7 March 2010 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA        

                                

My Priceless Blender

DH and I went to the Home Patio Show at the Prime Osborne Convention Center yesterday and I was surprisingly smitten by this most expensive blender in my whole life. Well, as you know, we have recently begun a journey of eating healthy mostly raw organic and natural whole foods which simply means “unprocessed” foods devoid of ingredients that do more bad than good to our body. So I thought this Vita-Mix blender is a priceless gadget that we can really put to daily use in this new endeavor.

This morning before DH and I head out for a run, I decided to make a fruit smoothie for breakfast (blended 3 Tangerines, 1 Apple, 2 Carrots, 5 Frozen Strawberries, 1 Chobani Greek Yogurt (Pomegranate), 1 Quaker Chewy Oat Granola Bar (Fiber & Omega-3 Peanut Butter Chocolate) and 1 OptiFast Peanut Butter Chocolate Bar and VIOLA I have one of the most delicious tasting breakfast in 2 minutes. Talk about instant healthy food that gives me energy to power run.

Makes 4 Cups: Serving Size: 1 cup = Calories: 181
           Fat : 2.82g
           Carbs : 32.5g
           Fiber : 6.48g
           Protein : 8.65g
           Calcium: 97.8 cal

I have used different blenders in the past, we also have Magic Bullet, Ninja, Hamilton Beach but this Vita-Mix super exceeded my expectations.... like have you tried to put raspberries or Mexican mangoes in the blender before and you get this roughness texture from the raspberry seeds and mango hairs? Well, not in this blender. One of the best features about this blender that blown me away is the dry grain grinder and this thing grinds just about every seeds, beans and nuts out there to a smooth, silky or buttery powder texture!

Now I have a grain grinder and super industrial, fast and easy to clean blender. Yes, it is definitely expensive (Vita-Mix Super 5200 with dry grinder = $550+ tax) and I know that times are tough right now but I simply can't put a price tag in our health anymore.

The blender comes with book recipes and looking forward to experiment different healthy smoothies, ice cream, soups and bread for the rest of our lives ;-) I'll post some of my videos I took from the show yesterday and also show you the recipes from the book later.

For complete info about what this blender can magically do, check out this site http://vitamix.com/

 

     3 March 2010 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA        

                                

What I Give Up for Lent?

As you all know, rice is THE staple food for Filipinos. A typical Filipino family will have rice in every meal that is rice for breakfast, rice for lunch, and more rice for dinner. Rice with something else of course like usually soy sauce, fish and vegetables.

The traditional Filipino family is known to have large family living in the same house hence cooking huge amount of rice on wood fire (rice was traditionally cook by boiling on wood fire, but this needs constant attention because the rice could easily get burned) was never an easy task for every Pinay wives who are expected to do all the cooking for the rest of her married life as one of her wifely duties and responsibilities. Thanks to the great invention of technology--the electric rice cooker, that has eased the lives of many Asian wives particularly the Pinays… I am just SO glad I don’t have to do the cooking three times a day for my husband. The truth of the matter is, I seldom cook because he likes/does the cooking for us.

When I first moved here in the States, I still continue to eat rice 3 times a day and I have been eating rice for at least 42 years now. When I hit the big four 0, I started to cut back on my rice but still eat it at least once or twice a week.  So I thought what better way to sacrifice something for lent than to give up rice for two months?  When few of my friends said they’ll give up Facebook for Lent, I thought to myself, well, I am not a certified FB addict; yeah I check on it pretty much everyday these days like my email but that’s something I can give up easily  however to give up the thing I can barely live without seems impossible to me!

First Temptation: 

DH and I went to have lunch at the mall last Sunday and when he asked me what I want for lunch, I said anything but white rice because I gave up rice for lent. So we ordered Chinese food: pancit, honey chicken, orange chicken, beef and broccoli.

After one bite, I blurted out to him, "I want some rice, Darling!"

Tony: "That's between you and God, Love"

Moi: "I think God will understand. I am going to get some right now."

Tony: "I think when you get to heaven and stand before St. Peter you still are going to make excuses for everything you did wrong here on earth and for sure St. Peter won't buy any of your alibis."

Moi: "But I haven't done anything wrong yet"

Tony: "Love, you made a promise to God so I think you need to stick with it but like I said, that's between you and God"

Moi: "Oki I give up!"

Tony: "Good! Tell you what? After Easter Sunday I'll cook 4 cups of white rice just for you and grill some fish. How's that for a treat?"

Moi: "Sounds great, Darling!"

I hope there's no more temptations until Easter Sunday:-)  

 

     1 March 2010 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA        

                                

Still Alive & Running!

Yes, I am back from hibernation!  Well, I can cite so many excuses why I have neglected this blog for a long time but suffice it to say that I fall into thinking that I don't really need to log everything I ate and did here for me to keep my weight off and train regularly because I thought everything is under control and have figured it out in my mind but boy was I wrong or just plain naive.

Anyway, the damage before, during, and after the holiday season wasn't too bad despite not hitting the gym as much as I used to. I only put back about 3 lbs. of the weight I've lost way back when I was actively working out and monitoring my daily food intake.  I only went back to the gym and started running again three weeks ago when it dawned on me that the 2010 Gate River Run is only about a month away!

Oh noh!!! Now it’s just two weeks away from my race! The Gate River Run, which I was told, had about 8,000 runners at the start of the past decade, boasts over 18,000 participants last year; and unbelievable 20,000 runners are registered this year!  Well, I don't know if I can finish the race strong  but I will surely do my best---my goal is to do 10 min per mile run! So wish me LUCK on the 13th \ :-) 

Last Sunday, DH and I both woke up at 3:30 AM to get ready to go to the volunteer site for the 26.2 with Donna--The 3rd Annual National Breast Cancer Marathon here in Jacksonville, FL and we didn't get home until around 5:00 PM. It was a very exhausting day yet equally rewarding and overwhelming feeling to see runners from all over the globe making a difference for a great cause. We awarded about 8,000 medals that day... my arms were so sore the next morning but it's all worth it. Talk about the emotional sob and many runners were bawling. You know, I never understood how runners truly felt when they crossed that finish line until I became one of them… such a fulfilling and overwhelming emotion that I can’t seem to explain. Nonetheless, I'd say it's one of the most touching moments in my life and I'll do it all over again in a heartbeat.  I tear up few times when I awarded medals to runners who did their half and full marathon for the first time yet finished it strong! In spite of the inspiration, I still couldn't seem to convince myself to do the dreaded full marathon next year because I shudder the thoughts of running 26.2 miles… I mean just thinking about it gives me a fainting fit LOL but I will definitely do the half marathon on Thanksgiving Day this year and that's a given.

Well, folks I usually post quick updates rather frequently in my Facebook account than here so those of you who followed this fitness blog regularly, you can go ahead and add me “Rhebs ni Tony” in your FB list... just drop me a note or introduce yourself briefly if we haven’t exchanged pleasantries before ;-)

Quick Updates on Tony's Surgery:

DH had recovered well from his VSG surgery 6 weeks ago as he's continuously losing weight and on his way to getting fit ;-)   In fact, he already started doing the walk/run last week. Yaay!! I can't wait and so looking forward to run with him in a few months from now. In fact, I challenged him and made a deal with him that n his very first 5K race sometime before the end of this year: If he beats me to the finish line, I’ll say YES to anything and everything he asks, does or what not… No Ifs No Buts.   This means for the very first time in nearly 11 yrs our marriage I’ll be like a subservient wife to him. This gives him something to look forward too in our first race together although I just can't imagine how hard it would be for me to be a submissive wife because of my assertive/aggressive dominant personality type. DH on the other hand, likes to think he’s a martyr/subservient husband all these years just to stay out of trouble and he is all for making his wife happy ;-) The best thing I really admired about my husband is that, whenever we get into a bad argument or I get so pissed off on something, he’s the first one to walk out the door but even that he still kisses me before he leaves the house and tells me he’ll be back after I cool off. Then when he comes back home he would initiate a heart-to-heart talk or he won’t simply go to bed until the issue between us has been settled.  His strategy works like a magic to me and it does appease me and tame me down…  just the right kind of man I have long dreamed of loving, marrying and spending the rest of my life with ;-)

 

     29 December 2009 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA        

                                

Back Hitting the Road Again!

For the last two days, I can't help myself but pigged out... I wasn't really planning to binge on anything and everything but I just lost count after a bite or two goodies.
Life is good but Christmas was even better. We've got the best Christmas present we've been patiently praying and waiting for about four months now. Our medical/health insurance pre-approved DH surgery which is scheduled sometime in the middle of January 2010. I couldn't be anymore happy and excited for him... and the best is yet to come for 2010.... ;-) Anyhow, I managed to go to Church on Christmas Eve with DH despite my hectic work schedule and went by myself alone to church on Christmas Day too because DH was on a stand by emergency call from the hospital he works with. We had Christmas dinner my in-laws and I was so stuffed. I didn't even want to know how many calories I consumed that that day and the day before.

So this morning I was determined to get back on running again and was planning to do a 5 mile run outdoor but couldn't really tolerate the cold weather so I ended up going to the gym and ran 7 miles in 90 minutes on a treadmill... that's a 12 minute per mile run. That's my first straight run after 3 months of rest from shin injury! Oh yes, I am back to running! Yaay!! My shin was holding up just fine but my short was rubbing me raw and had chaffing in between my thigh. Sigh.

That's all for now... I have to get ready for my part time job. Yes, I am working again until 10 tonight and tomorrow from 1pm-7pm. Hopefully, I will be able to take a long break starting January 18.
 

 

     20 December 2009 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA        

                                

5 Days before Christmas

I just woke up feeling hungry (9AM EST) but disappointed to hear that DH’s brisket is still on the smokers. So instead, I am having oatmeal with dried cranberries and raisins and 1% organic milk. Yum and healthy too ;-)

Well, I have been working like crazy these days. I worked until 12 midnight in my part-time job and didn’t get home until almost 1:00 am for 2 consecutive nights and will still be working until 10PM tonight and until 11PM on Tuesday then 9am to 6pm on Christmas Eve. So folks, sorry if my Christmas greeting’s is going to be late this year...better late than never right?

DH can’t stand not having Christmas tree in our home and vowed not to let his year’s Christmas pass without it, so he finally set his foot down and bought a Christmas tree yesterday. So today, while I will be at work again, he’s going to deck out our home with still fresh 7ft Christmas tree and he already put up our Nativity Scene and some of our Christmas lights and other Christmas decors outside the house yesterday . Oh yeah, it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas :-). Thanks Darling. You're simply the BEST ;-) I Love You to Death!
Anyway, even if I am working like crazy these days but I am not complaining at least I am thankful that I still have a job... it helps pay our Christmas bills and our next year's big medical bills :-(
We'll show photos later... gotta run!
 

 

     14 December 2009 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA        

                                

 

I Cross Train

I've heard it enough from one fitness expert to another that if we continue to do the same work-out for long period of time that our body will adapt and get used to it and we eventually hit a plateau and the exercise will no longer that effective as it used to. So it's always good to switch around with different exercise machine to work other parts/muscles of the body. I am happy that I belong to the gym (Just Fitness) that has a wide variety of exercise machines enough to accommodate so many gym rats at the same time hence I don't have to wait around to get on the machine to do my cardio.
 

Last week, I switched my cardio work-out from TreadClimber and Summit Trainer to Cybex ARC trainer machine and  mix it with the regualr elliptical machine and true enough my whole body was so sore the next day.  I also learned that the Arc Trainer burns more calories than the regular elliptical machine.  An independent study, conducted by Florida Atlantic University, revealed that the Cybex ARC trainer is biomechanically more efficient than the leading  elliptical trainer machine and in fact,  is better at activating the large muscles of the lower body. Where the ARC trainer was effective at involving the knee and hip muscles, the elliptical movement pattern concentrated the muscular effort at the knee, and could not effectively engage the large muscles of the hip. This difference in muscular activation has a significant effect on the metabolic demands of the two devices.

Well, I have not run straight in a while but I have been doing the walk & run combination once or twice a week until my shin is fully healed. Hopefully, beginning of the year, I will be able to run consistently at least three times a week in preparation for the Gate River Run on March.

Updates for folks who are not on my Facebook list:

1.  DH experimented to brine and smoke turkey using his Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smokers last weekend and it was tender, juicy and delish! Yum!!! This is the time when I usually go off my diet and just pigged out so I won't feel deprive and miss out on anything... and the result? I gained almost 3 lbs in  just a matter of three days! Oh well, I'll just have to work-out hard in the next few days.

 

2.  Our local TV station had a "12 Drinks of Christmas" contest and Mom won 3rd place!!! Thanks to those who voted for her drink :-)   Here is the video clip when the First Coast News morning anchors Joy and Phil are talking to Mom live on the phone while making her Christmas punch on the air.

Christmas Punch with Orange/Cranberry

2 small cans frozen lime aide
1 small can frozen lemonade
1 small can frozen orange juice
1/2 quart cranberry juice cocktail
1 large can unsweetened pineapple juice
4 cups water
2 quart bottles ginger ale
1/2 quart bottle soda water

Mix thoroughly Makes 3 1/2 gallons. Frozen products will defrost and cool the punch. Keep in refrigerator until serving time. TIP: Sample before serving. You may want to dilute more with water or pour over ice cubes. TO YOUR TASTE; more soda water or ginger ale.

     6 December 2009 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA        

                                

19 Days Before Christmas

How time flies!   I told DH this morning that we are not putting out any Christmas decors this year because number one, we haven't bought the ladder to use to climb to the roof top of the house let alone get all our Christmas stuff decors from the attic. {Somebody stole our long folded ladder three weeks ago when our garage was left open all night long because I forgot to shut it down when I came home late that night from my part-time job.  Just glad they didn't steal our Harley motorcycle, two new bicycles and other tools for the house} and number two,  my work schedule have been so crazy this month that I am only home to get some 6 hours of sleep at night.  It really feels like I don't have time to do anything else but work and exercise.   That's right! No matter how busy and how long I work these days, I always make a way to do either walk/run at least 3 miles first thing in the morning at 5:00 AM or go to the gym to work-out before I come home at night while DH was already in the land of la la la, yes he's in that deep slumber already that sometimes he won't even feel me snoozing beside him... My poor husband doesn't get anything anymore these days!!! Today, it dawned on me and thought about wouldn't it be better if I swap my gym time to making love to my husband instead? ;-)  

Yesterday, I worked out at the gym for a good 2.5 hours in the morning, then I dropped by at Ate Susan's place for lunch (her Pinoy delicacies taste so good that I can't help but pigged out again to the extent that my stomach feels like it is going to burst any minute!). I left her house to go to my part-time job at 3:00 PM feeling lethargic but had the will power to stay wide awake until my work shift ended at 10:45 last night!  I sometimes wonder where I get all those energy to do all the things I am doing but guess I am just a very workaholic person in general and very blessed to have been spiritually, physically and emotionally healthy.

Well, I since I worked so hard lately, I thought I deserved some kind of a special treat for myself... so I bought a nice present just for me... something that I can not seem to justify spending for years and years because I think it's just nothing but a piece of signature thing for women to show off yet I bought it this time just because of 30% discount plus  I had the Police and Fire Firefighters only 20% discount coupon.  I have not told DH about this yet.  I meant to tell him today but he got called in to work early this morning. The only person that knows about what it is my BFF Marie ;-)  Maybe after I get enough of ogling and gazing at it, I'll take it back to store within the 30 days return policy, unworn of course. We'll see what happens then:-)

Ok got to run!

 

     29 November 2009 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA        

                                

 

Enough Bingeing Already!

Our reservation for Thanksgiving dinner at Sea Turtle Inn didn't work out as planned. The hotel was renovated luxuriously and is now owned by the new management. We got there on time but we had to hang around the lobby and wait for a while because instead of the buffet style they used to cater to their patrons every Thanksgiving it was changed to a formal dining where we have to wait to be seated and order from their very exclusive overpriced menu. So when my in-laws, Mary and Allen offered to join their family at home for thanksgiving dinner, we didn’t hesitate to call off the reservation right there and then.

Over all, we had a delicious traditional dinner with the family. Mary’s son-in-law, James did a great job in the kitchen. Thanks guys for having us over :-)

Here’s what I ate from the menu:

-Turkey and Stuffing
-Ham
-Mashed Potatoes
-Macaroni Salad
-Potato salad
-Sweet Potato Yam
-Pineapple Up-Side-Down Cake
-Apple Pie
-Pumpkin Pie

Thought I only ate a little bit of everything but after I logged them in my food diary I was flabbergasted to see a whopping 3,400+ calories total in just one meal!!! Glad I said ‘thanks but no thanks’ to the piece of French Silk Pie that DH set aside for me but you see I didn't think about eating healthy when I was crunching those potato chips before dinner. And I binged again the next day at work (part-time job) with all kinds of free junk food like pizza, egg roll, cookies and chocolates. What a pig!!!

Well, as you can see I pigged out on anything and everything in the last few days but I worked out so hard in the gym the next two days to burn those extra calories I ate.  Actually I only packed a little over one pound for the week which isn't too bad of a damage right?  I can hear someday in the background chanting, "Yeah right!" LOL

OK enough bingeing... back to healthy eating again starting tomorrow... at least until Christmas day ;-)

 

 

     26 November 2009 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA        

                                

 

Thank You, Lord!

Ouch! My body is sore from an hour and half of doing a total body circuit work-out yesterday so I am taking a day off.

As we gather our family and friends around the table today to give thanks to the Lord God for all the many blessings in our lives, let us remember to devout some time to acknowledge and thank our brave military men and women in uniform who sacrificed so much for our freedom and safety.

Have a Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving Day to all :-)

P.S.
Mother-in-law offered to treat all of us out for a nice Thanksgiving dinner at Sea Turtle Inn out at the beach later this afternoon and I was actually thinking to eat anything and everything to get her money worth until I saw the "The Doctors" show with Jillian Michaels last night.  Darn it!!!  We'll see happens tonight... LOL

     22 November 2009 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA        

                                

 

Back on Track

Yes, I am back to my pre 5K race weight last month and in fact I've lost a little bit more in inches in my lower body. Believe or or not, I went shopping yesterday because my size 4P pants are already falling off on me and surprise, surprise, I can now wear the New York & Co. size 0 Petite straight leg mid rise pants. Yaay!!  

I think I lost few inches in my lower body because I have been doing more cardio work-out using the TreadClimber and Summit Trainer machines at the gym in the last few weeks.

The TreadClimber machine is similar in functionality to a Treadmill except it has dual treadles that rise up and down as you step on it. Man, I burned a total of 1,000 calories in this machine in just 62 minutes of continuous work-out at a maximum treadles and speed. 

 

 

The Life Fitness Summit Trainer machine on the other hand is like to an elliptical and step-climber machines combined because the  pedals move up and down with strong resistance rather than just moved forward and back like the elliptical machine.

What I usually do  right after I did the TreadClimber, I hopped on this Summit Trainer machine and oh boy this piece of equipment made my bun, thigh and legs screaming after just 30 minutes of work-out!  Wow I sweat like a Pig and I mean I am soaked!!

I was told by my Fitness guru that these two machines are good alternative for my training to run on hills and bridges.

Anyway, had my longest ran yesterday; 5.7 miles in 90 minutes with a pace of 15 min and 48 seconds per mile. Actually, I started with a power walk with 16 lbs dumbbells for a mile and half and then I did an interval running as I have been trying to learn how to run properly.  Didn't realize I have been running incorrectly all these times until the Physical Therapist pointed it out to me last week.  She asked me to sprint in the hall way for few minutes to see if my injured leg can hold up to running with little or no pain and that's when she noticed I was doing it wrong. No wonder DH citied it to me one time that I run funny. LOL 

So now I have to be always conscious to run with heels on the ground first (not with the ball of my feet which I used to do) and make the stride a little bit longer otherwise I'd always go back to the old habit of running incorrectly.  Wow I can actually feel the difference and it's a lot easier than what I was used to do before. But after the long ran yesterday, I can still feel a little bit of twinge in the injured shin area and I don't want to re-inflame it again. I have not made an appointment with the Sports MD because my work schedule has been really crazy this time of year but hopefully I'd would be able see him in the last week of December.

Got to go!

 

     14 November 2009 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA        

                                

Busy, Busy, Busy

My work schedule has been hectic these days as I have been working OT at the office every night for our Fiscal Year End Report until December 14.  Plus I also have a part-time job on the weekends... so as you can see I am busting my butt off working non-stop; 7 days a week but this is going to be for the next 6 weeks only. Hopefully, I would be able to take a long break in January... but then again I just received the study and training materials/books from the US Department of Treasury Internal Revenue Service for next year's taxes. <Sigh>

Despite my crazy work schedule, I still make time to exercise like last night, after I got off work at 7:45pm I went straight to the gym to work-out and didn't get home until 10:30pm.  Then this morning, I did circuit/strength training and abs work-out for an hour just to even out my calorie intake for the day.  Gosh, I can't seem to stop eating a lot these days... it's the time of the year again where people bring all kinds of junk food at work especially Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away and Christmas is just around the corner. How time flies! 

So glad DH spared me from cooking and doing other household chores lately.  Actually, he's been doing all the cooking and washing dishes for 2 months now.  Even when I don't have to work OT at night, he still does the chores... absolutely loved the feeling of not having to crack my head  thinking about what to cook/feed him everyday.  You know when I have finally decided to keep my mouth shut and not say anything about his bad eating habit? That's when he started making some good choices for his own sake and I commend him for doing great as he's been really trying to eat healthy and on portion control these days.  Can't wait for him to run with me hopefully towards the end of next year ;-)

Okidoki I have to get ready for my part-time job now!

 

     7 November 2009 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA        

                                

 

Time to Lace Up the Shoes Again
 

Yes, I already registered for the Gate River Run here in Jacksonville, Florida on March 13, 2010!  Now is the time to lace up my shoes again and start whipping myself into a great shape and with proper training, well balanced diet and exercise I think I can do this race early next year.

The Gate River Run has all the ingredients of a great running event. The course starts at the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium at the Sports Complex area, runs through the heart of downtown Jacksonville, Florida where it crosses the St. Johns River over the

 

Main Street Bridge, then runs through historic San Marco, down Atlantic Blvd to the beautiful and scenic St. Nicolas area, and then crosses the river for the second time over the green monster, the majestic
 

Isaiah David Hart Bridge, and another mile downhill to finish on Duval Street back at the stadium.  What a great run through the heart of Jacksonville.

Well, it's been nearly 6 weeks since my shin injury; and after 3 weeks; twice a week sessions with the Physical Therapist, I feel like I can run again with just a little pain but not just yet... this time I am going to go slow and just do more of cross and strength training; alternate it with cardio on  Nautilus Tread-Climber machine, Life Fitness Summit Trainer and Elliptical machines for the next few weeks. 

To start off, this morning I power walked outdoor for 40 minutes and hopped on the Tread Climber at the gym for 70 minutes; cool down on Summit Trainer Machine for 15 minutes and finished it with a relaxing stretches for 20 minutes.  Oh it felt so good to burn a total of 1,300 calories!!! 

I know, I know, I have been allowing myself to binge lately and for about three weeks now I already put back on 2.7 lbs!!!   Dammit!!   You won't believe how much Halloween chocolate bars I ate everyday at work.  But today, I made a pact to myself--NO MORE CANDIES PERIOD.

     5 October 2009 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA        

                                

Volunteer for a Great Cause

Running for the National Marathon to fight for Breast Cancer cure with Donna is my ultimate goal in the near future but for now, I am just going to settle  for a  volunteer job until I am fully equipped to run for the marathon. 

Volunteer Registration Confirmation for Rhebs C.

Shifts Requested
Shift #1
Category: Race Packet Setup
Date: February 11, 2010
Time: 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Location: 1st Place Sports - Baymeadows Road
Shift #2
Category: Start/Finish Line
Date: February 21, 2010
Time: 5:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Location: Start/finish line - Mayo Campus
 

Guys, if you will, please take a stand and join this great cause! The 3rd Annual 26.2 with Donna is scheduled for Sunday, February 21, 2010.  Online registration is now open for those who want to join the race or volunteer for the race.  The 26.2 with Donna Mission is to passionately produce world class running events to raise funds for ground breaking breast cancer research and empower women living with breast cancer.

Short update about my leg injury:  I started seeing the  PT last Thursday, and will continue to go on a therapy twice a week for the next 3 weeks. Still waiting for a referral from my primary doctor  to see a Sports Medicine MD sometime next week.  Hopefully, after all these treatments I will be able to start running again next month.  Ohh, I want soooo bad to get back into running again soon!