Registered for Run From The Sun!

I'm so excited! And nervous too! It'll be my first race. But I'm mostly excited, especially because it's at 5:30 p.m. I won't have to miss any MM activities that day. Lisa, Shelley, Christy, anybody else, are you guys in?

My back is feeling better today; thank you everyone for your advice. I'm still hurting and bending is out of the question, but I think I'm going to live. I hate having missed 2 days this week but I'll get over it. I hope to be up to par tomorrow for our levee run. Can't wait to see you all tomorrow. Getting up early on Saturday is my favorite thing in the world. (I would have never said that a few months ago!)

Run, wog, or walk on marathoners!

Ouch!

I'm hurting again. Tuesday I didn't exercise because my left calf was hurting me. Wednesday morning it felt better so I did my cross-training 1984 strength-training video tape and about 10:00 a.m. yesterday my low back started hurting me. It's right above my hips and it feels stiff and tight. My back is usually tight when I wake up but I slowly stretch it out and it feels better. But now it's totally locked up and when I move or try to bend at all it catches and pulls and BIG OUCH! So, I didn't exercise this morning and I've been eating advil and I'll go home tonight, if not earlier, and ice it. So I've missed 2 big days this week and this is reminding me of my knee problems a couple weeks ago that really bummed me out! My boss, the runner/marathoner/triathlete says that this is "normal" and that every part of my body will hurt at some point through this training, but that does not make me feel any better. So I've been paying special attention to stretching my hamstrings (per Mark's response to the "low back pain" post on the message board. Anybody else had this problem? I'd sure appreciate any words of wisdom!

Run From the Sun, Sat. April 14, 5:30 p.m.

Hi fellow MMers,

Anyone doing the Run From the Sun 5K run/walk on Saturday, April 14? This one's in the evening so we wouldn't feel rushed to get to our weekly MM meeting. I'll probably do it. Anybody else? It's $15 to pre-register. Proceeds go to skin cancer prevention. Good cause! Check out the website: http://www.runfromthesun.com/

Life of its own

Hi all! This group is just so amazing I can hardly stand it. It seems like it's taken on a life of its own, doesn't it?!!! You guys truly are the best and I can't imagine doing this on my own. In fact, I know I wouldn't be doing this on my own! Your encouragement, support, and sharing of your own trials and tribulations keeps me going day after day. And wasn't Mark's talk on Saturday the most tremendous thing you've ever heard? I plan on listening to that at least once a week just to keep the momentum! Mark, you are gifted, truly! (Can you all tell I'm a little intoxicated by all this? It must be what they call runner's high. It's priceless!)

I'm not much of a cook but I've been finding myself in the kitchen a lot more than usual lately and I want to pass on a delicious recipe. It's great for those of you who don't like spinach. I've adapted it from a very high fat recipe my mom used to make for my brother and I when we were younger and wouldn't eat our spinach. We fell in love with spinach thanks to the high fat version of this dish. The high fat version includes 1 stick of butter and a 1/2 pound of velveeta. I've greatly reduced the butter and used lowfat cheese instead of velveeta. It's delicious.

Spinach casserole. Ingredients: 6 eggs whisked, 1 lg. carton lowfat cottage cheese, 2 packages thawed and well drained frozen chopped spinach, 1 small pat of butter, 1 package lowfat cheese cubed. Directions: Grease baking dish with pat of butter (this gives it a nice brown crust). Pour in cottage cheese, eggs, spinach and cheese and mix well. Bake at 375 degrees for one hour or until center is firm. Enjoy!

Status quo

I'm doing it. I'm walking, cross-training and eating right. It feels so damn good! Saturday was awesome! Mark cracks me up and I loved the levee. (It was my first time!) I heard someone on the run say that she hadn't done the blog thing yet. I told her that she HAD to do it since she was missing one of the very best parts! You guys are awesome! Thanks for all the great support. I wouldn't be going through with this without you all. Keep up the great bloggin' and walkin'/runnin'!

P.S. I'm DYING to run. I must confess that I did intervals for a very short while on Saturday. I couldn't help it. It felt good and no knee problems. I can't wait to do it regularly. Has it been 10 weeks yet? I've lost count.

Finally up to 100%

I think I can safely say that I'm back in this and up to 100% again. It took a lot longer than I expected but I am SOOOOO glad to be back. I look forward to my walking and especially to Saturdays. I'm exercising and eating right and it feels damn good. You guys are the best and I'm so glad to be doing this with you all. Keep up the great works marathoners!

Scotty's Pay Raise CD

Now that I'm working to get my personal health under control, I am also motivated to get my financial life under control thanks to Scotty's CD that we got in our bag. Even if you aren't struggling financially (and who isn't?), I highly recommend it! It is a sensible and doable approach that takes you step by step through the process. I just this month paid off my credit card for the first time in 3 years and now I'm getting ready to shop for a house. After listening to Scotty's CD, I realize now, among many other things, that I need to save for an emergency fund in addition to a house fund. Thanks for that nice gift Scotty. This whole thing really is a lifechange!!!!

I must admit though that until I did my 1984 strength training video tape this morning, I hadn't exercised since SATURDAY!!!!! I am slowly but surely regaining my mojo and really am excited to walk tomorrow. My new mantra will be "no excuses." (Thanks again Lisa and Christy!)

I think I can! I think I can!

I'm having to push myself these days; it's not coming to me so easily as it did before my injury. It's so much easier to sit on the couch and be fat, but that sucks and it feels so much better to exercise and eat right. (What a concept!) So I'm trying hard to get back into the routine full force. I'm not quite there yet but I want to be so that's good. Saturday I didn't walk the levee but instead I walked the track at the Healthplex. I did about 2 miles at a pretty good pace before my knee started hurting. I didn't want to overdo it. I didn't exercise Sun or today, but tomorrow I look forward to walking. I'm totally over feeling guilty about not eating right or missing my walking. I guess that means that I'm thinking in the grey area that I used to so desperately avoid. It's weird, but good, I guess. I have fridge FULL of superfoods. Funny how the store was completely out Kashi Go Lean Crunch and frozen blueberries! Thanks for the cool bag and goodies Mark and Robin. And thanks so much Lisa and Christy for making me keep it real and keep it in perspective. I don't have kids or even a significant other to hold me back. I have NO EXCUSES!!!!