A Jog in the Sunshine

After the success and failures of Tuesday, the family spent Wednesday shopping.
Ah retail therapy.
We started by finding a replacement for Sam's towable trailer. After parting with a little over $135 we had a replacement for the old one with the disintegrating straps. All is not lost however. The old one is to be converted into a Scottie trailer for use later this year. Al has a cruising bike and this will go behind her. It will be for comfy trail use only!
Sam was very against going out today. I think he was needing a break after the previous two days.
I changed into my Hippo gear and after a reasonable amount of stretching while the Garmin figured out where it was, off I went.
I decided to be a little adventurous and take to the less prepared trails where I could. I set out along the earth dam again and then hit the hard trails.
I was again following the FatLoss4Life.com plan. Kind of. If I felt I could I went further jogging than the plan called for, if the legs were getting tired, then I went short. Let's just call it an adaptation.
What I realized as I went on was that I rely on the speed of the music to really pace me. Some tracks on the MP3 get skipped while others are sought out to help with a difficult stage. I think I need to start a "What got me home" music list.
I felt winded pretty early into the trip. after about a mile and a half I was hurting. I couldn't figure out why but felt a little congested in the upper airways. I though my allergies were done for the year. Maybe not.
I pressed on.
I went higher up the valley and found a gravel trail I had not used before. This is another treat of living here. Lots of places to explore.
I selected a Norman Cook remix of a Tim Deluxe track and went for it. About half way up I spooked a whitetail doe in the long grass and she bounded away. Rabbits were out and the sun was sitting just above the western hill. Magic.
I finally turned for home and was back in 1:06 after 4.38 miles.The pace was not stellar, 14.51. That winded section really did me in. The Garmin claimed 817 Kal so a lot of good hill work on this run/walk. BGL pre was 146 and post it was 100! Way to bring down the A1C.

Pounding the pavement (and the mud, and the grass)

Another weekend of fun and joy has passed in the world of Progressive Care. I am once again able to not stress about charting, medication interaction and wild 88 year olds who wish to claw the very skin from my face. That's when they are not biting. This did happen to me one week ago. I was able to successfully discharge the patient back to whence she came during this past weekend. My right arm still reminds me of the Tdap had on Tuesday after the clawing.

I was finally able to get out with Sam today, the first time in almost 10 days as I had hurt my knees. The left more than the right it would seem. I rode motorcycles from the time I was 16 until I was 22. I didn't have a car licence until the day my then employer realized I did not. As you know, I have also been overweight most of my life. I also ski on long (200) shaped skis. I have had this love-hate relationship with my knees for a while now. If I am tired they also ache like heck.
This all started 10 days ago I was getting over the snottiest damn cold. I had even left work early one day, I felt that bad. The day of the 'run' I felt just well enough and I was SO motivated to get out and walk/run. (I hope someday to progress to run/walk and to finally achieve "run".) I strapped on my Asics and set out on an invigorating 5.91 mile extravaganza covering the trails and the roads of this great neighbourhood. I returned home. Checked my blood sugar, had LOTS of water and felt really good. Until morning came. Then both my left and right knees began punishing me. That dull ache I usually experience when I am very tired was there upon waking. Uh ho.
After anti-inflammatories and trying a couple of different topical pain relievers, I was able to dig through the web and I found that what I had done was BAD on a number of levels. Very Bad.

1. I had NOT tapered up after a break
2. I had not stretched properly or long enough
3. I had pushed myself WAY too hard after an illness.

As Homer would say, Doh!

I have spent a long time researching how I should get over this and in the intervening days, what was broken may now be healed.

Staring out with the least hilly route from my house, I took Sam out into the open space, over the earth dam that divides it and around the paved trails . He was happy in his ATS (All Terrain Stroller) watching the horses, the bunnys and other assorted wildlife that we share this area with. I was happy with a variety of kikkin tunes on the MP3 Walkman. 2.5 miles later we were back home. Sam was happy to have been out in his buggy again and I was feeling no pain at all. I had done this in daylight though. I just know the local paper will have letters reporting Hippo sightings again.

My Garmin tells me I did this in 39:13, which is no record with a healthy 480 kCal burned. I did not factor the 30+ pound 3 year old or his ATS into the Garmin's calculations. My weight is stubbornly hanging out at 231 pounds. The Blood sugar after exercise was 126. I have fallen behind again. This time though I am going to take it gently.