Netti Pot Virgin December 13, 2007
Posted by kimayars Uncategorized
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I have a mild cold, and it’s beginning to become really annoying. It’s the kind that you wake up in the morning and wonder how on earth you could have kept breathing through the night. The snot you cough up is paired with thoughts of, ‘That came out of my nose???” But this morning things were gunked up a bit more than usually. I hate not being able to breathe through my nose, so I started frantically searching for some nasal saline spray.
Then I saw Jeff’s netti pot.
I’ve never used a netti pot, but I’ve seen Jeff use it all the time. It looks gross and uncomfortable. But I was desperate.
I was right, it was gross and uncomfortable (which means I didn’t have the salt balance right) but it did work. Cleaned those sinuses right out. I tend to get sinus infections this time of year, so maybe this will help stave that off.
And in case you’re wondering what a netti pot is, check this out:
Another day, another adventure…
Hello? Are you awake, horsey? December 13, 2007
Posted by kimayars Arena Work (Horse)
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Rasyn fell asleep while I was getting on him this morning. I think it’s time to speed up the mounting routine.
Unfortunately, he really didn’t wake up after we started moving. I tried to pick up where we left off on Monday but I just didn’t have a pony. My friend Sherene had shared with me a harrowing experience she had on her Arabian last week which turned into one of the best rides of her life. I was feeling a bit envious of that.
I bagged our usual bending and counter-bending exercises and focused only on transitions. Normally when we’re at the walk and I ask him to trot he nearly jumps out of his skin. Not today. I could have stood on his back and jumped up and down singing the Bonaza theme at the top of my lungs and I probalby wouldn’t have gotten much of a reaction. However, I didn’t try to verify that.
In truth, after a few walk/trot, halt/trot transitions I had a pony, but then it was time to go. He was also starting to get pretty sweaty, so I try and give myself ample time to cool him out properly so he doesn’t get chilled. Some day I’ll trace clip him, but I’m pretty sure he’s not in love with the clippers. I’ll save that for another day when I feel more like taking my life into my own hands. (Which is why I didn’t try the “Bonanza” experiment above.)
As far as the foot goes, I had a really good day with it yesterday — very minimal soreness. Today however, the pain returned with a vengence. BUT, there is a change: the soreness is now not so much in the heel but along the bottom outside of the foot and up the outside of the ankle. I took a friend’s advice and have made a bunch of those cute little ice-in-a-dixie-cup things to ice-massage the ankle where it’s tender. Those little ice cups are way too cute.
I’m getting just a little too “on edge” and need to get back to the gym next week. (Not to mention my cookie consumption has increased DRASTICALLY these last few several days.) A friend reminded me about the elliptical trainers at the gym. It might be an excellent way to help keep my fitness level up while I recover. I’m definitely going to give that a try. It’s been a really long time since I’ve used one of those, it might be an entertaining experience.
And a post on bending a horse and why is coming soon (or at least my take on it). It’s gonna be a long one. But for now I need to go remove some cookies from the oven. 
You have to bend to straighten… December 11, 2007
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If you ride balanced seat equitation, you have heard this a million times:
“You have to bend the horse to straighten it.”
The unfortunate thing is not only is it hard to understand, but it’s true. And it works. This is what we spent our time on today. Bending. So we could be straight. Sort of. I mean, it’s not REALLY straight. A horse will almost always have some degree of bend. But like most things in the horse world, they’re more confusing than simple.
Take half-halts for example. If you ask someone for a definittion, 9 times out of 10 you’ll see a pained look on their face. A half-halt means different things to different riders and different horses. My half-halts on Ray are much different that the half-halts I used on Delta (my previous horse). AND, they change with the situation. To describe it in generic terms would be a combination of driving and restraining aids to help rebalance the horse. But to quantify the intensitity and type of aids is nearly impossible. But I digress…
I’m always amazed at how much I have to bend Ray to get him straight. Today was a “counter-bend” day. I used counter-bends a lot to stretch him and get him supple. I had one moment of “straightness” where for four strides I really felt his shoulders free up and he literally felt like he was floating. Yup, nearly 30 minutes of bending to get 4 strides of “straight”. It is a labor of love. Maybe next time I’ll get 6 strides. Then half the arena. Then full arena. Eventually, it will be second nature.
And finally, an update on the foot: It hurts like Hell. I’ve been religiously icing it, but still no real improvement. I’m starting to get grumpy. Tomorrow I’m going to try and call a kind soul who offered to help out. I think her hubby has gone through something similar, and might be able to provide some advice.
Jingle Bell Run — Family Style! December 9, 2007
Posted by kimayars Walk
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I had a lovely surprise this morning — my family joined me for the Jingle Bell Run!
As you can see, we had a great time. I walked instead of run, which was a good thing. Samantha (our 4-year-old) ran 1.1 miles with me. I’m tickled she lasted that long, but my foot was absolutely killing me by the time we stopped to walk.
As for this last photo, all I can say is: “Only in Seattle…”
Does it make you thirsty?… Mmmm… Coffee…
Logbook Activity
- Type: Walk
- Date: 12/09/2007
- Time: 09:00:00
- Total Time: 1:10:00.00
- Distance: 3.1 miles
- Average Pace: 22:33.38/mile
*twitch* December 9, 2007
Posted by kimayars Uncategorized
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I haven’t run since last Sunday. I’m getting twitchy again.
I had my foot x-rayed on Thursday. No stress fracture. In a way that’s good news, because in theory the healing time should be less. In a way that’s bad news because it means I still have an undiagnosed pain in my foot. Unfortunately, it’s worse today than it has been which is never good news. The doctor gave me a light elastic brace and a gel heel cup to wear with the instruction of not to run on asphalt for 2 weeks. If it still hurts then I’m to come back for who knows what.
We got our Christmas tree today. It’s 9′4″. Our ceiling is 8′. Ooops. It looked smaller in the field… “Tree trimming” will mean something entirely different this year.
I’m “running” in the Jingle Bell 5k tomorrow. I certainly won’t be going for time for two reasons: 1) I really want to run with my EZ8 gals and support one of the girls in her first 5k, and 2) it’s hard to run for time when you’re trying to not let your right heel touch the ground. Probably shouldn’t do it, but I want the t-shirt. They’re pretty cool. There’s also that whole “following through on committment” thing that I’m still trying to improve.
And the “disease” has started: I had a person ask if I would run the NY half-marathon with her. (She ran the Tuscon half-marathon the same day I did LVHM and our times were two minutes apart). I actually started to wonder if I could make that work…
It is really hard to fit in horseback riding during the holidays. Running I can fit in an hour at the gym, or go early in the morning. Riding takes about 2+ hours with tacking up and after-care. I saw Ray this morning when I went in to do the barn work. While I was waiting for the hose to thaw, I spent a few minutes petting him and picking the many pieces of debris out of his coat. He returned the favor and tried to groom my sleeve. It was pretty darn cute. I was unable to ride today because of a holdiay brunch this morning and the Christmas tree excursion this afternoon. Once again I was reminded that he needs me as much as I need him, and I haven’t been doing either of us any favors lately. Hopefully I can squeeze a ride in tomorrow between the Jingle Bell Run and a dance recital for both girls. At a minimum at least give him some TLC.
At least it doesn’t hurt when I ride… December 5, 2007
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I’m almost recovered from the half-marathon. I feel completely rested and am starting to get twitchy again from not running. BUT, I seem to have bruised my right foot somethin’ fierce. I’m a little concerned because it’s not getting better. It hurts when I get up, it hurts when I go to bed. The good news is that it only hurts when I walk, not when I ride…
So I had a great ride on Ray today. It was not raining, for one thing. But he’s been off for a week again, so I was expecting a little tension. Nope, he was a good boy. Calm, quiet, and willing. I love this horse.
We worked on bending and counter-bending on a circle, and then changing the bend on the circle and through changes of rein. I tried to focus on stretching through my ride side, which tends to collapse. Of course, through all this you need to keep your hips loose, your leg firm, your hands steady, release the inside rein, and not fall off. 
Tomorrow I’m going to try and schedule a doctor appointment to look at my foot. Something just isn’t right there.
Logbook Activity
- Type: Other
- Date: 12/05/2007
- Time: 10:00:00
- Total Time: 00:30:00.00
LVHM - The Legend December 3, 2007
Posted by kimayars Run
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Ah Vegas. It feels like such a distant memory. Yet, the pain still courses through my body…
Seriously, it was an EVENT. I’ve never run in anything like that before. Good heavens, it took Beth and I nearly 10 minutes to cross the start line! Before I get into the gory details, here is a summary:
Clock Time: 2:25:16
Chip Time: 2:16:56
Overall Placing: 3416 out of 8162 (59th percentile)
Placing in Women: 1508 out of 4774 (68th percentile)
Age Division Placing: 334 out of 887 (62nd percentile)
I’d say not too shabby!
There was a ForeRunner “malfunction” (I accidently turned it off while removing my jacket and missed about 2/3 of a mile). But, here are our recorded splits:
Mile 1: 10:40
Mile 2: 10:22
Mile 3: 10:12 (this is the mile that only recorded 1/3)
Mile 4: 9:57
Mile 5: 10:08
Mile 6: 9:41
Mile 7: 10:18
Mile 8: 10:06
Mile 9: 10:15
Mile 10: 10:25
Mile 11: 10:27
Mile 12: 10:47
Mile 13: 11:44
Beth and I donned these new fangled timing chips — they were attached to our bib, and we peeled them off and tied them to our shoes. The cool thing is they were disposable, and make a really cool keepsake!
It started off with a bang. Literally. They tried to use an air horn, but to be honest it sounded a little weak. But the FIREWORKS! Now that was a way to start off a race. We were serenaded by an Elvis impersonator and Robin Leech emceed. Our little Apline Days 5K fun run in North Bend has a lot to aspire to…
Beth and I agreed to start out and try and maintain 10min miles. Neither of us had run a full 13.1 miles yet this year, so this seemed like a good plan. And, I must say, it was a brilliant plan. I felt really good until mile 6. That’s when I first started to notice aching from pounding the pavement. There is a HUGE difference between running long distances on trail and running on asphalt. But the distractions along the way were pretty cool. 
Around mile 3 there was a performance by Blue Man Group. At mile 4 or 5 there was a run-through wedding chapel. I got to see Elvis marry Marilyn Monroe. And yes, if you couldn’t tell, I did run with my camera. (Hey, when am I ever going to do something like THIS again??) Just after the wedding chapel we were cheered on by over 150 running “Elvi” as we started the loop back around toward home. At mile 6 Beth and I fueled up ready to bring it home.
The second part of the run wasn’t as interesting. There was some form of music at every mile, but I don’t really remember much of it. The funniest thing we passed was a showgirl supplies store. I guess they have to get their “gear” somewhere! Next year I’m doing my souvenier shopping there.
That last mile wasn’t impressive, but there’s an explanation for that. Just as we passed the Mile 11 water station, I started feeling dizzy and nauseous. I turned to Beth, and said, “I think I’m going to have to walk. I’m not feeling so well.” Her answer started me. I fully expected her to say, “Yes, let’s walk and see if you feel better.” Instead she said, “If you are still upright, I would encourage you to continue running. Otherwise you’ll regret it and always wonder if you could have made it. We’ll hit the 
water station at Mile 12 and keep going.” I thought that was a pretty good plan. Or at least I was in no condition to argue. So at Mile 12, Beth took a bio-break and I drank as much water as I could for the last mile. And yes, the picture of Beth was taken just after my water break. She looks WAY too happy, don’t you think?
When I saw the 13-mile flag I nearly cried. For the first time I realized that I was going to make it.
We crossed the finish line together, and walked through the chutes to get a medal and a really cool silver blanket. We got bannanas, water, and found our hubbies in the “finish line festival” area.
I am really happy with this race. For one thing, I finished well below my goal of 2:30:00. I also feel like I gave it everything I had. I wouldn’t change a thing. I have no regrets. There was pain. There was joy. And there was the *knowing* that I did something I never thought I could do.
So, will I do another one? Well, like childbirth, the memory of the pain of that last mile will have to fade considerably before I will even consider it. Until then, I’m content to going back to running 4-5 miles with an occasional long run thrown in on weekends.
Logbook Activity
- Type: Run
- Date: 12/02/2007
- Time: 06:00:00
- Total Time: 2:16:56.00
- Distance: 13.1 miles
- Average Pace: 10:27.18/mile
