That Jello-ee, Blobby Feeling

It sure didn't take long -- just over 6 weeks -- and the mood swings have begun. You all know how a good workout makes you feel good all over and keeps the stress levels in check along with the outbursts of emotions. The past two weeks have been very low-level workouts and I'm paying for it. I'm grumpy at work and started complaining about things and started feeling stressed over workload which I typically just shrug my shoulders and say it'll get done when I can. Although I've been keeping my weight in check by cutting back on calories, I'm starting to look different -- jello-ee, pudgy, flabby are a few words that seem to fit. It sucks! Yes my friends, I've grown lazy now that I don't have the excel spreadsheet to see what workout I'm supposed to do today. And I knew that this would happen -- its just my nature. I NEED a plan to follow -- something written in stone that says I MUST workout today or else. Probably all it will take is a meltdown at work and I'll get back on track. My boss is SO in tune with me -- she can tell just by looking at me how I'm feeling and she'll say, "Jill, lets go for a walk at lunch - you'll feel better." She's awesome. (Although we haven't gotten out for that walk yet because of this little thing called WORK getting in the way!). Dang it. I'll get back on track -- soon I hope!

Replacing Those Teeth

Read about what I just found out yesterday with regard to getting my two front teeth replaced after losing them in that stupid bike crash in June. Shit.

A Practice in Patience

This week took a different turn in activity. We moved Rick's almost-90 year old mother to an assisted-living home and things haven't been quite the same since! On the first day there, we got a BIG kick out of the elderly with their walkers heading to exericse class. O.M.G. That'll be us someday!!! This move was her choice, and while its a beautiful facility (Polk Personal Care Home in Millersburg) with a ton of care and good people, its really an adjustment for her. So Rick and I are spending time there, at her vacated home in Millersburg to start the process of cleaning and figuring out what to do with the contents and home, etc., and working in between it all. Exercise? Ha...what's that?! We kayaked this week, but that's about it so far. If anyone is interested in a low-priced cape code style home in Millersburg that needs a new kitchen and bathroom, let us know!

Performance Based Fitness

Rather than continue fretting and frowning over losing fitness since I no longer train and race, I decided to do a little research on performance based fitness and general fitness to answer the questions: What's the difference? Which is better? and What is best for the ultimate in fitness since I don't really "perform"? Turns out, we are all performers whether we race or not! Ha! Even beer drinking - teehee. ANY sport you do, is performance based fitness -- even golf has a training program if you do that sport. General fitness is for the typical individual -- the one that really doesn't have a sport they focus on. They go to the gym a couple days a week and maybe walk a couple times a week. They are in shape too, but not like a cyclist or triathlete. Those of you that are reading this, we have a sport - maybe a couple - so we have performance based fitness. And I don't plan on taking up walking anytime soon, so I guess my fitness is performance based too. One of the links above had an interesting article on detraining and deconditioning after an injury and I found the below helpful:

Tips for Maintaining Fitness through Breaks

If you need to take time off from training the following tips can help you maintain your fitness.
Don't quit completely. Try to exercise at least once per week.
Cross Train through injuries.
Use the Body Weight Workout (no equipment needed) when you travel.
Use Circuit Training Routines for fast, high intensity exercise two or three times a week.
Practice Efficient Strength Training methods.
Use Fast Workouts to Maintain Fitness with Limited Time.
Refresh You Motivation and Goal-Setting Skills and energize your workouts
Remeber that Rest and Recovery can be as Important as Training, so use this time to recovery.
Add 30-Second Sprints to your outine for fast itness
Short, high intensity exercise burns more calories if you are limited on time

I love a Parade - NOT

So we decide to go for a bike ride -- this being my first road ride with a couple hills. Rick found a cool back road ride behind Klingerstown a couple years ago. Klingerstown is known for the Klingerstown carnival each year. We start out, and I as we approach the only road to get to Klingerstown through the gap in the mountain, I said "uh oh, it might be carnival night with the parade, maybe we should go another route." And Rick said " Jill, who did you say is calling the shots now that racing is over?" Ok...you are Rick, so you pick the route. Off we go on the parade watching spectator-lined street to Klingerstown. Its about a mile of tons of people and we were on parade! Geez, if I would have known, I would have put my teeth in! The ride was good and we start to head back. Well, the local traffic guy in Klingerstown who is telling cars to take a detour, says to Rick "Where you going?" And Rick ignores him and goes straight on the road back home where the parade is about to run into us head on. By this time its packed with people everywhere. I swear everyone in the valley came out for this parade and started coming out at about 3:00in the afternoon. We get about 1/2 mile down the only road to get home and sure enough, we run into the parade head on. I get off and start walking along the side of the road where I can 'cause some of the paraders fill the entire road. What does Rick do? He keeps riding by the parade head-on! He didn't care -- screw them, I'm getting home. Didn't care if he scared the horses, didn't care if he road bike in front of the people watching the parade, didn't care if ran any kids over running to get the candy. I was certain he'd peck off an Amish kid or two that were at the parade to collect a year's worth of candy. It's good they had the whole family along to drag the candy home. Unreal. Finally, I make through to the end of the Parade and Rick's bitching at ME because he had to WAIT for 15 minutes for me! Ha...him... Mr. Rude and I don't care bitching at me for being courteous and polite! It was definietly an interesting evening. Yes, the ride was good and I powered up on a couple hills, getting the heart rate up with no head issues. We were out for about 1.5 hrs. I'm hoping to ride some easy trail this weekend in Weiser again. I miss riding now that I can do it again!

Rocky Gap Xterra Results Are Up

Full Results here. I'm SO proud of my buds: Christina was 2nd (she held 1st for both the swim and the bike) and Sheena was 4th (moving up from 7th in the swim, and 5th on the bike) in a 12-person age group! They were rocking and rolling on a difficult course. Not to mention it was hot and humid!

Rocky Gap Pictures

Lots of them HERE. I'm still waiting on results so I can brag about how well the two Bohensky sisters raced.

Rocky Gap Maryland Xterra

Rick took LOTS of pics, so he'll post all of them on his smugmug site to save space (and time to upload!)here. Here are a couple to start:

What My Supportive Hubby Went Through for 7 Years of my racing

It finally hit home yesterday what my dear, dear non-racing hubby went through for the past 7 years while I raced. He's always been by my side for all but about 3-4 races and I always considered myself one of the luckiest girls alive to have such a supportive hubby who never had an interest in racing himself. He lived my racing life for 7 years -- training, planning and packing for races, sharing the excitement of traveling to races, nervousness at the start, and then the part I never experienced until yesterday-- the waiting for me to finish. I had NO idea what he went through! We watched the Xterra at Rocky Gap and it was when the slower racers came through that Rick said "Jill, that was you when you raced." So we were joking about Jill racing while we watched Christina and Sheena plow through the course (more on them later - they weren't pokey like me!). First, the start -- the swim. Its fun watching the fast swimmers -- but then there's the slackers -- me! Now which one is Jill...this might be her - oops, its not. She must be that slower one breast stroking. Is that her? Yes! Finally she's done the swim. Off to the bike we go -- no biggy on the bike. Jill can hold her own and usually passes bunches of girls. But the bike is usually the longest part - the part he stands around the most for. The run -- Jill drags arse on the run. By this time in the race he's been standing or sitting around for over 2 hours and he's beginning to get antsy. Every girl that comes over the horizon he's hoping its me so we can get going. Is that Jill? Darn, no. There she is -- wrong again. Ho hum... she'll soon come poking up over the hill. There she is -- finally. She looks tired - she's barely moving. Little did I realize I was THAT slow! And it was the same for bike races and adventure races and I wonder now what he did while I raced two 12 hour adventure races? Poor thing. And little did I realize that THAT was what I put my hubby through all these years. I can't thank him enough -- oh, that's right, I already am - I'm not racing anymore. We left Rocky Gap knowing that that will likely be the last race we'll ever be at -- the last time he'll have to wait around for me to finish. I cried when we got there and kinda cried when we left. I came home and gathered together my 6 years of training logs, training plans, heart rate monitors, notes, trophies/medals, memorabilia from varied races and put them in a big box labeled "Jill's Racing Years." Racing and training is truly history -- sort of a passing of the torch to others. Good luck to all of you that are inflicted with this addiction -- but BE SAFE! And even more luck goes out to all the supportive spouses who aren't racers - you guys are troopers.

Race Weekend!

Not for me...but for some of my buds: Christina Bohensky and Sheena Perry, and from the Rattling Creek SingleTrackers Mountain Bike Club, Donna Carnahan. All of us are heading to Rocky Gap State Park in Maryland for the EX2 Xterra Triathlon. There are nearly 350 racers pregistered to race! That's huge...and I'm REALLY looking forward to this weekend for many reasons: 1) I'm hanging with my buds! nothing but shits and giggles all weekend. 2) I'm NOT racing! After one of month being out of training and racing mode, I kinda got used to it and like it! 3) Its the first time in a month I can get my heart rate up a little so I plan to swim a little, bike a little, and hike the 5-mile run of the Xterra course. Ricky's taking his kayak and plans to roll a little -- I might too! We'll see how I feel.

Recovery from Bike CRASH - one month later

Saturday will be the one month marker since my little trip to the Richmond Virginia Hospital due to my misjudging of a jump and going about 10 feet in the air and landing on my face with the bike on top of me. For one month, I was given the orders -- "no strenuous activity." These orders were because of the minor brain bleed, which, by the way is healing nicely (no mental issues -- yet!). So what happens in one month of laying off? And when I mean laying off, I'm talking about going from fairly active (8-12 training hours a week getting the heart rate up into zones 3-4-5 for about 4 of those hours, etc. you know how training is) to not active at all. First two weeks were sleeping and walking to the bathroom; 2nd two weeks were a max of a 2 mile walk and very ez bike ride of 8 miles on mostly flat terrain. Aboslutely no heart rate raising in the past month. Today? I feel like I'm starting to workout all over again. When I walked that 2 mile walk? I was SO tired the following day I could barely work. I was thinking of calling off sick! And the walk was SLOOOWWWW - it took me 35 minutes to go 2 miles. The bike ride was the same way -- it wiped me out the next day. What I learned in training will work nicely for my continued recovery and getting back to "normal" (although this may be normal now!). I'll workout one day, and rest the next... and I'll continue to add a tiny bit more each time I go and I'll continue to add a little bit of walking or whatever I decide to do on recovery days until someday I'll feel "normal" again. Its really strange to go from a training day of Zone 5 HR for 4-5 minutes 3 times, to looking forward to just getting out for a 2 mile walk! Very odd, but I'm adapting to it and know its a necessary must. I SO look forward to paddling with Rick and frineds now. Paddling feels real good -- its not strenuous (for the most part) and I go for about 2 hours. Paddling may become my favored sport now. Just riding the roller coaster of life. Fun stuff.

Slower Than a Turtle's Pace?

How does one define "a turtle's pace?" A relative term that packs a punch. I used to think how some folks rode slow... at a turtle's pace. My first experience at riding in social groups at the ripe old age of 41 was at a turtle's pace -- always bringing up the rear. When I started racing (so I didn't have to be the turtle!), the turtle's pace wasn't as turtly in the social group rides, but my racing started to be "at a turtle's pace" comparing myself to the other women racers. I always thought my dear hubby rode at a turtle's pace. Turns out, he relates to turtles and the pace they keep -- easy going, non-stressed, safe!? I can learn a thing or two from my turtly hubby. The RCST Firecracker ride was my first time back in the saddle since my crash on June 14th. I knew I'd be slow, but MY turtle's pace is just about exactly like the turtle we saw on the trail. I had NO idea I'd feel the way I did getting back on the bike. Ricky Brown and Dave Reed were dusting me and had to wait on me on the climbs! I even walked over two rock going around a gate! Holy hell how pathetic is that! It took me 1.5 hours to go 8 miles. And those 8 miles were on snowmobile trail and fireroad, and there was only one, 1-mile climb that rose about 300 ft in that mile. I have to say I still feel lucky I could get on the bike -- I just didn't expect to feel that way. As soon as my heart rate started pounding a little, I started feeling lightheaded and slightly dizzy. At one point, my head started hurting. Oh...that's right, that's a normal feeling on the bike when climbing!? Rick said, I'm lightheaded too honey -- that's how it is all the time. Ha! He's SO adorable. As soon as I'd slow down and get my heart rate back down, I felt "normal." So the ride was at "a turtle's pace." But we were all ok with that. My mindset is already out of racing/training mode and I'm really looking forward to more riding with Rick. We're even planning a rail trail ride! For years we talked about the rail trail along Pine Creek from Waterville up to who-knows-where in northern PA and how we think that would be a beautiful ride (anywhere we ride must have water so we can dream of kayaking while riding!) But me, always in training mode, always thought how woosie a ride that would be and we never went. Well...it ain't woosie anymore and we're gonna make a day trip later this summer! I'm ready. And I don't care if its a "turtle's pace" ride. Those turtles are a lot of fun to watch.

Missing Adventure Racing

My bud, Donna Weiser, did the Cradle of Liberty Sprint Adventure Race this past weekend WITHOUT ME! Go figure! I was sorta bumming when she told me all about it and how I would have loved it...fun race. I must admit, if there's one kinda racing I'll miss most it'll likely be adventure racing 'cause I LOVE the paddling part and the nice thing about adventure races is that you know they are long, so you aren't wheezing the entire race. You can go at a decent pace -- not break-your-neck pace the entire time. So here are the pics from the race. Thanks for sharing DW! SO sorry I missed it! I may have to show up at Cap City to watch cause I just can't stay away.

FACEPLANT!

How's Chili Recovering?

That's the big question these days... "Hi Jill, how are you feeling?" Well maybe I'd be just fine if everyone didn't keep asking! No, I'm kidding...I appreciate the concern folks have -- what a thoughtful gesture. People really are nice, aren't they (for the most part). At home, I'm feeling pretty darn good -- I'd say about 80% back to normal routine things -- cleaning, washing clothes, gardening. Some of the weeds are a little difficult to pull now that they've reached tree size, but I'll attack them with a shovel. I'm still not doing "anything strenuous" That will come in the other 20% toward "homework" recovery. At work, I feel about 70% just because I'm so bogged down with work (doing two jobs at the moment) and I purposely am not doing things that require time, comprehension, and thinking too much. I've noticed ever so slight memory issues -- but they could be normal memory issues. At least that's what my boss keeps telling me. I love her...she's about as thoughtful as they come and she is SO concerned with my healing process. she used to be a nurse, so she's well aware of many types of injuries - including brain bleeds. Now, the big one -- the important one -- working out, a.k.a., riding, running, swimming, and kayaking. I'm about 70% there too because of the "no strenuous activity until 7-14-08" I kayaked last Saturday for about 1.5 hrs and felt a little uneasy/unbalanced in the water. So I stayed in easy flow. My strength seems to still be there, but I didn't do any attaining either. I started lifting weights again to help gain what little bit of strength back I may have lost in my upper body. Wed evening is an attainment experiment with kayaking. We're going into the Dauphin Narrows, so that will be interesting. Yes I feel up to it. Kayaking, hiking, and weight lifting (very light) are the only activities I feel comfortable doing that will not be "strenuous". I'm going to try the bike on Friday on fire road...but I really have to watch the hills and not get my heart rate up too much. I may walk the hills. Hiking is good... I can handle about a 2 hr hike and it feels good. I'm tired, but a nap takes care of that! July 12 and 13 is a trip to the Xterra in Rocky Gap Maryland (gotta get my $75 tee-shirt!) and that'll be the first weekend I can do it all again and I fully intend too. A nice swim Lake Habeeb, a nice, short, ez trail run and of course riding ez with hubby. Oh, and we're taking the kayaks so we'll be in them also. All ez -- cause that's how my hubby likes it! I think my days of crazy fast stuff is over. I'm sticking to no racing. I might do some fast running just cause it keeps my girly figure, but no fast bike riding, and no intervals in the pool either. Just ez gliding. Can't wait! I'll be an official spectator at the FARM this weekend -- it'll be nice to see everyone for a change! Oh, and the bills started rolling in. Rick said I'll have to keep tab of what that Richmond trip REALLY cost... it'll be a lifetime of race entry fees at a minimum, that's for sure.


And the worse part of recovery -- false teeth! I hate them. I'd rather go with the hole in the mouth, but its certainly not something folks want to look at so I have to wear them. My implant process doesn't start until July 17 and I'll get the details then. That's too late in my book. The sooner these fake things are gone, the better.

So overall, I'm feeling good... glad to be doing things again, however minor they are.