Weekly Update (Weekly Wrap-up Edition)

The last couple of weeks have been fairly uneventful.  Especially since I haven't had the motivation to run.  And then I had knee issues.  This past week seems to have picked up a little.

For the last week or so my left knee has been acting up.  It was more of a sharp pain then the normal soreness of things.  And it was the same knee pain that I had way back when I started running.  It really started hurting after not stepping right and hyper-extending my knee.  Hyper-extending my knees are something that is really easy for me to do.  So I have been doing a bit of resting.

After a weekend of rest, on Monday I decided to get out there and test out the knee.  I had 5 miles on my schedule and if at any point my knee started to hurt then I was going to stop and walk back.  I do have to say that it was a good run and I watched my every step to make sure I didn't hyper-extend.  No pain in my knee till the last few blocks.  I was happy to get through a longer run.

And then I went through my day.  And as I did the pain got worse and worse.  Not good.

Tuesday I went to the gym for my FT class.  The knee hurt a little, but it wasn't bad like it was Monday.  I missed Thursday because of it and knew that I would take it easy.  The rest of the day it didn't hurt as bad as Monday, but it wasn't great.

Wednesday I skipped my run as I knew better.  I had a PT appointment that afternoon and had a lot of little things worked on.  While it made my knee feel better, I wasn't sure if he found the actual issue.

Thursday I went to the gym again.  Things were better then they were at the gym on Tuesday but I still felt like my knee was talking to me.  I kept it easy again.  During the day I found a knot in my lower quad, toward the inside.  The more I massaged it and rolled my stick over it the better my knee felt.  I actually found the trigger to my pain.  I did see this beautiful sunrise on the way to the gym.


On Friday I decided to take a short run to see how the knee felt.  I took off on my 3 mile route.  It was actually warm out, like in the 60's at 6 AM.  It did sprinkle and rain a little, but it felt so good to be out there in shorts and a tank and not 5 layers.  While my knee didn't hurt, it could feel like it was talking to me or maybe tight.  But not actual pain.  It's hard to describe, but I think most people understand it.  The real test would be how I felt the rest of the day.  And I had no pain the rest of the day.  I did continue to work out the knot.

Friday night I went to see the play version of Dirty Dancing.  I have to say that I loved the movie growing up and have seen it several times.  A lot of the play was strait from the movie, dialog, movements, songs.  Then there were parts where it just seemed like they were trying to stretch the play out.  Random dances and songs that were not in the movie and really didn't seem like it was part of the story at all.  Don't get me wrong, the dancing and singing were great to watch, it just seemed out of place.  And then there was the audience.  Woot-ing and hollering when the lead actor had his shirt off made it feel a bit like a bachelorette party.  Over all it was fun and made me want to watch the movie again.

Saturday morning I wanted to try 5 miles again.  And like Friday, while there was a little tightness, no actual pain.  The knot I was working on was much smaller at this point.  And it felt fine the rest of the day.  I knew I was on the right path.

Saturday afternoon I went to see Ready Player One.  My friend and I have read this book and enjoyed it immensely.  A very geeky book with a lot of references to the '80's.  We were both worried about if the movie would be any good since movies are never as good as the book.  Overall I enjoyed the movie.  A lot of things that I pictured in my head came out on the screen.  The only thing I think it missed was a bit of character development on how the friends met and how they became the team they were at the end.  I'm afraid if you never read the book that would be a confusing part of the movie.  But the movie overall was good.  I still highly recommend the book to any self-proclaimed geek out there.

Sunday was Easter.  Beyond church, our family never really had any Easter traditions.  Well except when I was in high school.  We would do all the church things having to do with Ash Wednesday and Lent and then on Easter we would head to Kings Dominion.  The weather was usually nice and the crowds were low, especially in the morning.  My mom hated going to church on Easter cause it was full of people that only went twice a year.  So because we never had any true Easter traditions or dinners I feel like others are judging me when I say we don't have plans.  I know they aren't but it's like I'm saying I don't have any plans for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

I hope everyone had a good Easter!

Is there a movie you have seen that was almost or just as good as the book?  If you haven't read Ready Player One and have seen the movie, what did you think?  What are your Easter traditions?

I am linking up with Holly and Wendy for their Weekly Wrap!

Weekly Update (Weekly Wrap-up Edition)

I don't feel like this was a busy week, but it sure did fly by.  I can't believe we are in the last week of September already.

Monday I was going to get a run in, but as the evening progressed and I wasn't even tired, I knew that getting up early was not going to happen.  Usually I'm so tired by 9 PM that going to bed isn't very hard.  But Sunday night it was close to two before I started getting tired, so I didn't even set my alarm to run.  And it gave me an extra day to rest my quad.

Tuesday I went to FT.  Through the class my quad wasn't hurting, but it was talking to me.  But by the time the class was done and throughout the day it was feeling much better.  Sometimes it just gets to a point where you need to get it moving and warm for it to get that final kick into feeling better.

Wednesday I did get out for a run.  I decided to up my 2 1/2 miles to my 3 mile loop.  My IT Band felt tight, but the quad didn't act up.  The funny thing is on this run, I didn't see a single person out. Even though my runs are really early, I usually see some people out walking their dogs.  I just thought it was very weird.  The sun was just poking it's head out as I finished the run.  I think I saw a planet.  I know a few are visible during the sunrise to the naked eye.


Thursday was my normal FT class.  Everything was starting to feel normal.  I think all the stretching and rolling I had been doing in the past week really was paying off.  Though my shoulders really needed some help.  So I took my bumpy lacrosse ball to it which helped those knots.

Friday was another 3 mile run.  This one felt hard.  I don't think it was any warmer then normal.  I just think it was one of those hard runs that we all have every now and again.  I was also messing with my new AirPods, which I'm having issues connecting to my iPod.  So I connected them to my phone and listened to music that way.  I just don't have a good running playlist so I had to fast forward through the slower songs, which is not as easy as it is with an iPod.


As I was getting to my door to unlock it, something moved and startled me.  It turns out it was this little guy.  Over the years I have seen one or two of these frogs each year, but I haven't seen one in years.  I think he is adorable and I hope he stays safe.


Saturday I had my first "race" since my triathlon in June.  I put quotes around it as I don't think it's a real race as it's one of those fad races.  This one is a 5k with bubbles.  It was The Bubble Run.  I really didn't want to do this race as I just wasn't in the mood for it, but in the end it was fun.  I'll have a recap of it up tomorrow.


I spent the rest of Saturday trying to set up a new wi-fi router.  I thought it was something I could do as I understood most of the directions.  But it really was I understood enough to make a mess of it.  Thankfully I had an old Verizon router to use.  My friend who is in networking will be helping me set it up next weekend.  Let's hope he can fix it. :)

How was your week?  Did you get in all of the runs that you had scheduled?  Do you find that a good stretching routine can help in the long run?

Linking up with Holly and Tricia's Weekly Wrap Up.

Weekly Update (Weekly Wrap-up Edition)

This was a busy week for me, especially in the work out realm.

Monday I really didn't have anything planned on my calendar.  I had two good bike rides over the weekend and I really needed to give my legs a rest.  I could tell during my stretching and rolling that my quads and glutes needed extra attention with a couple of knots in them.

Tuesday I went to my regular FT class.

Wednesday I actually went for a run.  This was the first time I had in 2 1/2 months.  I know my relay partners are saying "Finally!"  I did 2 1/2 easy miles before work.  I kept it light and did a 30:30 walk run.  I didn't push myself and I didn't slack off and walk any extra.  It was good.  I kept thinking my run time was set to 15 seconds instead of 30, so that's probably a good sign.

Thursday I went to my regular FT class before work.  The gym at my job offers classes to take as well.  I have taken a couple over the last month and they added a new one on Thursdays.  It's a Core Blast class.  Basically 30 minutes of nothing but abs.  The class lasted about 25 minutes and I felt it as we engaged our abs and lower back the whole time.  While we were doing some leg lifts the knot in my quad from Monday started to cramp.  Oww!  I didn't feel soar after (not even my quad), but I know it was a good workout.  My core is something that always needs to be worked on.

Friday I went on a second run for the second time.  I did the same mileage and run/walk times from Wednesday.  My IT band was a little tight, but nothing that is no different from when it bothers me before so I wasn't worried about it.  I did notice that both these runs were not any slower then what I had done last summer when I was heart rate training.  So I really don't think I've lost too much taking the break over the summer.  There was a beautiful moon out shining through the clouds.  It's just weird getting a whole run in before there is any hint of the sun to come up.
 
I had decided to do the TRX class again at the gym at work.  I had enjoyed it the first time I took it as I feel it really worked my core.  While it was still a fun class, I don't feel my abs like I did after the first class.  So I probably will try to take one of the two classes a week to make sure I get some extra core work in.  My quad was bothering me a bit during this class.  Not bad, but it was talking to me some.

Friday night I took my friend out to a nice dinner for his birthday.  He loves Texas de Brazil, so it was a lot of meat.  I can't eat red meat, so I fill up on their yummy sausages and some wonderful goat cheese.  We then made our way to the Apple store as I wanted to check out their AirPods.  I wanted some truly wireless earphones and I wanted to make sure they would fit properly.  Well they did and they were comfortable so I bought a pair.  I'll post something about them in a couple weeks after I have a chance to use them and run in them.

This past weekend I wanted to try to get at least one bike ride in.  The weather would be nice for riding in the morning.  Saturday I knew my quad was still a little acky to head out.  And the only group going out was a little faster then I'm used to, so I knew I didn't want to push it.  I set my alarm to head out with a group on Sunday morning and when I woke up my quad hurt more then it had in the last few days.  So I decided to not go and stretch and roll it some more.  I decided to use that time to start looking into getting some Podcasts onto my iPod.  I've listened to Podcasts every so often, but it was never a regular thing.  I decided to add a few to my iPod to listen to during my runs.

How is your training going?  Do you listen to Podcasts?  If so any recommendations?

Linking up with Holly and Tricia's Weekly Wrap Up.

What I'm Loving (Friday Five Edition)

I have to admit I've been a bit slacked on the blogging front.  Most of that is not having a real routine right now, but I'm slowly figuring that out.  But for now here are a few random things that I have been loving recently.  



1. Not Working - I am really enjoying my time off right now.  Like really really a lot.  That thought might change in 6+ months, but I love having my days to spend how I want.  I go to the gym, I go out to lunch, I read, I watch TV.  Whatever I'm wanting to do.  If I didn't have my pesky bills, I think I would enjoy an early retirement.  I could find a Sugar Daddy, but I don't want to be dependent on someone that way.  Or I could win the Lotto, but that would mean I would have to play it.  For now, I will enjoy my time while looking for another job.

2. Cleaning - I have to admit, I hate cleaning, but I have been on a mission to declutter my house.  I am basically done with my upstairs and halfway done with downstairs.  This is more then just cleaning, but getting rid of things.  I've taken several trips to the Goodwill and a ton of things have been recycled and thrown out.  When I'm closer to being done, I'll do a post about it.

3. Avenger Movies - I have been watching all of the Avenger movies from the first Iron Man to Captain America: Civil War.  These are fun movies and the more you watch them, the more you see how they are all connected.  All the little details and Easter Eggs are fun to figure out.  And there are some really good looking heroes to watch.  Yum.  I wold love for them to do an origins story of Black Widow.  I find her very fascinating being a bad-ass chick in a room of super powered testosterone.  Very unlike the boring waifs of Pepper and Jane, waiting for someone to save them. 

4. Trigger Point Foam Roller - I got this roller for Christmas and I LOVE it.  It's a bit harder then traditional foam rollers and get deep into those tight muscles.  It hurts so good.

5. Snuggle Time - With all this time off I get extra time to cuddle and snuggle with my kitties.  Brianna is 17 and while she still is getting around well, I know she doesn't have that many years left.  And Riley still has a lot of feral in him, and even though he has been with me for almost 3 years, he still is very skittish.  The more time I'm home, the more he seems to relax.  And then there is Aiden, my snuggle bug.  I just love spending time with him.

Brianna, Aiden, and Riley watching Big Bang Theory with me

Brianna, Riley, and Aiden

OK, there is one last thing that I have loved this week.  The weather.  We had a couple days of beautiful weather this week and I tried to take full advantage of it.  I actually enjoyed running on Wednesday because it was almost 60 degrees when I went out first thing in the morning.  All the windows in my house were open for two days strait.  A cold front has come through and we are back to normal 40 degree high temperatures, but the sneak peak of spring has made me so happy.  I can't wait for the spring!

What are you loving?

I'm linking up with Fairytales and Fitness and Running on Happy for Friday Five 2.0