"It's Not a Toomah"

It's not a tumor.  It's not a hernia either.  I never thought I had a tumor, but I did think I had a hernia.  I thought that for about 5 days and I started getting nervous.  Let me take you back a week or so...

Remember that workout I did with the teens a couple weeks ago?  Yeah. Click here to review that day.  Anyway, it killed me.  Only it was mostly killing my legs, nothing else.  The next 4 days I couldn't walk normal and was in excruciating pain.  All the while, I had this increasing pain growing in my stomach but didn't think much of it.  I noticed it first 2 nights later as I was stretching and felt sharp pains right above and to the left of my bellybutton.  So I stopped that stretch and hobbled along my merry way.  The next day I went snowboarding-- bad mistake.  Since my LEGS were so sore and worthless, I used all my stomach muscle strength to get up from the ground each time and really over-exerted myself without realizing it.  The next few days followed with decreasing leg pain until exactly 5 days after the workout-- I felt almost okay.  

Then Thursday came, exactly a week after the workout.  I sat up in my bed and there was a stabbing pain in that same spot in my stomach.  I knew it wasn't "sore abs" because I didn't have that pain anywhere else-- just in that one direct spot.  It killed.  I got up for a minute, laid back in bed, and the pain was there every time I tried to roll over, move, shift, etc.  Thursday at work was okay and I felt the pain off and on. I did some research on the computer with one of my teens at work, and someone mentioned it could be a hernia.  I didn't even really know what that was.  So I read about it and felt like I had the correct symptoms and the possible causes seemed to fit the description. (the projection of an organ or part through the lining of the cavity in which it is normally situated, esp the protrusion of intestine through the front wall of the abdominal cavity. It is caused by muscular strain, injury, etc.)  My teen just brushed it off and told me to stop being a wuss, and actually punched me in the stomach to toughen me up.  Ouch. Then I was an idiot and decided to play church basketball that night.  Why would that ever be okay?

I played basketball anyway and that was another mistake.  I didn't last the whole game and probably played one of the worst games of my life.  Every time I passed the ball, shot the ball, dribbled the ball... the pain was stabbing and throbbing and aching.  But I kept playing until finally towards the end I sat out and couldn't bear to go back in.  When I left afterwards I was close to tears and was actually quite nervous and confused at such intense pain all at once.  I took some Ibuprofen and had to roll myself into bed and try to be extra careful.  The pain was throbbing all day Friday and I felt terrible.  I tried to call a few doctors but no one could see me right away.  I went to Urgent Care and as soon as I found out my co-pay was $100 I left.  :)  Luckily my friend's mom is a nurse so I called her and she asked questions and thought it could be a hernia also.  I decided I needed to lay low for the weekend and not do anything stupid.  I also called another doctor and made an appointment for Monday.

I was most upset over the fact that I'd planned on going snowboarding on Saturday to use the brand new snowboard I bought the week before.  It had snowed on Friday and the conditions were perfect.  But the stabbing pain wasn't worth fighting and I'd just have to keep my snowboard shiny and clean until another day.

The weekend slowly passed and I thought I had a hernia, and that was scary and weird.  But Sunday I actually felt a little better and I could tell it made a difference to just relax and not be very active.  I was excited for Monday to come so I could figure out what the heck was wrong with me.  And after visiting the doctor and doing a few painful sit-ups so he could press in on my stomach in various places (ouch)... he concluded that it wasn't a hernia (It's not a toomah) but a strained stomach muscle.  Really?!  PHEW!  He prescribed me some muscle relaxers (which I only take a night because they cause major drowsiness), told me to ice the area (which I've only done a few times), and said no physical activity for 7-10 days.  Sheesh... after all this motivating effort I've made to get back into my running groove, I just had to quit for a week.  Kind of a nice break but definitely sets me back a little.  Oh well.

It's been a good week and I feel close to 100%.  Sometimes I still feel the jabbing pain when I'm in the process of laying down or sitting up in bed, but other than that I'm good to go.  I'm actually looking forward to next week when I'm all better and can run free and sweat as much as I want to.  Until then... I'll enjoy a few more days of taking it easy and feeling grateful that "It's Not a Toomah."

Favorite Food Combos

Maybe I'm weird.  Maybe I like to eat weird things.  Maybe I got most of these ideas from my mom. :)  And I'm soooo glad she introduced me to them!  I'm a picky eater.  In other words... I eat like a 5 year old.  I would much rather eat a grilled cheese sandwich and chicken nuggets than some fancy Italian meal with gross herbs and spices.  Or I would rather have a whole box of macaroni and cheese than have a fresh meal of steak and potatoes.  But the following food combinations are my absolute FAVORITES and I could eat them every day, all day, and never get sick of them:

Macaroni & Tomato Juice

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This is the cheapest meal of my life and I crave it all the time.  Cook macaroni the normal way, drain water, then add a mini can of tomato juice-- not sauce-- the juice.  I can eat it cold or warm.  Growing up, I always ate it with a slice of cheddar cheese and a glass of milk.  Recently I've also added a can of chili and shredded cheese.  Seriously! It's soooo good.  I'm so hungry just thinking about it.  

Toast & Orange Juice

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This one definitely came from my mom, as did the macaroni and tomato juice.  It's simple.  Butter your toast, then dip it in a glass of orange juice and take a bite.  I usually break off pieces of the toast so it can fit better in the glass.  It's deeelicious.  If there is ever orange juice in the fridge... BOOM... toast is on the way.  Mmm!

Ritz Crackers & Mini Marshmallows

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I have no idea where this one stemmed from but you have to be careful because these little snackers are addicting!  It's like the more I eat... the more I want.  Just pile on 4-5 marshmallows on top of a Ritz cracker, and eat it!  Shove the whole thing in your mouth or break it in half.  Either way, it's the perfect combination of sweet and salty.  Basically, Ritz with ANYTHING is fabulous-- cheese & peanut butter, etc.  But marshmallows are the best!

Banana & Peanut Butter

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I know this one isn't totally unique, but I love it.  The perfect banana is just after it's turned from green to yellow... before it gets soft, brown, and spotted.  I usually just peel it, have a knife in hand, and use it to wipe peanut butter on the end after each time I take a bite.  I'd much rather do that than make a banana & peanut butter sandwich, although that tastes good too. Just give me a banana and peanut butter and I'm happy.

Additional Tasty Combos:

Vanilla Yogurt & Apple (cut into small chunks)

Bread w/ Peanut Butter, sprinkled with Nestle Chocolate "Quik" Powder

Spaghetti with Chicken Nuggets (cut into small pieces)

Go ahead.  Try any of them if you haven't already.  And tell me how much you love them!

My Dog is CUTE... and crazy.

A year and a half ago my roommate, Cassity, wanted to get a dog.  I've always been a dog lover so of course that sounded like fun... but a lot of work.  However, it's Cassity's Condo.  Cassity's furniture.  Cassity's carpet.  And so on.  What did I have to lose?  A year later I can tell you: cell phone, snow boots, mail, good blankets, socks, food, sleep, time, money, etc.  


So why would it ever be a good idea to get a dog?


We decided that whoever doesn't get married first gets to keep the dog.  Makes sense, right?  One gets a soul-mate husband... the other keeps the crazy dog.  At this point I'd say, whoever gets married first HAS to keep the dog because I'm not cut out to be a single-dog-mom.  However, neither of us are close to marrying anyone so for now we get to share this lovely little pup.


She's a Jack Russell Terrier, which breed is known for its hyper, energetic behavior.  Living in a condo on the 3rd floor with no fenced in yard makes it difficult to let Sadie run free as her little heart wishes.  So sometimes her pent-up energy results in a real term called "Turbo".  She goes wild and runs in circles as if she's on a racetrack, repeating the same course over and over again.  Sometimes she'll go sailing over a couch or bounce off a cushion onto another surface, but she just goes.  It's hilarious and pretty much impossible to try to catch her and pin her down.  Sometimes I sneak her into the fenced-in playground outside at night (we've been informed dogs aren't allowed in there) and I take her off her leash and let her run around for a while.  I love it.  


I could go on for days telling you all the adventures with Sadie Skippee-doo.  But for now I'll focus on her good qualities-- how CUTE she is!  I have this picture of Sadie on the wall at work:

The teens ask: Is that your dog? Aww... she's cute!"  And then I say, "Yeah, she's cute to look at."  Then you try living with the "cute dog" and sometimes she's not so cute!  But like I said, I'll focus on the cute stuff... like how she loves warmth and always wants to jump inside the dryer as soon as a cycle has finished.  This time I actually let her sit in there.

The following pics show an array of her varied sitting positions and her obsession with looking out the window.  :)

Sometimes I just look at her and laugh and say something like, "Oh Sadie, you're such a nerd."  I don't know how it's comfortable at all for her to stay in some of the positions she chooses, but it really doesn't phase her.

This is Sadie in her normal sitting position:

This is how Sadie tells us she needs to go to the bathroom.  Sooo glad she figured this one out on her own!  She just waits by the door on her little "waiting bench" until we notice.

Pretty sure Sadie's favorite thing ever is to lay in the sun.  As soon as we get home from church, it's usually perfect "sun time" and she goes right over to her favorite spot:

Seriously.  Look at that face.  A-dorable!  My dad told me once: "Never go 'window shopping' for a puppy.  You'll never come home empty-handed."  Well, he was right.  And our hands are full.  But for now... Sadie is super cute, fun, smart, quirky, and lovable.

Stay tuned for more updates... dun dun dun. :)

Motivation

A year ago, at this time, I made myself a bead bracelet at work with the teens.  I chose black, red, and clear because those were the colors of the new Asics running shoes I had my eye on.  They were my goal shoes and I was "earning" them as I lost weight and was able to run longer distances.  I wore my bracelet every day to remind myself of not only my goal to buy new shoes, but the Red Rock Relay and half-marathon looming in the future. 

The day I went to buy those red & silver shoes, they didn't have them in my size.  And most of the time, when I have my mind set, I want to get something right then and there and don't have the patience to look around elsewhere.  So I tried on orange, yellow, and silver Asics... even more perfect as far as looks go.  I LOVE ORANGE.  Red isn't my color anyway.  So I got the orange ones... still pricey but not as much as the red ones... and I loved them.

Until I actually ran in them.  My "dream shoes" were not as dreamy as I thought they'd be.  It was actually quite a let-down.  So I wore them for a few months but finally splurged again and bought new Saucony's (ProGrid Ride 3), which I think will be my forever running shoe choice.  I am an orange lover.  And these shoes are pink and silver.

                                        

What?!  I am NOT a pink person.  But the shoes are awesome and I've embraced the pink and actually love it.  So I run in them now and I'm 100% content with the way they fit and feel.

Last year I also made myself a mini "motivational picture" to hang on my wall at work.  It was a sillouete of a girl running against a sunset, and I typed "DETERMINATION" big in the corner.  Today I finally decided to change it.

I used that same picture of the pink shoe above, and fit the following words along the laces and top of the shoe: "Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day.  It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?' "  It's not my own quote but I found it on the internet and liked it.  I want to smash that question mark every day with the clear decision to be STRONG and not a wimp. 

And I still wear my bead bracelet every day, without fail...

I've Never Been THIS Sore...

Seriously.  I am in so much pain.  Every part of my body hurts, and just trying to get up from a sitting position is enough to make me wimper, wince, and groan in agony. 
3 days ago I did that "conditioning workout" with the teens at work.  I had no idea the effects on my 30 yr old body would be so severe.  I couldn't walk the next day.  And the day after that I was in even more pain.  I have to walk with straight legs and try not to use my quad muscles.  Then sometimes I'll accidentally take a step that bends at my knee more than anticipated-- the fire sets in my quad-- I buckle and lose my balance... and then try to continue walking normally.

Before the pain arrived, I'd made plans to go to Colorado and go snowboarding with a friend.  I was excited to teach her and help her learn new skills.  Last night I was still so sore and tried to rub my muscles, stretch, heavily dose myself with Ibuprofen... and nothing made a difference.  So I prayed, sincerely, for Heavenly Father to magically take away the pain-- even if just for 3 hours to go boarding with my friend-- and I could survive the rest of the pain afterward.  (Does anyone else make deals like that in their prayers?)   :)

I woke up and actually thought maybe I would have magically healed over night.  Wrong.  I was just as sore, if not WORSE... it being the 3rd day now.  Hobbling around to get ready, fearing the squatting motion of going to the bathroom, taking way too long to put on socks... I was ready for a day of snowboarding.  Yes, I'm an idiot.

But snowboarding was soooo fun!  I told my friend my painful leg disclaimer, and luckily she's still learning so we stayed on the green "easiest" slopes.  The entire day was pleasant and actually so much fun.  My legs were burning but it actually felt better to move around on a snowboard than try to walk 3 steps without it.  The hardest part was after sitting down to buckle in my boots and get situated before each ride down.  It was the mental and physical battle of leaning forward, gripping the edge of my board, and hoisting myself up into a standing position.  I grunted.  I wimpered.  Sometimes I'd be half-way up, legs burning, and I'd just collapse and fall back down.  It hurts just thinking about it.  But as soon as I'd get up... the ride down was fun and I wouldn't think about the pain until I reached the bottom of the hill.

So now it's 3 days after the death workout... and 6 hours after returning from snowboarding. 
I AM SO SORE.  I hurt in every way.  My abs hurt.  My arms and upper body ache.  My legs are ridiculous and I have to decide if anything is really worth going up and down the stairs.  I'm so tired I could probably fall asleep now and not wake up for 24 hours. 

I think the lesson learned here is don't try to do too much all at once.  Don't try to do squats, lunges, push-ups, frog jumps, burpees, planks, sit-ups, windmills, Yoga moves, and more than that all in a day if I've never down such a crazy combo before.  Maybe once the soreness wears off, I can ease back into the lunges and squats.  10 here.  10 there.  Throw in some push-ups and some reasonable sit-ups.  But for now, my body is on fire and I'm sitting.  For as long as I can until it's time to move again.

Fitness: Squats & Lunges

Perks of my job:  4 weeks of free skiing at Alta with my teens in March.  There will be groups from 4 other Boys & Girls Clubs and everyone will have free equipment, lessons, gear, and lunch every Saturday.  The organization providing such an amazing experience is http://www.shejumps.org/ and they seem pretty awesome.  


Today was their first day of "dry land training" to get them conditioned to the intense leg workout that skiing requires.  I run.  I snowboard.  I seem somewhat "fit" and wasn't even planning on doing the conditioning today.  But I decided to participate to keep the teens involved and active... and 1 hr later I was dripping sweat with shaky, sore, burning legs.  Who signed me up for this?!  No one.  I volunteered.  And that dang workout kicked my butt.  However, it was a wake-up call of how I should really do lunges and squats more often.  But the reason why I often avoid them is because I usually can't walk for days afterwards, even if I just do a few. Let's face it-- I'm kind of a wimp.


I had a church basketball game tonight and even just walking from my car to the doors of the church I was hobbling and wincing from the pain.  But somehow I managed to run up and down the court and actually play fairly well.  I wasn't a superstar and made dumb mistakes as usual, but it felt good to work up a good sweat, play aggressively, and be a part of a team.


This is my concern:  Tomorrow I will be even more sore... and then the full monty of pain will probably kick in on Saturday.  However, I have plans to go snowboarding in Colorado on Saturday, and killer sore thighs do NOT make a good combo with snowboarding!  So... this little conditioning activity today really just made my life a lot harder than it needs to be.   But nevertheless, it's good for me to face a challenge and give my muscles a little smack in the face.  Life must go on!

Fitness: Running Start

I ran a half-marathon in October 2010.  

Prior to that day, the most I'd ever run was 10 miles.

Miraculously I ran the 13.1 miles of the half without stopping, and felt like a champion.

Then I took a break. Maybe I ran here and there, but definitely not consistently like I did before. My plan was to buy a 6 month membership to the local fitness center.  Close and cheap.  I wanted to use the winter months to do more strength training and focus on other forms of exercise instead of obsessing over running 24/7.  But alas, 3 1/2 months have gone by, I'm still "saving" money to go to a fitness center, and still dragging my feet to get back on track.

Luckily I've already registered and paid for 3 upcoming relays in May, June, and September.  May is Red Rock Moab, only one day; June is Ragnar Wasatch Back (Logan to Park City) and Fri-Sat; September is Red Rock St. George, Fri-Sat.  Although these might be less intimidating than a half-marathon (each race we run 3 legs of varying distances and difficulty levels), I'll have a team of other people depending on me to carry my weight and run well... so that puts pressure on me!

I need to run.

The point of my future "Fitness" blog posts is to make me accountable for the progress I'm attempting to make, and to hopefully inspire anyone who might be in a similar situation.  I am not a fitness guru and don't claim to have any great advice or tips.  I'm just trying to reach my goals. :)

So here we go, starting now.  I ran two days this week.  5 min run/1 min walk intervals up to 20-25 minutes.  I could have and should have gone farther but both mornings I had a late start and had to finish quickly to try to get to work on time.  I was late both days to work. But it felt good to get out and run again.  I didn't use my iPod, mainly because I was short on time and didn't want to fiddle with earbuds and worry about the one falling out of my right ear the whole run.  Still need to figure out a solution to that one.  But there is a route just right here in the neighborhood streets that loops around to almost exactly 20 min.  It works for now.  Better than waking up late and wishing I had done something.

Tomorrow I am meeting up with Heather and her ward friends for a "basketball practice" to get all geared up for the game on Thursday.  Should be a good time!

I want to feel "fit" again.