Erin Can Run!

Not very far, and not very fast, but I can do it! I ran two days in a row and don't hurt! Well, okay, my butt and hamstrings are sore, but my knee is not. Oh happiness. Eyes are back on the prize, but I am taking it easy and sticking to two days a week in the pool. And not just running in the water. I'm going to swim. It's been nice getting back into swimming. I thought I'd be incredibly bored but there's something so zen about cool water, muffled sound, and just counting, 1, 2, 3, breathe, 1, 2, 3, breathe....

Getting back up to my favorite place in Quito, Parque Metropolitano, was like a homecoming. Oh how I missed it so. And so, here is my ode to Metropolitano:

Parque Metropolitano, how I love thee--
Let me count the ways:
I love how the bad weather stops at your backside,
covers up Guapulo, but you keep it from swallowing my house.
I love your eucalyptus tree leaves
that rustle like the paper I separate before printer insertion.
I love you when the city is smoggy
because you are not.
I love your endless possibilities,
your miles of deserted trails that wind
connect, separate, disappear and reappear.
I love it when you give me a tan.
I love it that you're like a vacation.
I love it when the sun shines through you leaves
and the patterns and smells remind me of spring time in NC.
I love it that the citizens love you,
donate tax money to keep you clean,
and that they come in droves to celebrate you on the weekends.
But mostly, I love it that you give me a taste of home--
dirt trails, clean air, a beautiful place to run.
Thank you Parque Metropolitano,
for being a mere 5 minutes walk from my house.

Knee Progress

I just had a great appointment with the chiropractic team yesterday and we finally got to the root of some major problems. Turns out I've been carrying perma-cramp around in my calves for who knows how many years. Plus, the muscles in the back of my legs are so tight and so much stronger than the fronts, that they fight with my lats making my left leg tighten up to the point of being shorter than the other. So additionally, what's been going on in the back of my legs pulls my fibula out of it's rightful place--part of what pulls my knee-cap off where it's supposed to run. All of that causes me to walk and run without moving my hip. I almost swing my leg around because the back is too tight to allow follow-through. Crazy the things you learn about yourself.

So we had a long session of breaking down the muscles, putting bones back into place and some walking re-training. Seriously, I have to train myself how to walk properly. And when I walk the right way, I have zero pain in my knee. Freaking miracle. So, I'm first going to try a long walk in the park, and then, this week....wait for it.......I'm going to attempt to run on land!

I learned that I can swim and run in the water with no pain. So that and some core muscle work and stretching is about the extent of what I've been doing. I was so glad to learn that I can swim and run in the water without pain--Because that means that I can do part of my training in the water while I'm still healing up. I mean, it's not ideal and boring as all get-out, but at least I can do some form of running.

I think we're also on the verge of having our future figured out, so that will cause way less stress and tightening. My inability to relax may really be my biggest problem.

In Which Erin is Shit-Canned After Two Glasses of Wine

I've hit an all new tolerance low. Cheap drunk? Sure. How about, can't hang and has to be put to bed at 9:00 after what's a normal dinner for most? Yikes. My reputation is ruined. They'll no longer call me "Booze." They'll call me "Snooze."

In celebration of a full-week of strict diet, I went ahead and had that second glass. Wouldn't you? The good news is that it totally prepared me for my entire PINT of beer for Super Bowl Sunday. I am sooooo living on the edge.

But in all seriousness, I feel better than I have in years.

Additional pluses: I can swim AND deep water run without it hurting my knee. And the pool is walking distance. And I have a friend to go with so I don't bore myself to drowning.

Also, my knee has felt markedly better the last two days. And I was getting slightly hysterical. But things seem to be healing up in there.

Also, in the past, when I've been injured or was on some running hiatus, I wouldn't change how I was eating and would of course gain a good bit of weight which would in turn make me uber depressed and I would eat more. I am now officially avoiding that cycle.

I was right in the last post. I could almost see this being a life-style sort of thing. Now that I'm used to it, it's easy to only eat what I'm supposed to. I don't crave anything. I give this whole enterprise my stamp of approval.

Now, when the time comes, perhaps I will be able to train with the same sort of discipline my diet has required.....

Coming Down the Home-Stretch

So, two days to go on this super-low carb thing. And I feel fantastic! And cranky bitch is gone. But my knee does not feel fantastic, which was the point. More on that shortly.

Saturday marks the end of this try-it-for-a-week-and-see-how-it-goes thing. No, I'm not rushing to the ice cream shop or Mr. Bagel or anything. I'll slowly add in some carb--piece of toast here, a banana there, extra chocolate in my whey shake (microbrews in Boston).... But mostly, I think I'm going to try to maintain a super low amount until I'm able to train heavily again. I mean sheesh, if nothing else, this diet is keeping me thin and satisfied during a time of inactivity. I should probably keep with it awhile.

I did find myself looking longingly at a giant chocolate chip cookie today, though. So I know the addiction isn't broken. At least I know I can control it without tweaking out.

Next weekend will mark my third week off. Third week of rest. That's a long time to nurse a running injury. When we return from Boston, if there is not a marked changed, I'm going to go get my hundred dollar MRI (health care anywhere except the States is great) and see what's going on in there. The amount of time makes me worry--is it too damaged to heal on it's own? We don't replace knee cartilage naturally. So cross your fingers that the third week is the charm. I'm even crossing my toes.

In Which Erin Realizes She's a Cranky Bitch

But not during the day. Only at night. But I don't feel hungry. But I do feel decidedly not-right. But only at night. During the day I feel great. I have energy all day; I wake up happy and alert and ready to go. And then it gets dark. And the bitch emerges from the shadows to snap at Tim or get really annoyed with anything. Then I eat dinner. Then I crash.
Is this healthy?

I just don't know.
I pee lots, which means stuff is getting cleaned out. But I feel fat. I have way more all-day energy (which is an enormous benefit I wasn't even expecting), but my knee still hurts very much a lot. I still want chocolate, but am only consumed by this need mid-afternoon at which time I eat an apple or just wait it out, and then it's gone (And that is so noodle waxing!). I'm at least a two-cups-a-day coffee drinker, but now I only want one (this is getting strange and unusual). And you know that glass of wine I was allowed every night? I kind of don't want it. Mostly because I feel decidedly not-right at night. But also because I have absolutely no specific urgings of any kind. And if nothing else, I've realized I'm an eat-by-the-urges (and whatever Tim puts in front of me) kind of eater.

So...strange things are happening to me.
Honestly, I HATE having to obsess about food. I HATE having to plan ahead so that I will not be stuck hungry without things I can eat, and I HATE it that my knee still hurts.
But then again, what did I expect?
That for half a week I'd cut out carbs and miraculously shed 5 pounds, feel great, my knee would be in perfect health, and I'd have a fabulous tan to boot?
I guess I need to chill out.
Maybe I will have that wine tonight.

In other news: I've been gym hunting. Uuuggggggggghhhhhhhhh.
I bought goggles and a cap yesterday for the pool by my house. Double ugh.
But I can't do nothing. And currently, my knee is allowing for none of my somethings. I am trying not to get depressed and am now going into "healthy injury-recovery mode."

Day Two

It's not as hard as I thought it'd be--this whole restricted diet thingie. Mostly it's just a pain in the ass. I have to cook things and prepare things and mix things and wash things. Toast is oh-so-much simpler!

I'm pretty hungry too. But I think it's because while I've taken out the carbs, I'm not really replacing those calories with veggies and meat. I mean, I eat the same amount, but I guess a bunch of green beans doesn't have the same calories as pan de yuca or bread and buttah. So I'll need to figure that out.

Other than being slightly annoyed by how much I'm having to think about food, and how I'm a little bit hungry, I feel good. My energy has been even all day, both days. Actually, I would even say I feel "energetic," which is not a constant state of being for me. But I've not experienced any partway through the day lows or highs on energy.

And really, things were going swimmingly until the gas stove ran out of fuel this evening. And now I'm trying to figure out what to eat for dinner. I was explicitly told not to skip any meals. So now it's tuna salad or hard boiled eggs again.

The Great Protein Challenge

In addition to trying the Hydration Challenge (and wow, is it challenging!), I am going to try the Protein Challenge. What is the challenge?

Eat protein and veggies for a straight week. Exclusively.

Well. With some berries thrown in. I can have 60g of carbs a day.
Apparently, this is supposed to lube up my joints really nicely. The docs think my body is so inflamed and messed up that it's mimicking arthritis. And I guess this is diet recommended for arthritics.

I don't know how much I actually buy into stuff like that. Whole grains are good. But maybe it's better to teach your body how to burn fat and not rely on carbs for fuel?

What I do know is that my goal is fiercely important to me--I need to get fixed so that I can run. So I'm willing to try just about anything. This challenge will be particularly odd for me. I have NEVER tried to stick to a diet (starving aside), do a cleanse, or anything of that nature. I always thought I wouldn't have the will-power or that I eat pretty well as is, so why bother? If this doesn't lube my joints, doesn't make me feel better, yadda yadda yadda--then what it will at least do is break me of my sugar habit which is probably the best thing I could do for myself right now.

So here's to sashimi, bunless cheeseburgers, whey shakes, and lots of eggs.
Bottoms up.
Full report to follow in a week.