Rest week has been good, but not a much rest as I have wanted and I guess I could blame myself, but instead I will blame Dave, the dogs, and work. and myself. But overall I have gotten a little more rest. I was able to enjoy a margarita last night at girl's night, and tonight I am going to go to another great party. (gasp- Damie is going out!) so, while I am not as rested as I want to be, I have allowed my focus to shift elsewhere for a minute.

And since I don't have much to say in the blog, I am going to attempt to explain my name- as I am usually asked the meaning about 10x a week.

I am named Damie after my great grandmother. No, I don't know what it means. Nor do my parents. So weird.

So, I finally looked it up the other day and it means the following:
1. soother or tamer (Greek origins....used as a boy name)
2. friendly (in French...girl's name)
3. Also a form of the name Damica (Spanish and English...girl's name).

So, I am no longer Damie, the girl that has a weird name with no meaning. I am Damie, the friendly soother and tamer.

:) Happy Weekend, and Happy(?) 5 Year Katrina Anniversary. We love and miss you New Orleans.

A Step Forward

(Pic from 1st 5 miler 2 weeks ago)

Last week was a big week for me. I threw everything I could at myself- dead legs, big days, and mental fatigue. I purposely made it my hardest week of the year- I wanted to see if I could wrap my brain around fatigue and come out on top. (and, of course, answer the question...can my knee take this?) By the time I lined up for the 5 miler on Sunday, my body and mind were shot. As I waited at the starting line (way back where I belong these days), I thought to myself " I sure do love Gina...this is my time to spend with my friend." and " I hate myself." Talk about tired.

Given the hard week and heavy bike legs, I started to wimp out on myself. "You can just jog this." But, I didn't. I made small goals...jogging is just not going to cut it anymore.
1. To run up every hill. No pitter pattering. I can do whatever I want to do on the flats, but I have to be passing people on the hills.
2. Good form. No heavy foot strike just because my legs are tired. (I knew this would actually be hard for me, but like swimming, I think good form should practiced with running as well.)

Mile 1- I was running up the hills. I wasn't dying, so I challenged myself more and added one more goal to the day. (I am not sure you are supposed to do that mid-race, but it sounded like a good idea at the time). I decided to make every following mile faster than the last. Mile 2, 3, 4 came...and I made each mile faster. 10-15 seconds faster per mile. By the time mile 5 came around, I had my first negative split run of the year.

The net time was not really any faster than the 2 weeks before, but the end result felt so much better. The legs were MAD and TIRED, but my brain was stronger. I wanted to jog, but I ended up descending my miles. Instead of letting everyone pass me, I started passing back. This is good stuff.

For me, any little success in running right now is a step forward. So, small goals are working well for me right now. Instead of saying- I will run x:xx per mile, I am saying, I will make sure to do qrs and xyz today. And I think the x:xx per mile will eventually follow.

The real highlight of my weekend was watching these 2 girls play (and DOMINATE) a regional game (Louisiana vs Arkansas). I used to coach these girls when they were half of my height...and 9-10ish years old. Now they are asking me..."Coach Damie, where should we go to college?" College? OMG- talk about feeling OLD.

I smile every time that I think I had a part in the lives of these young women. Not only are they AMAZING players- D1 quality, but they are beautiful, kind people as well. I will never know what part I had in their development, but big or small, I am so happy that I was able to contribute.

Happy REST week to me. Seriously. Call me only to go dog-walking this week.

Treasures

Ask any of my friends, and they will tell you I come home very, very tired on most days. Physically tired. Fall asleep at the wheel- brain dead- back hurting tired. I rarely work out in the afternoons anymore from fatigue, and I there are many days that my job is so stressful I am BEGGING for an office/cubical/boring job.

But the best part of my job is working with elderly patients. I love them. I laugh a lot. I also learn a lot. I have made many good friends with my patients.

And the other day, one of them wrote me a poem!!! About me!!! I am going to share it with you. This poem is an example of why it is great to be a physical therapist.

(and a few Cliff Notes- my patient calls me the "Warden". I do run a boot camp sometimes in there...for 84-year-olds. And, she actually wrote this poem to my husband, sealed it in an envelope, and made me promise to give it to him. And, keep in mind that even though I don't talk about my home life in detail with my patients, they all still have a ton of advice for me...such as cook more, keep a clean house, etc... all of the stuff I don't do. When you are in your 80s-90s, relationships are the MOST important thing that life has to offer- good lesson for us youngsters)

08-17-10 2:00pm

"My Warden's Other Half"

I wonder do you know just what you have at home?
You have someone who loves you dearly, if treated right will never roam.

She's very firm, but very fair
That's how she plays the game
But if you meet her half way,
You'll never be the same.

When I was weak, she's making me stronger each and every day
And with the help of my sweet Jesus, I know I'm on my way.

Just wanted you to know your loving a diamond in the rough.
So treat her kind, treat her gently, let her know you care.
Love her even when she's feeling bad
And you'll find she's always there.

PS: From one of her patients. (insert name which I will leave out on the blog). You must be a good guy. For my God has blessed you with a wonderful wife. A gift from God.

Super cool, huh? This one is going to go in a frame. :)