My Goals for 2012...

So 2012 is officially here...and I am unusually anxious to get started training and working toward my goals for this year.  Needless to say for those of you that know me...2011 was a bit of a disappointment, but a necessary one for my body...and my health. 


First,  I have learned so much during my recovery and am much more aware of what my body is trying to tell me! 

Secondly, I  and cannot express enough gratitude toward those individuals who "educated" me along the way!!  They took the time to talk to me, listen to me, respond to me, model for me and more importantly...put up with me for many, many months...and that ain't so easy my friends btw...

With that being said...

I am still waiting...

waiting for the "OK" to leap back into the game...

I saw this pic on Stephanie's blog and just couldn't resist it...
 Thanks Stephanie!!

Nonetheless...I can't think of a reason to not list some of the goals I hope to achieve in 2012.   Some are short term and in the hopeful near future, and others long term and further away.  I understand fully that my surgical recovery and body will dictate in the long run whether or not these goals are accomplished.  However,  I find it motivating to talk about...and putting it out there makes me committed to making, or trying to make it happen.

So here you go...my goals for 2012

1.  To slowly begin practicing Bikram yoga again...pain free... at least 2-3 times per week for strength, balance and mental clarity

summer 2011 before hip surgery

2.  Incorporate more strength training and core work into my training.  I have learned at my age this is absolutely necessary in order to avoid future injuries...and aid in muscle recovery

 

3.  Start running slowly with low mileage, but consistently to begin building up endurance and strength

4.  Incorporate more speed work and base training into my running

5.  Alternate running with more biking and swimming for cross training purposes...and less stress on my joint

6.  Complete the trifitness sprint triathlon in late August, and enjoy every minute of it

August 2011

7.  Complete a 5k since  hip surgery in  as close to 24 minutes as possible, and a 10k in less than 50 minutes for a start

8.  Allow my body to recover as often as it tells me too!





9.  find and sign up for at least one half marathon somewhere near my area mid summer

 

and if my body and hip allow it so soon...

 10.  Run the NYC marathon in November 2012



I realize these goals may seem far fetched to some...
and ridiculously easy to others...

but they are mine for now... and I am inspired to achieve them!


what are some of your goals for 2012???
Come on...motivate us!

My "Random Qualities"...

So, lately I have been reading alot about bloggers "tagging" each other...and to be quite honest, i have really enjoyed reading it all!! 
Once tagged by someone, apparently you have to list various random things about yourself...and answer various questions they may ask of you...It is rather interesting, and comforting to hear of all the strange habits, quirks, and funny personalites we all acquire...or not


so, after much ado...and NOT being tagged by anyone at the moment, (but that's OK...I'm an official newbie)  here is my list of random things about me~

30 Random things about me...

1.   I am a creature of habit and follow the exact same routine every morning when I wake up before school...and i LOVE seeing what color my pee is in the morning, tacky I know!

2.   I only cry in private...

3.   I am very hard to read...but am always reading others for information and insight.

4.   I am a die hard University of Louisville basketball fan...GO CARDS!!  college sports rock!


5.   My parents were born in rural western Ky, my dad grew up with no indoor plumbing, an outhouse, a single parent and 6 siblings...and I thinks that's SO COOL!!!


6.   I'm always, always, always horny at work when I can do nothing about it...and I love to text my husband when that happens


7.   I can't listen to music without getting emotional...so you may see me occasionally hyperventilate on the side of the road when running...or driving...


8.  I totally drive the speed limit, in the left lane...so I am the car you are honking at!

9.   I will never understand NY weddings, sweet sixteens, bar mitzvahs, any type of baby/bridal showers, or cultural differences and traditions here ...but i LOVE being exposed to it all!

10.   I am sad and cry every December 26th, and 27th and always will for the rest of my life!

11.   I wanted to be an Olympic gymnast or track start when I was a little girl...and sometimes I still do

12.   The first person I ever slept with was my husband...but we don't need to go there...

13.   I am one of the most organized people you will ever meet...but have so lost that battle at home!!


14.   I have one straight brother and one gay one...and I love them both the same!

15.   I called my parents "mother and daddy" growing up...

16.   I am both conservative and liberal...so i will never understand politics!

17.  my only regret in life so far was living away from home while mother was sick...and i miss my best friend so much!

18.   I am one of the reflective people you will ever meet...and one of the most sarcastic!

19.  you don't EVER want me to pick your name for secret Santa...watch out!

20.   I am too trusting a person...but on the other hand trust no one at all!

21.   I have witnessed, bet, dressed up, stunted as a collegiate cheerleader and vomited...all  at the Kentucky derby

22.  I absolutely love to burp and fart...but get very annoyed when my husband or children do it in front of me!

23.   I love, love, love southern gospel music...and barbershop!

24.   I was the Ky, Indiana, and Ohio tri-state champion as an 11 year old for the 100 meter dash...and qualified for the Arco Jesse Ownes games in Ca for a week...and was the only white girl in the race!

25.   I am absolutely amazed at how beautiful my children are...

26.   I am absolutely appalled at how misbehaved my children are...

27.   I am totally naive in general...but I fake it well!

28.   There are other things I  fake as well  unfortunately...shhhhh 

29.   The best feature on my body was always my stomach...but, now it's my personality, ha, ha!

30.  I am a christian...but I am scared to death of dying!


OK...there you go!  30 very vague, random, non exercise related facts about me as a person.   But...there is MUCH more to know...but you have to ask first!!

so...lets leave it with this..............

State one word...or one adjective... that best describes you as a person...

Think about it...and share!

Are You Loyal?

 Loyalty~

 faithfulness, dependence, allegiance, attachment, devotion, reliability, submission, homage, bond, resolution, ardor, integrity, support...

I have been told by many a few

that at times I can be "too loyal"

to something...

or someone

Having support and guidance is very relevant in our daily lives..

we depend upon each other for so many things...

advice,

security,

guidance,

direction,

management,

 follow through,

leadership,

friendship,

safety,

enjoyment

satisfaction

pleasure 

honesty

faith,

truth

love...

these fulfill and reward us in so many ways...

socially

financially

religiously

academically 

hypothetically

politically

emotionally

personally

and physically ...

It is the bottom three that I am the most concerned with tonight! 

Being loyal doesn't always have to mean that you agree with someone...side with them...vote for them...cheer for them...agree with them...understand them...follow them...

 and do what they say...

Or does it?

I believe there is a fine line between being loyal and understanding loyalty...

One does not necessarily define the other! 

They don't always go...hand -in-hand

sometimes you wonder if you made a mistake...if your loyalty got the better of you...perhaps you tuned others out...decided not to listen...or chose that you just wouldn't

or possibly...

hurt someone in the process

including you!

Loyalty cannot be blueprinted.

it cannot be produced on an assembly line.

In fact, it can not be manufactured at all,

for its origin is the human heart-

the center of self-respect and human dignity.

It is a force which leaps into being only when conditions are exactly right for it-

and it is a force very sensitive to betrayal

Maurice R. Franks

 

As an athlete... how do you perceive loyalty...

At what cost do you follow it? 

listen to it?  

 betray it?

ART Therapy...Suggestions Anyone??

SCENARIO~

A 44 year old well educated female.. A teacher for many, many years with no problem getting up in front of a school of elementary students to speak, teach, redirect, sing, act, dance or just plain motivate... A mother of 3 energetic and exuberant boys, that has learned to be their biggest advocate, strongest ally, not to mention, the loudest fan on the sidelines...

SO...

Why is it when a doctor or surgeon calls to see how your recovery and his "protocol" is going, you immediately break into a deep sweat, feel lightheaded, wanna projectile vomit, and become so flustered that you continue to babble like a six year old trying to get out of the biggest lie you've ever told????

Yep...that was me. About, um........an hour ago! "Real classy!!


SITUATION~



Trying to explain to my doctor that, I really didn't think I needed to go to ART Therapy, (when he told me to go 6 weeks ago btw...) DIDN'T REALLY GO OVER SO WELL...

Quite Frankly, I am not a lover of laying on the table with ones hands draped entirely over my "hip proper"!!! Unless of course, it's my husband...he doesn't necessarily care about the added "dimple" the surgeon gave me from the incisions.  

BTW...Dimples are meant for your CHEEKS...not your THIGHS!!

Kneading, squeezing, pulling, tugging, pushing, and grasping really aren't my cup of tea...especially when all I have to do is lightly touch the area and I wince. And...to top it off...the person I am being referred to is a professional body builder...check out the video below for a good laugh!!!  Thanks Annette!!

I am a bit, modest I guess you can say...and the thought of not just one (PT) but two good looking guys "hurting me is not really appealing.

but...I was schooled, and looks like I will be going anyway.

QUESTION~

• Anybody out there ever have this therapy?  Painful?  Not painful?

• Do you Love it...Hate it...Dream about it??
 
• Most importantly...does it require crayolas or colored pencils??

P90X & Superman Banana...No Problem!

Now what do you do when you're feeling really fat???...

feeling really jiggly???...

feeling really dumpy, skanky and out of shape???... 

Well for me...The last 4 1/2 months I have sauntered over to the fridge and found something to take the edge off of NOT being able to workout...at least the way I want to...

But not anymore!!  At least not yesterday that is!

What did I reach for???  Superman Banana P90X style!  fulfills the cravings right?...only Superhero Style. 

Yep, today I'm gonna start making a difference with my physique... my attitude... my health...

Gonna start my "Own Protocol" so to speak. 

All with my 3 boys in tow, Cooper, Brady and Tanner... right beside me...cheering me on.    No more of this "taking it slow" bull$&*#!!!  I NEED to get BACK ON TRACK...I mean, it is only core synergistic, right? 

Cooper, Brady and Tanner

Besides, I have been working my core in PT for the last 3 months at least.  This would just be

"in addition" to what I have been doing...and it would make a difference.  Make me feel like I was actually exercising, on my own again!!!

No Problemo  people...

got this one "in the bag!"

Bring It!!

Finished it up without too much of an issue......kept on going.  I actually broke a sweat! 

AWESOME! can't wait til tomorrow to do another one! 

I'll be back in no time...front row baby!

those are gonna be "MY ABS"  again  boys and girls...

my wait IS OVER!

So...how do I feel today???

Holy mother of god...

Can someone please help me  get out of bed?? I Can't Move!

Anybody??  Hello?  Anybody out there?? 

Can someone please be my blogging friend?

Should I follow "Protocol?"

Ok...so I am officially hooked on this blogging thing thanks to all you inspirational people out there...but I am finding myself stressed out a bit that I'm not finding my focus for it. I mean, I am a VERY focused person...but in more of a distracted way if you know what I mean. Multi-tasking is HUGE with any working mother, as I am sure we all know. So, with that being said, once I start thinking about my goals, priorities, intentions for something, I find myself being quickly whisked away from them to either wipe a nose, wipe other things if ya know what I mean, clean up a spill, fold the laundry, gather the laundry, wash the laundry...I HATE the laundry...work on my lesson plans, answer the phone, wink at my husband etc...and then I have completely forgotten what it was I was thinking about. Does this happen to everyone? Or is it just me?


Despite the answer...I have found my focus for the moment, so lets get down to it before I forget it.....following "Proper Protocol!"

It sounds so "official"...butseriously, How important is it anyway??????????


So, I have been going through intense physical therapy for about 4 1/2 months post-op from hip surgery. If anyone out there has a laberal tear with impingement's...you know how painful and debilitating this can be to your body...and it wreaks havoc on the sports you love the most. If this is you....please listen to me very closely. I'm not at all a health expert, nor am I a professional athlete, but I am a smart person; however smart I wasn't when dealing with this diagnosis at first. I mean, any endurance athlete knows that once the endorphins kick in...the pain goes away or is ignored. Until next time that is...and then before too long, you're limping after each run, then limping while you're running, then finding yourself on crutches before the surgery ever begins. So........Stop the running, stop it now...because I learned the hard way and it wasn't pretty...not at all!


Since my surgery, I have been very diligent and cooperative with every aspect along the way, which is rather unusual for me in that I typically over do it and PUSH myself too hard. And as we all know...this gets an athlete nowhere in the area of recovery. I have pulled back the reigns on myself and have been faithfully listening to both my surgeon, my physical therapist...but most importantly, my body. but I have to tell you...my patience is wearing................wearing thin!


I don't know how you feel out there in your own "running" and "yoga" world...but I know that I never thought it would take this long to get back on track. I wore a hip brace for about 3 weeks and was on crutches for about 7 weeks. Here is what this one of a kind beauty looks like...

It was almost like wearing an old fashioned chastity belt in the good ole days...not that I know what that is like btw...

For those of you that are interested...click on here to find Dr. Bryan Kelly's protocol that I am "supposed" to be following...

So,answer me this...What would you do???

Should I make up my own fricken protocol?

Or would you continue to follow "doctors" orders??????????

Namaste~

Where I've been...and where I'm headed...

We all know the saying, "Time flies when you're having fun!"  We use that phrase all too often in our daily conversations with family, friends, co-workers, children, students etc...but are we really being honest when we throw out these sayings?  I mean...I'm not always having fun  Are you?  Quite frankly, I probably use this phrase 100% OF THE TIME just to be sarcastic in a "socially acceptable" manner.  Not that I am at all sarcastic, but sometimes I fall into that trap!  So, with that being said...I have NOT been having fun!  At least, not in the physical sense!

I am a lover of many things...big, small, yada, yada...you know the rest...

I come from a place where small things mattered and time was always available...for everyone.  At least that is how it seemed to me as a simple small child growing up in a land of "beautiful horses and fast women," as my daddy would put it!  There was always time for talk, time for good food, time for family, time for friends and play, time for cards, time to reflect, time for god...but most importantly...there was always time for me.  Well, not that I am most important on my list of priorities at the moment, but I think you get the gist of it!

Now, 44 years later...well almost 44 years later in about 2 months, I cannot find the time to even go to the bathroom in peace.  that's right!  What a pity to be my age and have to have conversations while trying to rid myself of deadly toxins from the bottle, or better yet magnum, of wine I chugged from the night before.  Or, my one hot shower of the night, when all I want to do is just stand there and soak in  hot water after a long day... just to have 3 boys fly through the bathroom door to pee, because, hell... they just can't hold it...or hit it btw!  Then of course, they run out of the bathroom leaving the door WIDE open before I can even hollar at them to put the toilet seat down.  and the toilet seat...well that's another whole  post!!!

don't get me wrong...i LOVE my family very much!  i would be lost without them and they are my strength and my purpose.  My husband is the most patient man in the world...and he is one of the funniest people I have ever met!  The most disorganized...but oh so funny! However, I do cherish, desire, and need the time for me...my time...and that time is running and yoga.  All of which hasn't been happening for quite a while now.  And boy, when I fell off that wagon, I had NO IDEA how hard it would be to catch back up to it...And i fell hard!

I have a hard time sitting...a hard time not being active...and an even harder time watching other people enjoy it when I can't!  It kinda ticks me off...It all started about 16 months ago...when I injured myself dancing like a teenager at a BBQ...that's right, a teenager!  Us old folks were trying to show the young ones how it's done, you know dancing to Usher, Rhianna and Katy Perry...(the kids were jamming out to them...not us of course!) when all of the sudden...POP!  I thought I was going to immediately vomit all over myself, and spill my drink, but that would have been too embarrassing...so I did what any other really cool dancing 42 year old did...  Took another swallow and just pretended that popping my entire hip out of socket was"a really cool move!"  Then i cautiously walked over to Dave, my funny husband, and probably cursed.  I really don't remember because i could not take the pain.  it was the most intense pain I had ever felt! 

The entire weekend was spent icing, lying down and moping! yeah, moping...that's what I do when I'm down  but hey...the body always heals itself right?  And I am a HUGE practitioner of Bikram yoga...the only "REAL" hot yoga out there folks btw...and this was not gonna keep me down!  After all...Cow Harbor was only about 3 weeks away...and I wasn't gonna let all my running and  teacher friends witness me bail!   so, I ran...along with a couple of other races...coupled in with a yoga class here and there, but 2 months later...I just couldn't shake the pain.  What the hell did I do?  It just wouldn't go away!  So, with the holidays approaching and wrestling season starting...I am an official "Wrestling Widow" from Thanksgiving to February...and for those of you that understand...wrestling really NEVER ends!...NEVER!!!  Any who... I decided to give my body a break, and let it heal itself!  I just needed to give myself some time...

I had been an athlete all of my life.  running was my first love...probably because I was good at it!  Track, more than distance...and I was fast!  "The Great White Hope" my dad would call me...(in Ky us small white chicks didn't win many sprints...so I was really a rarity.)  Arco Jesse Owens games in CA, Junior Olympics, regionals, states...never an injury kept me away.    My second love was competitive cheerleading...I also cheered in Kentucky, which is somewhat like a small dynasty in the south...even back then.  I started at the age of 6.  So, as HS was ending, I had to make a choice and decide either to run...or cheer!  Well...the scholarship decided for me...and a University of Louisville cheerleader I became...and running took a back seat!  Now, for those of you out there who mock people who cheer...I had never been involved with a more rewarding...extreme, fun, year long  difficult sport!   Jumping, gymnastics, stunting, 3.5 high pyramids...which were allowed back then.  I know, I am aging myself...but that is really high!!!...this all takes a huge toll on a body, and many injuries occurred.  But, again, nothing our trainers couldn't fix, tape wouldn't help... and my body couldn't handle...except for being dropped about twelve feet to the ground in "Freedom hall" in front of about 20,000 spectators right on my left hip...but again...another post!  So, long story short...  collegiate national champions we were...and still are today!   I was also a 2 time collegiate all american and had been working for NCA for quite awhile teaching camps all over the states...However, upon graduation...my "cheerleading career"...ended!  just like that, except for NCA camps in the summer for awhile until i figured out my life.   so, back to running I went!   Along the way, bikram yoga came into play...and these  have been my passion for quite some time now.  Running...coupled with balance and strength...nothing seemed better!

I finally broke down and went to an orthopedist to have my right hip checked out..."Tendinitis," he said..."go to PT for about 6 weeks and that should help...then come back to see us and we will re-evaluate!"  Now here is when my story gets really good!  Who would ever have thought that PT could be so so much fun?????????  Well...when he is HOT!  That's right...really good looking HOT!!!  Now, I do have to say again...I really, really love my husband...and he is hot too...but hey, this was fun!  Can you blame me?  However...something still wasn't right...and I have to give credit where credit is due.  It was him who figured out the problem...yeah, the small guy!  Not the hot shot obnoxious doctor that didn't really give me the time of day and rushed me out of his office...apparently there was no bone sticking out of my body or anything...it was just pain...pain that was hard to find the source of,and was referring to many different places!   a few tests later, and MRI with dye injection, (another post yet again cause that was not fun)...and finally a diagnosis..I had a right acetabular laberal tear with cam impingement!  Ok...now I needed someone to tell me exactly what that was.  I didn't even know those terms were a part of the English language...so, my good lookin PT...and yes i call him mine...sent me in to see Dr. Bryan Kelly in the city at HSS.  That was in May...and 4 months later I underwent my first surgery EVER!!! 

4 months later...here I sit...still not running, jumping, hopping and hardly walking right...much less even breaking a sweat...although I have recently returned to yoga to just stretch and sweat...and I am amazed at how long it takes to recover from a hip surgery! So, this blog has become MY TIME for now...( with the help of a dear friend who set it up for me because i am a bit special ed in this area...but it's ok...I actually teach special ed!)  Thanks, Annette!!!  My time to write, to vent, to express and to reflect upon all that has happened...and to pull insight from others to help myself realize that this is all just time...passing by slowly so that I might again realize how precious it is to sit and read...sit to play...sit to think...sit to listen...sit to cuddle...or just plain sit to eat, (actually I really need to stop doing that right now...should i be worried if my PT keeps asking me if I am doing my side planks and pelvic tilts??) 

 I'll leave it at that...for now, while I wait...patiently wait for my wagon to reappear so I might just take a ride...heck, I"ll even just sit on it for a while...

Namaste~