Day 23: Rocked the Ride + logged 9 miles

Day 23: 9.07 miles today, Miles to go: 850.7… After months and months of posting about it, the kids and I officially “Rocked the Ride” today and did the 2^nd annual Junior League of Evansville/Evansville Morning Rotary Rockin River City Ride.

So not only did I do 2 miles in the morning and 7 miles post ride this afternoon, but the kids and I along with a fellow Team Blonde football player friend rode 18 miles around the outskirts of our beautiful city of Evansville. You’d think after 18 miles of biking and 9 miles of walking/running, I’d be tired, but so far I haven’t hit the wall yet. I still have the Rockin River City Battle of the Bands to attend tonight followed by a friend’s 40^th birthday party, so I hope that I don’t fall asleep on the drive from the house! Either way, I am extremely pleased with the effort put forth today and the ride event in general. The route was well marked, the weather was absolutely gorgeous, we got a nice meal afterwards, and the kids were able to play in the kids’ park after the ride as well.

 

I’m not gonna lie and say that my rear end isn’t sore, but other than that, I feel really good. I am icing my knee to be on the safe side (I hit my sore knee as my gears shifted right at the start of the ride), but my quad feels normal, which is a huge relief.  Other than that, last night’s Cooper birthday party was a big success…. Tiring and a hectic with 7 kids in tow to the laser tag and pee wee golf place followed by all but two of them spending the night… but a success nonetheless. I do need to run and shower, though, so I can get ready for tonight! Can’t wait to listen to Akacia and our 5 top finalists!!!

I hope that you all have had as enjoyable of a SAT as I have. Take care, and have a great rest of the weekend!!!

Day 22: April 19, 2013- packed day, super tired

Day 22: 5.98 miles today, Miles to go: 859.77… Super tired. Wore out from the Cooper birthday party thing with wrangling 7 kiddos on top of an overly busy day! It’s already past 11, and I have another packed day tomorrow. Will have lots more to report after the super exciting Rockin River City Ride, so will write more then… we’ll see if the kids and I can last the whole 25K bike ride or if we’ll have to cut off early. Either way, I need to get my walking (there will be no running for a bit with my quad injury and now my knee bothering me again from MON’s fall) in as well, so it will be quite a calorie burning day! Can’t wait for tomorrow!!!

Day 21: April 18, 2013- tonight I’m not Singin’ in the Rain!!!

Day 21: 3.10 miles today, Miles to go: 865.75… Busy day of BNI, volunteering, meetings, parental duties, and more, but managed to squeeze in three miles nonetheless. Wanted to shoot for more this evening, but the rain is expected to continue until 2am. I don’t mind running in slight showers, but I draw the line at torrential rains! Tomorrow will be another busy day with my Doodle Bug (a.k.a. Cooper) turning the big 8. Have to earn the Piece of Cake birthday cake slice I want, though, so will try and squeeze the miles in or at least some other kind of cardio as an alternative. The POC cookies and cream cake with their chocolate frosting will be worth every mile!!

So let’s talk maximizing your walks by utilizing arm motions…

I found this great article online that should be helpful to anyone who enjoys walking as a past time or for fitness: http://walking.about.com/cs/beginners/a/howarms.htm

“Arm motion can lend power to your walking, burning 5-10% more calories and acting as a balance to your leg motion.

• Bend your elbow 90 degrees.

• Hands should be loose in a partially closed curl, never clenched.

• Clenching your fists can raise your blood pressure and should be avoided.

• With each step, the arm opposite your forward foot comes straight forward, not diagonally.

• As the foot goes back, the opposite arm comes straight back.

• Keep your elbows close to your body – don’t “chicken wing.”

• Your forward hand should not cross the center point of your body.

• Your hand when coming forward should be kept low, not higher than your breastbone.

• Many poor examples of arm motion are seen with walkers pumping their arms up high in the air, this does not help propel you.

• If at first you find adding arm motion tiring, do it for 5 to 10 minutes at a time and then let your arms rest.”

Here is some additional information from:

http://www.walkingconnection.com/Walking_Technique_Form.html

“ARM SWING

A walker’s shoulders should be relaxed, not drawn up towards the ears.  Arms should swing naturally with each step, and should be bent at the elbow at a 90? angle.  This is important.  Straight arms on long walks lead to problems with swelling, tingling, and numbness of the fingers or hands.  Bending them will not only eliminate this problem, it will help you gain upper body strength and tone your deltoids, biceps and triceps.

For many walkers, weight loss is a goal.  By bending the arms, you will also burn 5-10% more calories.  One more great reason to keep the arms bent and moving in an athletic motion is that you will immediately be able to pick up your pace for greater periods of time.

The bent arms should swing comfortable and naturally at about waist level.  Your hands should be relaxed and loosely closed.  Any excess tension in the arms or hands should be avoided — it wastes energy.  The elbows should be close to the torso, with the hands going no higher than the center of the chest on the forward swing, or past the back of the hip on the back swing.  Again, more motion than this is wasted energy.

If you are new to this technique, you might initially find your arms getting fatigued.  When practicing, keep your arms bent for 5-10 minutes, then lower them to recover.  As soon as you feel rested, raise them again.  As part of your training, you might consider doing some upper body weight work (not while you are walking) to increase your endurance.  Specific exercises are suggested later.”

Hope you find this information helpful and that you are staying dry on this dreary evening! More to come tomorrow… Later!!!

Day 20: April 17, 2013- damn that quad!!!

Day 20: 13.25  miles today, Miles to go: 868.85… A lot of smaller walks yielded a big distance for the day. Started out walking two miles with Dante and Maggie (well… Maggie only did a fraction of that, and I had to carry her most of the way) while we waited up at the vet office to open. Another almost two miles from the office in the a.m., and then a hot 4 mile walk mid-day. Nice that the weather has finally made a turn for the warm. I actually broke a sweat. Then ran 1+ miles before football practice, and finished out the night with a 3 mile walk, one mile of that with Bobby.

Football practice is always such a fun time, but I tweaked my left quad again… grr!  Natalie, who is our unofficial trainer person, gave me a great analogy to describe what I have done to my quad when I injured it on SUN and again tonight. I started out the practice well, but midway through a play, the sprint motion quick burst basically pulled apart what is like the equivalent of an internal scab on the inside of my leg that has been trying to heal the last few days. Disappointing that I can’t get in more practice of the plays, but this injury will dictate how fast I can get back into actually practicing. In the meantime, the goal is more stretching, more bananas for the potassium, and more water to stay hydrated.

Aside from that, I am really looking forward to the Junior League of Evansville/Evansville Morning Rotary Rockin River City Ride on SAT (www.RockinRiverCityRide.org). Need to get the bike out and dusted off, but think that the change of pace will be nice for my muscles, and the change of scenery will be good for the soul as well. The event has a variety of run/walk and biking options along Evansville’s beautiful Greenway, so the kids and I are going to try the 25K with a fellow Team Blonde teammate. I have some other people who joined my “team,” but they are doing different distances walking. The event is a Lets Move! event. Let’s Move! is a comprehensive initiative, launched by the First Lady, dedicated to solving the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams. The event is also a great way to make an Upgrade commitment to yourself. For more information on the Upgrade campaign, visit: http://upgradenow.org/ For additional information on Lets Move! visit: http://www.letsmove.gov/

Now if ya’ll will excuse me. I need to ice my quad, then take a rolling pin to it (it was recommended?!?! I will be the first to admit that it looks really funny!), then shower and head to bed. Early day with BNI tomorrow!!! Later folks!

Day 19: April 16, 2013- Slow day, but that’s OK!!!

Day 19: 4.51 miles today, Miles to go: 882.10… Not as many miles as I would have liked for the day, but considering I did 10+ miles yesterday, I’m still on pace to hit my mini goal of 50 miles for the week.

For as much as I love to log miles, sometimes quality time with friends and loved ones trumps personal goals. So I spent a small part of today up at the hospital with a friend and her son as well as logged one of my miles with my amazing husband who I have to share umped his first college game today (super proud wife right here!!!). Not too much new to report. Did opt for a Frosty in lieu of a real lunch, so was famished after my Junior League meeting. Debated on what fast food drive through I could go through after the meeting to grab a low-cal, somewhat healthy dinner… stopped at the grocery store instead and went with a Red Delicious apple and eggs. Scrambled eggs with two Tablespoons of salsa for my late inner = yum and healthy!!! Since my walks were not terribly earth shattering today (with the exception of the teenage driver that about ran over Bob and I pulling into the cul-de-sac), I won’t take up any more of your time. I hope you all had a wonderful and productive day, and I promise to be more enlightening tomorrow ; )

Day 18: April 15, 2013- Back on the saddle- part 2

Day 18: 10.53 miles today, Miles to go: 886.41… So apparently my quad isn’t near as angry with me today as it was last evening- thank goodness!!! I would totally cry if I had a repeat of last night’s football practice tightness and pain. Thankfully, instead, I was able to do a 4+ mile walk this afternoon, a 3+ mile walk with the wonderful Dr. Christine Verbeck out at the USI/Burdette trails, AND a three mile run tonight. The running is what I feel like is the biggest accomplishment of the day. I was going to be disappointed if my quad “tweak” as Bob called it (he said if it was a pull, there would be bruising) hindered my running. I can cut my times considerably and rack up more miles when I am able to run vs. walk, and tonight’s run actually had 11’27” pace that is a good early season time for me. But aside from all of that, today I have quite a bit more to talk about other than myself…

First off, I am super excited that Facebook friend and old high school colleague Beth has decided to try my 1000 mile challenge! I wish her the best of luck as she begins this journey!!! For anyone else interested, I encourage you to read my earlier blog posts for more details about the highs and lows of trying to walk/run 1000 miles in a given time frame (for me, as mentioned in previous posts, I am shooting for 6 months in what is my second time at this milestone goal- the first time I did it back in ’07, it was a goal time of 1 year, and I did it in a little over 8 months). Any questions or if you need any additional information, just let me know via email at: nikki@davisdigitalphotography.com!!!

Next, for the sake of capturing a moment in time, I was out walking my first 4 miles of the day when I got an email on my phone from my Aunt Sandy about the tragedy today at the Boston Marathon. My cousin Anna’s two friends were doing the race today, but they are OK. So I rushed back to turn on the news. What senseless violence!!! What is this world coming to that someone would as the reporter noted today perform such an act of violence at a time of the race that would cause “maximum damage”??? These families were waiting for their loved one to cross the race finish line. The runners were experiencing a bucket list item many of us could only dream of doing…. The big question is why? Why would someone or group of someones aim to cause such violence? We may never know, but I think it goes without saying that the nation will rally around Boston, and they are all in our thoughts and prayers tonight!

For more information on today’s events, visit: http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/15/us/boston-marathon-explosions/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Lastly, I wanted to report this touching bit of news reported by the NBC Sports Network via Twitter:

“Reports of Marathon Runners that crossed finish line and continued to run to Mass General Hospital to give blood to victims #PrayforBoston”

Whether or not this is true, I think we can all agree tonight we should all #PrayforBoston!!!

Day 17: April 14, 2013- The good news and the bad news

Day 17: 9.83 miles today, Miles to go: 897.14… The good news? I logged my first 100 miles today, which equals 1/10th of my goal already done- woo hoo! I didn’t think doing it in 16 days was too shabby- Yeah!!!… The bad news? I pulled my quad at Team Blonde football practice tonight! Icing my leg now, but can’t stress how important stretching is!!! Had a great 8 mile walk this morning with Debbie (no Cate today : ( She is still up at St. Mary’s with Jacob post-surgery), but I could tell as soon as we started doing sprints at the start of practice that something wasn’t quite right in my left thigh. Apparently that muscle is called your quad, and apparently according to my husband, while I am athletic and go long distances, I am not athletic in the football sense (short bursts of speed)… So what I am taking away from all this is that it sounds like I will have to work more sprint rotations into the mix once I get a good range of motion back in this leg.

Sitting in bed icing it now (speaking of which, I used to HATE the thought of icing an injury, now I welcome it… vey ironic!!!) and posting pics from practice. Since I wasn’t much use on the field, I tried to snap some great pics from the sidelines to help share what we go through to prepare for the event.

Most of you know that I have lost now over 60lbs since last year, and I was half tempted to show you a before and after pic, but for tonight I think I will just stick to sharing a fun photograph from this evening’s practice, which for me is a place where we not only get to learn the ropes of football, but we also get to support a great cause AND make some wonderful new friends (photographed with Crystal Elliott and Rose Lansink)!!!

With that being said, I still have wedding pics to put into an album, so I need to sign off to shower and work on those. Thank you to everyone who has started following my blog, and I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend!!!

Day 16: April 13, 2013- back on the saddle

Day 16: 11.4 miles today, Miles to go: 906.97… Long day, but  overall a good one. Started the day with a ten mile walk this morning to get me back on the saddle after last night’s fall. My knee was still a bit sore, but I think it’s more from the abrasion than an injury. Weeded the front yard, then prepared for an afternoon out and about town running kids and getting in another over a mile walk in. Ended the evening photographing the Alzheimer’s Association Making Memories Gala.

So you may wonder how I track my walks and runs… I use the Nike+ GPS Watch that Bobby gave me Mothers’ Day last year, and it has made all the difference!!!

Why do I like it about it?

• I can track my mileage down to the 1/100th of a mile
• It can track my calories burned as well as my elapsed time and pace.
• It also works as a watch, so I can check what time it is to make sure I get home in time.
• For my evening runs and walks, all I have to do is tap it once, and it is backlit- perfect to check out what I am doing (when I am not tripping all over myself like last night!).
• It makes sure that I am not cheating myself by cutting corners. My mile walks are not .90 or .95. They are full miles!!!
• Once I am done with a walk, I plug the watch into my computer and download it to my Nike+ account, which tracks my distances for that walk or run as well as my cumulative distance.
• Lastly, the Nike+ website and the watch give encouraging messages. When I finish a long run or milestone, the watch generally gives me a message right away. Other cumulative milestones or goals hit are recognized when you log into the website.

This GPS tracking watch has made all the difference in my goals since last year, and I highly recommend it!!!

So, with that being said, keep on keepin’ on, and have a great night! I myself am getting out of my high heel boots as soon as humanly possible (that I sported for the Alzheimer’s Association Making Memories Gala) so that I can ice both ankles and my knee, all three still sore from last night’s tumble!

Day 15: April 12, 2013- skunks, stars, and a really sore knee

Day 15: 6.94 miles today, Miles to go: 918.37… Well, I wish I could day today was a great day. It started out that way… 5 mile walk this afternoon from the office, since the kids were in rare form and got grounded, I got to spend more time than I anticipated on my art room in progress, but I should have known the moment that I walked out the door for my evening walk that maybe tonight was not a great night to be out walking… It started out easily enough. The evening goal was 3 miles with hand weights, and aside from the skunk smell and coming across some neighbor kids walking in the dark, it was actually a pretty night. Chilly, but clear skies with LOTS of stars… There was more traffic than usual in our little subdivision, though, and around mile 1.6, I cut over sooner than I usually do when I saw a car coming down the road. Big mistake that led to me stepping off the road onto an apparently uneven patch of ground. Down I went on my right knee= OUCH!!!

Thankfully it didn’t rip one of my favorite pairs of pants (fashion first people!!!), but somehow it ripped up my knee fairly good. I’m icing it now, but there is slight bruising coming through. Honestly, I thought I was going to pass out. I managed to get myself up and give the driver a thumbs up, but hind sight is 20/20, and I probably should have asked the teenager to give me a ride the quarter mile back up the road. Between my three layers and the hand weights, I was afraid I was going to pass out trying to get back… I know- Bob will tell you that I have a low pain tolerance, but no joke… it HURT! My only concern is making sure that I can get out tomorrow, though. I have a relatively long distance goal, so I am going to be pretty torqued if this gets in the way. I already cut my walk short tonight because of it. Hope it doesn’t effect tomorrow!!! Grrr!!!

So anyway, I was going to talk about my GPS watch tonight, but in light of my knee, I’m just ready to call it a night : ) I’ll fill y’all in later about my Nike+. Later!

Day 14: April 11, 2013- rainy day + migraine could not slow me down

Day 14: 3 mile walk with Bobby (2+ miles done with hand weights), Miles to go: 925.31… Rainy day with BNI and some time spent up at the hospital with a friend, so wasn’t able to get out midday like I have been doing. Rainy day also equaled a raging migraine that I am trying fight through with the help of a Maxalt. Three miles are better than no miles, though, so will shoot to make up the difference over the next few days. Productive day otherwise. Got my Chef Spotlight done for News4U’s May issue, took the kids to the dentist, wrapped up a SMILE grant document, and am midway through a State Farm project for the office. Next up is a quick dinner (100 calorie baked salmon) and about an hour’s worth of work on my new art room in progress…

On a different note, I have been having a number of conversations with Bobby about healthier eating. I have come to the conclusion that migraines and lack of sleep can often be my undoing. Carbs and sugars for me have always been a crutch to fuel a late night of work or to take my mind off of the pain of a headache. Candy for me is a very slippery slope. I looked at the calories in a Twizzler the other day (30), and part of me could reason that 30 calories would not blow my whole calorie count for the day, but 1 Twizzler can turn into 2, which can turn into 10 very easily (same with Starbursts, Lemonheads, Jelly Bellies, etc. I love the fruit candies and also have an affinity for Reeses Peanut Butter Cups). So I have been trying to avoid candy and sweets altogether. The Easter candy still lingering on the counter is a daily reminder how hard I am trying to not eat it, though.

So what do I eat and drink? My morning usually starts with a large diet Coke (generally my only one of the day). Then for the rest of the day I try and only drink diet green tea and water. Given enough of any of those three drinks, I can feel pretty full for the majority of the day. I snack on almonds every few hours and occasionally throw in an apple or two throughout the day. For dinner I eat 1- 100 calorie salmon, which gives me a very lean protein that is high in omega-3 (for other health benefits of salmon, check out: http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/6-health-benefits-of-salmon.html). If I’m hungry while dinner cooks or mid-evening, I have been eating a small (equivalent of 100-150 calories) piece of Colby jack cheese. I try not to eat past 8 or 9 at night unless we get home late and that’s the earliest I can eat supper. The salmon can taste a little spicy, so I sometimes end my meal with a small glass of diet (no calorie) Root Beer, just for a little bit of a sweet taste to end the night. Beyond that, it’s water for the rest of the evening.

As I begin to up my miles (next week’s mini-goal is 50 miles in 7 days starting on SUN), I’ll have to watch my calorie intake in relation to what I burn. I anticipate dropping weight throughout this process, which will put me closer to my overall goal. In the meantime, the changes that I am already seeing in my body (legs and abs noticeably firming up) make me happy!