Finally Spring!

Leaf alert!  It took forever this year, but we actually have some leaves on most of the trees.  Some are very small, but we've finally made it to the point where it just gets better from here.  The tiniest leaves appear one day, and in less than a week we have shade again.  The hostas poke out of the ground one day and then grow several inches every day until the world is lush and green.  Better late than never!

All in God's good timing, I suppose!  And speaking of timing, I begged for received a Garmin Forerunner 10 (aka fancy GPS running watch) for Mother's Day!  It's done a great job so far of showing me how inconsistent my pace can be when I run outside.  It's really fun having all those geeky details about my run right at my fingertips.  And there are even more geeky details to be found once I get home and plug it into the computer.

I'm sure you're all surprised to find that I approach running very scientifically.  Not that mentioning I had changed my breathing style to avoid injury would have given you a clue!  I'm sure I'll have much more to say about my Garmin once I've gotten to know it a bit better.  But three runs in I think it is so fun to know how far I've gone without being on the treadmill in the basement!

The first run with my fancy watch!
 (And my longest run since last August.)

It's a super busy week here, so that will have to be all for now!  I need to spend time making an exit plan for the school year...

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven...(Ecclesiastes 3:1, ESV)

Too Amazing for Words...

The weather here went from this last Monday and Tuesday:

 To this on Thursday:

And, in addition to the weather becoming suddenly glorious with temperatures in the 70's, we did all of this:

John turned 12!

David

Anna and David went to their first formal!

Anna

And, in case that wasn't enough fun, the whole family went to a Twins game on Saturday, where the glorious weather continued and the Twins even won!

There was a cowboy hat giveaway, so now we have 7 of those!

Today the weather is so nice that we are having a bonfire tonight for Daniel's 10th birthday.  I was even inspired to clean the six months' worth of grime from the screened porch, where I am sitting now, enjoying, guess what? The glorious weather! 

Happy Birthday Daniel!

And if that isn't really enough about how great our last few days have been around here, I have also taken two outside runs.  I've left the squishy safety of the treadmill and have managed well so far on the hard asphalt, 3 miles each time.  This is a big milestone and I am so excited!

Someone needs a tan!

That's all for now!  Life is Different Here this week, and I am so thankful!

Running Smarter (?) : What's Different

I mentioned that I was thinking differently about my running after that nasty tibial stress fracture.  At one point after almost three months on crutches, about the time we were really thinking I'd be heading into surgery sometime soon, Edwin looked at me and said, "I think you'd be crazy to ever run again."  I almost agreed with him at that point!  But one of the many things I learned while injured is that I had really (finally) learned to love running, and I definitely missed that part of my life.

My original training plan for last summer's half marathon has been studied and re-studied, and it was declared to be a reasonable, fine plan.  Theoretically, I did everything right.  And I still ended up with a major injury.  I'm not sure if that is supposed to make me feel better or not!  All I can do now is follow an improved plan, and hope and pray that I can continue to be a longer-distance runner.

Here are some of the things that are different now:

• This time I will listen to my body a little more closely!  What I gained in mental toughness was lost in time off for an injury that I ignored for too long.  Sometimes vigorous exercise causes pain; I get that.  But I hope that now I can tell the difference between general soreness and pinpoint, severe pain.  Lesson learned. I hope.
• This time I will not continue to push towards a goal race if, at the last minute, it seems best for me not to run.  I really thought that time off after the race would make everything better.  But the reality is that those extra 13.1 miles surely added to my time on crutches.

  

  [Source]

• This time I am cross-training. Really, this time.  I've been riding the exercise bike two or three times a week in addition to running three times, and that's building up my leg strength and adding to my cardiovascular endurance while keeping the weight off of that tibia.  Combine that with listening to my body and that means that some days when I want to run I end up biking because I am feeling that familiar spot on my shin bone a little too much.  And if it ever stops snowing I will really enjoy riding my almost-brand-new bike that's been collecting dust for way too long now!
• This time I am doing push-ups and a bit of strength work.  I will try to increase this with time, but I am still amazed at how wimpy my upper body was.  The first four weeks on crutches nearly killed me because I was not strong at all.  I'm working on that now.

  

  Now I can do 10! [From Pinterest]

• This time I am stretching much more deliberately.  I've always stretched, but I have noticed a difference since I've been timing myself to stretch longer.  And I can tell the next day, so I'm becoming a believer!
• This time I am trying to breathe differently.  This is hard because I am addicted to running with music, and the breathing advice I am trying to follow is decidedly off-beat.  IN-2-3-OUT-2, IN-2-3-OUT-2, IN-2-3-OUT-2.  I read about it here.  The whole thing is based on the fact that your core is weakest while you are exhaling, and some stress injuries occur because most of us breath in such a way that we are always exhaling while putting weight on our dominant leg.  So the five-count inhale/exhale process means that you exhale on the right leg this time, then the left leg next time.  It's worth a try as far as I'm concerned.  And I am getting used to it.

Well, that's more than enough for now.  I do hope to take an actual outdoor run for the first time in a very long while one of these days soon.  For now we're having an April Blizzard!  One last (I hope) picture of the current view from my front door...

April 18, 2013

Are you still having winter??

Do you love to run on the treadmill like I do??

Do you listen to music when you run??

Boston Marathon Tragedy: Life Is Different There

Psalm 56

Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;

all day long an attacker oppresses me;

my enemies trample on me all day long,

for many attack me proudly.

When I am afraid,

I put my trust in you.

In God, whose word I praise,

in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.

What can flesh do to me?

All day long they injure my cause;

all their thoughts are against me for evil.

They stir up strife, they lurk;

they watch my steps,

as they have waited for my life.

For their crime will they escape?

In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!

You have kept count of my tossings;

put my tears in your bottle.

Are they not in your book?

Then my enemies will turn back

in the day when I call.

This I know, that God is for me.

In God, whose word I praise,

in the Lord, whose word I praise,

in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

I must perform my vows to you, O God;

I will render thank offerings to you.

For you have delivered my soul from death,

yes, my feet from falling,

that I may walk before God

in the light of life. 

Starting Over: How Life Is Different Here Now (The Summary)

To say it's been a while is an understatement.  One measly post with some mediocre pictures stood in for my usual string of winter complaints.  Maybe that's a good thing.  If I'm going to complain about winter in Minnesota I can at least not publish it for the world 10 people (5?) who read my blog to see.  I'd love to report that winter is over and spring is here and all is well with the weather world, but, alas, we got a big snow in almost-mid-April, right after nearly all the snow in our yard had melted...

The family is doing great.  The kids are all racing to outgrow me and eating us out of house and home.  Here are a couple of pictures from our Easter hike at Minnehaha Falls.  It's what Easter looked like in Minnesota this year, and it's another example of how Life Is Different Here:

I hope to begin writing again; time will tell if I follow through.  I decided to pop in today for a short post because I feel like I have arrived at a running milestone following that pesky running injury.  Here's the summary of the last nine months or so, as it relates to running anyway!

• 4 weeks of running through the pain (including my first half-marathon)
• 4 weeks of hoping to get better (but getting worse)
• 13 weeks of non-weight-bearing crutches
• 5 weeks of remembering how to walk without limping
• 15 weeks of retraining: walking, biking, & running
• Today: Ran 3 miles, all in a row, under 30 minutes.  Feeling done with the tibial stress fracture!
• Enjoying pain-free running again, feeling very thankful...

I've been thinking a lot about what should be different in my training this time around.  I really don't want another injury! I have made a few changes and I am definitely on alert for signs of trouble, taking the whole "listen to your body" thing much more seriously now. 

More on how Life Is Different Here coming soon!

Just in Time

Since the scenery has changed so much I thought the blog deserved an update.  I first need to say just how thankful I am that I have actually been off crutches and back to walking for exactly two weeks now.  It still feels like a miracle to me, since I really thought I would be getting a tibial rod for Christmas this year.  But the MRI results showed a huge improvement that couldn't be seen on an x-ray, and the actual results of me putting lots of weight on my leg have convinced me it must be much better.

Walking again after being one-legged for 13 weeks wasn't exactly fun.  It was a bit depressing to realize just how weak that leg had become and how much cardiovascular fitness I lost in that time.  But as I had long-since determined, I am not a good sedentary person, and that caused me to be so much happier moving around on my own despite the pain.  And it's already so. much. better.  Better enough for me to have spent two evenings standing around in high heels at the company Christmas parties (Yes, that is plural.  The company has grown so much it had two parties and we got to go to both!).  Yes, I felt that big time but was so happy to do it.

And yesterday I rode the exercise bike!  Today I walked a whole mile on the treadmill (in 20 minutes - gotta start somewhere!).  So the official rehab has begun.  This winter will be full of the exercise bike, walking and eventually running on the treadmill, and building up my leg strength.  No road running for a good while, and probably no skiing for me this winter.  The only reason I say "probably" is that winter is very long, and a lot can improve between now and March, so who knows?

I have to say that I really learned a lot from this whole stress fracture season of my life.  I am sure I will realize more as time goes by, but my main impression is how God always takes care of His children and works for their good.  He does not give us more than we can handle, though it may seem that way at times.  I am so proud of the way my kids stepped up to help the last three months!  And Edwin got so used to doing a million things a day for me that he is still doing some of them.  I am blessed to have them!  And so happy to be back on my two feet, just in time for Christmas.  Not a moment too soon for my sanity as well!

An Open Letter to My Tibia:

Get it together, please.  I know I mistreated you.  I should have realized you were broken before running that half-marathon; I know that now.  And I am very, very sorry.  But really, you've had enough time in the spotlight.

A 10 week vacation is more than sufficient, don't you think?  I'm willing to throw in a few more weeks just to get you strong again.  But just because you are the great weight-bearer on the right side does not mean you should have as much time off as you please.  And, wow! do my arms have a bone to pick with you.  They were not designed to carry the whole load like you were, and they are ready to "hand" the job back over to you.  So quit your whining and aching, and get to work repairing yourself.  I know you have osteoblasts and plenty of calcium, vitamin D and the whole bit.

Listen, tibia, and take me seriously.  Dr. Sports Medicine and Dr. Orthopedic Surgeon have a back-up plan if you don't get it together pretty soon, and I am sure you will not like it.  Do the whole body a favor and fix yourself while you still can. 

Thanks in advance,
Me

The Longer Haul

Now that I have declared this blog to not be a play by play of my family's life, here's another update (Maybe now that my guilt is relieved from admitting it I will be more likely to actually update!).  I mentioned in the last post that my "shin splint" situation was improving and I was hoping to run again soon.  But, alas, that is not the case.  A few days after writing that our family went bowling with some friends from church and I realized, after attempting to jump up & down to celebrate a great bowling achievement, that all was not at all well with my leg.  So the next day I called Dr. Sports Medicine and made an appointment.  He took some x-rays and presented me with the bad news that I appear to have a stress fracture of my tibia (shin bone).  Ugh.  No wonder is wasn't improving as fast as I'd hope.

The problem with the tibia is that it is a weight-bearing bone, and it does not really heal well as long as I continue to put all (or nearly half, anyway) of my weight on it.  Dr. Sports Medicine's solution? Crutches for the next two weeks and then a recheck.  No weight on the weight-bearing bone at all.  Well, we managed to survive the two weeks, but I knew all along that my leg did not seem much-improved.  I was not surprised that Dr. Sports Medicine said I would need to stay on the crutches a while longer, maybe as long as two months, but I was disappointed! 

I had an MRI, my first one ever, and what the doctor said was confirmed: I essentially have a broken leg, though it is not a complete fracture.  And the "stress reaction" encompasses 50% of the bone.  And the fracture is in a location where surgery is often required if the fracture is complete.  Dr. Sports Medicine doesn't think I will need surgery, but he wants me to see Dr. Orthopaedic Surgeon to get her opinion in the matter.

But I am leaving for a nice beach vacation tomorrow, I say.  No worries, he replies, you can see the surgeon after you get back, you need to be on the crutches at least that long anyway...

It was at this point that I realized this is no short-term matter.  I have actually found the long haul.  I knew that training for the half-marathon was going to require patience, endurance, and perseverance.  I knew there would be pain involved, too.  But I could not have predicted that what happened at the end of the training would be an even better opportunity for me to work on those qualities that I knew I lacked.

I have whined and complained about my crutches.  It has been a big adjustment for our family - Mom can't walk around, carry things, or face the grocery store.  But clearly two weeks wasn't long enough, because it wasn't until after that that I realized that I must move on to accepting, and even being grateful for my affliction.  I knew from the beginning that this is really a mild affliction by comparison to all the horrific things so many people are going through.  God is being kind to me to teach me some patience through this small thing.  But it is still my small thing, and I must trust Him to get me through it.  And hopefully I will do a little better at that in the weeks ahead!

I do hope to run again.  It is sad to see my little exercise ticker lady stopped at 353 miles.  She will surely not make it to her goal of 700 miles for the year.  Oh well.  God is in charge of my life and my legs, and He surely has a plan for me that does not involve running, at least for a time.  So for now I will focus on what I can do, and keep learning how to ask for and receive help gratefully. Superwoman I am not!

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. (James 1:2-3 ESV)

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17 ESV)

Image is Everything

Thanks to the Tribe James blog for this one!

The Long Haul

I did it.  I registered for the Minnesota Half Marathon, which means that I will be running 13.1 miles on August 4, 2012.  Actually, according to my training plan I will run 13 miles two times before that, so it should be a piece of cake!

The reality is I am not a very patient person.  And the sort of training plan I am following looks like 22 weeks of training in patience.  I guess that's what running the longer distance will be about for me.  Patience.  Endurance.  Perseverance.  All of that should be good for me!

I have now added an exercise ticker at the bottom of the blog, just a little lady who is chugging along to a 700 mile goal.  I can't even think about how far that seems right now, though I think it is a realistic goal for me this year, Lord-willing, if I stay healthy (and don't suddenly begin to hate running).  I'll try to keep it updated, and if you think of it you can pray for me along the way.  Patience.  Endurance.  Perserverance.  And most of all, dependence on God in this and all that I try to do!

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
(Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV)

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Polar Bear Plunge: Dash & Splash

Tomorrow is the big day that Edwin, along with a team of coworkers, is taking the plunge into a hole in the ice of Lake Calhoun.  It's the Polar Bear Plunge: Dash & Splash, a fund-raising event for The Special Olympics.  There is a 5K run (which I am joining in for) - the Dash - followed by lots and lots of possibly crazy folks (not including me!) taking the plunge - the Splash - into a hole in the ice on the lake.  And if you are thinking that water will be freezing (literally!), you are exactly right!  The outdoor temperature will be somewhere between 20 and 30, the water temperature will be hovering around 32, and the trip to the warming tent afterwards will be slippery, icy, and don't-touch-your-frozen-hair-or-you-might-break-it-off-just-plain-freezing-cold!

I will post some pictures next week.  It's sure to be a spectacle, with famous, or at least locally famous, folks like Christian Ponder and Tim Mahoney, and who knows who else.  All freezin' for a reason.  Should be fun!

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up with String

This morning, I took a rare-for-December outdoor run, since it was only 31 degrees and we still have no snow to worry about!  This afternoon, my new treadmill was delivered.  You can see in the photo just how far from the front door the 300 pound box has been moved.  Getting it to its new home in the basement and assembling it will be a bit of a workout in itself.

So the story of the love-hate realtionship I have with the treadmill has come full circle now.  I am ready to face the indoor running again as soon as the real winter comes (as it surely will, even if not before Christmas).  And I hope the "hate" part of the relationship will lessen, since I now have a nice treadmill instead of the scary, it-might-throw-you-off-any-time one I used to have.  I know I will still be glad to run outside when spring comes, but for now I am pretty excited about being able to do some more specific training because of the speed and incline control, as well as the easy distance measuring. 

Should be fun!  As soon as we get that huge box down the basement stairs, anyway!

Yes, my foyer tile is that ugly!

Yes, this picture is upside-down!

I am Free to Run

May 2nd already, yet I awoke to 31 degrees and gloom.  Everytime I pull on my winter running pants I think surely this will be the last time I wear them this year.  After seeing Edwin off to work I get a text from him: "It's snowing."  "Ugh" is my reply.  Now we are two for two days of snow flurries in May.  I decide I will run anyway and grab a baseball cap in case it turns to rain before I get back.  Though complaining about the weather again in my heart if not aloud, I head out the door.

Surprisingly, or better yet mercifully, I begin to feel better as soon as the fresh air hits my lungs, despite the snow I can see on my jacket.  It's windy but the snow is more like small styrofoam balls and I don't seem to be getting wet.  And 31 is not that cold if you are moving.

Then I begin to pray, something I usually do while I am running though it is not the ideal prayer time - there is the music, the traffic, and the breathing to worry about after all.  I thank God for the day, confess my sins (including the complaining), and begin to pray for the victims of the devastating tornadoes last week in Alabama, my home state.  I am so thankful my family and friends were spared, yet it saddens me greatly to realize how many homes, businesses, trees, and people are gone.

This is when it hits me (I am sure I would have had this realization much sooner if I were not here, so many miles away from the disaster.) - my house is still standing, warm and full of groceries.  My husband is at work, our power is on, we will have a full day of school, cook three meals, do the laundry.  The hardest thing I have to do today is probably this run, and I have chosen to do it because I enjoy it.  I will not spend today sifting through piles that used to be my home, hoping to find my children's clothes.  And I should be very, very thankful to be spared from yet another catastrophe.

Then I hear the music on my iPod - "I am free to run...I am free to dance...I am free to live for You...I am free..."  And I realize how true that is.  I am free to run today because God has been merciful to me once again.  It is true everyday, even, or perhaps especially, the day I will "wake up" in heaven.

So I continue to pray for all of those affected by the enormous tornadoes, once again realizing how God takes care of us every moment.  It is impossible to imagine the destruction and how many aspects of life have been affected there, but I do know this: God is sovereign.  He did not leave those who were hurt by these storms.  He is there, working out His perfect will in a way we may never understand.  Lord, have mercy on them.  May they feel Your love as never before.

Running Along

The treadmill broke again.  Well, it's not exactly broken; it will run, but if you run on it the belt slips and randomly tries to stop.  If you have ever spent any time on an untrustworthy treadmill, you know that this is a very bad thing. Ugh.  Edwin already replaced the belt, so we have determined not to spend any more money on the really cheap, used treadmill we bought through Craig's List.  Now I just hope we can get it hauled away without having to pay someone.  Do you think anyone would want an unreliable treadmill if I listed it on Craig's List for free?

My sweet husband intends to buy a new treadmill for me, and I know I will be very glad to have it next winter.  I have accepted the fact that I may be able to run in cold temperatures but I can not really run on snow.  I am not going to be able to run outside all year.  And sitting on the couch all winter has not worked out very well for me in the past!  But right now I have just about exhausted my patience for running in the basement, going nowhere.

My relationship with the treadmill was always a bit of a love-hate kind of thing anyway, so fine.  It's March now and time to run outside.  (You do not want me to whine now about how March is very wintry here, especially this year, do you? I did not think so.)

Happy Music

Here I sit, at the library, in a too-small chair in front of a computer in the children's area.  My i-pod is playing happy music in my ears and I am content.  We are here because it is drippy and nasty outside, and my children are easily cheered by the chance to sit at the computer and play games for an hour - something that never happens at home (especially all five of them at the same time!).

I guess I am a very simple person.  I downloaded some new music last night and I can hardly sit still or keep from smiling (dancing in my mind) while sitting here listening to it for the first time.  It's the new, improved "happy music."  I have always enjoyed having a moment to listen to my happy music.  When I was a pharmacist in Florida I had an especially stress-inducing partner, and I soaked up the happy music on the drive to and from work every day.  It stuck in my head and really helped.  At that time it was a mish-mash of praise music that played on the Christian radio station.  Now there is still some of that, but a better description would be a little bit of everything!

Another use for happy music is filling time during super-long drives on family vacations.  Each year we make some new mix cds for the big drive, and it's very fun to learn the songs together and sing to the top of our lungs.  Last summer we even impressed (?) the relatives with a big singing/dancing moment (some of which was recorded on video, unfortunately), and we were all inroduced to some music that was a bit out of our normal listening range. Hello Black Eyed Peas!

These days my life is not usually stressful, and there is no commute.  Now the happy music fills time as I run miles on the treadmill or pedal miles on the exercise bike.  I did enjoy listening to music when I ran outside in the summer, but I almost could not live without it during the boring monotony of the treadmill.  The songs motivate me. "Just don't look at the control panel till this song is over," runs through my mind a lot, as well as a few very useful Bible verses I've memorized.  I have been amazed at the sheer will-power it takes to run on that treadmill, but so far I am usually glad I did it once it is over.  So I will continue to listen to the happy music until, and probably even after, spring comes. 

Then, like always, will come a new time and place for some new happy music.


Psalm 40:1-3
 I waited patiently for the LORD;
   he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
   out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
   making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
   a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
   and put their trust in the LORD.

Running...

Well, we've just about run out of hot weather for the summer, I'm afraid.  I woke up to 50's and walked (instead of ran) in the bright, cool sunshine.  A high of 72 is a bit disappointing for the last week for swimming at the pool, but I guess it does justify why they close even before Labor Day!

I have finally made some progress on my goal to be able to run 3 miles without stopping.  Unfortunately, at nearly the exact moment that I began to feel like I might, perhaps, one day, begin to like running, and that it may actually be possible for me to achieve this goal outside, before getting back to running on the treadmill in the basement, I started noticing a pain in my hip that continued to worsen. Ugh.  I am officially old.  Now I am plugging the Aleve and back to walking for a week or so, and not getting too far with that.

In researching hip pain in runners, and by talking to friends who are actual runners, I have determined that the whole "Oh, my bursitis" issue is most-likely due to running in the wrong shoes.  So last night Anna and I went out shopping and came home with a shiny (and very cute!) new pair of actual running shoes of a very specific variety, hopefully the exact shoes that will cause my joints to line up in such a way that I can continue to run and not be weary.  And get out of the car pain free, like a 42 year old should.  Time will tell!

...but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.  (Isaiah 40:31)