Seismoiditis!

So I've left my faithful few (both of you) hanging over these past few days...

I have seismoiditis.

Basically - I have inflamed seismoids from overuse (running) and abuse (overweight). If your immediately going to thoughts of hemorrhoids or some other nasty disease - CEASE AND DESIST! I have added the token picture of the seismoids below - they are 2 pea-shaped bones at the bottom of your big toe (also known as the ball of your foot). They are embedded in the tendons that run the sole of your foot. Apparently, dancers, women (or men) who wear high-heeled shoes and runners (increasing their mileage too quick or running up hills) put a lot of pressure on this area of their foot. Once the tendons become inflamed (flaming mad at you for making them work so hard), the seismoids become tender and oftentimes, fracture.

Thankfully, I do not have a fracture (4 x-rays of various views of my seismoids have proven that fact). They are just inflamed.

So what does that mean? Well, for starters, no more running for awhile. In fact, I'm on limited weight-bearing activity until 7/7. I also have this fancy, snazzy foot pad that I wear when I'm awake that takes the pressure off the seismoids. It's nothing special, I have it taped to my foot in my sneakers - no one knows...

Thankfully, I don't have to wear any Dr. Scholl's-style orthopaedic shoes with velcro straps! That would just be wrong on so many levels...though, there's nothing wrong with them except that they make your feet look REALLY BIG!

For now, I'll faithfully attach my foot pad to the sole of my foot each morning and obey the Dr's orders - no running! (or any other weight-bearing activity). I can walk - which I do, because I don't yet own a segway, but then again, I wonder if I can get my insurance company to foot the bill on a segway!

WATCH OUT PAUL BLART!

Seriously though - can I be real for a moment? It seems that I keep getting these ailments in my knees, tendons and seismoids. Why? The doctors are trying to be P.C. and say it's my increased mileage over the past few months to prepare for some of the runs I have participated in. They have said it's the high-mileage I've put in. They've even said it's the short-time that I've ramped up the mileage. But you and I...Yeah, you and I know that it's more than that. Those may be true, but there's a lot of people doing just what I've done - and they're fine. They have no specialist visits or knee drains or special foot pads to show...And they're not overweight.

That's it. Maybe I've struck gold there. America, I'm overweight.

I've been running off and on over the past 10 years in order to lose weight. I've ran 100's of miles, maybe even 1000's on a regular basis to get healthy. Maybe I am healthy. My cholesterol is 171. My blood pressure is normal. All my other numbers are normal...except the number on the scale. It's not budging.

I've changed my diet, increased my activity, prayed ... yet the numbers don't lie - I'M OVERWEIGHT.

Here's my problem - I run to lose weight. I get injured running because I'm overweight. I can't lose weight without running (so I've decided). So I keep running - to lose weight - to get injured because I need to lose weight...and the cycle continues!

So where to next? I wait patiently for 7/7. That's the date of my follow-up with the Dr. Until then...I am going on vacation for the next week and my follow-up is on 7/7. I will report back then on where it's at!

Strained, Cracked or Broken - That is the question.

Is it strained, cracked or Broken? That's the question I want to ask the podiatrist.

It seems I've done "something" to the bone on my right foot where the big toe connects to my foot. It started last week after completing the 5-mile run. I seemed to be fine most of the week until I went running yesterday. I didn't get but a half-mile into my run before it started hurting.

I continued running a little longer to see if it was a pain that I should run through or discontinue. I realized it wasn't going away, so I started walking a little. It REALLY hurt to push off my big toe. SO, I tried some biomechanical changes (technical speak for changed the way I was walking) to see if I could alleviate any of the pain. It seemed to help, so I started running again.

That didn't last long. SO I determined to walk the remainder of the 2 miles and head home. It's the next day and I still hurt. It's a nagging pain that my whole body is compensating for. So, I am waiting for 1:00 p.m. to roll around to see if I can get in with the local podiatrist for an x-ray and exam.

This is kind of a bummer. I've already ran in 3 races this season: a 5-miler, a 10k (6.2 mis) and the Broad Street (10 mis). I have a 5k (3.1 mis) scheduled for this Wednesday night. I don't think I'll be running in this one. In fact, I'm 99.9% sure that I won't, but since I already paid the pre-registration, I'm going to pick-up my packet. I'll "officially" run the 5k when I am cleared.

Pray that I can see the podiatrist immediately. The sooner this is diagnosed properly, the sooner I can get the right treatment, the sooner I can be running the streets again!

Blah to the Blahs!!!

This week has been full of the Blahs!

The weather has been...blah.
If we go one more day without sunshine, I might turn nocturnal! I need to see and feel the sunshine warming my skin. Not only does it feel good, it changes my entire being. Please sunshine, come visit today - even if for only a moment.

My motivation has been...blah.
I went to the gym on Monday - walked on the treadmill. There was no energy in me. I cranked it to 3.7 and put it on an incline for 20 min. That's all she wrote. Tuesday - I had my appt with the personal trainer. She thought it'd be "fun" to add a cardio-circuit for my 1-hr. About half-way, I had nothin' left in the tank. It was empty. I had to dig deep and focus to get through the work-out. I left the gym feeling spent and exhausted. I didn't go at all yesterday. Today, well, we'll find out in a few hours!

Work has been...blah.
Just like every where else in America, we are feeling the slowdown in our business. It's not job-threatening or anything like that, but it's slow. I am the type of person who does things quickly and likes a "faster" pace in my work day. When it's slow, I tend to let things pile up so that I can sit down in a few hours and pound them out. It's been making for some long days!

My LIFE has been...blah.
Don't get me wrong, I've been really busy. Maybe that's what is drawing me into a state of blah-ness. Maybe I need to slow down and enjoy a night of 8-hours of sleep or maybe just an hour of TV, but I haven't had that opportunity. Sunday night - Q&A with the missionaries; Monday night - dessert night with the ladies; Tuesday night - Phillies game (with extra innings); Wednesday night - crash!

Maybe I just need some rest. I haven't slept 8 hours in close to a week. I need 8 hours of sleep. I normally get 8 hours of sleep. Maybe I just need to slow down my pace - enjoy some slow time. Enjoy some "me" time - not to be selfish or anything.

Life has it's ups and downs and can quickly get out of hand if you don't slap on a bridal and slow the darn thing down.

Let's focus now and spend a few days to put the train back on the tracks, slow down the pace and get everything back in it's proper place!

I say, "BLAH to the blahs! It's time for you to go!"

5 ...

5

5 - the number of miles I ran on Saturday...

.

5 - the number of cups of water I drank while running 5 miles...

.

5 - the placement I achieved after running 5 miles - in my age group!

.

5 - the number of hours I slept on Saturday afternoon (not really, but it sounds good - I only slept 4 hours).

5

BEFORE... AFTER...

The red face tells it all...

It's NOT FAIR!

Alright - I have gone into this week as a "Week of Optimism".

I participated in calorie burning activiy 4 times this week (and it's only Friday).

I consumed zero sugars all week - including, Diet beverages, candies, bread, etc.

I ate lean proteins and veggies every day. I had oatmeal for breakfast, ate raw nuts and veggies and fruits.

I read every stinkin' label.

I drank a TON of water all week.

I haven't hopped on the scale all week hoping for that "YES!" moment.

It was more like, "WHAT!!!!????" I gain .4 lbs.

How does that happen?

It's sooooo not fair!

Yet, I persist. I continue on. I press on...

I finally got it!

This is my WORDLESS blog:

YEAH!

DO THE RUNNING MAN...

My Butt hurts!

Usually the day after training, a lot of body parts are sore and tired.

But today - my butt hurts.
I thought my shoulders or upper back would be sore, but no, it's my rump, derriere, backside, heiny, butt, gluteus-maximus (emphasis on the maximus!). I haven't had soreness in that particular location in awhile. I guess that means I must have worked them good!

My trainer whooped me.

In my training session I did the following:

• One-legged lunges (with the other one on a bench)
• Lateral pull-downs
• Straight arm pull-downs
• Modified pull-ups
• Dumbbell butterflies with benchpress
• Squats with medicine ball lift
• Crunches on ball
• Sit-up crunches, balancing on heiny
• Hamstring pulls on the ball
• One-armed Kettle ball "rows"

Today is day 4 of "Week of Optimism". I'm optimistic that my butt's gonna hurt all day. I'm optimistic that it's going to rain all day. I'm optimistic that there's no energy in this tired ol' body! I'm optimistic that I've been doing fairly well in what I'm eating and those pounds are slowly melting of my body (probably more like ounces, but I'll take 'em!). I'm optimistic that water is good for you and that sucking on and spitting out sunflower seeds is good for you. I'm optimistic that if you set-up a popcorn maker in the lobby of your business and offer it for free the entire day - you will improve the morale of an entire company!

I'm optimistic that this weekends' 5-miler is going to be hard, but so worth it!

So far So Good!

Today is Day 3 of my "Week of Optimism".

How have I been doing - you might ask.

GREAT!

I haven't touched anything (that I know of) that has any sugar (except fruit) for 3 days. I have not drank any carbonated beverages - Diet or other. I have been to the gym twice and ran 2.5 miles. I've been drinking a lot of water.

Today, I see the trainer at noon. I have the 5-miler scheduled for Saturday morning. I will need to run another 3 miles tonight.

Hmmm...might I get a surprise on the scale at the end of the week? Guess I have to wait to find out!

BTW - if you're looking for a great low-calorie snack, hop on over to Henning's for CocoPop's. They are made on-site from wheat, corn, rice and sea salt. They are only 16 calories each and are the size of a tortilla. I eat them plain, but you can add some salsa, guacamole or hummus. They are better tasting than most "rice cakes" because they are fresher.

Optimism - the Word of the Week

I am going into this week with an Optimistic Outlook.

I am going to have a great week. I have my meals planned out for today. I'm cutting out all the sugars this week (the refined and even unrefined ones). I'm also cutting all the sodas and "extra" caffeine that I consume.

Breakfast: Organic Instant Oatmeal, Organic Coffee

AM Snack: Rice Cakes (homemade at the Henning's - awesome snack - 16 calories each!)

Lunch: Mandarin Orange and Grilled Chicken Salad

PM Snack: Raisin, Raw Cashew and Raw Almond combination (I mixed it myself)

Dinner: Sunshine Veggie Burger with veggies and a large salad with lettuce from my garden

There is a 5-miler on Saturday that I plan on running. I've already registered. I'm going to take some time this week to prepare and get psyched "out of my mind" to run 5-miles on a Saturday morning!

My gym bag is packed for some strength-training at the gym during my lunch hour: Push-ups, Lateral pull-downs, free-weight rows, squats, lunges, crunches/reverse crunches, shower...that's the activity for my lunch hour. Got to make it a good one!

I plan on putting my feet to the pavement and putting in 2-3 miles later this evening. I have to put some time in for this 5-miler! Hopefully I haven't lost too much of the conditioning from the Broad Street Run!

Well, I really should get back to work.

It's about time!

I had my first training session yesterday.

And - it's about time! It felt great getting my fanny whooped!

I was quickly reminded how strong I really am. It was encouraging to see my fitness level and strength levels (except for the fact that I have weak shoulders) haven't failed since training almost a year ago.

I got in some walking lunges, crunches, push-ups, dead-weight rows, one-legged flamingos, overhead hammer lunges, partner leg/stomach crunches, squats, shoulder lifts, stretching. If you're wondering what some of these are - I named them myself. I have to remember what they are for when I do them on my own - so I give them names I'll remember.

I'm feeling every one of these today. My shoulders, arms, hands, gut, butt, hamstrings and lower legs - they all hurt!

The trainer and I got in some good laughs too. Makes it a little more bearable. Hopefully, I (as well as you) will see some tangible results from these sessions - cause It's About Time!