Posts from — September 2009

Since I’m sure many of you out there care little for the running/fitness/life updates I’ll start with the craft.  Be prepared though…this post will be a hodgepodge!  When Erica was here after labor day, we did a few little projects.  An “in the hoop” tissue holder (my first project of this type…muy fun!)  and a couple of business card holders for her and a friend done completely with the serger.  I think I may be addicted to the business card holders…they’re a great way to use fabric scraps and super quick, and easy.  Of course, I  had to do a tissue holder for myself and an making a business card holder to hold my embroidery business cards is a must.  I also worked on my Christmas stocking prototype while she was here.  I plan to offer them as a custom order in the store for the holiday season.

Now for the running/diet/shred update.  This week I ran 19.5 miles, did the 30 Day Shred DVD 4 times and kept my calories between 1200-1500 every day.  Unfortunately when I did my Sunday weigh in, my hard work really didn’t show.  I GAINED 2 pounds.  It stinks, but I’m not worried.  I know I did everything right and I’m pretty sure it was just some water weight from the weekend.  I can never keep it to weighing once a week so I snuck a peek today and my weight was back down to the same as after week one.  I’m leaving for Arizona on Saturday so it might be little difficult to keep the calories in my target range for that week, but I still plan to track them and keep it at least under maintenance level.  I certainly don’t wan to lose ground now when I feel like I’m on a roll!

Isn’t this the cutest running shirt?  I got it from the No Meat Athlete whom (yeesh…I always have to look that up…do you?) I follow on twitter.  The running carrot totally amuses me.  Speaking of running, I may have mentioned before that I have been suffering with knee and hip pain for about the last two years.  When I could no longer control it effectively with ibuprofen, I finally decided to go see my orthopedist at Cincinnati Sports Medicine (the one who did my shoulder in June ’05).  I saw her again yesterday to discuss the results of my bone scan and right knee MRI.  The bone scan showed increased activity in both knees (ie inflammation).  From the MRI, I have many spots of thinning and damaged cartilage ranging from mild to severe and a mild patellar spur.  She’s thinking osteoarthritis, but I just made an appointment with a rheumatologist.  Osteoarthritis is not very common in people under 40 and the treatments can be different depending on which flavor of arthritis one has.  I just want to make sure I do everything possible to make sure it doesn’t get any worse if I can help it.  Overall, my pain was pretty minor since she gave me a steroid pack at my last appointment and switched me from mobic to diclofenac.  The pain yesterday though was terrible.  I got a cortisone injection in each knee.  Not only was it very painful going in but later in day I’m pretty sure I had “cortisone flare“.  My knees were super painful and swollen.  I laid on the couch all night and iced religiously even in the middle of the night.  They’re better today but still sore so I skipped my run.  I’m not looking forward to the possibility of a Synvisc injection in a couple of weeks if my insurance approves.

So what does all of this mean for my marathon training?  I’m not really sure yet.  For now I intend to continue my schedule as soon as the injection soreness is gone and see how I do.  Physical therapy is focused on strengthening the quadriceps and other muscles around the knee to support it better.  In theory, with the pain under control I can get stronger in those key areas and take some of the pressure off the joints.  Any weight I can get off will be helpful too since every pound lost takes 4-5 pounds of pressure off the knees.  If I can get back down to the “low-normal” weight range this would mean 80-100 pounds of pressure off my joints for each step.  That would have to help some!

I finished these July 21st and have been way too lazy to post about them so far.  This was my second time making Jalie 2908.  I started writing at Pattern Review when I started sewing, thinking I’d make notes as I went so I didn’t  forget anything!  Good plan, but I stopped right after the pockets step.  I’ll do the best I can to report what I can remember.   I got the denim on clearance at JoAnn’s.  It’s very stretchy and thin which didn’t result in the greatest look at the end.  I cut the same size as last time (U) but since they were a little big before I should have plenty of seam allowance this time to do proper finishing (seam allowance in this pattern is 3/8″ and isn’t enough for flat felled seams and difficult to serge after). I embroidered the pockets with this pattern at a width of 5″. I placed the pockets just about 1/8″ lower this time so they won’t be in the way when I top stitch the yoke. I serged the side and inseams of each piece before continuing (I decided that serging after the pockets is probably a better idea for next time).

To get the print of the pockets to show on the inside when the jeans are finished, cut the pieces as usual from the wrong side of the fabric. When assembling, the right side should face out in steps 14 and 15 of the pattern.  I tried the rocketboy waistband method on this pair.  While I love the way it looks, I really should’ve interfaced (it rolls) and made the contrast fabric sit more towards the inside…it shows a little bit from the outside at times.  Despite cutting the waistband longer, I had the same issue as last time.  When the time came to get everything assembled it was just a bit too short.  I still haven’t pinpointed what my problem is there but will make sure to cut it extra long when I try this again.

One thing I do love about this pair is the inside seams.  I got the new 9mm flat felled Viking foot and tried it out.  It took me a bit to figure out exactly how to use it but it seems to have come out correctly.  I just used the pieces as cut…I don’t think the offset effected the fit.  I did have a major boo boo though that resulted in a lot of seam ripping, multiple times.  If you look closely you can see the stitching on the back seam/yoke area is a bit wonky.  It was a miracle the fabric even held up through all of the ripping I had to do since it’s so thin.

Once they were finished, I immediately embroidered pockets for my next pair.  I meant to start the next ones right away so I could really take what I learned here and have a much better result.  By the time I get around to attempting them again it’ll probably feel like I’ve never done this pattern before!

In knitting…you’ve probably heard of Wollmeise.  Much coveted.  Hard to get.  For just $5 you can get a chance to win some of your very own and support a good cause in the process.  I’m also donating $2 per skein of sock yarn sold until 10/1…even the ones on closeout.  I have Noro, Malabrigo, Opal, Ranco and Tofutsies, so stock up and contribute to the fund!

I started a “diet” last Sunday.  I chose Sundays as my weigh in day, in part, to keep me a little more cognizant of my eating on the weekends.  I’m almost afraid to say this out loud but I lost 5.5 pounds this week!  I was able to keep my calorie count each day between 1200 and 1600, ran 18 miles total and did the 30 Day Shred DVD twice.  I realize most of that loss is probably water, but it’s still nice to see the numbers on the scale moving in the right direction.

Speaking of the shred, I could hardly walk yesterday.  After doing it for the second time (didn’t wait a full 24 hours due to scheduling…that may have been bad) my quads felt like jello immediately after finishing.  They are still sore today although not nearly as much as the first or second day.  I feel it a little in my chest too but nothing in the arms.  I’m going out to purchase the 3 pound weights later today which should make it MUCH more challenging.  In the back of my mind I have toyed with doing the DVD again today, but sanity won out.  I’m staring my marathon training this week and I need my legs to function.  Assuming the quads aren’t too bad after my run tomorrow, I’ll do it then.

I fully expected to be VERY sore today after doing the 30 day shred for the first time yesterday.  I must need some heavier weights because my upper body feels completely normal.  I was shocked.  Since I could hardly do the the push ups I thought my arms would be screaming for mercy.  Part of the problem might be that  I did the first day with what  I already own, which are 1 lb strap on weights.  I’ll be making a Target run to get the 3 pound weights instead.  As for my lower body…my quads are sufficiently sore.  Not sore like the time I did walking lunges at the gym with weights but sore enough to really feel it every time I lift my butt off a chair.  I could definitely feel them on my run and convinced myself I should take a day off from the shred.  That is, convinced until I got home and read Plurk where Popping Bubbles announced she completed day 2…which of course made me feel like a big fat slacker.  So I did it.  I officially think the first set is the hardest although my opinion may change when I get the heavier weights.  I’ve yet to find any definitive answer about whether this DVD is meant to be used every day (strength training typically is every other day but I’m not sure there is enough weight used here to justify it as true weight training).  In my research though, I did find a great site called Shredheads.  When I have an answer about that aspect of the Shred, you’ll be the first to know.  Have a great weekend!

Unfortunately for me, the Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred DVD was waiting on the doorstep when I got back form errands this afternoon.  I promised myself I’d do it today as long as it arrived before 5 pm.  So here I sit, newly shredded.  I can say with some certainty that I will be sore tomorrow.  Last time I did lunges like that I could barely walk for 2 days.  It was hard, as most comments on Amazon reported.  However, I did run 4 miles already this morning so maybe it wouldn’t be quite as bad if one were fresh.  There is no denying my upper body weakness though!  The weights weren’t bad since they’re light but oh my, the push ups.  I think I did 3 “boy” ones before I had to modify to “girl”.  Pathetic.  No wonder I had trouble lifting the cat litter I purchased today into my trunk!

I managed to take some before pictures but don’t expect to see them any time soon.  If I’m able to stick with it for 30 day and if there is really a noticeable difference, I may be persuaded to share.  After doing the workout, I realize what I really should have taken a picture of is my arms.  As weak as I am starting out there is bound to be some improvement in that area for sure!  As for my diet, day 6 and going strong.  I’m anxious to do my weigh in on Sunday morning and see if my diligence has paid off.  In case you’re wondering, I’m not following any kind of magic diet (although I am a vegetarian).  I’m tracking my calories on Spark People which is a fantastic free fitness and weight loss site.  I’ve been keeping it between 1200 and 1500 calories a day (difficult with the running but slightly easier with the no drinking) and eating lots of vegetables as usual.  Here are a few things you might like to try for healthier eating and/or dieting…some of my favorite products:  Kashi Go Lean Cereal, Kashi Autumn Wheat Cereal (both full of fiber and PROTEIN…hard to find in a cereal), Quorn (thank you Chris!) and Boca Vegan with Organic Soy.  Happy eating and let me know if you decide to try the shred too!

No craftiness today just a big fat slice of (what I hope will be) motivation. One of my Plurk friends recently mentioned the Jillian Michaels 30-day Shred DVD .  I’m not a DVD workout kind of person.  I run.  I bike.  I hike.  I occasionally do a yoga DVD but generally, I like to be outside as much as possible and not stuck in front of the TV.  I do enough of that later in the day!  However, after reading the 1400+ glowing reviews at Amazon.com and taking yet another look at Jillian’s beautiful abs I decided it was well worth $11.49 to try it.  The idea is an intense workout for 20-24 minutes instead of the typical longer one.  Great for those short on time and really, who isn’t?  Of course I’ll report in and let you know how it goes.  Check out the Popping Bubbles blog for more reports…she plans to start tomorrow and I may too depending on when the DVD appears on my doorstep.  I was thinking about sharing before and after pictures but I quickly came to my senses!  I just don’t think I’m that brave although the thought of having to put pictures up would likely be great motivation to stick to my diet.  At the very least, I’ll take before and after pictures for myself so I’ll at least have multiple concrete ways to judge progress. Maybe you want to join me?  lol…maybe not?

In other news, I’m on a diet!  I’m always a healthy eater but I’ve been stuck with the weight gained from my “issues” that resulted in the hysterectomy thing two years ago.  I’m still in the healthy range weight wise, but I’m at the very upper end of it.  My clothes haven’t fit for a while now and I think I’m finally at the the point where I’m disgusted enough to really do something about it.  It’s a little difficult to restrict calories while running 20 miles a week but so far I’ve been able to handle it.  It’s only been five days though so we’ll see how that’s sticking after a couple of weeks!  Increased mileage should help, which leads me to announce:  I intend to train for the Phoenix Marathon in January 2010…with a 16 week training plan that starts next week.  The only thing that might put a crimp in my plans is the ongoing knee/hip pain I’ve had for well over a year.  I’ll have to see how my body handles increased mileage, but after seeing the orthopedic sports medicine doctor today I’m feeling much better about my chances.  She started a treatment regimen of physical therapy and stronger prescription NSAIDS (my PCP started me on some a month ago…helped but still some pain).  I’m also having some blood work and scans done so we can try to get this figured out.  Wish me luck!