Happy New Year!

Well, you can't beat this mid-Missouri weather for December! It's like winter hasn't really started yet, and I can take that! I'm already calculating when spring will get here, and this warmer winter weather makes it seem like a breeze. I'm sure I'll change my tune in a few weeks when the frigid stuff hits! Until then, I'm hitting the trail on my bike!

I've been on my Kinetics trainer a lot lately. And I mean a lot. I'm injured again, and this time it seems I have a long road ahead of me. I originally thought I had plantars fasciitis, but now I'm thinking it might be my achilles. I don't think it's worth a trip to the doctor; the treatment for either is similar: stretch, ice, ibuprofen, and no running! I bought the "boot" for PF, and that seems to help a little, but the pain is more the lower outside of my heel. My last longish run was November 29, and the next day I could barely walk. I tested the waters a couple nights ago with a very slow two miles, and the pain intensified the next day (which had me kicking myself in the rear for even trying!). I really miss running and the outdoors, but I think my dog misses it a whole lot more. What a handful he's been!!!

So, despite the great weather, I'm feeling down in the dumps over this injury. The trainer gets soooo boring. I've taken to blasting my iPod and pretending I'm leading a spin class! Ha... I go through all the workouts of a spin class, and that makes it go by a little faster. I'm also trying to figure out the best way to utilize the winter months if I can't run. Weights? Swim? Elliptical? Buy equipment or join gym? I like the gym, I just don't like the extra time it takes to get there and the extra prep time. The same goes for swimming.  There's something to be said for rolling out of bed, into your gear, and hitting it. Every minute counts for me.

I've been looking seriously at a good elliptical. Seems there are so many makers, and choosing one has me stumped. The better ones cost well over $500, and that's a lot of months at the gym! On the other hand, since I plan on being a lifetime runner, injuries will likely always be somewhere in there... and an elliptical would be nice to have.

Sorry, this has been a really boring post.  More of letting me vent, really, than sharing useful information. I hope I still have some readers out there.  And I hope all of you had a great Christmas! May God bless you in the coming year and beyond. Happy New Year!

Exercise: The Miracle Drug?

I was talking with a friend the other day about my medical woes. It seems that if I stop running for 10 days or more, two things happen. First, I catch a cold. I noticed this connection four years ago or so, after I had been running and triathlon training for a couple years. Since then I can say it is without fail... if I stop running, I catch a cold.

The second thing that happens has me a little more concerned, body pain! And I don't mean a little ache here or there, I mean full fledge writhing, pop Ibuprofen every three hours, OMG what's happening to me, kind of pain. I am now certain that exercise is doing a lot more than keeping a cold at bay... and it's actually a little scary.

I am pretty sure the body pain goes along with my other autoimmune symptoms, which I won't go into. It's just a little disconcerting to realize you *can't* stop running, or you really will feel terrible. Before I've done it because I wanted to, I wanted to be fit and strong; now I feel I really have to.

So my friend and I were talking about this, and I wondered aloud what impact it would have if *everyone* was forced to run or do some cardiovascular exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, and eat healthy. Seriously, after a year, I bet pharmaceutical companies would lose half their sales! And what they lose would go to Nike, Asics, Mizuno, local gyms, etc... and orthotics companies!

This reminds me of the blog I wrote about the effect of exercise on Alzheimers, "Healthy Body, Healthy Mind". It's not just the brain that benefits from rigorous exercise, it's virtually every aspect of our bodies. I know I am outrunning something, and I'm not goint to find out what! Just do it!

Trail vs. Road Biking

This summer I took to the trail on my Trek hybrid a little more than I thought I would. Actually, a lot more! I realized last week I had gone a couple months without getting on my Tri bike, and for whatever reason, I didn't miss it. I guess my perception is that getting ready for a ride on the trail is easier; I don't have to wear a helmet, and it's just less brain work than riding on the road.

Last week for my mid-week evening ride, Greg was riding with me, and he left the bike and route decision to me... so I chose road biking, Big Tree Loop. He arrived at my house, and I was lamenting the ride ahead. I was so tired, and Big Tree Loop has some fairly challenging hills. I sucked it up and we hit the road.

Much to my surprise, I perceived the ride as easy! I had often wondered how the muscles and mechanics would translate from one bike to the other, but being more in the race mindset in years past, I never risked not road riding on my tri bike a lot more than trail riding on my hybrid. On the couple occasions that I took my tri bike on the trail, I flatted... so I don't do that much anymore. Now I'm wondering if riding the trail actually makes you a stronger road rider, than road riding! When I first started trail riding a few years ago I was surprised at the difficulty; my perception was always that riding the trail would be easier. Not so!

I think next year I'll strike a better balance of the two, and maybe get some aerobars on my Trek hybrid! Ha, I know this all drives you purist road cyclist crazy!!!

Isn't it Ironic...

I found the irony last week as I was running one morning, and passed approximately 700 toilets (assuming homes have an average of at least two bathrooms) while I had to go so bad I feared for my health and hygiene. OMG, what misery!!! Since then I've added an item to my list of, You Know You're a Runner When (http://comojanine.blogspot.com/2010/08/you-know-youre-runner-when.html)... You know you're a runner when you pack toilet paper in your jersey before leaving the house... and you are willing to use it! When in doubt, don't leave home without it. :)

Marriagioma?

My long runs are in the double digits now. I've been following a running plan to increase milage without injury, and so far it is working. I have never been able to run every day without incurring some sort of ailment, so I thought I'd give this plan a try. It's a four day a week plan, which suits me since I bike a couple days a week, too. The plan started with a couple three milers, which were painful just because you spend more time preparing and cleaning up afterward than you spend actually running! Hardly seems worth it, but now, eight weeks later, no major ailments, and weekly milage approaching 30... it was worth it! Where this will take me, I have no idea! (The plan is similar to Hal Higdon's marathon plans if you are interested.)

A couple interesting things I saw on yesterday's long run, a completely perfect maraschino cherry, stem and all, in the middle of the road (how random is that?), and a 60-80 foot tree that had been hit by lightening the night before... a bolt came down like a drill bit on fire and went right through the trunk, diagonally, about halfway down the tree. I had to take a closer look at that, to see the char marks. Natures fury...

Usually after five miles or so, I seem to go into "deep thinking" mode (to relieve the pain I suppose. Haha, thinking of Kung Fu now!). Yesterday it was the realization that words that end in "oma" really suck! My cousin Traci was just diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma (leiomyosarcoma), and after fervent prayer for her, I had to analyze my whole "words that end in oma" theory. I came up with diploma and aroma, and pretty much, all the others... you never want to hear! (I didn't know the -oma suffix meant tumor or growth until sitting down to write this blog.) The other thing I contemplated was affairs, the cancer of marriage (a.k.a., marriagioma... yes, I just made that up, not one Google reference to it, ha!). Unfortunately, I had to pray for friends in that regard, too.