So…I *think* I might have patellar tendonitis…

…but I don’t want to stop running until it heals.

What’s a girl to do?

Well – I’d love to ignore the problem entirely and run through the injury.

But I know that won’t solve the problem, it’ll just prolong recovery time and could even cause further injury.

Neither of these are things I want to see happen.

BUT I love to run and it makes me want to cry to think that I might not be able to. At least in the short-term.

So I *think* this is what I’ll do to avoid getting too depressed due to lack of runner’s high, now that half marathon training this summer totally kicked my run-obsession into high gear. I’m going to:

Cross-train. This means in lieu of running as my main form of cardio this week, I’m going to stick to spinning and kickboxing (neither hurt my knee to do so I am calling them a-ok in my book).

Purchase a patellar strap. I have a knee brace but am thinking the patellar strap might be a better option at this point.

Strengthen my hips and quads. To improve strength in those areas, thus alleviating over-stressing my knee when I do run again.

Stop running. At least for this week (I can’t think beyond one week of no running so this is my coping mechanism! One week…not soooo bad, right? Weeks of no running? Very bad/sad. Not going there. Yet.)

That last one kills me. I ran both yesterday and today and LOVED being out in the brisk fall air, especially since both runs involved my favorite running companions. On Saturday – I had a “run date” with Jo and Steph (aka Wicked Half-ers!) and today I ran with Scott. Loved it. I noticed, on both days, that my knee was actually doing pretty good until the last mile or so of the run. I only logged about 5 or so miles on Saturday and 4ish today so the mileage was definitely pared back from this summer/early-fall, but still – the fact that I was distracted by the knee pain is a sign that something needs to be done to fix it.

SO, I’m HOPING that this will be a very short-term fix – I honestly and really hoping that after this week, I’ll be able to run as soon as this weekend so we’ll see. Long story short, everyone send some good vibes my knee’s way this week, please!!! <sigh>

Signed,

Bummed out Bettie

“Time is a companion who reminds us to cherish every moment because it will never come again.”

“Time is a companion who reminds us to cherish every moment because it will never come again.”

My, my, what a difference a couple of days makes.

Just a few days ago, I was posting about how “under pressure” I felt in so many ways lately – from workouts, to my career, to my relationship, to my auntie duties – all of it felt like a ton of bricks on my shoulders.

But today?

I’m taking it all in. I’m cherishing the time I have with my niece while she and my sister are still living with me. I sense our time together is ticking to a stop soon and now I am holding onto every moment for dear life. Because these are moments I will never get back. I have SUCH a unique opportunity to bond with Isabel in a way that I never would have had the chance to do if Jen were home and none of this had ever happened. Not that I wish none of it did happen (because it involved a lot of pain and suffering for Jen), but I realize I’ve been given a gift. Once that I could never hope to return or repay.

I am so in love with Isabel – her little coos, the way she wraps her hand around my fingers when I feed her, the “happy baby” smile she gives me after she’s been fed, burped and changed, the look of joy in her eyes as she discovered she really did love that swing with the soothing music afterall.

All of it, I love all of it.

Even the poopy diaper I inadvertently stuck my finger into when throwing the trash away this morning. <ew> But relaying that story to Jen made her giggle and that made it worth it – because she’s smiling again. She’s healing, she’s discovering what being a mom is all about, and I get to be there to witness it.

I am so lucky.

It even dawned on me the other night when Jo spent the night to take over “baby duty” that this was one of the first times we were all sleeping under one roof since we were 24. Kind of cool – strangely comforting to know that all three of us were together, safe and sound.

I am cherishing these moments.

I will never get them back.

I am loving my auntie duties…and my sister duties.

I am lucky to have them in my lives. There is nothing better than the love of a sister…or the love of a niece for that matter.

And for the record – how can you not love this face?? I told her to “smile for auntie” and she stuck her tongue out at me. What do you s’pose that means?? 😉

You are amazing…

…just the way you are.

As sung by Bruno Mars:

A little “cheesy” (as uttered by my sis on our drive home from work tonight) yes.

Great message?

You bet your ass (that was also for you, Jo)!

There are few words that leave me with a rosy cheeked (shy) grin on my face.

Amazing.

Sexy.

Beautiful.

Yup, those all do it.

Why? Because they are words that you typically only hear uttered by a loved one.

Who love you for you are.

Just the way you are.

So, why do we find it so hard to describe ourselves that way. Earnestly. Accepting ourselves just the way we are?

This thought popped into mind after my sis and I chatted about it ever so briefly as she dropped me off at home tonight when the song popped on the radio. I said that someone describing me as looking “amazing” sort of stuns me…in a good way, in a surprising way.

Like, whaaa?

You think I look amazing?

Really?

(side note – Jo’s new man, aptly named Doctor Boy if you read her blog – uttered that very phrase on their first date…as she would say “swoon.”)

This all, of course, goes back to my goal of banishing fat talk from my vocabulary (still a work in progress) and accepting myself as beautiful just the way I am (ala Operation Beautiful).

While I try, try, try to get there in my own mind’s eye, this song certainly sends a tingle down my spine every single time I hear it pop on the radio. And reminds me that I am, without a shadow of a doubt, beautiful and amazing just the way I am. Cheesy or not. It does the trick. 😉

(another side note – this post also partially inspired by a recent post from Melissa at Tales of a (Recovering) Disordered Eater; rock on!)

Under pressure

Y’know that song, Under Pressure?

That’s exactly how I feel lately.

For a few reasons. And mostly by my own doing.

I put pressure on myself to give 110% in all that I do. I accept nothing less than perfection. It’s just who I am.

That includes everything from my career, my relationships, my fitness goals. You name it, I want to give my best. Always.

Not necessarily a bad thing, most of the time.

But I think that’s sort of why I’ve been struggling with the whole lack of routine thing coupled with the pressure of auntie duties, but I’m also struggling with uncovering my next fitness challenge.

The routine thing – well that’s obvious. I’m Type A through and through, I crave routine a lot of the time (though I’ve found that I can be more spontaneous and less “scheduled” or “planned” lately, too).  But not having as much control over my routine, my day-to-day life given auntie duties of late while my sister continues to recover at my house,  and I feel under pressure (again by my own doing) to do the best, give her the best, give the baby the best, and nothing less. Well – a week into things and I’m exhausted. I guess I need to be a little easier on myself, huh?

The fitness challenge thing? It’s both good and bad. Good in that I truly do love to explore my limits, redefining them whenever possible. That’s why even though the whole Kick experience was really stressful and frustrating sometimes, it truly got me out of my comfort zone…and gave me a killer workout, too. 😉 The half marathon – well I already admitted that that was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, EVER.

I guess the “bad” in all of this (if you can call it bad) is that I think I’m pressuring myself to find that “next” challenge versus just letting it come to me. For instance – when it turned out I wouldn’t be teaching Kick regularly at my gym? Ta-da, enter half marathon training which left me little time to focus on much else, fitness-wise. So I guess I need to be patient, letting whatever challenge is around the corner to round that bend for me (vs. me seeking it out).

And I probably need to stop overthinking things a little bit more, too. I mean, really, right, obsess much? I guess that’s whatcha get when you spend have the day in the doctor’s office keeping your niece occupied while your sister attended doctor’s appointments. What? My mind wanders, I can’t help it. 😉

“Christmas” in, um, October?

Something that makes this self-professed workout-a-holic fitness blogger giddy?

The promise of new workouts to come.

It’s like “Christmas” in October!

What could I possibly be referring to?

Cathe Friedrich’s new workouts that I pre-ordered right after hearing all about them at the Cathe Road Trip this summer. (yes, I’m a total sucker, could hardly wait to get to my laptop to pre-order them!)

I was just watching the video clips – been so busy with work and with auntie life that I hadn’t even had a chance to watch them since they were posted to Cathe’s site a couple weeks ago.

They look awesome!! And they are just what I need now that we’re heading into the cooler months, forcing me to seek more indoor workouts to do that don’t involve the dreadmill unless absolutely required. 😉

Since I’m such a fitness dork, of course I’m going to recap them for you briefly here:

• Intensity – This is Cathe’s longer, even MORE intense version of some of her STS Shock Cardio workouts she put out a year or so ago. From the looks of the video – it’s gonna be killer, but lots of fun and lots of variety (mix of step, bootcamp moves and plyo…ohhh plyo how I love to hate you!).
• High Reps – After watching the video clip for High Reps, this TOTALLY looks like it’ll be very similar to Group Power. Ten songs choreographed to ten workout segments working full body at low weights, high reps (aka an endurance weight workout). Ahh, LOVE this!!
• STS Total Body – Using the same premise as Cathe’s BEST (in my opinion anyway) weight training series yet (STS), STS Total Body uses 65-80% of your one rep max weights to give you a killer total body workout. This will be PERFECT as a complement to my current 3 1/2 month STS rotation. I can add it in as a fourth weight workout, or add it in when I’m not even doing an STS rotation at all. Love.
• Lower Body Blast – I have a feeling I’m going to die doing this workout, but I am equally excited to give this one a whirl. I have a feeling it’ll be similar to one of my “oldie but goodie” favorites of Cathe’s – Butts & Guts. An intense lower body workout that I am SURE will leave me with major DOMS.

I know, I sound like such a dork gushing about these workouts but they just look like such fun, and I honestly really do need a workout refresh for what I currently use for at-home workouts in between my gym visits for Ride, Power, Kick, etc. These will come in especially handy when it’s cold and miserable this winter…I seriously am NOT looking forward to winter because it totally limits my outdoor workout activities which is such a depressing thought! BUT – with a few new workouts to add to my at-home fitness library, well, I think I can handle that this winter. 😉

On a similar note – STILL haven’t figured out what my next challenge is gonna be quite yet, but am hoping that the promise of new workouts this fall will at least keep me from feeling bored. Until that next “dare to be great” moment comes along. 😉

On this day, one year ago…

…I wrote my first ever blog post.

And was instantly hooked.

I cannot BELIEVE it’s been a year since I started EatDrinkBreatheSweat – I honestly can’t imagine my life without it.

It’s my place to think “out loud.”

It’s my place to explore my motivation and my passion for working out.

It’s my place to inspire and motivate anyone who needs a good push, or anyone who simply likes to “compare notes.”

It’s my place to push myself, working towards new challenges.

It’s my place to meet up with all of you wonderful bloggy friends.

It’s mine to make it whatever I want it to be.

And I love it. For far more reasons than I could even list. It’s changed me in some pretty amazing ways.

To celebrate the year that was, I figured I’d point out some of the highlights, some of my favorite posts or memories from this year, and over 18,000 visitors later:

• I accepted the challenge that was Group Kick for what it was – an out-of-my-comfort-zone challenge that pushed me so far mentally and physically. I not only accepted the challenge, but I kicked the crap out of it. I’m still so damn proud to be Group Kick certified (more updates on where things stand here later…), especially since it was something my sister and I did together, I’ll never forget the experience.
• I discovered why I run, rediscovered why I run, and conquered what would turn out to be the toughest physical challenge of my life in the Wicked Half. And yes, I’m still very much considering another half (my answer still is “we’ll see!”).
• I met some unbelievable bloggy friends:Naomi from The Tao of Me – my first-ever blogger meet-up. She’s such fun, such a running inspiration (hello marathoner!) and I can’t wait to meet her again since we all know a return visit to SF MUST be in my future! Heather – my sister from another mother, for reals. We met and experienced the Cathe Road Trip this year, her first time, my third time and I cannot wait for our return trip to workout weekend because there is NO doubt we’ll have just as much fun as we did this past year. And finally, meeting both Alicia from Poise in Parma and Elina from Healthy and Sane – such a fun blogger brunch, and I seriously cannot wait to “watch” Alicia conquer her first marathon in January! You got this girl!
• I’m rediscovering my love of STS, one mesocycle at a time. Now that I’m in my third round of STS, I’m realizing just how much I missed a rigorous weight training regime. There is nothing quite like STS – the burn, the intensity, the fire you feel both during and hours (and days!) later is unreal. Like I said on Facebook this morning: *roarrrrr* This is me post-STS workout, as in “I am woman, hear me roar!” (Yes, I’m a dork).

Wow. Seeing the past year stacked up in front of me, blogger-style and I’m actually kinda floored. It’s been an amazing year in so many ways. I cannot wait for what the next bloggy year has in store for me. If it’s anything like this past year, it’s bound to knock my socks off. 😉

Happy blogoversary to ME!

Needing a dose of endorphins, STAT!

Anyone got some endorphins to spare me??

I mean – really. I literally *just* posted about all things balance last night, right?

Well – today, of course, I’m now absolutely craving an endorphin rush.

I bet you want to know why, right?

How could I be craving that when I had such good intentions for this morning? Well, let me explain how it all went down, shall we?

Me last night: I’m going to get up at 5 tomorrow so I can give my new Core Fusion DVD’s a whirl before our uber-dark run, ok, sweetie?

Husband Scott: Ok, babe, whatever makes you happy.

Me this morning (when alarm buzzed at 5am): Oof. My knee still hurts. I’m going to reset the alarm for 5:45 and do Core Fusion only this morning. No run.

Husband Scott: Ok, babe, whatever makes you happy.

Me: <reset alarm clock to 5:45 and snuggle down under covers>

Me: <awaking with a start at 6:52> Oh wow, I’m so happy I woke up or I’d have missed my workout. I can’t believe I didn’t turn my alarm clock on! <pause> Wait. It’s 6:52, not 5:52?? Bah!

Um yeah. That NEVER happens. I’m so organized, so type-A, so prepared. Apparently my body hit “override” on all of that in favor of sleep. Clearly I needed it.

But now, oh now, I am SOOOO craving an endorphin rush. A long run tomorrow coupled with Core Fusion, now that is most certainly on my agenda for tomorrow morning, mmk?

**********

Now I hope you all don’t think this post means I’m complaining about the time spent with my sister and niece because it’s not. At all. I am loving having them around. Loving the bonding moments. Loving it all. But I’m human. And a Type-A, routine-oriented human at that. Who just so happens to be a workout-a-holic who LOVES a good sweat. And yes, I realize that makes me a smidge weird. 😉

And PS. Thank you all for being so supportive and thoughtful as my sis goes through this rough patch. Good news is that she’s recovering well – in fact, she’s off the wound vac pump as of today which is a welcome surprise! One step closer to full recovery. YAY!

Balance with a capital “B”

By now, you all know I’m a big proponent of balance.

Balance in how I eat.

Balance in how I workout.

Balance in how I manage my career.

I love balance. I crave it. I love feeling centered, grounded and not bound by endless rules (‘cept those rules like I can NOT go to bed with dishes in the sink – a certain friend of mine teases me about this one all the time!!)

I find that when balance is lacking in any of those areas above, I feel “off,” like I’m missing something.

What I’ve learned this week while I’ve been my sister’s “keeper” if you will (btw, LOVE that book…but I digress) is that even in times of chaos, I STILL manage to find balance.

My husband thinks I’m a little nuts, but doing things like:

Fitting in a workout today even though I thought it would never happen. Made me feel great – STS left my back and tri’s fried, just in time to bounce Isabel in my arms to rid her of a gas bubble (which is a workout in and of itself).

Sweeping the floor after I cleaned up all the dinner dishes and pans from a pretty darn tasty chicken stir fry with brown rice. Yes, it could wait but I wanted to do it, I like to do it. It made me feel good that everything was in it’s place.

Writing a blog post after being absent from it since Monday (the horror!). But, this is my own little creation, my own little haven, I love to feed it with whatever is on my mind, even if it’s rambles like tonight’s post. 🙂

So – while my sister continues to recover, I am forever thankful for this time with her, with my sister Jo who is here with us tonight, and for the time spent with Isabel. It’s been such fun watching her develop quite the little personality. Bonding with her, watching Scott bond with her (who has quite the magic touch, I’m totally impressed!), leaves me in awe. She’s a doll and I love her very much. Yes, it’s exhausting. Yes, it means getting a little creative, re-creating my “normal” routine for the short term. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

 

We could all use a little more “kick” in our lives

At least I think so.

Last night, I came home from work after a chaotic, frenzied day and – while later than my normal workout – I had to get something done. Not just because I heart working out but because I felt “off.” Stressed. Sad. Anxious. Not really one thing in particular that set me off, really, just a combination of things.

So what’s a girl to do when running isn’t an option (too dark, sad, not ready for fall/winter!) to re-focus, re-energize, re-invigoriate, re-“me-if-y”?

KICK.

I kicked it wicked hahhd last night.

I used every muscle in my upper body, my core to toss some fierce punches.

I used every leg muscle to kick my pretend “opponent” right out of my living room.

I felt alive.

I felt confident.

I felt strong.

I felt ME.

As my sister so wisely re-iterated to me over BBIM message, channeling the fierceness that is Kick, and you just never know how you might feel afterwards.

Always better than where you started, that’s for sure.

And usually much more sore, too (which I am – but you know me, I LOVE DOMS!).

Hence why I think we could ALL use a little more “kick” in our lives. Wouldn’t you agree?

(and BTW – for those of you always asking me what my motivation is for working out even after a long day?? It’s that natural high you get after a fantastic sweat-fest like Kick. Seriously, nothing compares…just sayin’)

What workout do you use to work off steam after a rough day? Do you ever use your workouts as a channel for stress, or is it just me (which I highly doubt)?? 😉

Fat Talk Free Week – readyyyy, set, go!

After reading “Operation: Beautiful” over the summer (you can read my series of posts on what I learned from the book here, here, here and here), the whole concept of banning “fat talk” has been near and dear to my heart.

While I fully admit that I fall victim to fat talk far too often STILL, I feel very strongly about banning it for good in not just my life but my sisters, my friends, my family, too.

I’ve especially been prone to bouts of fat talk since coming back from vacation and fearing that I’d gained a couple of pounds (because *gasp* I enjoyed my vacation, didn’t work out a heck of a lot, etc.). I know it’s irrational thinking and I KNOW that I’m far better than that.

But still, I have trouble with it. I am not perfect by any stretch.

What am I getting at here? That this week is “Fat Talk Free Week” (thanks Meg for pointing it out to me!!).

How awesome is that??

I encourage you all to join the cause – even if just personally committing to avoiding the fat talk trap this week. I’m hoping that by committing to it myself this week that I’ll be well on my way to living fat talk free not just this week but every week (as much as possible, anyway) from here on in.

Let’s start today, shall we? Similar to Tina’s 30 DSL movement, let’s band together and go fat talk free this week.

Start right now: Pick something that you LOVE about yourself and celebrate it today.

Personally, I’m celebrating the major DOMS I have from starting STS yesterday – I feel so alive and so strong, two traits that I fully embrace as a woman.