Double digit miles of indecision

OK, I know ya'll are getting tired of hearing about this particular subject...changing my race schedule. Yes, I've done it yet again...actually I've changed it about 3 times since last night!! lol! I just keep adding more and more to the schedule. In fact, I've added my first full marathon to be done in October, just three weeks before my MUST DO half marathon (the WDW Wine & Dine) so that I can get my coveted Coast to Coast medal...which signifies that you have completed a race at Disneyland and a race at Walt Disney World in the same calendar year. I also plan to add the 5K  that weekend, which will have to be renamed due to the change in dates...it used to be the Disney Halloween 5K. Since the race was changed to early November maybe they'll rename it to the Thanksgiving 5K? This will be a prolific running weekend because I would, hopefully, be coming home with three medals at once!! :D

Anyway, I digress. So after thinking about it a little bit I've registered to do a virtual half marathon on Tuesday...For the Love of the Kids Virtual Run. As long as I finish the run I'll earn a finishers medal to add to my medal rack which is looking a bit barren right now with only 3 medals on it. I already had a 12-13 mile training run planned for tomorrow in honor of Sherry Arnold that I'll knock down to a 10 miler to rest a little for Tuesday. Then I've potentially added the Disneyland Half Marathon to my schedule for September which also means that I might as well add the 5K run in there as well!

I've also added the Wounded Warriors HM in Las Colinas, Texas on June 10th as yet another half marathon. I have a cousin, actually a few, that live in the Dallas area and one of the girls said that I'm welcome to stay at their house. I just have to figure out whether to drive or fly down there. Hopefully I can find a cheap flight and car rental...that'd make life so much easier!

Finally I've also decided to train for my first full marathon in Albuquerque on October 21st...both my choices are on the same day so I just have to decide which one I want to do. The Duke City Marathon is almost completely flat and follows the Paseo del Bosque Recreational Trail which is a beautiful piece of running/biking path. It's basically an out and back route so there's no chance of me getting lost when I'm the last runner coming in...hopefully before the cutoff!! lol! My other choice is Day of the Tread. This is a fully costumed race (from what I can tell from pics) versus what seems to be a conservative Duke City Marathon. I think that DoTT is probably the funner of the two but it also comes with a 400' change in elevation and a time limit of 6 hours versus a 7 hours time limit for the DCM.

Now, with all the additions I may have to take away a few races. My sprint duathlon and the metric century ride are first on the chopping block for potentially being put off until next year. I may replace the Firecracker Run 10 miler with a local 5K. Finally, if I do end up doing the Disneyland HM the Turtle HM, which was my very first race last year, will be chopped as well since they are on the same weekend (Labor Day) and I won't be home in time to do it. I've also decided not to do the Dirty Dash in Albuquerque as it is 2 weeks before Wine & Dine and I don't want to risk a major injury that would prevent me from participating in that race!

One of these days I'll come up with a final schedule but until then you can see what I have planned in the race schedule widget in the right sidebar along with a countdown of the next 3-4 upcoming races. So please, bear with me...I'm just a little addicted now to a sport I've literally hated for most of my life!! LOL!

100 Days Challenge:

• Day 41
• 30 minutes PT exercises

What I Ate Today:

• 60 oz G2
• 1 pack chicken ramen with 
• 1 small, shredded chicken breast 
• 1 cup mixed vegetables
• 1 full rack of BBQ Baby Back ribs (oink!)
• 1 scoop coleslaw
• 1 scoop potato salad
• 1 slice Texas toast
• 24 oz Pepsi

Alkalete Review Day 4:

A little sore today from yesterday's run. Tomorrow's run should be interesting. The soreness is uncomfortable but not painful. I really can't tell any significant difference. Still had to take a couple of short naps today because I was so tired. I was just advised by my distributor to take extra doses since I'll be running so much the next several days with longer miles than usual so maybe I'll be able to make more of a judgement after my HM run on Tuesday. There are still other forces at nature that might be influencing the fatigue and such so I'm really trying to give this stuff a chance.

Goodbye Zumba! (For Now)

Today I made a gut wrenching decision. I'm letting Zumba go, at least for now, until I feel my pelvic malalignment issues have been permanently corrected. Up until I attended a couple of classes last week my pelvis/IT band has been feeling pretty good with only some slight aching. After attending the classes (regular studio classes) I began having increased pain to the point that I had to start sitting out some songs on the second day. Even now I have some issues with mild pain and tightness when I first start running even when running at a pace slower than my normal training pace of about 12-13 minutes/mile. My next half marathon is just over two weeks away, so I think that it is the smart move to stop Zumba now and allow as much recovery (between runs) as possible.It seems that the Aqua Zumba isn't causing me any problems, other than sore arms because I use swim gloves for more resistance, so I'll be staying with that. Luckily summer is headed our way in a few months so I'll be able to attend classes at the outdoor pool over the summer...woohoo!

So, what will I replace it with? Well, I should start training on the bike for the sprint duathlon in May. I still need to replace the MTB tires for semi slicks and my bike needs a serious tune up (it doesn't help that it's a cheap WalMart bike). I'm just not ready to fork over big bucks for a road bike...that won't happen until I find out how much I enjoy/or not enjoy riding. We have an elliptical but to tell the truth, I hate it. First of all my quads burn so bad within 10 minutes or so and well, I don't have the patience to stay on it...I think it's actually worse than the "dreadmill."

So, I'll have to decide fairly quickly. I definitely need some cross training in my routine as well as speed work (again something that I dislike). I wish our YMCA had a full on rowing machine...I've loved rowing in the past. I've read that rowing is a great cross training activity for runners as well. I could row almost forever I think. Maybe that's what I'll look for to add to the home gym in the future, a nice rowing machine. But that costs money. Ugh. Running is making me even more broke than normal!! Running is NOT a cheap sport...don't let anyone tell you it is!! LOL!

100 Days Challenge:

• Day 39
• 38 minutes of PT exercises for pelvic malalignment/ITBS

What I Ate Today:

• 12 oz non-fat, lactose free milk
• 2 fried eggs
• 2 sausage patties
• 8 oz Mongolian beef
• 1½ cups white rice
• 1 pound baked potato from Something Different Grill with
• shredded cheese
• bacon bits
• chives
• sour cream
• butter
• salt
• pepper
• 32 oz Pepsi
• 20 oz G2

Alkalete Review Day 2:
Yesterday was my 2nd full day on the Yoli Alkalete dosing. After doing a 6 mile treadmill run late last night I woke up today to my feet feeling okay but some soreness in the legs/hips. As the day has worn on, the soreness had eased significantly although I did do some PT exercises and the soreness increased somewhat. I was also extremely tired today and yesterday having to take an extended nap each day. Now, I'm not saying that the fatigue is due to the Alkalete as there is also a change in my body's self-regulation that I noticed yesterday. Tomorrow is an 8-10 mile run so we'll see how things are feeling on Friday. The testing continues.

New blog name & update

So I've been absent from blogging the last couple of days. All of a sudden I just became worn out after the race on Sunday...a delayed fatigue I guess. But I'm back...with a new name and web address as well. I happened to do a search for my old blog name Musings of a Mouse and found that there were at least 4 other blogs with the same name! So I wanted a more unique name and thus Running of the Mouse (can be loosely interpreted as Running of the "Mouth" and is a play on the Running of the Bulls) was born. Please be sure to update the URL if you're following me...it's now http://running-of-the-mouse.blogspot.com. I'm still not in much of a blogging mood today, but I figured that I at least needed to update my 100 Days Challenge and food log. Earlier today I made the final post on my Team in Training fundraising/training page and so I think I'll just copy that over to this post as well. So here goes...

Below is my final post to my Team in Training fundraising/training page...13.1 Miles to Never Never Land.

Tinkerbell HM 2012 - COMPLETED!!

TNT New Mexico/El Paso
Inaugural Tinkerbell Half Marathon 2012

13.1 miles and still smiling!

I DID IT!! This past Sunday (1/29/12), I completed my first half marathon (inaugural Tinkerbell Half Marathon) with Team in Training. Thanks to all those who donated, participated in fundraising events and who cheered me on in person and in the virtual world that is our lives today. This was quite the experience and I don't mean only the running part. The support provided by the TNT coaches and staff from all over the country before and during the race was outstanding! The night before the race there is an Inspiration Dinner where we heard about the great work that the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and Team in Training (TNT) does. For this particular race there were 359 TNT participants who, together, raised $1 million for the fight against leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and myelodysplastic disorders!!! We heard from Mrs. California International whose platform is supporting the fight against leukemia & lymphoma...she shared stories of her father and brother who were both diagnosed and her brother currently is in treatment. A slide show was presented reminding us of all those that have lost the battle, who are still battling and those currently healthy and strong after treatment. And OH MY!! The welcome that the coaches, mentors and staff members gave us as we arrived at the dinner...can you say outrageous?!? lol! Cow bells, noisemakers, yelling, chanting, high fives and more!! How exciting (and a little intimidating) all at once!!

On race day you could see purple TNT jerseys/singlets everywhere! Whenever someone passed me/I passed them and had a TNT shirt on...no matter which chapter...I yelled "GO TEAM!" Others did the same if they heard me and others, usually with earbuds in, not so much. But that's okay!! We were on the same team no matter what! One the sidelines throughout the race you'd catch the coaches in green TNT shirts. They'd run up to you..."Hi Beth! How're you doing? Do you need anything? Everything OK?" I was having the time of my life and told them all was fine, gave a few high fives and continued on my way. One of the most inspirational team members that I saw was a young lady who must have had a broken foot or ankle RUNNING in a walking boot...you know, those heavy clunky surgical boots that you are supposed to wear when the doctors don't want you to have much movement. She passed my running partner and I!! LOL! I ran up to her and told her that she was my hero...her answer was to point to the back of her shirt where she had the names of her honorees and said, "For them I can do anything! Just don't tell my doctor!" She was the BOMB!! That's her in the picture below, dead center.

I want to grow up and be just as dedicated as her!!

The spectators were great as well. Literally hundreds of men (including my husband), women and children holding up signs for specific TNTers and others just holding up general signs for TNT participants. The Red Hat Society showing up 300 strong and encouraging all runners. Funny signs like "Worst Parade Ever!", "Your going the wrong way!", "Smoking is for quitters. Keep running!", "If it was easy, I'd be doing it!", "You're almost there!!" (at mile 4!! LOL!) and "If you haven't pooped in your pants, you've already won!" (a reference to runners trots). Signs from survivors of leukemia, lymphom and myeloma thanking TNT participants for supporting them. It was just all so outstanding!!

Then to be able to run in Disneyland and California Adventures before opening, running through the backlots...I don't think I've ever gotten through an amusement part that fast in my life!! lol! The crews at both parks clapping and cheering, the characters at the sides with lines of people wanting to take pics with them (I didn't stop for pics since my phone camera has some serious lag time and I couldn't find my "real" camera plus I'm just not a character picture person anyway). It was a real Disney experience....especially since I haven't been to Disneyland in something like 15 years!

All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better first experience with TNT. Thanks to Coach Leah and Aisha and Barbara in the Albuquerque office!! You girls ROCK!! So, in closing...in my last post to this training blog...all I have to say is two words:

GO TEAM!!


100 Days Challenge:

• Day 32 (2/1)
• 50 minute boot camp class
• 50 minute Aqua Zumba class
• 60 minute Zumba class
• Day 33 (2/2)
• 80 minute yoga class
• 50 minute Zumba class (had to sit out 2 songs due to hip injury)
• 2.88 mile walk/run in 39 minutes

What I Ate Today (and the past 2 days):

• February 1st:
• 1 pack of chicken Ramen
• 1 bacon cheeseburger on homemade bun with grilled onions and grilled mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, mayo, mustard, ketchup (Baby J's Grille)
• 2 cups tater tots
• 16 oz Pepsi
• 1 Bagel Thin 
• 2 Tbsp cream cheese
  
• February 2nd:
• 2 packs of chicken Ramen
• 12 oz water

           (Really this is all I ate yesterday!)

• Today: (still being updated)
• 1 bacon croissant sandwich (Weinerschitzel)
• 1 hash brown pattie
• 8 oz orange juice

28 years ago today...

Jan 1984.
Troy 20 y/o, Beth 19y/o

Twenty eight years ago yesterday I turned towards the old man and said, "Why don't we get married?" There was a lot going on at the time and he didn't want to head back to Idaho at the time. Did I mention that we had only been going out for 10 weeks?Anyway, on this day 28 years ago we drove to the Sacramento County Courthouse and waited about 2 hours to get married. In that time the old man smoked 2 pack of cigarettes. I laughed through the whole ceremony...I'm sure that the official doing the ceremony thought that we were making a big mistake. So after making it through the ceremony we were cut loose from work (we were on the night shift) and headed down to my hometown to hang out. We dropped the marriage bombshell on my mother (who didn't care for the old man for another several months when she realized that he was a handy man around the house) and settled in for the night. The next day we headed down to the Oakland Coliseum and watched the Gap Band and Atlantic Starr in concert. And that folks was our wedding weekend.

Sept 2011.
Troy 47 y/o, Beth 47 y/o

Almost three decades later we've had the ups and downs that are to be expected in any relationship, unfortunately more downs than up in the last several years. However, we still hang in there since we're best friends...the whole "lovers" thing has kinda gone by the wayside due to age and medications. lol! It's quite amazing when you look at the record of marriages and divorces in both of our  families histories. Not so great. We know each others good points and negative points yet still accept each other as who we are no matter what. We don't fight often...but when we do the bad feelings can last up to a week or more (especially on my part). I've learned to be forgiving and he's learned to be accepting of my "bipolar-ness." So onward we go into the future...looking to set a record in each of our families and see what else the future has for us.

26 Years, AIDS & Cancer Fundraising...Oh my!

Happy Birthday to our girl who turns 26 today! The picture on the left is of her when she was about 2 years old. the one on the right she's 24-ish. Everyone says that we look like each other, but the only time I've ever seen it was when we were toddlers. Really, when I put our pictures at this age together the only way you could really tell us apart is that my hair is black instead of brown. She's been a daddy's girl since birth...literally. After 20+ hours of labor before finally delivering her she cried...and cried...and cried through the night. Her dad came in the next morning after a few hours of sleep and touched her cheek and she went silent. Really?!? Our relationship has been a rocky one but things seem to be smoothing out and not as tenuous as my relationship with my mother. That's a good thing!

Today is also World AIDS Day. Wear red or a red ribbon to support the fight against AIDS. Education, research and advocacy needs to continue. The whole topic seems to have gone onto the back burner as far as how much it's in the news anymore. Remember back in the 80's when the epidemic first was announced...you couldn't go a day without hearing about it. My fear is that it will go so far into the background that people will tend to forget that it still exists. So, let's keep AIDS on our minds and remember that while we have medications and treatments to control the symptoms, we still don't have a cure.

My fundraising goal for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training has been reached and exceeded!! I'm still taking donations for this organization so keep them coming. You can donate online at http://bit.ly/TNTBeth using a debit or credit card. If you'd prefer to mail in a check or money order, please post a comment requesting the address or contact me  at ClovisTNT(at)gmail.com. I may be doing at least part of a century ride (100 miles) in Santa Fe with Team in Training in May...haven't quite decided yet, but I'll be sure to let you know!!

For the next few months I'll be doing fundraising primarily for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. I've put a challenge to my former students who in 2007 helped me raise $1,600 at which point I allowed them to shave my head at that years event! I've challenged them to help me raise $2,000 for the 2012 event and if I reach that goal, I'll let any students who show up to the event take part in the head shaving!! I think they can help me to do this! So, for now, I won't cut my hair until May other than a light trimming just to shape it up a little. You can help by donating at my fundraising page at http://bit.ly/RFLBeth . If you prefer to mail in a donation, there's a link for a downloadable donation form...just fill it out and mail it to the address on the form.

I think that's about it for now...a lot of news for one day but most of it is good!! Have a great day everyone!! :D

First official day of PT

I survived my first day of PT! Not that it was all that, but I wasn't sure what to expect since the only other time I'd been to PT was when I had tendonitis in my right shoulder. Anyway, we started out with eight minutes on a recumbent stepper...I had no idea such a thing existed. No problems with that although I did break a bit of a light sweat averaging 130 steps/minute; note to self, bring a towel with me to the appointment on Monday. Next came some serious stretching using a strap (calves & hamstrings), knees to chest and sitting crossover pull stretches...couldn't do them laying down as my hip is too tight. Next we moved onto exercises, first squeezing a bolster between my knees and doing a pelvic bridge holding for 5 seconds and doing 10 reps. The standing adductor and abductor machine was next...we'll probably use the rubber straps next time as the machine was a bit awkward. 

Can you imaging doing a squat on this,
standing on the flat part?

The one exercise I totally sucked on was doing squats on half of a foam log with the curved side down...my balance is fairly non-existent...so I've already been warned that that'll be something we'll be working on as that'll help strengthen my glutes and other small hip flexor muscles. Manipulation was next, not in the full realigning as in a chiropractor but by resistance. John, the therapist, would support my left leg while I pushed against him for 10 seconds at a time for 10 reps. Apparently that exercise helps to move the hip back into the correct position. We did have to do a second set after he checked my alignment and to my surprise, I could actually tell that there was an improvement because his thumbs were almost at the same exact level when he checked the tops of my iliac crest on both sides...yay! I spent the next 15 or so minutes on the diathermy lamp, deep penetrating heat, before finishing up for the day. 

My hip hasn't been bothering me much today but I haven't been on the elliptical yet. I need to try to do 39 minutes to take the place of my running...that should be fun since it usually knocks me on my butt in less than 5 minutes! So, here I go...get back into my workout gear and onto my arch nemesis...the elliptical! Wish me luck! lol!

Update: I was only able to do 20 minutes on the elliptical tonight. meh.

Is the term "anonymous" politically correct in terms of addiction?

Here's a CNN article I shared on Facebook about battling and beating addiction: "Risen from the gutter, he whispers hope to Hollywood's junkies". There's a specific quote in the article that stood out to me...

He believes the "anonymous" part of Alcoholics Anonymous is outdated, especially in Hollywood. Rather than protecting an addict's identity, he says, it now implies a stigma.

I found this to be a very interesting statement. I am a huge proponent of fighting the stigma of mental illness and that is exactly what addiction is. Mental illness is now known to be a chronic brain condition typically associated with a chemical imbalance...

The point was embraced recently by the American Society of Addiction Medicine, which updated its definition of "addiction." It is now considered a chronic brain disorder, not simply a behavioral problem.

I mean, really, after ingesting all the toxic alcohol and drugs how could one's brain chemistry not be affected?  Anyway, I digress.

Like I said, I never considered that the terminology of "anonymous" in any of the addiction groups whether it be AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), NA (Narcotics Anonymous), OEA (Over Eaters Anonymous), etc. would contribute to a stigma, but now the more I think about it I can see how it does. It makes me wonder if these organizations have ever considered this? In this modern age of political correctness should we be using such terms that can be construed as negative still? I wonder how the attendees of such groups might think of this? I guess I'll have to ask one...Maybe it wouldn't be such a big deal for those who have been sober for years but it may be a big deal to stay anonymous for those who are just starting out. What would be other term options that might be used in the place of "anonymous?" I don't have any suggestions myself, but the article just made me start to think that maybe it's time for a change? After all AA has been around since 1935...maybe it is time for an update? We're in a different time and place nearly 80 years later. What do you think?

Sidelined for 4 weeks...minimum

Ummm...yeah. So I went to my physical therapy appointment this morning and pretty much got the news that I had been dreading. I have to stop running completely for the next 4 weeks minimum. The findings by John, the therapist, pretty much confirmed what I had already determined for myself. Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) most likely caused by the tilting of the left side of my pelvic bone. Basically when you walk/run the pelvic bone on each side rotates just a tad with each step. My left side has essentially frozen in the forward position and locked in...PT will be to get it to loosen up and back to normal position. Leg length measurement showed a ¼" difference (minimum) with the right leg being shorter; remember before it was the left leg shorter by that was just a visual exam, this time a tape measure was used to get an accurate measurement using bony landmarks. Flexibility in my left leg was noticeably less than the right leg as well as a slight difference in muscle strength.

I'm restricted to non- or low-impact activities. Since I don't swim...long standing phobia based on a near drowning incident when I was 5 years old...that means only the elliptical, cycling or ARC trainer. John said that as therapy continues we'll try to add some moderate impact activities. That means no Zumba or running at all. Ugh. I also can't participate in my 12K Turkey Trot  on Thanksgiving Day nor my Reindeer Run 10K on December 1st. Hmmm...I'll contact the race organizer and see if I can switch to a walking category...that should be doable but I'll check with PT on Thursday to be sure. As far as the Tinkerbell Half Marathon at the end of January is a maybe for running but whatever happens I will at least be walking the race...no way I'm gonna work this hard and not participate!!

Yes, I am totally bummed, but I have to make the best of things. Gonna be working with my TNT coach on a new training plan and going to PT three times a week for the next four weeks with a re-evaluation on December 19th to see if things have resolved or not. So, I'm dusting off my bicycle and will begin doing some riding, dusting off the elliptical (which kicks my ass in less than 5 minutes) and doing whatever exercises that PT gives me to hopefully be ready to run at the end of January. Wish me luck!! I'm definitely gonna need it! *lé sigh*

Changes upcoming...

No, not changes to my blog but rather changes to me. You see, earlier this year...mid May to be exact...I started exercising again after nearly a decade of minimal to non-existent exercise. In July I decided I wanted to run a half marathon, so I joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training to train for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon in Disneyland in January 2012 plus raise funds for the fight against blood cancers (check out my training/fundraising page at 13.1 Miles to Never Never Land). My goal since than has been to get fit enough to run/walk this race and lose weight/firm up. I've looked at many, many images of women's bodies on the internet and thought "That's what I want to look like...", but this morning came to the realization that I have to decide what is right for myself and attainable for me. There have been many photos of women and girls who have lost 50+ pounds in 5-6 months...I only have about 20-25 pounds more to lose depending on the day and if I'm traveling (I've already lost about 25) to reach my goal weight in the low 120's. So...rather than base my perception of what/who I want to look like when I reach that goal or even earlier these are the changes I want to see in my own body from head to feet:

1. Total loss of what remains of the double chin.
2. Lifting of the chest area...reverse the early sag! LOL!
3. I want to be able to see my abs...they don't have to be perfect or really cut, but I want definition.
4. Smaller waist...I do actually have a waist now, just want it a bit smaller.
5. Smaller hips...again, I just want them a bit smaller.
6. I want an ass!! I have Asian ass...flat, no roundness! It's getting better, but has a long way to go.
7. To be able to see totally between my thighs...those inner upper thighs just won't go away!
8. Lose the small saddlebags.
9. I want to look FIT, not skinny!

I'm going to keep looking for pics that exemplify how I see myself looking, but it's up to me to get to where I want to be...I don't want to compare myself to someone, I just want a visual as to how I want to look as a goal. Does that make any sense??