The All Day Workout

Goals.  We all need goals and targets to hit in life.  My claim to fame?  I'm an endurance athlete.


Prior to this wonderful adventure I've had with my two knee surgeries, my favorite training partner Rico, my Surfer Boy husband Kerry, and I were planning what we called "The All Day Workout"  We had it scheduled on our calender and everything!  What was it?  Exactly what it sounds like.  An All Day Workout.  It was to start with 7am 90 minute Bikram Yoga in a heated to 105 degree room, move on to a several hour surf session, then end the day (until the sun set) with several hours running on the trails.  This is my idea of heaven.


But, calender date and all, it was not to be.  My knee was hurting (waa friggin' waa) and you guys pretty much know the rest of the story which ended with the second surgery five months ago, the osteochondral allograft which was a bone and cartilage transplant from a donor (yep, dead person) graft.  Thank you, donor. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!


These days my life is pretty much an "All Day Workout"  Luckily, I'm not working right now, so I have plenty of time to focus on workouts.  Some of the things I envisioned in the All Day Workout are part of my day, and some are not.  Thank ya Lord, surfing has been included as of two weeks ago.  Amazingly wonderful to be in the ocean again!  Bikram Yoga; well let's just say my classmates are so impressed with my tenacity that they want me to record Jen's Rehab Workout Video.


The one thing I wasn't quite counting on was all this goofy physical therapy: Range of Motion Exercises, Quad Strengthening, Lots of Stationary Bike.  At first the stationary bike was so difficult that I could only do ten minutes at a time.  Yee haw! I burned five whole calories!


But now....... Since I've gotten stronger I can ride the bike for 90 minutes!  It's still not exactly my favorite thing in the world but I've discovered that it is, in fact, an endurance workout.  Especially with surfing and/or yoga thrown in the same day.


And while I'm on the bike I listen to all kinds of cool radio programs:  Dave Ramsey has taught me how to handle money, Les Brown has motivated me and inspired me while giving me some great belly laughs and Hay House Radio has inspired the metaphysical side of life.


Finally:  The Mental Part.  SO important.  It's probably the largest part of any recovery program.  Mine is simple.  I look at these two items below, every day, and visualize myself happily running on the trails, (yes, that's me in the photo) and how great I'm going to look in this short nightgown once both quads are balanced out.  Try it.  It works!