Running As Fast As I Can Just To Stay in Place

muscles and nerves

I spent the entire weekend limping around with my left hip sporadically twinging when I least expected it. Then I realized that I hadn't been taking my fish oil or Vitamin D lately. Ugh. My husband suggested that I look into getting the dog some leg braces so I've been researching my options. I called my vet but of course she has no experience with this sort of injury and had to consult the more senior doc. He's the one who initially diagnosed our dog with the first CCL rupture and suggested surgery.

Funny how he never mentioned braces as an option. But he didn't push it either since it's outrageously expensive, and our dog is so high-strung that he'd never put up with wearing a cone for 6-8 weeks, or go to rehab 3X weekly. He doesn't like car rides, has chewed through chain link fencing, busted down crate doors, and is generally just a big furry baby who wants to sit on my lap through it all. Okay.

Because the dog is not a surgical candidate, I think braces are the only option to give him a reasonable life. He's alert and happy most of the time, even at 13 so I can't even imagine euthanizing him just because his knees are broken. His right leg works reasonably well, but since it's also damaged, it just isn't strong enough to support his full weight for more than a few minutes at a time. So he can stand, and walk a few steps, but then it's just too painful and strenuous for him. I've been using the hip harness, and even after we get stifle braces for his legs, we'll probably continue to use the hip harness to give him support. Those braces aren't cheap either!

So it is with some trepidation that I get myself to the gym this morning. I take it slow and easy, trying to find the right position for my foot on the Cross-trainer so that I don't feel my anterior hip. After 30 minutes, I actually forget all about the twinge. It never arises during my entire workout. Not during push ups, pull ups, crunches, Smith inclined benching, Smith SLDLs, Smith one-leg squats, or even the last 30 minutes of cardio on the Precor.

It's only once I get home and have to step over the dog that something twists amiss, and I get a twinge. Ugh. I spent yesterday on the phone with the generator repair guy, going over their bill and estimate. They're two towns over and about 20 minutes away. Well, oops, they punched in the wrong location code and billed me $225 too much for travel time. WTF? For the estimate, the fellow tells me that he can piggyback the voltage regulator express shipping charge of $250 onto another item they're ordering for a major cable company. And then he tries to cut the installation estimate time so that's another $50. But, he warns me, if the tech they send out runs into issues, they'll have to charge for additional time. Okay.

So that's over $500 I've managed to get dropped off the cost of repairing my generator. With Hurricane Season off to an early start this year, I think it prudent to have all my emergency equipment in good working order. My electrician suggests replacing my 20 yr old 5 kw unit with a brand new 7 kw one. Bare bones cost and installation runs around $4K. I tell him about my dog, and he tells me that his wife doesn't even tell him what their dog's medical bills are anymore, and we table that discussion. As long as we do our maintenance work, we should be able to keep our unit running for a few more years. Whew!

I have an eye doc appt tomorrow for my annual Visual Field test. It'll tell me how much more vision I've lost to glaucoma. It's not suppose to be noticeable, but now that I know what the vision loss looks like (courtesy of a very informative chart in my glaucoma specialist's office), I'm aware of the weird small, fuzzy grey "dead spot" in the center of my vision that only appears on a bright field of black text on white pages. Thank goodness it's sporadic and infrequent. I had my pressure checked a few weeks ago, and I was disappointed that they were 14 and 15. Too high for someone like me. Ugh.

After the eye doc, I'm going to head to the gym and whack the machine a bit. I like to change up my routines so this week I figure I'd do full body today, kickboxing tomorrow, Chest and Shoulders on Thursday, and Back and Legs on Friday. It's a plan at least. Trying hard not to get too decrepit too fast. I've still got so much more stuff to do before the summer starts... Ugh.

Tuesday Workout
(6.4 miles total cardio; 22,779 lbs moved)

Cross Trainer

Steady State

Calorie :   138 CAL
Distance: 3.83 mile
Speed :    7.65 mph
Duration : 00:30:06

Hammer Grip Pull Up

209.07

Set 1 : 112x26

Wide Hand Pushup

100

Set 1 : 100 Lap/Rep

Crunches

50

Set 1 : 50 Lap/Rep
Set 2 : 50 Lap/Rep
Set 3 : 50 Lap/Rep

Smith Machine Incline Bench Press

112

Set 1 : 30x20
Set 2 : 50x12
Set 3 : 70x12
Set 4 : 80x12
Set 5 : 50x20

Smith Machine Stiff Legged Deadlift

182

Set 1 : 30x20
Set 2 : 80x12
Set 3 : 100x12
Set 4 : 120x12
Set 5 : 130x12
Set 6 : 90x15

Smith Machine Single Leg Split Squat

98

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 50x12
Set 3 : 70x12

Cybex Twist

new machine

Set 1 : 5x25

Hammer Grip Pull Up

227.73

Set 1 : 112x31

Elliptical Training

Prgm#3

Calorie :   291 CAL
Distance: 2.57 mile
Duration : 00:30:00

Hammer Grip Pull Up

224

Set 1 : 112x30

Momemtum

 Yes, I'll probably be posting Bowie videos here each day until that awful raw feeling passes...

The school district cancelled all after-school sports and activities in anticipation of the first snowfall for the year. But the snow didn't actually come until 9:30 pm, and then it was only a half inch. Still, the temperature was low enough that roads and walkways would be icy if not tended to, so I swept our property for 15 minutes this morning. I thought briefly about going back to bed afterwards, but I was already dressed for the gym, and besides, I had the car warming up. So off to the gym...

It's a routine day... nothing spectacular, but it's done. I only did two sets of pull ups today, bookending my workout, but added a few rows in the middle. To keep things fresh! I can see the horseshoe in my triceps but I'm not skilled enough to photograph them properly. What I like is seeing the irregular edges of the muscles, even though my body fat is still pretty high (from a bodybuilding perspective). But my triceps are really big so I try hard to balance them out by working the rear delts and upper back muscles. When I do DB Reverse Inclined Flyes, I try to alternate between two different positions in order to hit the muscles differently. Five reps with my arms angled slightly closer to my body, five reps with my arms more perpendicular, then alternating positions for the next five reps. No wonder I'm sore.

I'm experimenting with my foods again. Eating Greek-style yogurt with maple syrup for breakfast doesn't really stop me from leaving the gym famished. But it's better than working out on just coffee. I like mixing my vanilla whey protein powder into slightly cooled oatmeal. It makes the cereal creamier and I'm full for a few hours. If I just drink my protein mixed with lactose-free non-fat milk, I drop weight. If I eat protein with oatmeal for the afternoon meal, my weight is stable.

I've re-installed the Sirius radio app on my phone just to listen to their Bowie tribute channel (30), which will run until next Sunday. I listen to Sirius radio in my car because it's near impossible to get a clear radio frequency here, surrounded by "mountains". Or I select one of 6 pre-loaded CDs, because my car is old enough to have a multi-CD player. New cars dispense with all that and assume everyone either has MP3s or is live-streaming.

At the end of my workout, I'm once again faced with doing that one last set of pull ups. And again, I get to 15 and just hang there for a moment before taking as deep a breath as I can (damn near impossible while hanging by your hands), and pulling myself up five more times. That last pull up is really hard and I only get my nose to the bar. Good enough. Done!

Wednesday Workout
(6.54 miles total cardio)

Cross Trainer

Steady State

Calorie :   127 CAL
Distance: 3.88 mile
Speed :    7.75 mph
Duration : 00:30:00

Hammer Grip Pull Up

165

Set 1 : 110x15

Wide Hand Pushup

50

Set 1 : 50 Lap/Rep

Plank

Regular/Elbow

Set 1 : 00:00:30
Set 2 : 00:00:30
Set 3 : 00:00:30
Set 4 : 00:00:30

T-Push Up

30

Set 1 : 30 Lap/Rep

Plank

Bird Dog

Set 1 : 00:00:30
Set 2 : 00:00:30
Set 3 : 00:00:30
Set 4 : 00:00:30

T-Push Up

50

Set 1 : 50 Lap/Rep

Plank

Side

Set 1 : 00:00:30
Set 2 : 00:00:30
Set 3 : 00:00:30
Set 4 : 00:00:30

Diamond Push Up

50

Set 1 : 50 Lap/Rep

Barbell Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

165

Set 1 : 50x25
Set 2 : 70x25
Set 3 : 90x25

Cable One Arm Seated Row

63

Set 1 : 30x12
Set 2 : 45x12
Set 3 : 45x12

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

35

Set 1 : 20x12
Set 2 : 20x12
Set 3 : 20x12
Set 4 : 25x8
Set 5 : 25x10
Set 6 : 25x12 SuperSet with

Dumbbell Reverse Flyes

37.5

Set 1 : 20x15
Set 2 : 20x15
Set 3 : 20x15
Set 4 : 25x12
Set 5 : 25x15
Set 6 : 25x15

Barbell Reverse Curl

73.33

Set 1 : 40x25
Set 2 : 40x25
Set 3 : 40x25

Elliptical Training

Prgm#2

Calorie :   305 CAL
Distance: 2.66 mile
Duration : 00:30:00

Hammer Grip Pull Up

183.33

Set 1 : 110x20 Yaaay!

Mourning That Which Is Not Lost

David Bowie, dead at 69. Just barely 69. Younger than my mother was. My mother passed three days before her 70th birthday. Bowie had a profound impact on the world. My mother, once full of promise, spent her years battling demons that left her more a "hungry ghost" than anything else, full of want, longing and regret. So why am I surprised to find my chest heavy knowing that this iconic figure from my youth is gone? Why do I mourn? He left so much music, art and humor. There are countless videos posted online of concerts and interviews. His image is everywhere. He is not lost. He's here among us, within us. At least that's what I tell myself.

Watching videos from the last album, BlackStar. Did he know? Of course he knew. Watching how the beautiful handle their descent into decay. Does it give comfort? At first, I am relieved because at age 50, 56, and even 60, he's still beautiful. But he's not immortal. By the end, his face is puffy yet gaunt, the eye sockets hollow, neck draped in thin folds of loose skin. This is how we age. And die. He's in control of our perception of his passing. He's a guide, steadying our gait as we balk, withdrawing from the light now that his time is over.

The workout today is routine. I see T-push ups demonstrated on a morning show as I pedal the Cross-Trainer. But today, I get 50 my second set (3rd set of push ups). It was hard, but I feel very satisfied having finally done it. As I've mentioned before, I take a long time to "warm up". I also get 50 Diamond push ups. Yaaay! The DB delt routine is standard. The top of my right forearm feels odd so I don't want to push too hard on anything elbow-related. Which means no Drag Curls. But it's time to do a few sets of RG BB Curls, because it's forearms!

The gym crowd comes in waves. Empty at 9 am. Crowded at 9:30. Empty at 10:30. Crowded at 11. That last set of pull ups is really hard. Or rather, the last 3 reps in a 15-rep set is really hard. Always. I'm not happy about that. It makes me feel weak.

Monday Workout
(6.43 miles total cardio)

Cross Trainer

Steady State

Calorie :   137 CAL
Distance: 3.87 mile
Speed :    7.75 mph
Duration : 00:30:00

Hammer Grip Pull Up

165

Set 1 : 110x15

Wide Hand Pushup

50

Set 1 : 50 Lap/Rep

Plank

Regular

Set 1 : 00:00:30
Set 2 : 00:00:30
Set 3 : 00:00:30
Set 4 : 00:00:30

T-Push Up

30

Set 1 : 30 Lap/Rep

Bird Dog Plank

N/A

Set 1 : 00:00:30
Set 2 : 00:00:30
Set 3 : 00:00:30
Set 4 : 00:00:30

T-Push Up

50

Set 1 : 50 Lap/Rep

Side Plank

N/A

Set 1 : 00:00:30
Set 2 : 00:00:30
Set 3 : 00:00:30
Set 4 : 00:00:30

Diamond Push Up

50

Set 1 : 50 Lap/Rep

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

35

Set 1 : 20x12
Set 2 : 20x12
Set 3 : 20x12
Set 4 : 25x8
Set 5 : 25x10
Set 6 : 25x12 SuperSet with

Dumbbell Reverse Flyes

37.5

Set 1 : 20x15
Set 2 : 20x15
Set 3 : 20x15
Set 4 : 25x12
Set 5 : 25x15
Set 6 : 25x15

Hammer Grip Pull Up

165

Set 1 : 110x15

Barbell Reverse Curl

73.33

Set 1 : 40x25
Set 2 : 40x25
Set 3 : 40x25

Elliptical Training

Perf Prgm#1

Calorie :   294 CAL
Distance: 2.59 mile
Duration : 00:30:00

Hammer Grip Pull Up

165

Set 1 : 110x15

New Year, Same Goals

I vegged out for more than an entire week so I'm curious to see the effects. Weight gain is unsurprising (gym scale today shows 111.8 lbs) but I suspect a lot of that is water since my face seems kind of puffy. Loss of cardio endurance is sad but also not unexpected. Strength is my best, most enduring feature. Luckily, I should be able to recoup my losses fairly quickly although age is against me. I'm trying to prepare myself for the inevitable, when I look in the mirror and the skin seems a little loose where it shouldn't be. I'm sure that'll be happening more and more...

Cardio is hard today. No surprise. Pull ups are hard. Again, no surprise. I've decided to cut back on reps and change my routine a little. Wide hand push ups are okay but T-push ups are harder than they should be. Do a push up, then rotate one side up with an arm facing the ceiling. Then back down, do another push up and rotate the other side up. They seem a lot like Side Planks except your feet stay in the push up position. In total, I could only do 50 but I'm not sure exactly what part of me got tired!

I'm easing back into some light weights and do a few sets of RG BB Rows at the Max Rack, and then some Inclined Bench Presses on the Smith. Those actually felt pretty good. Maybe I've missed benching after all? The DB Laterals are hard, and harder when I up the weight. I know my form isn't great but I'm looking for endurance, not necessarily pretty muscles. Pretty muscles are always welcomed, but I'm not a bodybuilder, not looking to compete. I just want to be the envy of all my friends, and strangers alike. Kidding. Or not.

Dang those Hammer Grip Pull Ups. Take a week off and the last 3 are really hard. For every set. There's no place to do them in my house. There is a pull up bar in the garage, with a hammer grip no less, but I can't reach it because of all the wood beams and 20' ladders lying on the floor there and there's literally no other place to put those items. So my husband can work out there, but I'm limited to the elliptical and push ups. Which was the perfect excuse for me to not do anything at all.

Winter is here, but hopefully not for too long. Tomorrow temps should be in the mid-teens so I'll be driving my son to the school bus stop. He has a class trip to the Stone Barns Farm where the kids will be gathering eggs from the hen house (good luck with that!) and vegetables from a winter greenhouse. He also has orchestra later, so he'll have to bring his viola. At least I'll get to the gym early. And then I'll be able to drag some clothes off to the Good Will, and maybe hit a few more stores for Cub Scouts booster sales for the Blue & Gold Banquet program. Bleah! At least I get to whack the machine tomorrow.

Back to the Grind Workout
(6.25 total miles cardio)

Cross Train

Steady State

Calorie :   133 CAL
Distance: 3.66 mile
Speed :    7.31 mph
Duration : 00:30:00

Hammer Grip Pull Up

168

Set 1 : 112x15

Wide Hand Pushup

50

Set 1 : 50 Lap/Rep

Plank

Elbow : 00:00:30
Straight : 00:00:30
Elbow : 00:00:30

T-Push Up

20

Set 1 : 20 Lap/Rep

Bird Dog Plank

Set 1 : 00:00:30
Set 2 : 00:00:30
Set 3 : 00:00:30
Set 4 : 00:00:30

T-Push Up

30

Set 1 : 30 Lap/Rep

Side Plank

Set 1 : 00:00:30
Set 2 : 00:00:30
Set 3 : 00:00:30
Set 4 : 00:00:30

Barbell Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

125

Set 1 : 55x25
Set 2 : 65x20
Set 3 : 75x20

Smith Machine Incline Bench Press

126

Set 1 : 30x15
Set 2 : 50x12
Set 3 : 70x12
Set 4 : 80x12
Set 5 : 90x12

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

35

Set 1 : 20x12
Set 2 : 20x12
Set 3 : 20x12
Set 4 : 25x8
Set 5 : 25x10
Set 6 : 25x12 SuperSet with

Dumbbell Reverse Flyes

37.5

Set 1 : 20x15
Set 2 : 20x15
Set 3 : 20x15
Set 4 : 25x12
Set 5 : 25x15
Set 6 : 25x15

Hammer Grip Pull Up

168

Set 1 : 112x15

Elliptical Training

Prgm#1

Calorie :   295 CAL
Distance: 2.59 mile
Duration : 00:30:00

Hammer Grip Pull Up

168

Set 1 : 112x15