Skip to main content

I've been AWOL ...

But I had a good excuse! I've been on deadline for a book and so I was putting in 18-20 hour days working to get it done in time. My poor husband had to deal with no cooking, no cleaning, and barely a "hello" when he came home from work! He also flew to China in the middle of all that (probably a blessing in disguise since he didn't have to watch me go into meltdown over my computer) so I ended up pulling a few all nighters to get the book done in time. And I turned it in! Yay!

Now I'm catching up on all the other work I neglected while I was on deadline.

While I was on deadline, I have to admit I was terrible in terms of eating and exercise. Eating, however, was not as bad as I have been for previous deadlines. While it was carb heavy, I also made sure I ate a lot of protein, too. Exercise, however, really fell by the wayside. Instead of running 3 x a week, I only ran once a week, especially b/c the last week I was on deadline I was either sleeping only 4-6 hours a night or pulling a couple all nighters.

I'm doing the ecoaching thing with Jeff Galloway and he said that in future, I should try to get out for 5-10 minutes every other day rather than not running.

I can see the wisdom of that. I just don't know if I'd have felt I could break off my writing momentum in order to go outside for 15 minutes. Since I started writing 4-5 books a year, I've discovered that my writing is such a weird creative thing that is more momentum driven than when I was in biology work, where I could stop at any time and pick up again a few minutes later. If I stop at a crucial point in my writing, when I sit down at the computer again, it takes me 15-20 minutes to get back into my writing flow. It's very frustrating, which is why I don't stop to eat proper meals--I usually snack every hour instead so I don't interrupt my momentum. (On a positive note, my snacking is typically small portions or lots of fresh raw veggies like carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers.)

Okay, okay, enough excuses. I didn't exercise enough while I was on deadline, which made Jeff scale back my pace and run/walk ratio for my long runs. But then (!!!) I woke up with a cold last week Friday, which is when I was supposed to do my 26 mile long run. I went running anyway but by mile 8 I was done, I was just too sick. I felt better on Monday and ran 8 miles, felt pretty good, but then (!!!) I slipped in the shower Mon night and hyperextended my right knee, which is the knee I've had two ACL surgeries on. It's a bit swollen. I've been icing and elevating it since Mon night and doing some light exercise on the exercise bike, which seems to decrease the swelling a bit. But it also means I haven't run since Monday. I'm feeling better today although the knee still hurts a little when I straighten my leg.

I'm hoping if I feel better on Friday I will still be able to do my 26 miler. I just emailed Jeff to ask him if I can do that. My marathon is in 3.5 weeks, on Dec 12th, so maybe???

My running has just been terribly frustrating for me this week, esp because I had hoped to get back on track right after I finished my deadline!

Comments

Anonymous said…
OH I'm sorry! Way too much going on to your poor body! Hope you can work it out and still do the marathon!
Camy Tang said…
Thanks Lynn! I'm praying I'll be okay by then!
Camy
Anonymous said…
Praying your 26 mile run goes well tomorrow! You can do this!!!!!!!!!

Popular Posts

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures...

Chinese Take-Out and Sushi for One

Captain’s Log, Supplemental My agent sent me an article from Publisher’s Weekly that discussed this incident: Chinese Take-Out Spawns Christian Controversy And here’s also a blog post that talks about it in more detail: The Fighting 44s This is Soong-Chan Rah’s blog: The PCS blog In sum: Apparently Zondervan (yes, my publisher), who has partnered with Youth Specialties, had put out a youth leaders skit that had stereotypical Asian dialogue, which offended many Christian Asian Americans. In response to the outcry, Zondervan/Youth Specialities put out a sincere apology and is not only freezing the remaining stock of the book, but also reprinting it and replacing the copies people have already bought. I am very proud of my publisher for how they have handled this situation. The skit writers have also issued a public apology . (I feel sorry for them, because they were only trying to write a funny skit, not stir up this maelstrom of internet controversy. I’ve been in youth work long enou...

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And...

Excerpt - A HUNDRED YEARS OF HAPPINESS by Nicole Seitz

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.05.2009 Update: Sorry, this giveaway is closed. A Hundred Years of Happiness by Nicole Seitz A beautiful young woman. An American soldier. A war-torn country. Nearly forty years of silence. Now, two daughters search for the truth they hope will set them free and the elusive peace their parents have never found. In the South Carolina Lowcountry, a young mother named Katherine Ann is struggling to help her tempestuous father, by plunging into a world of secrets he never talks about. A fry cook named Lisa is trying desperately to reach her grieving Vietnamese mother, who has never fully adjusted to life in the States. And somewhere far away, a lost soul named Ernest is drifting, treading water, searching for what he lost on a long-ago mountain. They're all longing for connection. For the war that touched them to finally end. For their hundred years of happiness at long last to begin. From the beloved author of The Spirit of Sweetgrass...

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...