The Last Three Weeks in Photos

Hi friends! Quick update, because I'm finishing my last-minute details before heading to bed. I leave for Scotland, France, and England tomorrow!

Summer quarter at UW: sunshine, studious comrades, and Chaco sandals.

Went into my classroom a few times to make table groups and generally stare at things without accomplishing much.

Anyone miss my #transformationtuesday post on Instagram?

Workin' on that core strength.

In addition to generally accomplishing nothing productive in my classroom, I made a bulletin board of Mount Rainier.

Went on a hike with this coordinated gentleman.

First time attempting a run since my 0.5 mile failure a week after the half marathon of doom.

My college roommate (top left) is not only gorgeous and super smart, but also a dancer. Her dance group killed it, this weekend!

Benefit to housesitting in my parents' neighborhood: driving past this little nugget more often than usual.

First LEGITIMATE run (ie: I planned it, I rocked it) post disaster. Two miles of an awesome knee and way pitiful cardiovascular endurance. Progress.

If you want to listen to music that is ridiculously wonderful, check out my friends The Senate. Spending an evening in their musical company was the best way to say "goodbye" to the US for a few weeks.

If you want to follow along on my adventure through Europe, follow me on Instagram! I'll write up a super excellent and informative post when I return in late August, but do you really want to wait that long to see photos of strangers hiking through the Scottish Highlands?

Recovery Reflection: July 7th - 13th

Knee Update:

Last week had a few ups and downs, recovery-wise. By Thursday (my second PT appointment), I was frustrated that I'd have a day where my knee didn't act up at all only to have a really rough day (ie: heck NO I am not walking to campus from the freeway bus stop. 48 bus, you'd better get your rear in gear and pick me up PROMPTLY) right afterward. My PT said this made sense, especially if I pushed myself a little harder on the good days because I felt like I could (which I TOTALLY did).

I've become that person who takes photos of her shadow while waiting for the bus.

Lots of good cardio, this last week, which culminated in what was going to be a 24 mile bike ride to and from the LFP farmer's market after my volunteering gig with See Jane Run. It just so happens, however, that my BFF's mom manages that farmer's market, so I shouldn't have been surprised that said BFF appeared an hour or two into my jam-picking, ice cream tasting, berry inspecting farmer's market adventure and suggested he drive me (and my bike) back to his place to eat freezer pizza and watch a bad (okay, medium) movie his fiance won't watch with him.

Of course I accepted, and yesterday's legs are telling me that that was an okay choice.

Here's how my week of training went:

• Monday: Dog walk. Blood donation (which basically counts as a pound of weight loss until you make it up in tomato juice in 24-48 hours... so it's a lie).

• Tuesday: Weight circuit (arms, core, upper back), 35 minutes on the elliptical, and a dog walk.

Walking to campus. You can't see it, but Rainier is framed by those trees in the background. Because whoever designed UW is a boss, and created a straight line view from Red Square, through fountain and stadium, to Mt. Rainier. That's a little too much forward thinking for me to even fully comprehend.

• Wednesday: Weight circuit (legs, core, lower back), 35 minutes on the elliptical, dog walk. 

• Thursday: Physical Therapy and a dog walk.

• Friday: 35 minutes on the elliptical and a dog walk.

• Saturday: Dog walk. Also, I'm standing strong by my decision that packing up your belongings and cleaning someone else's house at the end of a housesitting gig is totally a workout. I was sweating profusely by the time I was ready to leave!

• Sunday: Volunteered at the See Jane Run half marathon in Seattle from 6am - noon, rode my bike 12 miles to the Lake Forest Park Farmer's Market!

Received numerous organizational compliments after running bag check for 1500+ runners by myself on Sunday. My new calling?

This is actually the Issaquah Farmer's Market, but you get the idea. I might've gone to two farmer's markets this weekend. Don't worry about it.

Total Distance:  Shh.

Average Pace:  Just stop.


Last Week's Goals:

1. Weights twice (arms on Tuesday, legs on Thursday). (Yep!) 
2. PT. Keep up with exercises. (BAM.)
3. Spin and elliptical at least twice. (I just did elliptical, but we'll count the bike ride as spinning.)

New use for Oiselle's Runfinity Scarf during heat waves: elbow saver while you do planks. Obviously I love planks. Especially side planks.

Goals for Upcoming Week:

1. Weights twice.
2. PT. Keep up with exercises.
3. Spin and elliptical at least three times.

Running - Wait, no, Recovery - Reflection: June 30th - July 6th

Hi everyone! I hope y'all had fun playing out in the sun (assuming your area got some, this week)! The Seattle area had AMAZING weather almost all week, and I have to say that it was a little depressing to realize I wasn't going to get to run along the Kirkland waterfront or tackle a tough hike in this sunshine.

I did, however, get to see YOUR amazing shots on Instagram and live a little bit vicariously through those. Only 25 days till I fly off to Scotland, so here's to the hikes and adventures I'll have in a little over three weeks' time!


Several Silver Linings:

1. I had my first PT appointment for my knee and it went pretty well. She did the basic tests of strength and range of motion on both legs/hips, and concluded that I had a weak butt (okay, weak gluteus medius and gluteus maximus) which wasn't absorbing enough of the strain put on my knee while running. This is also what caused my ankle pain back in September, so I have got a series of super butt workouts to rock for the next month. Here's hoping my jeans still fit by the end of all of this. :)






The best kind of recovery involves marathoning new television shows (The Night Shift!) and rejoicing in the way your knee feels when it's been taped up by a pro.



2. I finished my first (of two) summer class! This was an insane two weeks as a full-time student, with three group projects (who does that with just nine days of class?) and some serious presentations. I start my next class on Tuesday and will be done on July 18th, with a little over a week and a half to prepare for jetting off to Europe on the 31st. :)

Welcome to part of my final group project for my multicultural education class. I'm totally using this community campfire in my classroom next year! And no, it does not escape me that I'm paying tens of thousands of dollars for tuition to make cardboard crafts.

Here's how my week of training went:

• Monday: Dog walk.

• Tuesday: Weight circuit (arms, core, upper back) and a dog walk.

• Wednesday: Physical Therapy and a dog walk.

• Thursday: Weight circuit (legs, core, lower back), 20 minutes on a stationary bike, dog walk. Also dinner with my runbuddy Lindsay and her husband, which was the BEST way I could think of to celebrate being done with my first class!

• Friday: Dog walk... and then a walk to gelato. Because we enjoy Italian desserts on American holidays. FREEDOM.

• Saturday: Dog walk.

This little guy really wanted to join Lucy and I on our walk.

• Sunday: Two dog walks and a pasta-making class with my Pops.

Usually this guy has a smile on his face, but making pasta sauce is hard work.

Total Distance:  Shh.

Average Pace:  Just stop.


Last Week's Goals:

1. Get on the weight machines at the IMA at least once. (Twice! Bam!)
2. PT. (I don't know how you can fail this goal. Can you rock it?)
3. Reign in the calorie consumption, girl. (Eehhhhhh medium.)

Goals for Upcoming Week:

1. Weights twice (arms on Tuesday, legs on Thursday).
2. PT. Keep up with exercises.
3. Spin and elliptical at least twice.

What's the biggest setback you've experienced (running-related or not)? What did you do to overcome it?