I’ve been very negligent of this blog the last month.  There’s been a lot on my mind, and it ended up being a very busy month.  Not just due to holidays but to work to dealing with people, etc.  Running has been sporadic to say the least.  I think I might have only had two actual double digit figure mileage this month and maybe only once  hitting 30 miles.  I’m trying hard not to beat myself up over it.   I did do cross training which was helpful to staying fit.

However, the latest news with me is that 2 1/2 weeks ago, I had a very interesting run.   The day started out busy, and I missed my morning workout due to oversleeping.  I felt guilty about it and vowed to run that day even if the sun was gone and it was pitch black.  I wound up running in the late afternoon on a 30-something degree day.

The run wasn’t spectactular, however, as I neared the end of my route, I spotted a dog by the side of the road.  Living out in the country, I see a lot of dogs.  Some are friendly, others bark, others are not friendly at all.  This one was a very young puppy!  I called over to her, telling her hello.  She immediately slinked her way to me and showed me her belly, wanting tummy rubs.  I obliged.  I picked her up as a car was appearing.  Since the little puppy was in front of a neighbor’s house, I knocked on the door to see if it belonged to them.  No one was there.  I went to the other other neighbor across the road and inquired again.  No avail.

Well, I was not going to leave a cute eight week old puppy in the cold.  So being the good samaritan I am, I took her home.  I carried her half a mile up my large hill to my place.  I was impressed.  She did not squirm or make any noise at all.  She just laid in my arms with no flinching.  Once home, I let her meet my three other dogs.  She did fabulous as did my own dogs.  Just to note, my three dogs are pretty well adjusted and meet dogs well.  They were quite intrigued, and she just acted like a silly puppy.

Over the course of the next week, I took the puppy to work with me (I work at a dog kennel) and also to the vet to get checked.  I also started training her with a clicker as well.  She caught on quickly.  I decided it would be good to check the local paper to see if anyone was missing a dog.  I did not see any ads at all.  So my assumption is that she was “dumped.”  I mean how far can an 8 week old puppy go?  The answer is not far.  I may not have been running for two weeks outside, but I am familiar of the dogs around there.

My decision was made–to keep her.  The ironic thing of deciding to keep her was that this was a week before Christmas.  Being a dog trainer, I always advise clients NOT to get puppies or dogs at Christmas, and here I was doing the same thing.  It was like committing a cardinal sin! 

My finality of the decision was because I loved her temperament.  Was it not for that, then I would have fostered her and adopted her out.  But she’s too good and special, and I feared her temperament would be ruined.

I’m estimating she is 10 1/2 weeks old.  It’s quite fun, though exhausting too to have one this young again.  It’s similar to having an infant in the household, though I have not yet experienced that personally.  I can only make a guess.  It’s been almost 10 years since I’ve had a puppy, so this is like a raising a second “child” where you get to use the knowledge you’ve gained over the years.  You learn what you did right and where you can improve. 

The puppy has a name.  It is Tovah Aliyah.  Both are Hebrew names.  I’m nto Jewish, but I liked both names and how they went together.  Tovah means “good, pleasing, and possibly thankful.”  Aliyah means “rising, ascending to.”  So far, she is doing exceptionally well, and I really could not be any happier.  I know we’ll stumble and bumble along the way, but I’m determined to try my best to make the experiences of her life the best possible.

Meet my newest addition to the family, Tovah Aliyah:

 Who can really say no to that sweet face?

My last run on Saturday was splendid!  I’m afraid I’m getting too spoiled by all these great runs, but at the same time, it’s reminding me that cross training is helpful and sometimes less is more. 

Anyway, this is a random sort of question I’ve been wondering about for awhile.  How come most parts of your body are warm from running except for your stomach?  At least this is what happens to me.  It makes sense that your legs are obviously going to be the warmest since blood is flowing directly to them.  Your face and neck are kept warm from the heat generated from running.  Your head is usually warm from a hat if you are wearing one.  Your hands are kept warm if wearing gloves/mittens.  Howeer, your stomach is not.  For me, it’s always the coldest part of my body.  Does this happen to others?  Is it just a physiological thing or some reason for it?

I was just curious and wondered if anyone has answers.

Hope all had a nice Thanksgiving however you envisioned it.   Mine was nice and relaxed.

I thought about running one of  the local races in town, but basically, I was to lazy to get up that early.  I figured I had a day off work, and I wanted to sleep in, especially since I did not sleep well last night.  I wound up sleeping in my chair rather than my bed, because I simply had not put on the new sheets yet.  Stupid reasoning I know, and one of my dogs was not happy about it.  He decided to get me up at 5:40 AM, insisting on going out.  Ugh!  I went back to sleep after and woke up after 7 AM sometime.

The rest of the day, I chilled, catching up on e-mails and blogs.  Missing one night of reading blogs, and you get behind quick!  I did take a run late this afternoon.  The day was terrific in the 50s, however, since I left at 4 PM, it was already starting to cool down.  Dingbat me decided to run in shorts and tee which kind of left me numb feeling after the 8.10 miles I ran.  Seriously, your body temperature can only keep you warm for so long.

Today’s run as well as yesterday’s 10.0 miler were fabulous!  It felt so good to be fast!  I still had some knee pain but not nearly as significant as the last several weeks.  I think it helped that I cut back my running a few days and did some cross training.  So yeah to cross training!  Oh yes, that reminds me that I need to post about my latest experience at the fitness center.  It was one of those moments where I was really peeved!

Anyway, going to finish up here and try to get to bed early. 

 image: wikimedia

This animal sighting on my run yesterday is so fitting as the holidays approach.  Literally, I looked in the field, and there it was just running as fast as it could.

About a month or so ago, I bought Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook.  I had heard such good things about it that I thought it would be a good investment.  I’m almost done with the book, and for the most part, there is a lot of good knowledge, facts, and research in it.  I really like that she emphasizes the need for carbohydrates–that they are a good thing!  Sometimes, I think in this day and age the general public still considers carbs “bad.”  Most athletes do not, however, I have seen some who do limit their carbohydrate intake in order to try to lose weight.  It’s basically a bad idea overall, as your body needs them to function.

She also emphasizes the importance of having some fat in your diet.  I admit I’m a bit fearful of fat and for a long time I ate everything fat-free.  Over the years, I’ve come around, so I at least eat lowfat products now, but I still have a ways to go with that one.

The book also states how important breakfast is.  Now, most of us know logically or at least it’s been beaten into our heads how the most important meal of the day is breakfast.  However, how many of us really follow that?  :sigh:  My hand goes up as well.  Although I like breakfast foods, I’ve never been a “breakfast eater.”  Throughout high school and college, my breakfast was mostly just coffee.  Not real bright.  Within the last three years, I’ve gravitated towards eating energy bars (and I’ve had many) which is better than nothing.  But still, it’s really not enough.  I use the same old excuses that energy bars are quick, convenient, and easy, that I just don’t have time to make a “real meal.”  It’s really baloney, I’m just not giving as much effort as I should in the long run mostly due to pure habit. 

Doesn’t the saying go that it takes 21 days to form a habit?  Maybe I need to really focus on experimenting with this, maybe give myself a goldstar for each day I eat breakfast?  I knew someone who did this for flossing.  That’s another one I have a bad habit of not doing consistently. 

Anyway, I’m going to “try” to do this and give periodic updates.  I find being accountable somewhere seems to help.

Last week, my running days numbered at only like three.  They weren’t even very good runs either.  Then, on Thursday, I did simple squat exercises.  I haven’t done them in awhile but have no trouble with them.  So I did two sets of 25.  Late Friday morning, I don’t know what happened, but I could barely move!  It hurt to just  freaking walk.  I’m blaming the culprit on the squat exercises. I’m not sure why I decided to do them.  It was one of those moments where I thought I’d do something I hadn’t done for awhile.  Obviously, squats should not have been it.  It’s feeling a little better now, but still sore.  :sigh: 

However, I am feeling a little more motivated to get back into my exercising routine.  Surprisingly, I haven’t even decided on a marathon yet.  I’m thinking March maybe.  It might have helped that I decided to join the RW East/West Holiday Challenge as well.  I thought it would be good inspiration during those cold winter months.  When I participated in the North/South Challenge in June, I found it helpful to keep me on track more.

Anyway, I was seriously pumped to go for a run today, and every single time I was about to go out the door, there was some weird sleet/hail falling from the sky!  Since my time was limited, I screwed that option and headed to the Pavillion, a local recreation center with a fitness room, pool, various classes, etc.  I hadn’t been there in six months but am trying to reincorporate some  cross training and maybe lifting weights too.

Today, I spent my time on the elliptical.  Normally, I tend to get a tad bored, but I was set on going and going.  When I was done, it felt good.  I was happy to have had my workout.  Tomorrow, I’m hoping for a short run or nice walk with my dogs.

I took four days off of running last week.  Okay, it was more out of lack of motivation.  Not exactly sure why but just couldn’t get myself out the door.  I at least figured this might be good for my nagging knee/leg injury.  This is the one that began after the last marathon.  Since that time, it has been bothering me.  It doesn’t seem to matter whether I am doing nothing, like when I was at the conference back in mid-October or running full force.  Well, I guess the latter does makes it feel worse but still, it feels like I don’t win either way.  And I’ve been doing things like icing it after every run, some massage, stretching, medications, all those sorts of things, but it continues to NAG. 

The nagging feels different too.  It’s not like when I had runner’s knee back last April.  There is no grinding or popping noise.  Instead, it will just throb if I’m sitting or have pain upon straightening or excessively bending or squatting.  :sigh:  I debate about seeing my physiatrist, because I know she will just give me more medications and maybe some exercises.  Hardly worth my time or pay. 

I know some people might say that I just need to take off a full month or more, but seriously, I do not do well in those situations.  It’s like keeping me pent up in a windowless room.  It doesn’t bode well for me or anyone else around me.  I need that endorphin rush to keep me sane you know?

I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m whining, I’m just a bit frustrated and not sure of what to do at this point.  Maybe I’ll talk to my PT next week when I visit her.  Currently, I’m helping her train her two new puppies which is a lot of fun.

I hope to be posting more soon.  I have some interesting articles I want to discuss.

I’m not sure whether to classify this as gutsy, amazing, or simply bizarre.  Though this story has received a lot of press, I’m going to post it anyway.  I most certainly am glad she is okay and receiving appropriate treatment.  However, this is one reason why I carry Direct stop with me on every run.

Jogger Runs Mile With Rabid Fox Locked On Her Arm

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: November 6, 2008

Filed at 1:24 a.m. ET

PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities in Arizona say a jogger attacked by a rabid fox ran a mile with the animal’s jaws clamped on her arm and then drove herself to a hospital. The Yavapai County sheriff’s office said the woman told deputies she was on a trail near Prescott on Monday when the fox attacked and bit her foot.

She said she grabbed the fox by the neck when it went for her leg but it bit her arm.

The woman wanted the animal tested for rabies so she ran a mile to her car with the fox still biting her arm, then pried it off and tossed it in her trunk and drove to the Prescott hospital.

The sheriff’s office says the fox later bit an animal control officer. He and the woman are both receiving rabies vaccinations.

I know this is a running blog, but today was historic!  This is evident that individuals across the nation want CHANGE.  I think this is a start.

The headline reads:

Obama defeats McCain, wins Presidential Election!

In today’s New York Times, there is an interesting article about the frequency of injuries, who they are, and why it happens.  Health columnist, Gina Kolata, poses the questions: why do some people get injured even when they try to do everything right, while others who do the wrong things avoid injury?  How do we prevent injuries from those who are injury prone?

Most scientists cannot answer these questions.  There is a lot of variability in the body, so we can’t definitively say that “this” is what causes an injury.  Scientists have concluded that some injuries do have easy fixes, like with proper fittings, strengthening structural alignment and musculature, and changing specific biomechanics.  For example, one of the scientists in the study interviewed said that those who frequently have runner’s knee show a drop in their hip with each step and their knees cave inward excessively.   Others who have tibial fractures often heel strike hard, so there is just more force with each step.  However, beyond these observances, most injuries are simply because everyone is different.

I’ve always been amazed at this and perhaps it is one reason that I feel a bit envious sometimes of those who can run so many miles in a day or race frequently and not get injured.  I have a friend who runs quite a few marathons and ultramarathons in a year and does not appear to get injured.  He is running NYC marathon this weekend and then another 60K race two weeks later.  To me, that seems crazy, but that’s him for you.  I know logically, my body would feel like that would be overkill.

So speaking of injuries, I’m not sure what is up with my right knee.  It feels similar to runner’s knee, but I do not have the popping and grinding sounds as before.  I’ll keep an eye on it and see what happens.  i’m meeting my physical therapist for lunch next wek, so I can discuss this with her.