HL/WWSG - Week of 23 January

[Leslie Ferguson]

BRRRR! Winter’s fury has really picked up this past week and over the weekend. I hope that everyone is safe and that they have been spared a lot of the bad issues of the Blizzard of 2005. But even with all the nasty weather I resolve this week to be as positive and upbeat as I can be so that we can wish fond greetings to our friends, regulars, and visitors to the Healthful Living and Weekly Workout Support Group. January is almost over (thank goodness) but the winter weather has decided to come back with a vengeance. I hope that our regulars will check in - if only to tell us that they are alive and well.

Thoughts from the last week or so that have stood out among the group include:

Family life - As best I can tell everyone is doing well and there are no significant issues out there - a first in a long time. :)
SUCCESSES! - me listening to my body more and more each week; me finally finding a new swimming suit; Sarah keeping her friend motivated to work out; Heather getting started (and enjoying) the first couple days of class.
Stressful living - Karen’ DS#1 just getting over pneumonia; Jacki’s DD and her asthma; Laura and her knee and foot (hanging on from her marathon.
Weather issues - 8+ inches (I’m told) of snow for Karen; bone chilling cold for most of us in the east, northeast, and upper mid-west.
Healthful living - Sarah’s efforts with her friend; good thoughts for those who are reengaging themselves in their workout routine; Jacki getting ready for the next step in her Aerobics certification.
Missing in Action - Jennifer. I hope we can hear that you all are well and maybe just lurking for the past couple weeks.

Healthful living this week should include:
Sun - XT w/weights
Mon - Elliptical (not even kidding myself that I’ll get out in the cold and wind)
Tue - Hopefully run (probably on the treadmill)
Wed - Swim (I hope with my new suit)
Thu - Run/elliptical
Fri - Rest
Sat - Run long - pace a group in a 25k race

Healthful living - (1) Keep working on doing my PT exercises, I‘ve been good but could be better. (2) Do two doctor’s appointments - audiology on Monday and follow-up with orthopedics on Wednesday. (3) Help tend to LW’s issue with asthma/bronchitis. It seems she caused an asthma attack by inhaling fabric dust yesterday and it kept her up all night. (4) Deal with someone breaking in and stealing the stereo and cell phone out of my car last night in my driveway.

There - three weeks in a row with a shorter than usual opening - hopefully less daunting for those who are lurking. I hope everyone is well and that January moves on smoothly. Until this evening friends and visitors -

Peace,
Les

[ilovehubby]

Les-What a bummer, to have your car broken into in your own driveway!
Glad you found a new suit:)

DD is doing better, sleeping through the night again which is a blessing. DS, who hasn't had problems with his asthma woke up Friday morning with a full blown asthma attack so in reaction mode all day Friday...scary...but he is better today...in his yellow zone still but not needing his inhaler as much today. We've had lots of wind and big temperature changes in the last week here (70's to 20's in 7 days) and that's a trigger for my monkeys and their asthma...hoping life will go back to ?"normal"? tomorrow.

Unfortunately I didn't get one iota of exercise in after Monday which really bums me out...but I didn't eat the whole refrigerator (having been tied to the house all week) so I'm glad for that.

I am one page away from finishing the study guide for the test...a little less than three weeks away...

My exercise plan this week is Mon/Wed walk with co-worker..Tues/Thurs/Sat aerobics...

Just wanted to check in...sorry I didn't get to keep up much this week with the goings on...I'm thinking warm and positive thoughts for all of you and I hope you're all staying warm!!!

Jacki

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hi - Kristi. I'm glad that DD is coming around the bend and the DS is better now than the other day. I agree - this weather has wreaked havoc on everyone around here.

My close out update today... Positively: weight lifting went well. Negatively: I think LW has a little more than an asthma/bronchitis attack - it seems her temp is up to about 100.7 (or higher). So she may have a viral thing - not something I want to play around with right now. Plus that means I need to turn in early so I can fight the bug she's carrying although if I have it I've already got it and there's nothing I can do about it. :rolleyes:

No news from the New England folks... I hope they're ok and not burried and/or without electricity.

Until morning - peace,
Les

[Laura]

Ugghh... weekend slug checking in here.

I can't use the weather as an excuse either as it has been unseasonably warm here (close to 70 on Friday and low 60's today). I am heading over to the Y in a couple of hours and plan to try and run 2 and do the body sculpting class.

Jacki, I am sorry the kids are having the asthma attacks. It seemed like when my DS was first diagnosed we spent weeks in the yellow range. I hope our warm weather hits you guys and then stays there.

Les, I am sorry that LW is not feeling well and the car got broken into. :(, but your running seems to be going well. I don't know if you will get any of our weather, but we have really been teased of late. If feels more like late spring than mid-winter.

Hi to everyone else. I will check in later.

Laura

[Sarah428]

Les-Sorry about the car:( . That has actually happened to me twice, and DH wonders why I get angry when he leaves his keys in the car ignition overnight:rolleyes: ! I sure hope LW doesn't have a virus, keeping my fingers crossed.

Jacki-Seems to be a pattern, one gets to feeling better and the other has/gets something. Hope the asthma issues resolution soon.

Laura-Did your ankle allow the 2 you planned on? Hope it was a healthy effort if not a complete one:) !

Well yes, we did get slammed with snow here, 14 inches to be exact. (And it is exact, I'm a data recorder for the National Weather Service;)). I was scheduled to work 9-3 at my dad's hallmark shop so at 6am I put on my skis and went down there to shovel. Went home, showered, walked back down there, shoveled the 5" that fell since 6am, ended up closing the store early, went home, shoveled for an hour, crashed on couch! I figured that was enough exercise for the day.

I was exhausted on Sunday but did get 10 miles in on the treadmill - sticking to my NY resolution of long runs on the weekends.

As for this week DH has to be to work early M & W so my routine is slightly altered. Also not sure how my friend will handle working until 11pm and trying to get to the gym at 5am. But on the plus side, she went this morning without me:) .

M - No a.m. gym, maybe pilates DVD in evening
T - Circuit training
W - No a.m. gym, Ultimate Challenge class in evening
T - running group
F - Circuit training
S - Walk the dog!!!
S - Hopefully long run, have a b-day party at 1

Hope everyone has dug themselves out if needed!
Sarah

[Laura]

Just a quick check in to say running was a bust. I ran 5 minutes before the class, but then a new teacher (an in my opinion, not a good one) had everyone do lateral jumps from one Bosu to the next. About three of those and my foot started to act up, and I decided to walk on the treadmill after class. I have to say however, I was decidedly unmotivated to even try to run. Maybe I need to sign up for another race...well, perhaps not yet.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Originally posted by Laura
I have to say however, I was decidedly unmotivated to even try to run. Maybe I need to sign up for another race...well, perhaps not yet.
Yep - it sounds like you need a goal to break your running funk. I know settling on running in Boston was the kicker for me to have more motivation to actually go out and run.

Off to the gym - it's been a hectic day. BTW - LW's fever has broken but it sounds like she's swallowed a big bull frog. Oh well - better than having her all whacked out with a fever.

Talk to you later. Peace,
Les

[karen w]

Les-Sorry to hear about your car break-in. That just REALLY sucks!!! I hope LW bounces back quickly without sharing anything with you. Crossing my fingers that the pesky viruses will leave you alone!;)

Laura-We all get into funks once in awhile. I would have to imagine that this is pretty common after just finishing a big race. Not being a runner, I don't know, but it would make sense. Hang in there...this to shall pass!;)

Jacki-If it isn't one child....it's the other. I certainly know the feeling, and have been dealing with the same thing as of late. I hope DS recovers quickly. Wishing you a week of sleep filled nights!!

Sarah-I would say you got your exercise in, and then some with all that shoveling! I bet you had some sore muscles, though. It seems no matter how good shape I'm in etc..., shoveling just uses different muscles!

Well, I'm not sure how much snow we got here, but it was a fair amount. There was SO much blowing and drifting that it's difficult to figure out. I had an awesome swim this morning. We did have a 90 min. school delay this morning, but I was lucky. DH did not have to be into work until late morning, so he got the pleasure of putting the kiddoes on the bus while I went to kickboxing for the first time in a week. It felt so good to get out of the house, and kick/punch a bag!:) And all three kids went to school this morning....healthy and back to their usual selfs!! This afternoon, I made some baked ziti for dinner and some soup for my lunches this week. Tomorrow I plan on swimming and kickboxing....AND WISHING DH HAPPY B-DAY!! The BIG 4-0!:D

Have a good night,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

Sarah - I'm impressed with all your snow shoveling too. How did your arms feel today? (Monday) It's pretty amazing the workout you got on Saturday when you get right down to it - upper body workout, cardio, upper body workout, cardio, more cardio and more upper body workout. That's a good report about your friend getting to the gym without you - I hope she can work out her conflicting schedules.
Karen - Only a 90-minute delay for the kiddos this morning - that's great considering all the snow that New England got. And a day of kick boxing to top off your swim, a double bonus. Happy Birthday to DH too - the big 4-0. I'm with you - I need to keep LW's bug away from me, I have enough trouble keeping on top of my upper respiratory tract in the winter anyway. A lot of folks were amazed when I told them I was robbed in my own driveway - considering I don't live in a bad part of town. Just goes to show you...

I was going to say that LW was doing much better tonight - no coughing in over 2 hours (she's in bed) then she has to go and break the streak and cough right now. But hey, that's tons better than last night when she was coughing all the time.

Audiologist report - no significant change in my hearing but I still have a moderate to severe hearing loss. Not getting much worse in the past 3 or 4 years so I guess I should be thankful. And I am (really).

I got a decent 60 minute elliptical in tonight and felt so good for it but boy did it wipe me a little. Funny how Monday's aren't always that easy on my workout system - must have something to do with lifting on Sunday.

Peace and I hope everyone who hasn't checked in is safe and warm,

Les

[Laura]

Well just a quick check in today. I went to the gym and did 15 minutes each on the treadmill, bike, and elliptical. I might try and get a Pilates DVD in later, but work will probably get in the way. Sigh...

Les, I am glad that LW is on the mend and that your hearing is not getting any worse. I know what you mean about a cardio workout after weights, there is a little muscle rebellion going on.

Karen, Happy birthday to DH. I am glad your kids are all healthy again. We have had a relatively healthy flu/cold season here. Hopefully it will stay that way.

Sarah, I can't believe your workout on Saturday and then 10 miles to boot on the treadmil on Sunday! Way to go. I am trying to figure out if I can actually get up to be at 5:15 Spin Class. Actually, I am also worried about the kids not getting up to make the bus without me yelling at them to get out the door. :rolleyes:

Where is the rest of our crowd?

[Leslie Ferguson]

The good news - I got my daily workout in at lunch (always a good thing so I'm not working out until 7:15 again like last night). I managed to pull off about 50 minutes of elliptical but didn't have the umph to get through to an hour (and I was running late as it was) - probably has something to do with the level of effort from last night and the impact of an hour of elliptical training less than 15 hours before trying another hours worth of elliptical. It could also be that I hadn't eaten anything of substance since 6:45 (and it was after noon by the time I started :rolleyes: ). Regardless - I think I did a good job.

The not so good news - LW isn't doing as well as I reported yesterday. Her fever is gone but she feels terrible. Her body aches and her head is really blocked up. It sounds like she may have a flu or the nasty cold that is running around the east coast (and I probably brought it with me from DC a week ago :rolleyes: ).

Laura - Glad things are going well in your household and that you're starting to feel a little better. I think I'd have the same issue with a 5:15 spinning class (besides the fact that 5:15 is too early to be working out in my book). Somehow, I bet your kids would push the envelope (like most teenagers would so don't feel like the lone ranger) and not make the bus given their own devices.

How about everyone else? It's been a quiet week all things considered.

Peace,
Les

[karen w]

Quiet day here today! I had an excellent swim this morning. Then surprised DH with his FIRST b-day gift. The kids and I all got him gift certificates to his favorite store...yep, that's right! HOME DEPOT!! We taped them to his breakfast staples in the fridge, so when he opened it this morning, he got more than just O.J. and bread:D . (Of course, later in the afternoon I gave him the only thing he ever really asks for...."ME" with a bow on my belly button....that's it! And that's all the details I will share of that portion of the afternoon! ):D Since he had the day off, he got the kids on the bus for me, and I went to kickboxing again. Did run to the store this afternoon(after my rendevous with DH ) to pick up milk as they are forecasting 2-5" snow tonight which might mess school etc... up tomorrow:mad: . If all goes well, I will swim tomorrow. I won't kickbox in the morning, however, since I am going tomorrow night. It's testing night for a new belt!

Les-I sure hope LW does not have the flu. DH and I had it ~5 years ago, and it was so miserable....chills, fevers, body aching etc... Praying she gets well soon. And woo hoo on the noon workout. You go, big guy!!!!

Have a good night everyone!

Karen

[ilovehubby]

Thanks for the positive thoughts everybody, we're all doing much better here!

Les - How is LW? And are you staying healthy...keeping up the good fight germ wise? How is your car situation? My car was broken into about 10 years ago, they took the stereo and a bag which had my thesis in it (was getting ready to graduate as a speech therapist). I was beside myself. I had an outdated back up of it but I was seriously bummed. It all worked out though. Is your hearing loss in one ear or both? Great job with your elliptical workout! I don't know if LW is able to use Vicks, but when I get really stuffed up I put Vicks above my lips, underneath my nose and it really helps! I know it sounds crazy, a friend told me about it. But it worked for me.

Laura - You really did have some nice weather...what a treat. Thanks for letting me know about your DS staying weeks in the yellow zone...my son just started the peak flow meter (he was to young earlier) and so it's good to know that's normal. Bummer about the class. What's Bosu? How is the ankle now?

Sarah - What a great place to live where you can even consider leaving your keys in the car:) WOW 14 inches of snow...people are to cold to steal! Good for you re: treadmill workout. How was the circuit training today?

Karen - Sounds like a great workout. I've taken kickboxing classes and really enjoyed them. I am only a non-drowning swimmer though. Although I like water aerobics. Hope everyone is staying healthy and happy. What kind of soups do you make? I made a soup last Friday and sub'd corn instead of spinach...it was in the Complete Cooking Light cookbook...it was a potato soup, but when I put it in the blender to puree it, even though it was only half full, it shot up and baptized my whole kitchen. The recipe didn't say to wait until it was cooler...any suggestions? I finished it by using the pulse button...by the way, what a cute way to give DH his birthday present(s)!:)! Hope the test for the belt goes great.

Well I did walk for 30 minutes on Monday at lunch but today when I got up in the morning to work out my kids woke up and it went downhill from there workout wise. I'm going to try again tomorrow morning and close their doors all the way, although I don't have the TV up loud. I'm to much of a wimp to go out and walk in the cold. I'll try and work on that though...as I recognize you guys go RUN in the snow...you are all so awesome!

Even though I didn't get to exercise much at all last week it was good to peak at your postings...it helped me have self-control in not eating everything in the kitchen.

Hope everyone is marching along with their healthy living plans for the week:)

Jacki

[Leslie Ferguson]

Karen - That's a cute present for DH. I bet... never mind. The trick with breakfast sounds almost a funa s what LW did to me on my 40th - she "crowed" the yard with (at least) 40 black plastic crows and a sign that announced that I was an "old crow" and that I had turned 40 - and I just loved it - really I did. Here's to hoping the snow isn't too bad this go around and that things don't get too derailed for you tomorrow morning.
Jacki - So far, so good. I think I'm through the dangerous time for the bug and like I said yesterday I may have brought it with me from DC since a bunch of folks I talked to from the conference last week came down with a bug. But for me, I'm still healthy as ever so I'm being careful and resting as much as I can. My hearing loss is in both ears and has become quite a nusiance but all things considered I have gotten along quite well and for the most part my hearing aids do a good job. The only problem with them is I can't/don't wear them when I exercise (I don't want to get them too wet). LW can use Vicks but her problems right now are more with body aches and headaches from coughing, lack of caffiene, and TOM (throw that in on top of everything else). Oh, and the car is okay - just missing the radio a little as I'm driving. It's funny how much I miss it, especially when I need to know about traffic.

FWIW - LW told me she actually topped out this morning with a 102 temp but is doing much better this evening. I was a good hubby and brought home some Theraflu and gave her a neck rub/back massage for about 40 minutes while she sipped the Threaflu. So far it's been about 3 hours and she hasn't coughed so maybe... she's really getting better this time.

Tomorrow's another day and the day for my follow up with the orthopedic to close out my treatment there (probably). I've got one story to tell him about my reaction to Mobic... should turn his hair white. ;)

Well, to take care of myself and keep myself healthy I'm off to bed so until tomorrow, be good and keep warm.

Peace,
Les

[Sarah428]

This will be quick, sorta on a down note this week.

Haven't been the gym all week. Our daycare provider is off this week so the change has resulted in DH having to go in early to leave early to pick up Ella at our back-up daycare. Tomorrow should resume back to normal.

Managed to walk the dog 20 minutes last night and hope to make it to the Ultimate Challenge class tonight. On the bright side I've had an extra hour or so in the morning so our house is spotless!

Having some family issues so it's been somewhat stressful and a little depressing under our roof. Hopefully the tide will turn towards the weekend - 2 birthday parties for neices:) .

Take care,
Sarah

[Leslie Ferguson]

(((Sarah))) Sorry that things aren't going well at home this week. I'll be thinking of and praying for you.

Peace,
Les

[karen w]

A quick morning note!!! SCHOOL'S CANCELED! SNOW DAY!!!! Well, the kids were happy about it anyway.:( I did brave the snow covered roads this morning at 5:15am, however, and had an absolutely wonderful swim! Yay! And I still plan on doing my testing class tonight for my green belt. DH said he'd come home so I could go without dragging the kids.;)

Sarah-I am so sorry family life is stressful now. I hope whatever is churning up the homefront waters settles down quickly. Happy b-day to the nieces!

Jacki-Good for you on the self control! How old are your kids? You sound like your in the same boat as me. Mine are 8,7, and 5 y.o. That's why I do my swimming so early in the morning. Otherwise I'm a cranky person!:p

Sorry your soup blew up. I make soup almost every week because I love it for my lunches with a toasted English muffin, bread, crackers etc... Last weekend I made a split pea soup and a chicken noodle just to name a few. My favorite tool for blending is my stick blender. Works like a charm.

Les-I won't say it too loud, but it looks like you may be safe from the germs!!! Yay!! I just hope LW starts to improve.

My dad has a terrible hearing loss, and up until recently has been so stubborn about wearing his hearing aids. He finally got a new, very small(and really expensive!) pair that he seems more pleased with....so far. Just don't be so stubborn if/when you get to that stage as you miss out on SO much life and it is really irritating to the people around you. You know....when he constantly shouts, "WHAT?" everytime you try to talk to him!:mad:

Well, I hope everyone has a warm and safe day. Happy hump day!

Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

Jacki - I missed the blowing up soup on the first go around. My only recommendation is to pulse a half-full blender and gently (if you can do that - I've never had a lot of luck being gentle with a blender). Another option is to start blending/pureeing the soup with a stick blender to chop things up a little before going to the big daddy blender. I hope you didn't get too burned when the soup came out of the blender.
Karen - Blessings and curses - snow kept the folks down at the pool and you had a good swim. ??? Having the kids home from school. I hope your green belt test went well. How many belts is that now? You seem to be moving through the tests fairly well - and you wondered if you'd like kickboxing. ;) LW is getting better and her temp is fully back to normal now. She sounds a little croaky but hey, she isn't sore all over any more so it looks like she's finally kicked the worst of the bug. I'm doing ok still but the fight is being engaged. My throat is a little edgy and I'm starting to have a little more congestion and my upper back and neck are a little stiff but I'm still not running a fever (a whopping 97.2 this evening). I only hope that I'm going to be able to fight the crud off without it knocking me down a little. I can only hope that my healthful living will pay off in the long run.

The news from the Sports Med doc... he was surprised when I told him I was allergic to Mobic - even though my normal doc wasn't. Go figure. He felt a little play in my ankle and a little tightness in the achilles and a little weakness in the peroneal tendon (but I already do strengthening exercises for that... HUMMM I wonder...).

I didn't swim today like I planned - just no need to get in the pool and flail around with bad breathing so I rode a stationary bike for an hour - still a sweat dripping workout so I'm set for the night. ;)

Note the time - 11:15 so I actually may get to bed at a good hour to help defend against the bug.

Howdy to everyone else who's been missing this week - I pray you all are well and not socked in.

Until morning -- peace,
Les

[ellery]

Hi all! :)

This will be a super quick check-in as my hair is rapidly air-drying and I need to get it upstairs to dry with a blow-dryer before I turn into Medusa...

Glad to hear that everyone is hanging in there and am still jealous of all the snow and Sarah skiing from her front door. It's as usual relatively warm here with a few colder days (i.e. 27'ish). I've been hanging in there with the workouts and haven't killed DF yet as our wedding plans have changed for the 20th time so far this week. As of today, we're getting married in St. Thomas due to many heated battles about the guest list and cost. All I want is a pretty dress and to hang out with my friends, but Groomzilla... ;)

Okay, must finish getting ready for work. Happy Thursday all.

:)

Leah

[Sarah428]

Thanks for all the support. Without going into in depth details we have a history of depression in my family and it seems my brother is following the same path my father has been down. The good news it that he's getting help - finally! It's going to be a long road but at least he can see the light. On top of that, my siblings and I are questioning my mom's health, she seems withdrawn and is drinking more than usual. We're holding a sibling meeting this weekend to discuss our some options. I'm so blessed that I have three siblings that are the most wonderful people on this planet:).

Ok, back to what this is really about!

Last night I made it to the Ultimate Challange class (spinning, agility and ab) but it was awful, I had no motiviation! This morning was my 1st morning back at the gym this week, a 60 minute elliptical workout and some ab work since last nights ab workout was a joke. Hoping to get my long run in on Saturday before DH's neices b-day party followed by dinner at a friends house. Sunday is my neices b-day (1 will be 10, the other 13) but I'm taking them to the mall Friday night for dinner and shopping - busy weekend! Oh, add to that trying for baby #2, I'll be shocked if I have enough time to shower this weekend:p.

Leah - Sorry to here that Groomzilla raided your house;). You're jealous on my skiing, I'm jealous of your rollerblading - fair trade!

Les - Keep that bug defense up, you'll need it if it's anything like the stuff going around up here.

Karen - So how did the green belt test go? I need to get an imersion blender, such a pain to transfer over to a blender every time. Hmmm, maybe for a mother's day gift.

Jacki - Believe me, I wouldn't be outside in this cold if it weren't for the puppy eyes from my dog and my running friend, the drill sargent! Lots of layers!

Laura - Like Les said I'm sure the kids would "push the envelope" but it might be worth a shot. It's funny, I could never imagine skipping school but my brother was a master at it;).

Healthy (physically and mentally) wishes to everyone!
Sarah

[Leslie Ferguson]

Sarah - Thanks for the fill in on your family's issues. I understand it can be hard to cope with a family loss. Please reassure your brother that it will get "better" and he'll be able to live with your father's death at some point in time. It took LW close to 4 years to come to closure with her step-sister's death but after a few long, dark nights of the soul I think we're there. Good for you that you are close enough to your siblings (physically and emotionally) to seriously discuss your mother's issues. BTW - good work on kid #2. ;) It sounds like you had a decent if not earth-shattering workout but any workout is a good one in my book some days.

Thanks for the encouragement about my health. The battle is certainly engaged and I will need some positive thoughts to keep ahead of this one. I'm still doing okay but the fight won't be easy.

Healthful thoughts to you all and until later,
Les

[Sarah428]

Les - Thank you for the kind words and support but I must clarify something. My father is still alive (will be 75 tomorrow!) and has fought depression his entire life. He went into deep treatment 10 years ago and has been doing very well since. My brother is just showing the same "signs" my father shows before he would have an "episode".

Re: my mom, There's a history of drinking in her family and I also think she's just having a difficult time adjusting to my father's active retirement years. She use to be the life of the party, very outgoing, etc. but now it's difficult to get her to do anything and the drinking is getting worse, seems to be the only thing she does.

Anyway, thank you again for the support, it's refreshing to have some extra shoulders to lean on.

[Sarah428]

Les - Thank you for the kind words and support but I must clarify something. My father is still alive (will be 75 tomorrow!) and has fought depression his entire life. He went into deep treatment 10 years ago and has been doing very well since. My brother is just showing the same "signs" my father shows before he would have an "episode".

Re: my mom, There's a history of drinking in her family and I also think she's just having a difficult time adjusting to my father's active retirement years. She use to be the life of the party, very outgoing, etc. but now it's difficult to get her to do anything and the drinking is getting worse, seems to be the only thing she does.

Anyway, thank you again for the support, it's refreshing to have some extra shoulders to lean on.

[Laura]

Hi folks, quick check in here to announce I actually did run today. 3 miles on the treadmill, it wasn't fast, but I needed to get that initial run out of the way. I am aiming for 5-6 this weekend.

Sarah, I am sorry about the family problems. I am so glad that you have the support of your siblings to help you through this. I am sure you know that exercise can help you think things through in your own head too.

Leah, glad you checked in. I hope groomzilla behaves himself..;)

Les, um, I don't know that I would consider 11:15 a good hour to be going to bed, especially if you are trying to fight off a bug.

Jacki, I am glad the kids seem to be doing better. I wasn't comfortable with DS being in the yellow for that long, but when he was first diagnosed he was getting over a bad cold and it was the start of high grass pollen count so he was fighting two battles. A bosu is a stability ball that has been cut in half. Instructors use them for core work, but this gal just had us literally jumping on top of each other :rolleyes:.

Karen, How did the belt testing go?

Well, I spent too long at the gym and chatting with a friend afterwards so I need to go. Take care eveyone!

[JackieO]

Hi, guys. I've lurked a little this week, so I sort of know what's going on with everyone. It's been a strange week for me....had a little hospital procedure on Tuesday morning that knocked me for a loop and we're moving offices tomorrow, so it's been, like I said. Strange. :eek:

The procedure was very minor -- had a scope put down my throat to figure out whether my swallowing issues were related to a physical stricture (it was) or GERD. The drugs and the accompanying "stretching" of the esophagus (sp?) worked and I have absolutely NO recollection of the procedure (thank God, but I have the pictures to prove it was done!) :rolleyes: But, blick. I spent all afternoon Tuesday on the couch, and all evening lounging in bed watching back-to-back Law & Order re-runs! Still felt lethargic on Wednesday, but I followed thru with my appointment with my trainer and have THREE new (well, tweaked, actually) strength-training routines to choose from! :cool:

Gotta finish packing up my office. At least I get the day off tomorrow! :cool: :D

[Leslie Ferguson]

Originally posted by Laura
Les, um, I don't know that I would consider 11:15 a good hour to be going to bed, especially if you are trying to fight off a bug.
I know, but I take my little victories where I can get them. The extra sleep (about an hour all totaled) did me some good. I'm going to try and really turn in earlier this evening and get a little more sleep to help recuperate.
Jackie O - Sorry about the surgery. I know lots about outpatient surgery and it is never as easy to come back as they say it will be. I hope the office move goes well.

I'm working on a "Navy SEAL" method of beating illnesses :rolleyes: -- I did 60 minutes of elliptical at lunch today. It'll either cure you or kill you (so I'm told). No worse the wear right now so I think I'll be okay that way. However, the dry throat is starting to set in... not my favorite place to be. :( Oh well, back to work.

Peace,
Les

[karen w]

Jackie-I'm glad you came through your procedure well, and they figured out the problem(and fixed it!). I'd be lethargic, too, if I were you! REST!!

Sarah-I wish you well with your brother and your mother. It is so wonderful that you have a supportive family. That will certainly be a big plus in this situation. My brothers and I are scattered across the country, and I very rarely even speak to the one on the West coast(San Francisco). His wife is EVIL!!

Laura-Yippee for a run!

Les-Think Vitamin C!!!:D

Belt testing last night went well. It was the typical VERY INTENSE, VERY SWEATY, EXTREMELY FAST PACED 45 min. session with the master/owner of the school followed by each belt color doing their individual moves for board breaking and finally push ups! I am officially a GREEN belt now! I went for my swim this morning but my energy was not quite 100%. I think a little steam was lost after last night's activities. But it was a very relaxing swim. I did go to kickboxing, too, today. It was quite nice since the class was unusually small today(everyone burnt out after last night!). I think tomorrow I will just swim, though. I need to accomplish a few other things in the morning....you know groceries, haircut etc.... and DD has ballet in the afternoon. I did manage to get to Costco this afternoon, so scratch that off the list(for this week, anyway:rolleyes: ). Gotta finish up fast. My mouse(wireless) is quickly dying....I need to feed it some more cheese(or AA batteries:D ).

Have a good night everyone,

Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

My mantra... TheraFlu is my friend. Actually I don't feel that bad just the congestion and dry cough are making my upper back hurt so TheraFlu is my friend.

Karen - Congratulations on your new belt. It's understandable that you'd be a little off this morning after your test last night. Not that I ever doubted it but congratulations on getting to the pool this morning. I think there's plenty of Vitamin C in the TheraFlu to keep me on top of my Vit. C requirements. Funny how we communicate with siblings (or not) - I keep up with my little sister (ok - she's almost 36 now but...) quite well but me and my brother are another story. Of course he's 2 years older so there was a lot of competition between us (and a little bloodshed too :rolleyes: ). It's not that we can't communicate it's just that we don't.

Not much else to report after my workout this afternoon and note the time -- 10:55. Even earlier than last night. :) I must be sick. :rolleyes:

Until tomorrow -- peace,
Les

[Sarah428]

Karen - Congrats on the green belt! Gee, I can't imagine why you'd be running a little low on steam?!?;)

Jackie O - Hope you're on the mend. And 3 new routines to choose from, I'm jealous!

Les - I'm buying stock in TheraFlu with the way everyone around me is getting sick. I've caught Ella's cold, but very thankful it's not the other stuff going around. Get Well Wishes have been sent to your household.

Laura - Congrats on the run and good luck with the 5-6 this weekend. I'm still aiming for 10 this weekend but not sure I've have the time w/ 3 birthday parties and a dinner party.

Well, I skipped the gym again this morning. I figured this is an off week and I'll resume on Monday. Actually DH was happy that he could go into work early since his counterpart is on vacation and they're way behind.

Re: siblings. My siblings and I are very spaced out in age.
Sister - 46
Sister - 40
Brother - 38
Me - 28 (yep, 10 years between me and the closest)
It's amazing, but we are all extremely close even though there's such an age difference. My oldest sister was graduating from HS when I was born and I remember visting 2nd sister at college. I do have memories of my brother and I under the same roof, mostly big brother picking on me stuff, but all happy memories:).

Hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend, see you Monday!
Sarah

P.S. Wish me luck, tonights the night I'm taking neices (10 & 13) to the mall shopping for the birthday:eek:

[Leslie Ferguson]

Originally posted by Sarah428
P.S. Wish me luck, tonights the night I'm taking neices (10 & 13) to the mall shopping for the birthday:eek:
My hat's off to you - 10 and 13 year old girls to the mall... I'd have to go at gun point. :)

It's also interesting how you and your siblings are spaced out age-wise.

I'm still doing ok - not any worse off than yesterday so I call that making progress. Of course I should say that my nose is starting to run (but that means that my hasal congestion is going away). That should make for a fun run tomorrow. :rolleyes:

Until evening -- peace,
Les

[karen w]

Sarah-Good luck shopping!!! I hope you guys have a blast!

Les-Good boy for getting some extra ZZZzzzz's the past few nights. I'm sure it's just what the doctor would order!

My swim was much better this morning. I had much more energy after a good night's sleep! I'm glad, however, I did not plan on kickboxing today because DD threw a wrench into my plans. She was home today with a fever! Will it ever end. So I might be fighting the same battle as you, Les. So far, I have been very lucky this winter, and not gotten the kids "Krud," but I'm afraid my luck has to run out one of these times. I hope not, though!

Anyway, after the boys got off to school, and she was drugged up with tylenol, I did take her out briefly for a haircut and some groceries. The rest of the afternoon we layed low at home. Weekend plans are up in the air now since she has this fever. DS#2 has a b-day pty. to go to tomorrow, and DD is supposed to go to one this Sunday which was canceled last Sun. because of our blizzard. If she's still sick, she might have to miss it:( . And if everyone is healthy, we might do some ice skating on Sat. with the Cub scouts, and a family swim Sunday. We'll just have to wait and see what happens to DD.........???

TGIF and have a good weekend,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

Karen - Sorry that DD is coming down with the bug. If she gets it I hope her reaction is more like mine than LW's. She's still coughing and sounding like she swallowed a frog and it's been almost a week now. :eek: As for me - the extra sleep has done wonders and I'm now down to a little runny nose/congestion and a cough once in a while. I also think resting from exercising today probably helped a little. Did I say that? :confused:

Not a whole lot else to say escept it's nasty cold right now and will be pretty cold in the morning when I go out with the group. Luckily the event doesn't start until 9:00 so... it will be a little warmer.

I hope that Jacki and the ladies in the Carolinas are ready for the nasty weather this weekend. I also hope that the New England crowd is spared.

Peace and have a happy weekend,
Les

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hey gang - I'm feeling better today and there's more good news, LW went to work today. She left the house for the first time in a week (no kidding - the last time she was out of the house was Friday a week ago).

The race went well and we were right on for 25k at the prediction pace. We finished in something like 2:03:10 or just slightly under 8:00 pace (which was our target).

Important indication that you've overspent your energy -- if you get cold and you can't warm up then you've probably "bonked" and are running on serious energy debt (relearned that one this morning -- you'd think I'd remember :rolleyes: ). Luckily it wasn't an "important" race.

Hope everyone's weekend is going well and that everyone is staying warm.

Peace,
Les

[Laura]

Hi Les, I am glad the race went well and you learned a good lesson. How did the ankle hold up? I ran 5 this morning. Once I gave myself the option of doing 5 OR 6, I guess I knew I would stop at 5. But in my defense, my right knee was getting a little sore and there was no reason to push it. 5 miles is still a good workout in my book. I will shoot for 6 next weekend and slowly build back up to 10. That is the level I want to keep myself at so that I can start training for September's half without so much of a buildup. I figure if I keep my long runs between 7 and 10 over the next 6 months until I really start training again, I should be in good shape. Now let's see if that really happens.

[karen w]

Les-Glad the run went well and you are feeling better. I hope you've warmed back up by now!!;) Hmmm, I always thought "bonking" as a verb meaning something quite different!!!:o Ho Hum!! Never mind.....

Laura-Good for you on the five! That's 5 more than I could ever do!

I had a good bike ride this morning, and then set out to improve on a new ab exercise we learned the other day in kickboxing that really left my tummy muscles sore! I only did 3 sets of 10 this morning, but it's a start. And by golly, I'm going to conquer these guys! Rest of the day was in the kitchen while the boys were at Tae Kwon Do, and DD was in the bath....for an hour!!!!!!!!!!! She is still running a fever, but is not acting too sickly. Hard to tell if her appetite is off since she's such a poor eater to begin with anyway(kinda like her mommy was as a kid:o ). Tonight she asked for pizza, and only ate one bite, but she had a decent breakfast and lunch. Unfortunately if she still has a fever tomorrow, she can't go to her b-day party. Anyway, I made stuff for DH to take to work Monday for his yearly "trough-a-thon" at the office. At least, that's what they call it, anyway. It used to be their x-mas party, but there were so many other parties at that time of year and so much holiday junk hanging out at work, that one year they decided to have it in late Jan. instead. And the tradition has continued. So I made some chocolate chunk cookies and prepared the brie kisses for him to take on Monday. I also made us calzones for dinner. Pretty yummy! Tonight is movie night.....POPCORN!!!

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend,
Karen

[JackieO]

Originally posted by karen w
Les-Glad the run went well and you are feeling better. I hope you've warmed back up by now!!;) Hmmm, I always thought "bonking" as a verb meaning something quite different!!!:o
Karen, has anyone ever accused you of having a dirty mind?? :p :o Seriously, hope DD is doing better. It sucks to be sick at any age, but when you're a kid, it's worse!

Les, tsk on the energy deficit, but if your ankle is holding up, more power to you. Glad to hear LW is feeling better.

Guys, I am trying to ward off a mid-winter funk. I'm really lethargic, but I can blame my drug hang-over from Tuesday's scoping procedure and some TOM issues for that. I had Friday off because of the office move, but didn't do much other than go to the gym for a place-holder workout and bake banana bread! :o Today wasn't much better. I really have had to force myself to get moving in the morning, and frankly, the last two days I haven't gotten out of my pajamas until close to noon. :o :eek: I resolve tomorrow will be a more motivated kind of day. I HATE feeling like a slug!

Ok, we're off to watch Saturday Night Live.

Sweet dreams, all.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Originally posted by karen w
Les-Glad the run went well and you are feeling better. I hope you've warmed back up by now!!;)
Once I fed my tummy that great post-run carbo feast of Udon (YUM) and took a long shower I was fine.
Hmmm, I always thought "bonking" as a verb meaning something quite different!!!:o Ho Hum!! Never mind.....
I believe that verb is boink but I could be wrong. ;)

The office party sounds like a total gas. I hope DH enjoys the day (it sounds like he does). Sorry about DD being sick still - like I said yesterday I hope she gets the stuff I did and not the stuff that LW did. That'd be terrible. Congrats on getting the new abs routine in hand (as it were).

Laura - My ankle - it's doing ok. Really no issues during the race which is kind of amazing because we ran on a mixture of concrete and asphalt and not always even (the race is on the back roads of an Army base in Virginia Beach) and up and down all kinds of hills. I've been feeling the miles most of the afternoon, but it's nothing that a little rest today and a mixture of aspirin and tylenol can't keep at bay. As I'd tell the doctor, on a scale of 1 to 10 it's a 1-2. 5 miles on the treadmill is always good. Funny, I have the same "problem" when I run on weekends. If I tell myself I'm running 10 miles I don't seem to have much more energy than to finish 10 or maybe 11. Almost like my body knows how much energy we've bargained for and won't give up another drop. :rolleyes: I agree if you work back up to 7 - 10 miles on weekend long runs you'll be in good stead for next race season.

Well... that's about all the news that's fit to print so until tomorrow - peace and warm thoughts,
Les