#HolidaySweat Week 5 Update

It's hard to believe that I am already three weeks and a couple of days post-menisectomy. With two more PT sessions under my belt, I have been able to increase my exercises and do more at home with increased confidence.

The bonus point challenge for the week was to walk/run a 5K. My PT did not give me permission to run (haha) or even walk the 5K, but he did give the ok to walking one mile per day (yay). {Friday} my oldest stepdaughter walked with me and the dog {Saturday} I recruited mrC, two kids, and my brother-in-law to take a walk after lunch at my in-laws and {Sunday} after driving 2+ hours back to NH, mrC and I took Booney for a walk to stretch our legs.

Having a smoothie everyday helped me meet the fruit and veggie goal, but the added protein and amino from GNC helped my muscles recover from PT and all the walking I was able to do this week.

My water in-take for the week was another success and I added another plant to my "garden." The only downside to drinking so much water is the number of trips I take to the bathroom. Jeez!

It's time to get started on the final week of the challenge!

What will you be doing this week?

WIAW: Simple

Today's post is part of the #WIAW link up hosted by Jen! 

Merry Christmas Eve and welcome to the holiday madness, right? All the kids are home and I can't wait for the movie watching, cookie-eating, present un-wrapping chaos to begin!

Nothing at all like last Saturday. It was one of the simplest days we've had in a long time. We eased into the day, went to a hockey game, and watched a movie. Simply wonderful!

Most of my days start with a workout. Lately that workout has been my PT leg exercises. Right now my exercise focus is on strengthening my quad, hamstring, and glute muscles. Oh, I can't wait until I can run again!

{Pre-breakfast} Coffee while icing the knee after doing my morning PT exercises.

{Breakfast} Kept it simple with some cheesy scrambled eggs with ham and a PB&J rice cake on the side.

{Snack} The hockey game started at 11 AM and was an hour away, so I made a to-go fruit and veggie smoothie adding in some GNC PUREDGE amino to encourage muscle recovery after my morning workout.

{Lunch} We stopped at a local restaurant after my nephew's hockey game to have lunch with the in-laws up from Massachusetts. I love when restaurants have gluten-free menus. I kept it simple with some GF cheese pizza.

{Treat} Who knew finding GF cookie dough would be so hard these days? None of our local groceries sell it. So, my brother-in-law bought some GF cookie dough for us in MA. I started baking as soon as we got home!

{Dinner} Another simple meal (leftovers) of Cheesy Tuna Quinoa and a salad.

What have you been eating lately?

#HolidaySweat Challenge Week 4 Update

Week 4 was a week of progress.

On Monday I had my first post-op appointment and the stitches came out of my knee. I also got the go-ahead to start PT and had my first session on Wednesday. I was surprised by how much I got to do and didn't even mind the 15 minutes of NMES (neuromuscular reeducation electrical stimulation). Apparently my quad muscle has atrophied quite a bit in the two weeks post-surgery. Most of the exercises I can do at home every other day.

I was surprised that I was doing wall squats, even with support, on my first day of PT. The foam roller makes moving up and down much easier as I'm not pushing against the wall. The hardest part for me is making sure my right leg isn't doing all of the work.

Heel press seems like no big deal, but my knee had a little pain after each 8 second hold. Dr. Bri said it was a normal pain, so I will keep doing them. This one is all about the hamstrings and mine felt the work.

Throughout the week I also had fun mixing in some of the PUREDGE product I was sent to review (post here) from GNC to boost my fruit and veggie smoothies. It also inspired me to try some new recipes. My favorite so far has been a Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie.

With the help of the Plant Nanny app that I mentioned in my last update, I met my daily water goal EVERY DAY!! My first plant, befittingly named Water Baby, grew so much that I was able to move it to the "garden" and start a new plant named Dandy Baby.

Week 4 of the challenge also offered bonus points for doing yoga. Now, I'm all about using yoga to stretch, so I did what I could with my knee and it felt so good!

Overall, it was a good week for me.

How was your week?

Sharing a Love for Winter Running

Today I'm happy to share a post written by my running friend and colleague Melissa. Melissa has been a runner since her school days and is very competitive. Now she is sharing her passion with her daughter. 

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It's a winter wonderland out here in New Hampshire this morning. We have big white fluffy snowflakes and no wind. Perfect winter running!

My daughter recently started running with me to prepare for a mile test in her gym class last week. I hoped she would continue to run once the school challenge ended. 

Catching flakes on our tongues seemed like a perfect draw to get an 11-year-old hitting the pavement with me. We had a blast! 

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I can't wait to get back in my running shoes and go for a winter run too!

Do your children run?

How do you entice them?

2014 Race Awards

Every year I like to look back on my running and fitness and reflect on what I accomplished, what I loved, and make new goals. It's always fun to reminisce while putting together an end of the year blog post. 

This year I am linking up with Montana from Pretty Lil Mudder as we dish out some end of the year race awards. My race schedule was cut short due to my injuries and I ran fewer races than previous years, but there were still plenty of races to talk about.

Most Scenic Course - Newport Half Marathon 

There are miles of ocean views like this along the first 6-ish miles of the Newport Half Marathon course. After that you get a couple of miles on mansion views. It's beautiful.

Most Challenging Course - ZOOMA Cape Cod Half Marathon

This race has a very hilly second half. It's a challenge for most runners but my various leg injuries made this one the most challenging course of the year.

Best Expo - ZOOMA Cape Cod

It's not the size, but the attention to details that earns ZOOMA this one. They have great merchandise from sponsors and local vendors, but they also create a personalized experience. Take photos, attend presentations, meet the race founders. Just some little things like that.

Best Post-Race Food/Beverages - Kickoff to Summer 5K

Post race food that is mostly homemade treats or healthy fruit choices win the honors here. It's not elaborate or fancy, but it is always so good.

Best Swag - ZOOMA Cape Cod 

Packing my new @feeturesrunning performance socks from my @zoomarun race swag for tomorrow's after school run. #ZOOMAnation #zoomacapecod #fitgear

A photo posted by AmyC (@runningescapades) on Sep 9, 2014 at 5:56pm PDT

ZOOMA swag included the race tech shirt, a hat and the normal samples, but it was the Feetures! socks that made this swag a real treat.

Most Unique Medal - First Run 5K

I have accumulated three of them now, but the famous wine stopper medal will always be the most unique to me.

Favorite Race Shirt - Newport 10 Miler

Although this race shirt is a cotton tee, I love the simple design and color choice. If it was a moisture wicking material, I know I would run in it. For now it's one of my cozy, lazy day picks.

Favorite Overall Race - TI Disco Fever 10K

Growing up, I was a big fan of disco music. Even though I don't usually dress up for races, this one was too fun not to join in.

Best Course Support - Ragnar Relay Cape Cod

We didn't all run together like in the picture until the finish line, but it felt like we had been the whole race. Besides leap-frogging our runners on the course, nothing compares to hearing "Go runner" shouted to you from nearly every passing vehicle while you run.

Race You Are Most Proud of Yourself for Completing - Half at the Hamptons

For about a month leading up to this race, I was dealing with knee pain, that I now know was my torn meniscus, so I had no idea if I was going to be able to finish or not. My stepdaughter and I joined forces to finish this one using a run/walk plan and we did it.

Tell me about your 2014 races. Pick a category from the list or make one of your own.

This post is also part of the Fitness Friday link up hosted by Jill.