Tuesday, December 23, 2008

The Big Squeeze


Anyone recognize this little device??

Well today I get to become intimately involved with this lovely little gem as I transition into real womanhood with my very first mammogram! I've heard it call the Death Vice, Boob Smasher.....you name it......but this little number can saves lives. That's why I felt it my bloggity duty to post a PSA to all the other gal bloggers out there ~ if you're now over 35 years old and haven't had a mammogram yet.....go do it! DO.IT.NOW!!!!!

Even if you're like me with no history of breast cancer or other red flags, it's a very important diagnostic tool. And besides, it really just looks like a ton of fun :)

[end of soap box rant]

In other running news, everything is still going well. This last week was my *recovery* week after the Fiesta Bowl HM, and trust me.....I needed it. My quads felt every inch of the 13 miles, and took a couple days to recover. Owchie! That was a new experience!

So I didn't get much (any? Can't remember....) running done during the week (also due to a hectic schedule with the kids) but I did get a decent 8 miles done on Saturday. Based on advice from Micheline, I opted for a mileage cutback in my long run. She's a firm believer in a *rest* cycle every 4 weeks, and talked me out of the 10 miles I had originally planned. The run felt decent and averaged about the same pace as Fiesta Bowl, so I was pleased. Any time I can run 8 miles and feel good, I am happy :)

Yesterday's run didn't leave me with the same warm fuzzies. I had a horribly slow, sluggish and extremely tired 3 mile morning run. It sucked. Let's just leave it at that. Apparently, some times you feel like a run........sometimes you don't.

I'm hoping to head out for some miles tomorrow morning ~ early ~ before all the Christmas chaos starts ~ for at least 5 miles, and hopefully a tad more. My long run schedule for the weekend calls for at least 13 miles.......so apparently the recovery break is over! :)

Hope everyone has a great holiday this week....and happy running!

22 comments:

Bill Carter said...

Great to have you back and congratulations on the great half.

Sometimes it takes a little bit of break to let you know how much you miss something.

Have a great holiday.

Pat said...

I cut back even more than you. Just six miles.

Take some walnuts with you. You can break them open with that machine while you wait for the medical staff.

Greg said...

I've cut back as well, but not due to anything I've done. Today's a gorgeous day, so even though I'm not feeling well, I'll be running today.

I knew what that machine was, but the first thought I had was, "Johnny Five Is Alive"!

Jeff said...

Eight miles? SLACKER!

Merry Christmas, Poke. Year of the Odyssey Relay is just days away!

Nat said...

Every four weeks eh? I've been doing six.

Mind you right now, I'm doing mostly cookies and a bit running. Rather than the reverse.

I hope you have a great holiday season and I'll get the book off to you on Monday. :)

J~Mom said...

I wish I knew that you were going out for 5 today! I could have used a friend!! SIGH. Next time I will call you!!

Congrats on getting that mammo!! It's very important! I get one a year now with my family history and they are very important. :>D

E said...

Ok, that thing looks SCARY!

Nice job on the running! :)

Wes said...

You have been running up a storm :-) Dee Dee mentioned something to me about feeling like a package of pressed ham...

Casey said...

Busy week! Way to squeeze in that run!

Southbaygirl said...

Pokey, Happy Holidays!!!

Penny

Mendy said...

Nice job on that 8 mile run!

Merry Christmas!!!

Aka Alice said...

AHHHHH it's the boob-smusher...GAH!

(J.K. it's a good reminder for everyone to get it done!)

I'm off on my mileage this week too!

RunningLaur said...

Good luck with the 13 miles - just think of running away from the machine!

Jenn said...

Good job on getting the mammogram done from a faithful mammogram patient since age 34 (family history). And great job on the half!

RunningNan said...

OUCH!

carla said...

thanks for the masher PSA.
so
so
so
very
important.

MizFit

Marcy said...

The boob masher scares me. I have a couple more years . . .

Calyx Meredith said...

Ok - I'm like five years behind in braving the boob masher. And weeks behind in my blog reading - but I'm catching up slowly but surely. I'll get some runs in this week and who knows? Maybe I'll figure out how to get the mammo on the schedule sometime soon. Happy New Year!

Nitmos said...

I'm a little late but Congratulations on the half mary! You met your goals and, it appears, ran a nice smooth consistent mile splits! Nice job.

Mary Gee said...

Here's some good news/bad news:

The older you get, the less the mammogram hurts.

But for obvious reasons....

Jade Lady said...

Congrats on the half!

Oh, and I hate that machine!

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