Dec. 14: no exercise. First day this month that I missed.

Dec. 15: 60 min. elliptical

Totals: 14 days
788 minutes

JayEll's rowing tip (or how I do it): Your hands should not be going up and down to get over your knees. During the recovery part, your arms should straighten out before you slide forward, so that you don't have to lift the handle up to clear your knees.

Think about what would happen in a boat where you had actual oars in the water. If you lifted your hands every time you slid forward, your oars would hit the water.

I am not a trainer or expert. This is just how I learned to do it. I'm not a "racer" like saef and silverbirch.

Jay

Good form focuses the effort where it should be focused, rather than recruiting other bits of the body which would rather sit this one out, thank you. It makes the effort you expend go that much further. I think mechanical engineering or physics type thoughts when I'm exercising, to try to get this right. But mirrors and educated feedback are good too.

Gosh! Do you really talk like that? I love 3FC. (And thank you.)

Did I really not post since Dec. 9? I injured my foot after my long run on Friday so I'm taking an unintentional week off from running. It's getting much better though (I think it is plantar fasciitis). Sunday I could barely walk, but today I can walk with just a little pain.

Dec 10: 4 mile treadmill run, 48 mins, plus wu/cd/stretching

Dec 11: an hour of walking around the mall

Dec 12: short dog walk

Dec 13: rest

Dec 14: UBWO + core strength

Dec 15: 25 mins stationary bike

Dec 16: 45 min yoga class

Oh, Jessica, do take care of that foot. In my experience, that is a very stubborn injury, which goes away for a time but then flares up again at the next instance of overuse. (I've had problems with plantar fasciitis in the left foot since 2007. It's the Thing That Won't Go Away.)

Thursday, December 16:
60 minutes arc trainer, hill intervals, resistance at 9
60 minutes Pilates class

Jessica, I hope your foot feels better soon!

December 16:
15 minutes rowing
30 minutes treadmill
20 minutes stepper (some kind of cybex stepping machine with a really smooth, quiet mechanism. Almost restful)

And Saef, I wish I'd have gone to college where you went. I don't recall that we even had a men's crew team, much less one so memorable. Of course, I didn't know we had men's volleyball -- and now I'm married to the former captain...

Saef, oh no, I hope mine doesn't stick around! I'm starting to think I will never be able to run more than 4 miles since I keep getting injured when I run 4. So much for doing an Olympic triathlon (which requires me to run 6.2 miles). I'll baby my feet for another week I guess and see how they do. They're hurting a little more today than yesterday and I think it's because I was feeling better yesterday so I went to yoga class and did more stuff in the evening that involved standing up.

Or maybe my body is just telling me, "It's winter, why are you still running? Don't you know winter is for strength training?"

Friday, December 17:
15:06 rowing on the Concept II, 2:20 for 500 meter, 2,965 meters, 43 s/m, 6166 projected
60 minutes weights
45 minutes on the elliptical (with 30 minutes going backward) at resistance 8 & random intervals

Jessica, there's a theory that one of the reasons my foot problem stays around is that I don't stay off my feet enough. But I took an enforced break from doing any cardio earlier this year, when that viral infection in my ear took me out, and it did not help. Nor did my earlier exercise schedule, which focused more on swimming & spinning. Nor do my custom orthotic shoe inserts. I cannot run much, really, or that really aggravates it. Wearing heels aggravates it, too. (Any heel height over about 2.5 inches does me in.) The manager at my gym wants to train a team for a marathon this coming summer, and specifically asked me if I wanted to join the team, which was an honor, and I said "no." I'm sad about that. But for me, personally it's the best decision. My foot cannot handle that training. I've gotta stay on machines. Whatever I did to myself, I really, really did it.

But who's to say your issue is that bad & that your foot injury exactly mirrors mine? Yours might resolve itself much sooner. All I'm saying is, be careful, because from what I've learned from various sources (podiatrist, my GP, online, books) as I cope with my limitations, plantar fasciitis is the gift that keeps on giving.

Having had trouble with plantar fasciitis, I can say that for me, it's the SHOES that make the biggest difference. I have to have new shoes every 6 months, or I don't get enough support and my feet start to hurt. Once they are hurting, then the best thing is to treat it as an injury and stop trying to train through it.

I was told that during a flare up, I should put on supportive shoes the moment I get out of bed--as in, have them beside the bed and don't even stand up without shoes on. No barefoot-in-the-park during that time! Massage also helps, as does anything that helps with circulation.

But be sure you rest. Otherwise it can just keep on coming around...

Jay

Thanks for the advice Jay! I was running on a pretty new pair of shoes a couple days before my foot started hurting, but the day before it started hurting I walked around a mall in my winter boots which aren't too supportive (although I put inserts in them). I don't know whether it was the running or the boots that caused the problem, but I haven't worn the boots again since then, just sneakers. I also haven't run since then. I did the stationary bike one day which didn't seem to hurt my feet at all so I guess I will stick to that until it feels better.

Saturday, December 18:

45 minute spin class
60 minute Pilates class

And there will be some incidental walking around in the city today, as I am insane enough to go to midtown to try to find attractive 8W clogs for my mother, for Christmas, and also to see "Next to Normal," which is closing very soon. I expect to come home equally elated and irritated.

Sunday, December 19:

15:06 rowing on Concept 2, for 2,909 meters, 2:24 500/m, 43 s/sm, for a total of 2,909 meters
60 minutes weights
45 minute spin class

More people in the gym this morning than on other Sundays, and spin class was full. I saw more new people signing up at the front desk.

Maybe January will be unusually crowded.

Chopping logs. Bringing in wood. And ...

...

... a little cross-country skiing with the DB. We have enough snow (unusual) and there's been time for me to remember my skiis are in the loft. The DB asked one of our neighbours if we could use the fields and off we went. We have to share the skis (no, we take turns, silly!) but we had fun and I can feel it now.

An exciting day.

Jessica: Hope you don't mind but I saw your post about Plantar Fasciitis and would like to share my experience with it.

Mine developed in October of 09. I learned that the thick fascia under the foot shortens as we sleep. When we wake in the morning and take our first step out of bed the fascia stretches when we plant our weight down onto our foot. This causes micro tears in the fascia all over again. Most of the harm is done with that first step in the morning.

One of the forum members suggested doing a massage of the fascia area and flexing the foot (toes) toward you) for a few times before getting out of bed. I would also suggests massaging the calf muscles as well.

As Jayell suggested make sure you have a supported shoe to put on the foot before you ever plant your foot down out of bed. I slept with my shoes by my bed all that winter. Uhm, it still didn't heal.

I didn't get relief until I went to a podiatrist. They wrapped my foot with tape which kept the foot in the same position 24 hours. I also wore a brace on my foot at night to keep it flexed while I slept. (I know, real attactive, fortunately, DH was working out of state at the time so he couldn't laugh at me) The tape was held in place for a week. The second week I went in and it was retaped for another week.

During the second followup visit I did feel significant relief. Since the taping helped the podiatrist suggested custom orthotics for my shoes. It was after about a month with the orthotics that my foot finally felt normal again. However, I was using those orthotics in all my shoes from this past May (yes I waited THAT long to get help) through September.

I now am pretty much able to wear all my shoes without the orthotics. My workout shoes still have them in it. I'm about to purchase a new pair and would really like to NOT have to wear the orthotics if possible. We'll see. I may be asking for a flare up. But right now, I'm gratefully able to walk barefoot all day around the house without any trouble. And, I'm doing yoga without any trouble. The doc was very encouraging about the class, stated the balance poses were great for the muscles of the foot.

Seriously, if this doesn't get better go see a podiatrist. Also, it's helpful to stretch that fascia with frozen tennis balls to start with and graduate to golf balls under the foot. I also have one of these which is a lot easier to use than a tennis ball. (they keep rolling away) OH! and another option is to freeze water bottles (heavy plastic) and use those to roll under your foot.

http://www.internatural.com/item.php...98&ref=froogle

Good luck with this. It's your base and your root! If something is wrong with that link in the chain, it can also work havoc on the knees and hips...just sayin'.