December 21, 2012

It has been WONDERFUL to have Jeremy home!!!! I did ask him to help me with a HUGE favor while he was home.... We have a squirrel that seems to think MY ATTIC is his vacation home... WRONG!!!! Poor Jeremy, he has tried everything.... There is a hole where this varmit is getting in. There is some inhibiting factors on getting this squirrel. #1 our roof-line has a wierd angle; #2 the side of the hole is on a very steep hill; #3 to go from the inside of the attic you cannot reach the hole due to the wierd angle of this part of the roof.... So Jeremy in PURE military style has taken on the mission of the squirrel... He has borrowed a high powered pellet gun from a friend and has been shooting at it. Now he has been mindful of the recent horrible tragedies where a person has gone nuts and shot people. Plus the other thing, we live very close to a grade school. So YES - he is been cautious of shooting at the squirrel. Now this is a U.S.A. Marine who has a sharp-shooter status... He says that he has hit the squirrel - he thinks in the rear quarters... I did not hear the squirrel yesterday but this morning - HE'S BACK!!!! I could hear him early in the morning, running in the attic and clawing away.... We just had our first blizzard yesterday... so this squirrel is thinking he has a pretty nice deal winter vacation home... No - this is not going to happen... So Jeremy is wrestling with the squirrel that is out-whitting a Sargent in the U.S. Marines.... hummmmmm.... Right now, the only thing is that the poor squirrel has a sore bottom.... I think it may be time for me to treat the squirrel to a nice cocktail... Or go the humane way and use the live trap. Either way - that squirrel is going DOWN!!!!! My running has not gone has well as I have hoped. These shin splints are a bitch! I have received the compression leggings. They really do help ALOT. When I first tried to run with them - I did not have any issues. It wasn't until I was a few miles in that it started acting up. I have really been taking it easy on them. The weather till yesterday has been fairly mild. I have been running outside as much as possible. I have just be running shorter distance and also taking rest days. (That is SO UNHEARD OF for me!!!!) I think I have gotten up to about 5 miles and then it really starts in. The leg wants to give out and it really starts to hurt... I tried to do the treadmill. I don't know what it is - but it JUST ABOUT KILLS me, no matter what the distance. So I have been running on the Cybex - that seems to be MUCH MUCH better. I cannot go as far as fast on those machines.. But it better than not doing anything. Plus they are so EXTREMELY boring --- I just keep thinking I want to go outside and play.... So with my 100K in December challenge... We just figured - I have completed 50 miles (or 80.4672 km). Leaving me 12.13 miles to go and I have 10 days. Now we have Christmas in there so I know that will knock off a day or two. So I have to concentrate on a minimum of 1.5 miles per day to finish. That would even put me over in the number of miles for the challenge. So I am still in the running (LOL) for this challenge... But as always --- I am moving forward. ALWAYS AND FOREVER FORWARD!!!!!

December 7, 2012

Well, we have started the 100K in December challenge. It is not going as well as I would like. I am still dealing with quite a bit of pain and swelling in my calves. I have been doing Epson Salt baths and Ibrophen to help calm things down. It has helped ALOT. I finally went to the Dr. about it... It was not my regular Dr... but he suggested to have compression sleeves on my calves.... So I have ordered some that are designed for runners they should be here today. I am hoping that they fit properly and that they help. Right now, I have been keeping my running distances short. The weather here has been so WONDERFUL this week that I have been running from Sunday through Wednesday in shorts!!!! Yesterday, I finally had to break out the underarmor pants again. I try to take advantage of the weather whenever possible. This time of year - you just don't know. So far it has been so incredibly mild. For me this is GREAT!!!! But my legs don't want to play... So now they are thinking that I have Shin Splints... YUCK!!!! So the only thing is to lower the mileage and have compression on the calves. Oh well.... we knew that sooner or later I would probably develop a runner's issue... I finally have... But I have been running quite a bit even with my issue --- I am up to 26 miles in this challenge of the 100K in December. Overall for the year, I have done 1,035 miles in 2012... So now to have shin splint issues - are we really surprized!!! No... But it does hurt... So today I have deemed as a run rest day... I have ran 6 days straight with no breaks... I will still get my exercise in... I will go to BodyPump tonight for an hour, that will be my exercise for the day. Tomorrow, morning I plan to get a run in before I leave for Madison, WI for the day... I don't know if it is because I am having these issues with the shin splints --- but I have noticed increased issues with my restless leg syndromes. Sometimes driving from work to home (about 1/2 hour) is absolutely horrible. My damn leg wants to jump all over the place... Not cool, especially when it is the leg that controls the pedals... I hate that... It doesn't happen all the time when I am sitting - just some times... The other really Hell is at night - it wakes me up and feels like there are hot ants crawling up and down them... This is why I do not sleep very long. You say, there are drugs to help you.... Yes, I have TWO different anti-spasm drugs that I take at night... This does help ALOT - this way I do get some hours of sleep... I do not take and do not want sleep drugs... I just need the nerves to calm down. But I do not want to take so many drugs that I am a zombie and cannot function. I have a very busy and productive life. I also thrive and LOVE being busy and productive... It would kill me if I was a slobbering veggie in a corner somewhere.... That is what I keep fighting and will continue to fight!!!!!! I will survive shin splints, cuts, bruises... but the MS will not have an open door to distroy my body... That I will fight anyway I can... The running has helped me progress SO VERY VERY much... It has been an amazing journey. I absolutely embrace it daily and am very thankful!!!! All I can do is continue my fight... every way I can... Plus, I have already made my committment to my running goals for 2013. #1 - 10 mile Syttendi Mai run in May... then #2 half marathon in the fall... Then of course, there is all the 5 and 10K's that I will do through the season... I need to get over the shin splint and hopefully start working on maybe doing some long runs now and then... I need to keep those up during the winter... It would be nice to do 12 to 14 miles like once a month.... just till spring... Then I can really start working towards the 10 mile race... I liked what I did this year of running my 12 mile route once a week... This is good to continue. I will probably go the same route it is a good route with lots of challenges... Right now, the goal is to take it easy on the mileage but still finish my 100k challenge by Dec 31st. The other is to finish all my Christmas projects. Plus, we are SO VERY EXCITED that my son will be home for Christmas with his new girlfriend. That will be so nice to have the whole family around the table!!!! That is what REALLY makes me HAPPY!!!!! Isn't that what the Christmas season is supposed to be about??? We rejoice in the birth of our Savior but also to celebrate and enjoy each other!!!!! I know that is what it means to me!!!!!