Gator Football is Back!!!!

The Olympics end and College Football starts, isn't life grand!!

Monday:
Running: Rest Day :)
Karate: Went to 5pm class! Yes, the early one. And why is that? Well, we had to change out the hopper at work (the machine that that drops the empty prescription vials into the labeler). The change out had to happen after hours and since they were working in the pharmacy, there has to be a pharmacist on duty. I didn't have a large number of pharmacists volunteer to work late; ok, no-one volunteered for Monday night and only 1 person signed up for Tuesday night. So, I left at 3pm, went to karate at 5pm and came back at 7pm to "babysit" the pharmacy and was there till 12:45am. It ended up being a great night for 2 reasons; (1) since it was "quiet", I got a lot of work done!!!; and, (2) the guys got everything done on Monday so we didn't need the pharmacist for Tuesday night (this saved a lot of overtime dollars!!!).

Tuesday:
Running: 7.14 miles in 1:17:34
Karate: No class tonight because of Home & School Meeting :(

Wednesday:
Running: 5.66 miles in 1:03:09.
Karate: I don't remember why, but I'm sure there was a good reason why I didn't go to class on Wednesday.....hmmm..... it's that darn CRS acting up again....

Thursday:
Running: Rest day
Karate: I didn't make it to class and I definitely know why. "He who must not be named" left the kids at the house with grandma. This meant I would have to take them to karate. When I told them that, they refused. This is going to be my biggest challenge in working towards my 2nd degreee blackbelt; getting in all my classes between my schedule and the kid's and "he who must not be named"'s schedule. Ugh....

Friday
Running: Rest day
Karate: I didn't make it to class (again). At work we had to run an Open Refill File for a plan that moved to another mail order provider. We couldn't run the file till end of day and then it had to be reviewed and signed off by a pharmacist. Although I assigned a RPH on staff, responsibility still fell on me and since this was the 1st ourbound open refill file under my "directorship", I coudn't go to karate class in case there were any problems. So......for the week, I only ended up with 1 karate classes and zero SWAT classes. This means, I will be in make up mode for the next couple of weeks.

Saturday
Running: 8.06 miles in 1:32:13 at CPS. It was a good run; not great.
Karate: The dojo was closed for the holiday weekend.
Football: Gators vs. Hawaii: W52-10. It was a good game; lots of good plays by the offense, defense and special teams. Tim Tebow wasn't "explosive", but hey, this was the 1st game and it wasn't a ranked team. No need to go out and take excessive risks. But next week.......we play Miami!!! I can't wait!!!!

Sunday:

Running: 8.10 miles in 1:30:43; again at CPS.

• My heel pain is the same; not better, not worse. It still "cracks" when I flex it and I can see/feel the protrusion. I'm not sure whether it's really a bone spur or bursits, but either way, I've decided to start back up on the Aleve (naproxen sodium), taking 440mg BID; I'm planning on taking it continuously for 2-3 weeks then re-evaluate.

This was a "stormy" week. We started the week off with several days of rain thanks to Hurricane Fay, since we were in the "dirty side" (north east quadrant) of the storm. We ended the week with rain thanks to the feeder bands of Hurricane Gustov. And right now, there's Hurrican Hanna knocking on our door with Tropical Storm Ike right behind her. I'm so "Weather Channeled" out!!

Till next week,

Uz drīz redzēšanos! (see you soon in Latvian!)

Dani

The Beijing Olympics

Well, it's been 2 weeks since my last post. And it's no coincidence that it's the same amount of time that I was glued to my TV watching the Olympics. Yes, I will admit it. I am an Olympics junkie.


Normally, I am not a big TV watcher. Maybe the local news while I'm getting ready in the morning, or in the evening, some HGTV or the Food Network; if I have some spare time (yeah right!). Usually I have so much going on that I don't have time for TV. But, there are 2 things that will guarantee that I will be glued to the TV; (1) the Olympics and (2) Gator football.


The Olympics

• The Olympics were awesome this year for a number of reasons.....
• #1: Michael Phelps; need I say anything more?
• #2: 41 year old Dara Torres and the 38 year old Rumania ladies marathon gold medalist. They proved you don't have to be in your early 20's to Win!
• #3: My kids are at the age where they really got into the Olypmics; they are at that "impressionable age" where they appreciate the athleticism and competitiveness; and they are inspired! Lauren really enjoyed watching Michael Phelps. Ryan and I watched the mens marathon. After watching that, he came to a much greater appreciation of my marathon finish (although my time was way off the Olympic record!).

I think this Olympics broadcast was the most diverse that I've seen, The kids were able to see a wide variety of different sports, much more than they are typically exposed to. NBC did a great job in their broadcasts; and I always enjoy watching Bob Costas and Chris Collingsworth.




Watching the swimming and diving has made an impact on my kids. Last week, Ryan asked to go to the Ft. Lauderdale Swimming Hall of Fame pool. We started out at the diving boards. The 1 meter spring board was great. We were able to do our dives. Moving up to the 3 meter springboard was a bit more nerve-racking. I did 2 front dives. I now know why the Olympic lady divers wear a one-piece bathing suit. Both of my dives resulted in me losing my bottoms. Let's hope I made enough splash to cover my "moonings"!!! Ryan wanted to dive off the high board so bad. The lifeguard, myself, and other people around the diving area gave him so much encouragement. But ultimately, he couldn't do it.

Watching the closing ceremonies, both kids mentioned they would like to go to the Olympics. We talked about what it would take to get to the 2012 Olympics and it is an attainable goal. So, the goal is now printed and hanging on the office wall; "London 2012".

Gator Football
College football gets started for me this coming Saturday, August 30th; UF vs. Hawaii! But the game I've been waiting 3 years for is the following Saturday, September 6th; UF vs. UM. And it is at the Swamp. Oh, how cool it would be to be at that game. I can only dream. I am so looking forward to UF kicking some UM ass!!! And then rubbing it in to all the UM fans that I must deal with on a daily basis.

Training: Running
I've gotten in a number of runs in the past couple weeks.

• Wednesday: 6.16 miles; 1:07:40
• Thursday: 3 miles; 28:46
• Friday: 5.81 miles; 59:38
• Saturday: 6.92 1:13:12; AND!! 1 mile timed run: 7:12
• Sunday: 7.25; 1:15:48
• Total mileage: 30.14!!!!
• Monday: 4.14; 38:12
• Wednesday: 6.09; 1:01:33
• Saturday: 2: 15:12
• Sunday: 6.02; 58:43
• Total Mileage: 18.25 YUCK!!!
• As of today (8/26/08), only 67 more days till my marathon!! I changed my flight to NY, deciding to come in a day sooner so I can go to the expo on Friday and leave Saturday as a "rest up" day.
• Right now I'm at that stage where I am half excited and half scared. Mostly the half scared part since I'm not getting in as much "hill training" as I know I need.

Training: Karate

So far the month of August has been a good month for my karate training. I've gotten in my classes, SWAT classes, my "extras" strength workouts and runs. My timed runs have gone great. I'm confident in my forms. My weapon katas are much better and I finally have American Bo Form down and getting my details tight. I've been working on my bugo (sparring) skills and my confidence is bugo is improving.

The Rest of My Life

The realtor is coming by tomorrow night so that the house can be put on the market. There's still lots that needs to be done to "stage" the house. Plus, this Labor Day weekend I need to study for my Nebraska MPJE pharmacy law exam scheduled for the 2nd week of September. UGH, so much to do, so little time........

Speaking of time, it's time for me to post this blog!

Ciao!

Dani

Vacation, aaaaahhhhh!!!

It's vacation week, Yeah!!! It's a not-going-anywhere, stay-at-home-and-get-things-done-before-school-starts vacation, whew! What that really means is I'll actually have time to write and post my blog on time! So prepare yourself, this is going to be a longgggggg one!


Monday.....

• I did my run before karate class, running from the dojo to 62nd street and back, then out to 56th street and back for 3.1 miles in 28:19. I was very pleased with the time since every mile was under 10 minutes. And with the Florida August heat and humidity, I was a huffin and a puffin to make that time! My face was so red and stayed that way for quite some time. No matter how good in shape I may be, my face always gets red. I guess it's my fair Irish skin!!!



• After the run, I went into the dojo to SWAT. Changed from my running clothes to my gi and realized I didn't bring my belt. Starting the week off well aren't I?!?!?!? I like SWATting the adult novice class because it's only 45 minutes and the time just flies by.
  


• In my class, we did a decent warm up. Then the class was split off and I went with the demo group. Everyone got assigned to different things. I was with the black belts doing bookset. For the "finale" we did X-block and then went right into 2 count kicking with a staggered crescent kick.

Tuesday........

• It's so nice to be able to go to the morning karate class!! We did our warm up, partner work and then finally got to do American Bo Form. We do it so irregularly that it's hard for me to get it down 100%. After class, Jonathan stayed to work on it with me and 3 others.



• Next we dropped the girlie off at her friends house. Then the little guy and I started staging the house. He helped me move some furniture around and make things looks more "saleable". We took a break and went swimming in the pool. Ryan and I decided to race and halfway through, here comes Ali (our dog) jumping in to "save us". She landed right on my back so I now have a nice scratch across my back. Ali is a great dog, but any activity in the pool (eg. splashing, going down the slide, going underwater) and she thinks we are in danger and it is her job to save us.
  


• Later on, we ran out to Target for a few things and then picked up the girlie. For dinner, I made coconut-mango chicken with black beans; it was yummy, although neither kid liked the mango part. Ryan was psyched because he made fries and they came out great.
  


• After dinner we finished our "staging" work in the living room, family room and office. Then it was "chilax" time. Kids on the computer, mom with a class of wine. aaaahhhhh
  

Wednesday.....

• My foot doctor appointment finally arrived. About 2-3 months ago, I started having pain in my heel. This was around the same time I bought new running shoes. I was looking for a lighter pair and ended up switching from my trusted Brooks to Nike air pegasus. The back of the heel area on the Nike felt "taller" and I thought maybe that was the cause of the heel pain. But, I figured that was probably just a coincidence and I kept using the Nikes.



• The pain was in the back part of the heel and after doing some research on the web, it looked like it probably was bursitis. Rest and anti-inflammatory drugs were the usual recommendations, but it also suggested wearing open-backed shoes, which I did. About a month ago I finally made an appointment because the heel wasn't improving.
  


• And as fate would have it, once I made the appointment, the heel finally started getting better. But, it didn't completely go away so I went ahead and kept the appointment. The running store had recommended the podiatrist I ended up seeing and he was awesome. He took a full history, listened to everything I said, asked lots of questions and did a full foot examination. He spent a good amount of time with me, which was very nice.



• For the diagnosis, heel spurs brought on tendonitis/bursitis which most likely was caused by the Nikes. The doctor explained that the nike "air" is causing my heel to "drop" down lower, which means my calf (which is chronically tighter from last years injury) is being overstretched and causing the tendonitis/bursitus in the heel and subsequent bone spur.



• I'm sure I butchered his explanation, but it all made sense when he said it. He asked about my NSAID use and I said I use IBU after my long runs; that's about it. I explained to him that I am OK with taking meds PRN, but I'm a terrible "regular" medicine taker. He recommended I take Aleve BID x 7 days to really try to knock out the inflammation. He also suggested I increase my calf exercises/stretching and use heel inserts. He then asked about any other "running" pain and I mentioned my knee/IT and we discussed that for a while. Overall, I was really impressed. Now we'll just have to wait to see how the aleve and heel inserts work.



• I went to the early (5pm) karate class. I was kind of surprised that there weren't more people; there were probably only around 6 black belts there. That night, I ran 4.04 around the neighborhood in 36:59.

Thursday

• Started the day with a 5.08 run in 49:33. Then it was off to morning karate class. I stayed after class again to get in more renshu time on the bo. I think I actually have it down pretty good. Now I just have to work on the details.


• I met 2 friends who I used to work with at Aetna for dinner. It was great catching up on everything. Plus, the philly steak wrap was awesome!!

Friday

• I had thought about doing my long run this morning, but decided to sleep in instead since I rarely get the opportunity to do that. When we finally got up, YAWN!!!, we decided to go to the beach. I had a good time watching them boogey board. After the beach, we stopped at Kilwins for some ice cream. Once we got back home, all the kids went into the pool.
  


• Candidate class was on Friday night again this week (instead of it's "normal" Saturday morning time slot). We started out with the katas; appreciation form, short 1, long 1, short 2, short 3, bookset, XMA form 1, and XMA form 2. Then we did partner work on kicking skills. We did a "circle" bag workout; with 3 different kick combos. We finished class with weapons. First was chucks; XMA chuck form 1 and then Chuck form 2 for the black belts. I totally screwed that one up. I had reviewed Chuck form 1 and confused them. Ugh!!! Next was Kamaset form 2, I bonked on the double crescent kick but rocked the rest of the form. Then, all the people who remembered Kamaset 1 performed that kata; I love kamaset 1!!! I had 1 little misstep, but otherwise did really well. The last weapon work was American Bo Form. Only the black belts did this and it was done at performance speed. I made it through the kata, but I don't have all the details down at that speed. But overall, I was very happy with my performance tonight.



• At the end of class, Master KC reminded everyone of the timed run for Saturday. I told her that I was running a 5k in the morning and depending on timing, may or may not show up for the timed run. She said I could just give her my time for the 5k.
  


• Then finally it arrived! The Olympics Opening Ceremony. I was so happy to see Sarah Brightman, she's one of my faves!!! Seeing all the nations in the procession, with their garb and smiles, was awesome. The lighting of the torch was impressive; the gymnast "running" around the rim of the stadium was so cool!
  

Saturday.....

• Today was the ING Kick Off 5k at Birch State Park. I got there about 15 minutes before start time. I parked up front and had a mile to walk to the starting line. The starting area was narrow so I walked to the back of the group and there I saw John and Summer from the GFLRR club.


• The race was just shy of 2 laps in Birch State Park. The aroma from the mangroves was pretty nauseating at times, but overall the race was great. I finished in 27:53 and was very happy with my time. It wasn't a PR, but considering the heat and humidity, it was a solid time.

Sunday.....

• Long run day! I had thought about doing the GFLRR Sunday run at Deerfield Beach. But I was slow to get up and dressed. So, I did my old "beach run", starting at the Sea Ranch Lakes Publix and going south on A1A to the Yankee Clipper and then back to Publix. I ended up with 12.04 miles in 2:23:32.

Vacation Ends.....

• For the week, I got in 5 karate classes, 2 SWATS, 4 extras, and 5 runs for 27.89 miles!


• The kids and I did some fun things and I had time to do a good amount of cooking! But as usual, the week went by too quickly!

Dani