The End of an Era

I started using Daily Mile back in January of 2010. I'm not sure why I started; I'm sure a friend told me to join, since the Nike+ platform (which I was using at the time) was less about the social aspect of sharing run stats and was more about basic logging. This week, I logged in to update my track and field workouts from the week and saw this message:

To be honest, now that I'm on Strava and Garmin Connect, I'm not having the same existential crisis over this as I did when I migrated away from Nike+. I have plenty of logs to track my runs and plenty of platforms to keep up with my fellow runners. Also, once I "lost" my data on my oldest runs, I kind of got over it; I realize now that just because my first few years of running aren't recorded, it doesn't mean they didn't happen.

The one thing I'm going to miss is the shoe-mileage tracking. I absolutely hate using Strava and Garmin to track shoe mileage. On both platforms, when you add a shoe, there's no option to add how many miles are already on it - all shoes start at zero; on Garmin, I can't seem to add shoes/miles via the app, and I rarely log in on the computer because the site is slow and annoying.

Also, the Strava widget I use in my sidebar hasn't updated in over a week, so A1A is missing. I'm irked.

Anyway, I've decided to just start a spreadsheet. It will make keeping track of shoe mileage easy and it's a platform that will never be shut down.

Now I can just add the distance in to the appropriate column and sum up the total mileage at the bottom. It's not the prettiest or most intricate tracking log, but it'll do!

Speaking of track and field workouts, I haven't actually run since A1A, but we did a couple tough circuits that honestly have left me hurting. I know I won't be able to run on t&f coaching days (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays), but I hope to find the energy to run Mondays and Saturdays during season.

I guess with DM going away, I'll need to figure out another place to log non-running workouts when I feel like doing so. Maybe that's what this blog will go back to being about! Everything comes full circle.

ABK

Weekly Workouts: 4/17-4/23

This wasn't a great week because my calves were killing me and I felt mentally and emotionally distant all week. But I still managed to get some stuff done.

Monday: Rest. I had my appointment at the vascular surgeon's office. After that whole ordeal, I didn't feel up to a workout.

Ultrasound fun.

Tuesday: I still was feeling pretty shell-shocked and down. I did some planks and arms, but nothing major.

Wednesday: Elizabeth and I did two Blogilates videos for arms, back, and abs.

Thursday: Another rest day. My head was just not in it.

Friday: A tough ab circuit with the KBC. This was the first day I started to feel good again mentally, and the plank variations and movement helped loosen up my calves, finally.

Saturday: My calves finally felt better! I did 30 minutes on the max trainer...

...and then...well, it was raining all day and I just couldn't say no, so I went outside and ran for two or three minutes. This was completely on a whim, so I didn't time myself or anything like that. I just went out to the golf course and ran down a path I'm familiar with so I could kind of estimate distance. I just wanted to remember how it felt and remember how much I love it. My calves felt a tiny bit stiff by the time I stopped, but it felt good to be out there.

It gave me hope.

(On that note, thank you all for your helpful and supportive comments on my last post. I have a list of doctors to contact this week so I can get working on getting a second opinion and a real diagnosis.

A few of you commented that this doctor was taking the easy way out...he was happy to leave me without a real diagnosis or treatment, and that's really just silly. What kind of doctor does that?! Once I wrapped my head around the fact that his dismissive advice is pretty much useless to heed, I began to feel better.

He's just one doctor. I'm going to find another and I'm going to get some answers!)

Sunday: 30 more minutes on the max trainer and some foam rolling.

My view is very motivational. It helps me remember what I'm working for and that it will all be worth it!

ABK

Weekly Workouts: 4/10-4/16

It's been tough to find motivation to work out over spring break. I mean, I'm still getting it done, but I miss my workout buddies!

Monday: I put together a full-body circuit and completed it twice. I probably should have done a third time but the burpees really got me!

Tuesday: The pain in my calves has been completely dormant because I haven't been running, but Monday night I slept terribly because the pain was back. I used some topical pain relief cream and put on my compression socks, and a few hours later felt good to try a workout.

Real Time Pain Relief sent me a few samples of this stuff; it doesn't have as strong of a menthol smell as most topical pain relief creams, and worked just as well. It has a kind of floral scent; it's very nice, actually!

I did thirty minutes on the max trainer and felt pretty good.

Wednesday: Rest. I got my haircut and didn't want to ruin the blowout with a workout haha!

Thursday: 20 minutes on the max trainer followed by some planks and core stuff. I noticed my calves getting a bit stiff again on the machine, even though I was wearing compression socks.

Friday: Rest. I did some more house cleaning/scrubbing/furniture moving for Passover preparation. Steph and Gordon came in that evening so I opted out of a workout in favor of hanging out with them.

Saturday: I started cooking for Passover Seder around 10:30am and finished the last of the cleaning. Then I did a quick little full-body workout. Sometimes you just gotta fit in what you can!

Sunday: I watched an episode of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 reboot, which is new to Netflix, while on the max trainer. I used to love this show, and it was hilarious and distracting while I did about 35 minutes of cardio.

My view from the max trainer was very motivational!

I finished with some stretching and planks.

ABK

Weekly Workouts: 3/27-4/2

OMG IT'S APRIL. This school year is flying by. Here's what my week in workouts looked like!

Monday: None of the #kickbuttcrew was feeling up to a selfie, but we managed a pretty solid workout. We completed this circuit five times for a good full-body burn.

Tuesday: After tutoring and a hiring fair that went until 7:30, I wasn't planning to workout. But Todd's Bowflex was right there in front of the TV, so I watched some Vanderpump Rules and did 30 minutes of cardio. Not bad!

Wednesday: Elizabeth, Stacey, and I did Blogilates Extreme Abs 3 at school. I came home and felt like I needed a little more. I hate how weak and inflexible I'm feeling lately. So I completed an Lowers Abs & Booty Blast video, too. I've done both of these before and knew they'd be a good combo!

Thursday: The three of us did a very fast circuit before an evening meeting we had to attend.

Friday: Elizabeth asked me to make a heart-pumping circuit for her and I really outdid myself! But for me, it was a stretching/recovery day.

I took a lot of these moves from T25 so I had no idea how to describe them on the whiteboard!

Saturday: 30 minutes on the Bowflex. It's an M3 and feels a lot like climbing a steep hill. It's great cardio and does seem to work my quads pretty well without hurting my calves. I like that I can do it while watching TV, but it really doesn't give me the same mental release as a good run.

Sunday: Rest.

This week was definitely successful. We worked out every weekday despite some interruptions to our schedules. I really appreciate all your comments on my last post; I know these workouts are keeping me strong even if they're not running, and hopefully when I can be back to my usual running schedule, the strength will pay off.

ABK

Weekly Workouts: 3/20-3/26

Monday: We created a full-body circuit with 60-second repeats instead of our usual 30s. It was pretty brutal!

Tuesday: Although we usually rest Tuesdays because we tutor after school, Elizabeth and I stayed late and completed T25 upper-body. My arms felt like noodles afterward!

I'm not sure why my camera lens is all foggy!

Wednesday: Rest. I had a speaking engagement, so no time for a workout. More on that later!

Thursday: Elizabeth and Stacey did abs after work; I had to deal with a parent and it went late, but I  did the workout at home afterward. Even when working out alone, knowing I had some buddies keeping me accountable really helped!

Friday: Elizabeth and I did the T25 Stretch workout. It felt really good, although I always feel like I've "wasted" a workout if all I do is stretch. This one does bring some squats and low-impact body-weight exercises in to it, so it's not just stationary stretching.

Later that night, Matt and I went to our friend Todd's place because he offered to let me use a Bowflex machine he has until I can run again. I wanted to test it out, so I did a couple minutes on it.

Saturday & Sunday: Rest.

ABK

Weekly Workouts 3/6-3/12

This week's workouts start on Wednesday. That's just how things go after races and time off! I've been resting my calves obsessively, so no running this week. Not running means we're going back to some of our old videos and workouts, which has been nice.

Wednesday: T25 with Elizabeth and Stacey! We haven't done T25 in a hot minute and it definitely humbled me. What a tough workout!

It's so awesome to have Stacey joining us!

Thursday: Some Blogilates. I've been neglecting my core for awhile and I could tell.

Friday: We put together a circuit that focused on core and upper-body, but was really kind of "whole body". It felt really good.

Complete each move for 30 seconds, repeat 3-5 times.

I rested/stretched through the weekend. I'm hoping to get at least one short run in this coming week. We'll see how the calves take it!

I'm excited to start Monday this week and truly get back into a routine!

ABK

This Circuit! Oy!

This week I did one workout (besides A1A, which will get its own post) because I was busy and not feeling very well, so I've decided to walk you all through to circuit Elizabeth and I did last Wednesday (on our birthday).

Can you believe we're in our 30s?! I can't.

Complete each exercise for 30-40 seconds and immediately switch to the next until the full set is completed. Rest 60 seconds between sets. Repeat 3-5 times. (We did this one four times and the next day I was so achy I thought my congestion/cold had turned into the flu!)

1. Deadlift - Squat - Lift
This is really exactly what it sounds like. I use two 8-pound dumbbells for this move. Lift the dumbbells in a deadlift motion; bring them to shoulder height and squat; then rise to standing while pressing the dumbbells straight upward. Repeat by lowering the dumbbells in a controlled motion and returning to deadlift position.

Below is what the squat-to-press motion looks like.
2. Plank - Pushup - Cougar - Row
Start in a plank position balanced on weights. Complete a pushup, then jump out into a cougar position. Draw each arm back into a row, then jump back out into the plank position.

Below is the plank-pushup-cougar combo:
And here is the row:

I don't know how she does this move with 35lb weights! To get the full effect of this move in your quads, you need to do the rows while in the cougar position. I skip the pushup part of this combo, but Elizabeth does the entire thing because she is a beast!

3. Ceiling Circles
Lying flat on your back, straighten your legs and point your toes at the ceiling. Keeping your feet together, draw a circle on the ceiling with your toes. I like to go clockwise for half the time and then switch to counter-clockwise circles. You can play around with how tight or wide you want to make your circles.

4. Leg Lifts
This one is self-explanatory! I bend my knees a little for this because I'm not flexible enough to keep them straight!
5. Opposite Plank Lifts
In a plank position, alternate lifting your arms and legs. Lift your right arm, pointing it straight ahead of you, and left leg, pointing it straight back. Hold for 1-2 seconds and focus on keeping your core tight as you balance. Bring your arm and leg back down and repeat with the opposite sides. Continue alternating until time is up.

6. Alternating Bicep Curls
Again, this one is fairly self-explanatory. Alternate bicep curls, keeping your elbows in and tucked slightly back. Your weights should pass each other around your bellybutton.

Workout gifs credited to: Elise's Body Shop (YouTube and Instagram) and Blogilates.

What kinds of exercises do you like to do at home?
Which Instagram fitness trainers do you most like to follow?

ABK

Weekly Workouts: 2/6-2/12

I've decided to publish these weekly recaps on Mondays from now on because it's less stressful for me. I'm sure no one cares that much, anyway!

Monday: A very short kettlebell workout. I am still trying to figure out how this thing works!

Tuesday: 4 miles. My legs felt really tired. Maybe I needed more time to recover from our fairly speedy 10 miles Sunday.

Wednesday: I made a quick circuit and completed it at Matt's studio before his second art night at a local historical inn. (More on that some other time, I think.)

See my perfect look workout nook?

The intensity of this circuit was all in the sequence; my abs were killing me and ready for a rest by the time I finished bicycles, and then the squat-combo and Arnolds were great upper-body burners!

Thursday: Rest. My left foot was feeling a little achy after wearing crappy sandals Wednesday night.

Friday: 4 miles. My legs still felt stiff. Elizabeth and I discussed whether or not I should just forgo running until race day, which is this coming Sunday. I am seriously considering it.

This entire run felt like work. My legs finally felt okay at mile 3.75.

Saturday/Sunday: I worked at Matt's studio during the Art Festival all weekend, so technically Saturday and Sunday were rest days, although I was up and on my feet all day.

My sister drove in for the festival; here, Matt is teaching her to make a bowl. She did a great job!

I decided not to run Sunday. I'll try running Monday evening, and if my legs are still giving me issues then I'll cross-train only all week until race day. It's time to taper, anyway, and right now it seems like rest needs to be on the menu.

Total Mileage: 8 :(

ABK

Weekly Workouts: 1/30-2/5

Monday: Circuit at home. I completed a fairly easy full body circuit and then finished with some good stretches: pigeon pose and runner's lunge. My hip flexors and groin were much tighter than I expcted!

I put downward dog into the workout to make sure I really spent time on my calves.

Tuesday: 4 miles - bridge. It's been so long since we've done the bridge, I was honestly shocked by how steady and fast we were! I had no discomfort and the run felt all-around successful.

9:29 pace...It was nice and chilly out!

Wednesday: Circuit at school. I could feel a cold coming on but was able to persevere. Elizabeth planned this one and it was killer! We did four rounds for a fast and effective workout! I am really bad at explaining what these moves are - I should probably start taking some kind of photo or video of our circuits so we can recreate them.

We completed this workout with weights. I was so sore the next day; it was awesome!

Thursday: 4 miles. My cold symptoms were getting worse so we kept the pace easy just in case. I was pretty impressed that I was able to complete the run despite having a bad cough.

9:48 pace.

Friday: Despite Thursday's success, I opted to rest. My lungs were starting to feel tweaky and there was no real reason to force a run. This was a good choice because I was feeling much better by Sunday!

Saturday: More rest...but feeling better!

Sunday: We got in what will probably be our last double-digit run before A1A. It was extremely foggy for the first few miles, but once the sun burned off the fog it was uncomfortably hot. We did 10 miles at a brisk but steady pace and included the bridge at the end (miles 8-9).

My legs were distractingly stiff (but not painful) until mile three; they didn't warm up completely and feel good until five miles in!

I don't know how this bodes for race day. My legs feel good on all my evening runs no matter the distance, so maybe it's a morning run thing. Obviously the race is in the morning, so that worries me. But, this run set my mind at ease that I can run through it early on and keep a steady pace as long as we're not talking actual pain.

Total mileage: 18.

I'm still feeling good about race day! I think our goal of 2:20 is well within reach.

ABK

Weekly Workouts 11/7-11/13

Monday: I did this circuit, albeit modified and only twice. My legs felt a little tired from Sunday's long run, and I wanted to focus more on upper body than legs, so I modified the jumping moves and focused mostly on arms and planks.

// THURSDAY WORK ✖️ FULL BODY WORKOUT ⚡️⚡️// 8 exercises, 40 seconds per exercise, repeat for 3-4 round of all 8 in order. LETSGO. 💪💪 #circuittraining #workoutvideo #exercisevideo #fitfam #fitgirlvideos #fitchicks

A video posted by Elise Young (@elisesbodyshop) on Nov 3, 2016 at 9:57am PDT

Tuesday: 4 miles over the bridge. This run was fast because I wanted to be home in time to shower and watch election results. Needless to say, the energy flatlined quickly once results started coming in.

Wednesday: 4 miles after volleyball. This run was a lot more sluggish. I've found in the past that running while grieving is really hard for me, and I knew this run would be therapeutic but not easy, and it wasn't. It was nice to be with Elizabeth and vent our concerns out loud, though.

Thursday: Upper body at volleyball. I did quick feet with the girls during warmups, then set for them and spiked at them for about 45 minutes. My arms are still sore two days later!

This was us, except instead of just touching the floor we dropped all the way down and then pushed up. My armpits hurt!

Friday: Another 4 miles over the bridge. Steady and decent run...not much to report! We did have some interesting splits.

Neither of us are feeling good enough to take our usual runfies this week.

Saturday: Rest.

Sunday: Too tired after a girl's night out to run in the morning, Elizabeth and I met for a rare evening long run. We did 9 miles at a 10:21 pace. We both felt really good; no fatigue or aches until the very end.

This is only week two of training for this half, so I have a good feeling about February!

Total mileage: 21

ABK

Weekly Workouts 10/31-11/6

Elizabeth and I are officially training for the A1A half - remember, you can get 15% off the race by using coupon code ALI at checkout! - so I've decided to add total weekly mileage to my workout recaps.

Monday: Happy Halloween! We created a circuit to do at school. I had forgotten shoes and Elizabeth forgot her water so we were a bit limited in our exercises, but it ended up being a pretty good workout.

We did each exercise for 30 seconds and did the circuit 4 times.

Tuesday: 4 miles over the bridge. I've decided to use the same training plan I used the first half I really trained for and ran well. That means our weekday runs will all incorporate the bridge. It's a good way to build strength and speed without dedicated speed work.

First official run of training - done!

This run was kind of rough. I needed a walk break each time we finished our ascent, but I wasn't stressed about it because we have sixteen weeks to get strong, and I know running the bridge consistently will make it feel easy sooner rather than later.

Wednesday: 4 miles. Better! Only one walk break and much more consistent.

Thursday: Rest/volleyball. This was the night of Matt's film festival, so I didn't get a workout in.

Friday: 4 miles. This run felt awesome. We both felt very strong and ache-free. We paused at the top of the bridge on the second ascent because a motorcade was going by beneath us on the interstate! Tons of cop cars, town cars with American flags in the windows, and a big RV went by before I was able to get my phone out. A helicopter followed overhead. I think it was Tim Kaine because he was in town Saturday for a rally!

This was the best photo I could get of the motorcade.

Unfortunately, apparently bad luck with watches is just my thing now. My Garmin splits were all messed up and make no sense.

We ran 4 miles, but this turned up. 6 splits for a 4 mile run? The moving time and elevation aren't right, either. What did I do that made this turn up?

I think our last mile was quite fast and I wish I knew if the data were accurate.

Saturday: Rest.

Sunday: 7.15 miles. It's been since Sanibel that we've done a long run, so I was nervous but excited. This run means we're really training and that we completed our first week with flying colors!

Seven miles, easy 10:42 pace.

I'm not thinking about our paces at this point. We'll think about setting goals for A1A in January, but at this point I'm just happy to be training again! The run went really well - we didn't have to pause for any kind of breaks, and we just enjoyed ourselves and the run.

Total mileage: 19.

Did you have a good training week?

ABK

Weekly Workouts 10/10-10/16

Monday: Because I took Sunday off to give my legs extra rest, I didn't feel bad about squeezing a run in on an "off" day. The weather finally broke - it was 72 in the morning - so I went out for four miles in the evening.

Funny story: while paused at a stoplight, I heard my name. Elizabeth was driving by! So funny!

I started out much too fast and really paid the price for it. I need to remember to moderate my pace better on training runs!

Tuesday: It's been awhile since Elizabeth and I worked out at school! I put together a little circuit using some moves I've seen on Instagram and it turned out to be a really solid full-body workout.

Wednesday: Our last run before the Sanibel 10k! My goal was to take it very easy, even if that meant walking...which it did. We did 4 miles at about 10:16 pace, not including two times we walked a bit and I paused to stretch my right calf. (One of my walk breaks was because I had a weird stomach-cramp and thought I might need an emergency bathroom stop! Yuck!)

lol...there's a bug right in the middle of my forehead!

I actually felt really good and solid after this run, and the next day my legs felt excellent!

Thursday: Rest! I did some downward dog and planks, but nothing that would count as a workout.

Friday: Rest - race day tomorrow!

Saturday: The Sanibel Race for FISH 10k! I'd been looking forward to this race, but it just didn't go my way. I missed all my time goals. More on that later this week.

The highlight of the day, of course, was that Elizabeth enjoyed the race and did really well! I don't know if she's hooked on racing yet, but she's agreed to run a half with me in January!

Sunday: Rest and recovery.

ABK

Weekly Workouts 8/15-8/21

Monday: OMG. Elizabeth and I put together an upper-and-lower body workout and it was brutal. It looks easy enough, but we were shaking by the end. I highly recommend it! What a great way to start the week!

Complete each exercise for 30 seconds, and rest for 30 before repeating. Repeat 4-5 times.

Tuesday: We did our first set of repeats in weeks and it went much better than expected! Our paces were a little more conservative and not as consistent, but I was actually really pleased!

8x.33 repeats with an average pace of 8:44.

Wednesday: My calves had been hurting for days, but the speed work session seemed to help stretch them out. On our full-body day, I wanted to incorporate stretching. We pretty much forgot about that, but we did a lower impact circuit that still felt effective and well-rounded, and my calves felt much better afterward. We're getting pretty good at constructing these workouts!

Thursday: Having realized that running faster was better for my calves, I decided to push the pace on our Thursday run. It definitely wasn't the easy run I had planned! I was surprised that we were able to hold a fast pace the entire time, and it really boosted my confidence for October's 10k! I guess I've gotten myself comfortable with slow paces and now it's time to get familiar with discomfort again. This was a good reminder that to get faster, sometimes you just have to buckle down and do it.

Our paces were between 8:40 and 9:20 for most of the run - not at all steady, but that's the nature of running on the golf course.

If I can run four miles at this pace with just one brief water break, I think my chances are good for 6.22 miles by mid-October.

Friday: We had five actually easy miles planned - I thought keeping our pace around 10:10 would be a good easy pace - but it started raining 1.5 miles in. We turned back early in case the rain really picked up, and I'm glad we did because as soon as we reached the car it began storming pretty hard and the lightning was intense. We called it early for safety.

Safe in the car, watching the storm roll in.

I was disappointed to have to stop early, but because Thursday's run had been such a good workout, in the end I was okay with it.

Saturday: So. Much. Rest. I woke up early with my eyes swollen nearly shut. I took two Prednisone and went back to bed with an ice pack on my face. When I woke up again, my left eye was better but I still couldn't open my right. I ate lunch and took two Benadryl, which knocked me out. I took a three hour nap. When I got up, both eyes could open, but the swelling was still obvious.

I usually have an attack after drinking wine (particularly red, but sometimes white, too) and when I'm over-tired, but otherwise we haven't found any specific triggers.

I wish we know what caused my angioedema attacks, but the very nature of it means we simply don't know. (I am allergic to tons of environmental factors, but my doctors have ruled out any relationship between those allergies and my attacks, so I've been diagnosed with idiopathic angioedema.) Clearly overheating is a concern, but I can't stop my workouts just because I'm worried about a little facial swelling!

At least they're both open now, but you can tell the right eye is still quite swollen.

Once the swelling is all gone, my eyelids and undereyes will be sensitive, red, and scaly for a few days, so I have that to look forward to. (I tend to get a lot of "You look tired. Are you sick?" comment after an attack.) It makes working out painful because sweat hurts my face, but I just carry on as best I can.

Sunday: We pushed our run to the evening so I'd have some extra time to get over my swollen face. We meant to run 7 miles but I chose a route I forgot was 8, so we did 8. They weren't stellar - it was really humid and hot, but we got them done!

And the sunset almost made the struggle worth it!

It was our first long run in a month or more, so I'm actually pretty happy with it despite how uncomfortable it was.

Did you have a good week?

ABK