Lessons for Today

Lesson #1: If you are going to work out for 2 hours, eat more than a 90 calorie piece of toast for breakfast

Man, I wanted to sleep in this morning. But, I had a session with my trainer and if I missed it, I would still have to pay...so I got up at 5:30 a.m. The latest possible time I could get up and still make it to my 6:00 a.m. session (okay, so I was a little late). Ran around the house to find clothes for work and the gym (of course, I know that I COULD pack my bag the night before, but for some reason I can never actually seem to do this--I don't know. It was save me a lot of grief. Especially on those days when my attempt to get an entire outfit into my bag fail--and that happens more often that I would like to admit). I make a piece of toast (yummy cinnamon raisin kind) and run out the door.

The workout is good. I didn't whine that much and there wasn't too much eye rolling this morning :) All signs of success!

So, after an hour with Scott the trainer, I hop into my car and head out to the gym (Scott is training me at this little gym that doesn't have good cardio equipment). I get there and start my workout around 7:30--an hour on the elliptical. At first I am feeling good, rocking through the "hills" and watching random TV. Then, my legs decide that they just want to stop. This was probably around the 25 minute mark. I convinced myself that it was just because I was on a particularly big "hill", but no, that wasn't it. The little ones were hard too. I kept pushing, but noticed that I was slower and the time seemed to be dragging on and on and on. I thought that the last 15 minutes would never end. And then the cool down. And stretching. By the time I hit the shower it was nearing 9:00 a.m, so a good 3 hours since my 90 calorie piece of toast. Then it hit me...90 calories of fuel does not equal 2 hours of output. Duh!

That leads to lesson number 2: Recovery is imperative (especially if you fail lesson #1 above). After a typical gym workout I have a routine. Hit the locker room and chug about half a bottle of this drink mix that has a good mix of carbs and protein to help my body recover from what I just did to it. I shower, and then drink the rest. If I am doing long sessions of strength and cardio, I will sometimes drink something between them, to keep the body going. Well, today, I didn't even think about my recovery drink. I am blaming it on the effects of #1.

So, I am crashing right now as I type. I need a nap. But it is 10:00 a.m., so no naps for me. I get to work instead! Hopefully my post post-workout attempts at fuel will help and I will be somewhat awake before too long. If not, at least it's Friday!

Cute new shoes

I got a cute pair of pink Converse shoes this weekend at Target (yep, Target and only $30!!). I needed a pair of shoes to wear with my pink poodle skirt, and these did the trick. Unfortunately, I didn't get a good picture of the whole outfit, so you will just have to imagine how cute I looked. I am going to see if I have any pictures to post of that...stay tuned.

But here are the shoes. I love pink :)

Happy Post

Okay, I am tired of debbie downer posts...so here is a random happy post!!

A few of my favorite things...

1)  I love white bed linens...not sure what it is, but all I want is white!  We have tried different colors, but I keep going back.  So, on my shopping list is a white duvet color and some sort of bright pillows for a bit of "punch."  I would love a room like this one from Domino.  

2)  I listen to all sorts of music. One of my guilty pleasures is hip-hop music and old school R&B.  Don't judge me.  It is fun :)

Image from Wiki.

3) I love to be creative.  I feel at peace when I am painting or writing or making something. I am not very good at any of it, but it is very good for my soul.

4)  Chocolate.  What more is there to say?

Okay...now I feel better :)

Damn Shins!

Seriously...can a girl get a break??  I tried to run today---but my shins hurt :(  I am so frustrated.  I just want to run--is that too much to ask???  Grrrrrr...

The silver lining is instead of pouting, I hopped off the treadmill (after only 10 minutes) and pounded out an hour on the elliptical.  **sigh**

Slacker

I have certainly been a blogging slacker lately...I really have just been trying to keep my head above water.  Life has been rough, but I feel like I am coming back around.  This past weekend we went to Yakima to visit my family, which is generally very difficult for me.  I did extremely well under the circumstances.  I even made it through the entire weekend without crying--which has to be some type of record for me--seriously!  It was very nice to come home on Sunday and I feel like I have been pretty productive over the past couple days, which has been good for me.  So, I will keep going, working each day, and hoping the I wake up one morning and feel like me again!

By Michael Monteiro

Finding Jenn

A friend of mine recently passed away and another friend started a knitting/crocheting project in her honor. We are knitting PICC line covers for CF patients. You can find out all of the details HERE.

This is a great excuse to use up your stash, dust off those needles, or learn a new craft :)

Thanks!

Because they make me smile...

My silly husband and dog :)

Radio Silence

I haven't blogged in awhile--it has been a rough few weeks, well to be honest it has been a rough several months! But, we go on, right?

I think that the most difficult thing about the past several months is that my confidence has been shaken--shaken in away that it hasn't been before. That is a struggle, but my confidence has never been that solid. I wish that there was a magic way to find confidence. If you have the trick--send it my way!!

Hard Week

This has been a hard week on a number of levels. The biggest is that a friend passed away--losing her fight with cystic fibrosis. It breaks my heart. Rest in peace Jenn.

Off My Game

I am off my game and have been for awhile. I am not sure what is going on, but I am getting tired of this. So, this serves as an announcement...I am going to find my game....so watch out!

Cool Boo

New Year's Card

I never sent out my Christmas Cards this year, so I decided to make New Year's Cards (haven't sent them out yet either). I like them :)

Etsy Shop

So, one of the things that it on my "list" is to sell something I made.  So to that end, I created a shop on etsy today.  So far the only thing that I have listed is my Warhol-esque Pop Art prints. 

Click HERE to visit :)

What do you think of the name "blonde lawyer creative"?  Is it too weird with "lawyer" in there?  Thanks!

Gift for my hubby

So, you know I **heart** etsy...so much! So, when it was our 10th wedding anniversary...where else would I go?? I found two different rings that I loved, so I ended up getting both for the lucky husband. Here they are:

Copper Riveted Sterling Silver Ring by TammysTreasureChest:

And...Infinity by Grace Ann Hogan:

Both ladies were fabulous to work with and got the rings out super quick. I love them both and so does Gess. We both have a favorite (and are both different of course). What a lucky guy!

Under the weather

I think that I have the stomach flu. It stinks. This is day 2 and I am optimistic because I am feeling better. Oh, and did I say that Gess has it too? So we are two, sickies trying not to annoy the crap out of each other at home on a work day!

This has been a crazy month. For someone that is "healthily" I have sure had a lot of issues! I had an MRI last week to see about my shin pain. That is my immediate concern since it is messing with my training. Then I am also going to work with the doctor on some more overall, holistic health things. I want to feel more health and not always have something going on. Most of the things aren't "big" so I really shouldn't complain, but they do add up. So beware allergies, back, tummy, shins...I am coming after you! :)

My shins are annoying

The shin pain won't go away so I went to see a doctor that my coach recommended. We decided that I should get an MRI to rule out a stress fracture and too see if it can shed some light on what is happening with me. For now that means no running/walking, so this weekend I am swimming and spending some time on my bike. I am frustrated with my body, but trying to stay positive. I had the MRI this morning--it is hard to stay still for an hour!--and will hopefully get the results early next week and then we can decide on the route to go. I hope that it is something that can be fixed and not some funky thing causing my legs to be defective!

From Swissmiss

Track Workout

Track Workout tonight.  I am on a modified schedule because of my shins.  Let me just say, some of these people I run with are amazing!  I can't even tell you how many times I was lapped but you know, it didn't bother me tonight.  I was out there doing what I can given the situation and I know that it is going to improve.  I ended up doing part run, part walk and did a total of 3 miles.  I think that my shins hurt a little less than on Saturday's run, so that's something!  

You know, the crazy thing is that I enjoyed the workout tonight, even though I was hurting and on my modified schedule.  Now that is a good thing :)

I'm giving myself  a gold star for the day!

Sleep--or lack thereof

I have had sleep issues for quite some time. About two years ago, I blogged about my inability to sleep well and how tired I was and a friend of a friend responded to my blog with a sleep doctor recommendation. I called immediately as I was getting rather desperate. As you might be able to tell, I tend to keep a pretty busy schedule, so not having adequate sleep really took a toll on me. I made an appointment with the Virginia Mason Sleep Disorders Clinic. Dr. Lee was great and we talked about the possible causes of my sleep issues, which were actually quite complex. He scheduled a sleep study, where I slept at the hopstial with a million cords and electrodes stuck to me.

I can't remember the exact results, but I was waking up over a hundred times a night--no wonder I wasn't feeling rested! I had minor obstructive sleep apnea and also Restless Leg Syndrome (who knew??). He referred me to an ENT surgeron because of my large tonsils and sinus issues. I had surgery to remove the tonsils and adnoids and also to repair a deviated septum and trim my turbinates. I was amazed at how much better I could breathe, and I didn't even know I was having trouble!


I did another sleep test to see where I was post surgery, and there was still some mild sleep apnea, so he set me up with a CPAP machine. I hate that thing, but wear it sometimes (okay, not that often).


The big problem, however, was being able to fall asleep at all now--insomnia. So, I started on Ambien, and basically took it every night. I did fantastic for a few months--amazed at the amount of engery I had from getting sleep! But lately it has started to get worse again and I was having some problems with the medication.


So, I went to see Dr. Lee again and he put me in an insomnia workshop/clinic. The idea is that people can develop basically a learned response to insomnia, so even if they are not stressed or anxious, they still have sleep issue. It is a 5-6 week treatment and I went to my second session yesterday.


We are starting to try something called Sleep Restriction. The basic idea is that people with insomnia are in bed a lot longer than they actually sleep. So, you restrict the time that they are in bed and make them really tired and hopefully they will start to sleep more of the time that they are in bed. This will also help determine the amount of sleep that I need. So, I am starting that this week, and a bit scared. I am supposed to go to sleep at 11:30 pm and get up at 5:00 am. Everyday. Even on weekends. So, if you see me and I look like I haven't slept in days, you might be right :) But, I am optimistic that this will help and I will be on my road to real sleep without medication!