The Trouble With Injury And What To Do When I Can Do Stuff

For a long time, I've been struggling with injury. My IT Band is a jerk and it resulted in a nice case of bursitis. UGH! Well, over the last few weeks, I have been going to physical therapy and I feel so much better for it. As I progress and the pail lessens, I'm looking to the future.

First, I started looking for local yoga sessions that wont break the bank. Yes, I have some great DVD's that I can do, but I want to get into a studio once or twice a week. So, if you are in Wilmington, NC, let me know where you go or where you recommend.

Second, and this is BIG, when I get the OK, I will be joining a local running class. Yes, I've done a lot of races. But since I have been hurt for so long, I am starting fresh. This is a good thing. I have the basis and stay active, but this will give me the form work I need. The group also works with physical therapists to make sure there is no injury. THIS IS BIG FOR ME! I'm so over being injured.

The hope is I get clearance on September 29 to be able to join the group and first training session is October 7. I am excited to run again and it is never to early to plan.

While this running season has been a giant FLOP for me, I look forward to a better one next year and allow myself to run injury free.

PS. If you run, stretching, core work, and more stretching is SO important. Listen to your body!

Rounding Out Vacation

So I've been back a few days now and have been looking back on how last weeks vacation went. It really was awesome! You saw my yoga beach trip and my kayaking trip with hubs. The last bit to share was our trip to the aquarium.

I LOVE aquariums. I spend a lot of my summer working on the beach with sea turtles helping them to get to the sea. Well, hubs took me to the Virginia Beach Aquarium. It was so amazing!

First, the size of the aquarium is huge. It is two buildings with about a 10 minute walk between them. The first building had all kinds of awesome animals and learning. We saw sharks and my favorite sea turtles. Sadly, we missed the sea turtle tour they had. But they were so active and friendly. I absolutely fell in love all over again with these beautiful creatures! They even came over for pics with me!

The walk to the second building was through a wooded area with paths. There were some stop and overlooks over the inlet. We got to see all kinds of butterflies, birds, and bird nests. As we got closer to the second building, there was an adventure course in the trees. Ropes, ladders, and bridges looped across the trees at different heights. It will definitely be on my to do list next time I go.

Building two had river and inlet animals. It had river otters. They are so personable and funny! I loved watching them play and swim. We also checked out the snakes and turtles. Unfortunately, the aviary was closed. They also had a dinosaur exhibit. We all know how much I LOVE dinosaurs. So of course I had to ham it up with them.

In addition to the aquarium, there was a lot of beach time and pool time. The weather was awesome. Nights were filled with laughing, stories, a wild game of cards against humanity, and a song challenge to the house a block over behind us. We also took a trip to downtown Virginia Beach for some video game fun. Nothing like playing like kids in an arcade.

Since it was vacation, I was a bit more loose with my meals. OK, I was very loose with foods and ate things that I normally won't eat (read ice cream, donuts, and fudge). Needless to say, I found some extra pounds that will be worked off. I have to admit, I am happy to be back to eating clean again!

Overall, vacation was a success! Can't wait for the next one!