trailgirl

I know that broken and empty feeling. I've been there, not wanting to look anyone in the eye. The worst time for me was, from the outside, when my life was going great. I had just gotten a new exciting job in my field. I trained for and ran my first marathon. My husband and I were doing great. None of that made me less depressed, because depression isn't a mood. It's an illness. I couldn't will it away, or exercise it away, or work it away. My anxiety was so severe that I couldn't pick up the phone to make an appointment. I couldn't get on the path to get help on my own. My husband found a therapist, and made the appointment. When did I start feeling better? About three weeks after I started taking Prozac. That medicine put color back in the world. It is magic. I am so grateful for it. You're not alone.

I find that if I take a break from running, when I come back I often get shin splints and knee pain. I increase my mileage slowly and walk when it starts hurting, and after a few weeks the aches and pains fade. Comfortable shoes are important, but they aren't a panacea. Remember to give your body time to adjust.

My husband and I spent a month in Europe a few years ago. We are gamers who also like beer, history, and the outdoors. We sort of did the opposite of a hostel/backpacking trip - we had saved a bunch of hotel and airline points and blew them all on great places to stay! It was awesome. Websites like millionmilesecrets.com and mommypoints.com have good information on travel hacking. Steve even did a post on it when he started his Epic Quest I really love the Rick Steves guide books. He does a good job of breaking down the attractions in each country, and provides example itineraries that I found very helpful. He had a TV show where he toured a country at a time. It's a little dated, but if you can find it it's a quick way see what catches your eye. How does your family feel about museums? Amsterdam and Munich both had lots of unique museums and historical sites to explore. Do your parents like wine? A river trip on the Rhine or Mosel rivers in German could take you by the tasty wine-producing regions. If you like the outdoors, Austria and Switzerland have gorgeous mountains. We rented a car for a week and drove through some beautiful towns. Gimmelwald and Appenzeller, Switzerland, are quieter but gorgeous. You can take cable cars up mountains for some great views and hiking. Want to see some sweet castles? Bavaria has Neuschwanstein, which inspired Walt Disney, and many others. Nervous about not speaking the language? Rent a car and drive around Ireland! My husband and I took my parents on this one and it was fantastic. Irish people really are super friendly, and driving on the other side of the road isn't so bad. You can find lots of bed and breakfast places on Tripadvisor, usually within walking distance of a pub. Dublin has lots of sites to see. You can even catch a cheap, quick, Ryanair flight out of Dublin to somewhere else for a few days - we flew to Edinburgh for three nights for a change of scenery. Have fun planning!

Wow, that's awesome! Sounds like your training is going really well. Good idea to have someone look at your form. If you suspect glute trouble, maybe try some foam rolling in between sets? I do that when I'm lifting heavy and it seems to help unstick my muscles.

I definitely agree with this! You're going to stick with the activities that make you look forward to getting out of bed at 5AM. People will try to tell you what is "best," but that's what's best for them, because they enjoy it. You do you! Heck yeah! I run, bike commute, strength train, and practice karate. I love them all, that's why I'm a "Ranger" class. I've found that lots of components transfer across activities - controlled breathing, mental toughness, mobility, focus, muscular endurance - and they definitely complement one another. If I specialized in one thing, I'd be able to make more gains in that one thing, but I wouldn't be having as much fun. But everyone is different - if you want to focus on strength training and other activities feel like a boring waste of time, then put your energy into what you enjoy. Again, you do you!

I second this, Wool is fantastic.

Glad to hear your symptoms are improving! I do calf raises at work too - no idea if it's useful, but at least I feel a bit more active. This is me! I often think "Oh, if I take the time to warm up I'll never get out the door. Better to just do it." I easily fall into the habit of never warming up and later regretting it! So I'm trying to take five minutes before each run for warm ups.

I have quite wide forefeet, and it's often tough to find Women's shoes that fit well. Men's shoes either don't come in a small enough size or fit all weird. My favorite all around shoe is the Altra Intuition. They're nice and wide. They have enough cushioning to be comfy for running. They are zero drop, so I can use them for lifting and crosstraining. They look great for just walking around. When I'm going on vacation and don't want to take a shoe for every possible activity, I pack my Altras.

I too have this problem with barbell rows and bench presses. It was a little embarrassing to explain to my trainer (a guy), but he said he prefers dumbbell presses and rows anyway, because they engage more of your stabilizing muscles.

I've bought my last few pairs of running shoes online, from Zappos and runningwarehouse.com. I grew frustrated with shoe stores because they refused to fit me for a wide enough shoe just because they didn't have them in stock. I've read lots of articles on shoe fitting, and studies seem to go both ways on the pronation model that most stores use to fit shoes. In fact, the most recent article I read on how to pick shoes cited a study that concluded that "a runner intuitively selects a comfortable product using their own comfort filter that allows them to remain in the preferred movement path. " In other words, pick a shoe that feels comfortable. I'd say buy your shoes from a store or website that has some kind of guarantee - roadrunnersports.com is a good one. Go for a jog around the store and see how they feel. Make sure you can return them if they bother you on a run. I had a pair of Brooks that were fine for two miles, and then all the toes on my left foot would go numb. Sometimes you just can't tell until you get out there. I hope you find a pair that works for you. New running shoes can make a huge difference! I feel so much bouncier and faster when I have a shiny new pair of shoes. Happy trails!

It's certainly not the same as a chronic illness, but I kept up my karate training through most of my pregnancy. My stamina, balance, and strength were really reduced. But I felt I was still getting the benefit of refining my technique. If I'd just stopped going for those nine months, I'd have taken several steps backward in training, instead of staying at around the same place. I just did as much as I could, and it helped me both physically and mentally. If you're concerned about not getting any benefit, I'd talk to your teacher and make sure they know your situation. Mine were able to give suggestions for modifying my training so that I could still participate in almost everything.

Great job! I have pretty bad social anxiety, and I've actually turned around and left when the gym is really busy. Kudos to you for sticking around and doing workout! One thing that helps me sometimes is wearing headphones and turning my own music on pretty loud. The gym has loud music anyway, but something about hearing just my own music makes me feel more like I'm on my own, and I can focus on what I'm doing instead of thinking everyone is looking at me. And remember, “Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow.â€

OMG, I didn't know Wil Wheaton did the audiobook. I'm definitely going to check it out!

Yeah, I can never get anyone to play LotR Risk with me anymore.

These are some things my husband and I do to hang out: Read a book to one another (we're currently reading the Belgariad series) Play a co-op video game (Left 4 Dead, Borderlands, and Portal 2 are our favorites) Get into a tv show with a strong storyline (Lost, Dexter, Jessica Jones) and discuss it Jigsaw puzzles Favorite two-player games: Jaipur Machi Koro Hive Star Realms Splendor And really, if you're hanging out in the same room together, you can be doing your own thing and still enjoying yourselves. Chat a bit about the news, or your day, or listen to music.