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Wednesday, March 18, 2009

It ain't easy been green (or me)


To celebrate St. Patrick's Day and take advantage of my day off, I decided to put on everything in my closet that was green (olive, lime, forest, kelly, you name it). Turns out, I actually don't have a lot of green stuff, which is surprising because I think the colour actually suits me. Hmmm, maybe that's something I can start branching out more with? Either way, it was nice to wear some peices that haven't come out to play in a while, most notably the Bebe sequin bird top that I scored at Desert Hills Outlet Mall outside Palm Springs - love that top!













I even tried to do a green 'smokey' eye, though you can't really tell (above) - Boots: ASOS; Skirt: Reitmans; Top: Bebe; Cardigan: ASOS; Leather jacket: ASOS; Necklace: Front & Main; Leather bag: Adrienne Vittadini

I took the day off though not to celebrate St. Patty (though the best St. Patty's day I ever had was when my bestie Kelly and I - when we lived in Auckland, NZ - spent the day blowing off class and getting drunk. On the docks at the waterfront. Like the Irish do!) but to get a whole bunch of crap done....I went to the doctor, finally, who was no help whatsoever because she was a clinic doctor and advised I see my family doctor. But my family doctor sucks balls! Then I went for a run around Lost Lagoon, taking advantage of a break in the rain and the less-crowded time of day. Afterwards I booked it for my appointment with my mortgage broker who assesed how much we qualify for (yay!) for our new apartment. After that I then went to my parent's house for lunch and quality time before heading off to see a Physiotherapist.

Ah yes. The physio. It's amazing I haven't seen one before - there are SO many things wrong with me!

For starters, I am not meant to be a runner. I am simply not built for it - not everyone is, but me even more so because of my disability.

I finally found out so many answers to so many questions..such as, why is running so hard on me? Why does running for 45 minutes feel like torture? Why do my thighs burn? How come when I do a Standing Quadriceps Stretch, I never feel anything in my legs? Why do I walk funny? Why do I run funny? How come I can't stand on my toes?

To put it simply, I am a horrible mess of nature - sad but true. As enlightening as it was to learn the answers, it also kind of hit me how different I truly am than the average person and how, no matter what, somethings about my body can never be fixed.

For example, my foot has a limited range of motion. I can barely flex it up and I can't point it down. At all. And I can't stand on my toes. Because of this, when I run (or walk), I can't push off from my toes (I thought I was but I guess not). Because I can't push off from my toes, my calves don't get worked at all (it's all connected). This is why I have relatively small calves with zero muscle - very underdeveloped.

Because my calves don't work, my thighs go into overdrive to compensate. This is why I have always had very large thighs compared to my body - even as a child. Because my thighs work overtime, they also burn more (hence the burning while running and the feeling like my legs are too heavy to lift - because the SPRING from the steps that should propel me forward, aren't there). Because my thighs do all the work, they throw my hips out of whack, as well as my hamstrings. My hamstrings are the tighest she has seen in a long time. No wonder I can't touch my toes. Anyway, they are tight because my thighs blah blah blah.

And the hips, of course. They are weak. And my butt (specifically, the sides of my butt) are also too weak (but my Glutius Maximus is very strong, HENCE WHY MY ASS IS SO LARGE lol). Hence why my hips swing when I walk, because the muscles on the side are too loose to keep them in check. And my hip flexors don't work at all - when I do the standing quad stretch, the reason I don't feel the stretch is because my hips come forward. I just can't help it. I only felt the stretch when doing it with my hips against the table because the table prevents the hips from swinging forward. But I can't do that alone, I don't have the control.

So now I have a few exercises to do everyday. I am not to stop running but I must realize that it will never become easy for me like it does everyone else. And I might not even be able to do the 10KM Sun Run - it might be too hard on my overtaxed lower body. But that aside, she said that if I keep doing the stretching exercises she prescribed, with time running and walk will become easier and more normal. Poor me though, honestly all i want is to just be normal :(

I have another session on the weekend where we will work on my abs (my lower back is weak thanks to - you guessed it - my thighs, hips, butt problem) and also my ankles.

It's hard though, to hear the limitations - i always knew I had them but it's hard to hear it nonetheless. My feet can not improve - I will always have problems with them and because of that, I will never have nice shapely, strong calves. They are merely there for show. Stupid calves!

Sigh.

On the plus side, my parents (mainly mom) felt super sorry for me after all this so they bought me some nice stuff - and stuff that will help too! I got new Nike zooom running shoes which are so light and have that ipod chip in them to track your kms, calories, pace etc (apparently I have been running in "Walking" shoes, yikes!), Nike capri pants and an aqua Adidas top/sports bra. I'll try and get a pic of me in them tonight, if anything having this lighter gear will help with my evening run!


My dear mama and I


That's all for now. Hope your St. Patricks day was better than mine was :)(though new workout clothes, plus free lunch and a glass of wine or two (shhhh) made all the disheartening a lot more bearable.)

21 comments:

Kass said...

I wish I had under developed calves, then I could probably fit me some sexy boots!

Your mum is so cute :)

Rachel said...

Good call on the Nike shoes! Couple of tips for the Nike + sensor when you get it (if you haven't already) don't leave the sensor in your shoe all the time. Only put it in there when you are going for a run or walk that you want to track. I'm an assistant buyer for Nike for a sporting goods company so I've gotten lots of first hand experience with those. They are great, but there's no way to turn the sensor off - any movement turns it back on so even carrying it in your purse will run the battery dead. Then its another $20 for a new sensor. Also make sure to do the calibration the first time you use it. The results are no where near accurate if you don't. Other than that the Nike + system is great! Anyway that was my little helpful hint.

Wanderlusting said...

Kass - Thanks, my mom is teh cute!

Rachel - great tip! I first need to buy the sensor. And the attachment. And an ipod lol.

sil said...

glad you have some new gear to get going...the running will be hard for you, but the great thing is - you have some exercises to do now and it can get better! and closer to "normal" i know that you will be able to do it! and if you can't do the 10 km this year, it can always be a goal that you will attain eventually :)

Anonymous said...

Cool idea - the top is gorgeous, but then again, I'm all for sequins and sparkles!! And the gold necklace really complements it :)

amy said...

Happy St.Patty's day! I'm glad I didn't get pinched :P

I've heard other people say Value Village has brought them little to no luck.. I guess I've just been very very lucky, or it might just be the neighborhood my value village is located. I manage to find the most beautiful things there, but yes :(, I have noticed prices keep going up up up! I am not willing to pay 20 bucks for a pair of shoes just at a thrift store, I mean unless they steal my heart... I might as well just shop at H&M because they always have cheap sales! I'm hoping Value Village gets better and stops increasing prices regardless of the economy.

On another note, you look radiant and beautiful in your photographs always! I love this jacket and purse!!

look forward to hearing from you again. . . .


kisss1!
amy

Unknown said...

oooh you are the kutest!! i love the mix of the different shades of green!

FASHION CHALET said...

You must be such a breath of fresh air to be around!! I love how upbeat your personality seems. Thanks for the happy, standout, comments. :]

I want to pronounce my french better, I can communicate; somewhat and read it and conjugate it, but pronunciation.. ahhh I kinda lack in that dept. ... lol... :/

Those boots are delicious!

xx

STARR said...

You look pretty! lol I don't have a lot of green either.

Amelia said...

I love the jacket and the tank. Green definitely does suit you.

That's too bad about your running limitations. I have some foot and joint problems, so I can totally relate.

Tina { Luphia Loves... } said...

loving all the green! the top is so so pretty! :)

Alice said...

i can't touch my toes either, although i have no excuse for my freakishly tight hammies... they've just always been that way. and while my calves do work properly, i CANNOT for the life of me get them shapely and lovely-looking. i've read that your calf shape is genetic. THANKS, MOM. ;-P

Ashleigh said...

mama's are the best !! Love that necklace of yours and thanks for the link....I saw that pic actually...too funny...b/c one of my old highschool buddies, simone, is engaged to her....haha...so I saw it on facebook...oh the wonderful facebook :s....Ive always liked Mena...

Natalia said...

You are so cute!

Couture Carrie said...

You look fab, darling! Loving your coat and necklace!

And as for running ... in my 20s I used to run for an hour at a stretch, but now the most I can handle is about 25-30 minutes. My knees start killing after that. An alternative: spinning! Have you tried it? You will totally love!

xoxox,
CC

Anonymous said...

awww sweetie, you look so pretty! I love that green jacket and the makeup :-)

Unknown said...

That last picture of you and your mom is just so cute. I love it.

You look gorgeous.
xoxo
Stephanie
www.modernantoinette.blogspot.com

Oh! and i've been meaning to answer you...I don't think I have any finnish blood or Norwegian. But thanks, I tkae that as a compliment as I think they tend to be beautiful.

Todd said...

Love the outfit!

Jordan said...

You look so beautiful in the second picture. What a great color on you. Hey, thanks for the product advice. I went to Sephora last night, but my husband stopped me before I got too out of hand. You are definitely losing weight, girl!

Cupcake Blonde said...

At least now you have some answers to your questions and can better learn how to run so things don't hurt and your body benefits. You'll be marathoning in no time! :)

Cupcake Blonde said...

P.S. Love the green!