Monday, May 5, 2008

Monday Morning Optimism

I have some goals for this week. The first one has been the goal every week for about ten years now and it hasn't happened yet, so maybe this should just be called Monday Morning Guarded Optimism. Or Monday Morning Unlikely BS.

No crap.
I will not eat junk food this week. I choose today to start because I spent the weekend living on caramel chocolate chip brownies. I figure I have a week's worth of reserves stuck to my ass and thighs. So as of today, it's a week of eating like a grown-up. And no coffee.. Which will prevent me from calling coffee "breakfast" and force me to actually eat something in the morning, and should  save me $25 this week. Another reason for choosing today to start is because I am beginning to see the effects of zero exercise (swimming doesn't count, if I'm not sweaty it isn't exercise.) As is everyone at the pool when I show up oozing over my splish bikini bottoms. There is no longer room to screw up like there was during IM training.

No running.
Yes, I've been not running for three weeks now, and you would think it was getting easier, but it is not. It sucks a little bit more every single day. I wake up in the morning and want to go for a run, and even spend time justifying it in my head.. maybe the increased blood flow would speed up the healing blah blah blah.. I will make this goal, but I just wanted to reiterate how much it will suck.

No whining about the no running.
Um, starting now. Ok, NOW. After that last whiney paragraph above.

No more than an hour per day on Wii tennis. 
Because it's making my shoulder hurt, and even though I hate the swimming, if I lose the swimming I will have nothing left and will have to give in to my inner couch potato and lie around eating twinkies all day.  I should probably add no dancing around singing "How does it feel to get your butt kicked by your mom?" to that goal.

This photo has nothing to do with anything above, but I ran into it perusing running photos and just had to share. It cracks me up. This is Ramsey about to finish his first marathon last December. Apparently, he is racing Thumbelina to the line:

16 comments:

  1. That Thumbelina isn't all that fast apparently, but she is really mean... well not that mean, she was nice enough to give me a piggy back ride last hundred yards.
    -RR

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  2. Hi Rachel - love the blog! You are very entertaining :) I was reading post secret the other day and your wii tennis comment reminded me of one of the post cards that said something like, I had to have carpal tunnel surgery on my right arm - I told everyone it was from typing wrong but it was really because I'm addicted to guitar hero!

    Don't let that happen to you!

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  3. Yup-Its a fact that wii tennis can have in impact on your swim stroke. I had a wii party last fall, and we were all sore from boxing and tennis- Geeze!!

    How long is this 'time out' from running supposed to last? Can you ride you bike?

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  4. I have confidence and faith in you - this IS the week you will accomplish all your goals including the "no junk" rule! Although the hardest might be the limit on Wii tennis. Ouch! :) Good luck!!

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  5. oh boy...twinkies sound good right now...I need to take the Monday morning plunge too!
    -Danielle

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  6. Dude... no junk food is OK, but no coffee?? That's just crazy.

    BTW, I sympathize with the not being able to run. That is never fun. However, you just need to start embracing the pool ;) Its all about the power of positive thinking... look at each swim as an opportunity to kick the water's ass!!!

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  7. Ummm.... twinkies. yum.

    Peanut M&Ms..... yum.

    Reces Pieces Peanut Butter cups.... yum.

    Passing out on the couch from candy and junk food overload..... not so good. :)

    Hang in there with the recovery. Can you add water running to your routine? I know that its not the same.... but it might help a little. I COMPLETELY empathize. Hang in there - this WILL pass!

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  8. No coffee? Have you lost your mind? I always contemplate trying to save by skipping coffee...but Starbucks needs me:)

    Hang in there!!

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  9. Hi Rachel,

    we met us in Arizona (french fries from sweet potatoes..mmhhhh....you remember?). However, my goal for this week is (unfortunately was) no coffee. I´d linke coffee so much! But it is healthy drinking moire than 10 cups coffee per day? NO NO NO. So I decided to stop my coffee consum. But now I´m sitting on my desktop with a big big coffee cup in my hand and I feel so good! I had headache, I was in a bad mood, I could´nt work and now, I feel much better. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak!

    May be it´s better to stop eating junk food :-))) I will watching you :-)))

    Have a nice day and hang in there!

    Janet from germany

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  10. my sympathies, I've had ITB several times in my running career and it's no fun. Most running injuries have a fairly clear etiology, so that the rehab procedures are straightforward: but the causes of ITB are fuzzy, could be from pronation or from supination, or..
    You may have seen this already, in which case apologies for being redundant - the latest research I know of indicates a link between weak gluteus medius muscles and ITB. Runner's World had a good article on it, which I can't find now, but the exercises are detailed here:
    http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/2000/02_00/fredericson.htm

    I've been in rehab for swimming shoulder problems since November. Running is what I love to do, it's surprising how much I miss swimming though.

    No coffee this week by way of race prep, can barely stay awake at the keyboard here ;-(

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  11. You're giving up coffee and chocolate? We can no longer be friends. Goodbye.

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  12. thank you for that link, doug!

    Paulo, I'll never make it and we all know it. Can we be friends again when I break?

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  13. RR, hang in there, you will recover soon. I have been eating everything on this planet since Saturday, so I think I may need to get on your bandwagon and give up some stuff ;-) But junkie stuff sounds good now ;-) I will say hi to O pool for ya! HA!

    XO,
    E

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  14. Rachael! It's me, Phaedra. Don't know if you'll remember me from Oceanside. I just stumbled upon your blog....very entertaining reading. love the pic's as well. I've gone back and read a lot of the posts. I feel like I am caught up now. Does this mean you aren't doing Honu?

    I laughed out loud when you spoke of your swim improvement and how that's not super fast for those swimmers out there. For what it's worth, that is an incredible improvement....and honestly, a really impressive Ironman swim time. Really, it is. Keep in mind, this is coming from someone that breastroked her first triathlon :) It's all relative.

    Keep on writing, it's great entertainment. Your family is beautiful!

    Hope to see you in a few weeks....

    Phaedra

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  15. Hi Rach! Just here to Florida and now I can read up on your posts...
    I just got busted from coach because I didn't take my 70.3 slot. I am imaging you over on Oahu about to get busted for "thinking" about running! Ha ha... that is so funny.
    I am now with you- REST time! RECOVER time...

    GOOD luck with your goals this week. You can do it! I'll see you at Honu.

    Oh, one more thing... I got the funniest compliment at awards in St. Croix... this woman walked up to me and said, "I thought you have 3 kids", I told her no... just Kainoa, and then we figured out all along she thought I was you! I felt pretty honored! Maybe she didn't realize I am a shorty.

    Cheers & thanks for all your support. Much love!

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  16. RR - I wanted to read your blog this morning but then I read the words "no coffee" and decided I could read no more.

    Can you not hear coffee's cry?

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