Foam Rolling

Look Inside to Awaken: September 2021

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 26 Comments

bawaken

Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.— Carl Jung

It’s funny how stuff from Carl Jung aligns with Yoga Philosophy, and yet, apparently, despite some Yoga practice, Jung absolutely felt Westerners shouldn’t practice Yoga (there’s a lot of interesting blog posts on the subject, and one that I like its this one here).

Yet the quote above could easily be seen as an interpretation of some of the Yoga Sutras, a very famous set of aphorisms about Yoga that are quite ancient. Ok, I can almost feel your eyes glazing over now. It’s fascinating to me, anyway. I totally agree that becoming clear is about going inward, and Fall moving into Winter is a great time for that.

Getting in scheduled runs
September brought continued trips to mom, although not as many as I thought there would be. Still no scheduled runs, but still running — short running — when I can.

Grade Earned:  A for Effort

Recording my runs
I have veered off course here again . . . seriously, I need to start using my planner again because it helps me to keep focused. It’s a broken record, folks! But hey, I did finally got a haircut, LOL!

Grade Earned: C

Dynamic Warmup
As the mornings get cooler the warmups get more important. I did have one morning recently when it was in the low 50s — yes I did my warmup, but I shivered my way through it and the first half mile or so. Then I was fine.

Grade Earned: A

Foam Rolling
Most days I roll the calves (you can see my video here). Occasionally I do the whole leg. I’ve kind of gotten away from doing things like my back . . . although just last weekend I did do it (and the whole leg).

Grade Earned: A-

There were more treats than normal this month, less running although a fair amount of activity, but I still try to keep it healthy

Nutrition
I actually haven’t weighed myself since before we went to ME. For a while I felt like I’d lost some weight. At least my clothes feel a tiny bit better. Every time I get into a groove with better nutrition it seems I go to my mom — I can’t eat in her dining room, so I have to bring all my food with me. Then I’m too drained when I get back to cook for myself! I still have a couple of pieces of chocolate from ME, but OTOH there’s been some (unphotographed) cake before and after my Yom Kippur fast (it was so good) and then it was Mr. Judy’s birthday recently.

I finally did weigh myself. Definitely higher than it should be but this week in particular we ate out three times and while I’m sure some of that is due to water retention, not all. I’m not gonna stress but I’m also not letting it get away from me.

Grade Earned: B+ (for trying)

Way back at the beginning of the month this short walk around Olana yielded plenty of pretty photos which I never got around to sharing. Never disappoints me. Always something different to see.

Cross Training
Yoga, ST, lots of walking recently. Not a lot of hiking, sadly, it’s been raining so much! We’ve had 40″ (that was a few rains ago) so far this year. I checked Seattle, which has had 20″ so far this year . . .

A fun morning walking with friends & looking at the tugboats

Grade Earned: A+ again for effort

September 2021  gets  . . . 
. . . an A. I’d like to say my mom is doing fine and well settled in. Physically her hip healed up well and she’s using a rollator and steadier on her feet than before her accident. She also has diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart failure, and we haven’t yet been able to really quite balance all that. In addition there are mounting signs of growing mental issues.

September Goals:

  • Run 3 x week. Y. Even 4 times once. The mileage is quite low, but that’s okay.
  • ST 3 x week. Y/N.  I think I hit it most weeks, but last week there was only twice. I meant to do three times but somehow it got away from me on Sunday.
  • A project with a friend. N. Still on hold, but we have gotten together a few times. For fun. She’s just had surgery so it is probably on hold for a while.
  • At least one hike. Y/N. I’m not sure my walk around Olana is really hiking, but it’ll have to do. Just too rainy lately! The tugboat walk was at a local park and could be considered an easy hike.
  • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. Y. Another fast (this time for Yom Kippur). My clothes feel better, but the weight? Who knows? Well, now I do know.

Which leads me to October Goals:

  • Run 3 x week. I’ve been fairly successful at 3 x week and even squeezed in 4 x week a few times. I have one doctor appointment to take my mom to in October (so far, anyway).
  • ST 3 x week. I’ve mostly managed this lately. I want to keep up with that!
  • Get back to a different course that’s been on hold for a while. I am almost through the reading and videos for this particular course; there’s a lot of homework still to do. But I’m finished with the RRCA course and the First Aid/CPR course so now it’s time to tackle what’s left of this course.
  • At least one hike. October is a pretty time to hike. If it would just stop raining, I really want to get out there more than once — it’s our anniversary, too.
  • At least one real rest day a week. Sometimes when I’m staying at my mom’s it just doesn’t happen because what would be my rest day is spent taking care of her and then driving there or home. I thought our most recent visit would just be social, but I had to take care of some things. I’m definitely trying to get more rest, and sometimes I’ve managed it and other times I’m just too busy carertaking.
  • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. It’s always a goal, of course. I’ve just been at a plateau at a higher weight than I’d like. I want to continue to try to limit frozen foods (when possible) and maybe it’s time to downsize some portions, too, while I’m not running as much.

btuesdaytopics

Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

This week I am also joining up with the new Runners’ Roundup linkup.

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Never Forget: 9/6 – 12 WRD

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 35 Comments

I think we all know what we’re remembering this week. Let me tell you, it was a week. There was mom stress, there was car stress, there was the run coach test stress (which I’m still working on!).

bwrd

I’m joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and doing my best to try to look on the bright side.

Workouts update

  • Monday: Yoga (40 min), Dogwalk
  • Tuesday: Yoga (20 min), 3 miles easy (2.25 on the road, .75 on the Mill), PB ST (25 min), Yoga (20 min)
  • Wednesday: Yoga (20 min), 2ish TM recovery miles
  • Thursday: Yoga, (40 minutes), AM Walk
  • Friday: Yoga (40 min), AM Walk
  • Saturday: Yoga (20 min), 4 miles easy, Yoga (20 min)
  • Sunday:  Yoga, Walk with friends, hopefully more ST

Running Mileage: 9ish  (-3) <== deliberately taking it easy


PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike

Running Update

Tuesday Intention: pain free
After resting my feet for 3 days (sort of, there was still plenty of walking), it was time to see what happened when I ran. I also wanted to test out the mill. I was going to do 2 miles outside, and 1 inside, but I was afraid if the mill was the same I wouldn’t get in that final mile. It seemed a shame, too, because the weather was just beautiful this morning!

The mill — still not sure. I made it through .75 mile on it, more or less, but it did get very noisy towards the end again. The foot — while definitely much better, there’s still some sensation there. Nothing that causes me to limp, I can jump on it (but I don’t) or press on it without pain. After tomorrow’s short run (fingers crossed) I’ll have another 2 days off running while I’m at my mom again.

Wednesday Intention: recover & test treadmill
Sadly so far nothing Mr. Judy has tried has really fixed the treadmill. I did one mile, which was fine. Stopped, walked around a bit to let the mill relax. Not long after I started the second mile it started to slow down.

Oddly if I lean on the control panel it keeps the right pace, but that gets old quickly (and my Garmin can no longer track anything). So probably close to 2 miles, but not quite there. I had mentally prepared myself for one or one and a half, so I wasn’t too frustrated.

Peace, contemplation, running & journaling by the water

Saturday Intention: go long-er & remember
I wasn’t about to make the same mistake two weeks in a row, plus the week was exhausting, so I ditched a long run in favor of just a long-er run. Still some sensation there, but fairly quickly goes away. Thoughts of 9/11 before, during, and after this run.

We also celebrated Rose Hashanah this week with a non traditional grazing board & the more traditional apples & honey

Favorites of the week
Despite the stress, there was plenty of good this week, too. Mom has healed well and this was her last visit to the orthopedist.

Mazel Tov!

One of my nephews got married this week. It was a not-so-live YouTube ceremony; still, I was able to set my mom up so she could watch on my Ipad while I watched on my phone.

As if the stress at my mom’s wasn’t enough, when I started to leave the car lit up like a Christmas Tree. I knew Mr. Judy had a doctor’s appointment, but luckily I was able to get ahold of him. We determined that *hopefully* the car was driveable, as I was two hours away from home, and quite frankly I was out of clean clothes and food!

I made it home just fine, but we can’t get an appointment for three weeks. I’m supposed to take my mom to the cardiologist next week.

gwy small ball

ICYMI: I’ve got not one, not two, but three short (5 minutes or less) videos to help you keep your feet happy this week (and every week). These are all techniques I use myself at least several times a week, with the exception of the foot compression (because my feet aren’t bothering me as much anymore — but I did use it for quite some time when they did bother me). I also get a little fancy with some video in video this week! Try them all, pick the exercises that work for you — and get ready to feel a whole lot better when you run.

Foot compression click here * Quick Calf Rolling click here * Feet Exercises click here

Coming up on Tuesday & Friday: I’ve got a lot more to say about colonoscopies. Once I’m done with you, you’ll be feeling a whole lot better about that first colonoscopy!

Breaking Clear Away: August 2021

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 28 Comments

Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.
— John Muir

I know that it’s a privilege to be able to go away on vacation, and I very grateful that it was my privilege to finally break clear away. The previous few weeks had definitely been intense — heck, the previous few months! Also very grateful to our friends for inviting us & driving us all over northern Maine.

Getting in scheduled runs
August was another crazy month. More trips back and forth, my first colonoscopy, bringing my mom back home, a vacation (yay!) — it was another month where I just juggled everything the best I could, which sometimes meant running 4 days in a row and other times not at all, some weeks a long-er run instead of a long-ish run.

Grade Earned:  A for Effort

Recording my runs
I have veered off course here again . . . seriously, I need to start using my planner again because it helps me to keep focused. It’s a broken record, folks! But hey, I did finally got a haircut, LOL!

Grade Earned: C

Dynamic Warmup
I’m still consistently doing my warmup (and morning yoga, and foam rolling before I run). Although morning Yoga took a hit during our vacation — I did give one of our hosts a private lesson one day. Talk about hot Yoga!

Grade Earned: A

Foam Rolling
I haven’t had time to do as full a foam rolling routine as I’d like to a lot of morning, but at the very least I always do my calves and a quick lower leg foam roll before I run. Except on vacation . . .

Grade Earned: A

Just one or two pieces a day . . . I actually did pick these up while out walking on our last morning in ME.

Nutrition
I had a couple of weeks at home when I wasn’t able to visit my mom, so nutrition was slightly better. Not too many sweets on vacation, either, despite the chocolate — but not as much freggies as I’d like, either! Plus meal times were very different from normal. Again I did the best I could.

Grade Earned: B+ (for trying)

Plenty of movement in ME & I gave our host a private yoga class, too

Cross Training
Yoga, some hiking, walking around rehab & hospital, lots of Pahla B (see her YouTube Channel here — my savior!), a bit of swimming when I can.

Grade Earned: A+ again for effort

August 2021  gets  . . . 
. . . an A. It was an intense month, but I did what I could when I could & didn’t beat myself up for not always being able to sneak in a workout. Heck, I may even be at my eye doctor appointment when you read this — still a few more doctor’s appointments to be scheduled. Also some doctor appointments I need to take my mom too.

August Goals:

  • Shorter/Recovery runs after harder runs. Y/N. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It just depends what’s going on with my week. Or sometimes if my treadmill is running . . . 
  • ST 2 x week. Y.  I’ve been trying to make strength a priority — as much as possible. Most weeks it was 3 x week.
  • A project with a friend. N. Totally had to be put on hold.
  • A no guilt getaway. Y. I called my mom every day, except when day when we were out from 9 am (too early for my mom) til about 8:30 pm (too late for my mom). I knew I needed to recharge my batteries, although not completely sure that’s what happened, LOL!
  • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up.. Y. A Colonoscopy prep to vacation — talk about extremes!

Which leads me to September Goals:

  • Run 3 x week. I am hoping that life can settle down. Just a little bit. Pretty please?
  • ST 3 x week. Running is a little bit on the back burner, which should make time for more strength.
  • A project with a friend. Hopefully we can get back to this in September!
  • At least one hike. Local, day trip . . . I actually hope for more than one but we’ll see if the weather cooperates! Some may enjoy wet hikes, but Mr. Judy & Bandit aren’t fans.
  • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. It’s always a goal, of course. I’ve just been at a plateau at a higher weight than I’d like. I want to continue to try to limit frozen foods (when possible) and maybe it’s time to downsize some portions, too, while I’m not running as much.

btuesdaytopics

Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

This week I am also joining up with the new Runners’ Roundup linkup.

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Food for thought: July 2021

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 22 Comments

To keep the body in good health is a duty . . . otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.
— Buddha

I see it all the time: people saying eat what you want because if you don’t you’re going to regret that you didn’t enjoy yourself. I’m not trying to tell anyone how to live their lives, but I know that if I ate what I wanted, it would look something like this: chocolate, cookies, grilled cheese, french toast, brownies, croissants . . .

Do I eat these things? Of course I do. Sometimes. One thing I’ve gotten very clear on, watching my parents age — I don’t want to age like that. There are many things out of our control, but eating is generally not one of them.

The above quote from Buddha really spoke to me. Then there’s Hippocrates: let food be thy medicine.

Just food for thought, is all

Getting in scheduled runs
I had been thinking of taking a week off running when we went on our hiking vacation — because I’d be hiking for a few days, not that I planned any crazy difficult hikes. The vacation didn’t happen, but I did end up taking the week off of running anyway, due to my mom’s fall and subsequent surgery. My Achilles liked that anyway. I will be going back and forth a lot for I don’t know how long, so I’ll be happy with whatever I can get in.

Grade Earned:  A for Effort

Recording my runs
I have veered off course here again . . . seriously, I need to start using my planner again because it helps me to keep focused. It’s a broken record, folks!

Grade Earned: C

Dynamic Warmup
I have a really short dynamic warmup. I’m pretty religious about doing it, too.

Grade Earned: A

Foam Rolling
I take some of my balls with me to my sister’s. There may have been a day here and there where it didn’t get done due to time, but overall I know it makes my body feel good so I just do it.

Grade Earned: A

Sometimes you do need a treat. Enjoy every bite & I sure did! It’s nice to share though (most of the time).

Nutrition
Still struggling with what will help me take off a few pounds. I have tried to limit frozen foods (too high in sodium), and try to make most of my own meals. On the other hand, there have been a lot of days while in the hospital (no cafeteria, no car) or rehab (car, but still can’t eat inside and don’t want to spend $$ on restaurants) where my lunch was a protein bar and that’s about it. Sometimes the dinners weren’t great either, but again, mostly out of my control. I do bring healthy food with me, but I’m just using an insulated backpack so space is limited.

Grade Earned: B+ (for trying)

Not as much hiking as we’d planned; Mr. Judy might be happy about that!

Cross Training
Yoga, a couple of hikes, walking around rehab & hospital, lots of Pahla B (see her YouTube Channel here — my savior!), a bit of swimming when I can.

Grade Earned: A+ again for effort

July 2021  gets  . . . 
. . . an A. Life definitely handed me lemons and I did my best to juggle them.

July Goals:

  • Shorter/Recovery runs after harder runs. Y/N. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It just depends what’s going on with my week. Or sometimes if my treadmill is running . . . 
  • ST 3 x week. Y/N.  I did the best I could. Luckily my niece keeps a set of weights at my sister’s, because I wasn’t about to drag mine (a multi-weight set) down. I always packed resistance bands, too.
  • A project with a friend. Y/N. We got started but haven’t been able to meet up for follow ups yet.
  • A few Yoga teaching opportunities. Y/N. I still haven’t met with the person who won the free Yoga class — it’s done, but again, it’s a time thing — she’s been incredibly patient, thankfully. Unfortunately I was not able to teach the other class I’d volunteered for.
  • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up.. Y. Weight is somewhat steady, but it needs to go down. I keep playing around with things, trying to figure out what I need to do.

Which leads me to August Goals:

  • Run 3 x week. Some weeks it may not happen. I can run at my sister’s — I have in the past — but right now I just haven’t been feeling it. I do other exercise in the morning  when I’m there.
  • ST 2 x week. I may be able to get in 3 x week sometimes. Better to aim low right now.
  • A project with a friend. I would like to meet with her at least once in August, but I realize it just might not happen right now.
  • A no guilt getaway. I hope, anyway. We have plans to go see some friends in ME at the end of August. Originally I thought we’d stay over somewhere going and coming, but now I’m leaning towards shortening it just a bit — I guess it depends on what sort of progress my mom has made by then. I’m also not quite sure about this as my mom might be going home around that time.
  • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. It’s always a goal, of course. I’ve just been at a plateau at a higher weight than I’d like. I want to continue to try to limit frozen foods (when possible) and maybe it’s time to downsize some portions, too, while I’m not running as much.

btuesdaytopics

Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

This week I am also joining up with the new Runners’ Roundup linkup.

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Clear Your Mind . . . : June 2021

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 22 Comments

bclearmind

. . . and the rest will follow

When you get a good workout in, you feel good for the rest of the day. It helps clear the mind.
— Reggie Miller

One of the things I do first thing in the morning is practice Yoga. I have only missed one morning in the last eight months: the morning after my second vaccine when I had a fever. Sometimes it’s a short practice, sometimes it’s a longer one. Not only does it clear my mind, it makes my body feel good, too.

Smiling because I’m almost at 10k steps when some haven’t even gotten dressed yet

I’ve also noticed that when I’m forced to get my runs in earlier due to heat, there’s a definite satisfaction to getting in so many steps before breakfast. Let’s be clear, though: I still enjoy a nice, relaxed morning when it hasn’t heated up and I can take my time before my run.

Getting in scheduled runs
I managed to bump up to running 4 x week a for most of June. I did it by embracing the short, very easy recovery run. I’m not really sure that I’ll ever love a recovery run, but knowing I didn’t even have to run my usual 3 miles definitely made it easier.

Grade Earned:  A+

Recording my runs
I have veered off course here again . . . seriously, I need to start using my planner again because it helps me to keep focused. It’s a broken record, folks!

Grade Earned: C

Dynamic Warmup
I always do my warmup, and I even did a short warm up walk . . . once or twice? Hey, baby steps!

Grade Earned: A

Foam Rolling
I pretty much foam roll (or some variation of foam rolling) every morning. I do the very fast foam rolling with small stick like roller before every run. So far this works great for me.

Grade Earned: A++

Nutrition
In May I seemed to be doing well with my weight, feeling less bloated, clothes fitting better . . . until I wasn’t. One of the things I’ve had to rein in (but not give up completely) is my From the Ground Up Chip obsession. It had gotten to the point that I was eating some daily. Chips are chips, whether they’re healthier or not so healthy. They’re not really a power food.

That was one of the changes I made in June — I didn’t stop eating them, I just ate them less often. I made a few other small changes. Things seem to be slowly heading in the right direction again . . . until I didn’t want to cook and made some poor choices.

Somehow the other stuff I want/need to do seems to take precedence over cooking, and that’s not a good precedent. I’m working on that, too.

Grade Earned: B+ (for trying)

boutdooryoga

Cross Training
Yoga, running, a little more hiking, walking, not so much indoor cycling. I have been doing a bit more strength training.

Grade Earned: A+

June 2021  gets  . . . 
. . . an A. I got up to an 8 mile run (twice!) — I figured I had to take advantage of good weather running, because I’m pretty sure that won’t happen all Summer. Nutrition and weight have been a struggle the last couple of months, and there are some skirts that I could wear, but not feel comfortable in. I pay attention, though, and I keep trying to get back to a more comfortable place for me (without deprivation).

June Goals:

  • Add in some stationary cycling/hiking. Y/N. No stationary cycling, yes a few short hikes.
  • ST 3 x week. Y.  I built off my success in May and continued to build on ST. Sometimes it’s light weights, sometimes heavier, sometimes just bodyweight. It’s all good.
  • Strength for Wheel Pose. Y/N. I left this in, but it’s a goal I think I’m going to let go — again. I’m just working on strength in general.
  • Flexibility Challenge. Y/N. I taped one video, but there was some frustrating tech and I haven’t figured it out — still!
  • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up.. Y. The weight did creep up, but I paid that heed and made some changes.

Which leads me to July Goals:

  • Shorter/Recovery runs after harder runs. When they’re after a long run, yes, they’re recovery runs. After a short speedwork or even just a short easy run? Are they junk miles? Personally, I’m saying this works for me right now and they’re not junk miles.
  • ST 3 x week. I began to struggle to squeeze it in 3 x week towards the end of June. I lose an entire day, basically, when I visit family. I actually don’t do it quite as much in Summer — so many things to do & see! If I can do it more weeks than not, I’m happy. 
  • A project with a friend. I have a project to work on with a friend. Should be fun! We’ve done week 1, I have some stuff to do — 3 more weeks to go.
  • A few Yoga teaching opportunities. I donated a class as a prize for our big women’s race. Working to get her information and set up a time. Also an opportunity to teach a class online as part of a project to expose someone’s students to different teaching styles. Another project isn’t teaching, but writing up a piece on being a “Wellness Warrior” to tell my fitness journey.
  • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. Not really at a happy weight right now. Don’t get me wrong, it’s only a few pounds, but when you’re as short as I am, they can make a really big difference! I know I can get there — but I do have to make time to cook more. And make wise choices when we’re away in July.

btuesdaytopics

Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

This week I am also joining up with the new Runners’ Roundup linkup.

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Let’s be clear here: May 2021

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 29 Comments

bgrademay21

I love this quote below:

Sometimes things aren’t clear right away. That’s where you need to be patient and persevere and see where things lead.
— Mary Pierce

Often times things aren’t clear. We don’t always know why things happen the way they do — maybe not in the moment, and maybe not ever.

Setting goals helps me to be clear on the things I need to work on. Maybe I work on them, maybe I don’t get around to them, but they’re a compass for where I need to go.

Collection of May flowers: as seen on the run, hike & walk

Getting in scheduled runs
Still running 3 x week. I knew I’d be too busy the first half of May to add in an extra run. Then the third week I added in a hike instead of that extra run. The final week I did manage a fourth (short) run!

Grade Earned:  A 

Recording my runs
I have veered off course here again . . . seriously, I need to start using my planner again because it helps me to keep focused.

Grade Earned: C

Dynamic Warmup
I have been doing my short dynamic warmups right before a run. What I’ve stopped doing is the warm up walk. At least I’ve been consistent with the cool down walk after the run — often picking up Bandit for his walk then. The previous is what I wrote in April. It’s still true. I always seem to be in a rush to get out there.

Grade Earned: A

Foam Rolling
I pretty much foam roll (or some variation of foam rolling) every morning. It helps tremendously!

Grade Earned: A++

Nutrition
I was doing really well, slowly feeling more comfortable in my clothes. I don’t really feel as though I started to eat terribly, but I haven’t made as much effort to cook and we’ve eaten out a bit more, and things have started to creep up again — a lot due to too much sodium, I think.  We actually didn’t have ice cream this month I think.

Grade Earned: B

The sometimes cooler weather was perfect for hiking

Cross Training
Yoga, running, a little more hiking, walking, not so much indoor cycling. I have been doing a bit more strength training.

Grade Earned: A+

May 2021  gets  . . . 
. . . an A. I was at a 7 mile long run last month, and only made it back up to 6 miles this month. Running is going well, my body mostly feels good, and I try my best to eat healthy (with varying results).

May Goals:

  • Add in another running day (when I can). N. I kind of had a feeling this might be hard to work in, especially with travel. I added in an extra day of hiking one week, though, and that counts for me! One week had four runs.
  • Do some longer ST. Y/N.  I did better than I did in April, so slowly building back up here, too.
  • Strength for Wheel Pose. Y/N. I started out strong at the beginning of the month, but petered out trying to get everything in towards the end. No time limit on this one!
  • Flexibility Challenge. Y/N. I seem to have a mental block on putting myself out there with this. Not quite sure why. Tired? Lack of time? More likely not feeling good enough, even though I know I can lead what I’m planning on (in my head — the planning that is). 
  • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up.. Y. I have made just a tiny bit of progress here, with things trending down just a bit — well, they were trending down but took an upswing toward the end of the month. Not quite sure why. 

Which leads me to June Goals:

  • Add in some stationary cycling/hiking. I would definitely hike more if I could get Mr. Judy to do it more. I know it can be tiring for him though. I need something else than just running. Garmin says hiking gets me into the moderate range for intensity.
  • ST 3 x week. Somehow this seems challenging for me with getting in runs and lots of Yoga time. Even though I know it’s said to keep your easy days easy — in other words, don’t do strength training on days you’re running easy — it just doesn’t seem to work for me. Still working on this one! I think part of the problem is I’m really trying to get in one real rest day per week. 
  • Strength for Wheel Pose. I am definitely not even close. Again not sure whether that’s a mental block, lack of strength, or my particular physiology. My bodyweight exercises to work towards this are great exercises for runners — so it’s a matter of balancing this with everything else, which so far I haven’t been great at.
  • Flexibility Challenge Practices. I need to carve out some time and actually write out some practices. I have an idea of what I want to do in my mind, so now it’s time to plan it out and get it out there.
  • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. Always a goal. I just want my clothes to feel good on my body! And I don’t want to buy new clothes because I have to, only because I want to.

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Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

This week I am also joining up with the new Runners’ Roundup linkup.

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Don’t Hurry!: April 2021

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 27 Comments

A rainbow of bulbs

If you’re racing, you probably do want to hurry! If you’re not, there is enough hurry in our world already. Slowing down can have great benefits, too.

All things will be clear to the man who does not hurry; haste is blind and improvident
— Livy

I made sure not to hurry my fitness after my second vaccine. Even though the reaction was short, I continued to be tired for several days. My body was clear: it wanted to take things easy for a little while.

I hadn’t planed to take a whole week off of running, but I’m glad that I did. My first run back wasn’t too bad. My body made it clear after the first vaccine that it would have been better to take more rest, but I didn’t know it would happen so not much I could do about that.

This time I knew the right thing for me was to take it easy. I’m glad I did!

It wasn’t all flowers in April. OK, I didn’t run in snow, but I did run in rain!

Getting in scheduled runs
I’ve continued to run 3 x week, with the exception of the week I got my second vaccine. I only got in two runs that week. I’ve actually run in the rain, too. Although there were a couple of treadmill runs (hello, snow!) — what can I say, I don’t love my treadmill, but I don’t mind it, and I notice my body seems to like when I run on it. Not that I plan to be running on it a lot!

I’ve been on Peloton maybe a year now — and I just hit 50 runs, LOL!

Grade Earned:  A 

Recording my runs
I have veered off course here again . . .

Grade Earned: C

Dynamic Warmup
My dynamic warmup is pretty short and sweet, which doesn’t mean that I’m tempted to skip — and have been known to skip it sometimes. I usually just remind myself it really doesn’t add much time and I’m better off if I do it.

Grade Earned: A

Foam Rolling
Still rolling along here (sorry, couldn’t resist that). I find it really helps my body!

Grade Earned: A++

Despite a little ice cream, it was a better month nutrition wise

Nutrition
I was already inching my way down before the vaccine, but a few days with no appetite didn’t hurt, of course. We got ice cream twice this month when we went on a road trip. The second time Mr. Judy didn’t really want it, but I urged him to do it. Oops.

Grade Earned: A-

Some light hiking for cross training — chasing the waterfalls

Cross Training
Yoga, running, a little hiking, walking, a little bit of indoor cycling. I have been slowly working short ST in there, too.

Grade Earned: A+

April 2021  gets  . . . 
. . . an A. I worked my way up to 7 miles pre-vaccine, but I’ll probably drop it back down and work up again. Not sure where I want my long runs to be. This time I know that I need to ease back in more slowly. I’m happy that I’ve been able to add back in more strength training.

April Goals:

  • Continue to lengthen out my long run. Y. While my endurance took a hit after that first vaccine, I did eventually make my way up to 7 miles. With no races in sight, I’m not sure that I want to go longer than that right now. Especially as it gets warmer! We shall see.
  • Do some longer ST. Y/N.  Y. I did better than I did in March, but it still really seemed to be a struggle to get it all in. I did really try to work it in!
  • Flexibility Challenge. N. I just haven’t had the time to work this one up yet. However, I did revisit my 21 Days of Yoga Challenge from last year, and I adjusted the audio on all my videos, which required changing the links on everything. It was quite the job to tackle!
  • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up.. Y. I have made just a tiny bit of progress here, with things trending down just a bit. 

Which leads me to May Goals:

  • Add in another running day (when I can). I am not sure how this will look for me, but I’m thinking just a mile or two — maybe recovery miles after a long run? This would be a way to increase my mileage just a little without increasing my long run. Probably not in the beginning of the month.
  • Do some longer ST. I am only shooting for 2 x week, but life has been very busy lately, and the beginning of May I know will be busy. Goals are good, but I’m not going to beat myself up if it doesn’t happen.
  • Strength for Wheel Pose. Wheel pose continues to elude me. I don’t know if it’s physiology, emotional, or just lack of upper body strength. I do have a program for it, and I already started this in April. We’ll see where this leads.
  • Flexibility Challenge. I am guessing this may not happen until June, actually, but creating the challenge will probably start in May.
  • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. Always a goal. Over the years I’ve gotten much better at it, but it’s always a work in progress.

btuesdaytopics

Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

This week I am also joining up with the new Runners’ Roundup linkup.

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5 More Takeaways about Mobility

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 21 Comments

b5mobilitytips

Mobility is a huge topic, and this post isn’t even an introductory post. I just wanted to share some of my takeaways from the most recent mobility course I took (you’ll fine my #1 takeaway at this post here). I hope you find something useful here!

bfitfivefriday

I’m linking up with My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Runs with Pugs, Zenaida and Run Laugh Eat Pie for Fit Five Friday. Today I am sharing a more about mobility — something every runner can use!

1: Roll fast before running
Rolling fast helps prep the body for movement. This is something I used to do in when I first started to foam roll, then I learned that you needed to roll slow and for a longer period of time — or so I thought.

Before a run, roll fast and for a short amount of time. If you have a vibrating roller/ball, now is the time to have it on medium or high (depending on what you can tolerate).

2: Roll slow for recovery
Rolling slow does have its place: after your run. This will help you kick start the recovery response.

If you have a vibrating roller/ball, now is the time to have it on low.

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Start with the larger balls; slowly move down to the smaller balls

3: The smaller the tool, the deeper it goes
A wider tool (think foam roller) will not give you as much pressure as a narrower tool (a ball). If you’re new to foam rolling, start with a roller, for sure. Even that may be too much if you’re not used to it. 

If you’re feeling a lot of pain, back off. You should feel some sensation, but not pain.

As you get used to myofascial release techniques, you may want to consider moving from a foam roller to a ball — although start with a larger one; maybe even a softer one. Your body will adapt to whatever you use eventually, but if it really feels painful to you, not only are you not helping yourself — you’re unlikely to be consistent.

You may try moving from a larger ball to smaller and smaller balls as you get used to the pressure.

4: Add in some Functional Mobility
Often when we feel pain somewhere, it’s because the opposite muscle is weak. Adding in some functional mobility during foam rolling can really help.

Tight calves? Foam roll the calves, stop at one point, and point and flex your foot. You can also try moving it from side to side. Notice what muscles you feel that movement in.

Rolling the quads? Stop, and bend and extend the leg you’re rolling.

5: Foam Rolling can actually help our proprieception
First, what is proprieception? The dictionary says proprieception is:

perception or awareness of the position and movement of the body

As a runner, I’m sure you can see why this might be important. I can tell you from a Yoga teacher standpoint, we often get into a posture and think our leg is way higher than it actually is, or straighter than it actually is. Try videoing or photographing yourself and you might be really surprised at what you see!

I was definitely surprised to see improved proprieception as one of the benefits of foam rolling!

Final Thoughts
Although I’d like to call myself an expert on mobility, I am not. I have learned quite a bit about it in the last few months, though, and I practice what I preach. I experiment, and if it helps me, I share it.

We are all an experiment of one. So give some of these things a try, if they pique your interest, and I hope that you find it helpful.

Did you learn something new about foam rolling?

Are you willing to try to change up what you’re already doing? 

What do you do to work on your mobility?

My #1 Takeaway from Mobility Courses

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 30 Comments

Could you be foam rolling all wrong — and for the wrong reasons? Maybe! I’ve taken several mobility and self myofascial release courses over the last year (and am eyeing yet another one!).

Today I’m sharing my biggest takeaway that I heard at pretty much all of these courses.

Disclaimer: I’m not a medical professional or physical therapist. I can’t diagnose what may be wrong with you. Always check with a doctor first.

It’s not about ironing out our fascia
Back in the day when I started foam rolling, I was taught that it basically takes our jumbled fascia (which creates pain and stiffness) and irons it out, so to speak, so that all those jumbled fibers are more organized.

Turns out that’s not really what foam rolling does.

cheerful female touching hair and looking away in daylight
Myofascial release is more about the neuromuscular connection | Photo by Harry Cooke on Pexels.com

It’s all in your head
Maybe not all, but like most things running, the truth is it’s often not so much a body limitation, but a neuromuscular protection mechanism.

You know how when you’re doing a long run, and you feel tired towards the end? A lot of that is actually coming from your brain — it’s trying to protect you from injuring yourself, and slowing down is a great way to potentially protect from injury.

Your nervous system acts the same way to protect your connective tissue. It can send you pain to basically get you to stop whatever it is you are doing that it perceives as a threat.

Your nervous system basically says stop yourself! (by triggering pain) before you wreck yourself (injure yourself).

Foam rolling basically tells your brain that oh! it’s okay to feel that pressure. You can tolerate that pressure; it’s not a threat.

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Do you really need to roll at all?
I’ve shared my foot compression routine. The problem with rolling is you generally don’t get as deep pressure as you do by simply putting pressure on the foot (or wherever else you usually roll).

It also takes sustained pressure to get into your nervous system — without those longer holds, your nervous system doesn’t have time to calm down and realize that this sort of pressure isn’t a threat after all.

Can rolling hurt you? Well, yes, it can, but only if it’s done improperly (rolling on bones, over new scars, if you have a serious illness). In general you can foam roll to your hearts’ content — but you may not get the results you’re after.

If done properly foam rolling will not hurt you. It just may not actually heal you.

Should I just throw out my foam roller?
Nooooo! Foam rolling is very beneficial at certain times. That’s another thing I learned — when and how to foam roll — but that’s a post for another day.

Let’s end with a little experiment. I want you to roll your left foot. Do it however you normally do it. Walk around. Notice the difference between your left and right feet.

Next try simply draping your foot over the same ball you used with your right foot. In front of the fat pad on your heel on the inside and the outside. Then just below the ball of the foot, on the inside and outside of your foot. Hold for at least 90 seconds in each location.

Walk around again.

Which foot feels better? 

What else do you notice about your feet after doing this? 

Have you gotten results with foam rolling? 

btuesdaytopics

Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

This week I am also joining up with the new Runners’ Roundup linkup.

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Clear Goals: March 2021

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 18 Comments

bcleargoals

Spring is a natural time to start becoming more active. Activity is really its own reward, but it doesn’t hurt to have some goals.

All good performance starts with clear goals.
— Ken Blanchard

I may not be planning a performance any time soon, but clear goals in my life are important. No clear goals leads to too much time trying to decide what to do — better known as analysis paralysis. Who wants to waste time dithering about what to do?

Getting in scheduled runs
I ran 3 x week, as planned. Even three times a week seems challenging right now! I may not work at a paid job (right now), but that doesn’t mean I don’t keep myself busy, cause I sure do!

Grade Earned:  A 

Recording my runs
Like March: started out strong, sort of petered out towards the end of the month. Again keeping myself busy with other things.

Grade Earned: B

Dynamic Warmup
I was quite good at my dynamic warmups as my runs began to become a more normal length. Still working on a few residual niggles that have been niggling at me a long time (making progress) so I know that this is important.

Grade Earned: A

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Foam Rolling
This has become an entrenched part of my morning routine (see more about morning routines here). I do it because it makes a difference. Sometimes I do it both before and after a run. And I work on my feet pretty much every day to keep them happy (see my routine here — I redid it, and I swear there was audio! Ugh. I may have to refilm the whole thing).

We’re going to be working on flexibility in the Facebook Group (join here) next month, and it’s going to be a combination of SMR (self myofascial release & Yin Yoga). So not only does it help with flexibility, it can help with some annoying aches & pains, too — win-win! 

Grade Earned: A++

The starter is now in the freezer, and the bread bakery is closed for now.

Nutrition
Not really quite sure what happened here. I was doing great up to my birthday — and I got back on track right after my birthday, too. But the weight has crept up a little. I have some ideas, and I’ve been implementing them. It may just be a seasonal adjustment. I hope!

Grade Earned: B

Cross Training
Yoga, running, a little hiking, walking, a little bit of indoor cycling. I’m doing pretty well, but slacked a bit on strength training. Although the first ST I did recently, I was so sure I was going to have some DOMs — and I didn’t. There’s been a lot more Yoga as I do short practices in the Facebook group — I guess it’s working for me too.

Grade Earned: A+

March 2021  gets  . . . 
. . . an A. Probably should’ve been an A-, there was definitely some room for improvement in a few areas. I did feel really run down for about a week there in the middle — which is why there was so little ST — but gave my body what it needed and bounced back pretty quickly.

February Goals:

  • Continue to lengthen out my long run. Y. I started the month with a long run of 4 miles, and slowly worked my way up to 6 miles. Taking it slow & easy to keep my body happy. I don’t plan to go much over 7 or 8 miles any time soon (and it depends on my body), as I am still not training for anything.
  • Do some longer ST. Y/N.  Y. I did once, LOL! Most of the little ST I did, if you’re not counting Yoga, was short. ST is so important, but listening to your body is more important.
  • Balance + Core Challenge. Y. I had fun coming up with a variety of routines in the Facebook group and on YouTube (here). I know my balance still needs work! Watching my parents age, I know just how important this is. May I also say that it’s important to use a cane/walker if that is necessary, no matter your age. Pride goeth before a fall, indeed! I hope I can stave that off for a long, long time. I just had a conversation with my mom about that. She’s good at using her cane, but is reluctant to use a walker, and I think she’s at the stage that she needs to. So just gentle nudges for her for now and pray there are no falls.
  • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up.. Y. It’s time for a little Spring cleaning. I’ve started, but it’s not always easy!

Which leads me to April Goals:

  • Continue to lengthen out my long run. I am not going to make any goal for how long I want my long runs to be. My body will tell me. I would definitely be happy to be at 7 miles by the end of April, but a happy body is more important to me.
  • Do some longer ST. I will continue to the short practices in the morning, as it’s really working for me right now. Time to do a longer one at least a one day a week — on the days I don’t run.
  • Flexibility Challenge. I am having fun coming up with some very different — and effective — practices.
  • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. Always a goal. Over the years I’ve gotten much better at it, but it’s always a work in progress.

btuesdaytopics

Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

This week I am also joining up with the new Runners’ Roundup linkup.

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