Fabulous Friday

Welcome to the Fit & Fabulous Friday Blog post...  Since Friday's are generally a rest day for me (but not today due to my weekday slacking) as I train all weekend with the team, I thought I would use my Friday posting to share with you my weekly workout totals, and share some tips for keeping fit, even if you cannot make it to the gym.

So here is my weekly total - followed by my June monthly totals so far...

Yes, I should have been able to do more, but I did have a reception on Tuesday for LLS to go to and my bike was still, well, needing TLC from the bike shop.  Not that I like to make excuses.  This weekend will make up for my weekday slacking.  Tomorrow is a bike followed by an ocean swim; and, Sunday is a bike/run workout.

By the way, I use MapMyRun.com to track my workouts.  I have the free version (have not had the desire to pay for the fitness reports with the premium membership yet).  I love this network.  You can not only track your swims in the pool, but the conversion from yards or meters to miles is done for you.  In addition, you can actually map your runs either with a smart phone gps app, or by manually mapping your routes (an easy way to track your miles if you don't have one of the fancy, hi-tech, and expensive garmins).  Check it out, and look for me there (user name:andi_mucklow).  You can see my maps if you want to use any of them for the bike or the run.

Now, tips for you...

Here are 10 great exercises (from fitwatch.com) that you can do at home, without the need for any equipment:

1. Walking – If the weather is nice, it’s wonderful to get outside and enjoy the scenery around you while you exercise. However, if the weather has other ideas, you can just as easily get an effective walking workout at home. If you have a flight of stairs, go up and down them a few times. (You could even grab a load of laundry as you’re going that way anyway!) This will help to tone up your legs, while getting some low impact aerobic exercise as well. If you don’t have any stairs available, just walk around the house a few times – it may not be very exciting, but it will do the job!
2. Jumping Jacks – These are always fun, as they bring back memories of being a kid! Who hasn’t done jumping jacks for fun as a child? Well, surprise – they are also great cardio exercises, and good for warming up, too.
3. Pushups – These are probably not the most favorite exercise of many people, but while they can be hard to do, you can find easier ways to do them. You don’t need to pretend you’re “Rocky”, and do them with one hand; just do what works for you. Do them on your knees, instead of keeping your legs straight. Or, do them standing up against a wall. You will be building up arm strength and working out muscles in your chest area.
4. Leg Lifts – These are great for building up strength and muscles in your legs. If you find it hard to do the exercises with your legs straight, try bending them slightly.
5. Crunches – The best exercise for building up and strengthening abdominal muscles. When you’re just getting started, don’t worry about getting your head all the way up. So long as you’re going up until you feel the stretching of the muscles, you will see some benefit.
6. Jogging In Place – Jogging is a great exercise for your heart. You can jog in place at home while watching TV or listening to music. The only equipment you will require is a good pair of shoes, to eliminate any stress to your legs.
7. Squats – These are wonderful exercises for your legs and buttocks. You can even just try these by sitting and standing up again from a regular chair, if you’re finding them to be too difficult. As long as you’re able to do a few repetitions, you will be providing some benefit to your body.
8. Light Weight Lifting – No, you don’t need to go out and buy expensive weights for this! Just use whatever you can find in your house. Start out with something lighter, such as a can of peas, and work yourself up to heavier items. You can use milk jugs, laundry detergent bottles or even water jugs.
9. Dancing – Dancing is a wonderful exercise, which is great for your heart. Not only that, but it can lift your spirits as well, and give your overall feeling a boost.
10. Step Exercises – Using the steps in your home, you can do repetitions which will tone your leg muscles. (Just remember to be careful!)

So what are you waiting for???  Get to it!!!!

Trivia Thursday

"Want to play a game?"  If you know where that line came from (without the help of GOOGLE or BING) you are a true kid of the 80's. 

From the quote above, name the movie and the game that was played to end the threat?

'Works-For-Me' Wednesday

You may have noticed I have started this week off with daily blogs... Motivational Monday, Tuesday’s Testimonial, and now WORKS FOR ME Wednesday...  In an effort to share some of what makes me tick, I have decided to post daily, but only if I have something to say... Which, if you are one of my friends on facebook, I always seem to have something to say...

So, on to Works For Me Wednesday... Each week I will share things that work for me when I fund raise, train, work, deal with life, deal with injuries, you name it… nothing is off limits.  Well, there may be a few things I will not share here (this blog does have a PG rating, after all…).

In this edition (I say in my best voice-over impression from Entertainment Tonight) I want to talk about what worked for me when I was dealing with a pretty serious injury in 2009.  I have actually had this conversation twice this week, so I thought, why not share this with everyone all at once. 

Let’s set the stage… In 2009, I was 38 and somewhat new to running.  As you may know from my “All You Ever Wanted to Know” tab above, I did not join Team in Training because I one day woke up with a need to torture myself running long distances: I joined to make a difference, to help a cause, and to honor my beautiful niece battling ALL.  I joined Team in Training for one season (which happens to be the longest season ever lasting almost 2 entire years now) to run the Disney Half Marathon. After three weeks of training, I was convinced to run all three events offered that Winter Season: Women’s Half (Nov), Palm Beach Half (Dec), Disney’s Full (Jan).  

After the Women’s half I started to have pain in my left knee (the one I have had several surgeries on in the past).  I saw my doctor who said I needed to rest but to be safe he ordered an MRI due to previous history.  The MRI showed a posteromedial tibial plateau contusion, or bone bruise.  Not thinking anything of it, since it is “just a bruise,” my doctor and I discussed my next event and how I would be able to run if I was still having pain.  He gave me a shot of cortisone (BAD IDEA #1) on Friday and I started the Palm Beach Half Marathon on Sunday (BAD IDEA #2).

It was about Mile 4 when I let my friends head on without me because I was experiencing pain.  I slowed down, but continued to run.  By mile 5 when I caught up with two of my coaches, I was in tears.  Did I stop, no! (BAD IDEA #3) I kept running, and walking, and running…  From mile 5 to mile 9, Mr Personality (Coach Stan) actually ran, walked, and talked to me the entire way.  (For those who know Stan, you know how much of an effort it was for him to stay with me for 4 miles through all this.)

In the end, I decided to walk off the course at mile 9 rather than face the possibility of never running again; not to mention not being able to run Disney’s Full Marathon.  This was the BEST IDEA I had all day, or even all week; quite possibly ever, given I can still run.

To make this long story short, I am going to cut to the chase.  I hear from so many who love to run so when they are injured, they don’t like to rest.  Mr. Personality told me that day “You are well trained, your body won’t forget, REST!”  He was right.  

Here is what worked for me…  I did not just rest, I went to the extreme.  I put myself on crutches for four weeks.  I wanted to still run Disney.  Although I did participate in Disney’s Full Marathon in 2010 (yes, the coldest year ever for a marathon in Florida), I did not run the 26.2 miles.  I walked.  (Maybe jogged from time to time, but for the most part, I walked.)  This was part of my therapy.  I took four more weeks off of running after Disney.  I started back to training in February and two weeks later ran my best half marathon (at that point) at Fort Lauderdale A1A.  Then two weeks after that, I ran another personal best half marathon at Disney’s Princess Half.  You see, REST works!!!  And your body will not forget your training.

This week, I had two friends, older than me and recently into running, tell me they were experiencing issues with knees.  Both described almost exactly what I had been experiencing in 2009.  Bad news, folks… There is no miracle cure for a bone bruise.  Just time and, yes you guessed it, REST.  So take it easy.  Take a week or two off.  Start back slow and let the body heal.  I promise you, it wont kill you to not run. 

Keep in mind, resting an injury is not an excuse to stop being active.  You just need to give that body part a chance to heal.  In the mean time, try working on your core which will certainly help your running form.  Abdominal and Back exercises are the best.  If you get bored, try the pool.  The pool is great for “weightless” exercise and super easy on the joints.  Just be mindful of your limited cardio and try not to pack on the weight.  That will only aggravate the situation.  (Mr Personality was not so nice when he said that to me... more like.. Just don't get fat!)

So, tell me… What works for you when faced with an injury during a season of training? 

Tuesday's Testimonial

So when I was running last night, and this morning.... Yes, overachiever, I know...  I was thinking about this scene from the movie What Women Want when Mel Gibson's character was creating an ad for NIKE...  I thought I would share as this was my motivation to run this morning...

You don't stand in front of a mirror before a run and wonder what the road will think of your outfit. You don't have to listen to its jokes and pretend they're funny. It would not be easier to run if you dressed sexier. The road doesn't notice if you're not wearing lipstick.

It does not care how old you are. You do not feel uncomfortable because you make more money than the road. And you can call on the road whenever you feel like it, whether it's been a day or even a couple of hours since your last date. The only thing the road cares about is that you pay it a visit once in a while.


 Nike. No games. Just sports.

So I ask you... What is your excuse for NOT running (or walking) today???

Motivational Monday

Needing a little encouragement today, so I thought I would share... 

Had a fantastic night last night with an old friend.  Looking forward to more of those.  Then when I got to work today, Not So Good...  It is only a little after 11:30 am, and I have already run all over the Public Safety Building with this testing going on.  (In 4" heels - wish I had my sneakers, then at least I could chalk this up to a training day!!!)

So I was looking for motivation and found this....

“Everyone has a right to be stupid; some people just abuse the privilege.”

I feel better now...