Mouse Rising: Recovery and Resilience

[The Mouse]

Mouse Rising: Recovery and Resilience

an injured mouse is still a tigress

 

My friends, let me lay it out for you - I've got patellofemoral pain syndrome, aka Runner's Knee. It happened a month in to my training last challenge with Zombies, Run! 5k Training. I got it because I was being stubborn and pushing through way too much.

 

So my challenge this time is to keep things slow, keep them on track for a strong recovery and keep moving towards both weight loss and injury prevention.

 

This is my challenge.

 

The Mouse Rising: A Monk In Recovery

Her knee elevated, an ice pack resting on it, our heroine Mouse sat at a table in the city square, an egg roll in front of her. She poked at it absent-mindedly with a fork as she poured over readings a medicine man had given her. All of which were exercises and stretches for her to complete with her injured knee to strengthen and correct her form for running.

She was frustrated. She couldn't run, she couldn't squat or deadlift, she couldn't do a lot of the ass-kicking she had gotten used to. But she still had her mission, and it was within sight. The Path of Adipoxia leading to the Dragon Flabxia was at the other side of that mountain in the distance to the city. That mountain that blotted out the sun - but not for long.

She would succeed at this. This, and her other, more personal mission - a mad writing festival she had signed herself up for.

 

GOALS

Diet For Recovery [CHA +3, CON +2]

I will stick to keto once more, as much for how much it helps me with water weight as for how much it helps me stay away from sugary snacks and high caloric food. Also, I want to see how it affects my cholesterol - as much for my curiosity as my dad's, who has been insisting I do a blood test for a while now, despite my previously excellent results on the diet. (Blood test results, I should clarify.)

 

For this, I will eat keto (<25g carbs) and 1375cal 95% of the time, meaning I will have 6 days over the challenge (at most once per week unless emergencies force my hand) to eat either out of keto or above caloric deficit. But as much as possible, I'll try not to break both in one go.

 

*Note for the caloric deficit: I am just barely over 5' and I am not able to be physically active as much as I am used to. I have done careful calculations as to my BRM and TDEE and 1375cal is well within healthy range for me. I am somewhat ticked when people claim I don't eat enough. To put things in perspective, if I were to eat at maintenance, I would be eating close to 1750cal with my current level of physical activity. So, frankly, thank you for your concern - but "you call that breakfast" or other comments like that are what I typically put in "Annoying Comments You Hear All The Time". You've been warned.

 

Grading:

• A: 6 Free Meals
• B: 7 Free Meals
• C: 8 Free Meals
• D: 9 Free Meals
• F: 10+

 

Working Out and Physical Therapy [DEX +2, STA +2, CON +1]

As I have Runner's Knee, I am forbidden from running (sad), but I have been cleared for using a stationary bike! I haven't tried it yet, so I'm a bit apprehensive, but I'll give it a go this week. Also, my weights are restricted to bodyweight and upper body - so basically, of the big three, I'm only able to do bench press for now.

 

I will work out building up to my usual 5 or 6 days a week, starting with 1 day/week for 1 week, 2 days/week for 2 weeks, 3 days/week for 3 weeks... etc. On the days that I don't do my regular workout, I will do my physio (which will, of course, be  part of my regular workout a well).

 

Grading:

• A: 1 + 2x2 + 3x3 = 14 workouts
• B: 13 workouts
• C: 12 workouts
• D: 11 workouts
• F: =< 10 workouts

 

Prepare to Rise! [WIS +3, STA +2]

(I don't know, my creativity is shot, okay?)

One thing that I've been slacking on recently, which has led to a lot of bumps in my diet, has been preparation in advance. Breakfasts, lunches, snacks and sometimes dinners were things I always prepared in advance in my first challenge and it helped me really get on track. So I want to get back into that.

 

What this goal looks like is every weekend (Sat or Sun), I will cook my breakfasts for the week, my lunches for the week and buy dinner supplies. I will also pack snacks for the week. I'll also choose my work out days and so on and so forth.

 

Grading:

• A: 5 weeks
• B: 4 weeks
• C: 3 weeks
• F: =< 2 weeks
• NOTE: As my first week is a long weekend, I'm not really counting it as half the week will be gone. And long weekends give me lots of time to cook my meals as I eat them, which I enjoy much more than eating something out of a microwave.

 

Personal Goal: NaNoWriMo

If you've never heard of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), here's the deal: write 50,000 words in 30 Days. At the time of writing, it's been several days since I've been at the 50,000 point, however, I have not yet reached the end of my plot outline. Therefore, I will continue to write while I still have plot to work through. 

 

Grading: 

• Pass: Story is finished by Nov 30
• Fail: Story is not finished by Nov 30

 

STARTING STATS

Weight: 125.8lbs

Height: 5' 1/4" 

Neck: 

Bust: 

Arm: 

Waist:

Stomach: 

Thigh: 

BF%: 

[littlewings]

Sorry to hear about the knee, I remember you having pain in it last challenge. Good luck with the recovery and GO EASY MODE. You'll be back up and at it in no time.

[The Shogun]

Always make sure you don't hurt yourself in the process of being awesome.

[Cheechoe]

Oh NOES!!

 

Poor, Sweet Mouse! I hope your knee gets better soon!

 

NaNoWriMo is an awesome distraction to keep off of that knee! A lot of other nerds are doing that, including Kishi.

 

If I know you at all, I know you will ROCK out this keto diet challenge!

 

[Kishi]

Damn, you've hit the 50K already? Wow.

 

Anyway, I hear you on the eating things front. I've actually taken a look at the nutritional profiles that match my level of activity. The calorie levels are low enough to make me freak out just a wee little bit, but it's a place to start, right?

 

And honestly, I like to think of this as an opportunity to work on the upper body strength. Now you can work on things like push ups and pull ups and all kinds of permutations thereof, without the distraction of the lower body.

 

Good luck to you.

[The Mouse]

Sorry to hear about the knee, I remember you having pain in it last challenge. Good luck with the recovery and GO EASY MODE. You'll be back up and at it in no time.

 

Thanks, Littlewings!

Ha ha, aye. Go easy mode is definitely what I need.

 

Always make sure you don't hurt yourself in the process of being awesome.

XD

Duly noted, my friend!

 

Oh NOES!!

 

Poor, Sweet Mouse! I hope your knee gets better soon!

 

NaNoWriMo is an awesome distraction to keep off of that knee! A lot of other nerds are doing that, including Kishi.

 

If I know you at all, I know you will ROCK out this keto diet challenge!

 

Thanks, Cheechoe~! I've missed you!

Ha ha, really? I oughtta find them on the forums or such. :3 NaNo is a fantastic distraction and it's really helped me recover emotionally from being unable to do a lot physically.

 

Thanks for the diet kudos, too! I've been terrible recently, but I'm getting back on the bandwagon strong!

 

Damn, you've hit the 50K already? Wow.

 

Anyway, I hear you on the eating things front. I've actually taken a look at the nutritional profiles that match my level of activity. The calorie levels are low enough to make me freak out just a wee little bit, but it's a place to start, right?

 

And honestly, I like to think of this as an opportunity to work on the upper body strength. Now you can work on things like push ups and pull ups and all kinds of permutations thereof, without the distraction of the lower body.

 

Good luck to you.

Ha ha, yup. I raced someone from my region (unintentionally at first, then we both finished Nov 7th one right after the other - I won~! Yahoo~!) who typically writes a double-NaNo (100k), so it got me to 50k quite quickly.

Strangely enough, I've actually finished my novel - not just 50k, but actually got the "The End". Finished it just a few hours ago, and it feels soooo weird. It's great, because school's about to pick up again, but if I have enough time at the end of the month I might do another 50k in 7 Days dash with a second story idea. That depends entirely on what my workload is like and what my idea is like - I'll need a plot outline. Comprehensive plot outline.

 

Ha ha, you're right! I can so isolate it! XD

 

 

Day One

EATING

1339cal, 93g fat, 25g net carbs, 72g protein (need moar protein!)

 

WORKING OUT

Rest

Physio complete

 

PREPARATION

N/A, though tomorrow will be cooking day for the first week of the challenge.

 

NANOWRIMO

PASSED! I FRIGGIN PASSED ALREADY, ha ha~! I have completed my story with 68k+. Feels good, man. Feels unreal, actually. Never finished a story before.

[Nusuth]

 (need moar protein!)

 

Proteïn are elusive ; one can never stock up enough protein!

[RisenPhoenix]

Sorry to hear about the knee, Mouse.  Monks - always pushing ourselves a bit harder than everyone else, sometimes to our detriment.  But... it means we get to bounce back stronger, right?  So rock the recovery and show that knee who's boss! (Mine's still a bit tender, but slowly getting better - ice and aleve do work wonders, just be aware that constant doses of aleve can cause stomache cramps.  Confused the hell out of me the first day that happened to me....)

[Kishi]

Ha ha ha, nicely done! And wow, in seven days to boot! You must have averaged at least 8K per day to make that work. I was able to get that done on the first day, but couldn't keep the pace afterward.

 

Good first day! More protein!

[Leonine]

Ey ey, Mouse, good to see you!

 

I'm so sorry about you knee, I remember that was giving you trouble last time around. Treat Easy Mode like Hard Mode; in that, take your taking it easy very seriously! What I'm saying is rest it. I mean it. I'm terrible at being intimidating, but I don't want you to be broken! *sob*

 

Anyways, I can't believe you're already done with NaNo, that's amazing. Also, we got new seaweed snack flavors at work (Cracked Pepper and Sea Salt, and Brown Sugar, respectively, NOM), and they totally made me think of you.

[The Mouse]

Proteïn are elusive ; one can never stock up enough protein!

Agreed! Nom nom nom!

Sorry to hear about the knee, Mouse. Monks - always pushing ourselves a bit harder than everyone else, sometimes to our detriment. But... it means we get to bounce back stronger, right? So rock the recovery and show that knee who's boss! (Mine's still a bit tender, but slowly getting better - ice and aleve do work wonders, just be aware that constant doses of aleve can cause stomache cramps. Confused the hell out of me the first day that happened to me....)

Ha ha, we so do break ourselves! We need to collectively start going fit smarter, don't we?

Oh, hope you recover well! Icing really helped me out, but it's nothing compared to a good physiotherapist.

Ha ha ha, nicely done! And wow, in seven days to boot! You must have averaged at least 8K per day to make that work. I was able to get that done on the first day, but couldn't keep the pace afterward.

Good first day! More protein!

My first few days were 10k, I usually wrote 5k the other days. I suggest the Word Count Pub Crawls. They're fantastic for boosting words - and local write ins if you can get to em.

[The Mouse]

Ey ey, Mouse, good to see you!

I'm so sorry about you knee, I remember that was giving you trouble last time around. Treat Easy Mode like Hard Mode; in that, take your taking it easy very seriously! What I'm saying is rest it. I mean it. I'm terrible at being intimidating, but I don't want you to be broken! *sob*

Anyways, I can't believe you're already done with NaNo, that's amazing. Also, we got new seaweed snack flavors at work (Cracked Pepper and Sea Salt, and Brown Sugar, respectively, NOM), and they totally made me think of you.

I'm glad to have a diagnosis. The physio exercises are helping a lot!

And you're plenty intimidating in a good way! I promise I'll take care of myself.

Oh... I want those. I want those seaweed snacks. Are you doing NaNo too?

[caponerd48]

I'm with Kish on this one. Lots of options with bodyweight stuff! Oh, and do feel free to post some recipes. I for one would be terribly grateful. Good luck with the recovery!

[The Mouse]

I'm with Kish on this one. Lots of options with bodyweight stuff! Oh, and do feel free to post some recipes. I for one would be terribly grateful. Good luck with the recovery!

I really enjoy bodyweight - and I'll be sure to post recipes as they come up!

[Zuel]

Mouse!! How are youuuuu!?

 

Congrats on your novel!   

 

And keep taking care of your knee!! 

 

=D Sorry for not being there in the past challenge, but you can expect me to hang around this time!

 

See you around girl! 

[Everstorm]

WOW!  You finished your NaNo novel in a week?  I am so behind on mine the calculator estimates I'll finish in mid-March at this rate.  Well done, Mouse!

[The Shogun]

Congratulations on finishing your NaNo novel so fast! That should go to The Woot Room!

[The Mouse]

Mouse!! How are youuuuu!?

Congrats on your novel!

And keep taking care of your knee!!

=D Sorry for not being there in the past challenge, but you can expect me to hang around this time!

See you around girl!

Zuel~! *snuggles*

Hey, friend!

Thank you on the novel! I totally didn't expect to be done this early, ha ha!

No worries on last challenge - I wasn't around much either.

WOW! You finished your NaNo novel in a week? I am so behind on mine the calculator estimates I'll finish in mid-March at this rate. Well done, Mouse!

I had some great motivation from one of my friends in my region. We unwittingly raced to 50k in a week. XD

I suggest doing the Pub Crawls in the forums - they're fantastically motivating! Also, @NaNoWordSprints on Twitter.

Congratulations on finishing your NaNo novel so fast! That should go to The Woot Room!

Ha ha, thank you! And really?

Late on-phone update for yesterday:

DIET

1341 cal, 111g fat, 22g carbs, 65g protein

(So thought I had more protein! Ah well... Time to order protein powder again - this time, low carb chocolate!)

WORK OUT

Karate (which doesn't count towards my one day this week)

Physio forgotten! Ah! Well, I did some at karate, but not all.

PREPARATION

Meals cooked, snacks prepared.

Workout day is Friday, likely at the gym close to my house.

[Zuel]

Zuel~! *snuggles*

Hey, friend!

Thank you on the novel! I totally didn't expect to be done this early, ha ha!

No worries on last challenge - I wasn't around much either.

--------------------------------------------------

Late on-phone update for yesterday:

DIET

1341 cal, 111g fat, 22g carbs, 65g protein

(So thought I had more protein! Ah well... Time to order protein powder again - this time, low carb chocolate!)

WORK OUT

Karate (which doesn't count towards my one day this week)

Physio forgotten! Ah! Well, I did some at karate, but not all.

PREPARATION

Meals cooked, snacks prepared.

Workout day is Friday, likely at the gym close to my house.

 

Glad to read you to fair Mouse.

 

It is quite impressive of you to be done so quickly. What will you do with the result?

 

You do physio at Karate? How do you work it into the class?

[The Mouse]

Glad to read you to fair Mouse.

It is quite impressive of you to be done so quickly. What will you do with the result?

You do physio at Karate? How do you work it into the class?

Thanks, Zuel! I'm gonna keep going back to the beginning of the novel and work through it to write more scenes or revisions. My goal is 75k for it, meaning I've got 6k more to go.

If I can get that done quickly, I might try to write a second novel in the last week of November.

I typically do them during the senior student class as I can't do fighting or most kata due to my knee, or during the warm up if I can't do what the rest of the class is doing.

[Cheechoe]

WOW!  You finished your NaNo novel in a week?  I am so behind on mine the calculator estimates I'll finish in mid-March at this rate.  Well done, Mouse!

 

 

Congratulations on finishing your NaNo novel so fast! That should go to The Woot Room!

 

 

+1 and +1!!

 

 

That was super fast! Congrats!

 

You should DEF go to the WOOT room!

 

 

 

 

p.s. Miss you toooooooooooooooooooo! 

[The Mouse]

+1 and +1!!

That was super fast! Congrats!

You should DEF go to the WOOT room!

p.s. Miss you toooooooooooooooooooo!

Ha ha, thanks so much!

Okay - super catch up time.... Brb once I know what days I'm catching up on.

[The Mouse]

DAY THREE (NOV 13)

Diet

- 940cal

- 65g fat

- 25g carbs

- 60g protein

Workout

- Rest Day

- Physio forgotten

Prepare

- packed snacks

DAY FOUR (NOV 14)

Diet

- 1398cal

- 107g fat

- 17g carbs

- 92g protein

Workout

- Rest Day

- Physio forgotten

Preparation

- n/a

DAY FIVE (NOV 15)

Diet

Cheat day, namely for night winter driving safety. Had a medium English Toffee and a Honey Cruller from Timmy's plus some dark chocolate to keep me awake on the highway.

Workout

- Rest Day

- Physio completed 2/3 (ended one set early due to discomfort, which persists still...)

Preparation

- n/a

[The Shogun]

I definitely want you on my zombie killing squad. Keep it up! 

[The Mouse]

I definitely want you on my zombie killing squad. Keep it up!

You've got a squad?! Dude, sign me up! I'll design the shirts, haha!

On a non-monk and totally warrior note: I'm volunteering at my campus powerlifting club's competition right now. There are so many similarities between powerlifting and martial arts mentality wise. Seeing these guys and gals get in the zone and move 300+ lbs is amazing.