I forgot how good it feels

I am missing 2 weeks of running with the group. The first was last week. I ran 5 miles by myself in San Francisco. The weather was wonderful. It was about 57 degrees in the morning when I ran. It was great to get out of the heat and to know that the only thing I had to battle was my own physical abilities, nothing added to that.
The run in SF went OK. It took my watch about 1.5 miles to find a satellite and figure out where I was. I walked for a long time waiting and then decided to start and let it catch up with me. The plan was to run by the Pier and water. Well that didn't work so well because I turned the wrong way on Market Street. I figured ii out after awhile. It wasn't worth turning around and my watch still didn't know where I was so I kept going. A few blocks before Market started going straight up my watch kicked in. I turned around and headed towards the water. By time I got there my knee had started to hurt and I didn't care anymore. I did see the water but turned around and started back to the hotel. I ended up taking a wrong turn so I went about a half mile out of my way. Good thing the weather was nice.
Tuesday I went to the Torture Lady. My last ditch effort to figure out if the knee was really a problem. I'm sure I've mentioned the Torture Lady before. But if not she is the one that does the weird massage torture techniques on my to make my muscles act right and take my pain away. Anyway, she worked on my hamstrings and IT-band. She was using what she calls the poky tool. Thing thing is terrible. It hurts so much just when it touches you. It's unbearable when it digs deep in your thigh. I digress, the thing was she managed to stretch everything out so I can walk again and more importantly I can run again. The only side effect is I have all of these bruises on my legs where she poked me.
I ran 6 miles this morning. It was amazing. The first mile was kind of slow because I kept expecting to have problems. Guess what, the problems never came! I took it real slow and easy but it felt so good running without pain or issues.
Now for the disclaimer, my legs get very stiff after sitting for awhile so that initial few steps I do end up limping. But once things loosen up a little it great.
Here's to you Torture Lady!!!

Side note: The modeling picture is on the website if you want to take a look. (I had been asked to let people know when it's up).
http://www.austinboxingbabes.com/classes.php#bootcamp
Scroll towards the bottom.

I'm a model.....hahaha

This morning when I got to boxing, Julia was waiting for me with a camera. I was quite surprised to say the least. She is putting together a boot camp for women over 50 and she wanted to use my picture on the ads. No I'm not over 50 but since I'm close and she doesn't have many women in my age group or over she was looking for models. This was so funny to me but I agreed to be photographed. All during class I was followed around with a camera. The good thing was I smiled a lot more than I usually do and the smiling would make me laugh. So the pictures will at least look happy even if at some times I felt like crying.
All in all boxing is going great. Since I'm still nursing my knee I have to take it easy with some of the activities. But I'm having a ball. Today was good. The boxing is getting better but I keep forgetting to get my hands up to guard my face.
Now I did say I was nursing my knee so this next part is not going to make sense to you. I trudged 3.5 miles with about half of it being rolling hills (half hills) with the running group on Saturday. That went about as well as it could. I wore the knee brace so my knee was OK during the run. There was a little swelling on Sunday but I iced it and that helped a lot. So far the group of ladies in my group is up to 4. One didn't come back last week but I got 2 more so I'm still up. They are so excited to be out there. It's nice to see and it helps me to keep moving while I help them.
The next 2 weeks I'll be out of town for the long runs so I will have to trudge by myself. I'm not looking forward to that but the distance isn't that far.

This day sucked but had a happy ending

Running was so hard today. The running group started up again so I'm getting back into the grind. The heat wasn't too bad but the humidity made it awful. I'm glad I had my handkerchief or better known as my sweat rag. Boy did I need it today.
I had three newbies running with me today. None of them have run a half before. It should be fun.
The knee brace is working pretty well. I tried it out in CA last week. All I could think while running was this was so much easier in Costa Mesa. The humidity made my lack of conditioning feel really bad. The last mile was really hard and we only did 3. That is so sad.
On a more interesting note. I bought a scale! Yes, I have never owed a scale before. The only reason I have one now is because of the contest I joined. Co-workers are doing a Biggest Loser contest and convinced we to join. So I need the scale to be able to consistently track my percentage of weight loss. It should be an interesting journey. We weigh-in every Monday so I'll let you know my percentage then.
I cleaned out my drawers. It's a beautiful sight to behold. I should take a picture. Now I just have to keep it that way. Next up, the chest and the closet.

The many uses of the tennis ball

For the most part I like balls. We all know this, I have made the statement before. There are quite a few uses for tennis balls. I've got one friend who sits on a tennis ball to help relax her butt. People use them with their dogs all of the time. Well earlier this week I got to experience a new use for a tennis ball. At boxing we placed a tennis ball underneath our chins to keep our chins down. We had to hold the tennis ball and shadowbox. It was crazy. The feeling was very distracting. Keeping the ball in place was hard enough but then trying to move and throw punches was really hard.
Other than that boxing is going well. I'm having knee issues again. I started wearing a neoprene knee brace for about a week. It's helping with support and stability.
Running starts on Saturday. I went out this morning in Costa Mesa. The weather is wonderful. It was cool and overcast. I know I'm going nuts over the weather and not saying a thing about the run. But it's so hot in TX that the weather was the major event. Anyway the run was uneventful. There were a few moments of shakiness but mostly it was good.
Oh, I almost forgot. I started this biggest loser program with some of the people I work with. I know it's funny but it should be interesting. I've been doing this for about a week, The thing is I have to keep reminding myself that I'm on a diet. It has helped with a few food choices, when I was going to get the cookie at Starbucks. It remembered and didn't get it. So we will see how this goes.

Partner drills a real treat

Today I moved up in my boxing class. I got to do partner drills. Still not allowed to hit anybody but at least I've being trusted enough to throw punches at another person without them holding mitts. This is a big accomplishment. I also got to do solo shadowboxing with the good girls as a part of my warm-up. I'm starting to be trusted more so I'm so excited. But I still have a long way to go.
I almost hit the woman I was partnered with but it wouldn't have been my fault. She was suppose to duck when I threw the hook. She didn't duck and she didn't put her hand up so I almost hit her. The only thing that saved was I saw something was different and swung high. If I hadn't I would have clocked her.
Last time I mentioned my dilemma. I decided to run. I only have to get through about 2 months of heat so I am going to suck it up and train. It will be good for me and the running with help boxing. So it's a win-win sort of. Stamina will improve so boxing can improve and the suffering will be short lived.
Wish me luck.

What to do, what to do?????

Boxing was great yesterday. I was expecting it to be really hard since it was so hot and I haven't been to class in a couple of weeks.
It seems that my efforts to work out more consistently is starting to pay off. The weather was brutal but it didn't sap as much of my energy as in the past.
I made a friend sort of. A woman that is a part of the half marathon group has started coming to boxing class. We both recognized each other from running. She is in the real fast group so we have never run together but it was nice to see a familiar face that I had something in common.
The stamina portion of the workout wasn't too bad. If you can call alot of push-ups and sit-ups not too bad. The squats almost killed me. It wasn't my knees like I would have thought but my quads that were having most of the issues.
The boxing portion was awesome. We got to work on the speed bag and the timing bag. Timing is just crazy. This bag is connected to the ceiling and the floor by a string. When you hit it if you aren't careful it will fly all over the place. The purpose is for you to understand timing of punches. Also to be OK with the fact that sometimes you will miss when you throw a punch. The thing is to keep your balance and recover and move on.
Mostly I missed and it was hilarious. I laughed alot trying to use that bag.
Speed bag is an oxymoron. There is nothing speedy about it. I guess when you first are learning you have to go slow so that you can figure out a rhythm. I finally found a little rhythm towards the end of that rotation.
Then it was off to heavy bags with I just love. I'm starting to get a better so I can try to move and fake somewhat. It's fun to do and great exercise.

This morning I went for a run in the neighborhood. Only ran about 2.5 miles since I didn't have a lot of time and I'm still trying to figure out what's up with my knee. The knee held up really well so I think I will try to shoot for 4 miles this weekend and see how that goes.
I'm to a point where I have to make a decision. Am I going to run with the group for the fall half marathon season. I enjoy being the really slow group leader so that it one for the plus column. On the other hand, my stamina sucks (yes boxing has helped) and it is really going to be a hot summer. I know it will be good for me yada,yada...
What to do, what to do.....

The answer is ....

Here is the workout and the article from Austin Fit. The verdict is the class kicked Mo's butt. You will see a glimpse of me in the video.
You can view the article online at www.austinfitmagazine.com ; click on "Fitness", and then
on "Kick Mo's Butt". The video link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPkd2ltMXlo

I've been supplementing my classes by hitting my husband. I should explain. Bob holds the hand mitts and gives me a target so I can throw punches. That has worked out pretty well and I might be getting a heavy bag for my birthday (actually his birthday which is earlier than mine).
We have been trading working out together. He helps me with boxing and I help him with Yoga. So far the collaboration has been working very well. It's only been a couple of weeks but I can feel that the extra work outs have been helping.
I did an early class yesterday. We did a lot of hooks and my right side is very sore. It's a good thing cuz it means I am throwing the punch correctly. Being left-handed I have a great left hook. I don't usually do right hooks so the continuous motion yesterday has left my right side very sore. Good for chicken arms and back-fat. :-)
Take a look at the article and the video and you will get a good idea what I'm doing in boxing classes.

Is your workout fit for a bodybuilder?

Boxing Class was awesome today!!!!!
We had a special class today because Austin Fit came to do a segment for the magazine. This bodybuilder/model was coming to class to see what the hype was about. The focus of the class was to break the model. Things were very hard but it was great. We had 2 guys also. The entourage.
We started with a shoulder drill. You pair up and only using one had try to touch the other person's shoulder. So think of it as tag with shadowboxing. It took me alittle while to get the hang of it. At first I didn't realize I wasn't suppose to let the other person get to my shoulder (and she calls herself a boxer). I know, I know. Well it was early. Next we did a jumping push-up drill where you jump over a bungie cord then hit the floor and scoot under the cord in a push-up position. OMG! That's all I have to say about that one. Anyway, after that we got to use boxing mitts. This was my first time boxing with another person. It was cool hitting the mitts and be able to move around. I held my own when it was my time to work the mitts. I screwed up once when the guy with the video camera started talking to us. (Haven't these people learned that I can't listen and concentrate!) The next boxing drill involved throwing punches then hit the floor for a pushup. We did 3 different combinations for about 6 minutes. After the boxing drills we did situps and I did squats while they did an ugly drill where you have to do a situp and keep your momentum going and stand up. I don't have the core strength for this one yet. But it's coming. The last drill was a hip opener that involves kneeling and kicking. The fun part about this one was watching the 2 guys not be able to move. That was really the only thing that kept me from crying because I was laughing so hard at them. Then Julia (instructor) and the "bodybuilder chick" went a few rounds in the ring. Unfortunately, I had a conference call so I wasn't able to see that part. Next time.
All-in-all it was an awesome workout. It totally kicked the bodybuilder chick and her entourage's butts.

What is your dream?

Yesterday was my second boxing class. I think I'm in love. I had so much fun. It was hard as hell but I was smiling the whole time.
This time we jumped rope as the warm-up. Since we have class in a karate studio we are barefoot during class. The jumprope would get tangled in my little toe when I missed. It hurt so bad. I finally realized that I needed to slow down so that I could continue to jump or I wouldn't be able to walk. Jumping rope works well for conditioning. I was sucking wind hard.
Next we had to jump over and crawl under a bungie cord. OMG. That's all I have to say about that one. Then it was on to boxing. Most of the giirls did partner drills. Because I'm still new, I worked on my punches on a bag by myself. It was sweet. Just punching away hitting things for about 20 minutes. Next was ab and back exercise drills, with muscle balls.
I really enjoyed the class. They have sparing on Saturdays. I'm not ready for that yet but one of these days I'm going to go and watch. Who knows maybe I'll get to the point where I can get in the ring and spar. Girls got to have a dream.

I haven't had that much fun since skaterobics

Today was my first boxing class. It was great!!! I had so much fun. It was hard but great.
I had been thinking about finding a boxing class for a long time. I finally got up the nerve to look for this female only class that had been featured in the paper. It took awhile but I finally found it.
Today was my free trial class. I got there early so that the teacher could wrap my hands and give me some instruction.
We started the warm-up doing footwork drills. I did OK but the woman behind me was faster than me and I would get flustered when I tried to speed up. I was sucking wind big time. I moved better than I thought but I have a long way to go get back to the footwork of the bootcamp timeframe.
Then came the boxing phase. The class did something and i went over to the little ring and worked on punching. The instructor needed to make sure I had a clue when it came to boxing. Today I learned how to jab. I was told that I have good movement. It seems I have a natural flow with my shoulders when I box.
It was so cool. I got to wear boxing gloves and hit a heavy bag. Then we got to the tough part.
We had to get on our knees and kick the bag. That was funny. On one side my hip would cramp up and I couldn't keep my leg up high enough to kick. On the other side I was able to kick just not for very long.
I had a lot of fun and I'm going back next week. I haven't had this much fun exercising since skaterobics. I should sleep really well tonight.

I almost have 2 knees again.

It's been awhile but the knee is finally starting to feel better. I went to the torture lady (better known as Susan) last week. I'm not 100% but it is a lot better. I see her again on Monday. That should get me over the hump.
I was able to walk quickly for about an hour today and I played at tennis on Saturday. Running is still a bit gimpy so I'm not there yet. This is such a shame since I had finally started running almost like a normal person. Now that I haven't run for some time I will be starting all over again.
I'm so tried of starting over.
Anyway torture lady is making it better so I can be like new. The consensus is I seriously need to stretch more. According to her I am one of the tightest people she has ever seen. Maybe that's why I have no flexibility.
The struggle continues...

I miss playiing with balls.

It's been awhile. Mostly life has been really busy but I guess the real reason I haven't written is because I was trying to get over some negative thoughts. Thoughts that I didn't want to spill over here. But we can't have everything.
Anyway, my half marathon running season is over. All in all it went OK. I peaked about a month before the race and then got hurt. But I managed to make it and finish the race. It was OK. I had knee issues and had to walk part of the way. I finished and that was the only part I cared about. Had a fun race weekend hanging out with my real runner friends. Hey these girls run marathons and have even done an Ultra. The weekend was good.
My knee was a bigger problem than I thought. The day after the race it was really bad. I went to the doctor just to make sure I hadn't done real damage. It seems to be ok but we may need to check out my feet.
Last week I finally tried to run again. It was slow going but the knee held up OK. It was a bit sore moving initially but finally warmed up.
This week I played tennis. It was fun playing again. It has been a few years since the last time I played. Some of my friends have issues with ball sports. They say they don't play with balls. I like ball sports. Pretty much all of them. My favorites are tennis and volleyball. Softball and racquetball would be next. The problem with balls sports is you need somebody to play with you. I am the Lone Trudger for a reason. Right now it's hard to consistently exercise with others. That's why trudging works for well for me. It's something I can do alone.
One day that will change. I just have to remember that.

Dress for the weather, not the weatherman

Last night the weatherman said it was going to be cold today. About 30 - 35 degrees during the time I was running. Yes I know I shouldn't pay direct attention to the weatherman and every thing he said is really just a guideline. Anyway, I got my clothes together for running group before I went to bed. I was running a little late so I got dressed in a hurry and didn't check the weather like I normally do on winter mornings.
That was a mistake. Turns out it was 50 degrees this morning and I was dressed for 30. That is a big difference. So I was warm before I even started and sweating before the first mile. The good news is I was only doing 5 miles today because the race is next weekend.
Needless to say, I was whiny because I was hot. What would have been lovely running weather felt like it was 85 and muggy. No there was nothing to be done except journey on so that's what I did.
Once I got to the trail I was almost taken out by a dog twice. Turns out it was the same dog out and back. The first time he made a circle around me and his owner got all tangled. I realized what was happening and stopped moving before the circle began. The second time he nipped me from behind. He didn't nip exactly it was more like he tried to trip me from behind by pushing my calf out from under me. It was mile 4.5 and I was taking a walk break. Then this dog tries to take me out. It was very strange and I caught my balance but was unstable for a minute or so. His owner once again was apologizing. That's when I realized it was the same dog. I don't know what that dog had against me.
I was able to recover and finally finished the run. My knee isn't any better. It's not any worse but no better. I got in the pool once I got home to give my lower legs a complete ice bath. Sometimes I sit in the pool after a run. It makes icing so much easier. Today the pool was freezing cold. It is usually cold which is the point but today it was extremely cold and I could only stand there about a minute. When I got out my knee didn't hurt but I couldn't feel my feet. It was like I didn't have feet. I finally thawed and my knee was better. I told myself I was going to go back in and stay at least 5 minutes because that would help my knee. I couldn't do it. Too cold.
This week I'm off to taper for the race on Sunday. This one is suppose to mostly be downhill. We will see. I hear TBO may run with me. Guess I'll have to wait on that one also.

What a pain.

I'm in a hotel room like old times. This time I'm icing my knee. The issue is better today but I think I will need to get it checked out soon. It only hurts when I initially try to stand up and take the first step. After that it's fine, but the first step isn't always very stable. It doesn't hurt when I walk or run but usually this only lasts one day. I'll try to get an appointment when I get home.
This couldn't have come at a worse time. The race is two weeks away. I don't have time for this.

This is insane!!!

Let me start out with Happy New Year!!! I wish everyone a great 2009.
Now that that is done.
OMG, yesterday I ran 12 miles. It's the first time I ran in two weeks. I got sick while visiting my family for the holidays and was still out of it most of last week.
The running group was doing 12 for the up coming Half Marathon at the end of Jan. So some people did 12 and some did 5. I am the only person from my small group of people that is running that race so I did 12 mostly by myself. I did try to recruit a friend to run with me but she had to organize her life that day. So I was on my own.
The first 1.5 miles I ran with the group and then I turned off directly into a hill and a head wind. Now I mentioned I had been sick so the cough was still with me. And I also mentioned not moving for 2 weeks right. Let's just say when I made the turn into the wind that I almost gave up running for good. It was so bad trying to do up hill and against the wind it is almost impossible.
Needless to say I kept going. I ran with the head wind for 3.5 miles. Somewhere in that time I got something in my eye so I was trying to tear but it kept freezing on my face because it was cold. It was probably only mid 40's but with the wind it felt much worse than that.
Finally I was able to turn again and got to run along a busy street so I had to run on the sidewalk. In general, I don't like walking on sidewalks but there are times when it is a must. This was the worse sidewalk I had ever seen. It looked like it had been a part of a war zone. Initially I thought I would be able to make up some time once I left the wind but this sidewalk was so bad that I was going slower than before just so I wouldn't fall down.
I got to the park and was able to have cookies. When you run over 10 the group director puts out food at one of the water stops. Nutter Butters are your friend when you are running. So for a moment I was happy. I grabbed 2 cookies and was off again. This time the sidewalk was better. I finally made it to the turn so that I could run on the street again.
Now I'm on the way back so you would think that I would have a tail wind this time. Well just as luck would have it, the wind changed and I had a head wind again. So yes I am seriously getting pissed and cursing my friend for not wanted to share in my misery. Yeah I know she had an excuse (sorry, reason) for not running with me. But the part you don't understand is she always does the really long runs with me so for me this was completely uncharted territory. I know I'm a big girl and I had music to keep me company but it's not the same as having someone to complain to and still make it through with. Yes that was my moment of whining.
By now it's mile 8 and I'm at the Capitol. I always get lost running around the Capitol. And yes I managed to get confused again. The good news was I was expecting it so I was able to recover quicker than usual.
I finally made it to the trail. It's mile 9.5 and I can smell the finish. For some reason I had convinced myself that the wind would be better on the trail. Boy was I wrong! The trail was awful and the wind was crazy, swirling all around. I ran for awhile, I walked for awhile. Anything to just keep moving. At this point the only thing that kept me going was that's where the car was. Just get back to the car.
I tried running again and a big cold gust of wind tried to push me over. All of the muscles in the lower side of my leg cramped up. I had cramps going in in places I didn't even know I had muscles. I hobbled for a time and finally got the cramps to release but wasn't able to run anymore. So I power walk/limped as best I could for the last mile and a half or so.
I have never been happier to finish running in my life.
The tweak behind my knee came back after I cooled down. I iced it and it's better today.
I think I've lost my mind because I'm already planning when I'm going out again.