Saef, I am sorry to read of your injuries. Sounds like you are doing exactly what you planned thru your recovery and that is admirable
You should be pretty darn proud of yourself
be well

Thanks for the good wishes, kittycat40. This thread has been very helpful to motivate me, so much so that I've wondered if, once the month is over and/or life is more normal, I should just keep a blog.

April 14: 60 minutes treadmill, trying something different. At 1.5 incline, I did about 35 minutes at 4.5 and about 25 minutes trying intervals, which ranged between 4.5 to 5.7. I got the interval pattern from an online article about running intervals. I'd never done that before. (I must admit being inspired by someone else's post in this forum about how to run faster, and the advice to run intervals.) I had no trouble with the intervals, even at 5.7, even after running a half hour at 4.5. So I probably could run faster. It amazes me how much of running is psychological.

Interestingly, I did about 4.5 miles in distance, which is less than I usually do , when I slowly bump up the speed from 4.5 through 4.7 to 5.3 to 5.5 during the last five minutes.

No, I'll take back my earlier comment about running being psychological. Some of running is physical. My knees are a bit achey tonight, which almost makes me look forward to the arc trainer.

My iPod quit on the sixth song, so most of that hour was music-less. (Probably some sweat got into it, as it was clipped to the neck of my shirt. It'll be okay after it dries & gets charged for a while.) I think the lack of music did help me concentrate on setting & re-setting the speed.

One of the guys that I have lunch with -- I also see him at the gym at the office -- asked me about my sleeping habits & whether I felt tired all the time. I answered no, unless I stayed up too late. I sleepy soundly & I don't wake till morning. I was puzzled by this query. I felt he was fishing for something. Then I looked at him squarely & said: "Why? are you worried that I am exercising too much -- that I am overtraining?" He kind of bobbed his head & said yes, that was what he was getting at. I felt defensive & said no.

I don't know much about the issue of overtraining, but I'd think one would be exhausted always, irritable, low in body fat & probably my period would stop. I don't feel like any of those things. I usually feel very energetic after working out, even a little happier than before. It seems like a healthy way to work off tension. And after I do my hour cardio, I'm done. (Before my accident, I would also get in 30 minutes of weights on alternate days, or 45 minute yoga or Pilates class, in addition to the cardio. So that's an hour & a half to maybe 2 hours, tops. Not any more than some of the more active people of my acquaintance.)

First, so very sorry that you were hit!! You mentioned the insurance company calling. Was the driver cited by the police? I hope so, because that is the biggest proof of blame. Agreed, you need to be very calm when speaking to them, don't let them pressure you into volunteering anything, and maybe have your copy of the police report and facts in front of you. If you meet with them, have the meeting at YOUR insurance company's office.

Second, HUGE kudos to you for being so focused on your working out. I know you were injured...and banged up and sore feeling 'in weird parts' which as you know was from being struck by a 2000-some pound object...but I know you were not injured as badly as someone who never exercises. Those strong joints and ligaments and flexible muscles helped when that impact came! And there the ambulance attendents commented on your low resting heart rate. All because you were a consistent exerciser!

Oh and thumbs are pretty darned useful aren't they! LOL. Opposable digits rule

Your sense of humor is great too throughout your ordeal. Best wishes on quick recovery and continued consistent working out!

( I was hit by a car on my motorcycle 5 years ago, and the ER guy said briefly "good muscle tone" which sent me through the roof and commented that 'things held together pretty good'. And 3 days later I went on a 500 mile weekend road trip on my banged-up but bolted-together bike)

You're right about the symptoms of overtraining I think, which also seem to be the symptoms of not eating enough or just plain going too low in bodyfat. Your muscles constantly feel fatigued and after your workout you don't really have the energy to do much else. That's what has been happening to me! My body is weird though, but I think you are perfectly fine and are doing excellent things for your body.

Please do start a blog, I for one would definitely read it!

VermontMom, call me ignorant, but I didn't know that being physically fit probably helped me when that van hit me. But that totally makes sense. As does your pride in being told by the ER guy that you had good muscle tone. What happened in your accident, if I may ask? Good for you for getting back on that repaired bike. It really is like getting back in the saddle after falling off the horse, isn't it? (I had a horsey youth & this was one of the truisms, that as soon as you fell off, if you weren't hemorrhaging or unconscious, you had to get back on. Maybe so you wouldn't have time to dwell on it & frighten yourself more -- which, as an introspective person, is what I would otherwise do.)

Thanks, teff, I can't tell you how much that "overtraining" line of inquiry bothers me. I've done a lot of googling on this term & I know that I am not driving myself to that extent. I think it bothers me because of that old issue brought up so often here on 3FC -- where is the line between dedication & obsession? When we get that "obsessed" term thrown at us, we feel attacked. But I have noticed that serious athletes at my gym, who train far more than me, don't use that "obsessed" term as lightly as people who hardly ever exercise. So it seems like a "haterz" thing, to call someone obsessed, or to start leading questions toward whether one is overtraining.

April 15: 45 minute spinning class.

I saw the orthopedic surgeon today & handed over the accident report & insurance information for the car owner. (The driver was the van owner's boyfriend & yes, I believe he was ticketed, since I was in the crosswalk, right under a big sign stating "Yield to Pedestrians," when the van hit me. He did stop, though -- I had terrified him & he babbled at me for a while as other people pulled over & pedestrians ran over to us. I felt badly for the poor man. But worse for me.)

The orthopedic surgeon is one of those really good doctors -- it's a delight to meet them -- who is alert & intelligent, who looks at you squarely & listens, and explains carefully & well when you have questions. Not a trace of condescension in his manner. I mean, this man really can communicate.

He explained about the bursa swelling in my elbow, which is going down very slowly, but he believes it will eventually go down all the way. Also that pain in the lower center of my palm is to be expected. He rewrapped my ACE bandage. He okayed removing it & swimming (yay! back to swimming class on Sunday! but I have to figure out how to rewrap the bandage afterward) and he said spin class would be okay. I can use my hand but cannot put the whole weight of my body on my hands.

So I promptly signed up to reserve one of the bikes in spinning class tonight at my gym -- there was one single bike still up for grabs at 4 PM for a 7 PM class, fortuitously -- & I was so happy to be in a class among other people again. The spin instructor raised the handlebars on the bike so I crouched less & that helped even more.

This was so tough, but so exhilarating when it was over.

And when I came out of class, a moment of sheer beauty. It was one of those bluish-black early evenings. Rain was pattering softly on the street. The pavement had that clean, wet rain smell. And everywhere the beautiful white ornamental Bradford & Callery pear trees that line the street were dropping tiny round petals on the pavement, like confetti, falling very slowly. I just felt so happy. With a perfectly clear mind. Post-cardio euphoria. I could have run a couple miles, but walking was fine & felt wonderful, too.

Beautiful! Thanks.

You're welcome, Ubergirl. Being a northeasterner, and having come out of a hard winter, I'm so thrilled to see these signs of spring, and to have longer-lasting days.

[BTW, whenever I see your name, I remember a magazine headline I saw once. I can recite it word-for-word. There was a photo of a big strong blonde woman running & the headline said: "Meet the Ubergirl: The New Ideal Is Big and Beautiful. And She Can Mop the Floor with You. Got a Problem with That?” It was talking about how the physical ideal for women had become athletic, rather than fragile looking. So to me that's a most excellent name.

April 16: 60 minutes arc trainer

I'm off the treadmill, and will try to bike when I can, because I had that feeling in my left heel as if a stone had bruised the bottom of my foot. And I know that feeling. It's the first tremors of a plantar fascitis flare-up. So, to nip it in the bud, there will be no treadmill for me for a couple days at least.

Today I discovered my splendid new Nike workout pants have one problem. They're turquoise. It's a lovely color. But all my other pants are black, and I know why now, after seeing the dark sweat patterns that spread out over the bright turquoise pants in darker splotches of turquoise during my workout. My waistband, my outer thighs, the small of my back, down the back of my butt (right along the crack, of course), and most unpleasantly, right between my legs & down the inside of my thighs. (TMI, I know.)

Reminds me of photographs circulating on the Web a few years ago of Fergie peeing in her pants while onstage. About which a blogger at "The Superficial" (the name says it all) wrote:

**I** am the kind of monster woman who sweats to the point where it could be mistaken for pee. I love this quote [/sarcasm] because of all it's saying about acceptable behavior & standards for women. We can't be fat, we can't sweat and we can't be athletes: Take your pick for maximum offensiveness.

Also, I would like to talk to that blogger (if female) after she has a baby or goes into perimenopause or menopause, particularly the first time she pees herself from laughing or sneezing.

April 17: 45 minute spin class, with about 15 minutes warming up beforehand on the bike. (I am so used to doing an entire hour on a cardio machine, working out by myself, that I feel I'm shirking by doing less in a class.)

Woke up with that plantar fasciitis feeling in my left foot -- as I said, it's like having a stone bruise on the sole of your heel, only deep inside the foot -- and so was glad I'd be on a bike, to give that foot a rest.

I'm often on an exercise bike by myself, so it's interesting to take a class. On a stationery bike, alone, I'm good at pushing myself on resistance, but not so good at letting up the resistance & pushing myself to speed, like the sprints in spin class.

Interesting, too, to see how the different instructors at the gym handle their spin classes. I've taken four different instructors now. This one manages the gym. She did not use much resistance in the class. She told me afterward that because she's heavier at the bottom, she does not want to bulk up her legs, so she uses a low resistance. I felt a pang at this. Because I'm pear-shaped, with all my weight distributed from below the waist, and my upper thighs and calves are relatively heavy. (I have the upper body of a thinner woman.) And I've set the resistance fairly high on bikes & ellipticals & the arc trainer.

Have I been going about it all wrong? I thought it helped my endurance, even though it has done nothing for speed. I thought that you had to keep upping the resistance gradually over time, to keep the machine challenging & to ensure you get a decent workout.

Food for thought.

Saef - I'm very glad that your injuries weren't worse and that you've got a good doctor. The alternative is not helpful, as we all know.

I'm also very glad you decided to use 3FC to keep yourself accountable. Such ethical behaviour: you'll benefit, we'll benefit. Thank you.

The training sounds as though it's coming on well. You're right, overtraining comes with physical effects which you don't have. I suppose your injured state and changed exercise routine made questions arise in your colleague's mind. You've heard of 'active rest'? You must be doing 'active recuperation'. And his mileage might vary.

Yes, hurray for the opposable thumb of the primate. Power grip? Precision grip? Definitely.

Finally I salute your bravery.

I think you are right in increasing the resistance over time. I take it you don't do any sort of resistance training for your lower body (squats/lunges, things of that nature)? I don't know exactly how worried you are about "bulking up" your lower body, but I really doubt that just using a higher resistance will turn you into the incredible hulk below the waist.

Plus, your quads/hamstrings are some of your biggest muscle groups and if you build those up you will be burning more calories at rest! And if you really push yourself by using higher resistance, you will always be burning more calories post-workout because your muscles need to be repaired. So I say go for that higher resistance, the benefits far outweigh the risks (the only risk really being that your legs might get SLIGHTLY larger -- but more toned!)

Silverbirch, thanks so much for the encouraging words. I do like the idea of "active recuperation." Absolutely that was my intention: To kill any self-pitying sofa-lying & eating of the self-pity foods. (BTW, Yyu have one of my favorite avatars on 3FC. When I bought a black lace shrug to wear with a strapless dress to a friend's wedding last November, I was trying to emulate this lady's look. But with an Anna Wintour-style bob, rather than a Renaissance Faire hairdo.)

teff, before my accident I did Pilates and vinyasa yoga twice a week, and also was starting to do a circuit-training class twice a week, but I did not have a specific routine with sets of squats & lunges similar to what I was following with dumbbells for my arms. I went from a Cardio Queen to adding yoga, then added Pilates and then got to the circuit training, so I've been starting to move toward a more holistic, total-body-workout ideal over the last 10 months or so. When I did try lunges, I did better than I'd thought -- though I am not always good at judging the forefoot placement so I don't go "over" at the knee. All the biking & elliptical work has helped my leg muscles. To tell the truth, I did not like the sound of the spinning instructors' comments on "bulking up" legs. Sounded to me too much like the lower-body equivalent of telling someone not to stray beyond lots of reps with the low-weight pink dumbbells for fear of "bulking up" like a man. But I felt a little cowed, since this woman manages my gym & is a personal trainer & class instructor & etc., and I am someone who got fat, lost weight, and became a gym rat & a recent convert while trying to maintain weight loss. So I nodded at her.

April 18: One hour swimming class. We worked on our freestyle mostly, with some work on the back stroke and the breast stroke.

This is my first swimming class since the accident happened. I've missed two Sundays, but the doctor okayed swimming when I saw him on Thursday, so I went back. (Thank goodness for the "how to" pages all over the Internet, showing how to wrap an ACE bandage for wrist & thumb injuries -- so I was able to unwrap myself & rewrap in the locker room after swimming.)

The swimming instructor is an extremely fit Chinese woman with amazing leg muscles like an anatomical drawing. She drills us on form. She reminds me of a dance instructor or an artist of some sort, because of her perfectionism & attention to detail. I believe she is something of a genius, particularly in explaining very small differences in correct & incorrect form & in what the different parts of one's body should be doing. But she is not interested in any students personally & doesn't remember us very well as individuals. Students either hate her or become addicted to her class. This will sound strange, but in her class, I feel like a ballerina practicing under a revered teacher at the Paris Opera, rather than like a conventional athlete.

I had just a little trouble with my right hand while swimming. When we held the kickboard in front of us for some drills, my hand didn't like that pincher-like position. And when I would, of habit, hang out at the side of the pool & lay my arms along the ledge, my elbow sang out when it bumped that ledge. But in general, it felt good. But I have noticeably lost some of my arm power, so I think missing two weeks straight of dumbbell exercises did have an effect, and also my hand feeling a little naked & foreign when unbandaged must have had a psychological effect.

I hope I'm better at swimming next Sunday.

April 19: 60 minutes on stationary bike, resistance set at 6, just over 14.5 miles, cooling down for about another mile & a half for five minutes with no resistance.

After spin class, the stationary bike at my office's gym was a little too easy. I need to kick up the resistance further. As for my hand: Now I no longer feel a twinge in the lower center of my palm, near where it meets the wrist, when I put a little weight on it. (Not, I hasten to add, much weight -- just enough to crouch over handlebars.)

I was the only woman in the office gym tonight with seven male coworkers. I felt self-conscious doing some yoga after my bike ride to stretch out. (And a little frustrated at not being able to do many poses because of not using my hands much.) Particularly doing "bridge" pose. I was kind of trying to hide in an inobtrusive corner. This was probably just me, but maybe not, because several weeks ago, one of the guys was saying at the lunch table that he finds the "Namaste Yoga" program on TV to be a turn-on. Hey, to each his own. But I do need to stretch after being crouched on a bike for an hour & I don't necessarily want it to be an inadvertent performance. And we don't have a separate stretching area or studio at the office gym. But hey, it's free to use it, one the few perks of working here that we've retained over the years. (We had more during the dot-com era -- yeah, I'm old. ;-)

April 20: 45 minute spin class, with my ACE bandage still damp with sweat for over an hour afterward.

Late in the afternoon today after working at my computer, I noticed my ankles looked a little swollen and made dents when I pressed them. When I put on my tightest sports bra -- the others were in the laundry bag -- the band felt very tight on my ribs. So I'm retaining fluid. My period isn't due for a couple days so I'm trying to figure out what sodium-loaded thing I must have eaten. I feel enormous as a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloon. So I was glad to have a really sweaty spinning class. I know that won't siphon off all the water weight, but it always makes my ankles go down after a day at the desk.