The Push Yourself Thread!

[lovely]

Okay, so I was sick and ordered to stay in bed for a few days, and I was really board, but today I am better and we cleaned out most of the downstairs! It is almost sparce, except for a few things I have left move out. I wanted to walk afterward, but Michael said we needed to buy some plants for the gardening tomorrow...we went to three nurserys and I walked a lot. We are getting up early to plant, and then coming back in to keep pitching and organizing. I am building my energy back up again, because being sick sort of zapped it a bit. I'll let you know how this all goes after the weekend. I'm very excited to be going again, though, praise God! It's such a wonderful blessing to be able to do work and be active, I'm so grateful to the Lord.

 

[JoJo]

It's such a wonderful blessing to be able to do work and be active, I'm so grateful to the Lord.

It truly is. And nothing makes me more aware of that as I get older and grow tired more easily than I used to. For instance, tonight I mowed my front and back lawns. I was huffing and puffing halfway through and my legs were so tired! But my yard looks nice.

 

[stovebolts]

That's great Tina! I'm glad that your out and about feeling better! My son loves gardening and yesterday he and my wife went to our local VoTech and they brought back two flats worth of plants. We've had too much rain lately to till, so I'm not sure what he's going to do with them all, but if they think I'm going out there and turning the garden over by hand with a shovel ...

BTW, it must be some spring thing with you women. My wife went on a cleaning frenzy too. She even cleaned the garage! (except my side )

My knee is recovering and I managed to run a very slow 4 miles Thursday with a knee brace, and I honestly thought that I'd be down and out come Friday, but my knee actually felt better on Friday, even though it hurt all through the run and at one point, I almost didn't run. This morning my knee feels great! I don't get it Last night our family went on a bike ride. It was a beautiful spring day with all the trees in bloom! I think our dog is getting old. I actually beat him in a race!

It's raining right now, but weather.com says that at 9 it's going to be sunny (Welcome to Michigan). Our running group meets at 8:30 and I'm hoping to clip off 5 miles this morning!

I was huffing and puffing halfway through and my legs were so tired! But my yard looks nice

That's one of the main reasons I started running! I was sick and tired of always being tired and running out of steam. My job kinda switched back in 06 and for the most part I sit all day and I've been noticing that it was getting hard to do the little things that I used to be able to do without getting tired. Yes, sometimes I am tired from all the running, but it's a different kind of tired, but over all, I've got way more energy!

 

[JoJo]

That is so encouraging!

 

[lovely]

Hi everyone,

Well, we gardened yesterday, and we put up the fence for the sheep pasture. We have five rows nearly finished. My fingers are hurting while I am typing this! :rolling After gardening, I had to BBQ for Max's birthday, but I didn't get all the sides done...it was just too much. Anyway, after we cleaned up, I soaked in the tub and took some pain killers. I couldn't even eat, because I was too sleepy...fell asleep very early. I am refreshed this morning, though aching from a sunburn that is smarting real good, and sad for Max because he just showed me his poison ivy. We are going to garden more after meeting, though. The Lord bless everyone, I'm off to chapel.

 

[JoJo]

I haven't done any physical exercise today, but I did have a good spiritual workout in the form of a humbling exercise in humility! :crazy

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[stovebolts]

Wow Tina! Don't you worry about frost getting your plants this early in the season? We normally don't plant until after memorial day.

But it sounds like your getting a lot done! Send some of that sunshine our way!

Well, I'm a glutton for punishment There was a 4, 6 and 10 mile run offered Saturday, and against my better judgment at the 4 mile mark, I decided to do the 10 mile run. Hey, I made it to the 8 mile mark before taking the shortcut back to the shop for a total of 9 (I think I walked about half of that last mile :gah )

At this rate I wonder if my knee is ever going to heal... Why do I keep doing this?

 

[lovely]

Wow Tina! Don't you worry about frost getting your plants this early in the season? We normally don't plant until after memorial day.

But it sounds like your getting a lot done! Send some of that sunshine our way!

Jeff, I am in zone 5 here. It was safe for us to begin planting after about two weeks into April this year. We feel like we are running late already! We can sometimes plant as early as April 1st, but we have had a few surprise freezes in those first two weeks before, and so I try to wait...I never usually wait until May, though.

I am going to pray for your knee tonight, sorry it's giving you so much trouble. You know, you would probably feel better if you had followed my advice an had some Raw Milk. ;)

I ran errands mostly today, except for a short hike at my neighbors farm to retrieve my children from a sandbar in their creek. I had to wade through Cow Manure to get down to the creek, does that count for extra effort? I wanted to do more, but I just fizzled out by the end of the day. I will say they had the most beautiful jersey calf out there...light brown with the most pristine white shapes on her you have ever seen...so gorgous...she had a heart, and some socks, really neat.

I have been stretching a lot before and after things, but my body seems to want to stretch all the time...does anyone else experience that desire when they are aching from a workout? I am in so much pain from the weekend, it's hard to move, but the stretching has really helped me relieve some of that pain I think. Does it relieve muscle pain as well as prevent injury, or is it all in my mind? I am expecting a full day Tuesday...still working on getting rid of a third of everything. ;)

I hope everyone has a blessed and productive day in Christ tomorrow.

 

[Kelli]

I am so behind!!!

Tina, it sounds like you have had a rough go, and kept at it anyway. You Go Girl (wish I had a cheer leader smilie) Anyway, you must be tough, because when I get sick I am the biggest baby! Thank God that's not very often. You have encouraged me so much. I think to myself, I don't want to walk, then I think about how hard you try, and it makes me ashamed. Thank you.

Well, I'm a glutton for punishment There was a 4, 6 and 10 mile run offered Saturday, and against my better judgment at the 4 mile mark, I decided to do the 10 mile run. Hey, I made it to the 8 mile mark before taking the shortcut back to the shop for a total of 9 (I think I walked about half of that last mile :gah )

Jeff, I have one thing to say ARE YOU CRAZY!!! Dude, you are so tuff! It makes me hurt for you when you talk about how bad your knee hurts! :robot You must be some kind of Cyborg!

Jojo, I love your picture! For some reason I thought you were older (must be all that wisdom you have). I read the thread you were talking about, you are so awesome. You were right the whole time and it would have been so easy to gloat, but you were so humble. Those spiritual workouts are harder than physical ones.

I didn't get to post here yesterday, or the day before, but I have been trying to be more active. I can't find my pedometer :verysad But I have been walking, I take the dogs, but only one at a time. I was soooooo sore on Monday, because I planted for three hours straight on Sunday. I don't care what anyone says that is a good workout. I could barley walk!

 

[JoJo]

Yard work is a definite workout! I say that if your heart races, then you're doing aerobics!

Kelli, you are such a sugar! Thank you for the supporting words! And by the way, you look pretty young in your picture, so you hush with the old lady talk!

 

[lovely]

I hope everyone had a good week so far. I have been continuing with the Spring cleaning...I feel as so much has been accomplished in organizing and pitching, praise God! I have three rooms left in the house, and then I am going to start on the basement. I have also had an opportunity to really exercise a lot, but I just stay in pain all the time. That is not a complaint, though, because God has been so gracious...it's a good kind of pain that means I am moving again, and I know that I will eventually press passed it. I can look behind me and see so much progression, and I am excited to be to the part where I can work and be productive for the sake of my family who has served me for so long with no complaint. I just thank God for making me useful.

The exercise...

When Jeff first wrote about his running, I could only make it around the track here once, which is a third of a mile, and I could only barely do that. I was also taking the inhaler too much. The day before yesterday, I did a whole mile for the first time and I only took the inhaler once in the beginning! The children inspired me to go around a third time, because I just saw them running in the middle field and climbing all over little hills running and playing together, and it just made my heart joyful and full and my walk matched the song in my heart. I know, a bit cheesy, but still true.

I hope all of you are doing well, and that the Lord will bless you and keep you. We have gardening on the schedule for Saturday, and then Monday it's back to the Spring cleaning. I love it!

 

[JoJo]

When Jeff first wrote about his running, I could only make it around the track here once, which is a third of a mile, and I could only barely do that. I was also taking the inhaler too much. The day before yesterday, I did a whole mile for the first time and I only took the inhaler once in the beginning! The children inspired me to go around a third time, because I just saw them running in the middle field and climbing all over little hills running and playing together, and it just made my heart joyful and full and my walk matched the song in my heart. I know, a bit cheesy, but still true.

That is so awesome!!! Not cheesy at all.

 

[stovebolts]

Wow! That is soooo awesome Tina! Fantastic!

It feels like I've been pushing myself on all fronts as well. With all the commotion at GM, things have been extremely hectic, not to mention Friday I went in for a Colonoscopy which meant Wednesday dinner was the last meal I ate until Friday around 3ish and after I ate, well, lets just say that the laxatives were still working pretty well.... Yeah, I slept alot Friday Funny though, when the woke me up from the surgery, the first word out of my mouth was, "Can I have a French Fry!" :rolling

Ohh, Thursday at 3:50 after not eating for almost a day, my blood pressure was 102 / 67 and my resting heart rate was 47 When I just sit at the pc, my heart rate is around 56 or so. Before I started exercising, it was around 62.

Saturday I took it slow because of my knee and only did 4 miles (heart rate upper 160's, lower 170's), but then went and helped out at the church. Today was a fun day. Didn't get to go running, but finally cut down that tree in the front yard that split in two last fall Ohh, and a few honey do's are now complete

Hope to engage more as the week progresses! And Tina, We're proud of you! Keep getting stronger!

 

[lovely]

Thanks you two.

Well, I didn't do so well over the weekend. I was struggling physically, and I let it stop me. Not only did I not exercise, but I barely even worked. I am asking the Lord to be my Help, and to keep me focused on glorifying Him alone. The Lord bless all of you.

 

[stovebolts]

That's ok Tina, your body just needed the rest.

I've made the mistake of pushing myself too hard and later, you pay for it.

Early on in my running, I ran so hard and pushed myself so hard that I got sick. Literally sick... Also, according to an article I read from Runners World, when you push yourself too hard, your prone to colds.

As you continue to push yourself, you'll learn how to interpret what your body is telling you and hopefully, you'll become wiser on how to manage what your body is telling you. I've read many articles about it, but for me, it comes down to experience, and you only get that when your out doing it. ;)

Let's say that you get good at running your 1/3 mile each day, so one day you go out and run a mile. The next day you go out to do it again, and your 1/3 mile is extreemly difficult. This is your first tell tell sign that you pushed yourself too hard the day before. Some would call that "negative results". When this happens, don't fret, just throttle back a bit, perhaps by walking and take it easy. Let your body heal and the endurance will come with time.

The main thing is, don't become discouraged. The endurance will come, but at our age and health, it takes patience and doing things a bit smarter. With your detirmination, you'll get there! Keep up the fantastic work!

Jeff

P.S. Speaking of throttling back, because of my knee issue, I went out and took about a 7 mile rigorous bike ride. It was odd, my heart rate stayed in the 140's and it took a lot to get it in the 160's. But boy, does a bike use a whole different set of leg muscles! Man my quads feel great this morning!

 

[lovely]

Okay, you're right I needed rest, because I ended up coming down with something. I ran a fever for days, and then ended up giving it to Ari.

I am recovering nicely now, and Michael has a three day weekend so I am going to the library tomorrow for my first day out and then working the long weekend with Michael...so he can watch me. We are hoping to finish the garden and start on the orchard...we'll see. I plan on pushing myself as much as possible.

I am wondering about water, is there some rule about when to drink it during exercise?

The Lord bless everyone.

 

[stovebolts]

Hey Tina,
I kinda figured you got sick Your kinda like me,... learning from our mistakes cause were' so stubborn

As far as the water, rule of thumb I've been told is this. If your thirsty, you waited too long to take a drink. Take yesterday for example. It hit the mid 80's and our group went out and did 4 miles around 7pm. When I know that I'm going out on a run, I make sure that I hydrate well before the run. This means drinking lots of water a couple hours before you go out. Normally, I drink about 60 oz of water from around 2pm and 6pm and like last night before the run, I swigged down maybe 8 oz right before the run.

After the run, I had my 20oz protein drink followed by 20oz of water.

Well, gotta get busy! Keep up the good work!

Jeff

 

[lovely]

Hey Tina,
I kinda figured you got sick Your kinda like me,... learning from our mistakes cause were' so stubborn

:rolling Wait! :o Hey, I'm not stubborn! I'm convicted... ...at least until I hit that brick wall by trying to do things my own way.

Seriously, though, I may never master the art of pacing myself, but I am asking the Lord to help me. Yes, I am very stubborn...to the point of denying the obvious even. I am struggling with the idea that this is a process, and I am tempted to be radical in my reaction, which will cause me to loose steam, as opposed to being consistent and actually making real steady progress. Does that make sense?

I appreciate the advice about the water, and when I read that it reminded me that it's the same thing they teach you when you nurse...if you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. I am going to just try to drink more water period, because I am not sure I recognize my own thirst anymore.

The Lord bless.

 

[stovebolts]

Ha! Your post made me laugh! Process How right you are and yes, it makes total sense! I think though, that it's our "conviction that keeps us coming back for more :rolling

You know, I ran with the "slow" crowd (I absolutely love the conversations since we can all breath to talk!) this morning and we put in 6 miles and averaged 10 minutes and 45 seconds per mile. After what? 2 Months?... I actually finally don't really hurt. I mean, my calves don't feel like they are going to cramp up and my knees, though sore, don't throb or ache. In short, I'm learning that getting hurt isn't any fun, and since I'm always in pain (my knees), even though I'm healing, I don't want to hurt myself again, so it's easier to throttle back. BTW, I think the bike riding is helping with my knee issue.

 

[stovebolts]

I haven't heard from anyone lately, but I'd just like to give an update.

Saturday I went out for a slow 6 mile jog. Average was 10:45 a mile and Average heart rate was 141 bpm which made for a real relaxing run.
Didn't really get to run again until Thursday, but rode the bike a lot Sunday and Monday, but made up for it last night :gah

Thursday is my dedicated "Push myself" day and I did a some what fast 5 mile run. Averaged just under 8 minute miles and the last mile was pushing my heart rate right at and above my 85% threshold. (172 - 178 bpm).

After the run and my cool down, we did a couple 1 block all out sprints. Man, those just felt good! I could only do 2 1/2 of them and decided that was enough.

But here's the part that put me under the table. Actually, I almost puked. Every Thursday we do our "Ab Class" where we work our abs. Man, I'm telling you, my ribs hurt as I type and my stomach is also sore. It's like a 20 minute intense class where we work the abs pretty hard and those like me just try to keep up with the ones that make the class look easy. We ened the class with some wall presses which work the quads (legs), but for me, that was a resting period. None the less, if the class hadn't ended when it did, I would have been forced to drop out. I was sooo sick.

Mind you, I only had a light snack before the run and a protein drink and a banana after the run, so I was still hungry. However, the sensation to puke was so strong, when I got home at 8:30, I was still sick and my heart rate was hovering around 90 sitting down and I was having a hard time not just falling asleep. By 9:30, my heart rate was still between 80-90, even laying down and there wasn't any way I was going to try and eat :gah

In all, I've been eating like a horse today, and other than being extreemly sore, I feel pretty good . Tomorrow morning I"m going to try and shoot for 8 miles, but no ab training

Wish me luck, and let me know how you all are doing! Kelli, did you ever make it to a running store?

Jeff