Day 21: A Cold Day to Spoil The Bella

I wish I had some running news but I am still hacking up beautiful colors. Waking up this morning to 15 degrees, putting the Bella outside to do her business, I knew I would have to keep busy to distract myself from wanting to be out playing.

The Bella didn't want to come in, she likes to hang out in the cold. But after an hour I was starting to worry about her, so I coaxed her inside. She was shivering! I don't like the idea of my 14 1/2 year old dog being cold, so I heated up some chicken broth and gave it to her, and covered her with a blanket and rubbed her down, like I used to when we'd give her a bath in the bathtub when she was a puppy. She loved it.

Soon it was time for her dad to take her to Starbucks for a pup cup. He tucked her in under a blanket for the ride.

Spoiling the dog is a great alternative to running. I have no idea when I will feel better. If I am still really feeling bad by Monday I might go in and see the doctor. This sort of sucks. But Isabelle is enjoying it.

Day 20: Hanging with The Bella

Cold, windy, snowy day. Not Much energy. I got a few things done in the cave, then I had a dentist appointment. Uneventful. After the dentist I came home and made a cup of tea and sat with the Bella until I had to leave to go meet a friend at her house for a surprise she had waiting for me. It was the kind of thing that gives you chills. She knows this musician and songwriter in Seattle and told him about the work I'm doing with the FIERCE exercise class I teach, and the concept of FIERCE, and he wrote a song about it!! Just about knocked me off my chair. The generosity and kindness from this complete stranger, who never met me. I will be sharing it with the class... 

Now I'm back home with The Bella and Dennis. She's snoring at my feet. If she didn't weigh 60 pounds, I'd pick her up and hold her like a baby. We will bring her up on the bed with us when we go to sleep, as usual. Then I'll have my chance. She's catching up on 14 years of attention that she had to share with her sister. 

Nice start to a restful weekend. I need it.

Day 19: Dragon

That's me, dragon butt. This morning I met a friend for coffee at Starbucks and the cold air actually hurt my chest so I drove the 4 blocks to meet her there. How pathetic...

It's supposed to be warmer over the weekend so I will get out and do some walking. It's going to take a while but I will be patient, I have tons of work to do.

I feel like I have this fog inside my head. It's been hard to think very clearly. Probably all the inflammation in my lungs. I got a few things done, but I know things will not go any faster than they will go. Too much depends on other people's schedules and my ability to coordinate them. It's okay.

So in between drinking tea, eating soup, and trying to not be too hard on myself, I sit here in the woman cave, with Isabelle at my feet, snoring and farting as only a 14 1/2 year old dog can do, and I think things could be a lot worse. This is okay. I'm happy.

This morning, the sunrise view from the woman cave...

Day 18: Typical Colorado Day and Re-Plagued

Today was a typical day here, it started off warm, in the 40s, got quite nice in the sunshine by mid-day but it was gusty. There were a few gusts where I couldn't even stand up straight.

I took Isabelle for about a mile in the cart, but she wanted to walk some, so I took her out, and we went slowly.

I noticed how exhausted I've been lately, seemed like I can't get enough oxygen when I'm running. I feel so wiped out.

Well this morning and yesterday too, I was coughing up a bunch of garbage from my lungs and it was getting colorful, and not in a good way. My chest also hurts after I take a deep breath and try to fill my lungs. I felt tired all day. I finally figured it out. I got my stethoscope out and listened to my lung fields as best as I could, with the short tubing. Pretty sure this is bronchitis.

There isn't much I can do about it, except rest, drink fluids, and hope I can hack this stuff up without it hurting too much. If for some reason I start running a fever or start feeling a lot worse, I'll go to the doctor, but for now, I don't need to pay a co-pay and find out there's nothing that can be done. I'm not taking antibiotics unless I end up getting worse and it acts like something bacterial. I doubt it is.

So much for a running streak, I guess. I'll keep on moving, doing something every day, but right now, running in this cold dry air is not a good idea for my lungs or anywhere else on me.

Day 17: Getting Creative

Coach Isabelle supervised my workout today.

I woke up at 3:54 a.m., and couldn't go back to sleep. I decided to start working, and I had a more productive day than yesterday. I did solve a major problem that will allow me to move forward except I don't get to start that for 2 more weeks. But I did get going on some other work that I've been procrastinating on.

It was supposed to snow, heavy snow, they said. But all it did was blow the remaining leaves off the trees. It didn't even get cold enough to snow. It was 36 degrees when I woke up.

By 1:30 pm I was toast, the old brain shut down after 8 hours of working and not enough sleep. That's okay. At least I did get something done. I was being a complete wimp. The wind was howling and I'm still tired.

I decided to do something different. My legs are really tired- they burn. But I chose to not go out and run, instead, I did my workout indoors. It was short, intense, and a killer. I ran up and down the stairs in our house- two short flights- for 10 minutes. I thought I was going to die.

I call it my Stairbata workout. Like Tabata, on stairs. Short, screaming intense, but it was sort of fun. Isabelle watched me like I was out of my mind. Which I am. "I don't know what your problem is, but I'm glad it's not MY problem" is the look she gave me.

I have been so tired and I don't understand why. I survived the Stairbata workout. Hopefully I won't pay for it tomorrow.

Day 16: Liberation Day and Unproductivity

It's November 16th, which for me is my own personal liberation day from slaving as a nurse. Two years ago was my last day of having a "job". I do not miss it.

I got a couple of blogposts written in the past 24 hours on Fighting Dinosaurs and a guest blogpost on the World Health Innovation Summit blog.

I tried to get some of my own work done, but that was not to be. I had to take my car in to the dealer to get the airbags replaced under a recall, I have a RAV4. I dropped it off at 9:00 and ran home. They said it would be done by noon.

At 12:30 I got a call saying, "our computers are down, we haven't been able to get started on it, and we don't know when they'll be back up." So I ran back over- sort of hobbled- and picked up my car. I rescheduled for next week. Annoying, but what can you do?

I wasn't having much luck here either, seemed like my brain wasn't focusing well and I was having technical issues with everything on the computer this morning. I hate having to get used to all the new garbage. I wish it could be simple. I guess I'm showing my age.

I am tired. I wonder if that 2 hour run was more than I could handle. I wouldn't expect it to be that hard, I did several of those longer runs before I got sick. There were no hills. And Emma and I took it super easy yesterday, I don't know what's wrong, but I ran for 50 minutes total today and my legs felt completely wasted. They were burning with every step and I kept having to walk.

I don't know what it is, but I don't like it and I need to start feeling better somehow, soon.

Day 15 Good Start

It wasn't much of a run, but Emma and I went up to Horsetooth this morning and took the trail down from Rotary Park to the waterline, which is as low as it's been all year. We jogged and walked along the rocky beach and then took the trail back. It was more of a photo run than anything. The air was warm, the water was still, and it was one of those mornings when I feel so lucky to live where I do.

I also feel lucky to have found a running buddy who loves photographing scenes along the way as much as I do. She doesn't mind stopping!

Today is supposed be the last nice day for a while, we're supposed to get some rain and snow this week, and it's supposed to be windy, too. Back to the winter weather pattern. We had summer for about 8 months this year so I can't complain. I'm sort of looking forward to it. The only thing I don't like is ice.

It was a brief 3 mile jaunt this morning, not as far as I thought we would go but it didn't matter. I got nearly 40 miles in on my feet this week. Every time we climbed or descended the hills today I could feel my legs from yesterday's run. They were burning.

I really need to get back up here on these hills. I have turned into such a blob. I need to get back to doing some kind of resistance training, and my abs are mush. It's the motivation factor. Maybe I need to designate a motivation month for each different aspect of my workouts and get back into a complete routine again. Don't be surprised if December becomes some kind of theme. I said I wanted to be able to bite my toenails when I'm 60. I only have about 8 years to go, and it's a long way from my toes to my mouth, even if I am only 5'1" on a good day.

Happy Sunday!