(NOT) Training for the 4th of July Run

Hello, friends!

As most of you know, I'm training for a skating 1/2 marathon on July 14 (Bastille Day!).  Ironically, I have been skating fewer miles per week WHILE training than I did BEFORE I was training.  

I've been skating longer miles at a time in preparation for this long event, but it's too taxing on my body to skate too many long skates in a week.  My goal had been two 10+ miles outings per week and then a couple of shorter ones (4-5 miles).  The longer ones seemed to burn me out a bit, so I think I'm going to just skate shorter skates for the remaining two weeks until my event.  

I think that's what I'm supposed to do anyway, but I'm kind of doing this training thing by the seat of my pants!

Which brings me to the Moraga Fun Run on the Fourth of July.  My husband and daughter have done it several years together, mostly the 2-mile run I think.  There's also a 5-miler which some friends are doing (yee-haa, Tricia and Brian!) The entrance fee for either distance includes a free pancake breakfast--who can pass that up?  

Somehow they talked my son into joining them.  Once that happened, I didn't want to be the odd person out, so I mused out loud, "Hmmmm…maybe I should join you for the 2-mile race and make it a family deal."  

My gang enthusiastically supported my decision with one caveat:  

Do NOT expect them to wait for me at the end of the race…they would be going directly to the pancake breakfast as soon as they finished!

Good to know where I rate on the pancake scale!

Ok, works for me, but now I find myself reasonably fit with my inline skating and yoga and the miscellaneous other exercises I fit in every couple of weeks or so.  But I haven't run in more years than I can remember!  

Is this a good idea?

I'm thinking it's quite possibly a not-so-good idea, but who says we should only do things that are good ideas?  

I'm putting it out there that sometimes we have to do things that may turn out to be bad ideas, just so we keep used to trying new activities and challenges.

I'll let you know how it goes!

On a jewelry related note, I'm working on 3 new pieces for birthday presents for some dear friends.  I'll be sure to photograph them and put them on my Facebook page:

Click here to visit and Like my Facebook page

Here's a necklace I made last week as a custom piece for a friend to give his wife...isn't he a peach?...amethyst, Swarovski crystals, garnet and sterling silver:

Next time:  "Learning How to Back into a Parking Space"

Keep skating...

Hugs,
Nancie ♥  

Nancie Zimmerman
NamiZuni Jewelry Design
Expressing Your Inner Goddess
NamiZuniJewelry.etsy.com

My last skate:
7/2/13
Skate #99 of 200
4.1 miles
Iron Horse Trail

(103 degrees!)

P.S. July 10th:  I only ran the first 1/4 mile and the last 1/4 mile and walked the rest of it.  I ended up finishing 14th of 23 for my age group.  My  shins and feet hurt quite a lot the next few days.  

I don't think I'll become a runner anytime soon, but I loved the camaraderie of being together with the other athletes.  I also loved the excitement of trying something I had never tried before.  Now I am excited for my skating 1/2 marathon on Sunday, July 14th.  I'll let you know how it goes!

How to Pick a Really Good Training Buddy!

Hello Friends!

So I'm officially training for this half marathon skate event July 14--one month from today as I write this.  Yikes!  My pal, Cynthia, is back in Connecticut training with me.  You wouldn't think you could train with someone that lives 3000 miles away, but she's turning out to be a kick ass buddy.  We encourage each other, swap distances skated, share how we're progressing.

Last Sunday Cynthia kicked it up a notch by skating 13.5 miles that day!  For crying out loud, that's more than the 1/2 marathon we're training for!  How did she suddenly jump from doing 4 to 6 miles to doing the length of the entire event on what was only our second week of official training?

Anyway, it kicked my butt into gear to get out and skate that day...not because I was feeling competitive with her, but just because I was inspired by her.  I was already feeling the aftereffects of being pushed to my limits at my yoga class that morning, so I was not too jazzed to skate but figured I should at least do 4 miles, which is a typical everyday kind of distance for me.

I set out on a hilly section of the Lafayette Moraga trail (near St. Mary's College for you local folks), expecting to turn around at the 2 mile mark.   A funny thing happened.  By the time I got to what would have been my turnaround point, I was starting to get into the groove skating-wise.  It has a great downhill from mile 1 to 2, so it usually gets me pretty amped up once I go down it--as a side note, I especially like it if I can do it without using my brake even once, which is what I managed that day.  The downhill gives me an almost-but-not-quite feeling of being out of control.  It's a real adrenaline thrill and I love it!

So, I kept skating.  When I got to mile 3 (which would mean a total skate of 6 miles), I said to myself, "Why don't you go to mile 4?  That would make it an 8-mile skate."  I thought of Cynthia doing her 13.5 and went for it.

I'll spare you the intervening decision points, but suffice it to say I continued to skate to mile 6, figuring this would make a respectable 12-mile skate.  Mind you, the 6 miles returning was mostly uphill and I hadn't taken any water or energy bars with.  Nonetheless, short of calling one of my family members to come rescue me, I realized I just needed to gut it out and skate back to my car.

On the way back:

Mile 7:  "Oooh, there's a water fountain...I sure am thirsty!"  So I stopped for a drink and realized how sweaty I was and how glad I was that the day had turned cloudy, cool, and windy. 

Mile 8:  "Whew!  I am really working at this and it feels good."

Mile 9: After stopping I felt shaky and weak.  I was making mental notes of the adjustments I need to make for my half marathon.

Mile 10:  Just keep skating...just keep skating...just keep skating...

Mile 11:  "Hmmm...I'm almost back at my car.  I only need to skate an additional .75 miles away from my car and back to it and I will have matched Cynthia's distance!  Maybe I could do this."

Mile 12:  At my car.  "I'm tired for sure but I can do that last .75 miles out and back." 

Mile 12.75: So glad to be almost done!

Mile 13.5:  "Yeeeee-friggin-haaaaa!"

The whole thing took me about 1 hour 45 minutes.  Whew!  Here's what the day was like--fortunately it was overcast and chilly, which kept me from getting too overheated:

St. Mary's College Chapel in Moraga, CA

I'm so glad to know that I can skate the distance needed for my 1/2 marathon next month, thanks to Cynthia's inspiration.  Here's what I learned I need to do to better prepare for these longer distances: 

- new socks, perhaps a thin polypropylene layer with a thicker layer over.  My feet sure sweated.

- new padded insoles for my skates.  My feet got sore.

- my wheels need rotating.  Them puppies are getting worn down!

- I need new wheels on my other pair of Rollerblades so that I can switch it up and work some slightly different muscles

- I need to practice yoga 2-3 times a week to keep my body toned and stretched

- regular chiropractic adjustments and massage till my event

- I need to clean and refill my Camelback so that I can re-hydrate and carry some energy source like Gu.  I did get some Energy Beans from Jelly Belly, but I haven't tried them yet.  I got some coconut water halfway through a previous long skate, and that was very refreshing.  Perhaps I should carry some of that.

- ICE!  I sure do need to ice those various parts after a long skate!  Knees...feet...lower back...neck...shoulders...psoas muscles...elbows...what part doesn't need ice?

I went for another long skate today, this time a 10-mile skate.  It was a hot day, but it was at least on a flat section of trail.  I am feeling it tonight!

Does anyone have any advice to offer?  I'm pretty new at this training for an event thing, so any words of wisdom from any of you runners or other athletes out there would be most welcomed.

It still kind of cracks me up to think of myself as an athlete, because believe me, I've logged more time as a couch potato over my lifetime than I have engaging in sports!  But somehow an athlete I am now, and it gives me a charge to think of myself that way and it changes my behavior just by changing my thinking about it.  

What changes are you willing to make in your thinking in order to bring about changes in your behavior?

Think about it and let me know.

Keep skating...

Hugs,
Nancie ♥  

Nancie Zimmerman
NamiZuni Jewelry Design
Expressing Your Inner Goddess
NamiZuniJewelry.etsy.com

My last skate:
6/16/13
Skate #93 of 200
6.08 miles
Lafayette-Moraga Trail

Taking My Skates on Vacation

Hello, friends!

I was away last week visiting a few friends that needed some of my time (and I needed theirs!).  It was a fun getaway that flew by so quickly.  I am playing catchup with my jewelry business as well as my personal life since I returned home.  (I'm sorry if I didn't get to see you while I was back east...it was a whirlwind trip with too much on my plate.)  It was totally fun though and a welcome getaway.  

This was the first time I took my skates with me with the intention of using them while away from home.  Too many activities packed into a short window of time plus some rainy weather meant that I didn't get to skate as much as I would have liked, but I did manage to skate on morning.

I realized that my body starts feeling pretty creaky if I don't get any exercise.  When I returned home I really felt stiff, achy and tired.  Fortunately, I realized that I needed to get out and skate, even though I felt like a slug and would have really liked to just sit on the couch.  

Just yesterday I learned about a skating marathon/half marathon on the Silverado Trail in Napa this summer.  This seemed like the perfect goal to set to really kick start my skating and to take on a new challenge.  Anyone care to join me?  

Cheryl from our local Starbucks was the person that told me about it (she does roller derby and occasionally takes her quad skates on the trail also).  She and I are both going to do the half marathon.  

So now I am officially "in training."  I don't know exactly if that changes anything in my skating workouts, but I like the way it sounds.   Somehow it has shifted something in my brain to think of myself in training.  I like to realize that I can change my life by changing my thinking.

I'll keep you posted as I prepare for the half marathon.  By the way, it's July 14 from 7 - 10 AM if anyone wants to join in!

Napa Valley Inline Marathon and Half Marathon 2013 

Keep skating (or whatever you like to do)!

Warmly,

Nancie ♥

Here is a new limited edition necklace that I designed in honor of a friend.  It is called "Ronaldo's Serenade," coming soon to my on line shop.

Nancie Zimmerman

NamiZuni Jewelry Design

Expressing Your Inner Goddess

http://namizunijewelry.etsy.com

My last skate:

5/30/13

Skate #85 of 200

5.07 miles
Iron Horse Trail

Intentions, part 2: Listen to My Body's Wisdom

Hello, friends!

As I've mentioned before, one of my "intentions" at the beginning of this year was to go out and skate  200 days during the calendar year.  (I did NOT make resolutions!…see my blog about intentions versus resolutions: click here)   

Another of my intentions was to:

Listen to my body's inner wisdom

What does this mean?  This just means to trust that my body knows what it needs to stay healthy physically, mentally, and spiritually.  In essence, all I need to do is to practice listening for the signs to tell me whatever my body needs.  For instance, if my body says "rest," I try to listen.  

Or in my case right now…skate!  

I mentioned in a previous blog (click here) what I did to get back into my inline skating after I was really sick with bronchitis.  I guess my suggestions worked, because I have been on a roll (lol…literally) skating.   As I write this, I have skated 13 days in a row (I am also icing my psoas muscles, which I just learned how to spell, and my lower back!).  

Sometimes I go for a short skate (my shortest skate was only 2 miles and took 16 min).  Sometimes I get going and don't want to stop so I skate and skate and skate (my longest skate was 11 miles and took about 90 minutes including a stopover in a Danville Starbucks with my skates on--I got some looks!

When I skate, I love to listen to a playlist I cheekily call "Love, Lust & Longing."  It's a special mix of songs that are good warm up and cool down songs or good songs to get me dancing and moving more energetically.  Mostly they are just songs that move me in some way.  I've been posting songs to my Pinterest board of the same name.  It's an eclectic mix from Dubstep to show tunes to reggae to Bollywood to belly dancing to rock to music that defies labeling. 

Check out my Pinterest page and click on the board labeled "Love, Lust & Longing."  

Click here for my Pinterest page

My mind and body just love the space that skating puts me into.  I love to interact with people I meet on the trail, I love watching the changing seasons and vegetation, I love to work up a good sweat, I love to crank out a good dose of feel-good chemicals in my brain mixed with music mixed with the joy of moving my body.  I love how my body feels stronger and stronger the more I skate.  

Can you tell I love inline skating?  

I'm not sure how long my skating streak will continue.  I'm planning on going tomorrow, that's all I know.  That will make 14 days in a row.  It's the longest streak I've ever had so far so maybe I'll stop there, although 15 sounds like a good number.  I'll check in with my body tomorrow and the day after that.  

Try paying attention when your body gives you signs---that you need rest, or more exercise, or something to drink, or even if it tells you it requires chocolate. My body gives me that last command every day…and I make sure to listen!

Keep skating (or whatever you like to do)!

Warmly,

Nancie ♥

And here's something that has nothing to do with skating except that I get most of my best ideas while I'm skating...one idea is for an upcoming newsletter about how to coordinate different jewelry pieces together.  Here is a photo I just got back from my photographer, Nancy Ingersoll:

Nancie Zimmerman

NamiZuni Jewelry Design

Expressing Your Inner Goddess

http://namizunijewelry.etsy.com

My last skate:

5/4/13

Skate #72 of 200

4.5 miles
Iron Horse Trail

6 Tips for Getting Back into Exercise

Hello Friends!

I recently had a nasty case of bronchitis that laid me up in bed for an entire 5 days.  All together I missed an entire week of skating. Ugh!  Not fun!  

Prior to getting sick, I had been feeling somewhat superior for not having gotten more than a very mild cold for the last few years, thinking that my clean living, exercise, and positive mental outlook kept me immune from the diseases that other people got.  Ha!

Apparently all those factors only went so far.  When I went down sick, I went down hard.  I didn't really have any choice but to let time, rest and antibiotics run their course.  There was no way I could exercise--I barely made it out of bed and onto the couch.   

Eventually I began to feel better and started itching to go skating, which is a huge step forward in my thinking about exercise.  Before last year, I was never one to exercise regularly for any length of time.  I would have periods of regular exercise, but whenever life, illness, or injury got in the way, I was easily derailed from my regular routine.  Sometimes it would take me months or years to get motivated again!

But now I consider myself an athlete, with exercise a key ingredient to my physical and mental well being.  This time there was no doubt in my mind that once I started feeling better, I would get back on track with skating.  Now, two weeks post illness, I can happily say that I am back to my pre-illness level of fitness.

Here's what worked for me to get me back on track:

1. Relax and give it time

Give yourself a break.  You will get back to your previous level of fitness, your previous accomplishments.  It will take time, but don't doubt your resolve to get back on track.

2. Listen to your body's wisdom

As you heal from injury or illness, your body will tell you how to proceed if you pay attention.  Respect what it is telling you.  If you need to take a day off, take it.  If you need to push harder, do it if your body is crying out for that.

3. Start slowly but do start

I found that it was better for me to go out for a very short skate early on in the recovery process just to get my muscles moving and to see how it felt.  I only went a short while the first day and added gradually day by day. 

4. Trust that with time you will get you back to your previous level of fitness. 

Give yourself a break if you aren't progressing as quickly as you had hoped.

5. ICE!

If you are already get how magic ice is, jump down to step 6.  

If you DON'T ice, even though you've been told about it from many, many different sources, you should really give it a try.  I had a troublesome groin injury for the last few months.  Nothing seemed to make it totally go away--not stretches,  nor ibuprofen, nor trips to my chiropractor's office.  Until I finally listened to my chiropractor, Dr. Nicole Toenjes-Merriman of Lotus Integrative Wellness in Lafayette, CA 925-283-6900).  

I wasn't too thrilled about icing my groin--even though I am a regular icer on my aches and pains, the thought of nestling a cold pack between my legs was none too appealing! But once I finally started icing my groin injury after I skated, my injury totally cleared up!  

So please ice!  Especially as you are pushing yourself to get back into exercise.

6.  The better shape you're in before you get sick, the faster you will regain your fitness afterwards.

I'm not saying I'm any kind of super athlete, but I do work out regularly and enjoy it immensely.  The bonus to keeping myself in shape is that post-illness, it took only about a week to be skating as hard and as far as I did before I got sick.  And last Friday and again today, I skated the two longest distances since I started keeping track, over 10 miles apiece.

I think the key is to find something you love to do--running, skating, dancing, ice dancing, hiking--and then your workouts feel more like play and less like work.

Because of getting sick, I'm a bit behind schedule for my "200 Skates in 2013" but not by much.  And I know within a couple of weeks, I'll be caught up to where I want to be.  

Yee-haa indeed!

Just for fun, here are some bear statues that make me giggle along the Iron Horse trail in Alamo where I skate:

Keep skating (or whatever you like to do)!

Warmly,

Nancie ♥

Nancie Zimmerman

NamiZuni Jewelry Design

Expressing Your Inner Goddess

http://namizunijewelry.etsy.com

My last skate:

4/23/13

Skate #61 of 200

11.2 mi
Iron Horse Trail

5 Steps to Inline Skate Maintenance

Hello Friends!

I awoke to a steady downpour this morning after a night of off and on rain.  My first reaction was, "Rats, now I can't skate today!"  My husband Marty, helpful soul that he is, suggested that I could always go to the club instead (the 24 Hour Fitness in Moraga that I dutifully pay for every month and pass over in favor of skating 99% of the time!).  I grumpily agreed he had a point.  I resigned myself to this far-less-appealing second choice, but found a dozen other things to do first.

After three hours of procrastinating going to the club, I received an optimistic sign:  the clouds suddenly parted, the sun is streaming down, and my thoughts are happily back to skating.  I still haven't put the new bearings and wheels on one of my pairs of skates that lie useless in my garage, so this could be just the motivator I need to get that task done and head for the trails.  (Of course, I'm writing this instead so I guess now I'm procrasti-blogging!)

Why do you need to perform maintenance?  The reasons for skate maintenance are basically to lengthen the life of your wheels (by rotating them), to make your skating easier (by cleaning or replacing the bearings as crud builds up in them), and to allow you to stop easily when needed (by replacing the brake if you have one).  

So, I get out all the new parts I bought, my three pairs of skates, and I realize that this is a job I should take some care with.  Here are some tips I'd like to share:  

Step 1. Assess and buy the right parts.  Check.  I buy most of my replacement wheels and other accessories from this site:

Inline Warehouse

They have a great selection, good prices, and lots of helpful information about how to select what you want and then how to install products you buy.  My last order include wheels, bearings (the part that go in the center of the wheels), new axles, a bearing cleaning kit, and lubrication for the bearing after you clean them.


Step 2: Make sure you have the right tools.  The best tool you can get (and practically the only tool you'll ever need) is one of these 3-way skate tools:

It has an Allen wrench, a Phillips-head screwdriver and a special tool for removing/replacing the bearings in your wheels without damaging your bearings.

I broke the end off a screw driver the last time I tried to remove the bearings without this tool!  I have a couple of these 3-way tools, I just couldn't find one and didn't want to take the time to look.  Trust me, if you're going to skate, invest $10 in one of these.


Step 3: Be prepared to get dirty.  The wheels and bearings get pretty dirty skating outside.  You will get dirty too, so spread newspaper on your table and wear something appropriate.

Step 4:  Know what you're doing and take your time.  Whether you're rotating your wheels, cleaning or replacing the bearings, or installing a new brake, it's SOOO much easier if you find out what you're doing BEFORE you start taking things apart.  Trust me on this point...learn from my mistake!  I'm kind of a plunge-right-in kind of gal, but the site I linked to above has very good information about how to do all of these tasks.  Of course, it you are like me and don't always listen to this kind of advice, let me get ready with my "I told you so" dance!  (Email me if you want any help.)

Step 5:  (this is my favorite) When you're all done, put on your skates and try them out around the house.  This is big fun and gets all kinds of funny looks and comments from your family members.  (Only recommended if you have hardwood or other smooth floor surfaces--and watch your speed!)  There's no real reason you have to do this step, it just makes me giggle skating inside the house. 

For today, I settle for installing new wheels and new bearings on the pair of skates that my sister Jill gave me.   For good measure, I also put on a new brake pad.  That's enough for one day...I want to leave some time for the biggest fun of all--the actual skating!

Yee-haa!

Keep skating (or whatever you like to do)!

Warmly,

Nancie ♥

P.S. Turns out there is a 6th step:

*Step 6: Try not to leave your favorite skates outside overnight in the rain!  While I was working on getting my second pair in good working order, I accidentally left my favorite skates outside in the pouring rain.  The skates should be fine, but I may need to clean and lubricate the bearings...moisture/skate bearings is not a good combination!  Unlike me, you probably already knew enough not to need this step!  

Nancie Zimmerman

NamiZuni Jewelry Design

Expressing Your Inner Goddess

http://namizunijewelry.etsy.com

My last skate:

3/31/13

Skate #52 of 200

Lafayette Morga trail 6.18 mi

50 Skates and Counting!

At the beginning of 2013, I made an intention (haha, NOT a resolution!) that I would like to skate 200 times during the calendar year.  That means that I need to skate roughly 17 skates per month or 50 for the quarter.  Yesterday I hit the 50-skate mark for the year 2013, so I'm on track with my goal.  

I feel quite proud of myself, especially since I managed to keep on track for this quarter in spite of a not-fun tumble on wet pavement in January and a rib-injuring ski fall in February.  I'm happy to be finally completely healed from both of those falls and would like to NOT have any falls during this month!  So far, so good with only a few days left in the month.

I've had my favorite pair of inline skates, a pair of Rollerblades, for probably 10 years now.  I have 3 pairs total, but this original pair is my favorite.  As parts of my favorite pair have broken down, I've had to cannibalize parts from the other 2 pair of skates…an axle from one pair, bearings from another, wheels from the original pair.  On top of that, some parts of my favorite pair are coming apart.  For instance the velcro strap on one boot has detached from where it mounts on the side of the boot.  

Finally I broke down and bought myself some spare parts…2 sets of wheels, a killer set of bearings (reputed to be very smooth and fast), an extra set of axles, a cleaning/lubrication kit for my bearings.  I bought all of this at:

Inline Warehouse's online site

They have good prices, a great selection, and lots of helpful information, such as how to rotate your wheels to get the most life out of them.  Check the site out if you're thinking of buying skates or if you have skates that need some replacement parts.  

 My goal in buying some spare parts is to get my other two pairs of skates in working order so I can switch it up.  I've gotten too used to my favorite pair and need to keep it fresh by getting comfortable with other skates.  

Even though I've had the spare parts for more than a week, I haven't done more than open the box because I've been quite busy with making jewelry…I'm developing some new pieces plus restocking my depleted stock of pieces from my website.  On top of that, I received an order for almost 50 of my veteran's campaign necklaces.  Check out friends Gail and Robert's website to see where the profits from those necklaces go and also to see the work they're doing helping veterans heal and be remembered:

I Signed the Flag

Or to see the necklaces for a veteran you might know or in honor of a veteran, check them out in my shop:

My Veteran's Necklaces for Men and Women

But jewelry making aside, I need to get to those skates.  My goal is to get my second-oldest pair…hand me downs from my sister, Jill (hand me ups?  she's younger than I am)…in working order.  They need a new set of wheels and new bearings.  They have the potential to be my new favorite pair, so I need to get them in good working order, hopefully before the older ones totally fall apart!

I've also been having fun with my new iPhone app, HDR Pro.  It takes multiple shots when you take a picture and combines them into one really nice photo.  Here's a couple of pictures I took while skating as a storm was blowing in while I was on the Lafayette Moraga Trail near St. Mary's College:

And here's one I took outside my front door a few days ago:

If any of you are thinking of skating and you live in the Bay Area, contact me.  I'd love to skate with you and am happy to help you get set up joining me on wheels.

And finally a shout out to my buddy, Tricia, who ran the Oakland half-marathon this past weekend.  A special "Yee-haa!" for you, girlfriend!  I love that you swore by race's end that this was your last half marathon ever, but have now already signed up for your next one!  You inspire me--you taking up running was one of the reasons I got back into skating.

Keep skating (or whatever you do)!

Warmly,

Nancie ♥

Nancie Zimmerman

NamiZuni Jewelry Design

Expressing Your Inner Goddess

http://namizunijewelry.etsy.com

My last skate:

3/26/13

Skate #50 of 200

Iron Horse Trail 6.3 mi
(personal best: fastest 10k ever)