9/14
New York City has a fantastic new bikeshare system called Citi Bike. For $10 a day, you can take a bike out for 30mins at a time, as many times as you like. I took definitely took advantage of this opportunity and toured all over Manhattan.
Ride 1 - 11:38am - W24th St & 7th Ave to Central Park S & 6th Ave (2.0mi)
I walked around Central Park met up with a good friend. We wandered around the Upper West Side and had lunch at A.G. Kitchen on Columbus before dropping her off on the Upper East Side and making my down Madison Avenue. (5.7mi)
Ride 2 - 4:27pm - Grand Army Plaza & Central Park to W24th St & 7th Ave (2.0mi)
*I had to pick up the bike at a different location because I couldn't get any of the last 3 remaining bikes out of the first Citi Bike station.
*Word to the wise: Don't ride through Times Square! After surviving that experience, I think I could be a bike messenger. :)
I took a quick break at the hotel to put my feet up and change my clothes before heading out on another adventure.
Ride 3 - 5:33pm - W24th St & 7th Ave to Greenwich St & Warren St (2.9mi)
* I rode down the Hudson River Greenway, a nice wide bike path with great views of the river.
I got to the World Trade Center site just in time to get one of the last tickets to the 9/11 Memorial. As I waited to get in, I was impressed at all of the new the construction that is going on and how the city is finally rebuilding that area. The pools that stand in the place of the old towers are beautiful and haunting at the same time. I spent quite a lot of time there reading the names of the people who died in the attacks 12 years ago and teared up more than once. I remember that day vividly as my dad was supposed to fly to London and I left university early that day to drive him to the airport. I first heard the news of the planes hitting the towers in the car and spent the rest of the day glued to the TV, unable to turn away from the horror that was unfolding in front of me.
I stayed until after the sun set and then left once I started to get cold. My feet were really starting to hurt so my new plan was to head straight back to the hotel at this point but I stopped in Whole Foods for a dark hot chocolate instead. That warmed me up and gave me the energy to head over to the Brooklyn Bridge like a friend had suggested the day before.
Ride 4 - 8:16pm - Greenwich St & Warren St to Cadman Plaza E & Tillary St (1.9mi)
*I rode across the Brooklyn Bridge before finding a spot to park the bike and walk back.
I wandered back across the Brooklyn Bridge, stopping many times to enjoy the view and take pictures. I'm really glad I decided to take this detour. It was nice to see all the people out walking and riding on the bridge and to appreciate being at a New York City landmark. I felt more calm and relaxed than I have in a long time. (1.7mi)
Ride 5 - 9:39pm - Reade St & Broadway to W24th St & 7th Ave (3.3mi)
*Again, I had to go to a different station to get a bike. This time, there were plenty of bikes at the first location but the station didn't seem to be able to read my credit card. Fortunately, there are lots of stations, most of them only a couple of blocks apart.
As I made my way back from the bridge to my hotel, I stopped at a light and jumped off to adjust my seat. Some guy on the street commented that I needed to hurry up because it was about to go green but I was quick and made it just in time. It was fun to see people out and about having a good time late at night.
I got back just in time to walk to Eataly for another fantastic pasta dinner and even treated myself to a delicious gelato for the walk home. What a great way to end a wonderful day! Thanks Citi Bike for making it all possible.
9/14
Bike: 12mi
Walk: 8mi
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Working and Walking
Sept 10-13
I was at a work summit all of last week and, as usual, I wasn't able to work out or do my PT exercises as much as I would have liked.
The only saving grace is that I was able to walk a lot: the office was only about a mile from my hotel and the building takes up a full city block. They even have scooters for people to get back and forth! Not only that but we did a team building scavenger hunt one afternoon where we spent several hours making our way through the Museum of Natural History. I think I did more walking in those 4 days than I have in months!
I wore the new shoes that I got from the foot guy last week to try them out and break them in. They've been pretty good so far but my back was really sore on Friday night from all of the walking. I took some Celebrex and Tylenol that night and felt a little better in the morning, ready to tackle the city.
Sept 10/11/12
Walk: 40min, 2.0mi
Sept 13
Walk: 2:40, 6.0mi (roughly)
I was at a work summit all of last week and, as usual, I wasn't able to work out or do my PT exercises as much as I would have liked.
The only saving grace is that I was able to walk a lot: the office was only about a mile from my hotel and the building takes up a full city block. They even have scooters for people to get back and forth! Not only that but we did a team building scavenger hunt one afternoon where we spent several hours making our way through the Museum of Natural History. I think I did more walking in those 4 days than I have in months!
I wore the new shoes that I got from the foot guy last week to try them out and break them in. They've been pretty good so far but my back was really sore on Friday night from all of the walking. I took some Celebrex and Tylenol that night and felt a little better in the morning, ready to tackle the city.
Sept 10/11/12
Walk: 40min, 2.0mi
Sept 13
Walk: 2:40, 6.0mi (roughly)
Monday, September 9, 2013
Food for the soul
I spent most of the day today traveling on business so by the time I got to my final destination I was too worn out to workout or do my exercises.
Instead, I had an amazing dinner at a local market/restaurant, Eataly. I stopped in at the recommendation of a friend and it was absolutely perfect. I wandered around a bit to get the lay of the land and then decided to eat in the pizza&pasta area. I was seated at the bar next to a lady from Atlanta and we had a nice chat about food, travel, and being a woman in tech. Right as she was getting ready to leave and wander around the market, another guy sat down on the other side of me. He lives pretty close to me and we quickly realized that we have a common interest in cycling. We talked about some of the amazing rides in the area and how much we appreciate the weather in California. I finished my incredible meal and then made my way out to the market. I passed by the chocolate section on my way in earlier and it did not go unnoticed! My goal was to find a teeny tiny dessert that I could enjoy on the way out without blowing my diet. I had a small piece of coffee flavored chocolate and it was just the right ending to the night.
As I walked back to the hotel, I reflected on how good I felt. I've been so anxious lately and this evening's adventure made it completely go away. Even though I'm in a big city all by myself, suddenly I don't feel alone at all. People were out and about after 9:00pm and I was a part of that energy. It was still warm out at 10:30pm and I walked the couple of blocks back to my hotel feeling safe and satisfied.
Hopefully that feeling will carry over to the morning. I may just have to go back there for a coffee on my way to work.
New Shoes
I took the advice of my physical therapist and went to see a foot expert at one of the local running stores. We discussed what had been bothering me and then he spent quite a bit of time watching me walk and run. I also brought in a bunch of my old shoes and orthotics so that he could take a look.
Conclusions:
1. My left side is weak.
2. My feet and lower legs are really tight so my feet are not flexing properly.
3. I have some late-stage over-pronation.
4. My big toe on my right foot does not flex as well as the left.
5. I have really high arches.
Some of these things I knew about already but I had never heard of late-stage over-pronation and had no idea that the big toe on my right foot wasn't working properly. I'm also starting to realize that I've been so worried about heel striking too much that I've actually taught myself a bad habit of just running on my toes. Another classic example of me taking a what should have been a minor adjustment to the extreme!
Once he identified the problems, the foot expert spent a lot of time adjusting my Saucony Kinvaras to make them work better for my feet. He put a soft insert underneath the arch on both feet to give them more support and then put a small insert under the big toe in my right foot to help it activate properly. They felt really strange! I'm not used to having that much support under my arch but I think it will be a good thing once I get used to it.
The next thing we did was to try to find some new shoes that I would be able to use long term in my running. I tried the Brooks PureCadence shoes and they felt really strange at first. It was like I was walking on a rocker. But, they felt pretty comfortable when I was jogging. In general, I've been very leery about Brooks because I had a bad experience with them in the past but these seemed so different that I was willing to give them a try. I'm really excited to try them out later this week and see how they do.
I'll go back to the shoe store in a couple of weeks to follow up and see if there are any minor adjustments that need to be made to my shoes, old or new. Overall, I was very impressed with the service that I received and am hopeful that I am converging on a solution that will allow me to get healthy and back to real training.
Sept 8
Conclusions:
1. My left side is weak.
2. My feet and lower legs are really tight so my feet are not flexing properly.
3. I have some late-stage over-pronation.
4. My big toe on my right foot does not flex as well as the left.
5. I have really high arches.
Some of these things I knew about already but I had never heard of late-stage over-pronation and had no idea that the big toe on my right foot wasn't working properly. I'm also starting to realize that I've been so worried about heel striking too much that I've actually taught myself a bad habit of just running on my toes. Another classic example of me taking a what should have been a minor adjustment to the extreme!
Once he identified the problems, the foot expert spent a lot of time adjusting my Saucony Kinvaras to make them work better for my feet. He put a soft insert underneath the arch on both feet to give them more support and then put a small insert under the big toe in my right foot to help it activate properly. They felt really strange! I'm not used to having that much support under my arch but I think it will be a good thing once I get used to it.
The next thing we did was to try to find some new shoes that I would be able to use long term in my running. I tried the Brooks PureCadence shoes and they felt really strange at first. It was like I was walking on a rocker. But, they felt pretty comfortable when I was jogging. In general, I've been very leery about Brooks because I had a bad experience with them in the past but these seemed so different that I was willing to give them a try. I'm really excited to try them out later this week and see how they do.
I'll go back to the shoe store in a couple of weeks to follow up and see if there are any minor adjustments that need to be made to my shoes, old or new. Overall, I was very impressed with the service that I received and am hopeful that I am converging on a solution that will allow me to get healthy and back to real training.
Sept 8
Swim: 34:30, 1400yds, 10x100 on 2:00-2:05, 6x50 back/choice, 4x25 sprint on 1:00 (23s/22s/22s/22s)
Back Pain: Felt ok. A little sore trying out new shoes and in the evening. Felt much better after the adjustment and exercises.
Foot Pain: A little painful while testing out shoes but fine otherwise.
Neck Pain: Slight pain while doing planks and hands&knees exercises.
Back Pain: Felt ok. A little sore trying out new shoes and in the evening. Felt much better after the adjustment and exercises.
Foot Pain: A little painful while testing out shoes but fine otherwise.
Neck Pain: Slight pain while doing planks and hands&knees exercises.
Weight: 136.0
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Glutes, glutes, glutes
I was fortunate to be able to have a long session on the Alter-G treadmill this afternoon and even more fortunate that my physical therapist was there to watch me walk and run. The conclusion? I have a lot of problems!
The biggest problem is that my glutes and hips are not strong enough to hold me up when I walk or run so my whole left side collapses: my knee falls in, my foot lands flat, and I can't push off my toe. Yikes! I've got some new exercises to do to try to strengthen my glutes and hips and I'm going to have to be vigilant about doing them as much as I can, preferably every day, to help support my body.
The biggest problem is that my glutes and hips are not strong enough to hold me up when I walk or run so my whole left side collapses: my knee falls in, my foot lands flat, and I can't push off my toe. Yikes! I've got some new exercises to do to try to strengthen my glutes and hips and I'm going to have to be vigilant about doing them as much as I can, preferably every day, to help support my body.
Sept 7
Walk/Run: 60min on Alter-G, 3.7mi, 5x2:00 @ 5.0mph (65%)
Back Pain: Feeling much better today. Back ached during the session on the treadmill, especially the jog, and was a little sore after. I was also pretty uncomfortable on a long drive. Took another Celebrex this evening.
Foot Pain: Noticed some foot pain during the walk but felt much better when running. Calf feels a little tight.
Back Pain: Feeling much better today. Back ached during the session on the treadmill, especially the jog, and was a little sore after. I was also pretty uncomfortable on a long drive. Took another Celebrex this evening.
Foot Pain: Noticed some foot pain during the walk but felt much better when running. Calf feels a little tight.
Neck Pain: Nothing too noticeable but definitely a problem to focus on in the future.
Weight: 136.2.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
First Rest Day
Today was my first rest day since restarting this Ironman Journey. My back is still really sore from yesterday and I was uncomfortable at work all day so I knew that it was the right thing to do. Even so, I found it really difficult to take a day off.
Moderation is not my strong suit! When I decided that my diet Coke addiction was getting out of hand, I couldn't just cut back; I had to quit cold turkey. I've tried to limit myself to just one glass a day in the past and that never lasted long because then I had the taste for it and the cravings would just get stronger. I find it much easier to stay disciplined when I eliminate the temptation completely.
The same goes for exercise, but in reverse. I find it much easier to get motivated to exercise when I do it every day and it becomes a part of my routine. As soon as I take a day off, I find myself slipping into old habits and being lazy. I'm terrified of that happening again which is why I struggled with having a rest day today.
I had a full on conversation with myself in the car on the way home:
Guilty, paranoid me: "I should really go to the pool."
Rational, reasonable me: "But my back is sore and I think I caused it swimming yesterday."
GPM: "I could go and just do backstroke. My chest needs loosening up anyway."
RRM: "That's probably not going to happen. Just take a day off and swim again this weekend."
GPM: "Fine. Maybe I can spin a little then."
RRM: "WTF are you thinking?! You haven't been on a bike in months and that aggravates your back, foot, and neck."
It went on like that the whole drive home. I can only imagine what the people beside me on the road were thinking! I finally compromised with myself and took the night off from swim, bike, or run but did make myself do my PT exercises and stretches. I'm still very anxious about getting back to a training plan but will just have to trust myself to do the right thing tomorrow.
Moderation is not my strong suit! When I decided that my diet Coke addiction was getting out of hand, I couldn't just cut back; I had to quit cold turkey. I've tried to limit myself to just one glass a day in the past and that never lasted long because then I had the taste for it and the cravings would just get stronger. I find it much easier to stay disciplined when I eliminate the temptation completely.
The same goes for exercise, but in reverse. I find it much easier to get motivated to exercise when I do it every day and it becomes a part of my routine. As soon as I take a day off, I find myself slipping into old habits and being lazy. I'm terrified of that happening again which is why I struggled with having a rest day today.
I had a full on conversation with myself in the car on the way home:
Guilty, paranoid me: "I should really go to the pool."
Rational, reasonable me: "But my back is sore and I think I caused it swimming yesterday."
GPM: "I could go and just do backstroke. My chest needs loosening up anyway."
RRM: "That's probably not going to happen. Just take a day off and swim again this weekend."
GPM: "Fine. Maybe I can spin a little then."
RRM: "WTF are you thinking?! You haven't been on a bike in months and that aggravates your back, foot, and neck."
It went on like that the whole drive home. I can only imagine what the people beside me on the road were thinking! I finally compromised with myself and took the night off from swim, bike, or run but did make myself do my PT exercises and stretches. I'm still very anxious about getting back to a training plan but will just have to trust myself to do the right thing tomorrow.
Sept 6
Exercises:
Hip realignment
Bridge w/ band (2x30)
Plank (2x60s)
Hands & knees (2x20) *very off balance
Bridge w/ leg lift (2x21) *having a lot of trouble keeping the R hip up and engaging the L glute.
Pushups (2x5)
Calf stretch (3x60s)
Hip realignment
Bridge w/ band (2x30)
Plank (2x60s)
Hands & knees (2x20) *very off balance
Bridge w/ leg lift (2x21) *having a lot of trouble keeping the R hip up and engaging the L glute.
Pushups (2x5)
Calf stretch (3x60s)
Back Pain: Back was very sore all day. I alternated between sitting and standing and just couldn't get comfortable. Went back on Celebrex this evening.
Foot Pain: Got my new Birks! I'm excited to see if they help my feet. I noticed some small pain but nothing significant like when I go for a hike.
Neck Pain: Definitely aggravated when I was lying on the floor typing this.
Foot Pain: Got my new Birks! I'm excited to see if they help my feet. I noticed some small pain but nothing significant like when I go for a hike.
Neck Pain: Definitely aggravated when I was lying on the floor typing this.
Weight: 136.4
Friday, September 6, 2013
Oh my aching back
I had my first massage in a long time this evening and it was seriously overdue. My massage therapist has been taking care of me since before my first Ironman in 2010 and she has this amazing sense for what needs to be done. She started off gently, lulling me into a false sense that she was going to take it easy on me. And then she got to my legs. She beat the hell out of my calves and glutes. I was moaning and groaning and whimpering. In fact I was so pathetic that her little dog came over and licked my hand for support. Thanks Remy! I can't complain too much because I did ask for it. What was I thinking?! Fortunately, she did take some time out to do a little voodoo. Voodoo is the term my friends and I use to describe craniosacral therapy; we don't understand it or how it works but it just does so we go with it.
After the massage I headed to the pool for a quick swim and aquajog before going to dinner with the triathlon gang. It was pretty crowded this evening so I ended up sharing a lane with 2 other people at all times. I was waiting for it to clear out a bit so that I could aquajog without being in the way and ended up doing quite a few extra laps with my fins on. It felt fine at the time but my back is really sore now so I think I overdid it. :( I've also been weening myself off of Celebrex over the last couple of days so that probably contributed to the pain too. I'll see how I feel tomorrow and may go back on the meds for a few more days.
After the massage I headed to the pool for a quick swim and aquajog before going to dinner with the triathlon gang. It was pretty crowded this evening so I ended up sharing a lane with 2 other people at all times. I was waiting for it to clear out a bit so that I could aquajog without being in the way and ended up doing quite a few extra laps with my fins on. It felt fine at the time but my back is really sore now so I think I overdid it. :( I've also been weening myself off of Celebrex over the last couple of days so that probably contributed to the pain too. I'll see how I feel tomorrow and may go back on the meds for a few more days.
Sept 5
Swim: 50min, 2000yds, 12x50 on 1:10, 12x50 on 1:05, 300 kick w/ fins, 500 swim w/ fins
Aquajog: 30min
Back Pain: Felt fine most of the day but is really sore tonight. It may be residual effects of yesterday's workout or a matter of overdoing it in the pool tonight.
Foot Pain: The outside of my foot was a little achy during the day and I have a bit of a shin splint going on this evening.
Aquajog: 30min
Back Pain: Felt fine most of the day but is really sore tonight. It may be residual effects of yesterday's workout or a matter of overdoing it in the pool tonight.
Foot Pain: The outside of my foot was a little achy during the day and I have a bit of a shin splint going on this evening.
Weight: 135.8
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