Melisa Has a Blog?

Ok, I realize I've been a little neglectful with my blogging lately. What's new, right? Honestly, I don't know how you all squeeze it all in. Apparently, my time management skills are in serious need of honing.

So, what have I been up to? Well, lots actually. My VFW Auxiliary has been busy, busy, busy. We recently raised money for and participated in a local Honor Flight that flew 30 WWII vets to Washington DC, we did a school program on Veteran's Day and served meals to 60 vets, and we did a food drive and delivered 8 boxes of food to a food pantry for veterans. See, I haven't just been sitting on my @$$ like you guys were thinkin'...lol.

Couple of Honor Flight Pics of Our "Fellas"
*Pics to follow...blogger is giving me errors on upload...sigh.*

On the running front, I have started running again 3 days per week. I'm working on a schedule now that I'm hoping will get me to a spring half marathon *injury free*. I still feel like my knees are not right and I continue to do my physical therapy exercises here at home. I'm also lifting weights 4 x per week. I finally feel like I'm starting to see some results from the weight training...feeling much more toned and stronger too. I'm really liking that!

Tomorrow, you can catch me on Runner's Round Table where I'll be co-hosting an episode with my guy Yuri Elkaim. (If you recall, I've purchased about everything he has produced - Strength Training for Runners, Stretching for Runners, Eating for Energy, and his Treadmill Training series. Needless to say, I'm pretty pumped.) Join in if you can!!!

Runner's Round Table

Hey guys, check me out tomorrow on Runners Round Table. Should be fun!! The topic is resistance training for runners.

Can you run just a smidge?

If so, then I have been running just a smidge. Last week I ran twice for 20 minutes. It was slow too - more like jogging. Nothing crazy, right? Check...no crazy here.

Meanwhile, I've been getting into biking, lifting weights, and tonight I did some core yoga class at the gym that was pretty cool. (I talked my daughter into joining the gym with me so that I can go at night, take her with, and then I don't have to feel guilty or get up at 4:30AM anymore. Pretty smart, huh?

Tomorrow I start a new 6 week session of spinning classes. YEAH!! I'll be spinning Wednesdays and Saturdays and biking 30 miles on Sundays. I'm loving biking!!! Maybe there's a triathlete in me somewhere? I'm also going to shoot for two 20 minute runs per week, probably interval type runs.

So, what next? Well, I don't have any immediate plans to race. However, I am planning and dreaming for next year. Some ideas I'm tossing around...a duathalon (bike/run), 100 mile bike race, a couple of half marathons and maybe some shorter races.

Like I said, just dreaming now. (This is the fun part!) No firm plans yet, but I'll keep you posted.

You Go Girl?

Ladies, check this out. (Admittedly, I was a little scared when I clicked "Watch Demo"...lol.)

Go Girl

Petra, this has your name written all over it! ;-)

Last week's workouts:
Monday
AM Weights
PM Walking (30 min) and PT

Tuesday
PM Walking (30 min) and PT

Wednesday
AM PT
PM Walking (30 min)

Thursday
PM Walking (30 min) and PT

Sunday
AM 20 miles on bike
PM 1 mile walk

It's Complicated

This is a good article. I don’t know about you, but I could use some inspiration. (Thanks Sherrie Harris!!)

You Can Grow Younger

Hopefully this post doesn’t contain too many grammatical gaffes and ramble on endlessly. I wrote it in a hurry.

So, what the hell have I been doing? I’ve had hip problems (bursitis), complicated by a hip misalignment, complicated by two bad knees (patellar tendinitis), complicated by a complete running identity crisis, complicated most recently by a serious lack of mojo.

Ok, enough of the Debbie Downer stuff. Let's just say it's been a tough year. However, I realize in life sometimes good things come from seemingly bad situations and I’m hoping this is one of those times.

Around spring, it became clear to me that my running had somehow gone from an activity that built my body up to an activity that seemed to be breaking my body down. After about two and a half years of running pretty much pain-free, my body was talking and I was not listening. My body screamed, “My hip hurts!” My brain replied, “But, I wanna run!” My body sighed, “My knee is really throbbing lady.” My brain replied, “But, I wanna run!” My body stated insultingly, “See a doctor dumb ass.” My brain replied, “But, I wanna run!”

It’s taken me a long time and a lot of mental arguments involving my “rational self” and my “dumb ass self” (who’s really pushy btw) to finally admit that I have a problem. When it comes to running, I don’t know how to be rational. Why? Love, that’s why. I love to run and it’s not always rational. Hence, my love of running has led me down the path of stupidity on more than one occasion.

Stretching? (Isn’t that for wimps?)

Ramping up your mileage at no more than 10% a week? (Is that new math, cause I don’t do new math? I’m keeping it old school.)

Good nutrition, especially after that long run? (Wine has grapes in it. Grapes are fruit. Fruit is good. I'm good, right?)

Doh, doh, doh…and so the cycle of stupidity continued until I felt - well, like a 43 year old woman with 90 year old joints. Obviously, something had to change.

After multiple trips to doctors, chiropractors, and physical therapists, I’ve finally concluded that I need to let go of running – at least temporarily. I need to build my body back up and strengthen my hips, my inner quads (VMO?), and get my damn patellas tracking right again. Then, and only then, will I resume running. It’s taken me months to arrive at this place and now that I have, it makes so much sense.

So, the plan is this. I’ve purchased Strength Training for Runners by my guy Yuri Elkaim. (Who has agreed to do a Runner’s Roundtable podcast with me about this subject btw. Stay tuned for details.) My physical therapist has given the plan a thumbs up, so I’m starting next week. The program is designed specifically to strengthen the running muscles. It’s 12 weeks in length. After I’ve completed a minimum of 6 weeks of the plan, I’m going to SLOWLY and GRADUALLY start running again, only I’m going to take a slightly different approach this time. I’m going to run 3 days a week (and no more!), strength train at least 2 days a week, and spin or bike 2 days a week.

That’s right, I’m going to cross train. (What a concept, I know!) I think it's my best hope for staying injury-free. Plus, I’ve realized I can still get to the same finish lines as all of you; I’m just going to have to take a different route. If that’s what it takes for me to run healthy and pain-free for years to come, then I’ll take it!

I've got over a year to get ready for the 2011 Goofy Challenge and it's going to take training smart to get me there without an entourage of medical staff and/or heavy narcotics. So, if you see me acting stupid, feel free to call me out on it. (Please? ;-)

Kiddo Stuff

Hi All,
I think this has been my longest absence from this blog. There is much to fill you in on and hopefully, while I'm off this week, I will get a long post published. Meanwhile, here are a few pictures from Corey's high school graduation and Jonathan's graduation from boot camp.


Corey in cap and gown


Michaela, Corey, and Bill


Corey and Cake!


Group Shot with Our Sailor!


All Three Kids



Jonathan and My Dad (who was also a sailor in the 60s)



Jonathan and Lil Sis


As for my running, I'll try to report back tomorrow. Today is my first day of PT on my knees. The diagnosis - patellar tendinitis due to a muscular imbalance that is pulling the patella outward and causing it to track wrong. Fun stuff! ;-)

Notes from the edge...

Hi guys,
First off - kudos to my husband who ran a major PR in Traverse City last month - 3:57:11? (Hopefully, that's right as the way they list the results online is hard to read and figure out.) I think that is close to 50 minutes off of his Chicago time. YEAH HONEY!!!!!

Well, our oldest is in Navy boot camp and the middle one had his high school commencement this past weekend. This Sunday, we'll be hosting his party at our house and then we are FREE! Wow, I think this past May was our craziest month EVER. I'm really looking forward to things slowing down. Hopefully, I'll have time to catch up with all of you.

I've been doing some google diagnosis of my hip and knee problems (which have become very frustrating) and I think I'm finally onto something. In short - IT Band issues. It's starting to make sense since as soon as my hip was better and I was able to run, I began having inflammation problems with my knees. But, more on that later.

Still Here

Sorry it has been so long. I have to say not only have I not written a blog, I've not kept up with your blogs either. I would love to say I'll catch up this week, but that probably will not happen, so please forgive me.

This month we have our oldest son (who dropped out of art school in December) leaving for the Navy May 28th. (He just enlisted this week!) Our middle son also graduates from high school May 31st and is leaving for college at the end of summer. We are just getting our house finished up after having the basement remodeled (post flood) and a deck put on the back. Meanwhile, I'm trying to finish the middle son's scrapbook, get invitations out to his graduation party, and plan a going away party now for the oldest. Sigh...I'm exhausted just thinking of everything that needs done this month. I really do hope to get back to a regular posting schedule next month and catch up on your lives. I MISS YOU GUYS!!!!

I am running again. I purchased the 5K Treadmill Trainer Series at www.mytreadmilltrainer.com and I'm really liking it. I'm doing two interval runs on the treadmill (while Yuri is coaching me via my iPod) and one long run on the weekends with my running club pals. I'm also doing spinning on Wednesdays (I've never sweat so much in my life btw), cardio DVDs at work with the ladies on Mon/Fri and weight training 3 days per week. It's crazy.

The bad news is, my endurance is not so good after 8 weeks of no running. The good news is - since joining a gym in March, I've managed through weight training and cardio to drop my body fat from 20.6% to 18.8%! I'm getting some guns ladies!!!!

I know it's going to take some time to get my running to where I want it, but I'm ok with it now. I *think* my plan is to do some shorter runs this summer - 5k, 10k distance. If I manage to remain uninjured, I'd like to train hard for a faster half marathon this fall. More to follow on all of that. Meanwhile, I just need to get through the next month.

My husband is now tappering for the Traverse City Bayshore Marathon at the end of May. Unfortunately, I had to drop down to the 10K. I'm not targeting any time, just a finish. (I'm just now up to a 6 mile long run on the weekends.) I'm excited for Bill though, as I think he's going to do very well.

Congrats to Petra for a kick-ass London finish. Man, that girl can run!!!!!!!

Miles Recovery Week 1

I stuck to the plan this week and only did three runs.

Tuesday - 2
Thursday - 2
Saturday - 3
Total: 7

I also did 4 weight lifting sessions and one elliptical workout. Working on next weeks schedule tonight. I will probably cut back to 2 weight lifting sessions as my miles ramp up, mostly core work.

So, I found this new website and I'm somewhat intrigued by this guys approach which involves a lot of High Intensity Interval Training.

My Treadmill Trainer

Thoughts? When you buy his programs, you get the ipod files and listen along to his training, ideally on the treadmill.

Holding Back the Stupid

Last week I started running again, although not far and not fast. The good news is, I didn't have any hip pain. I iced, I took my 2 Aleve a day. Basically, I was a good girl...which is no fun but at times necessary...lol.

The bad news is, it feels like this is going to take forever! Sigh...so I have to keep reminding myself to not do stupid stuff. I'm holding back the stupid, but I don't know how long that will last.

I'm doing weights and biking, trying to run no more than 3 days a week, at least for a few more weeks, then up it to 4 and see how that works. I'm also doing nooners (as a few of us are calling them ;-) with some girls at work. We get together over lunch and do a mix of cardio (tapes and dvds) and strength training. It's been a really fun way to get to know them all better. I think I've even talked a few of them into doing a 5k with me in June. This will likely be my first "official" race. I'm hoping to work on my short game for a while - gain some speed, lose some weight (have had some progress there), and basically kick some a**. (See, here comes the stupid again.)

Meanwhile, I've sucked as a blog friend and for that I apologize. However, I've managed to do some catching up this week, so hopefully, I can get back up to speed with all of you and your running/lives, etc.... I've really missed everyone! I've missed my running club peeps too. I may try to join them Saturday, but only for a few miles.

Also, great news on the basement front. Bill finally caved in to my never-ending whining and hired a contractor to do the work. He also came up with a brilliant idea to take our big screen TV and recess it into a wall, so it looks like a theatre room and adds a lot of space (that TV took up half the room). Since the place was in complete shambles, we decided to go ahead with our plans to knock out another wall and add a bar area too. Then we added a wall to make an extra room in the back (bedroom/home office/exercise?). It is going to look great, so I'm really excited!!!

As grandma use to say, "When life hands you a lemon sweetie, make whiskey sours."

Melisa Runs? Really?

Well, not yet, but she can!!

I went back to the sports ortho last week and he's given me clearance to start running again...kinda. He told me to walk this week, and then gradually add a few minutes of jogging to my walk. If that doesn’t hurt, jog a little more next time and work my way back up to running. He did give me a stern warning about trying to do too much too fast. He said, “If you try to go out and run a 10 miler this weekend, you’ll be back here next week. ” LOL…I think he’s a mind reader. He told me to take Aleve before I run and ice after. I feel like all I do these days is walk around with a bag of peas in my pants. (Seriously, that's what he told me to use. I mean its 2009 and that's the best we've got? Pea pants? ;-)

I do really feel fortunate to have him as a doctor because he's in our running club and has done several full and half marathons, as well as triathlons. He’s also younger than me by about 7ish years and he's had hip bursitis brought on by too much running. So, for those of you who think this is just for old people…HAHHHHHH!!! Sorry if I'm a little defensive about my injury because it sounds so unsexy and it does sound like it's for old people. One of the other guys in our running club (who will remain nameless ;-) was asking Bill where I've been. Bill said she can't run due to bursitis. He said, "Really? Bursitis? How old is she?" Grrrr.... HELLO, IT'S NOT JUST FOR OLD PEOPLE!!! Use “the google” and see for yourself. Sigh…

(I feel like this post is going off the rails on a crazy train. Sorry for my “Ozzy like” moment.)

My doctor also asked me where I was running (outside or treadmill) this winter. I told him all about the screw shoes and running outside through the wind, ice, snow, etc…. I thought he would be all impressed, right? Not so much. He basically said that running outside during poor road conditions is probably what caused my bursitis because I was likely running with poor or altered form, which will eventually lead to injury. He only runs on the treadmill in the winter and does more cross training until the roads are clear. Hmmmm, who woulda thunk? (In case you are wondering – yes, I sat there feeling really stupid. It was like I’d been smoking for years and then someone said, “You know those will kill you?” Maybe I should have known, maybe it was like...dah…pretty obvious, but I didn’t know.) So, I’m thinking next year’s winter training strategy might be a little different.

Meanwhile, I have continued to go to the gym faithfully since joining about 4 weeks ago. I’ve been lifting 3 days a week and doing cardio on the recumbent bike 4-5 days per week. The lifting has been awesome! Forgot how much I like weights. That’s something I’m going to continue to do 2-3 days per week even when I’m back to higher mileage running.

In terms of my running, I’m taking the wise advice of Paula Sue (my running club mentor) and not planning any races until I’ve been back to running “pain free/injury free” for a month or more. (Too be honest with you, I’m a little scared to run as I’m afraid the pain will come back and I’ll be incredibly disappointed if it does and I’m sidelined again. So, I know I really have to ease my way back in…baby steps for now…until I feel I’m ready for more.) I have a sort of three phased return approach formulating in my head, but more on that later.

I have been reading your blogs and listening to a lot of podcasts lately. I found out via the Extra Mile that Kevin and his wife had twin girls. Way to go Kevin! Everyone’s been racing a lot too and it’s been fun reading the reports. Good stuff guys!!

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

When life is not really going as planned and you realize the goals that you’ve set, the events that you’ve meticulously planned, the schedule you’ve spent hours crafting have suddenly become completely worthless, I think it helps to take a step back and look at the big picture.

The Good
I’m alive and I don’t have an incurable disease. Yea!!! My family is healthy and fairly happy. (We have teenagers so this is as close as we can get). I’m still employed and so is Bill. Our parents are doing well. Our house did not burn down, leaving us homeless and in despair. Life is still good.

The Bad
Ok, we all know s**t happens and it’s definitely been happening around here. Here’s my sad, pathetic story. Grab a Kleenex…lol.

Wednesday, February 11th - Bill and I come home from work to find our basement flooded. It had rained heavily that day and our sump pump died on us, allowing about 3-4 inches of water to accumulate in our carpeted and furnished basement. We quickly got all of the stuff out of there and waited patiently for the insurance adjuster to show up and assess the damage.

The Ugly
Wednesday, February 18th – Still no adjuster, but life goes on, right? I’m running that evening from the YMCA with a fellow running club member. So far, my marathon training is going great. We get about 2 miles into a 5 mile run and I start having excruciating hip pain. I try to continue running, do some walking, then try to run again, but can’t. The pain is too bad and it literally feels like my hip has gone out. We walk about two miles back to the Y. It was the longest two miles - took me forever.

Thursday, February, 26th – I finally get in to see my sports ortho. The diagnosis – bursitis. What? Like, isn’t that for old people? What the heck? Apparently, it’s an inflammation of the bursae, which is a fluid filled sack we have in our joints. It’s very painful and common in runners, but it’s very curable. (Assuming you’re able to follow instructions, but more on that later. ;-) The cause – overuse and poor stretching (guilty as charged your honor). The cure – no running until I’ve been “pain free” for at least 4 weeks. Then, a gradual walk/jog/run build up.

Tuesday, March 3rd – Having been pain free now for a few days, Melisa tries to run. Doh…stupid, stupid, stupid. I get one mile in on the treadmill and it’s back. I’m popping Aleve, icing, and limping for 3 days.

Thursday, March 5th – I see a physical therapist. She’s very sweet and looks at me like I’m a complete moron, but never really comes out and says that. God bless her. She teaches me proper stretching of the hips and the IT band. She gives me these cool bands to use and instructs me to not run and stretch 1-2 times daily. I ask her, “What can I do then?” Seeing the desperation in my face, she says, “Well, you could try swimming, recumbent biking, yoga, and/or weights, assuming they don’t cause you any pain.”

Fast forward to Thursday evening, and Melisa has a new plan! ;-) I realized it was time to stop fantasizing about running my marathon in May, as it’s just not going to happen. So, I tried to focus on what I can do. I put down the Krispie Kremes and joined a gym ASAP! I went last week and the owner helped me come up with a schedule that involves lifting, recumbent biking, and yoga 2 days a week. Next week, she’s measuring my fat (ugh), waist, chest, etc…. My hope is that I can retain some of my cardio fitness, build muscle, lose fat, and become more flexible while I’m on this running hiatus. (Another contributing factor with bursitis is weak hip and core muscles.)

Now, back to the basement. The adjuster showed up 2 full weeks after the flood and we just received payment to start putting it back together. However, we were under insured on structural damage and over insured on content damage, so we’ll likely end up paying several thousand out-of-pocket. (Don’t get me started on insurance. It’s never what you need when you need it. Crazy!!) Looks like we’ll be under construction for a while.

Bursitis info - just so you can try to avoid it:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2318252_avoid-bursitis.html

The Interview

A while back Petra participated in an interview on her blog (which was very interesting BTW if you have not read it, click here.) So, I decided to join in the fun and have her send me five interview questions. Her questions were great. Thanks Petra!! Below are my answers.

What is the most unexpected turn your life has taken?
Joining the Air Force at 19. I think it changed the trajectory of my entire adult life, for the better.

At the time I was immature, directionless, disorganized, and not entirely sure of myself. The Air Force taught me life skills I never could have learned on my own had I remained close to home and my parents.

I love my folks, but they told me “Why don’t you be a nurse or a teacher?” The Air Force didn’t limit me to traditionally female roles. They said, “You’re qualified to do any number of things from de-fusing bombs (seriously this was an option), to analyzing intelligence, to working on jets. Pick whichever job sounds most interesting to you.” Suddenly, I found myself in basic training scaling walls, firing an M-16, and folding my t-shirts into these neat little squares. Anything seemed possible!

I remember once when I was about 23 and a Sergeant stationed in Germany, we were doing some “Chem Warfare Training”, which involved wearing our chemical warfare clothing, a gas mask, and eating MREs (Meals Ready to Eat - yuck). We had just been “attacked” and we were all taking cover under a desk in the flight room. In the quiet as I listened to my Darth Vader like breathing through the gas mask I had time to assess this rather odd situation in which I found myself. Out of nowhere, I started laughing hysterically! (My friends were like, “Melisa, shut the hell up before you get us pretend killed.”) I thought, “How did a girl who grew up in a small farming community in northwest Ohio end up halfway around the world under a desk wearing a gas mask?” Talk about stepping out of your comfort zone. That’s what the AF taught me - life is more fun, more challenging and way more interesting if you will only step out of your comfort zone.

What would you most like to achieve in the next 2 years?
I would love to be more physically fit, leaner, and healthier. The biggest challenge for me is the eating. When it comes to food, I’m very weak. I need to gain more self-control.

If you could say something now to your 18 year old self, what would it be?
It’s interesting Petra asked this one, because I just gave the advice I would give my 18 year old self to my 20 year old son the other day. I hope he takes it to heart.

You are enough. You’re stronger than you know, smarter than you think. Stop comparing yourself to others and focus your energy on developing the very best you that you can be.

Don’t worry about failing, because you will. We all do. It’s an important part of the journey. With failure comes the wisdom and strength you’ll need to finally succeed.

Spend all of your energy and intellectual capital on gaining knowledge, friendship, and experiences - not money and things. Money and things can be lost or taken away, but the others are yours to keep forever.

Which of your personality traits do you dislike most?
That I’m too emotional and sentimental. I would love to be less feeling and more reasoning.

That I love change. This one can be both a blessing and a curse. The curse part is that I'm easily bored and often switching directions. As an example, I love my job and I hate my job. I love the work, for the most part. I just hate sitting behind a desk day-in and day-out. There are times when I would like to not have to think and just do something that is physically exhausting. Another one, I'm sick of Ohio and ready to move. Bill is all for it, but unfortunately our children and parents are not. So, for now we're stuck here and if I only liked sameness, this would not be a problem. As it is, I'm frustrated.

Which of your personality traits do you like best?
That I’m able to laugh at myself, and do so frequently.

So, to play along:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Next post I'll update you on my running and the flooding of our basement. Unfortunately, I need to get myself in a better place mentally before I tackle this post. ;-)

Yes, I'm still alive!!

Hi Guys!

Gosh, it's been too long. Training is going well. I just completed week 3 of the Hal Higdon Intermediate II marathon program. I have to say, running all of my long runs outside in -4 temps, blowing snow, ice, and (yesterday's run) 20 mile per hour winds has been a real exercise in character building. It hasn't been easy and it hasn't been pretty (really), but I'm getting it done. I just hope it pays off in improved performance. I would hate to think those "you must be kidding me" looks we Striders have been getting were all for not. ;-)

So, I have not caught up on my blog reading or podcast listening, but I will try to get that done this week. Meanwhile, I hope everyone is doing well and surviving the cold (for you northerners out there).

FYI - Watching the Grammys and Cold Play just won for Viva La Vida. Sweet!! I love that song!! Is it just me though, or does Chris Martin dance in a very geekishly-sweet yet kinda funny way? LOL...I mean I love the guy, but it does make me giggle.