running

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My New Lunch Routine

I didn’t participate in this challenge but it’s a great idea.

Before my injury, my lunch time routine was going to McDonalds or  Subway or Paneras or one of the 3 nearby school cafeterias.  My eating choices were fast food so no matter how healthy they seemed, we know that they were not.  While I ate, I usually read a variety of newspapers and magazines.

First after I came back to work from my injury, I couldn’t drive so I had to bring my lunch.  Then when I started driving, I still couldn’t walk so I had to bring my lunch.

Now that I am more mobile, my new lunch time eating habits have remained with me.

I eat at my desk what I bring from home. It’s usually Greek yogurt, a wheat bagel, a fruit & a drink. Then I go to our gym and spend 45 minutes on either the bike or the treadmill (watching TV on my iPad).

New  lunch routine:

  • save money,
  • eat healthier and
  • get exercise.

So there is something positive that came from my injury imposed running layoff.

Happy Running! Do you eat fast food or are you a healthy eater?

 

 

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Two for Tuesday: Plateaus & Chocolate

  1. A study just released showed that frequent chocolate consumption is linked to lower BMI.

Excerpt: Study participants consumed chocolate a mean 2.0 (SD, 2.5) times per week and exercised 3.6 (SD, 3.0) times per week. Frequency of chocolate consumption was associated with greater intake of calories and satfats and higher CES-D scores (P < .001 for each of these 3 associations); these all related positively to BMI. Chocolate consumption frequency was not associated with greater activity (P = .41), but it was associated with lower BMI (unadjusted P = .01). This association remained with and without adjustment for age and sex, as well as for calories, satfats, and depression.

Good News, right!

fav #1

fav #2

I’ll stop there. I’m actually not a chocoholic.  For dessert, I prefer Coffee ice cream and pies, etc.

     2.  I know there is a weight loss plateau. 

Is there a healing plateau?

If so, I think I hit it.  I went from non-weight bearing to walking with boot to walking with crutches to limping without anything (in weeks) and then lately my ankle range of motion feels the same!

I am doing my stretches everyday, riding the exercise bike, walking on the treadmill (faster & faster), doing the elliptical (longer & longer) but the ankle is still stiff and painful and I limp…

Enough whining! Give me a piece of chocolate!!

Happy Running! Are you a chocoholic?

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Friday Ramblings

  • 12 week report – still painful walking but PT guy thinks I’m progressing and he keeps upping my training – Wed I did 30 min on the treadmill at 3 mph 12% incline and 10 min on the elliptical (I thought I was going to die!)
  • I do 45 minutes on the exercise bike at work everyday during lunch (This way I get exercise & catch up on my iPad TV viewing.)
  • The weather has been incredible and unfortunately it looks like today is the last day before it returns to normal March weather.  After work today, I plan on going on my 3rd real bike ride.  (I bought a gel seat coverfor my aching butt.)

    same trail as Tues.

  • Yesterday I went for my 5 week hair appt – there’s always someone that comments on my injury & has a horror story – like “my mother didn’t get the hardware taken out right away & she has crippling arthritis” – I hate that!
  • I’ve been doing my grocery shopping at Target lately (they don’t everything but their sale prices are great and I find things that I can’t anywhere else).  My latest fav is:

I tried the pumpkin spice so far and it is delish and cheaper than Starbucks.

  • I just tried FaceTime for the first time (Skype for macs/ iphone/iPad users).  I used it with my friend who just moved to Florida.  It was great (almost like being together in the flesh.)
  • I am looking forward to going to the movies hopefully this weekend:

    Katniss in Hunger Games

Happy Running! Are you a Hunger Games fan?

 

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All’s Well That Ends Well

I gave him two...

Yesterday I went for my 10 week check-up. Things started poorly and I started to get fearful about the results of my visit.

  • I left work early to go to my orthopedic and they had no record of my appointment anywhere in the computer.  Luckily, I had my appt card so they agreed to squeeze me in.
  • Finally the nurse came to get me in the waiting room and said in a nasty tone, “Where are your crutches?” I said that I didn’t need them. Then she asked, “Where is your boot?” I said that I wasn’t wearing it any more.  She looked at my folder and said nothing.
  • When the doctor came in,  he said “Are we here to talk about your 12 week removal of the screws?”  I replied in a shocked tone, “I don’t think so…but you tell me.”
  • Then he said, you need to go get x-rays.  And the nurse escorted me to the x-ray area where I got x-rays.
  • The nurse then came back and said “Why don’t you hobble back to the examination room and wait for the doctor.” Let’s just say I was trying to impress them with my best non-limping walk… (Did she have to say “hobble?”)

Thank God, things improved after that.

  • The doctor looked at my x-rays and realized that he didn’t put in the long cross screws like he usually does and I don’t need them taken out at 12 weeks – PHEW!
  • He said that everything looks great – the bones, ligaments, tendons, cartilage spaces, etc, etc.
  • We talked about how I was doing & what I was doing… he said the swelling was normal and it will be swollen for a year.  He recommended wearing support stockings, elevation, icing and NOT OVER DOING!
  • He said the range of motion will come back and that he was impressed on how well I was doing…much better than he expected at this point…better than most with this injury!  YAY!
  • He cautioned me not to rush things (Patience is not my strong suit.) and stay out of the sun (SPF 80-100) and massage the incisions to help the scarring and nerve endings rebuild.
  • He wrote a script for 4 more weeks of PT cuz I said it helped.
  • He asked what the PT guy thought… I said that he was encouraged with the degree of side to side range of motion (which he thought would not come back this quickly) but that I couldn’t run for 6 months.
  • Here’s the good part.  The doctor said, “You won’t have to wait that long… Start cranking up that treadmill…but don’t run outside for a while yet.”

Next visit is in 6 weeks.  If those x-rays are good, he’ll release me until 9 months out when he’ll decide if all the hardware needs to come out.

I’m trying not to get too excited but I swear my ankle has more movement today… (probably in my head)

Happy Running!

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Staying Positive…Ain’t Easy

Look at this week’s weather!

Perfect for outdoor activities, right?

But I cannot walk, bike, play tennis or run!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I am DEPRESSED!!!!!

I am trying to stay positive…

  • I have been riding the exercise bike everyday for 20 minutes (catching up on the show Revenge). I even drove to work on Sat & Sun to do this. (Exercise makes me happy.)
  • I have been “walking”  on the treadmill everyday as well.
  • I have been stretching, icing etc. as per PT advice.
  • I have been knitting (almost done with sock #2 and bought wool for two more pairs)

    pretty colors on sale = happiness

  • I went grocery shopping by myself.
  • I have hit up Marshalls several times (it’s not the mall but they have shopping carts/walkers) and bought many cute tops.

    inexpensive cool tops = happiness

  • I went out to dinner with friends at my favorite restaurant.

    creme brulee = happiness

However, every time, I get in my car, I see someone running and those negative thoughts creep in. Everytime, I go online, I read about my friends running, playing tennis and training for a marathon, those darn negative thoughts come back.

I
NEED

  • I am improving each day.
  • A broken ankle is not a fatal disease.
  • 6 months isn’t forever.

Today I go back to my orthopedic doctor.  Hopefully nothing is wrong with my hardware and bone healing and he will release me to the care of my PT.

So my plans include:

but it would be OK if the weather weren't so nice(Sorry runners)

as I work total toward a FULL recovery. This means that I will walk without a limp, I will do yoga, I will run and I will play tennis.

Of course, there will be:

But there are always challenges in life. It will make me stronger. (Gulp!)

And finally:

Stick with me as I vent.  Writing things down helps me believe it!

Happy Running!

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3 Things Thursday at 10 weeks

Almost the weekend…

1. Last Thursday, I had a snow day.  Today it is in the 60s…Crazy weather!!

3-8-12

2. And I am dying to do something outdoors… so I hobbled to Starbucks (it’s across the street from where I work though it felt like walking miles). It was worth it!

green tea frappuccino - yum!

3. 10 weeks from here:

elevated & iced 24/7

            to here:

walking on the treadmill

A side note about the treadmill – After work on Tuesday, I planned to use the exercise bike at work but I couldn’t figure out how to turn it on (Seriously!) so I decided to try walking on the treadmill…20 minutes at 1.5 mph…it’s a start! (Later I asked someone and found out that there is no on/off switch.  You just get on and start pedaling…duh!)

Happy Running!

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March Goals

I mean that literally.  Limping will lead to walking and that will take me closer to running (my goal).

March Goals:

  • Continue PT.
  • Do exercises on my own, as well.
  • Start using exercise bike at work.
  • Walk with less of a limp.
  • Lose that darn BOOT!
  • Burn those crutches!

Happy Running!  What are your goals for March? I hope yours involve RUNNING!

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Happy Leap Day

Yup, February is over! Normally I don’t like to rush time but with this injury, each day that passes is a day closer to being able to run!!

zero miles for February

  • Yes, that’s ZERO running miles again for February!
  • Zero tennis played
  • Zero yoga sessions attended
  • Cross-training = crutching, hopping, hobbling, knitting, typing…
  • Non-running activities – knitting socks, still reading Mockingjay, driving, back to work, started PT, exercises to get the ankle moving…

There is progress to report:

first half of the month

 

2nd half of the month

 March and beyond

Unfortunately March running looks much the same. But I see walking ahead!!

Happy Running!  What do you have planned for March?

 

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TTT: Eight Already?

8 WEEKS!!

You may say already but for me, it seems like an eternity…

  1. I am now working!  I even drive to work!! It’s great to be independent!!!
  2. I can walk with my boot and one crutch.  (That means I can carry somethng & open a door!!) It is very awkward since the boot has such a high heel. I had to dig out an OLD shoe with a higher platform.  Still swells a lot by the end of the day.

    this is what it feels like...

  3.   I went to my first PT appt…ouch!

Actually it went very well. I went to the same place as I did last summer for my achilles issue.  I had my favorite PT guy, R.  He did all the usual measurements of my range of motion (or lack of).  Of course, he remembered that I run.  He was very positive about my return to running.  Because of the hardware, the sideways motion will not return all the way but the forward motion should and that’s what important for running.

So first there was massaging and heat and then painful bending & pulling  followed by measurement and then ice. He said things improved already.  YAY!  He gave me 5 sets of exercises to do twice a day.  Heat before & ice after.  That should keep me busy. 

For now – Drop the 2 crutches and only use one with the boot.  The goal is to ditch the boot (before it destroys my back & hip) and walk with 2 crutches…then only one.  Hopefully in the next few weeks.

exercises in my future plus more

Happy Running! Any PT experiences to share?

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Tuesday Tidbits – Mostly Good (and Some Bad)

Back at work after a 3- day weekend. 

Here’s a bulleted update of the weekend’s  GOOD stuff:

  • Friday & Saturday, I walked with one crutch with the boot. 
  • I went to a birthday party for a good friend Friday night.
  • Saturday I drove myself to my hair appt and then bought socks at Olympia Sports (had a $10 gift card to use)
  • Saturday night we went to the movies – If you haven’t seen Hugo, you must! It was 3D, took place in Paris and had a lot of messages in the story. Go see it!

    Love this view from the train station!

  • Sunday am, the hubby & I went wheelchair grocery shopping – not fun but necessary
  • Sunday afternoon, I got in my car and just drove (It was a beautiful sunny day and you know what I wanted to be doing) and ended up in Bolton Landing. I couldn’t do much when I got there so I sat on the beach and then had a root beer float which made me feel better for the moment.

Can you believe that it is 40 degrees in February?

 
 
  • Monday, my hubby went to work so I had the whole day to myself (and you know what I wanted to be doing).  But I did some knitting and cooking and cleaning.

    my lst sock so far but I haven't got to the hard part.

  • Monday afternoon I went to see my mentee Amandaand we went out to iHOP for lunch (did not eat healthy!).  We chatted for seveal hours catching up.

    Amanda & Matthew (who is almost 5 mos)

  • Last night, I had to listen to a webinar as part on my training to work at the NYS Bar Exam next week.

Now the Bad:

My independence got the best of me.  I walked on my boot Friday & Saturday.  By the end of the movie Sat nite, not having my foot elevated all day made so swollen that I could no longer put weight on it.  It was painful all day Sunday & Monday. Not fun at all.

I was planning on stopping at the outlets in Lake George on Sunday but I couldn’t walk with one crutch 😦  So sad.

Last night I woke up with my ankle throbbing!  Ouch!

Today, I drove myself to work and it feels much better. 

Back to baby steps! 

I am keeping my leg elevated when I can and I am using my crutch for support. This walking thing is harder than I thought.

Tomorrow I start PT…pretty scary trying to fit my FAT ankle into some kind of sneaker…

Happy Running! Did you enjoy your long weekend?