A new TM and PT Love

The reasons I have not been consistently blogging are, a) this is a running blog and I'm not running. b) writing about not running is depressing.

Some decent things have been happening though. I got a new (to me) treadmill and it magically showed up in my garage. Thanks to the hubbs and BIL for all the grunt work. :) The downside....not being able to try it out.

I went to the doctor on Friday and since things are not healing (AT ALL), he says no walking for exercise. Soooo....that leaves me with pretty much zero to do in the sweat zone. I can lift weights and possibly ride a stationary bike in a very specific way. I'll be trying that today. There is always the pool, but I'm going to be honest and say it bores me to absolute tears.

More good news. I went to physical therapy today. What a breath.of.fresh.air. It was like the Four Seasons of the exercise world. I had three different people attending to me. They cared about everything. They listened to me. We talked about shoes. I discovered do not over-pronante. In fact, I barely pronate at all. What an amazing discovery after TWELVE YEARS of running. I am so excited to go back on Thursday. I am bringing all my running shoes (they didn't realize this will involve a wheely suitcase) and we are going to analyze my gait. I am geeking out on running stuff right now.

In the mean time, I am doing exercises and praying a lot. They also administered some medicine into my skin. It felt super weird like little baby needles stabbing me, but I am hopeful it is working. :)

Meanwhile...this is my last week of working days for the next three months. I am switching over to the "dark side" and working night shift. I actually don't mind it in short doses. Plus, there is a kickboxing/weights class I have been dying to try that my schedule hasn't allowed until now.

Running friends...any shoe recommendations for someone who does not pronante, yet still needs support?

Singing the Blues

This weekend was like a roller coaster ride I could not get off. I was up. I was down. Up. Down...UP...down...

A little insight into me...as an adult, I have battled depression on and off. I have learned to control (and beat!) it with running. As you know, running hasn't been in the picture as of late. I haven't had a good cardio session in weeks and weeks. This weekend, I wanted to crawl in bed, pull the covers up, and stay there for three days.

I didn't though. I had some serious business to take care of. My BFF and Maid of Honor was in town. I went down to Grand Junction early on Friday and walked around downtown. It was soooo nice. They had a few sidewalk artists playing guitar. The weather was beautiful. It made me miss the town. A wee bit.

After my afternoon love affair with downtown, I went to the mall. That was an entirely different ballgame that made me feel lucky to live in Montrose.

Finally, Saturday arrived. Kari, her BF, my mom, and I went for a blustery hike. I'm still picking sand out of my teeth. I was just happy to be out there though. Spring is sooo near....

And yesterday.....well what can I say. I was down in the dumps feeling sorry for myself for no good reason whatsoever. Even church (which always fills my cup) could not pull me out of this funk. I prayed. I went grocery shopping (another known mood elevator). Finally, I resorted to this:

Baby chicks at Murdochs. I didn't get to bring them home, but it was a nice mood booster all the same. That and I cleaned my house. A clean house is hard to beat.

As a final last ditch effort, I begged Ty to take me to Cold Stone after dinner. He finally gave in, but said it was my fault if he gains ten pounds from all the junk food I've been force feeding him lately... ;)

Now that it is Monday, I actually feel better (I think it was the ice cream). I'm going to the gym after work. I am going to SWEAT. The End.

Me A to Z

Remember MySpace? I know.... it was a LONG time ago. I'm sure high school kids these days don't even know what it is. Kind of like 8-tracks are to me. Anyway...I used to love filling out surveys about myself on MySpace. I'm narcissistic like that.

So when I came across this A to Z survey on Reads Recipes Runs, I just had to try it!! I am tagging a couple people, but those of you who love surveys (like me!)....feel free to copy/paste. :)

A is for age: 29
B is for breakfast today: I had two. 5:45 breakfast was Greek yogurt with peaches. 8:30 breakfast was steel cut oats with berries.
C is for currently craving: Sushi....it has been WAY too long.
D is for dinner tonight: Pan fried elk steak with green chilies/stewed tomatoes. Served with mashed potatoes and veggies.
E is for favorite type of exercise: RUNNING.
F is for an irrational fear: My husband getting hurt at work. Not being able to have kids.
G is for gross food: OLIVES-----> bleh
H is for hometown: Grand Junction, CO
I is for something important: Faith <3
J is for current favorite jam: What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger) Kelly Clarkson ...or "jam" current favorite is the peach jam I made this summer.
K is for kids: Yes please!
L is for current location: Work......
M is for the most recent way you spent money: Groceries. Which is great for me. I LOVE grocery shopping.
N is for something you need: GOD. Golf lessons. A healed leg. Sushi...
O is for occupation: 911 Dispatcher
P is for pet peeve: people who think they have something to prove
Q is for a quote: "A true friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out."
R is for random fact about you: I spoke at my college graduation
S is for favorite healthy snack: Celery and peanut butter
T is for favorite treat: Dairy Queen. Brownie Earthquake.  
U is for something that makes you unique: Before I got married, to the best of my knowledge, I was the only Chelsea Chiono in the world. :)
V is for favorite vegetable: garden tomatoes (I know....they are technically a fruit)
W is for today’s workout: There will not be a workout today. I did PT for my leg and I will probably do my nightly sit-ups/push-ups
X is for X-rays you’ve had: left arm (broken-fell off a horse at age 9), femur (not broken- hit by car), nose (broken-baseball injury)....and teeth!!
Y is for yesterday’s highlight: A rockin day at work. Hubs having dinner almost ready when I got home.
Z is for your time zone: Mountain Daylight Time.

Tagging: HRG, Just a Colorado Gal, Neon Blonde Runner 

Heartache

This Friday marks three weeks of doctor ordered "no running." I rode my bike on Monday and had a lot of pain. I feel like such a whiner going on about it here, but....I am just so disappointed that things are not healed.
I see the doctor again next Friday. We are going to reevaluate and see what my next steps should be. I'm hoping my next steps will include running.... I miss it endlessly. Its like a long lost lover. I see people running in this beautiful weather and it tears at my heart like a raw ache that I cannot shake. Something that once brought me so much joy, peace, and escape now makes my want to swerve my car to hit those who are enjoying it. Clearly I need therapy running.
Not for lack of trying. I have walked. I have ran in the pool. I even enjoyed a beautiful hike with my mom last weekend. It really was great-- we saw desert big horn sheep and petroglyphs. The dogs had a blast too. I feel really blessed that mom and I were able to share that time together.

How cool is this bridge?

In other news, my horses now live super super close and I am able to ride there. The cutest old man owns the place. I went out there Monday and he had raked the riding area for me. Awwwww.... :)
My horse was being a total pain, but it was still nice to get out and ride.
Ty purchased his golf membership last week. So I probably won't see him much till November or so.  Speaking of which, we played nine holes on Friday. It felt great! I'm considering some lessons this Spring so that I can keep up with my stud-muffin golf-pro-like hubs.

Alligators

What do you call an alligator in a vest?

..

.
.
.

An Investigator!

Considering my line of work, that is the best joke I've heard in some time. Thank you Facebook.

So for some reason I woke up today and decided we need to get chickens. We have an ugly shed in our backyard. It needs to go. I think it would look much better with a chicken coop and a few chickens. Organic eggs, new BFFs for the dogs...I cannot see how this is a bad thing.

Ty, in case you are wondering what you can put in my Easter basket...your problems are solved.

Have you ever just had a day that could not improve? One thing after the other until something (someone) explodes? That was me yesterday (running where are you?!). I tried to keep my cool, my faith, and my composure. That all failed and I was a mess. Some days you just have to fall apart, reboot and move on.

Our Idol Night party is here!! Lasagna and Idol in my near future. :)

The Breakup

Running said we need some time apart. Things just weren't working out. Running said it was just a "break," not forever. As I tearfully said my goodbyes, I tried to remind myself that it would get better. Distance (get it?) makes the heart grow fonder.
Well it has been ten days and I have not heard a single WORD from running. I cannot help but think WTF?! Which stands for "William. Tom. Frank." in case you were wondering. We all know I gave up cussing. And running apparently.
I was still able to log fourteen miles of "fitness" this past week. I really can't complain too much. I got try out my new snowshoes in feet of fresh powder. I know. It's a hardknock life.

I'm pretty excited for this week. Ty's family is coming over for our first official "family dinner/Idol night" on Wednesday. I'm making lasagna. And in my opinion, the lasagna alone is reason to be excited.
Speaking of American Idol, who are everyone's favorites? I like Phillip Phillips, Elise, and Colton.

I had one of those perfect Sundays yesterday. I went to church Saturday night, so I had the entire day free to do nothing or everything. Ty was sleeping after working all night.
Woke up at 10:30.
Breakfast/coffee.
3 miles of walking with the dogs. Discovered a new mental trick-- "Be here now." Mantra adopted from Another Mother Runner's podcast. In other words, stop wishing the workout away. Enjoy that moment of time and think of nothing else. Even if you can only think of taking three more steps. Take those three steps-- See what happens.
Washed and waxed the car.
Went to coffee shop- spent an hour indulging in more coffee and a giant muffin while reading my Bible/having quiet time.
Grocery shopping (one of my most favorite activities)
Family dinner.
---------------------------------------------------------
 One of my favorite bloggers, Hungry Runner Girl has some exciting news: baby's on the way. Congrats Janae and Billy!