solar squirrel

Last week (Sunday) I ran the Youngstown Half Marathon.  Good news:  my IT Band held up (I used my compression strap)  This is really great because this is a pretty hilly course and the best test for the IT band is to run down hills.  Bad news:  My time was basically horrible.  The past two years I’ve had a little over an 8-min pace:  2008 2009.  This year I was over a 9-min pace (1:58:49).  Considering this is the farthest distance I’ve ran since July I guess I should be happy I was even able to finish!  It’s just frustrating to have to start over again.  But running is something you typically have to work at in order to do well.  I gained weight, too, so it’s not just being out of shape, but also being heavier and having less muscle mass.

I’m working on getting rid of the flab though, and I’ve already seen a difference in the way my clothes are fitting.  (For a while there I couldn’t wear some of my dress pants for fear the seams would rip apart when I sat down - I am not exaggerating - I had visions of meeting with a client and having my fat explode out of my pants!!!!!)  In addition to running I’ve been getting to the gym more regularly during lunch hours and recently joined Lifetime Fitness.  Janet was raving about it and it’s literally right down the street from my office so I checked it out a few weeks ago during my lunch break.  I was so impressed I decided to sign up right then and there!  The place is HUGE and they have classes during lunch - including a really sweet cycling studio.  I also plan on using the outdoor pool in the summer to swim laps during lunch.  I CAN’T WAIT!  It’s great to look forward to going to the gym.  For a while I didn’t go to the gym (Bally’s) because it was just too dirty and disgusting - and forget about using the pool unless you want to get chlorine burns.  Sick.  I could only go during lunch because I knew it would be tolerable and less crowded.  Bye-bye Bally.

So for the past two weeks I’ve been doing pretty well with my workouts.  The IT band started to act up when I did my tempo run, but after a few min of slowing down it went away.  I think it’s just going to be something I have to deal with for a while.

Work is going great and life in general is pretty good.  Sometimes I don’t want to think about how great everything is going because I’m scared it’s going to go away…but it’s all in how you perceive things I guess.  I could dwell on the negatives or look for the bad in things, but life is so much more enjoyable when I focus on what is going well.  So for now I’m going to keep thinking that everything is awesome, try not to judge others, and live life to it’s fullest!

I love that the days are getting longer and the birds are singing in the morning.  I am sooooo excited for this spring and summer - this will be the first time in several years that I can actually ENJOY the longer days and the nice weather.  (No more school + job I love = HAPPY AMIE)

I’ve slowly started getting back into a more regular workout routine.  This past week I managed to hit the gym (lame disgusting Bally’s) 2 times and get up to Mayfield for swimming with my pal Brian R. plus run with some of my great friends this am.  I think I did somewhere around 9 miles with them.  They ran more, but I decided that it was in my IT band’s best interest not to go any further.  It didn’t hurt - but I could tell that it still wasn’t quite right.  I wore my compression strap just to be safe.  I’m not sure how long I should continue to wear it.  I figure I’ll wear it anytime I do speed work or longer distances than I’m used to.  9 miles today was more than I’ve done in quite a while (at least several months).  It did feel good, though and I can definitely tell that I’m out of shape!  Running up the hill at N. Chagrin res. I could barely keep up with Laura - who by the way is several months PREGNANT!!!  Sheesh…talk about humbling.  But it’s all relative and I’m just SO THANKFUL that I have the ability to run…and walk…and breathe!

Tomorrow I’ll likely swim and then try for at least 2 days of running at Bally’s on the dreadmill.

Todd’s been spending almost all of his spare time working on our reef tank.  It has become so beautiful - its our own mini-ecosystem.  Today we got two more fish:  a Falco Hawkfish and a Firefish Goby.  I LOVE the Hawkfish - it is SOOOOOO cute!  Here is a picture that Todd took -

Falco Hawkfish

Firefish Goby

It’s really fun to watch them and see how they interact and change.  I think we’re up to about 25 different types of coral too - plus an anemone and mushrooms.

I’m excited for another blog I’m probably going to start, too.  It’s going to be a blog about different local (Akron and Cleveland area) restaurants and opinions on the food, atmosphere, service, vibe, etc.  Due to my incredible appetite and love of food I think this will be a really fun project.  It’s not going to just be me, though - there will be 3 other ladies involved in the project.  We all will add our own interpretation and area of expertise.  I’m still trying to narrow down the domain name and how we’re going to organize the blog, but hopefully it will come to fruition soon!

At seven miles, today was the highest mileage I’ve completed in a while.  Todd was going x-country skiing so I figured I might as well get my lazy butt out and try a run.  Sand Run metropark is our backyard, so I decided that was my best bet since the towpath is too snowy and I hate running on the road.  I cut over to the Sand Run multi-purpose trail via the road so that the terrain would be easier than if I took the buckeye trail.

The multi-purpose trail was still covered in snow, which made it pretty slippery to run on - but it was fairly even snow cover and I was able to run comfortably.  I wore my miracle compression strap on my IT Band.  I love it.  It allows me to train while still recovering.  I really think the reason it has taken me so long to recover is because for the longest time I refused to run or do any physical activity with my legs at all.  This was a bad move.  What I should have done was continue to cross train and include very short, slow runs to keep the blood flow and muscles active.

My pace was super slow - around 9:15 - but I felt comfortable and I figured part of the reason I was going so slow was due to the slippery factor of the snow.  My last half mile was on the road and that was closer to 8:20 pace but was at the same effort.  During my run someone said ‘Hi Amie’ to me but I was zoned out concentrating on my running gait and didn’t recognize who it was.  That’s the thing:  I think I have retrained myself on how to run since the IT band injury.  I take much quicker, shorter steps now as well as focus on keeping my legs from bowing in.  I imagine this controlled form will slowly deteriorate if I run to the point of exhaustion which is why I’m trying to keep my running slower until I can build up a better base.  I need to get ready for track workouts again!  I can’t wait!

The seven miles were pretty much pain-free.  Maybe had a few seconds of 1 on a scale from 1-10, but still felt good.

FINALLY!!!

I received a notification from the post office that I had a certified piece of mail from Case.  I went to the post office and picked up my ‘large envelope’ which contained my MBA diploma.  It seemed so informal to receive it like that…like - all my time, money, and effort and there I am picking up an envelope at the post office.

I’ll be going to the graduation ceremony in May as well which will be more ‘official’, but I had to mark the occasion with a photo.

Now it’s time to focus on my career and my fitness.  Look out 2010.

So - this post has nothing to do with running, biking, swimming, or reef tanks.  [Stop reading now if you are bored by renewable energy or discussion of the legalities behind renewable energy credits].  This post does describe something that is funny that happened with First Energy (NYSE: FE).  Read on if you want to hear about something that they just recently did that was countered and finally withdrawn.

As part of my job I’m responsible for filing applications with the state of Ohio for getting the renewable energy projects that my company develops certified as renewable energy resource generating facilities.  (The name of the application I fill out is ‘Application for Certification as an Eligible Ohio Renewable Energy Resource Generating Facility’).  The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) has an electronic-based system where you can file these applications online using their docketing system.  The system is sort-of bureaucratic, but for the most part quite efficient and the people who I’ve spoken with are very nice and incredibly helpful.

As a way to stay on top of the applications, I opted to receive a daily email that summarizes the activities for the day.  So, every day at around 5pm I receive an automated email which summarizes the days events and the different items that have been submitted to the PUCO online system.  I only elected to receive info on the renewable energy projects (REN).  Typically there will be new application filings, affidavit filings, updates, and finally the granting of the certification by PUCO.  Boring stuff, I know, but it’s good to know what’s going on and I like to see the different types of renewable energy projects that are being applied for.  It’s not just solar pv and wind, but also things like biomass (i.e. gas from a landfill), fuel cells, geothermal, and hydroelectric power.

Recently an application was submitted by First Energy for a Biomass facility.  Wow! I thought - way cool - I hadn’t seen any biomass applications so I opened up the application and checked it out.  Generally you are required to include pictures so I wanted to see what it looked like.  (I was hoping for a biodigestor or something of that nature).  Well wasn’t I surprised when this was the photo enclosed in the application:

Wait a minute - that sure looks like a coal-fired power plant to me… Upon reading the application further, I realized that the photo is indeed a coal powerplant.  It’s located in Oregon, OH.  It’s called the Bayshore Plant.

First Energy was trying to apply for certification as a renewable resource generating facility by claiming that they were using biomass along with the coal for use in this plant.  OK, fine, but after reading a bit more I also realized that they were only going to be utilizing a very small percentage (0-5%) of the fuel as biomass, and on top of that, who knows the source of the biofuel, how it’s collected, etc.

What if the source of the wood in the birquette is from half way across the world from trees that were better off not being chopped down?

Interestingly enough, I am not the only one who had these questions.  Several organizations, including the Ohio Environmental Council had the same questions and concerns and filed with PUCO to intervene.

Today my usual daily summary email arrived shortly after 5pm, and wouldn’t you know it - First Energy withdrew their application!  I was so surprised!  I wonder why they withdrew…maybe it was just not worth it for them to go through the process of documenting the details of the sources of the so-called ‘biofuel’ that they were going to be using in collaboration with the coal?  Who knows - but this is good news for all of us who are actually working to get REAL renewable energy working in Ohio.  And by real I don’t mean saying that your facility is a renewable energy facility if it has a small fraction of it’s power coming from something that may or may not actually be considered biomass.

Another week has gone by and things are starting off well for 2010.  I managed to run twice last week which is more than I’ve done in several months.  Both times were really slow on the treadmill - but I was running a very controlled gait and concentrating on not allowing my left leg to invert.  (The cause of my IT band problems stems from a crooked left leg).  I applied for individual health insurance and I’m considered ‘high-risk’ because of my IT band problems.  I wanted to just strangle the woman on the phone when she was telling me about why the rate that I received was more than $100 more than I was quoted.  Basically it’s because I am considered a high risk to them all because of my IT band.  Are you kidding me?!  I asked her - well if I”m the highest risk category, then what the heck is someone with cancer, AIDS, heart disease, etc?  She laughed and told me that they would just have denied someone like that.  Nice.  Gotta love health insurance.  Anthem can bite me.  The only way you can fight the system is to just try as best you can to stay healthy and take car of yourself.  Once you are sick there is nothing that you can do and the system won’t go out of their way to assist you in any way.

Here’s my weekly breakdown:

Mon:  Ran 3 miles on treadmill (9:17 pace for first 1/2 mile, then 8:27 pace for the rest).  Foam roller.

Tue:  I can’t remember what I did…I think I did the elliptical for 35 min and then did foam roller.
Wed: Netflix streaming workout videos w/ Katy and Gret.  Bootcamp then abs, thighs, glutes, and torture.  Aprox. 1:20 min total.

Thurs: Ran 3 miles on Treadmill.  9:07 pace for first 1/2 mile then 8:23 pace for the rest.  Foam roller.  Wore IT band brace thing - felt really good.  I think I’ll wear this more often whenever I increase the miles or speed.

Fri:  Slacked
Sat: Trainer ride (50 min).  Foam roller.
Sun:  Not sure if I’m going to get motivated to do anything…we’ll see.

This week I’m going to shoot for 3 days of running.  I’m going to up the mileage to 4 miles for one of the days and keep it at 3 miles the other 2.  That sounds SO LAME but I am determined to take it slow.  Also - these miles are probably going to be on the treadmill, so they sort of don’t even count…but I need a controlled environment.

In other news we bought a salt-water reef tank yesterday.  We took both Todd’s car and mine to the guy’s house who was selling it.  In my car we filled up buckets and garbage bins with the salt water that we siphoned from the tank.  In Todd’s we put the tank inside and the tank base on his roof.  The reason we brought the water is because we could then re-use it for the live rock and the fish (blue tang) that came with the tank.  It took most of the day yesterday.  Here are a few shots of the process:

Containers for the water in my trunk

It was really weird - we had a hose running from inside the guys house (inside of the tank) sucking the water into buckets / containers in my car.

Todd's car w/ the tank base on top

Tank inside Todd's car

Todd putting the live rock and the blue tang in temporary bucket

I’m really excited to get it up and running.  It’s about 150 gallons, so not quite as large as our freshwater tank.  We plan on making it a reef tank - so it’s going to take a lot of $$ to get it going.  (Live rock is EXPENSIVE!!!) I can’t wait to get some really cool shrimp and clown fish and neat corals.  We’re probably going to have to be selective when it comes to the animals that we get (i.e. purchasing tank-bread) since a lot of the fishing/harvesting practices are bad for the environment.  I’m hoping to learn how to breed / grow the coral.  The pieces are called ‘frags’.  It’s SUCH A NEAT HOBBY!!!  I’m also going to have to figure out how to offset the electricity that we’re going to be using since this will require more lighting and unfortunately there aren’t any really good energy efficient (LED) versions of the lights that we need.  If you’re interested in following the process with us I’ve put together tags and categories under ‘reef tank’.

Quick post to say that the new year is already off to a good start as far as training.  The IT band continues to be troublesome, but I’ve been doing cycling on the trainer, elliptical and spinning class at Bally’s and instant streaming Netflix workout DVD’s.  The week ended nicely with a ~2 hour indoor training ride with CTC at Twinsburg Rec. center yesterday am.  GREAT time indeed!

Mon: attempted to run on treadmill - got in .4 miles then knee pain.  Continued to get in 3 miles - pain never went above a 5 on a pain scale from 0-10.  Then did stretching and foam roller.

Tue: Trainer ride; foam roller

Wed: 30 min elliptical; foam roller in afternoon.  In pm went to Katy’s for our weekly Netflix streaming DVD workout sessions.  Did 10 min abs; 10 min thighs; 10 min glutes; 10 min stretch.  Then did hip exercises for IT band.

Thurs: Trainer ride; foam roller

Fri: Rest

Sat: Trainer ride

Sun:  Gonna do 45 min Netflix DVD later today.  (Awesome for total body).

I think I”m going to join the FF and BA triathlon group this year.  I was already checking out potential races, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself…we’ll keep things moving along w/ the knee and hopefully get it healed once and for all.  Stay tuned!

This year with the new jobbie and all Todd and me decided to lay low and stay in Akron for Christmas.  It ended up being a great time well spent with family and a few friends.  I’m so happy that this year is almost over; 2009 was pretty crappy compared to 2008.  2009’s major lows were the loss of my job at Philips and my IT band injury.  Then there was the incredibly stressful few months at my ‘transition job’ which ended up making me realize what it’s like to have an awful boss (never had one till then!) but also allowing me to find a great new friendship.

2009 also had some really great things - like the fact that I finally landed an incredible job with incredible superiors doing work in renewable energy - what I’ve ALWAYS WANTED!  There is also the completion of my MBA in 2009 which is pretty exciting.  It’s neat to have a graduate degree, and with a concentration in sustainability I might add!

I really think that 2010 may be the best year yet.  I’m going to try to make it that way, at least.

Todd and I got a real tree this year.  We didn’t have a tree last year since we were in Oregon, so this year we made sure to get one early!

Harnessing Christmas tree to the Subaru

We got the tree Thanksgiving weekend.  It smelled SOOOOOOO good in the house!  We got out all of the Christmas decorations (mostly animal ornaments from World Market - we buy them once they go on sale for 75% off) and put up the lights.  I thought it looked pretty cozy.  Todd’s parents mailed us a ton of gifts and when we put them under the tree it looked like a present explosion!

Christmas tree with presents!

Christmas day we had a nice afternoon filled with TONS of delicious food at my mom’s house.  Todd bought me a gorgeous bracelet from Swarovski (SOOOOOO SOOOOOOO SPARKLY!!!) and my mom got me the gift of fitness - a PINK TRAINER!  Wooo hoooo!!!

Todd on the PINK trainer. :)

We’ve been building a lot of fires in the downstairs fireplace.  I love having the basement room finished.  It’s crazy that we never used that room before this summer when Todd re-did it.  It’s sooooo cozy with the aquarium lights.

View of fireplace from another angle

Our new freshwater aquarium

Another shot to show the wooden base and top

Todd made the top for the aquarium and he stained the entire thing.  I keep wondering if there is anything that he’s NOT good at doing…

I’ve been meaning to post pictures of the new room downstairs.  I took the fireplace photos, but still should get some good one’s of the entire room.  If you’ve been to the house at least you’ve seen it!  We’ve had a few get-together’s so at least people know it’s real.  (I’ve had some friends ask me if Todd is STILL working on the basement whenever he doesn’t show up to something with me…he literally worked EVERY weekend and evening for a few months this summer!)

Here’s to an awesome 2010 to EVERYONE!  HAPPY NEW YEAR KIDS - LET’S MAKE 2010 A YEAR TO REMEMBER!

I’m officially finished with my MBA.  As a result, the past two weeks I’ve been slowly ramping up my fitness - working out 4 days each week.  This week I’ll begin running again - probably starting with a single mile on the treadmill to get me started.  I’ve been swimming, doing spin class, hip exercises, Netflix fitness DVDs, and elliptical running the past 2 weeks.  These next few weeks I’ll slowly begin ramping up to build a (hopefully) solid aerobic running base again.

I’ve found that I can go to Bally’s during my lunch break.  It’s really great because it’s pretty empty at lunch and I can get in a decent aerobic workout and some foam roller time.  The locker room is pretty much empty and though I haven’t done it yet, I’m fairly certain the weight room is for the most part deserted as well.  I’ve decided in order to prevent injury I’m going to need to incorporate weight training.

I’ve also been using some streaming Netflix DVDs to assist in building back up.  They are really too easy, but there are some parts that use weights that get me straining.  I’ve been doing this 45 min one and then afterwords adding in my hip exercises to round out a nice workout.  I have to be VERY careful about my IT band.  Amazingly, even with physical therapy I am still dealing with pain.  It’s been almost 6 months now, but I’m confident that I’ll beat it with a dedicated workout plan (and the fact that I can actually spend more time training now that school is out).

FYI loyal solarsquirrel followers - the website will be undergoing some updates very soon.  Please bear with me in the mean time.

I also miss all of my running friends and I want to let all of you know that SOLAR SQUIRREL WILL BE BACK SO LOOK OUT!!!!!!!!!  (I might even have to break out the Scooter song…)

I officially have 3 weeks of school left.  It will have been 3 years that I’ve been working full time and going to school part time at Case to get my MBA.  I cannot believe how much has changed and how much I have LEARNED in 3 years.  I am truly impressed with my experience at Weatherhead.  I can honestly go into a job interview and confidently state that I have worked with REAL businesses and helped them achieve new growth potential.  I have taken on the role of consultant, marketer, designer, and accountant.  I have learned about so many different cultures and business models and have seen what successful and unsuccessful businesses look like and how they operate.   The networking opportunities that my MBA have afforded me are possibly the most valuable.  I learned about my current employer when they came into my class last semester and gave a course on carbon footprinting.

So…this is the end of my difficult journey of a part time graduate student.  I am amazed that I somehow found time to train for triathlons, a 50k, and several marathons during my time as a student.  My limited time caused me to only do the BARE MINIMUM training required and I think that may have been reflected in my recent injury.  I am confident that 2010 will be my best year ever fitness-wise.  Although I have a new job that requires dedication, I am going to ensure that a portion of my extra time is completely dedicated to achieving a fitness level that I haven’t had since Marine Corps bootcamp.  Anyone else out there up to the challenge?  If you know me you should know that once I set my mind on something I make it happen.  These next 3 weeks will be a chance for me to ease back into what I intend to be a year-long training program.  Next year at this time I will be in the best shape I’ve been in my entire life.  Who’s with me?