Recovering

As if things couldn't get any worse for me this year - I came down with a horrible cold the day before my San Francisco trip. So - I had to cancel it. What a bummer! I spent the entire week on the couch instead. After 7 days - my OB finally decided to prescribe an antiobiotic to kick it out of my system. I finished the 5th day of that last night and seem to be on the mend. Still have a little bit of a cough and congestion. I suppose I should be thankful that it happened when my vacation was scheduled so I didn't have to call out of work (except for 1 day).

Everything is moving forward with the selling of our house. Inspection is done, appraisal went through and now we are set to close on Nov 20th. We put an offer in on a house in Freeland - but it's in the process of foreclosure and it could take months before everything is squared away. We haven't had our offer accepted yet anyway, so who knows what will happen there. We are meeting with a builder tomorrow night to see if that is even an option for us, although the timing is pretty horrible. It would mean that we would be in an apartment for quite a while before the house gets finished. I really hope that we find something soon and can close before the baby is due.

Sold!

Surprise, surprise....our house sold last night! Closing is set for Nov 20th. Inspection is scheduled for this saturday, so hopefully all will go well. We were shocked to receive the phone call after our listing had expired. Stephen and I were resigned to staying here another year or so and had been making plans to tackle the nursery project within the next few weeks. Glad we didn't get started on that early! Now to find a new house to move into within this short timeframe!

Work is going well. My legs are swollen by the time I get home at night from being on my feet all day long. We've had a girl call out sick the past few days too - which makes the caseload tougher.

I haven't done any exercise yet - just being on my feet after rehab-ing the foot injury is enough for now. I'm pretty tired at night anyway. I'd like to do water aerobics, but will probably wait a while to get this house situation taken care of first.

Back to work

I was finally released back to work on the 25th. What a relief! I worked a 6 day stretch - and boy does my body feel differently now. My foot held up for the most part, just a few aches - until yesterday when I woke up and my entire left leg was swollen. I'm hoping that it was just from being back on my feet all day long for 6 days straight. I have today off and will be attending an NDT conference on Fri/Sat, so hopefully the rest will do me some good.
It is much more difficult to move around in those hospital rooms with my belly now getting in my way. And the smells are making me gag a bit more than usual.

Tomorrow I turn 35....not quite sure how I feel about it yet. I'll be at the conference all day and then going out to dinner with the family. Should be a good time. My husband bought me more maternity clothes - not quite the birthday present I had in mind, but I really need them since the weather is getting colder and I have nothing to wear.

It's a boy!

I had my first ultrasound yesterday and found out we are having a baby boy! I was a little shocked - I really thought that it was going to be a girl...I guess that tells me that I need to get in touch with my instincts a little more...LOL Stephen was super excited! Everything looked normal on the ultrasound which made both of us very relieved. I'll find out the results of my quad screen within the next few days and can make the determination whether or not to have an amnio. As of right now, we are pretty comfortable with the ultrasound results - so I'm hoping that the screen comes back with a low risk as well.

I've ditched the crutches and have been limping around on my foot. It still is quite sore and I'm unable to push up onto my toes while standing. My first PT appt is tomorrow, so hopefully they will give me some great exercises to do in order to strengthen it up really fast. I need to get my butt back to work!

Another 3 weeks

The cast finally came off on thursday, but the Doc wouldn't clear me for work until he re-evaluates me on the 24th. Needless to say, my supervisor wasn't too happy. I'm at the mercy of my doctor at this point. I was instructed to continue use of my crutches with gradual increase in weightbearing on my left foot. I am so tired of using those things - you can't carry anything! I must use them for stairs ( I tried to do them solo, and almost fell on my face) but have been walking a little bit without them around the house. My foot feels quite unstable still and aches quite a bit. I guess it's going to take a little time for all those muscles to strengthen back up. I'm scheduled for physical therapy next Thursday which should help with the strengthening. I'll probably ditch the crutches within the next few days.

Pregnancy update: I'm 17 weeks 3 days. Ultrasound is scheduled for Tuesday. My husband and I listened to the heartbeat this morning with the doppler and heard what sounded like 2 heartbeats overlapping for a few seconds....both of us looked at each other with utter shock. Hopefully it was just a fluke - but I guess we'll find out on Tuesday :) At my OB visits, she only listens for a few seconds, so it would probably be hard to know if it was twins or not. I still haven't been officially weighed since my 8 week visit - but when I got on the scale at home I was up 10 lbs today. I was hoping that it would be less, but I guess that isn't too bad considering I've had to sit on my butt for the past 5 weeks and haven't been able to exercise this entire pregnancy so far due to my injury.

4 more days...

Thursday is the day - cast and crutches off!! Unfortunately I have my OB appt first and orthopedic appt 2nd that day. So they won't be able to weigh me in. I have no idea how much weight I've gained since my first OB appt at 8.5 weeks. At that point I hadn't gained anything yet.

I'm scheduled to head back to work on Labor Day provided the orthopedic Dr. gives me the go ahead. I just can't wait to be back on 2 feet again :)

I had the opportunity to watch the documentary Spirit of the Marathon the other day - I can't wait to get back out there and start running again after the baby is born!! I would love to be able to complete another marathon - but I'm definitely going to be a whole lot more cautious and listen to my body better this time around. I can't go through this torture again. The physiatrist that I work with told me that my heel will always be weaker due to the fracture and that I may want to consider other exercise options. I've read online posts on runners world from others who have had the same fracture and have managed to come back ok. I guess we'll see. I know that if I hurt myself again, my husband will not be any help. I've been warned.

I'm off to the lake for a few days to visit with my family. I can't wait. It's been quite a while since we've all been together! Too bad I won't be able to waterski or go tubing this year. At least I'll have fun watching everybody else :)

almost there

10 more days with cast and crutches. I can't wait to be able to walk again. I didn't realize how hard it would be to get around on crutches. I have a whole new appreciation for my patients with non-weight bearing status now. My right hip aches from all the extra work.

Pregnancy update: My belly is starting to get bigger, although I still don't think it looks like a pregnant belly - more like a "too many cheeseburgers" belly. I'll be 16 weeks in 2 days. I am still trying to get used to sleeping on my side and most of my nights are spent tossing and turning, and getting up to use the bathroom at least 4 times. At least I'm not vomiting anymore.

The Crim race was this past weekend and I was really bummed that I couldn't participate. Guess there's always next year...

Back to my blog

I haven't posted in quite some time - I've been really depressed about how this year has panned out for me. This definitely wasn't how I had envisioned my year to go...
I'm now almost 14 weeks pregnant with a cast on my left leg and using crutches to get around. Not fun. Not to mention that I haven't been able to work out since May. I had always thought that IF I became pregnant - I would be superfit and still running...so much for that idea!!

The first trimester of my pregnancy was really rough - not only was I in a walking boot for the majority of the time, but I had severe nausea and vomiting. I've just started my 2nd trimester and thank goodness the nausea seems to have passed!! Hallelujah! Just a few more weeks with this cast on and hopefully things will be back to normal - well at least as normal as they can be for a pregnant lady.

I still plan on heading out to San Francisco in October, although I won't be participating in the race as planned. I wanted to try to walk it, but with my injury and being off my foot for so long, I don't think it's a good idea to risk it. I'm definitely way out of shape now. Maybe I'll try again in a few years. I miss running so much.

I don't think i've quite gotten a hold on becoming a mom yet either - it all seems quite foreign still. I haven't felt the baby move, so to me, I just feel fat. I don't like feeling fat - never have been this big - EVER. I don't think I'm going to be one of those women who look like they have a basketball under their shirts either. I think this baby will make its presence known in all parts of my body...blubber city. I've already started planning my workout regimen for after the baby is born. I have no idea how I'm going to juggle work, a baby, my home, and my sanity - but other women somehow make it work...CRAZINESS.

Hop a long

The past 2 weeks have been really stressful. I find out I have a chronic stress fracture in my left calcaneus and have to wear a cam walking boot for 6 weeks. I believe that I probably originally obtained the fracture during my marathon last fall - but was misdiagnosed and since I kept running anyway - just made matters worse and continued to reinjure it.
For the past week I've been stressed out because my employer wanted a restrictions letter from my podiatrist. They sent the letter as requested; however, it stated no weight lifted other than my own body weight. This poses a problem since I have to transfer patients. There was miscommunication between my clinical coordinator and director - I requested a new letter stating that I could do "min assist". The podiatrist complied. Then I'm told that I can't work. Round and round we go. The podiatrist finally caved - but is clearly pissed off at me since I had to call 3x for 3 letters and states that it could delay my healing process should I not follow her orders. I guess it's either that or go a month with no pay.....what would you do?
I try my best at work to sit down as much as possible and I have great coworkers who help me with any heavy transfers. I just pray that the foot will heal properly and I'll be done with this whole mess on July 2nd. It's amazing how much my muscle has atrophied in my calf already - my legs are clearly 2 different sizes.

Bummer

I decided not to participate in the Bayshore...I'm really not happy about it at all. I'm still dealing with the pain in my left foot - which should have been resolved by now. I haven't run since the beginning of April. My bone scan was Friday and I should know the results by Wednesday this week. If it doesn't show anything, then I'll most likely be sent for an MRI next. I decided to remove the orthotics from my shoes to see if that helps any. When I went to the chiropractor a few weeks ago, my entire left side was screwed up.....which tells me that those orthotics are not helping my alignment any. We'll see if I get any relief this week without them.
I have been doing the Power 90 workouts - but didn't lose hardly any weight this week..I'm at 178.2. I did take Tues, Thurs, Fri off (which I shouldn't have)...and we went out to eat on Saturday, and I had some wine this week. I'll get it under control...at least I didn't gain any! I won't be taking any rest days for the next 2 weeks so I can catch up with the workouts. I am getting stronger and am able to do more pushups now :)
I should find out about my job interview today...I really hope I get it. I'd be working in Bay City, M-F, no weekends, 8-4:30 (which means I could run in the am again!!) Anyone who's reading this, please keep your fingers crossed for me!!

Hmmm..

My foot is still bothering me - I went back to the podiatrist and she ordered a bone scan to be done on the 15th. She said that if I fractured my calcaneus, that it won't show in an xray. So I have to endure yet another test. I guess they inject it with a dye and then I have to go back 3 hours later to have it read. I seriously hope it's not a fracture.

I have been working out, just not running. I started the Power 90 program (not P90X) and began the week at 183.0, this morning I was 177.4, so not a bad first week! I was a little pissed at myself for getting back over 180 again, and our week up in Traverse certainly didn't help. We have been eating really well - even managing to cook dinners together after our workouts. Most of the time we want to kill each other in the kitchen - we definitely have different ideas about the way things should be cooked. We used recipes from Stephen's metabolism advantage book and one of my 30 min cookbooks this past week. Neither one of us is counting calories, just watching our portions and trying to cook healthier meals.

I certainly plan on continuing the Power 90 program all the way through - it's 3 days resistance, and 3 days cardio + abs with 1 rest day per week. The first few days were really hard - the 3rd resistance day was a little easier so I'm going to try to up my weights on some of the exercises and see what happens. The cardio and ab work is still tough though. At least this will help maintain my fitness level so when my foot is better I'll be in better shape to begin running again.

Our fence is finally up and ready to stain. We also got pre-approved for a mortgage so when it sells we are ready to be on the buyers end :)

Still limping

Well - the injection in my foot helped for about a day and the pain returned. I'm taking 500mg of Naprosyn 2x a day but it's not really helping much. I can't figure out what the heck I did to it - the podiatrist will have to narrow this down for me when I go see her this week again. I haven't been able to run at all now since the first week in april and I'm thinking that I'm probably just going to bow out of Bayshore since there is no way in hell that I'll be even remotely ready to run 13.1

I just hope that the extra time to heal will allow me to pick back up in June so I can at least have some running fitness before San Fran!
Stephen and I are starting the Power 90 program tomorrow morning. I'm working on the grocery list right now and am excited to start some sort of exercise...hopefully my foot won't give me problems doing that!

Our long weekend in traverse was ok - the weather didn't cooperate so we didn't get any golf in. Turtle creek casino was nice - our room was huge :) We went wine tasting one day which was a lot of fun. Grand Traverse resort was a big disappointment - we'll never stay there again.
Back to work tomorrow...wonder what my caseload is going to be like?

More time off...

I went to the podiatrist on Wednesday, got another xray...no fracture that we could see. The point of pain in my heel is not at the origin of my plantar fascia though - so it's still a bit of a mystery. I got another injection in my foot, a script for naprosyn for 10 days and have to lay off running on it. On Thursday my foot felt so much better!! I still feel the soreness in my heel, but it isn't nearly as bad as what it was. The doc did say that I can bike or do the elliptical in the meantime. Problem is I don't have a gym membership. So long as the rain holds off this weekend, I'll get my bike out and go for a ride.

Stephen and I will begin the Power 90 workouts on May 4th and have decided to commit to watching our calorie intake with the program. I'm excited about doing a program together and think it will go much better that way for us :) I'll just have to do my runs in addition to what the program entails. I'm quite nervous about even attempting Bayshore at this point because I haven't been running....I guess I'll try to run beginning in may and see if I have any pain. I don't want to risk getting seriously injured. San Francisco is too important! I must be healed up by June.

I'm looking forward to getting out of town for a few days... Traverse city here we come :) Can't wait to go golfing, so it better not rain!

stuck

It's been 10 days since I've worked out. I'm feeling fatter by the minute.... My foot hurts even when I'm just standing on it. I'm still waiting on the results of my x-ray. My doctor sucks...she never calls with test results. I couldn't get into my podiatrist, so I had to resort to my family physician - whom I'll be changing shortly due to her lack of follow-up with me. I just pray that it's not a stress fracture, otherwise it will be 6-8 wks of non-weight bearing for it to heal properly.

I know I need to do something to keep myself in shape, so I ordered the Power 90 DVD's. I figure even if I'm able to run, this program will help me with my diet and resistance training. I still would like to get back down to my wedding weight of 166 at the very least!! I'm currently 13 lbs above it.

We did have another showing of the house this week - just so happened it was on a day that Stephen didn't make the bed, left his clothes on the floor. I left a few dishes in the sink and the floors definitely needed to be swept. I was totally mortified when I knew that there was somebody coming to look at it. Nothing I could have done though - I was at work and they left me a message with 3 hours notice. We are just going to have to really buckle down with making sure the house is totally clean when we leave. We sort of got lax with it since we hadn't had a showing in over a week. We're still working on the fence. Stephen has one more post to go and then we can put up the panels. We were hoping to have most of the panels up this weekend but Home Depot didn't have the fence in stock, so we were stuck ordering it. This project is costing us $1000 to do, so somebody better buy this house once it's done!! Once it's up, I'll have to stain it to match the deck and the rest of the fence.

We've been looking online for houses, haven't really seen anything that we like a whole lot though. We are still trying to explore other options for financing for the build. Some builders will finance the construction - of course I'm sure they wouldn't want us to do any of the work ourselves, so it would end up costing more in the long run. We'll see what happens. First this one needs to sell!!

Will I ever heal?

I had to stop mid-run on Thursday with excrutiating pain in my foot. I was totally sobbing on the treadmill from frustration....not only am I in training for a very important race, but running also helps me maintain my weight. I am not very disciplined with my diet - and it scares me to death that I'll have to stop running and start watching everything that I eat. I had increased my fiber intake - but it has given me horrible stomach pains in the afternoon (and I was taking a probiotic to help it). I actually gained a pound and am at 179 right now. I think it's due to consuming alcohol...I've had a few glasses of wine x 3 nights this week.
I'm going to call the podiatrist tomorrow and pray for an appointment on Tuesday. I'll have to figure out how I'm going to heal my foot and still maintain my fitness level so I can resume training ASAP.

As for the house - no bites yet. The average time to sell a house in Bay City is 5 months. We have decided to put up a fence between our yard and the store. We spent the majority of the day yesterday clearing out brush and trees. The problem we are running into is the tree roots - trying to figure out a way to get the posts in. We may have to call someone...

Steady

Still holding at 178...guess it's better than gaining! I did eat like crap this past week. We ate out quite a bit since I didn't want to mess up my kitchen. I'm definitely going grocery shopping tonight after work. I'll take my chances with the mess....I feel super bloated, yuck! I'll have to put together my meal plan for the week when I get home.
I got 4 runs in this week, and my foot is killing me. I got a new pair of running shoes, Asics Gel Kayano. I ran in them without my orthotics and they felt pretty good, I even noticed the next morning that my foot didn't hurt so much. Then I made the mistake of running with my orthotics...bad move, my foot hurt during the run and was worse afterwards. I'm going to use today as a rest day to let it heal up a bit, and then do a short run tomorrow. I'm definitely signing up for another 6 weeks of yoga. It forces me to stretch for a full hour and I feel really good afterwards :)

So far no offers on the house, we had a 2nd showing yesterday and are hoping that maybe we'll get a phone call today with an offer....? We spent most of the weekend driving around looking at houses (from the outside). Boy, they look so nice online and then you actually get into the neighborhood and it's a whole different story. We did manage to find 2 nice ones in Freeland that would be possibilities if we sold ours.

I've got another busy week at work, my days just fly by!! I'd really love to have a day when I can just sit on the couch with a few movies and do nothing!

Change is coming

This week was quite busy...what's new? The house is pretty much prepped for sale, we signed the papers yesterday and the sign could appear in the yard as early as tomorrow!! Pretty exciting. I'm definitely ready to get into a bigger home that will allow me to invite friends over and entertain more.
The builder we were working with gave as an estimate that was way out of our reach - $355,000. I think he may have been smoking crack when he put that together... We couldn't ever sell that house for such a price, so why would we pay somebody that much to build it! We got the price down to $233,000 after we took out all of the labor - but what's the point? We can buy a great house right now for that price without having to do any work! So once we have a purchase agreement on this one - house hunting we will go :)

I only got in one run this week, behind again..ugh. My schedule should calm down a bit -but who knows what interruptions will come my way if we get people looking at the house during the week. I'll just do the best I can. As far as my weight, I'm holding steady at 178 now. The high fiber is killing my gut though - I'm going to have to slow it down a bit, either that or I'll stop taking the pro-biotic and see what happens then. I'm fine in the morning, but the afternoon kills me.

Psyched

I checked my CC statement today and found out that I've made it into the Nike Women's marathon this fall in San Francisco! I am super excited and will have to begin my training for it in June. Hopefully my cousin Lesley will also make it in. My Mom will be heading out there with me, repeat of our 2000 trip :)

I'm running my first race of the year today, an 8k. I hope to beat last year's time, but haven't been training nearly as much. We'll see what happens.

Stephen has been busy buttoning up the house - he's been working hard at it and now it's my turn to get everything organized. I've been putting it off, but with the for sale sign going up in just a week and a half, I better get to it!! He's been on my case, calling me lazy, etc.... Not that I worked 6 days this week or anything.

On a sour note, there is squabble in the family. My Mom is being treated poorly and I don't like it one bit. I've had a talk with my brother and hopefully this thing will get resolved. Sometimes you just have to let things go...grudges can be brutal and destroy relationships. It's better to look at the bigger picture.

First outdoor run of the year

Today was a beautiful day for a run :) I did 4.9 miles on the rail trail after work today. It was a bit harder than the treadmill, my heartrate really got up there. I used my orthotics in my new Pearl Izumi's and they felt pretty good - no blisters. My left leg is still giving my some trouble though, my foot hurts and my knee will give me shooting pains occasionally. Being that my left leg has given me problems for years - I think I'm stuck with dealing with it.

I've managed to keep my weight under 180 since last thursday. I bought Fibersure at the suggestion of my sister-in-law and will be adding that to my morning coffee for an additional 5 grams of fiber. I've lost a few pounds since I've increased my fiber intake and hope to continue dropping. It's the only thing that's worked for me the past few months!!

Looking forward to the 8k this Sunday...hopefully I'll beat last years time :)

Broke through!!

Yesterday morning I finally weighed in at 178.6!! I had a doctor's appointment and even with my clothes on it was 179.4 :) I MUST stay below 180 now....

I ran 9 miles on Tuesday and did my yoga class Wednesday. Yesterday was a rest day. I plan on running 50 minutes today after work. I still would really like to complete the Martian half-marathon and will probably go ahead and register this weekend.

My plantar fasciitis has returned in my left foot - I'm going to have to suck it up and break in my orthotics despite the blisters.

Looking forward to a nice warm weekend. I'm celebrating my 2 nephews birthdays on Sunday and am really looking forward to seeing the family :)

Busy Busy

I weighed in after my first week of "dieting" - although I did go out to eat twice, and am back down to 180.8. I'm increasing my fiber, taking FloraMore for extra bacteria to absorb all the fiber, and following some of the meal plans from my Runners World diet. Dinners are still a challenge, but I'm trying to control my portions.

On the other hand, my running activity has seriously fallen off the past few weeks. All of these house building appointments and the work we are doing at the house to get ready to sell are getting in the way. If the weather would warm up, it would make it a lot easier to get outside and run! I dread the treadmill anymore...

I plan on doing a 9 mile run today after work - maybe I'll run it while watching the biggest loser - should take me about that long!

Our house goes up for sale on April 1st.....I'm staying optimistic :)

Diet plan

I registered for the Runners World personal training diet plan again. It worked pretty well for me prior to my wedding. I'm going to start it tomorrow. I already went grocery shopping and got everything that I need.

I only worked out twice this past week. It was a busy week for me, a lot of pressure to get other things done, so my runs went by the wayside. I need to focus more on my diet and exercise, the races are getting closer and I want to be prepared. I'm looking forward to the yoga class that I'll start this week. My new shoes arrived yesterday so I plan on testing them out on the treadmill tomorrow.

Stephen and I met with a builder this week and went to a showroom with a plumbing contractor to pick out all of our fixtures for the new house. We are praying that everything works out for the bank to give us the loan and our current house to sell. It was very exciting to pick out all of the new stuff!!

We're going to the kitchen design center on Thursday night which should be a lot of fun.

Licensed!

Well, i am officially licensed by the state of Michigan as an OTR! I checked this morning and it is finally posted. One more thing out of the way :)

I have been a little behind on my workouts again - last week was tough, and this week I have a lot going on after work, so we'll see how I do. My diet of course needs work - my weight hasn't budged. I'm starting to think that I need to just buckle down and follow a plan, even though it seems tougher because I have another person in my household to feed. We'll see, maybe I can convince him to follow a diet with me. I got a new book by Prevention - the fiber up slim down cookbook. It has a meal plan in it that seems pretty do-able, and it doesn't eliminate carbs like a lot of other diets do.

I plan on registering for the Martian half-marathon this week, hopefully this awful winter weather we've had will break within the next 2 weeks so I can get outside! I bought a new running jacket and have new shoes on the way, all I need is some sunshine and I'll be set!

Stuck

I weighed in at 181.2 this morning....still stuck!! This past weekend didn't help my weight loss cause. Stephen cooked me a wonderful dinner Saturday night - linguine with shrimp and alfredo - but as we all know, alfredo is super fattening. I also drank a few glasses of wine, and Sunday he warmed up the leftovers. I also didn't have a chance to work out this weekend at all because I was working - and when I finally got home, it was time to spend with my hubby.

I ran 8 miles yesterday on the treadmill. I felt pretty good, but it's not the same as running outside. I'm looking forward to starting a yoga class on the 4th. I have been doing my cross training, abs, yoga, and some light weights. If I had more time, I'd join a gym and begin lifting a little heavier - but right now I don't think I could fit anything else in.

As far as my diet goes - I've been avoiding a real diet and trying to cook more at home. I've been cooking nearly every night and have sworn off fast food. Last night I made Ahi Tuna steaks with mustard greens and a side of angel hair pasta. It was delicious, and super healthy. Tonight I will be making Venison steaks, mashed potatoes, and immunity boosting veggies!
I think the biggest problem is my portion sizes. I've been trying to cut back, but I think I need to work on that a little harder. I no longer snack at night, instead I have been drinking tea. The one thing that I know needs to happen - but I'm not sure how I'm going to do it - is eating snacks between meals to boost my metabolism. Once I get rolling at work, I have back to back patients and can't leave them unattended. I'm going to have to devise a plan that will work.

Cross training tonight - and 45 minutes on the treadmill tomorrow :)

Spring, where are you?

I weighed in at 180.6 this morning, so that's 3 days in a row I've stayed at 180....will I be able to break through this week?? I ran 4.5 miles yesterday, yoga/abs the day before, and a 6 mile run this past Sunday. Tonight I have to do 45 minutes. I tried running in my orthotics for the first time yesterday and ended up with blisters on my arches. I've been wearing them everyday at work with no problems - so I'm not quite sure what to do. Do I just wear them daily - or do I continue to try to run in them despite the blisters?? They are sports orthotics that are made for long distance running...

I spent most of my day yesterday (3 hrs and 45 min) getting my hair done....I hate that it takes so long!! I guess if I wasn't so picky about having different shades of red in my hair I'd be in and out in no time. I did end up cutting it again and love it :) I also got a massage yesterday - much needed! My massage therapist is heading to the U.P. for the spring/summer so I'm going to have to find a new one :( My left leg has been acting up a little and I'm hoping that it doesn't turn into anything serious. I've been really diligent about stretching well after my runs - and incorporating yoga into my cross training.

Plugging away...

I'm back down to 180.8...finally! After all the flip-flopping my weight has been doing the past few weeks, it was nice to see that number again today. I ran 6 miles today and have been keeping up with my training schedule as closely as I can. I've been finding myself dreading my workout a little mid-day at work, but have been finding the energy once I get home. I always have to come home and have a cup of coffee before I begin though. I've only been having one cup of coffee in the mornings because I have to get up at 5:20am in order to leave on-time, so by the end of the day - I'm ready for another dose of caffeine!

Work is going better - I have my own caseload now and am starting to feel a bit more comfortable with the paperwork. I'll get my first paycheck tomorrow - woohoo!

I really can't wait until it warms up outside....the treadmill is getting pretty boring, and I miss running with my partner!

OTR I AM

I am officially Julie Jacob, MSOT, OTR. Awesome!! I am so relieved to have that over with and can now move forward in my career. I'll just have to figure out when to start working on my OTD...

Marathon training has been going fairly well. I missed a workout Friday due to a company party, and missed my workout today due to being sick(nachos and martinis don't taste very good coming back up) - but I'm not going to stress it. I'll just pick back up where I left off tomorrow. The diet has been going ok. I'm trying to make changes that I can live with rather than going on "a diet". I'm now on my feet constantly at work too, which will definitely help burn extra calories. My weight friday morning was 182.0. I'm still having a hell of a time getting back below 180, but I feel that the day is drawing near.... :)

I'm registered to run the St Pats 8k and have convinced some family members to participate as well (we'll see if they show up...LOL). Next I will need to register for the Martian half-marathon. I've been waiting to do that...I want to be sure that I will have no injuries!!

Work is going alright - it'll be a little different now that I will have my own caseload and I don't have to have others co-signing my notes. Everyone in the department is very nice and helpful.

Should be an interesting week....

Frustration....

I haven't posted in a week because my weight has been fluctuating - really making me frustrated!!. I've kept up with my workouts and will be starting week 4 of my marathon training program tomorrow (I'm a couple days behind but will catch up by skipping the extra rest days during some weeks).

My job is going ok - I just really hate having to deal with changing people's briefs and wiping people. Some of the patients are really low level and in my opinion shouldn't even be in rehab. Last time I checked, wiping somebody's butt wasn't OT - teaching somebody to wipe their OWN butt is. I'll keep my eyes peeled for an opening at BayMed or Mid-Michigan....in the meantime I'll get good experience where I'm at. Who knows, maybe I can speak up and help to make some changes at this place - I'm definitely good at speaking up!!

Scheduling...

Tomorrow will complete week 1 of the new job. I'm still getting used to the schedule and am exhausted after work. I quit my massage job last night - what a relief. Tonight I'm feeling really worn out, probably due to the new schedule, job demands, etc. I had good intensions of running tonight, but think I may just head to bed early instead. My weight was at 183.0 this morning. I miss my morning snack at work due to the busy workload. I've also been forgetting to bring my water bottle with me. Hopefully next week will go better.

I'm behind in my training schedule now due to not working out this week so far, but I'll catch up. I'm just really tired. I know that once my body gets used to the new schedule and I feel more comfortable at work, my fatigue will go away. At least I don't have to run to a 2nd job anymore!!

New job

Well, I'm 2 days into my new job!! I work 7-3:30 so I'm still adjusting to my new schedule. I've also kept my massage clients for now which really stinks. I hate running from one job to the next and it tires me out at night, leaving me with no motivation to work out. Yesterday was a rest day, so it was no big deal. Tonight, however, I was supposed to run and decided not to due to my fatigue. So I think that I will quit my massage job as soon as possible so that I can actually enjoy my life and feel more relaxed.

My weight hasn't budged much - but I'm feeling better with the exercise and have been really good about watching my foot intake. Once I get used to this new schedule and stop working at night everything should fall into place!

2nd week complete

I weighed myself this morning and was not happy....I guess those 3 martinis I had last night didn't help my cause much. Stephen and I went out to the Stables to relax yesterday evening. I'm hoping that I'm just retaining water right now - tomorrow is a new day! I completed all of my workouts for the week, ran 6 miles this morning for my long run. Tomorrow begins week 3 of training :) No problems with my feet so far - I've been using lemongrass essential oil on them 1-2x/week which promotes soft tissue healing.

I start my new job tomorrow morning! I'm really excited to begin - and ready for a normal daily routine again. I've still got massage clients scheduled right now - I don't want to drop those just yet, not until I know for sure that I passed my board exam. So it will sort of stink having to run from one job to the next for the next couple of weeks - but I've done it before and can do it again.

I know I'm burning a crapload of calories when I exercise - so I just have to be patient with my weight loss. And I think my hormones are still adjusting right now too.

Hmm..

Well, my weight is back up a little to 182.2. I can't really figure that out - I've been doing all of my workouts and eating every 3 hours like I should. I've also been watching what I eat and trying to get in more protein. Guess I'll just keep at it, it's gotta come off at some point!

Still no word on the exam - I'm going to call NBCOT this morning to see what the story is. I was worried yesterday when i checked the scoring calendar and the 15th was no longer circled. I hope this is because they update it when the scoring date hits - but there is a disclaimer stating that they can change scoring dates without notice. I really hope this isn't the case. I'm set to begin work on Monday!

Stephen and I are going to sit down with someone this evening to draw up our house plans. Finally!!! I don't know what he's going to do with himself every night without having those plans to fiddle with - he's been making changes here and there for the past year! We've resolved our issue from earlier in the week, or at least come to a concensus of how to better handle disputes.

If you are interested in taking a look at my training log - I use Runnersworld.com and here's the link. It graphs my runs and if you scroll to the bottom, you can see my crosstraining activities as well.

http://traininglog.runnersworld.com/logs/2b62feec724a47b7a018e2bae3af15b0

Angry

During my last 2 runs, I've felt a tremendous amount of anger at everything in my life. So I guess it's good that I run - it helps me work it all out. I'm angry at the way my husband handles our disputes; I'm angry that despite my efforts of trying to resolve things with him, it never makes a difference; I'm angry at the timing of the conflict - right now things are supposed to be looking up! I'm angry that i can't work in the setting that I want because the pay is too crappy in this area; I'm also angry about my own indecisiveness (about a lot of things). That's all I have to say about my anger - if I go into detail, it will just make me more angry!

On the up side - I'm down to 180.6 this morning. I've run 9 miles so far this week.

I'm pretty sure that I'll be able to start work as soon as I receive confirmation that I've passed the exam - so could be as early as next week. I do have jury duty starting the 20th though, so not sure if that will delay me. Hopefully I won't get picked for a jury!

Plugging away

I didn't weigh myself this morning. This weekend was really stressful with the exam and although I don't feel that I blew my diet, I definitely wasn't as strict as I wanted to be. I also missed my long run over the weekend, so I will have to double up on workouts this week.

I ran 5 miles today (my long run this week) and felt oddly dizzy during the entire run. Not sure what's going on with that ?! I went to the podiatrist this morning and she fixed up a couple of my toenails. I had another one fall off (gross). My poor little toes have had some major trauma the past 6 months! I plan on buying a new pair of running shoes after I start my job. I'm still wearing my Asics, which are ok - but I never got black toenails until this pair of shoes. I also found out today via xray that I have a bone spur on my left big toe - just the news I wanted to hear when I've started my marathon training again... The doc gave me a silicone sleeve to put over my toe during runs. I used it today and it felt fine - so hopefully it will do the trick to prevent the spur from hurting me any further.

I'm glad that the exam is over, but am having severe anxiety about the results. Everyone is reassuring me that I must have passed - but I'm still not so sure myself. I'll keep praying. In the meantime I hope that my weight continues to drop little by little - I feel and look like crap right now. I'm very uncomfortable in my clothes and I hate it. I'd like to be under 180 by the end of the week. With the training on my schedule and good food in the house, shouldn't be a problem.

Off to a good start

I weighed in this morning at 181.8, so after 4 days of dieting and exercise I've lost 2.6lbs. Not bad so far! The eating part is going really well. I've done great at eating every 3 hours. I haven't missed a workout yet. I have to run 5 miles tomorrow morning before my exam - but I'm going to see how I feel and may put that off until Sunday.

Stephen brought home my favorite girl scout cookie last night since I had been studying for 8 hours! I was good and only ate 2 (he ate the rest of the box...LOL)

I also took the plunge and registered for the Bayshore marathon in May. I'm excited to run another marathon and Traverse City is a beautiful place to be :) Hopefully I can convince Stephen to go with me again this year. Wine tasting after a race is a nice reward!

Day 2

My weight was down today - 183.2. So I'd consider day one a success :) Today went well too! I did 30 minutes of yoga which relieved my aching back. I took in a little over 1400 calories today and succeeded in eating every 3 hours.

Stephen sent me for a massage this evening due to my ridiculously high stress level. He is also being super supportive of me preparing for this exam and is doing his best to take any pressure off of me.

I've spent most of the day trying to relax my brain and take in as much information out of my study guide as possible. It's so hard for me to concentrate lately. I'm just praying that all of my knowledge will come back to me on Saturday morning...

Day one

Today has gone pretty well. I woke up later than I wanted to, but got in quite a bit of studying for Saturday's exam and ran 3.5 miles. My diet went just fine...I haven't felt hungry at all which is definitely a good thing. I took in a little over 1200 calories today. I weighed in this morning at the heaviest I've been in my entire life - 184.4. How totally depressing. And the weird thing is that I put that weight on fast...it's only been 2 1/2 months. I have no idea if the fact that I went of my BC has anything to do with it because I still ate like crap.

I have set goals to be back to my norm of 170 by march and hopefully reach 150 by May. I'll be following the Marathoning for mortals training program and eating a good balance of protein/carbs every 3 hours. I know the diet will work - the last time I did it I lost 16lbs. Of course with my training program I will incorporate weight training and yoga for my cross training options. I didn't do this last year and made all sorts of excuses for it. I need to get some of my military determination running through my blood again....what has happened to me? I don't feel like myself at all. I miss my old self. I used to be so driven that nothing would stand in my way - and I mean nothing. I also used to be really spiritual - where has that gone?

I can't wait for this exam to be done. I am so stressed out that my hair has been falling out in clumps the past few weeks! I'll know my results on Jan 16th. By the way - I am so tired of saying "when I get through this, or after that...things will be better" What a bunch of bullshit. Things only get better when you decide to make them better yourself, through your own actions.

I feel good about today, and if the old Julie has anything to say about it - tomorrow will be even better.

It starts with one step...

Well, I've taken the plunge and started my own blog. Now I just have to figure out who to share this with. I wanted to document the coming year's journey. I have big plans to start my career, run 2 more marathons, and build a home...not to mention the possibility of starting a family (I haven't quite got that decision made yet). Tomorrow begins my annual diet and training program...ugh. Why is it that every year starts with same deprivation?

2008 was a bittersweet year. I ran my first marathon, but battled nagging foot injuries. I graduated with my Masters, but gained 15 pounds. I did get to develop great friendships with a few fantastic and supportive people in Bay City (finally). It brought the birth of my adorable nephew Jeremiah, and the death of my wonderful cousin Carrie. 2008 was also the first full calendar year of my marriage. Due to all of the stressors in my life, it was a rough year. When people say marriage is a lot of work - they aren't lying. It probably doesn't help that both Stephen and I are as stubborn as you can get. Hopefully we'll make it through building the house without taking each other fishing...