasts! Seeing huge areas cleaned from weeds brings happiness to my heart. It’s the little things…
4. I ran 4 miles this morning and it was the longest distance I’ve gone since my half marathon in May. I felt great while running and it was good to hit a distance longer than a 5k!
5. I finally bit the bullet and am heading to sports medicine on Monday. More on that to come.
6. I’ve fallen in love with pilates barre classes this summer. I have some exciting news coming up next week on that!
7. My dad recently asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and I said “my youth”. Sadly, I’m thinking he will not be able to give that back to me.
8. If I had to repeat any year of grade school K-12, I would probably choose to repeat 10th grade. I cemented a great group of friends that year, I hadn’t been diagnosed with POTS yet, and had a blast spending all fall rehearsing for our school’s musical. We had someone come out from Broadway to choreograph and I danced hours and hours every week. That being said, I definitely don’t miss high school much at all.
9. I have a cousin who is 5 months younger than me, and we text almost every day. We were always great friends growing up, and regularly wrote letters and called one another throughout the years. She’s training for her 3rd triathlon right now, so it’s fun to talk training with her now as well!
10. I both attended camp and worked at camp every summer from age 8- my sophomore year of college. The last few years I spent about 6 weeks every summer up there, and even today I still miss camp almost every day in the summer. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and even when I have a blast in the summers, something still feels a little empty without some good campfires and canoeing on the lake.
Now it’s your turn to share! Tell me a fun fact about you? Have you started to enjoy a new type of exercise this summer? What is one of your favorite memories of summer while growing up?
Clockwise from Top Left: 1: Sunset the first night! I never get tired of them! 2: Dolphins! I went out boating with my relatives and there were 7 dolphins swimming around and under the boat. So cool! 3: Out at the pool! 4: Kayaking
1: Amazing Honey Chicken Salad from a restaurant called Mangos! YUMMY! 2: Out of control humidity and heat meant constant sweating and absolutely no beach runs this trip 🙁 3: I wish I could build a tiki hut in my house! 4: Sunset!
1: Smallpox has always been an interesting subject for me, so as soon as I spotted a book on the eradication efforts in India, I snatched it up and read it by the pool! 2: Fourth of July Fireworks. I talked more about the 4th here. 3: More sunset! 4: A sand castle snowman in a bikini! Cute.
1: A bald eagle/American flag sand creation. 2: Early morning walk on the beach. 3: sunset! 4: A lightning storm in the clouds! So cool looking!
1: HUGE snails come out after the sunset. 2: These sunsets were unreal. Oh yeah- no filters on any of these pictures by the way! 3: sunset 4: View of the marina at the Esplanade where Mangoes Restaurant is
I mentioned that I had extended and immediate family down there, and it was so fantastic to see all of them! I mentioned that I didn’t end up running on the beach at all while there. I’m so sad because I really love to run down there, but it was just too hot and humid and it would’ve been especially unsafe due to POTS. In order to still get some exercise, I walked every day on the beach (the views make the walks AMAZING!), and tried a new-to-me exercise: pool running! This was the perfect way to still “run” and get cardio while making sure that I didn’t overheat at all. Win-win!
Other than that, most of my days included a 4 mile walk on the beach, sitting out and reading at the pool, and swimming out at the ocean. However, the last few days the beach was inundated with baby jellyfish and multiple people were getting stung, so I didn’t go in the ocean at all those days! The days are leisurely there, and I love them!
Now it’s your turn to share! Do you have a favorite vacation place you’ve gone to multiple times? What’s your favorite thing to do on vacation?
