I Got My Massage But I Didn't Deserve It

Good news and bad news. I got my massage last Friday thanks for my great MIL. The bad news is that I didn't earn it. And the even worse news is that I can't run at least not for right now. I've got really painful shin splints in my left leg, and the doctor wants me to get a bone scan to make sure I don't have a stress fracture before I run anymore. I ran two miles on Saturday morning and was still in major pain on Monday even after icing, heating, and stretching the area. So it looks like the half-marathon in December isn't really an option at this point. I'm not giving up on running though, just as soon as I figure out what's wrong, I'll come back slowly and take better care of myself.

In the interim, I'm not going to get rid of this blog. It will just be more focused on my overall exercise not just running. I'm planning on putting together a workout schedule for the next few weeks to include spinning, step classes, and other stuff to get me through. Oh and I'll get back to the weight training videos that got me so tone this summer before I gave up on them. That's the plan for now. I'll keep you posted. Hope that everyone else keeps running, be grateful you can.

One Down, Nine to Go

That's how I track my running when I'm outside and have no idea how far I've gone. I normally run about the same speed so I'll track my miles based on how many songs I'm run to so far. Three songs typcially equals about a mile so at the beginning I just tell myself I have to run for 10 songs and count down as I go.

I haven't been running with music lately; I've been watching TV instead, but today I mixed it up a little while on the treadmill. It was 11:00 when I started running so all I could find on TV was Lingo on the Game Show Network. I decided to listen and run to music during commercial breaks, and it really helped keep me going. I ran three miles today without stopping in a little over 30 minutes, and I felt great. No red face, no hard breathing, no wheezing aftewards. I'm not quite back in shape yet, but I'm getting there. Getting into - it's time to actually start training for this half-marathon - shape. And it feels just as good as I always tell people it does.

And that massage is going to feel even better. I may miss Richie while he's in TX, but for that hour, I think I'll be able to hold myself together.

Grand Prize... A Massage

I got a coupon in the mail the other day for a $39 hour long full-body massage, and I decided to make good use of it. I'm making it a reward for working out. Richie's going to TX in two weeks, and I need something to do while he's gone. So we made a deal. If I work out ten times in the next two weeks (before he leaves on the 18th) I get to schedule and go for a massage while he's gone. We went to dinner last night and determined the conditions of the deal because it has to actually be hard to get or I won't appreciate it quite as much.

The fine print...

• A workout consists of either running 3+ miles or one hour of another type of working out (cardio, strength training, videos, classes, etc.).
• At least five of the workouts have to be running (to stick with the half-marathon training).
• Any dessert I eat (more than 50 calories/fudgesicle) negates one workout.
• Any food that I eat that has no nutritional value (aka ramen noodles) negates one workout.
• I can get more than one workout credit a day by working out longer or multiple times.

That's it. That's all I have to do. It shouldn't be too hard other than the fact that he leaves in approximately 11 days, and I don't workout on Sundays. So that means I have to workout once every day this week and once every day until he leaves the next. Piece of cake (that I can't eat). All I can think about is how bad I want that massage. I'm switching up my workout log on the sidebar with a countdown of the ten workouts. Counting down is so much easier than counting up. Rewards/competition really is a huge motivating factor for me so hopefully this works.

Dancing Through the Hallways

I remember a couple of years ago I was training for my second half-marathon in college. I mostly ran outside that year, and I remember vividly the home stretch of a 7 mile run. I was running down the sidewalk and literally dancing while I ran. My strides felt more like I was bouncing along, and my spirit lifted right along with my steps.

I got that same feeling today. There is just something about the combination of music and running that lifts my spirit. I got off the elevator after my run and bobbed my head and body back and forth to the beat as I walked back to my apartment. But it didn't stop there- I kept the IPOD on and cleaned up my kitchen and cooked dinner, something I haven't done in a long time. And even now I'm in a much better mood than I have been all weekend. Thanks running.