Jake Pupdate
So, this is probably the biggest reason why the past month or so has been crazy go nuts. As I mentioned in my last post back in February (seriously, I'm such a slacker!), our dog Jake was pretty darn sick and we were running around to various vets for tests, etc. It was not fun at all. In a span of 2 weeks, we saw 3 different vets and Jake was showing no signs of improvement whatsoever. He was refusing food (even rice and hamburger, and that dog will do back flips for rice!), losing weight and coughing consistently all night long. One of the vets told us he did have fluid on his lungs and started him on steroids and diuretics. The diuretics made that little pup pee ALL THE TIME. We ended up having to go home during lunch to let him out, getting up in the middle of the night, etc. The steroids got him eating again. Thank goodness. The little guy was down to 23 pounds and he's usually around 30ish.
Even with improvement, he was still having coughing fits. Our vet suggested taking him to another vet near St. Louis. This meant more xrays, etc. And of course, more money. Now, I love my Jakers, so he's totally worth it, but I can't lie and say that I didn't gulp every time they swiped my credit card (yay for all the Kroger points though!). Anyway, this "city vet" (hehe) was able to determine that the weird looking area on the xray that our vet couldn't figure out was (drum roll please): a MEGAESPOPHAGUS. Basically, Jakes's esophagus where it propels food is like a deflated balloon. The food just sits there and then he yaks. In this case, the yakking caused him to aspirate, thus causing him to get pneumonia. Reading the description of megaesophagus made several years of Jake's eating behavior make total sense. He has always been a finicky eater and would randomly yak. He would have a few "sick" days, but then be fine. This time the pneumonia on top of the issue just made him one sick doggie. He is still on some antibiotics and we'll have to get a few more tests done, but he is back to normal. And still as cute as ever:
You are what you eat!
As you can imagine, the running around for Jake made life a bit hectic, which then led to slacking in other areas of my life. Namely, eating. We started eating convenience crap food. I'm sure you have all seen this:
Ain't that the truth. When I was heavier, I never realized that it was my food choices that would impact my mood or my energy level. I just assumed I was tired because I stressed or busy. Now I know that if I eat fast food, that is what it is. Fast. It may make me feel full, but it does not fuel my body whatsoever. It makes me want to crash. Now, don't mistake me for a health nut or anything. I'm not the world's greatest eater. Heck, if I was, I probably would be able to lose the 20 or so more pounds I need to lose! But, I do know what is good for and what is bad for me. We were eating bad foods and it took it's toll me.
We are now actively working on getting back on track. Even Tim was feeling puffy and bloated. We started planning healthier meals and both decided to start tracking our food. We are using an app called LoseIt.
Now, there are a variety of calorie counting apps out there, but LoseIt seems to be the easiest for me to use right now. Food tracking works for me. Even when I make poor choices, I try will write it down and move on. I try not to let one day of gluttony define me, which is easier said than done. I know my weight is connected to my eating habits, and those habits are related to my emotions. Maybe someday I'll get the nerve to write a blog about my emo/binge eating ways, but this post is long enough.
Embracing the hills.
About a month ago, Jaime asked me to run Murphy Lake with her. For some crazy reason, I agreed. I hadn't attempted the lake in over a year because, well, I hate hills and it is ALL hills. My leg injury had finally subsided, so I guess I just felt like I needed to do something challenging to make up for all the slacking. Um, yeah. That first run around the lake was stupid hard! After going up one of the hills, I felt my eyeballs PULSING. I thought my head was just going to pop off! But I survived. And then agreed to run it once a week from now on. I'm not very good at it. Usually, when we run it, Leah and Jaime are a ways ahead of me and I do have to stop and walk a lot of the hills. I have a tendency to get side stitches and a case of the whines. This past week was the 4th time I have ran it and I did notice I could run the hills more and my time had decreased, so yay, progress! I'm not sure I'll ever LOVE hills, but I'm trying to embrace them. I must say, running down that last hill before we finish feels awesome though.
Zombies, Run!
Zombies, Run! is a running app that Jaime has been using that has the ever popular zombies chasing you. Since I'm all into The Walking Dead now, I thought it would be a fun app to get. It's $3.99 in the Apple Store.
It is so much fun! The app has a variety of missions, some you have to complete to unlock other missions. You start the mission and a story gets told you as the music on your phone plays. The concept isn't original: Zombies are everywhere and you must run to survive. The first mission I did was actually pretty hilarious. I ran to the high school and just as I turned around, I was told there were zombies behind and to run. The app actually has zombie growls and moans that sound like they are right behind you! I took off like a crazy person! I'm sure it was entertaining for anyone who may have been watching me. The app is also nice when running at the rec or on treadmill. It's just a nice distraction from all the boring. Even when your mission is completed and you still have some running to do, it goes into "Radio Mode." Two dj's come on and talk about various zombie apocalypse related news and plays your music. Meanwhile, you are still collecting survival items like, food, meds, oh and sports bra. Oddly enough, I seem to pick up at least 3 sports bras per mission. I just wonder if a Running Warehouse truck got attacked by zombies and now there are sports bras all over the place. Shrug, since I'm a runner for Abel Township (name of the town on the app) I guess I'll need all those bras!
Anyway, if you are looking for a fun way to spice up your runs and you're into the whole zombie mania, this app is for you. It also has a feature called Zombie Chases that is suppose to simulate speed work. I haven't been brave enough to try that yet-- I don't want a zombie to catch me! :)
This week in running...
I have had a fantastic week. Now, this does not equate to crazy fast runs or record breaking times or anything like that. This week was about pushing myself and getting my head back into it. As I have posted before, running and I have been on the outs. This week was the first time in a long time that I felt like maybe, just maybe, I still really do love running.
I did the lake with Leah and Jaime on Monday. It was cold and snowing (don't even get me started on this wacky spring weather!), but we still pushed through and were even able to laugh about the fact that we were so "hardcore" to be running hills in a snow globe. I know I say this a lot, but I seriously mean it: I love running with people that inspire me. Even on days when I can't keep up with them, they still make me want to push so that I can. I'm a girl that needs motivation, they provide that.
On Thursday, Tim, Leah and I did a speed workout. I thought the intervals were going to KILL me, but I survived and even though I had to walk a few times, I still felt like, hey, I got this and someday, maybe I won't have to walk. This is a major improvement for me. Last week I was looking at my times on Garmin Connect and I was just floored by how slow and terrible my runs have been since January. Sure, I say time doesn't matter and all that, but I was slow before, so being even slower is just a blow to the ego. I needed a few tough, good runs to give me some perspective.
Saturday was a dreary, foggy morning. I really had no desire to run, but the training schedule said 9 miles. Jaime has a half marathon next weekend, so I figured she would want to do 11 or so miles. My plan was to aim for 9 and maybe eek out the last few miles with her and Leah. Last weekend I had a terrible 8 mile run, so my expectations were low.
A bit off topic: So, I don't like this weather. It's hard to know what to wear. You would think by now I would know what works for me, but when it's cold and humid, I seem to always make the wrong decision. I wear too little and I'm cold, I wear too much and I'm sweating a mile in. This morning I chose my Skirt Sports capris and a lightweight long sleeved shirt. I was freezing the first mile or so. I warmed up by mile 5 and by then end, I was a sweaty mess. I am fine with capris all year round, but shirts are just an issue with me. I am dreading the long runs of the summer. I have hideous arms, so I avoid tank tops like the plague, but I fear that I the heat and longer runs may make me breakdown. Sigh. Chubby girl problems.
Anyway, back to the long run. Earlier this week, Leah was having issues with shin splints. We have the GO! St. Louis Marathon Relay next week, so she decided it to finish four miles instead of hurting herself more. Smart girl! Wish I would have had that sense when I was having IT Band issues. I told Jaime I would try to run the 11 with her, but we'd have to see how I felt at 9. We stopped and did a gel at mile 5, right before the dreaded cemetery hill. At that point, I actually felt really good, so I said it was fine to go ahead and run down to the lake concessions. Well, I was WRONG. Running on the way back up that darn hill just about killed me. I got a side stitch that pretty much sucked beyond words. Jaime mentioned having side stitches earlier. I would have not guessed it 'cause that girl just runs and runs-- I wouldn't have known she was in pain at all! My whiny butt on the other had to stop and walk (and whine some more) until it passed.
As we were heading down cemetery hill, I glanced at my watch and saw that I was at 9 miles. I figured I was too far from Leah's to walk, so I might as well just finish it with Jaime. The last two miles were pretty tough. I was tired and just wanted to be done. When we got to Main Street, I was thrilled that we had to stop for the cars. Sometimes a little break just helps me push on. We finally finished, and I was sweaty mess and ready to get home to my foam roller and chocolate milk!
I ran 11 miles though! I am thrilled that not only did I do hills and speed work this week, but I managed to run a long distance without any leg pain! I feel like my head is finally back into it. I've been questioning the whole running thing for months now. It feels fantastic to finally have some good run days!
Upcoming...
GO! St. Louis Marathon Relay
April 7th
St. Louis, MO
Tim and I are doing this with Travis and Leah. When we signed up back in December, I had high hopes of rocking my 6 mile portion. I even printed out a 10k running plan to train for it. Yeah, that didn't really happen. Now my goal is to at least finish equivelent to my previous 10k time and have fun. Race Report next week.
River to River Relay
April 20th
Southern Illinois
I'm just an alternate for this, but Tim is on the team with some folks I work with. As an alernate, I get to drive them around all day. Um, yeah. We'll see how that goes. I will at least get to take a lot of pics and hopefully get to cheer Jaime on, who ironically enough, is on a team with some other coworkers of mine.
Iron Mom Half Marathon
May 11th
Pacucah, KY
Again, my goal before I hurt my leg was to PR on this one. I still hope that I can, but will be happy to just have a better experience than I did at Fly with the Eagles. Also, a lot of my family will be particpating in this one, so I'm looking forward to cheering them on.
After that, I don't have any planned races, but marathon training will start at the end of June. My confidence is still a bit rocky, but I signed up and I have all summer to train. My blogs should become more steady when that begins. Hopefully it won't be a complete whinefest! I make no promises though.
Until next time...
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