I'm getting there....running...

Long time no blog...or run..

2011-12-09T05:41:00.001-08:00

Man, it's been soooo long since my last post! I can't believe that it was before the Bass Pro Half last year that I posted last! We had an awesome time...it was Sheryl and Cami's first half, and they did an awesome job. I went on to do the Hobbitom Challenge in March, which is a half marathon on Saturday and the Little Rock Marathon on Sunday. I was hurting by the end of marathon day, but I did PR on the marathon course.

My running has had lots of ups and downs this year...will not so many downs..but more like some "non-running"..After the marathon, I was happy to take a break from running. I don't think I ran more than twice the month after the race. After that, it was pretty sporadic. I had some mild Achilles issues and have had to try out some different shoes. I was wearing the New Balance 1224's, but I had exhausted all avenues to find any more in my size, since they are out of stock everywhere! I found a pretty similar shoe in the New Balance 940's, but alas, these shoes won't last long either.

My longest run since the marathon in March has been 10 miles, and I'm pretty sure that was at least 2 months ago. Last weekend, I did 8, which might not have been too bad, but I did Charla's Mix-it-Up Boot camp-type class the day before...Ugh, the next day I felt crippled! All this to say...I am doing the White River Christmas Half Marathon tomorrow! EEK...Probably not the best decision I ever made, but I couldn't resist a road trip/race with the girls after SO long! We did this race last year and it was the HILLIEST race I have ever done. I will most definitely have to do my walk/run thing. If you ever get the opportunity to do this race I highly recommend it. It is a small, but well supported race, organized by Fellowship Bible Church in Batesville. There is no race fee, but donations are accepted and almost all proceeds go to needy families for Christmas. The race shirt is so cute, the medal doubles as a Christmas Ornament, and the post-race food is abundant and AWESOME. These people put on a great event and they don't scrimp...we even got really nice goodie bags! I'm a tad nervous and it IS supposed to be one of the coldest day we've had so far this winter..Oh well, at least it's not going to rain!

I'll fill you in on the race after!!

The verdict is in...

2010-09-17T06:44:00.000-07:00

The verdict was in: Patellar Tendinitis

And I was NOT HAPPY...

I left my Podiatrist's office thinking..."what the heck?" and wondering if he really was a quack....I was so convinced that all my knee issues had been because of my insoles, that I was just plain irritated when he said they weren't the culprit...

Turns out: HE WAS RIGHT...Podiatrist 1 :Tammy 0

He put me back on Meloxicam, and said I could try a Patellar strap to see if it helped. I immediately went to have my prescription refilled and headed to Sporty Runner to get my strap. When I got home, I googled PT exercises for patellar tendinitis. Did it work?

YES!!!!!! The strap and exercises helped immediately, and the meds really helped the soreness I already had over several days. I have been doing wall sits/squats, squeezing a ball or my foam roller between my legs, for 30-45 seconds at a time. The recommended amount is to do these exercises 5-10 reps, at least twice a day for 2 weeks, to have 90% relief. I can't say I was that consistent, but it has been a significant improvement. I am continuing to take the Meloxicam and do the exercises and the last 3 runs, I have not had to use my strap!

Most of my runs lately have been pretty awesome. Last week the humidity came back in full force and it was hard all over again, but for the most part, they have been wonderful. Today was my 12 miler. I was nervous because it was the longest run I have done since I got injured last year. I started out slow, with a 5 minute warm-up walk, and 3:1 (running:walking) for the first 6 miles or so. The last 6 miles, I took a 1 minute walk break every 10 minutes. I was a tad sore at the end, but nothing unbearable. Did a lot of stretching, prescribed PT hip exercises, and foam rolling when I got home. My foam roller is my frienemy...

I have decided to forgo doing the Soaring Wings Half Marathon in October and instead, will be doing the Maynard Cohick Bass Pro Half Marathon in November. Cheryl and Kim decided about 1-2 weeks ago to do it, because Cheryl's friend, another Sheryl, missed the deadline to sign up for the Maemphis Half. I was invited to join them. It's been so long since I've done a race with the girls! I won't be running with them, I'm sure, but the road trip should be fun and it will give us all a chance to catch up. I'm coming to terms with my slowness..at least for now. It's just going to hurt me in the long run to punish my body for something I just can't do right now. These days..a successful run is one that leaves me feeling good at the end and without injury!

A brief intermission...

2010-08-20T06:27:00.000-07:00

Not too much has changed on the running front....I had 3 very good runs and the knee pain returned. I now have an appointment with my Podiatrist for Monday and I am hoping that he can help me with the insoles. Beyond that, I don't know what to do...so prayers are being prayed and good thoughts are being thunk (yeah, I said that)....fingers crossed....

Those 3 runs were a taste of bliss...they were virtually pain free and it has been so long since I experienced that, it was almost like a high...I started getting so excited about running again!!! I really want to be able to enjoy fall running the next few months, it is my favorite time of year. I haven't given up on the Soaring Wings Half yet, but the deadline before the rate goes up is August 24th...

Has anyone ever been sidelined by an injury so long that you don't even think of yourself as a runner anymore? Sometimes I feel like an impostor or something....trying to live on the "glory days" .....

SUCK week...

2010-08-06T06:50:00.000-07:00

Ugh...............

It is never-ending...the insole drama continues. Needless to say, I think I'm going to have to have the dang things adjusted again. Last week's 7 miler was brutal on the knees. I took the insoles to be adjusted on Monday and tried them again on Wednesday's run. Aside from giving myself heat stroke running outside in 106 degree weather, my knees and feet bothered me afterwards. This week I have also had the unfortunate pleasure of my hip pain returning, so basically....SUCK!! I'm skipping running today and not even sure if my 7 miler will even happen tomorrow. Is being able to run without pain too much to ask? I'm so tired of hurting all the time, the fleeting thought of giving up running all-together crossed my mind yesterday.....But I don't want to live with that. I know that running is not my whole identity, but it really does feel like a huge part of me. I LOVE it...if I didn't, I would have given up long ago. Now I'm wondering if I need to give up on the upcoming Soaring Wings Half Marathon in October. I haven't actually registered yet, but now I'm scared to. Not sure if I will be ready in time with all the set backs....

I continue with my exercises for the hip, and I'm really hoping that I don't have to go back to PT. I could really use some ART right now to loosen me up. I think that once I can pinpoint why my insoles aren't working for me, the knee pain will get better. I considered a patellar strap, but I think that's just treating something that is, ultimately being caused by the insole/shoe issue. NUTS!

Insoles return...and so do the walk breaks...

2010-07-30T06:54:00.001-07:00

Well....I finally got my custom insoles. Still having a tiny bit of knee pain, but it is usually after my runs...I think it's a bit of IT band stuff, but maybe I need my insoles adapted? I wanted to wear them for a week to see how they felt, since there seems to be a short adjustment period whenever I get new shoes or insoles. I'm still trying to tell if they are going to work for me. Thankfully, the guys at New Balance will adjust them as needed, but it is a bit frustrating trying to pinpoint exactly what the "not right" feeling is and telling them in a way that they can make the needed adjustments. We'll see about that...

I have returned to my foam rolling for my IT band and am continuing to do my hip exercises. I read on another blog that a girl who was having problem with her IT Band was told to do "quad sets" by her PT. I was thinking "What are those?"....basically they are similar to a leg extensions, but probably without weight, the whole point being to strengthen the quads and contract the muscles. Then I remembered that a muscle imbalance can cause IT Band issues. I haven't been doing leg extensions because they used to bother my hip flexor, but I hadn't tried them since I had been going to PT. So, last time I went to the gym, I did 3 sets of 20 leg extensions with 35 lbs. I could tell IMMEDIATELY that it helped!! So, needless to say, I have worked these back into my strengthening routine.

I have tried not to overdo the whole cross-training thing, while trying to get back into running. I really have been abusing my poor body and hating on it because I've been so frustrated at how all these injuries have been plaguing me...and how slowly my recovery has been. In fact, I have probably been slowing my own recovery, pushing myself too hard...trying to "get back to where I was"...Truth is...you can't come back from almost 5 months of no running and resume like nothing ever happened....Well, maybe some people can, but not this Sheila....I think I've internalized my anger about that and taken it out on myself. It's not getting me anywhere! It's hard feeling like a newbie...I almost feel like I don't know what the hell I'm doing and I'm having to relearn my limits all over again.

I am able to run 20 minutes at a time before having to take a walk break now..I think that is mostly due to overdoing my cross training and then having a sore hip..But yesterday I just let myself do the Galloway method...doing a 5 minute walk at the beginning, and then doing a 5:1 ratio of running/walking and at the end...I felt great! I am afraid that if I get into the habit of doing this, that I won't be able to build up my endurance to run longer periods of time, but right now...Getting my runs in without injury is more important. I'm tired of being plagued by fears that every run will result in pain. So...Galloway here I come! I'm actually looking forward to feeling better at the end of my long runs. I'm even curious to see in an upcoming half marathon, how it works for me. There are several "goal time" schedules in the Galloway book and they usually call for a few speed work days that I probably won't be able to do, but it's an experiment I'm willing to try! Tomorrow is my 7 miler, so I'll see how it goes.

A torturous 7 miler...destined to injury?

2010-07-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

I finally did order a pair of insoles (inside tears)...and I was wishing i had them this morning for sure...

Today was the Maumelle route...I'm not opposed, pretty flat, although out and back...which I usually do not favor. My hip was kind of sore last night, so I was slightly apprehensive about today's run..not to mention, 7 miles on the schedule. I did some of my hip exercises in bed before getting up and it seemed to help some. I left my house a little early this morning so I could start my walking warm up. I usually start the routes with 5 minutes of walking and ease into a pace, but wanted to try to run a little with Cheryl and Kim this morning, so I was hoping to get it out of the way. That way, by the time they caught up with me, I would be running. Didn't go as planned, as the group started late due to Tom's "rambling on" (hehe)...I somehow started out way too fast and ended up paying for it the second half of the run....plus, I had some technical difficulties..issues with my shoes, my fuel belt, etc...At one point I had to loosen my laces because I felt that all-to-familiar feeling of pressure on the top of my foot...I thought "Oh no!" because this same issue during my last marathon kept me "running-free" (as in , NO running) for about 8 weeks afterward...

Loosening the laces seemed to help, but I felt like I was compensating for the looser shoe by flexing my foot upward, therefore...getting a cramp in my toes...Then....a long lost enemy showed up...IT Band pain... GEEZ!! That's what I get for going too fast! I wasn't sure if it was my IT Band at first, maybe my hip flexor...but I stopped to stretch and it got better, so I knew my nemesis was back....Sigh...Am I destined for injury? Seriously...

I came home and did a bit of foam rolling and my hip exercises, and I do feel somewhat better. I also applied an ice pack to my foot, hoping to fend off that issue ASAP. Ibuprofen is my friend today...

My insoles are supposed to be ready in about 10 days and I am counting down...

It had to be something...

2010-06-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

It had to be something...this week, my knees...geez...

My knees have really been bothering me this week, somewhat during my runs, but especially afterwards. Usually when this happens, it is because I need new shoes or new insoles. I'm positive it's not my shoes, since I just started breaking in a new pair 2 weeks ago...so, insoles it is! My insoles were custom made at the Foot Solutions lab in Little Rock...and they cost me a pretty penny when I got them...I was kind of freaking out, thinking that I might need new ones, because I could definitely could do without the expense right now. I took them to the store today and showed them to Eric, the on-site Podorthist, who made them for me. He thinks the need a new foot pad and told me to bring them back on Monday and he would try to tweak them, so I don't have to buy another pair! YES! Now the catch: I have to leave them with him for several days, up to a week, if necessary....UGH!

I'm hoping the knees hold up for tomorrow's "long" run, and it looks like a no-running week for me, if my shoes are going to be in Little Rock without me. So, I guess I will be doing other cardio this week instead. Maybe this will be a good opportunity to get back on my spin bike! I hope that it dosen't bother the hip, it has been a little tight this week...but I am doing my exercises every other day, like I should!

PT Graduation

2010-06-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

P.T. Graduation! Yesssssssssssss..........! No cap and gown...no ceremony...but I did get a nifty t-shirt!

Yesterday was my last PT session! It has been tremendously helpful, but I am glad that I will no longer be accumulating a HUGE balance or spending the 4-6 hours a week at the PT office! Overall, I would recommend Innovative Spine Rehab and my PT, Darby, to anyone that cares! I hope that I don't have to go back (meaning, I hope I'm not in a position to need it again), but it is nice to know that I can if I need to. It was actually kind of sad to leave...after seeing the gang twice a week for 3 months....I am so grateful for all they have done to help me get back to exercising and running again! I will continue my exercises at home, as close to every other day as possible. If that's what I gotta do, I'll do it!

A little farther...and the end of PT?

2010-06-19T08:10:00.001-07:00

5.5 miles today...

I was glad to see the route was downtown this weekend, at the River Market. I had 5 miles on the agenda and the hip felt pretty good. Yesterday was a rest day and I did my exercises at home. The run was partially downtown, over into my neighborhood (Argenta) and back over the bridge to Little Rock. My hip started to feel a little tight around mile 2.5, but somehow it felt better (?) on the uphill return over the Broadway Bridge. I love me some hills...I really can't wait to get back into some hill work as the hip continues to get better. It was pretty humid, but I guess I had a good wicking shirt on, cause I didn't feel that hot at all! I kept seeing people run by me that were just drenched in sweat!

After the run, I realized that I had taken my house keys off my keyring, instead of my car key...........verdict: My keys were locked in my car! Luckily, I didn't have to wait long before Kelli had finished her run and she let me use her phone to call the Verizon Roadside Assistance. They told me it would be approx 45 min for someone to arrive, so I headed to the River Market to get some water and coffee. Thankfully, Kelli also lent me some $ so I could! I walked around for a bit at the Farmer's Market, and within 20 minutes, my knight-in-a-blue-BMW arrived to unlock my car. It took him all of 1 minute to open my door and I was good to go! Of course, I am not glad did that I did that, but it really could have been so much worse! I was even able to make it to Power Pump, just as class was starting. Yay!

Monday will probably be my last PT session, whether I am "technically" done or not. I have been good this week at doing my exercises every other day and trying to balance exercise with rest. The last time I was in the office, I got a "scolding" (or at least, it felt like it) about the balance on my account. I guess they are worried I won't pay my bill. Maybe they deal with that a lot...people and/or insurance companies not paying their bills....Well, I pay my debts people! In fact, I HATE debt..therefore, I'm good for it and will pay it off faithfully. I have been paying what I can when I go in, but it was hard to keep up, considering each appointment was $75 out of my pocket. My savings has taken a serious hit with this PT thing!

5 miles...wait?...yep, 5 miles....

2010-06-12T08:14:00.001-07:00

5 miles!

I haven't done 5 miles in months! But I did it this morning! It was rough...there was sweat (ALOT of it)...there was some hip tightness, there was some shuffling toward the end...but it happened! Obviously, it is pointless to say that humidity played somewhat of a factor (It's SUMMER!)...but I wanted to get the run out of the way before Power Pump class this morning. I decided to forgo the group run today...I just couldn't take the ADEQ route again. I think we've been there at least 3 times in the last 2 months and mentally, I wasn't up for that. I ran in my neighborhood, downtown, over into Little Rock and back. I was dripping in sweat, but I felt like I really accomplished something!

PT graduation has been postponed...mostly due to my overdoing it last week on the workouts. I think the Plyometrics does it to me EVERY time. I'm thinking that maybe I'm just not warmed up enough when I start doing all those drills and jump-squats...sigh...Yesterday's PT was HARD...every exercise felt hard and I felt like I had regressed. I definitely need to be more diligent about doing them at home, at least every other day. I can't go to PT forever! The financial part alone, is about to make me HAVE to quit. I'm hoping that I only have a few more sessions and I'm learning my limits.

On a good note, I busted out my new pair of running kicks (my New Balance 1224's) this morning and they felt WONDERFUL! And I also have a new pair of Brooks Adrenaline's that I will be wearing for my other workouts.....Sigh...new shoes are IT!

Sluggish day.....

2010-06-05T08:33:00.000-07:00

Not much new in my running world...I ran 4 miles this morning with the LRM Group. I was debating on whether to run because my hip was a bit sore and tight last night. I did some of my PT exercises and stretches, iced it, and slapped several SalonPas patches on, to wear overnight. I think it helped, because it felt pretty decent this morning. The first few miles went well, but that last mile was killer hard for some reason. I didn't really have much discomfort in the hip, just felt sluggish. I didn't feel like it was overly hot or humid, compared to the last few days...but nevertheless, it was tough. Of course, I went to my Power Pump class and was able to finish, but felt sluggish there too. Not sure if it was not enough food and/or water this morning, or just being in need of more rest..or a combination of both. I may take tomorrow as a rest day too.

Yesterday was SUPPOSED to be my PT "graduation", but I think I did too much this week and made my hip sore. Hopefully, only one or 2 more sessions. Darby added another exercise and did active release again...which HURTS when it's being done, but after...oh so much better! I guess I have been extremely hard-headed about my exercising..I guess because I couldn't do a lot of it for so long and I'm glad to be back..but it definitely leads me to overdoing it. This week I did:

Monday- Boot camp type class and ran
Tuesday-Power Pump (weights)
Wednesday-Sculpt and ran
Thursday-Ran
Friday-rest day
Today-ran and Power Pump

It might not have been so bad, but that class on Monday kicked my a** and I was sore all week. EVERYTHING hurt...when I woke up the next morning, I was convinced I had the flu. Nope, just that dang class! I can only handle it once a week or less, it just ruins me for everything else, especially my running! I am on a loose schedule, training for the Soaring Wings Half Marathon in October. Right now, I'm trying to regularly get in 4 days a week of running and trying to build up the endurance. I'm between running/ walking 6:1 and 7:1...it's slowly improving. On the shoe front, I think I need to bust out a new pair. I'm starting to get a little knee pain when I run and that usually signals "it's time". I have started dating my shoes so I know when to change them, but my running has been so sporadic and so many fewer miles, that it's been hard to tell when to change pairs. I wasn't keeping track of my mileage for a while, just trying to run for time.

I want to get back on my spin bike soon. I miss it and I keep seeing all these tri's going on everywhere and I am getting the "itch" again!

I am HOT...in a sweaty kinda way....

2010-05-26T11:55:00.001-07:00

It's not officially summer, but that does not stop Arkansas from busting out the 90 degree heat, 70 dew point,and 51% humidity to welcome me back to running! Time to break out my FAVORITE...the visor...to avoid the usual burning this time of year..and for those of you that know me...you know that I HATE visors and was being facetious in saying that...The good thing is that I scored a "cute" one (as cute as a visor CAN be) at the Runner's Roost in Colorado when I was there....

I officially have 2 more PT appointments and then I graduate! YIPPIE! I'm sure that I will probably have to continue my exercises, even after PT is over...but hey, I can can do my exercises at home FOR FREE! It is so encouraging to see such an improvement! I am back to enjoying my Sculpt classes twice a week, weight lifting twice a week, and running at least 3 times a week, soon to be 4. The runs, in general, seem to be getting better and I am trying to focus on building my time, and not worrying about my speed. Tom, "coach" of the LRM running group, has helped me put together a very conservative schedule for my planned half-marathon in October. I hope to also gradually work my way back onto my spinning bike...ahh....never so thankful to sweat...

I'm Baaaaaaaack....

2010-05-11T05:15:00.000-07:00

Well...it's been a WHILE since my last post! I can't believe it's already the middle of May...I have really been dreading the hot weather coming our way...summer is my least favorite season, but I'm sure the summer will go as fast as the rest of the year has been going, so maybe it won't be so bad!?! Cool weather will be here before I know it! And even though I am only just now getting out my summer clothes, it won't be long before I am dragging back out all those layers...Sigh...a girl can dream, right?

I am happy to say that I am back in the running world! It has been a long, SLOW process for sure. I wasn't able to consistently run the mileage or even think about doing speed work, so I was unable to do the WCR Clinic this year. I am still going to PT, but was informed yesterday (GRATEFULLY) that I only have a few more sessions before I "graduate"! I'm excited...not only because I am having so many pain-free days and am able to get back into the things I love to do...but because I will be free from the expensive $75 a session and the 2-3 hour chunk of time, twice a week! I am still doing the walk/run thing, and probably will be for a while, but I am up to 4.5 miles now and it has been a LONG time since I have been able to do that! I have also been able to go back to Sculpt class at the gym and this week is the first week I have been able to ride my spin bike, virtually pain-free! I can't say how good it feels to be back!

In other news, about 2 weeks ago, I was able to take a short vacay to Colorado and stay with my good friend Kristen, whom I hadn't seen in about 3 years. She lives in Lakewood, just outside Denver, and it was a great visit. I flew up there on a Thursday, courtesy of my little brother, who bought me a plane ticket with his frequent flyer miles! It was a huge relief, as I was NOT looking forward to the 14-15 hour drive. I picked up a rental car at the airport and after getting lost for a while, finally made it to Kristen's house. We spent some time catching up, amidst shopping at REI and Vitamin Cottage, followed by an AWESOME dinner at Watercourse Foods. I love that Denver has some great Vegetarian options, and if you are ever if the area, you have GOT to try this place! The following morning, Kristen and I awoke to a wonderland of whiteness, as it had snowed overnight and was starting to come down hard! We were supposed to drive to Estes Park that day for a weekend conference....Once the plow made it through, we were ok and it melted pretty fast. On the way to Estes, Kristen took me through Boulder and I seriously fell in love...

We hit up the World Market...I HAD to get my licorice Altoids..and were on our way to Estes. Of course, it started snowing crazy-hard, luckily we were behind a plow that, although it was slow, made the roads easy to drive on. We stayed at the YMCA Conference Center and it was bare-minimum basic, but pretty and clean. Kristen made me immediately check for bedbugs upon arrival and yay, no bugs! hehe....The Conference itself was pretty good. The focus was "The Centrality of the Cross" and was sponsored by the Association of Exchanged Life Ministries. I got some great resources for Bible study too. We had some free time on Saturday and Kristen wanted to take me to the Rocky Mountain National Park, since it was free that weekend, in honor of National Parks week. It was awesome...beautiful views, lots of elk grazing along the road...we snow hiked up to Nymph Lake and it was totally frozen over, people were hiking on it..

Sunday afternoon we headed back, but not before another stop in "The People's Republic of Boulder", as Kristen calls it..hehe...we did some looking around at the outdoor mall and hit up some awesome stores..Patagonia, Outdoor Divas, and several ethnic stores with imported goods. Boulder apparently has a large population of Nepalese people..Boulder was having it's Earth Day festival that day, so there were tons of booths, food, live music...and "hippie" people walking around. I don't know what it is, but I have always felt at home in that kind of environment...I guess maybe I am a hippie at heart? We tried a Vegan place called VG Foods and it was ok..I was expecting a bit more, and although my tempeh burger wasn't bad, it was overpriced and had no sides.

The rest of my visit included some great runs near Kristen's neighborhood and some trail hikes in the surrounding areas. We went to a great Nepalese restaurant in Golden..I did some looking around at thrift stores and the biggest Whole Foods I have ever seen! Kristen also took me to the Red Rock outdoor theater, the triceritops trail to see some dinosaur fossils, and the human body exhibit at the Museum of Nature and Science. I got to meet up with my cousin and stay with her one night and catch up. The trip was the perfect mix of sight-seeing, down time, catching up, and exploring. I had a bit of an issue with the altitude the first 2 days I was there...headache, fatigue..but it gradually got better with time and LOTS of water. The running stores in Denver are AWESOME and the running community is huge. If you ever get to Denver, go to The Runner's Roost and The Boulder Running Company. Both had an excellent selection, but my favorite was the Runner's Roost. The people were very down to earth and unpretentious, and their clearance table was awesome! I would love to go back to Colorado in June for the bluegrass festival....

There you have it...an update of sorts. As far as my running goes, I am trucking along and trying to stay realistic about my progress. I'm so thankful to be out there again, but it's hard not to be able to do the races I wanted to do this year. I think the Tupelo 14 miler is out this year, sad to say. I keep telling myself that taking my time will help me in the long run. I don't want to hinder my progress or hurt myself again, all for the sake of being able to do a race. I am sad that some of my friendships that seemed to come about through running seem pretty much non-exisitant, now that I can't do what I used to...but I guess I need to just accept that and move on. It hurts not to be included, but I don't want to hold people back. Thanks to those of you in Blogland who have been encouraging!

Quick update...

2010-03-29T05:39:00.000-07:00

Not much to add lately...I am about to go to my next PT appt. Sadly, I think it's going to take more PT than I hoped to get myself "fixed up", if you will, but the good news is that I am having more pain free days and am able to actually squat...in my daily life and in weight lifting. I have been working on my upper body strength and that has improved, but I am still not able to use that much weight for squats or lunges...baby steps, baby steps...

The last run I attempted was several days ago and it didn't go very well...my hips were more sore than expected, my right IT Band was acting up and overall, I felt crappy. I tried to go after work and the weather was rather warm. I think I was a bit dehydrated from not being able to drink much water that day, and I just felt like a limp noodle! I hope to attempt it again this week.

Skip and Kim are running the Capital City Classic this coming weekend. I did that race last year and I'm sad that I can't do it again this year. I thought about signing up anyway, but I haven't even WALKED 6 miles in the past few months...best to wait, I think. I'm hoping to do a 5k in May and definitely not for speed. I will be out of town this year for the Catholic High Rocket City 5k....boo...but maybe this year I can do the Dino Dash? It's pretty hilly, so I will see...Off to PT!

PT! PT! PT!

2010-03-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

Well, it is def time for an update!

Good news folks: I am going to PT!

It all started with the LR Marathon Expo....I ended up going to the Expo with Skip (aka Cheryl) and Kim...(1) in support of them, (2) to check out all the latest cool running stuff, (3) to meet a new pal Jamie, whom I met via the blogging world. My friend and fellow hip-pain sufferer, Kelli, was there volunteering with packet pick up. Cheryl and Kim immediately went to pick up their packets and Kelli told me about a booth at the expo for a clinic called Innovative Spine Rehab. Well...I would have walked right by the booth, mostly based on the name, but she showed me the brochure she picked up and it said that they specialize in knee and hip problems too. Not only that, but there was a coupon inside for a FREE, yes folks you read that right..a FREE CONSULTATION. Well...needless to say, I hightailed it over there! Darby, the PT, asked about my problems/issues and said that I should call Monday to set up my appt. He said he would get me in within 48 hours of my call! I was EXCITED!

Of course, I called upon the clinic opening on Monday morning and was scheduled for an appt. on Wednesday morning! Wednesday morning came and I was excited but apprehensive..what if he couldn't do anything for me? It was the last thing I knew to do and I was worried...He, of course, did a series of tests in flexibility, alignment, etc. and told me that if it truly was a muscular issue, I would greatly benefit from 3-4 weeks of PT. Verdict: VERY WEAK HIPS. What surprised me most was that he didn't just say "here's what's wrong with you.." and push me out the door. He actually treated me that day, at no charge! He did Ultrasound, stem, exercises and ice. I was there for about 2 hours! Finally...HOPE on the horizon...I could immediately tell a difference in the tightness I had been feeling.

Now to the financial part of things...I was worried (yes, I'm a big worrier) that I wouldn't be able to afford the sessions at $75 each. Unfortunately, my insurance company would not pay until I met my deductible and because the PT clinic was "out of network", if I used them, they would double my deductible before they paid anything!!! Nothing short of HIGHWAY ROBBERY! Liz, an office manager, said that she would "work with me" on the fees and as long as I paid a little each visit, I would be okay...kind of like the old days of having a "tab" there...This was even better than having to put my therapy on my credit card!! I have had 3 sessions so far and I can't believe how weak my hips are!! But I am hopeful that I am on the road to recovery!! I can tell a difference, in general, in my flexibility and can now squat and lift my legs a little toward my chest. He hasn't banned me from running and I hope to get back to it soon...man, I MISS it! He did tell me not to run this weekend ( I had a strenuous workout yesterday) and I was glad I didn't try it (although, I thought about it) cause I am really sore! But, it's a good sore, not the usual "catch" feeling and tightness. I will ice today to help that, and my next appt. is on Monday! I am so thankful that I have been able to go. I really feel like God provided for my needs here and that means everything...especially since I have been feeling so hopeless and depressed. Thank you to everyone who has encouraged me to hang in there and helped me keep things in perspective!!!!

Back to the expo...I met a great gal named Jamie!! We have been emailing back and forth for a few months after "meeting" via blogland. We don't know each other that well, but it was like running into an old friend when we met... SUPER encouraging, she has been praying for me and sending me uplifting emails for a while! Jamie, you are a lifesaver! I hope we can bond soon in person! The day of the marathon was, like I said, bittersweet...but it was fun cheering on all the runners with my sign "Good Luck Runners"...the same sign a friend made for me last year when I ran the race!..People loved it...even though I spilled coffee on it that morning and there was a big brown trickle down the front...haha..

I hope that I will have more positive results to report in the days to come. I'm keeping my expectations light...After I started feeling a little better, I started to imagine all the races I wanted to do..I had to reign myself in, cause I was putting pressure on myself. I would like to build up a good base, so I can start training this fall with the LRM group again to do the Hobbittom Challenge and LR Marathon next year in March. Not worried about speed, just wanting to run, PERIOD!

This is getting old...........

2010-03-01T05:56:00.001-08:00

I wish I could say that a lot has changed and that I am running and exercising up a storm...but alas, that is no where near reality!

About 10 days ago I finally got an appt with my Ortho MD and he confirmed MY diagnosis of hip flexor strain/tendinitis...I swear, I should be my own MD....Anyway, he pretty much said "If it hurts, don't do it..." and didn't ban me from running, although he did prohibit cycling, which he believes was the culprit this time. I asked about steroids and PT and he was agreeable to both. I am NOT one to push medications if I can avoid it, but I have been on NSAIDS for a month with no noticeable results, so I was hoping that steroids would decrease the inflammation long enough to start the healing and I would be able to start stretching/exercises that would help me bounce back. Well, I got my steroids without much problem...but the PT, that was another story...Basically, down to brass tacks, I can't afford it. I haven't met any of my health insurance deductible for this year and would have to pay totally out of pocket for all of it. The first visit alone, the assessment, is between $250 and $300...too rich for my blood!

Now, 10 days later...I am fatter and sleep deprived, but the steroids don't seem to have helped at all. As a matter of fact, my hip has hurt worse this week than the past few weeks combined. I'm not sure if I pulled it again or what...but I am about to pull my hair out! The Doc did do an x-ray, nothing spectacular there..and suggested that an MRI might be more definitive but didn't feel that it was especially necessary at this point. Kelli, my fellow running pal and hip pain sufferer, had a mini Ortho massage last week and said that it really seemed to help her. I am now contemplating the same thing. I have a recommendation from a fellow runner that swears by the guy she sees...I asked a PT friend at work if he thought it might benefit me, and he said it could help, as long as I don't get a deep tissue massage, which, in his words, "basically bruises you up on the inside!"....The suggested massage guy only takes appointments by recommendation and an hour and a half massage is $85..we'll see....

Today is the beginning of the Women Can Run Clinic in Cabot and I am signed up...I really thought that by now I would be ready for it...but I am wondering if I will even be able to do it at all... I haven't run in over a week, since my hip has been hurting worse...but I guess I can walk for now and get some sort of exercise...Sigh...There was hope on the horizon in telling myself that this whole thing was temporary and that I would be able to exercise again...but....I am helpless as to how long it takes for my body to heal and, aside from the massage, I've done all I know to do. I guess it could be worse, and I'm thankful it's not...but I REALLY miss being active. This next weekend is the Little Rock Marathon and it is definitely bittersweet...I was really wanting to do the Half and am relegated to being on the sidelines. Don't get me wrong, I love cheering on my running pals and I definitely have a lot of friends doing the race...I miss being out there myself...I miss the good kind of soreness from a great workout, working up a good sweat, and the time with friends that share the same activities.

Not to moan and groan, folks....but this is getting OLD!

Something borrowed...something blue...and preferably not too tight..

2010-02-12T11:42:00.000-08:00

I borrowed this from OneLittleTriGirl...

Current Book: Which one? I am always in the middle of several books, of varying genre..
"Loving God with all your Mind" by Elizabeth George
" Blind Alley" byIris Johansen (just found this author..not sure about her yet)
"The Simple Living guide" by Janet Luhrs

Current Shame-"The United States of Tara"...vulgar and crass, but the acting is superb!

Current Colors: Blue...as in scrub-pant blue...I live in scrub pants these days, since they are the least restrictive thing I own and I'm having lots of "fat days", since I can't work out

Current Obsessions: finding SOME way to work out and not hurt myself...and so I don't become a blob of jello

Current Drink: Green Tea Chai

Current Song: “Love Bites" by Def Leppoard

Current Wish-List: To be able to exercise...spin, run, plyometrics, yoga, Pilates..basically to be able to do all these things!

Current Need: Relief from pain and inflammation (some good steroids and maybe some PT and Electrotherapy for my hip), better eating habits, fellowship with good, like-minded friends, a new church home

Current Triumph: Trying to reconnect with neglected friends

Current Bane of my Existence: Hip pain, nuff said

Current Goal: Complete my Nursing continuing education by the end of February

Current Blessing: My friend Sara

Current Indulgence: Toffutti Butter pecan frozen dessert....man, that stuff is DELISH!

Current Excitement: Maybe getting to go visit my friend Kristen in Colorado in April!

What about you guys?

Randomness....

2010-02-09T08:21:00.001-08:00

This will be a very random post...so, just warning you!

First of all...the snow here is crazy!
My last run was on Friday (?) I think, and it went fairly well. I was able to do 3.67 miles..but I had to do the walk/run thing. I guess I've had an all-or-nothing attitude about running. If I couldn't run, I wouldn't do anything. It wasn't until I talked to my pal, Kelli (who has been having hip issues also) and she mentioned that she was doing the walk/run thing to get back into it. So I tried it, 4 min running, 2 minutes walking. The hip felt great, although I had to stop before my goal of 4 miles. Better than nothing, I guess. Now, with the crazy snow and ice...even walking is not going to happen.

I am thoroughly depressed about my recent weight gain...but when I went from burning about 3000 calories (at least) a week, to about 300-400 and kept eating the same way, it was bound to happen! After viciously berating myself and a crying jag after looking at my ever-growing ass in the mirror...I reminded myself that it didn't happen overnight, and it won't come off overnight! However, heaping the criticism and name calling on myself has never helped, and even made things worse...and so I admit, fully and wholeheartedly that I need to lose weight and I start anew at my attempt to eat not only healthier, but in proportion to my calorie needs..Sigh...I never want to take my body for granted again. I love all the things that it can do and I'm sad when I can't be active. On a deeper, more philosophical and spiritual level, I am seriously placing my worth based on my weight and looks and need some fresh perspective.

I saw the movie "Lost in Austen" yesterday. I watched it online via Netflix when my satellite was out. Now, for those who know me...I have NEVER been a Jane Austen fan (except in the case of Emma)...I tried to read Pride and Prejudice several times and got insanely frustrated with the excessively superfluous descriptions..and I usually LOVE details! Not to mention, the very irritating character of the mother Mrs. Bennett, that was enough to kill it for me! But THIS movie...it was awesome!!! And...dare I say...it may have aroused the desire in me to give Jane Austen another chance...? GASP! For those of you that have never heard of it, it is about a girl obsessed with all things Jane Austen, especially Pride and Prejudice. Somehow, a portal, if you will, is opened between her world and the world of Elizabeth Bennett via her bathroom wall. She enters the story, screws it all up and changes the fates of herself and everyone in the story. WATCH IT! But beware,it's almost 3 hours long.

On the family front, my Aunt and Uncle were in town this weekend and it was a great visit. I am not very close to our extended family and the last time they came to visit, things were a bit strained due to some issues that arose after my grandma died a few years ago. I think lately, since I have been spending so much time by myself, in somewhat of an isolated existance, I have been in dire need of human contact. Maybe so much, that I was willing to take it in the form of family (hehe)...but I realized how selfish I have been in the time that I do spend with other people. Wierd....Tammy's growing up....

I'm NOT getting there...running....cycling, swimming, or anything else....

2010-02-01T08:25:00.000-08:00

Ok...contrary to my blog title...I'm not getting anywhere...I got a 2 miler in yesterday before the hip pain started again....Well, it was more of a tightness than pain. I hadn't run since last Sunday, thinking if I took a rest, it might help. I tried swimming...I don't think it hurt, necessarily, but I don't think it helped either. I'm pretty sure at this point that I have a hip flexor strain, so anything that involves pulling my knee toward my chest does NOT work. I can't cycle...I tried getting on the bike yesterday, even with no resistance, it made me sore, and that was less than 2 minutes! I can't get an appointment with my MD until the 15th of February...and I'm not sure I want to go, even though all I have done does not seem to be working. I'm basically thinking he is going to tell me it is a hip flexor strain or tendinitis and have me do all the things I have already been doing. And I'm kind-of thinking he might order an MRI, of which I cannot afford... And all that $ down the drain....sigh...

I've wondered about exercises to help the area, but most of them are to be done after the pain has completely gone away. I've tried to do some core strengthening exercises but the stretching actually seems to pull on my hip and I'm scared to make it worse. At this point, I'm willing to do just about anything to start making some progress. I saw a video online about wrapping the hip. Supposedly, the compression is supposed to help support it. I guess I'll give that a go, as long as I don't have to go out in public with ace wrapped around my butt and groin...

Someone PLEASE tell me something encouraging. On top of all this immobility and general sluggishness from not being able to do any form of cardio that doesn't hurt, I'm turning into a lard-ball.....

I need some cardio in my life...

2010-01-25T08:10:00.000-08:00

Ugh...this hip situation is getting old...I can't spin, ellipticize (like my new word?), do just about any type of leg workout, minimal Pilates...because of the old hip...I can run, but yesterday the hip was pretty sore after my longest run yet, a whopping 5 miler...Even then, I have to have rest days between my runs and it is driving me crazy!

I am wondering about how swimming will help me in this time of trial (hehe... I know I'm exaggerating)...I've heard mixed things..some people advising me not to, some people saying it might help. Any suggestions? I'm not the best swimmer..in fact, I suck at it...But I can lie on my back and kick and pretty much doggie paddle and do a lame breast stroke the involves lost of wasted energy...

A change in plans...all over the place!

2010-01-23T08:15:00.000-08:00

So...not too much new on the running front...I wisely declined the run on Rhaling Rd. today..my hip has been sore on and off all week and I figured it would be best to skip it. Sad... :( I realized that the squats I have been doing while working out have NOT been helping my hip, so I ventured to Power Pump at the gym today but did NO leg stuff! This week I got a few short runs in...the last one I had to cut short at 3.4 miles because of the hip pain. Tomorrow I will most likely be running 4-5 miles (fingers crossed) at the very FLAT Murray Park with some of the Sunday Crackhead group.

I can already see some alterations in my racing "plan" for this year...I have decided to decline the "Oh-so-gracious" offer of Skip to do the Ragnar Relay in October. I really wanted to make sure of my decision before I said anything...I hate being flaky! There are several reasons I have decided not to do it. There is a conference I would like to attend in Estes Park, CO in April and I would get to bunk with one of my oldest and dearest friends! It has been years since I have seen her and I keep giving her the "I can't afford it" excuse for a while now. The price of the relay vs. the trip to Co would end up being about the same, and I can't do both. Secondly, hoping that I haven't crippled myself by a stupid workout decision or injury, I just really want to do the Soaring Wings Half Marathon again!

Part of my waffling on the decision has been the fear that if I don't do THIS relay, I won't ever do one at all. As far as I can tell, this fear is unfounded and I'm just trying to avoid feeling "left out" again. Ever since my injuries have kept me sidelined, I feel like I should grab every opportunity to run with my running pals or I will get "left behind" or "forgotten"...As much as this feeling sucks, I'm tired of making my decisions based on fear. I do everything I can do avoid disappointment, but sometimes things just don't happen the way you want them to. And it's okay to be disappointed. But sometimes...even though you can't see it right away, it ends up leading to something even better...I haven't made my conference reservations yet, but I'm really hoping to go. I will miss out on the Rocket 5k this year if I go...but I figure going to Colorado AND getting to see my good friend are a decent trade :)

Back to the LRM training group and a few fitness goals...

2010-01-16T08:34:00.000-08:00

Today was my first day back with the LRM training group....oh how I have missed thee! And....the first time I have done 4 miles since November...IT'S ABOUT TIME!

I met Cheryl and Kim at the Capitol this morning for the run. I told them, of course, that I would be a little slow, but they stuck with me for 3 miles. My foot is much better and I had no foot issues today, HOWEVER...you knew it was coming, didn't you? Somehow I "jacked up" my hip again this week and it has been sore for a few days. It felt a little tight on Tuesday, and I did the "smart" thing (NOT) and went to sculpt on Wednesday, thinking "I'll just take it easy in class"...Well, Wednesday was Charla's night to experiment with all sorts of new moves, and I knew I hadn't made it any better...Geez...So, I've been "babying it"...popping Ibuprofen, Mobic, Darvocet....icing it/ using the hot sock, SalonPas and avoiding spinning..even though it is taking everything in me not to spin today. The run went better than expected, but my hip did start that oh-so-lovely "pulling" feeling around mile 3, and I took my time. I definitely want it to be better for next weekend's Rhaling Rd. route, a route that I have surprisingly come to love. I love to tackle those hills...I would rather do hills all day long, as opposed to speed work, but I digress...

It was so nice to catch up with the girls a little bit and I am looking forward to continuing the Saturday morning runs! I plan to run again on Monday, and I am already excited about it.
As far as the new year goes, I'm not a big resolution person, but I have some general goals I would like to accomplish. I have made several goals in each area of my life that I want to see change (financial, personal relationships, health, work). As far as my health goals:

1. Attempt to drink the standard 8 8oz. glasses of water a day. I know I need it. I know it's good for me. It helps my stomach "issues". There is no reason not to.

2. Try a new vegetable and/or fruit every month.

3. Re-incorporate Pilates into my fitness routine. I would like to do it, at least, 2x a week.

4. Increase the amount of stretching I do, about 5 minutes after every workout.

5. Be consistent with taking my glucosamine, Vit C, Mobic, bee pollen and multivitamin every day or at least, every other day.

6. Air up the tires on my bike and get outside to ride!

7. Cut back on processed foods and sugar. Switch from Splenda to Stevia.

8. Do the 'Women Can Run' Clinic this spring (March-May)

9. After my Gu is gone, try to make my own natural energy gels or use natural foods to fuel on my runs.

10. Return to my green smoothies, 3-4 times a week.

11. Continue strength training 2-3 times/wk.

These are the things that I want to accomplish to make myself more healthy. Notice I didn't say "lose weight". It just so happens that I naturally tend to lose weight when I do these things anyway, which I wouldn't mind! I would LOVE to see gains in my endurance and strength even more, though!

I have to give my answer about doing the Ragnar relay to Cheryl by Monday..and I'm waffling about whether to do it or not. Financially, it's not TOO expensive..I mean, there is the flight, food and race registration, but I have quite a few months to pay for it or pay my credit card off..It definitely sounds fun and I would like to try a 24 hour relay, especially with a friend. I'm actually praying about this one. In fact, I'm praying about my running in general these days. It had become an all-too-consuming thing in my life and I want to keep things in perspective. I sense the freedom to do the relay at this point...but not 100% sure. I want to do the Soaring Wings Half Marathon this year, so I need see what date it falls on. My next post will tell!

Running "success"...

2010-01-11T10:09:00.000-08:00

Well...today marks the 2nd consecutive "successful" run, since my marathon. What is "success"? First...getting my hiney outside in the cold temps...What can I say? This cold weather has got me down. Second, no foot pain! Being able to tie my shoes tighter has been a major breakthrough! Third, finally breaking the 3 mile mark. It has been surprisingly difficult, with my lack of consistency and motivation...

I have not committed, but am about 90% sure that I will be doing the LR Relay on March 7th. I am excited! I had pretty much given up that I would be able to do it...or that a team would be forming this late...but I am now in touch with a girl who just moved to LR from Ohio, who is interested in doing the relay. I was a bit tense about running with people who wanted to set some kind of speed record, but she appears to be walking her leg of the relay, so no pressure on me to be super-speedy. This is just the motivation I need to "get back in the game", without too much pressure to perform and be tempted to over train and hurt myself. Plus, I get to be part of the marathon festivities, instead of totally missing out...with Kim and Cheryl doing the marathon that day! Thanks to Caitlin of Healthy Tipping Point for connecting Michele and I!

I will probably stick to 3-4 mile runs for the next week or two and see how it goes. My routes have been flat, so the hills will be another issue, but one step at a time. I am just so thankful to be "out there"..it has done amazing things for me...mentally and emotionally, to be running again....Cheryl has mentioned doing a relay in October in Las Vegas and I am tempted! Keep you posted on that!

Ups and downs...today's a down...

2009-12-28T06:10:00.000-08:00

Well...the last run I did was NOT the best...I only did 2.15 miles...part of that was extreme soreness from a few previous workouts, and part of it was the continued inability to get my shoes tight enough. I didn't want to do too much and end up with shin splints...I guess something is better than nothing. It makes me, kind of, dread my runs though...I guess I am anticipating pain or something. I think I will have to scale back on my cross training, so I am not so sore....

I know my last post was much more positive...I guess I'm a bit bummed about having to start from scratch and missing out on the Crackhead Challenge..I can't even imagine doing 5 miles again..I said I was grateful for the lack of "pressure", but somehow it's nice if it's a choice I can make myself..as opposed to something that is thrust upon me because of a lack of ability...Sigh..

Post run soreness...but I'm not giving up....

2009-12-24T13:24:00.000-08:00

I just think it's funny that the title to my last post "The drought is over!" is an understatement right now as we get pummeled with non-stop rain! That first and beautiful run, after the drought, has left me with an unexpectedly high amount of soreness, but I am not giving up! My IT band and knees were screaming at me the next day, that's for sure. I know it's been a while, but I ONLY did 3 miles, flat roads, took it slow and I was incredibly sore. The foam roller has been my best friend/enemy the past few days (although I didn't help my poor IT band by going to spin class and "kicking ass and taking names" on Tuesday night) but I digress...I plan to FINALLY meet up with my peeps and homies (aka LRM group) on Saturday morning for my first group run in a REALLY long time. I will only be doing 3 miles, the relay route, but I gotta start somewhere!

And I was thinking to myself the other day, that although there was initially some disappointment in not being able to do any forthcoming races...Now, I'm relieved...relieved that I can take my time recovering "smart" without the pressure of having to be ready for a race. Don't get me wrong, I am excited about upcoming races! My tentative race schedule is as follows, with some room for adjustment...

April 3 Capital City Classic 10K
April 24 Catholic High Rocket 5k (won an age group award here last year! TOUGH!)
May 8 Women Can Run 5k (PR'd here last year, I really liked the course)
May 22 Dino Dash (I didn't get to do this one last year, looking forward to it!)
October ? Soaring Wings Half Marathon (love this course! Was my very first half-marathon)

Not really sure if a marathon is in my future, or near future, I should say...I will see how my recovery goes. I wouldn't mind doing the Tupelo 14.2 Miler again in September. Keep you posted..

The drought is over!

2009-12-21T12:44:00.000-08:00

Approximately six and a half weeks, folks, of no running..it has come to an end! Today I ran for the first time since my marathon back on November 1st. It was GLORIOUS! The foot is not sore at this point, but I decided to take it easy, for obvious reasons...aka no running for almost 7 weeks and not wanting to overdo it the first time. My knees are a tad sore...I still cannot tie my shoe as tight as I usually do, so the insole didn't "hug" my foot like it's supposed to...but it's a start! It was the perfect day to run...sunny and 50's with a light wind. I enjoyed every moment!!

I did 3 miles running and it felt comfortable at a 10:14 pace, then walked about 0.5 miles. It sounds ridiculous...but I felt..."myself" for the first time in weeks. I am so thankful for the ability to run AT ALL right now! I was telling my blogging buddy, Jamie, today...that I would never choose it again, but I think the time off gave me some much needed perspective mentally and strength physically (cross training)...I am looking forward to getting back into it on a more regular basis.

I have opted not to do the LR Half Marathon. It's just too much pressure to try and catch up and I really don't want to risk another injury trying. Sadly, I cannot do the Crackhead or Half-Cracked challenge, but maybe next year! In the meantime, I do hope to get back into the running clinic with Dennis when he resumes and possibly the Women Can Run Clinic again, depending on my schedule. I hope to do some 5k's in the Spring and beyond that...I don't know...and FINALLY, I'm okay with that!

Can't run...let's do an Ultra!

2009-12-10T12:58:00.001-08:00

I still can't run...and yet...I find myself really getting psyched about, not only getting back into it, but wanting to explore trail running and even doing an Ultra. I'm not one for New Year's Resolutions, because it usually becomes a recipie for self-defeat, but I would really like to do an Ultra in 2010, and if not next year, then in 2011. This is probably ridiculous, at least at this point, since I can't run at all...but I guess it was ridiculous to plan to do a marathon last year when I had never run over 5 miles at a time! So....bring on the ridiculous-ness!

PS The foot is feeling a bit better and I can tie my shoes a "little bit" tighter than before...Oh well, gotta start somewhere!

32 days and counting...

2009-12-03T10:15:00.000-08:00

It has been 32 days since I ran last...sniffle...I'm not counting the 0.3 mile attempt (aka disaster) 2 weeks ago, that resulted in...NOTHING...and having to turn around and go back home because the foot was too sore to continue. It saddens me to say that I will most likely not be able to do the Little Rock Half Marathon in March as a result. I told myself that I would accept that, and it looks like I have no choice, but it definitely continues to be frustrating and sad that I don't know when I WILL be able to run. I am still trying to keep up some cardio by doing the spin bike and some weight lifting again. Just when I think I can graduate from my Keen sandals (about the only shoes that I can wear that don't put pressure on my foot) to shoes loosely tied..the soreness returns....Geez...On top of that, wearing the Keen's probably isn't the best for my plantar fasciitis and my arch has been killing me...
I wanted to do the Indoor Tri at the NLRAC again in January, but I haven't even bothered to get myself up to the pool and obviously, I can't do the running portion.

It is a bit depressing to see all the friends and acquaintances being able to race and train for races. I really miss it. Don't get me wrong...I wish everyone the best! I just wish I could do it too. Sorry, folks, if you were looking for a happy post, you hit me on a bad day. Maybe next time!

Thanksgiving...not just a holiday...

2009-11-23T15:40:00.000-08:00

Well....Thanksgiving is almost here! EEEEEEK! I am excited about the yummy deliciousness that will abound on Thursday...all day...mmm...

I always look forward to this particular holiday, and then I get busy and it just seems to sneak up on me! What's better than taking a whole day to look at your life, and look at all there is to be thankful for! I know...sounds easier than it is. Right now, I'm still having to be purposeful about it in terms of my not being able to run yet. I am encouraged that the foot seems to be feeling better...but....I did a little experiment last Friday to see if I could run and it was a FAIL. I was optimistic, because it had been feeling much better all week. Even when I laced my shoes, I was amazed it didn't hurt!.....fast forward 0.3 miles down the street, when YEP, it started bothering me. I tried to run with my shoes tied even looser, but I felt like my shoe was going to fall off. Sigh...I must say, I did tear up a little in frustration. Part of it was, of course, not being able to run, but mostly....it was feeling that I might have set myself back by doing that. Geez.....I hope not...

Anyway, my point being...I can still do other things, and I'm thankful for that. I have been riding my spin bike a lot and hadn't realized how much I missed it! I've also been doing the Power Pump weight class at the gym and hadn't realized how much strength I had lost! But I love the feeling of getting stronger and starting to see those hidden muscles start to peek out again. And in the midst of all this....becoming a more well rounded person and all...my desire to do a tri is coming alive again...Maybe by doing all this other stuff, I am preparing in advance for a tri attempt next year...hmmm...

So...right now...in this moment, I give thanks...for all that my body CAN do! What are you thankful for?

The stages of grief....

2009-11-14T08:35:00.001-08:00

Five Stages Of Grief:

1. Denial and Isolation.At first, we tend to deny the loss has taken place, and may withdraw from our usual social contacts. This stage may last a few moments, or longer.
2. Anger.The grieving person may then be furious at the person who inflicted the hurt (even if she's dead), or at the world, for letting it happen. He may be angry with himself for letting the event take place, even if, realistically, nothing could have stopped it.
3. Bargaining.Now the grieving person may make bargains with God, asking, "If I do this, will you take away the loss?"
4. Depression.The person feels numb, although anger and sadness may remain underneath.
5. Acceptance.This is when the anger, sadness and mourning have tapered off. The person simply accepts the reality of the loss.

(from the http://www.memorialhospital.org/ website)

I know...this may be a tad on the dramatic side, but my inability to run lately, has been somewhat of a loss for me. I think if I knew it would be over soon, it would be easier to handle or work though, but after having tried all I know to do to help the foot situation and without much improvement, it seems as if no end is in sight. In my head, I want to make the most of this time off...rest...find other ways to exercise and basically, get a life! That's a bit harder in reality...When I decided to start training for my first marathon, over a year ago, I'll admit that it was mostly to challenge myself and see if I could really do it. Before then, I loved exercise, but hadn't run since college. Even back then, I ran to keep my weight down and basically punish myself with a hard workout, for indulging...or to stay fit for the crazy, control-freak man I was dating at the time. Running and me...well, we didn't have a healthy relationship.

Training for my first marathon was filled with little setbacks and injuries, lots of questions, and victories...as I ran further each week than I ever had before. And I thought, that once I was DONE with the marathon...goal achieved, done running..Unexpectedly, I wanted to do it again. The second time around...still had setbacks..a few less injuries...but a bit more balance and speed work every week...with someone cheering for my improvement (not just pace, but running form, being healthier, recovering smarter, and learning to set my own goals). The Bass Pro Marathon was my favorite and best race yet. Not only that, but it turns out that I LOVE running. An unexpected gift........and just for running's sake. I miss lacing up my shoes, grabbing my ipod, listening to my breath, feeling every step...

And now...two weeks later...I am grieving....back and forth between several stages of grief....I denied for days that anything was TRULY wrong, even as I put my sneakers on and couldn't STAND to have my shoes tied, finally going to the doctor after trying all I knew to do to "fix" it. I have been isolating myself, because sadly...the only DAMN thing I talk about is running and now that I can't run, the only DAMN thing I talk about or think about is NOT being able to run...That's depressing and no one wants to hear it, so I just stay away from people, so I won't be a downer. I've been angry...angry that yet, AGAIN, I am injured and that somehow any progress I make seems to be fraught with setbacks...As I look back, I know it could have happened in any run, at any time, but sometimes I wonder if the race was even worth it, because I would rather be able to run, PERIOD! Then I tell myself, YES...I'm still glad I did my race, because it was a culmination of so much hard work. I'm angry that after all this time off, I will have to start over, FROM SCRATCH, and lose all that lovely progress. I have also bargained...been depressed, thinking it will never end...and tried acceptance, with little progress.

Whether my lack of being able to run is worthy of all this drama and introspection, the feelings of grief are still there. It does not help me to ignore them, pretend they aren't there, play the "what if" game, or in general, act like a b**. Feelings are feelings...they don't discriminate, depending on whether I deem them "valid" or not...It seems like the mental stamina I practiced for the marathon, is far more applicable NOW, when faced with the unknown and things I can't control. I'm trying to make the best of what I can do and maybe the acceptance will take a bit longer. The thing is....I can't argue with how much running has become my everything...and although I love it, that's kind of sad...When I look back at my training, I realize that it has become just another way that I have come to define myself...my worth...my identity...my friends...Although I LOVE the training...the anticipation of the race, the companionship of my running buddies, the commonality of swapping stories, the challenge of pushing myself....I have neglected so many other things that mean so much to me...the MOST important, my relationship with God and my good friends. I'm not saying that I can't have both...maybe it's been poor time management or priorities...I guess I just turned to running to "fill me up", to fill that place in me that makes me feel "OK" or "worthy"....Don't get me wrong, I definitely believe that God has given me the freedom to enjoy running and get pleasure from it...but when I can't run...what does THAT do to me? It's worth a look, I guess...even though it sucks. I think the grief I am experiencing has to do with much deeper issues than not being able to run....it may just be the thing that gets me to take a long, hard look at myself...

I guess grief is part of life..I'm sure the next few weeks will be a lesson in that. Just know that I am working through some things that have some to do with running, but mostly...control...or lack of it...And don't most of us want to learn to be a little more flexible and adaptable to life, so that we don't fall apart at the smallest sign of trouble? I'm sure I won't be the easiest person to be around, but just wait it out...don't bail on me yet! Maybe you won't know what to say...or have "the answers"...that's OK...just tell me that I will be stronger through this experience. Alot of the hardest lessons in life come through hard circumstances. I am a runner..but that's just PART of who I am. Now...to figure out the rest!

BOO! CRY! SCREAM!

2009-11-11T14:47:00.000-08:00

BOOOOOO!~!! HOOOOOOO!!!

WAAAA!!! cry...cry...scream....

Having a baby tantrum ....no running...

MD Update...

2009-11-09T12:45:00.001-08:00

I just got back from my doctor's appointment..and can I just say...I LIKE my podiatrist. It's true. He's a quirky little guy (I say that because he CAN'T be more than 5'5) ...he is friendly, professional, and one of those kind of people that is serious...but you know that they are hilarious underneath, like the people that can look you straight in the face, say something that kills you with hysteria and not even blink...but I digress....

After inspecting my horrid feet and palpating them, having me flex and dorsiflex...blah, blah...there really wasn't much new to say. I was relieved when he said that it was NOT a stress fracture. He didn't even go so far as to say that I had tendonitis, but just that the two tendons on my foot were "irritated". I knew as much...it was partially a relief that it wasn't anything worse, and partially I was like..."What the hell then?" because it has hurt too much to be "irritated". Anyway....he suggested that since there was no swelling or redness (I don't even remember seeing that after the race), that I probably didn't make it worse by waiting to put ice on it. He suggested both ice and heat in a 1:2 minute ratio, alternating for about 20 minutes, several times a day to increase blood flow to the area. Other than that, he knows I'm cheap (and I will take samples whenever I can) and suggested "You can wait it out and it will get better over time, or... (some hesitation here) there is a compound topical cream I use and it has been very effective in reducing pain and shortening recovery time...".

"I WILL TAKE IT" I said...and I did. It is a cream that has Ketamine HCL, Lidocaine and Cyclobenzaprine HCL (aka topical Flexeril)...And that was that...I'm a sucker for fast recovery.

He didn't restrict my running or activities, but suggested that I ease back into them as it starts to feel better and to wear shoes, as much as possible, that will not be tight across the top of my foot/ankle area. Of course, if needed,... lacing my shoes a different way or not lacing the top holes of the shoes. I DIDN'T like, however, his suggestion that I can make it worse by traumatizing it over and over, which could delay full healing for 6-8 weeks...EEK! So, it didn't really give me a time frame on my running, but hopefully after using the cream for a few days, I will be able to tell a difference. I'll keep you posted on the progress. Of course, it's tempting to want a "quick fix" and I guess it could be so much worse (it's only been 8 days)..Still, that feels like an eternity to my runner's mind..oh well, at least my PR will keep me warm at night, right?

Finally.....I guess I need a doctor..

2009-11-09T07:37:00.000-08:00

Yep....still stir-crazy...there isn't much progress, despite my avid use of the heating pad yesterday and no spinning, even though it was killing me not to. I went for a short walk yesterday in my Keen sandals, and even did a 3 minute running spurt, but there really is not enough arch support in the sandals and didn't want to cause another problem...aka...shin splints or arch pain. The only exercise it seems I can do without too much drama is Pilates...at least, some of it. I have also been trying to do some upper body to keep from turning into absolute jello. I don't know how long I will be "out of the running" (literally), but I'm going to have to clean up my diet if I want to avoid weight gain...that's thousands of calories not being burned, by my lack of being able to do any cardio! I rode my spin bike earlier in the week, but maybe it made the foot issue worse? I'm getting paranoid. Unfortunately, I cannot wear my sandals to work, so I will have to suck it up and just lightly tie my shoes on that foot for work this week. I made an appointment with my Podiatrist today. I'm going to have to go to the Conway clinic, because there was no other way to get an appointment this week otherwise. I don't know what he's going to tell me..but I figured that all I have been doing to help "my poor foot" would have helped a little more by now....

I will give an update after the appointment today!

Day 7 and counting...

2009-11-08T06:07:00.001-08:00

Sigh....nothing new here....it's day 7 since my last run and I am bummed..I miss it and the weather has been beautiful! The top of my foot is still pretty sore and I am wondering about the whole doctor thing...should I go? I was looking at information about foot pain and injuries online and there really is very little difference between tendonitis and a stress fracture, in this particular area of my foot. I have been doing all I know to do to move the recovery along....I read that even if it is a stress fracture, a lot of times the x-ray will not even show it until 2-3 weeks after it has started healing...In other words...I can pay to go to the doctor and basically he will tell me to do the exact same things, maybe add that I should stop running even longer...

I'm not getting stupid about it...as much as I want to run, I am being a good little girl. With training resuming soon for the Little Rock (probably Half marathon), I want to make sure I am healed up and ready to go...especially when it's time to get back into speed work and hills. I guess it could always be worse, I keep telling myself that..It's not going to do me any good to get uptight about something I'm doing everything I can do help and cannot control. When it comes to injuries, I am always brought back down to my human self, my body that is not immune to pain or little mishaps. I can, however, at least try to learn from them and do the best I can to take care of myself so that I can go back to doing what I absolutely love. That's really what it comes down to...Yes, I am looking forward to the next race and all...but the act of running, just for the sake of it...is what I miss...

So...in the meantime, as I try my best to avoid going stir-crazy..you may hear from me...

A bum foot...

2009-11-06T06:59:00.000-08:00

Well...I tried it this morning...at least, I got dressed, laced up my shoes...went outside and tried to do a little jog and .....NOPE...NOT HAPPENING TODAY...

I was so excited last night, knowing that I would be getting up to run with the girls this morning...but it did not happen. The top of the foot is still pretty sore. I hope it doesn't sideline me for too long, I miss running..

Trying not to be too dramatic about it, since it's only DAY 5 since the marathon...but on the thankful side..at least I can walk and ride my spin bike for some sort of exercise. I don't want to chance making it worse by trying to run with it still hurting. I will keep up with the meds, SalonPas, ice/heat, Vit C..and hope it gets better. I was told that if it is just a tendon issue, it should get significantly better over a few days. If it does not by Monday, I may end up seeing the Doc. Sometimes, it ends up being a Metatarsal fracture...Man, I hope not! The things I do for a PR...

Stay tuned to my future races...maybe I'll break something just to get a sub 2 half marathon...kidding...

Itching to run...but playing it safe...

2009-11-05T16:34:00.000-08:00

Well...here it is already Thursday! I can't believe it's already been 4 days since the marathon! I am itching to run I tell you!!! The day after the marathon I was pretty sore, mostly in my hips and quads. Usually after a hard run, it's my hips and knees, but surprisingly, no knee pain! I have had, however, a pretty sore upper right foot (on top where you tie the shoestrings). I think I had my strings tied too tight for part of the race and it has been bothering me more than anything else.

I have been pretty purposeful about my recovery this time...eating well, with a good combo of protein and carbs (although I have been craving veggies like crazy!), drinking plenty of fluids, taking Ibuprofen or Tylenol and applying SalonPas patches regularly for the muscle aches, and drinking my Emergen-C Vitamin C/Glucosamine drink mix. I have really felt exceptionally well, except for the foot thing for the past 2 days! I ALMOST tried to go run today, but decided to give it one more day to let the foot heal and try an easy run tomorrow morning. I would rather be healed up and rested well, than push it, as usual, and hurt myself!

As I get back into the swing of things, I am looking at my running goals for the next few months. I have not decided whether I will do the Little Rock Half or full Marathon in March. This will probably be my next race, so I will have to see how my recovery goes and go from there. Dennis is not resuming the running clinic until February or March, so I will have to do speed work on my own. I may keep Tuesday nights as my speed work day depending on my schedule. I am used to working the same days every week, but lately I have been getting cancelled so much, who knows what shifts I will be working?! I would also like to add in some form of cross training again, because I can tell I am losing some muscle mass! I may mix it up with some more cycling and get my butt back into the pool...Sigh...well, the good thing is I'm still free to make those decisions without having to train hardcore for anything yet. Kim and Cheryl have already been running for several days and of course, Cheryl is worried about her pace...YOU JUST FINISHED A MARATHON, FOR PETE'S SAKE! I just want to run...PERIOD!!! Crazy Skipper...

My Bass Pro Weekend and race recap

2009-11-03T06:51:00.000-08:00

It all started on Friday morning...Cheryl, Kim, Josh and I loaded all our belongings into the vehicles for our weekend extravaganza. Of course, I brought everything under the sun...Cheryl had been duly warned and ridicule was already out of the way. She actually said that I brought less than anticipated....so, the comments were at a minimum. We stopped at Starbuck's on the way out of town and took off. The trip up there seemed to go on forever and I was feeling every curve of Hwy 65..wishing I had not consumed the extra coffee...ugh...We stopped in Harrison for lunch and got some goodies from my favorite Mennonite Bakery 'The Homey Hearth' (Monster cookies and peanut brittle) and were on the road again.

The first thing we did upon arrival to Springfield, was go to the Bass Pro Shop for the marathon expo...well, I say expo, but sadly it was not...I don't know if it was due to the economy or decreased interest, but the "Expo" consisted of a packet pick-up...THAT'S IT! We were pretty disappointed. We picked up our shirts and packet, and although I was glad to get a tech shirt, the sizes were CRAZY big, and even the extra-small I got was huge. Oh well. We had a good time looking around The Bass Pro shop. There was an insanely big fireplace right inside the front door and it was so cozy! There were lots of "wildlife exhibits" and we got to see some crazy-big fish, cute ducks, an alligator, and lots of "stuffed animals" everywhere. I didn't really find much to buy but a few headbands that were definitely needed and was happy with that. Next, we headed to our hotel to get checked in. We stayed at the Hampton Hotel and Suites, thanks to Cheryl's hotel points, and had a wonderful FREE stay. The hotel was clean and cozy, with a huge fireplace in the lobby. Our room was pretty nice with big down comforters, a microwave and fridge...which really came in handy to store our drinks and snacks. Once we got everything settled in, we watched a little TV and relaxed for a bit and then headed to Branson to get some dinner. Cheryl and I were definitely craving some seafood! We went to Branson Landing and I was hoping to go to Joe's Crab Shack, but in the end we went to a Fish House...can't remember the exact name. The atmosphere was nice, but the fish selection was surprisingly small and didn't sound too appetizing. Each modification or side item had an extra charge and in the end I just ended up getting the "build you own burger"..I know...I know...you can get a burger anywhere..Well, the burger was extremely good and I was glad I did! It was a huge medium-well patty with lettuce, tomato, jalapenos, and mushrooms, with a spicy-sweet barbecue sauce. The fries were good too. Kim and Josh weren't really happy with their food, but Cheryl liked her prime rib quesadillas. By the time we got done eating, most of the shops were closing, but we did get to go into the candy shop and buy some expensive candy...hehe...we were all craving the sweets! By the time we got home, we were BEAT and it didn't take long for Cheryl and I to fall asleep!

The next morning, we got up around 6:45 to go down to the hotel fitness center. The girls were wanting to "work out"..I just went to do a light walk/jog on the treadmill. I didn't want to do anything too strenuous to deplete my glycogen stores before the race...the girls thought that was ridiculous and funny, but nevertheless, I only did a mile on the treadmill and about 10 minutes easy on the elliptical, with some light stretching. Kim had already been down there a while before we got there and I think she stayed a bit longer after we left. We went to check out the breakfast, and they really had a great spread! I ended up getting some fruit and coffee, and a box of granola cereal for later. We went up to our room to shower and get ready for the day. By the time we were all ready, it was around 10:30. Of course, we had to make a stop at Starbuck's! Then we headed to a health food store I had checked out online called Mama Jean's...it was AWESOME!!! I wish we had one in Little Rock, I could have stayed in there for hours!! I bought some great stuff and some "not so great" stuff (aka Soy jerky and Kombucha), but all in all, I loved it! We headed AGAIN to Branson, so Cheryl and Kim could check out the Tanger Outlets...I thought that I had been there before, but there were a few stores I didn't mind going to..Josh ended up shopping more than all of us girls! We grabbed some lunch while we were there and later headed back to Springfield. Kim and Josh wanted to nap before dinner. Cheryl and I decided to go ahead and get something from Panera and just take it back to the hotel and be in for the night. We got our race gear and snacks ready for marathon day and ate our food. We watched "Australia" and oogled Hugh Jackman for hours and then fell asleep pretty easily.

We had set our alarms for 5:00 am ,but somehow Cheryl's phone did not automatically reset with the time change, so it went off at 4:00. We went back to sleep for another hour and then started to get ready. The forecast said the temp was 41, but the wind was supposed to be 10-20mph that day! YIKES! I heard Cheryl say "Oh SHIT!" to that, but looked outside and the leaves weren't even moving, so thought that maybe we would luck out, at least for a while! I had my outfit laid out already...running skirt, short sleeve tech shirt, long sleeve tech shirt and vest, all black...with my gaiter, gloves and a bright pink headband. Last time we had done a run in 40-41 degree weather, I wore the same amount of layers and was comfortable, so it seemed like a good idea. I put my chip band on my right shoe, which if I could go back and do over, I would put it on my left, since I always end up having to adjust my right shoe, but oh well, lesson learned!
My fuel belt was full...3 bottles of fluid (2 with G2 and 1 with coconut water), one pouch with 5 Gu packets, safety pins and ibuprofen, and my other pouch with my ipod and my "focus card" (aka things to help me stay encouraged and focused during the race)...Cheryl and Kim had to take last minute potty breaks, and we were off. The nervous energy was starting to build as we got closer and saw all the people gathering inside the Bass Pro Shop...most of them were half-marathoners. The capped limit on the marathon was 600, but I think there were only around 300+ that actually ran.

We gathered at the start for The National Anthem, and my numerous shoe adjustments and only had about 16-17 seconds from when it started and when we crossed the START line. Kim, Cheryl and I started off together and stayed together for probably the first 5 or so miles. I shed my "throw away" layer around mile 2 when I was warmed up. We were on residential roads, uphill I might add, until about mile 3-4, when we veered off from the half-marathon crowd and headed toward the trail. It was really similar to the Little Rock River Trail, and for those of you that know me, I have had MY FILL of that damn trail for the past several months in training!! It started to mess with my head a little, being on it, reminding me of those endless mornings on the River Trail, but I tried to force that from my mind. There was one part where we had to go through a tunnel, but it was covered with water, after all the rain they had, so we ran up this little hill, across a busy street and back down to the trail. I didn't want wet shoes that early in the race, if I could help it! At that point, I needed to adjust my shoe, and take a walk/fuel break, so I told the girls to go ahead and go on without me. It was tempting to try and stay with them, but I knew I would need those small breaks to get through. I only walked for 1 minute every 4.5 miles, long enough to take my Gu, and started back running. It was helpful and I'm glad I did it. Anyway, I saw the girls ahead of me for a bit, but with all the curves of the trail, it wasn't long before I didn't see them anymore. By this time, many runners were meeting me on their way back my direction, so I knew there was a turn-around point ahead. The other runners were SO encouraging...in fact, I can't remember a race that so many runners encouraged each other so much! That alone, was a huge boost! The spectators were spread out, not too many of them, but steady and excited enough to really help me keep going. By around mile 8-9, it had really started to warm up outside and I had to take off my outer gloves ( I was wearing gloves and liners) and my gaiter and unzip my vest a little. The weather was just so beautiful, that I didn't mind carrying my stuff! It was close to the first turn-around, that I saw Kim coming towards me, and she waved! I was wondering "Where's Cheryl?" because I thought she was ahead of me, and figured she probably had to make a bathroom stop. Not too long after that, after I had turned around, I saw her and we made a pathetic attempt to high five..hehe...I figured any minute she would bust past me, like she did in Tupelo! At mile 9, I adjusted the shoe again and took my second 1 minute walk break. I passed a few people in the next few miles and it was nice to have other people around that weren't coming towards me! I decided I would let myself put my ipod on at my next fuel break and was excited to do so at mile 13.5! I tend to speed up when I have the music on...it just really pumps me up...so I figured I should wait, so I wouldn't burn out too quick! At this point, I had just run through a beautiful neighborhood without too many race markers, so I was glad to get on a long stretch of road where I could tell where to go! As predicted, I sped up some listening to Justin Timberlake's "Damn, girl" song...hehe...but did have to adjust my shoes AGAIN because the top of my foot was hurting. I think it was around mile 14 or 15 when we had to get back onto the trail again. The fuel stops on the route were really good...they used Powerade and they filled the cups up well, not too much in the cup..they seemed to have a good flow and the volunteers were super! I think it was around mile 19.5 or 20 that I got a Carb Boom that was Apple Cinnamon flavored and it was really yummy! I had just fueled at mile 18, so I held onto it until around mile 21 and took it early, since the volunteer had already opened it. I had been seeing runners coming towards me again, so I knew there was another turn-around. I had seen Kim and passed her earlier...she had taken off several layers and said she was hot, at the time she was texting Josh. Later, about 0.5 miles after the second turn-around, I saw her coming towards me...and shortly after that I saw Cheryl! She looked so refreshed, like she wasn't struggling at all! Right before mile 20, I can remember thinking..."Okay, isn't mile 20 where I'm supposed to hit the wall, because I know I have 6 more miles to go?" and then I told myself..."There is no wall here..." and I just kept going! The whole race, the miles just seemed to fly by...and even more so when my ipod was on. The feet were a little sore and at one point I had a calf cramp (?), but I just stretched a little as I walked and told myself "Your legs are not hurting.." and somehow...they didn't seem to hurt anymore. I told myself "You are victorious"...."You are stronger than you think you are"...and as I saw my pace, "You are killing it!" It was cool that the songs on my ipod were just pushing me forward, giving me energy...At mile 25, I saw lots of people start to walk. I slowed down too, but then I saw a sign that said "Finish Strong" and I started to pick up the pace again. When I got to mile 26, I saw a sign that said "26 miles, only 0.2 to go" and I started to get excited..and then...the finish that I will always remember..(it gives me chills as I write this)...As I rounded the corner, the theme to Top Gun came on ( listen here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SIleXsOl2I) and it was like a movie...I could feel my legs speeding up...the people were cheering...my eyes were tearing up and I ran as hard and fast as I could, as I heard them call my name...I looked at the clock and saw..4:37 something...I couldn't believe it! My actual official chip time was 4:36:27...a pretty significant PR from my last marathon, a 5:13:14! I had a stupid grin from ear to ear, as they put my medal on me and I got my finisher's hat! I saw Josh waiting for Kim, right after that, and I couldn't help tearing up all over again!
Here were my splits:

Mile 1 10:43, best 9:52

Mile 2 10:28, best 9:48
Mile 3 10:26, best 9:03
Mile 4 10:23, best 9:06
Mile 5 11:00, best 9:13
Mile 6 10:25, best 9:01
Mile 7 10:17, best 8:18
Mile 8 10:30, best 9:22
Mile 9 11:04, best 9:07
Mile 10 10:36, best 9:25
Mile 11 10:34, best 8:42
Mile 12 10:26, best 8:52
Mile 13 10:40, best 9:11
Mile 14 11:07, best 8:57

Mile 15 10:19, best 8:43

Mile 16 10:11, best 9:01

Mile 17 10:27, best 9:34

Mile 18 11:00, best 8:02

Mile 19 10:55, best 8:25

Mile 20 10:41, best 8:29

Mile 21 10:43, best 8:59

Mile 22 10:20, best 8:39

Mile 23 10:03, best 8:14

Mile 24 10:03, best 8:31

Mile 25 10:22, best 7:58
Mile 26 10:05, best 8:59

Last 0.2 9:55, best 8:59

As you can see, I had a few energy spurts!

I got a bottled water and stood at the finish, so I could watch the girls come in. Josh had texted them telling them I was already done. About 20 minutes later, I saw them running towards the finish together. As they crossed the finish line, they hugged each other and Cheryl started to tear up too! They got their medals and finisher's hats and we took some of our stuff to Josh's car, so we could go get some FOOD! I grabbed a Diet Coke (yum!), some eggs and a biscuit...mmmm..Kim and Josh had to leave pretty quickly, because they had to check out of the hotel by 1pm and Kim still needed to shower and change. We thought we might see them at the hotel, but we ended up staying for the awards ceremony and door prize giveaway. They had some pretty good stuff for the winners ...the overall winners got awesome plaques, money, and a free pair of New Balance Shoes. The winners of the age groups got artist posters, with signatures by Jeff Galloway and other running guru's..door prizes included some New Balance merchandise and overnight stays at Big Cedar Lodge.. Cheryl and I did not win, however...booo... (see medal above right..our are similar to last year's medal).

We headed back to the hotel to shower and change...we had one thing on the brain...MEXICAN FOOD! We asked the clerk at our hotel which restaurant she recommended, I can't remember the name of it now, but it was AWESOME! We ordered guacamole with our chips and salsa and fajitas for 2...which included beef, pork, shrimp, and chicken with all the fixins..it was heaven! After we fully stuffed ourselves, we went back to the hotel for a night of relaxation..I think we were both asleep by 8:30pm! Monday morning I couldn't sleep past 5:45, so I decided to go downstairs to meet Cheryl...she had been awake since 4:45 and had gone downstairs around 5:15 to read her book by the fireplace. By the time I got there, the breakfast buffet was getting into full swing, with tons of old people and military folks gobbling up the deliciousness. I got an egg, cheese and veggie omelet and some fruit and coffee..We sat for a bit reading the paper and "people watching"...One old man was making trip after trip, grabbing TONS of oatmeal, raisin bran and bagels..he had a whole tray of food and we could see "cereal-box like" shapes in the pockets of his pants too! It was hilarious! We went back upstairs and finished packing and were out of there! We stopped a couple of times on the way home, our main goal to go through Harrison and go back to the Mennonite bakery, but they were closed! Bummer!! Other stops included Target, Sonic, and Goodwill...as I had bought a table on Friday and Cheryl helped me pick it up and take it home. What a great weekend, but I was ready to get home!

Thank you to all who encouraged me, specifically.....Cheryl (aka Skipper and My Yoda), Kim (aka Kimbo), Annette, Brenda, Coach Dennis, Jeff,Brian, Morgan of Redhead Running, 26.2 Princess, Gabby of Gabsatrucker, Sara, Sabrina, Jade...and so many more! I've had a lot of real breakthroughs in "running my own race"...allowing myself to be challenged by my friends and peers,but at the same time, learning to do what is best for ME in my running. I'm sure I'll have many more running experiences to learn from! Love you all!!

Last minute...

2009-10-30T05:04:00.000-07:00

48 hours, Folks!

I am stronger than I think I am....

I have worked hard for this...

I am victorious....

I exist in each moment...not where I was, or where I should be...but I embrace the joy that is NOW

I do not have to run, I am FREE TO RUN....

I throw off everything that hinders me and run the race before me...

Mental prep

2009-10-29T05:11:00.000-07:00

3 days...72 hours...4763 minutes...until Bass Pro...I know, how many times can I write a freak-out countdown blog entry? Well..technically I haven't done the freak out yet..but last night I was reading one of my marathon books and it was talking about letting the runs the week of the marathon be a comfortable effort, so that you don't use up too much of your glycogen stores and I was like..."Oh no!" Try as I have, my runs this week have been faster than usual, although it hasn't felt like it...Even my "crappy run" yesterday was a 9:40 average pace...I say it was a crappy run, for the most part it felt okay, but I was having shoe issues and it was so frustrating! I could feel myself start the "talk" as my panic level rose.."What if this happens race day?" and on and on and on...

And so I had to make myself STOP that...I reminded myself that sometimes I have shoe, hip, back (whatever) issues one day and then can feel totally awesome the next! So that was not going to ultimately doom me to a horrible race day. It's true that I have no control over the weather...but I can do as much as possible to prepare for a good race day...eat well, try to get some rest, dress appropriately, have all my gear, etc..ad infinum.. As I said in my earlier post, most of my preparation this week has been internal..my mindset. I have realized that a lot of times, my mindset is what defeats me, even before I've even tried something! I create these unrealistic expectations or seek to control things that cannot be controlled and set myself up for bitter disappointment. It's true..I do want to beat my previous time..I have worked hard! Those Tuesday night running clinics weren't for nothing! I do want to improve...to push myself....

Obviously, we all don't know what tomorrow will bring. We like to plan and scheme and control, but in the end, we adapt....well or not, cheerfully and thankfully or not...And I haven't been very adaptable, I'll be honest. I HOPE that I have many more years of healthy running ahead of me. Realistically, I probably do have plenty of time to keep working toward becoming a better, faster runner...but I wondered to myself yesterday...what's the rush? Is there some invisible timetable out there that I have to complete? Maybe I'm just giving myself an "out", an excuse to fail... A lot of the time, I push and push, but all the while in my head I'm thinking.."When will I be good enough?"..."am I good enough now?"I have berated myself and my accomplishments with the misguided belief that it will encourage me to reach a higher standard. Instead of celebrating my successes with a positive voice, I constantly undermine my progress by reminding myself how far I have to go. In the end, the constant criticism works to defeat me. Sad, but true. This week I have had to look long and hard at this in my life..Whose voice is that? Is it external? Sometimes...But mostly..it's me...

As I think back to some of my experiences, not necessarily running related, the times that I have thrived have been the times when I just let myself relax and enjoy the process. I'm not talking about being lazy, but giving myself permission to take everything in...to not be so focused on some narrow goal that I miss out on the journey. When I celebrate little steps and successes, I usually perform better as a byproduct of enjoying something with childlike delight! The other day I heard a quote that said something like..."The marathon is just the victory lap at the end of all the training"...Now that's one SERIOUSLY LONG victory lap, but the day in and day out training and work are just as gratifying. I am enjoying the fact that it takes risk for me to put myself out there...to try..and to hope...I'm sure that, being a person with perfectionist tendencies, this will be a process that extends much farther than a race... but God has really used running in my life to show me spiritual parallels and I'm ready to start listening...

Pre-race jitters and Soaring Wings blurb..

2009-10-27T06:14:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official...we are going to have to build an ark...it's raining AGAIN! I admit I like a rainy day, now and then, but it has been so wet lately! How would a marathon on an ark work? 26.2 miles of circles....ugh.....however.... the scenery would be most interesting! Maybe if a lion or bear took a swipe at me whenever I ran by, my time would improve! Sigh...

Today is the last day of running clinic. The chance of rain is supposed to decrease to 50% after 5pm, so MAYBE we will get to run! I hope so! I have been looking forward to seeing Coach Dennis and everyone for the last time this season..unless we encounter each other in the racing circuit. Cheryl has been making herself sick with "Marathon Madness" and I have tried not to think about the race on Sunday too much. My runs are still pretty decent and I'm trying to eat better (except for the dang pesky candy corn in my cupboard!) in preparation. To be honest, I think I need more mental preparation than anything! It's hard not to let the anxiety take over sometimes. I try to tell myself that it doesn't serve me anyway, and that relaxes me some. I have downloaded some new music for my ipod and am excited about the new tunes! I will probably leave my ipod off for the first 8-10 miles, maybe for the first half...just to stay aware of my surroundings and the bigger crowds and then put it on when I am needing a boost. The music never fails to push me a little, even when I am feeling tired or worn out! I have tried to stay away from saying my goals out loud..for fear that I won't obtain them, but I definitely hope to do a sub 5 hour race. Anything even lower would be straight AWESOME, but I am trying to focus on the experience of the race and not let a time goal be the measure of whether I "succeed" or "fail". I hope to avoid my usual pitfall of starting out too fast and conserve my energy at the beginning. I want to set the workout on my Garmin for an 11:00 min/mile pace, but it may be hard to pay much attention to that, considering the volume on my Garmin is not working and I cannot hear the alarms! I keep reminding myself that even though it's hard to see all those people passing me at the beginning, I'm just saving my energy for later when I need it most. I would love to have a negative split!

In other news, Cheryl and I volunteered this past weekend at the Soaring Wings Half Marathon. I was really wishing that I could have been running it, but it was still great to see so many of our friends and fellow running peeps coming across the finish line! We got there a little after 6am and of course, it was still dark. It was COLD too, and I was so glad I layered. I had 2 long sleeve tech shirts, the volunteer t-shirt, and a fleece jacket on...not to mention a gaitre, and gloves! The food prep was a bit chaotic, and most of the volunteers ended up asking Cheryl and I what to do! Most of them had already been cutting up fruit, so we started emptying candy, etc. into bigger boxes and arranging the stuff on the tables. There were a lot more volunteers, a lacrosse and baseball team from Hendrix, so the Gatorade and water were pretty much taken care of. We were able to get some terrible coffee at one point, and head over to the start line to watch beginning of the race. It was neat to see everyone take off! After that, we filled our time with rolling MILLIONS of hot dogs and even got to eat one of the yummy hamburgers being grilled before our eyes...One after another of our peeps crossed the finish line, many of the first being guys from our running clinic. Kim had a pretty good race, but was a bit sore. After a short drama with Cheryl's friend almost passing out, and getting to scope out a very cute fireman/EMT, we left and headed home. My legs were a bit tired from standing all morning, but I went to run when I got home, because I was undecided as to whether I would get to run the next day, due to work. Well, I didn't work...but that's another story...for another time. My run went fairly well, considering, and I headed out to the parent's house to meet my mom and sister to go to the Commissary for some grocery shopping..and MORE hours of being on my feet!

4 more days til the race! Despite the rain that is flooding the earth, I believe it is supposed to be a sunny race day, with early morning temps in the 40's. PERFECT, if you ask me. If you ask Cheryl or Kim, they will tell you otherwise! hehe...It happens to be Daylight Savings weekend, so it will be lighter outside, when we start at 7am. Hopefully, the sun will warm us up. I am personally hoping that my "aunt martha" will not be joining me for the race..I do not want to spend precious minutes in various port-o-potties throughout the morning!

Clinic ends...and a new challenge on the horizon...

2009-10-21T06:45:00.000-07:00

Just a short post today, since I have a little bit of time before going to work..

Last night was the second to last running clinic of 2009....next week will be a bit of a light workout for us, due to marathon tapering. Dennis will be continuing to trail individuals throughout the winter, but probably won't start the clinic again until around February. Anyhoo, the workout last night was our toughest yet! Luckily, the weather was perfect...sunny, breezy, and probably in the 60's. Cheryl and I had to do our workout early, due to having to be in Conway by 7pm for the Soaring Wings Volunteer Meeting. I showed up around 5..the workout looked like it would be long and I always take at least 15 minutes to warm up. Here's the workout I did: 15 Minute warm up, 2 strides
1x5 @ LT Pace, 3' rest
1x800-1st 400 @LT pace, 2nd 400 @ Interval pace, 2' rest
3x400 @ Interval pace, 2' rest
4x200 @ Interval pace, 200 jog/rests
10 minute cool down, stretching

It was the longest and toughest workout so far and my heart rate stayed high and breathing somewhat labored. It felt great to really push myself though! I was a tad sore in the left knee, but stretching took care of that! Cheryl was disappointed because she had to cut her workout short, due to her late arrival from work. Next week will be pretty easy and we probably could do without going to clinic, considering the workout, but I want to be there for the last workout of the season. I must say that I have been ready to have a break from the commitment for a while, but now that it is ending, I'm kind of sad :( I hope to keep doing speedwork on my own once a week throughout the winter.

I'm really hoping that I do recover from my second marathon faster than my first. I want to be smarter about it, mostly in my diet and rest. Last time I got sick after the marathon, and I'm hoping to bounce back a little better. I didn't want to jump right back into training for another race, but I found my little heart going "pitter-pat" when I got an email from Hobbit about the Crackhead and Half-cracked Challenge coming up in March. I don't know if I can resist! And I am still undecided as to what to do. The Crackhead involves doing a Half marathon on Saturday and then doing the Little Rock Marathon on Sunday. The Half-cracked involves doing a 10k on Saturday and the Little Rock Half Marathon on Sunday. You get a medal for each race PLUS a medal for doing both...THAT'S 3 MEDALS! I'm not sure if my body can take the Crackhead or not. The training involves 2 long runs back-to-back each week. Cheryl and Kim have already decided to do it (of course)....I have a little bit of time to decide.

In the meantime, I am hoping to do the Great Gobbler 5k, 2 weeks after the marathon. Not hoping for a PR, because I don't really know how I will feel, but the race sounds fun. For now...only 9 more days til Bass Pro! EEK!

Finally...the "runners high"!

2009-10-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

Okay..so officially I am supposed to be tapering but...

Met the girls this morning for our usual Monday 5+ mile loop. I was really itching to go run yesterday, but it was so cold, I only got as far as the front porch all day! It was cold this morning, and even though the temp said 41 degrees, it didn't feel quite as cold as I expected.

I must say that the whole run felt wonderful! I couldn't resist doing an extra two miles on my own after we got back! I don't know what it is, but with the exception of last Friday and part of Saturday's run, I have had a wonderful few weeks of running! I have tried to think of things I might be doing differently, so that I can make sure this awesomeness continues, but there isn't really one thing that sticks out to me. It's like all this energy was just infused into my body and I have felt like I could run forever! And faster too! On Friday, I was sure the honeymoon was over...my feet, hips, knees, butt all hurt and I felt like I had never run before..but today, the mojo was back!

Now...in the face of common sense, you might be wondering, "Aren't you supposed to be tapering?" Yes...but I couldn't resist today. For the next two weeks, aside from speed work tomorrow, I will have to "reign it in", so to speak...but it's interesting that all this time that I have been running, I can never say that I've had that "runners high" that everyone talks about. I've enjoyed running and I usually, with the exception of the soreness after long runs and speed work, feel great afterwards. But I finally know it feels like...GOOD! And I'll take it as long as I can!

EEEEKK!

2009-10-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

That seems to be my sentiment lately about a lot of things, but since this is my "running" blog..my latest "eek!" is the impending Bass Pro Marathon. It is almost upon me, in 2 weeks to be exact, and I am already feeling the nerves!

Yesterday was our 12 miler with the LRM Group, meeting at the Harvest Foods on Cantrell. Cheryl picked me up, per usual, and promptly stated how "frigid" it was outside. Now, you have to know up front that Cheryl hates, no, HATES winter...and since it seems like we have completely skipped over having a fall...she tends to be a bit testy about cold weather. I went outside and thought "hmm..doesn't seem colder than yesterday"...and I was quickly informed that I should "just wait"...I decided to grab my vest, just in case...

We headed over to the meeting place with no issues (aka the roads were not blocked off yet for the Race for the Cure, going on that morning) and met Kimbo. Tom and Hobbit were out of town this weekend, setting up a booth for the Little Rock Marathon at the Kansas City Expo, so some other people were managing the runners this week. We decided to go ahead and get started. It was still dark, of course, but that usually makes running down to Murray Park much more bearable. At this point, I was VERY glad that I had worn my vest and was getting comfortable warm about 1 mile into the run. The route is very flat, and I was pleasantly having a much better run than I did on Friday. I'm sure the lack of hills was most of it, but my butt/sciatic was not bothering me like it did then.

Somehow the miles flew by...and we were keeping a pretty fast pace, that became a little challenging for me about halfway through the run. We didn't take as many walk breaks, so my legs felt like lead, but when Cheryl stopped to use the bathroom, I got a short break and got my second wind to finish out the last 2-3 miles at a decent pace. In light of the marathon coming up, we knew we were going too fast for the goal pace of around an 11:00 min/mi but I quickly reminded myself NOT to do that on race day. It will probably be a good thing that I'm not running with the girls, so I am not tempted to do that, because I can tell that it definitely costs me later in the run. I would love to have a negative split, because I saved my energy and made the most of my short walk breaks. This is pretty impossible with Kimbo and Cheryl, as Kim pretty much stays a steady pace and keeps going and Cheryl always has some invisible speed watch in her head that makes her take off like a bat out of hell. However, you never know what race day will bring and I hope that I am rested and have a good running day.

We are pretty much tapering now and that usually freaks me out..especially when the runs closer to the race seem less and less easy. This week we will have to do our workout early, because we are going to Conway for the required volunteer meeting for the Soaring Wings Half Marathon. Kim is running the race (because she is a bad ass) and Cheryl and I are volunteering. I knew I couldn't run a half the week before a marathon (!), but last year I enjoyed this race so much, I wanted to be a part of it somehow. I signed up for food prep or packet pick up. I guess we will find out when we go to the meeting Tuesday night. Next week we will be really be cutting back on mileage, and modifying our speed workout with Dennis. As race day approaches, I'm sure the "freak outs" will increase...there is nothing that I can do about the whether my "special friend" visits me on race day as scheduled, or the weather itself...so there's no point in worrying myself to death over it. I do want to try my best to plan as well as I can and get plenty of rest and eat well.

One month until Bass Pro...EEK!

2009-09-29T12:04:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in so long! To be honest...I'm getting hooked on blogs..reading OTHER people's blogs..that is! I can't believe Bass Pro is just 1 month away! Cheryl and I did the 20 miler with the LRM group this weekend.

We started at the "traditional" meeting place, aka The Arts Center, for the first "marathon training" run of this season. We tried to get there early, but downtown Argenta was almost completely blocked off, due to the Big Dam Bridge 100 mile bike race. By the time we got there, it was almost 5:45...It was dark, of course...I do love that fall is making an appearance, however, the darkness arriving earlier in the evening and staying later in the morning is not my fav. The route pretty much took us through the whole of downtown Little Rock, past all the usual places...Central High, MLK, The Capitol, up Kavanaugh, down Cedar Hill and back to downtown via Titus Trail. We kept a pretty consistent pace for most of the run. Cheryl had her Garmin set for an 11:00 mile/min pace, sometimes we went way too fast..other times too slow. We averaged around a 10:45ish for the whole run. My feet were killing me at around mile 17 and I was ready to get that run OVERWITH!

I kept thinking to myself..."How in the HELL am I going to do 26 miles in a month?!" Cheryl basically talked me through the last 3 miles, and I was wondering how I will get through the race by myself...

On that note, I recently read a blog about a group of bloggers that run together and wondered how they handled running together at races when they all have differing speeds. They basically disperse at the finish line, so they can concentrate on their own races and not feel pressured to keep up or compete just to beat each other. For some reason, this post made me sigh in relief. I want to run with the girls..I mean, we are driving 5 hours to do the race together! But I am just not as fast as they are and when I run with them, my need to keep up goes against the common sense of not starting out too fast and burning out early! So, I have decided to start out alone. I haven't necessarily imposed that on myself, but I want to have a good race, despite whether I can "keep up" with the girls or not. At the Tupelo 14 Miler, I started out WAY TOO FAST, and although I finished in a decent time, I ended up pulling my hip AGAIN. I don't want to chance that in the marathon. I hate to put time goals on myself, mostly because I am afraid I will fail, but I would love to finish in under 5 hours. I feel that I have been working hard in running clinic, and I really hope it makes a difference.

This weekend is a 14 miler and I'm looking forward to a "short" run (haha)!

Blah...blah....and more blah...

2009-07-07T07:35:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to get back into blogging regularly again, but it has been hard to get motivated, not sure why. The past few weeks has had its ups and downs, mostly having to do with my various and seemingly widespread injuries...hehe..

I will say, to start, that I had a blast at the NLRAC 1 hour Triathlon a few weekends back..I was nervous, especially since I had pulled my hip, again, and had been taking it easy that week and the week before. They had moved my time to 7:40, I was in the 3rd "heat"...I was so nervous, I could hardly sleep the night before. I just kept reminding myself that it was for fun and that I could just pretend it was a really good workout. I knew all the girls in my group, and was a bit apprehensive about that, since one girl in particular is pretty competitive, but it ended up making the whole thing more fun. We all were trying it for the first time, and everyone was very encouraging! The swim leg was first, with 10 minutes in the lap pool...just get as many laps as you can during that time. I must admit I got pretty tired, but I kept going the whole 10 minutes and Natalie Berry on the sidelines cheering me definitely helped! The 10 minute transition period flew by and it felt like it took me forever to dry off and get my clothes changed. I ran over to the spin bikes for the next "leg" of 30 minutes (as much mileage and wattage as possible). Thank God I brought my ipod! It was definitely fun joking around with the girls some, but I really pushed it during this part and I had Bon Jovi to help me along the way! hehe... I had brought my running shoes to change for the last "leg" on the treadmill, but with no transition period between the cycling and the running, i wished I had worn my running shoes during the cycling part, even though I hate to do that. It took a minute just to change shoes and later I had to stop to retie them! 2 minutes wasted....oh well...I turned that baby up and got as much mileage as possible in the last 18 minutes..

I would definately do that again...it was fun, a good workout, and we got awesome goodie bags on top of it all. To top off a wonderful time, I got Starbuck's, headed home to change, and went back to the pool for a few lazy hours of relaxing in the sun!

Rough run...maybe I should "tri" harder?

2009-06-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in sooo long, no excuse really...Today was our run with the LRM group in Maumelle. I haven't been super consistant running with the group on Staurday mornings, for one reason or another. The past few months were frought with 5k's and being out of town, so it look as if I will be able to run with them for a while (with the possible exception on June 20th, more on that later)...

It turned out to be a nice morning..at first it was lightning outside, but it cleared up really nicely. It was humid, of course, but it seemed cooler than it has the past few days or so in the morning. Cheryl and I did 9 miles and it was a LONG 9 miles. We were commenting that it felt like we hadn't done even 8 miles recently, considering how hard it seemed. My left hip has been bothering me (big shock, I know)...this past Monday I pulled something in Kickboxing class. I usually try to be careful about sidekicks and such, but I guess I wasn't warmed up enough or something. I was pretty frustrated...not only because the most RANDOM things set it off...but on top of that, I had to modify my running in Coach Dennis' clinic due to the tightness and pain. It started getting better until yesterday, again, when I was in my "boot-camp"type class....geez...Today during the run it felt okay until about mile 6-7 and I was ready to stop!
Cheryl and I were glad it was over and we headed to Starbuck's for some cafe'! It really is a treat now, since I only go after our Saturday runs!

As far as the running clinic goes, I am enjoying it...I really appreciate the tips, advice and wisdom that Coach Dennis has for us...I am hoping that the speedwork and (hopefully) hill repeats, will help me be better prepared for the Bass Pro Marathon in November. So far it seems not to be helping my long runs!

Next weekend is an "experimental" triathalon, if you will, at the NLRAC. It is a timed one hour simulated triathalon...10 minute lap swim, 30 minute bike ride, 20 min run...as much mileage as possible. I am seriously thinking about trying it, just to see how it goes. I DO NOT SWIM, so this should be interesting and I must admit, it is my major concern...I guess my agenda is just to finish..and if nothing else...it should be a good workout. I do dread the "Dreadmill" though...If they garner enough interest, they will look into sponsoring a "real" tri and even have training options...that would be awesome!

Short update

2009-05-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

Man, it's been so long since my last blog, I can't possibly remember all I was going to blog about! Now that I have email on a more regular basis, I hope that won't be the norm for me. I can't believe that it has been over 2 months since the marathon! This has been my "break" from "official" training for a marathon, but has not been a time to slack!

The Women Can Run Clinic came to an end, sadly, but was finished with a memorable 5k that ended up being a PR for me! I was excited and the speed work in the clinic really helped! I also did the Rocket 5k and won 2nd place in my age division! Cheryl and I did the Capital City Classic 10k in April and the MacArthur Park 5k in May. We will finally be able to get back into summer running with the Little Rock Marathon training group on Saturdays and I am looking forward to that! This past weekend Cheryl and I did 8 miles in the River Market, which is the farthest I've run since the marathon. Building that endurance again has been tough, but that last long run felt great! This week was my "official" beginning of training for the Bass Pro Shop Marathon on November 1st. Cheryl, Kim and I are doing it together and hoping for some decent weather and better times all around!

A lame blog history...

2009-05-17T12:42:00.000-07:00

Yes...I need to update my blog...However, my internet access has been sporadic at best lately. Have patience, folks...I have done several 5k's in the last month and a half and this week starts Marathon training again! I hope to blog soon..

On the road again....

2009-04-13T11:40:00.000-07:00

Finally starting to feel human again after the marathon, "getting my legs back", so to speak....my runs are still felling challenging, but I am slowly becoming able to run for longer lengths of time...Last week at the WCR Clinic was a pretty good week. Monday was a combo of hill repeats and speed work and it was tough, but it felt like a good workout and, most importantly, I didn't injure myself! Thursday was a little more tough, a 4.5 mile "social" run...my hips and IT Band were acting up pretty bad and it was a slow day....I guess you have both!

This past Saturday we did the LRM group run in Maumelle and it felt good to be called a "crackhead" again....:) It was an out-and-back, which I typically hate, but I was able to do 7 miles and was proud of that considering my latest struggles with increasing my mileage. My hips were a bit tight and I attribute that to my extra 20 minutes of sleep, instead of warming up on my spin bike like I usually do...oh well....Of course, I'm not super speedy yet, but I am hoping that will come with time. This next month is going to be an intermediate time of trying to work up my endurance level during the week, and hopefully making a habit of running 5 days a week. Me, Cheryl and Kim have talked about doing the Bass Pro Shops Marathon on November 1st and that should give me a little "cushion" as I get ready to start training again. I have been looking at training schedules and want to give the Galloway method a spin at some point. Mostly, I am concentrating on running for longer periods of time and less on how far I run. Somehow that little shift of focus actually seems to help me, and I'm not so obsessed with pace!

I'm planning on doing the Catholic High Rocket 5k on April 25th. This next weekend is the route on Rhaling Rd. with the LRM group, and I NEED those hills. I've heard the 5k route is all hills! Cheryl will be out of town that weekend for the American Odyssey Relay and Kim will be doing the marathon in Nashville. May is fraught with several 5k's as well, although, I regret not being able to do the Dino Dash on the 30th. I will be camping at the Buffalo that weekend...somehow I will find a way to cope...hehe...

Any advice regarding marathon training schedules or experience with the Galloway Method is welcome!

Whine..complain....etc...etc...etc...

2009-04-02T17:41:00.000-07:00

Ok...so mostly this blog is to vent...whine..bitch..moan and complain....5 things I do exceptionally well...Mostly, I'm just feeling frustrated in general about how slowly my body is letting me recover from the marathon. The 5k last weekend was a treat, in that it was fun, and I beat my goal time. But it bothers me that, more often than not, those 2 things are directly linked and almost totally dependant upon each other...I want to train for another marathon...but I'm not sure when...and I don't want to sign up "just because" and not be ready...And, anyhoo, I have been signing up for some 5k's and a 10k to get used to running again and try something different for a while and I still seem to have this pressure following me around...kind of like competition...I've always been focused on trying to beat myself, meet my own goals...but now, I feel like if I'm not a part of someone else's, I 'll always get left behind...My friends have done plenty of run days, running slower than I know they can or want to, to stay with me..and now, not getting any faster, I need to let them go and do better for themselves. This makes me feel sad...sad that I'm not doing better....sad that I will be alone...sad that I once enjoyed running alone and now it kind of hurts...sad that the love of running seems to be overshadowed by expectations (mine and others)....

So, it is with a heavy heart and ipod in hand, that I let go...I will sign up for a marathon WHEN I'm ready...I will run at MY OWN pace and let others leave me if they need to....and this WILL NOT mean that I'm not bad or inadequate or a sucky runner...it just means that I AM WHERE I AM...and hopefully other people will accept that....hopefully I will accept that. That's all I can do.

Happy Birthday to me!!

2009-03-29T16:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my 33rd birthday...Yep, folks, you heard that right..this svelte creature before you is 33 years old...hehe...

I really wanted to do a race on my Birthday, so I talked Cheryl and Kim into doing the Spring Fling 5k in Cabot with me. They had run it before, so were pretty obliging..but unbeknownst to me...were dreading it, as the day came. I showed up at Cheryl's, bright and shiny, as I was excited that it had stopped raining and looked like it would be dry for the race! Kim didn't get much sleep and her "cat allergies" were acting up, so she didn't feel the greatest. I did get, however, a fairly chipper "Happy Birthday" from them both...When we left, we noticed that it had gotten colder and more windy, so Cheryl grabbed an extra shirt. We got to Cabot High School and headed to the registration area. This year was a bag, instead of a shirt and mine was pretty empty. Apparently, Kim got the bag that some small, generous child had filled cause it was sagging with tons of stuff! This made her feel a little better, so I couldn't argue with that! We headed to the car to put our stuff away and ran into Andrea...said a quick hello...hopped in the car to get warm...and proceeded to watch with rabid fascination as the couple next to us "geared up" their YOUNG babies to go with them on the run. THEY had several layers and yet somehow, I guess babies don"t get cold? Bare, little red hands can't be good...The wind was really cold and rough by then...

We crossed over the track and jogged a little to warm up, heading to the Elementary school. Miraculously, the sun had peeked out of the clouds and brought some warmth with it, and the wind seemed to die down some. Cheryl took off, with some invisible time goal in her head, as Kim and I lagged behind. My goal was 33 minutes, for my 33rd birthday! I wasn't sure how well I would do, considering I've been in marathon mode and pace for months, and last week in general was hard as far as running goes, especially being sick. Kim and I kept a 9:45-9:55 pace for most of the route and just talked the whole time.

It seemed to fly by and the weather was turning out to be gorgeous! I even got a little warm and had to get some water at the water stop! We finally circled the track, Kim letting me go first "down the chute", although I think our finish time was the same...30:40. I was happy with that..beat my goal and was much faster than i anticipated I would be..no PR or anything, but hey! Cheryl finished at 29:14 and was thrilled! The post-race food was WAY beyond our expectations, as the tables were lined with all kinds of goodies....donuts, brownies, cookies, pretzels, grapes, pineapple, bananas, and more...Why do the shortest races have the best food?? We felt guilty for eating so much after only a half hour of running...but we all agreed, it made the race worth it!

Of course, I don't have to say we went to Starbuck's...oh wait...I just did! We sat and enjoyed our drinks and chatted for a while and Cheryl asked a man nearby to take our picture. After that, we went back to Cheryl's house and I opened my presents. Kim bought me some BEAUTIFUL pillows she saw at Target (pretty much anything at Target is a safe bet!) and Cheryl got me the PediEgg and a gift card to Target. I've been wanting to try thee PediEgg FOREVER! Now I can use it on my "bunionettes"!

I had wanted to go to a Junktique sale I had read about in the paper, but (note to self: read the whole article...) and thought it was in Conway, so me and the girls drove on up to Conway, only to find out it was in Little Rock at Catholic High..geez...Oh well! Just another excuse to stop at Starbuck's once again, and we did find an ineresting flea market type establishment...

After tahat, it was back to NLR and separate ways for the 3 of us...it was a great start to my Birthday!

Marathon Day!!!...has come and gone...

2009-03-21T10:35:00.000-07:00

Well...it's almost been a week since the LR Marathon...Man, I can't believe it!! All that time and training and it has come and gone!

Last Sunday I met Kim and Cheryl at Cheryl's house..our usual routine for runs and races...I got there by 6 so that I would have time to mess with my Garmin, make any minor adjustments with my clothes and shoes, use the bathroom one more time, etc...The night before wasn't too bad..I had a little bit of a hard time falling asleep, but once I did, I slept well and felt rested when I woke up. Cheryl was all decked out in a running skirt and minutes later, when Kim showed up...SHE was too! I felt a little left out, but later decided that it was best I wear pants.."in case" of any mishaps, as my "aunt Martha" ( aka my period) was visiting that particular weekend...Cheryl attempted to help me set the alarm on my Garmin for walk breaks (which we later discovered, didn't work) and then the girls presented me with my "First Marathon" goodie bag!! It was awesome!! They got me a license plate cover and a 26.2 sticker (both of which I almost bought at the expo), socks, Gu, and the cutest bracelet that Kim had made for me!! I thought the weather itself (40's-50's with no wind) was a gift in itself, but the goodie bag made it extra special! :) Kim had brought Josh with her, as he would be meeting us at various places on the course with Cheryl, until she joined us at mile 13. We drove downtown to the Clinton Library parking lot to park ,use the bathroom, and wait out another hour before the start. I could feel myself starting to get nervous, I hadn't really been too nervous up to that point. We sat in the "steaming" car, literally, as cold-natured Cheryl had the heat blasting...as we joked and laughed at the various running attire we saw. Finally, we hopped out, got our gear on and headed to the START. I was in Coral D, which was the slowest and biggest crowd..and Kim and I had a "time" trying to wedge ourselves into the area! We weaved our way through the people only a few minutes before the gun went off, after saying "hi" to Annette and "bye" to Josh and Cheryl.

The gun went off! We finally started moving and I believe we crossed the mat about 2 minutes after that. I warmed up pretty quickly and ended up ditching my "throw-away" layer during the first mile or so.. I was kind of afraid to, thinking I might need it later..but off it went! We crossed the Broadway Bridge and heard cheering, only to see the first runner about to hit mile 5! I was anticipating going down 7th street, as I was hoping to see my friends Sara and Shawn and their kids...I saw my friend Sonny, and was so busy waiting waving to her, I almost missed Sara shouting "Go, Tammy!" and her little girl Sadie, holding a sign they made...it was so cute! Not too long after that, we saw Cheryl and Josh by the Alltel Arena! Kim' phone kept beeping with new texts, asking us where we were and where they would meet us next. We usually saw them (Cheryl and Josh) before they saw us and it was hilarious to come down the street and see them looking so intently at the map! I had ditched my gloves at mile 2, but my hands got cold again, so as we were coming back over the Broadway Bridge, I grabbed a pair of black mittens..."fast-walker-guy" was behind me and said " I guess those were there just for you! Their loss is your gain.." The miles seemed to pretty much fly by as Kim and I chatted..I think she had to stop and use the potty around mile 9 and I tied my shoes while she was inside. I ended up having to use the potty around mile 11. I dreaded it, cause you never can get your underwear and pants back on "just right" after that, but it wasn't too bad. We ran into our friend "Windy"...the guy we call "Wind Beneath our Wings"..because he is this huge, "teddy-bear of a man" that has been so inspiring to us, to me, during the whole training period...He came week after week to the training runs, starting out with a partner that abandoned him..to run by himself, with just an ipod...and got so much faster doing it! Kim got a shot of me running next too him on her camera phone...hehe...a covert operation...

Skipper, the "Rogue Runner" joined us at mile 13..she was nervous that she would get caught...I slowed to a walk as she joined us and Kim filled up her water bottles. It was nice to have some new conversation...She took off with "fresh legs", and Kim and I were like "Wait!" We had already been running 13 miles-hello! I called my sister to see if she would be out on Kavanaugh. We saw her about mile 16, just as they started playing "Vanilla Ice"...it was awesome and lame as I attempted a white-girl version of the cabbage patch...and just looked stupid! Mile 17 was a lazy decent and not as steep as I anticipated, and the perfect time for my walk-break. My knees and hips were feeling it by then...

Once we headed to Murray park...I was really moving slow...both Cheryl and Kim had to use the bathroom..I wanted to go on, but felt bad leaving them...I slowed to a slight jog, while they caught up. They caught up to me and then, it felt like they were dragging me along...mile 21 was the worst..everything hurt so bad!! Once we turned around, and were on the opposite side of the street, it seemed to do a little for me mentally. We passed Hobbitt and her crew walking and they looked great! We also ran into this guy that was attempting to do marathons in every state, the LR Marathon being his second THAT WEEKEND!!! Yes, you heard me right...The last few miles seemed a blur...I was a little bit ahead of Kim and Cheryl...but I had to keep going or I knew I would just stop! Cheryl caught up with me and ran with me for a bit, as Kim seemed to disappear...We looked for her, but no Kim in sight! I wanted to stop at the potty at mile 25, but I decided to wait..I hated to stop so close to the finish. I saw Tom Singleton (aka Coach) and he crossed the street to high five me and said "I knew you could do it!" ...I felt myself tearing up and I think, it was my favorite moment of the whole race.. That was the lift I needed! My smile spread from ear to ear, as moments later, Annette and Michelle bombarded me (Annette with a big hug!) and ran the last 0.5-1 miles with me. I LOVED IT! Annette and Cheryl veered off and I turned the corner to SO many cheers, people who didn't even know me...shouting "Way to go, Tammy!" It was definitely a "moment" as I ran into the finish area, "Eye of the Tiger" playing, looking to the stands to see my friends with tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces! I spread my arms out wide... I was all "beams" and no tears this time! Finish time 5:13:14...

My chip came off, the medal went on, and I immediately got a hug from my friend Kim Stevens. She had done the marathon the year before and it was her picture and medal that first inspired me to try it...I stood in line for post-race pics, with a giddy, toothy, stupid smile on my face...got some water, and headed toward the bathroom. Cheryl, Kim, and Josh caught up with me and we all posed for a picture. My friends followed with hugs all around...Afterwards, my family and Cheryl went out for pizza, as I was famished.. I couldn't believe it was all over, although I was definitely VERY sore and was hoping no one would have to pry me out of the chair when it was time to leave! I had changed my shoes to sandals...as I had two new "friends" (aka my first blisters) that were invading my feet. My mom and sister had gotten me a "goodie bag" too...with a cute t-shirt, socks, Gu, some Peeps, and some Easter candy. It was so unexpected and thoughtful. Cheryl and I left and headed to .....guess? Starbuck's, of course..and actually had the nerve to go to Target, despite me legs killing me. Yes, I walked around Target with that damn medal around my neck and grinning like an idiot! Yes, it took me a LONG time, but I earned it! It was one of my best days!

As I sit here, reliving it, I am struck again my the sheer fact that I did that! The first two days following were really sore, followed by "less-sore" days as I stretched and worked out some of the stiffness. Can't say that I've been too smart about recovering..eating crap and working out, probably too hard, as I feel myself getting "something"...a cold maybe?...My runs are short and light, although I wish I could say easy! I am trying to work my way back slowly and get the hang of this "rest" thing...As far as the rest of it...the part that my family and friends played in it all...I am grateful. I was never an athlete in school, I never had people cheering on the sidelines for me...for ANYTHING...and it touched me. I hope I don't forget that...As this week has gone by and I've had a number of insensitive comments about my finishing time, I have been tempted to downplay all that has happened over the past few months and even race day, discouraged that my "time" wasn't better...Now, I look at it as it is...I tried something I never thought I would do, that I COULD do...I trained! I got up on days when I just wanted to use the excuse of the "weather" and stay in bed...I figured out what MY goals were, not the goals of others...I found the source of my aches and pains and dealt with the problems, not just the symptoms of pain...There were a lot of life lessons in this process...and I am convinced, without a doubt, that it was God that steered me down this path to learn those things. I'm still a perfectionist, I still want to beat myself, always better, always faster..I don't know if I will do another marathon.. I definitely WANT to! Whatever happens, I want to run...I love to run...and where that takes me...well, we'll see!!

YAY!!! I've caught the "Marathon bug"....

2009-03-15T16:09:00.000-07:00

I'm beat!!! But I finished my first marathon!!!! Although I don't know if I even want to think about running the next few days...I'm almost positive it will not be my last marathon! And once my poor, well everything, stops (or at least subsides some) hurting, I will spend a bit more time recording my adventure before it escapes my memory. For now...the legs go up...with ice packs!!!

Freak out #1

2009-03-09T10:55:00.000-07:00

Well..the countdown has begun....6 more days til the Marathon...I'm starting to feel the little twinge of nerves..trying to see who will be able to come and avoid the ever-present "Have you seen the weather?"...that people keep asking me....I'm sure they mean well...but STOP!!! Man, we should all know by now that this is Arkansas! That means the weather could change any number of times in the next 6 days! Are people trying to freak me out?? Geez...

Last run before the Marathon!

2009-03-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

I didn't blog on last week's run... it was at Murray park. I was dreading it, because it always seems that my tough runs start there..It was overcast and supposedly going to rain, but amazingly enough, it started sprinkling the moment we got to the parking lot where we were parked! We were SO relieved....It was a bit chilly and very windy (the norm lately), but I was comfy. In fact, the whole run seemed to fly by and I felt pretty good. I was telling Cheryl that Murray Park had almost redeemed itself...ALMOST..

This week was the last "long" run with the LRM Group before the Marathon. We met at the Arts Center and it was pretty warm with a breeze that felt cool at first. Once we started running, I was plenty warm enough! As Cheryl mentioned in her blog, we were "twinkies", but unknowingly until I got to her house. Black running skirt...white dri-fit top...Today we were trucking along...going faster than usual..I didn't intend to and if I could go back and do it again, I would go slower...my left hip started to really tighten up on that last mile. Cheryl wondered that maybe the "knee" pain she's been having for a while might be her IT Band..and I concurred. We got a "crackhead" bracelet from Hobbitt and noticed how many other people were in the parking lot when we got back! That's new for us...we always start late...have to stop a hundred times...etc.... It was nice! we took a little time to stretch and left for Starbuck's.

It is both sad and happy to have done that last run today. I'm sad..it feels like something is coming to an end, even though I plan to keep running with the group.... I'm scared that I won't be able to do it after all that training..... I'm happy that I have already done something that I never imagined I would do and gained some friends doing it! I'm sure that I will have more to say as the week goes on, as my nerves threaten to overtake me....so, until then....

Cold...rain...sleet...hail....I said it would be a wintery mix.....everyone made fun of me, but I was right!

2009-02-26T13:45:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that I haven't posted for almost a month..I cannot possibly recap the events of the past 3 weeks and weekend runs, however, I hope to be a little more diligent in the coming weeks up to the race and post-race. Last weekend was my 20 miler!! I actually finished and I couldn't believe it! Apparently all the weather that we have "luckily" dodged, caught up with us this past weekend in the form of cold, rain, sleet, hail, and thunder and lightning...and looks to be headed our way again for another long run on Saturday....This weekend is the dreaded Murray Park, which I'm sure involves the all-too-common River trail that I have come to dread. I am hoping, against hope, that it will at least stay dry until we are done, despite the cold and wind that are expected as well.

This past weekend was, as I said, WET. Thankfully, we stayed dry for about the first 6.5 miles before it started to pour on us. We started at the Capitol and headed through downtown. It was almost exactly last week's run plus more, but I didn't care as long as it was NOT that damn River trail. My feet felt amazingly good the whole run, a little sore, but not too bad. I think I started out a bit too fast, trying to keep up with Kim and Cheryl, and my hip flexors and/or IT band quickly let me know I needed to slow down!! After that it was a decent pace, with a few walk breaks thrown in. The past couple of weeks I have been doing the run/walk thing..usually running 4-5 miles and then walking 0.5 as I nourish/drink. That was a bit shot to hell as the rain picked up. Kim said she was "not about to walk" with it raining that hard! It did slow down to a sprinkle here and there and I got a few small walks in, but not what I planned. We stopped at 12 miles, Cheryl needed to change her socks and I needed to refill my water bottles. Kim decided at that point to leave..she was getting blisters and was a little worried about getting sick before her Ultra this weekend. So...me and Cheryl took off for the last 8 miles. It rained the whole time, but not too hard. At mile 17, the Marathon chicks had a station set up for us with snacks and water. It was nice! The last 3 miles seemed long and my left hip was bothering me, so I had to do a walk/jog combo for the last mile or so...Cheryl did her usual supportive "you can do it" shpiel, of which I was VERY grateful and we made it to the end. Tom was there to great us and showed me another good stretch for my IT Band. We were sooo glad it was over! I do feel like I had another 6.2 miles in me if I HAD to and that made me finally feel somewhat ready...

Of course, our run was followed by the usual Starbuck's visit, and we headed back to Cheryl's. We didn't hang long, since we were both cold and wet....maybe we'll have a repeat of that this weekend. I hope not!!

Update to come!

2009-02-13T16:04:00.001-08:00

Blog update to come...need to post on last week's 18 miler and tomorrow's Valentine's day fun! Write more soon!

Rhaling Rd..Part Deaux...

2009-02-01T09:30:00.000-08:00

Man.....it's been a while since I've blogged! I didn't even post about last week's run at Murray park! Needless to say...I need to start posting fairly soon afterward, or I forget...Anyhoo, all I remember about last weekend's run was that it was COLD, COLD, COLD and I am learning to hate the River trail...My right foot was bothering me and I had to put my ChoPat strap on about mile 8 or 9 (?)...the IT band stuff is back, but hopefully I can nip that with some more stretching...Cheryl and I were SOOOO glad that run was over.

This past week was not inspiring in terms of my runs and I only did 3 days, not including yesterday's long run with the LRM group...Monday I got a 4 miler in before the "bad weather" was supposed to arrive...It was all I could do to get my butt out there...I was glad that I did it, but man, it was a mental exercise just to go...I have always loved winter running, but maybe I'm just getting old...or sick of the cold....or both...cause the thought of running outside anymore just makes me cringe!! Wednsday I was SO dreading the cold, that I ran on the indoor track at NLRAC. Yes, I am crazy, I did 75 laps around that sucker to get my 6.25 miles...Kim and Cheryl both said "Ugh!" to that, but it really wasn't that bad. My foot felt pretty good that day and the softer surface helps once in while. BonJovi and Guns N' Roses kept me company...I know I'm "old-school", but for some reason, if I have the "Big Hair Bands" to listen to, I can persevere. Now....only to persuade the organizers of the LR Marathon to pump some tunes throughout the whole marathon, I would make it just fine....Friday was a low-key 3-miler. I had to really psych myself up for that one...but I was glad when it was done.

Now...for Saturday...a 16 miler on Rhaling Rd. It started out pretty cold...WHEN we started!! We met Kim at O"Looney's parking lot and ended up getting there just as every one was starting. We tried to start, but Cheryl's tummy had other ideas. Since the nearest bathroom was a questionable 6 miles away, we headed back to the truck and drove to the gas station so she could do the dirty deed. When we got back...there was pretty much no one in sight, but not too long into it, we passed Hobbitt and her walking entourage..The first 8 miles or so weren't too bad, but it was like my foot KNEW we were halfway and really started bothering me. Cheryl had been having foot problems too (hasn't gotten new shoes yet) and was hating every step. The hills didn't seem as bad (cardio wise), but they weren't too great on the foot. I had to put the ChoPat strap on about mile 12 or 13. That hill wasn't as bad as anticipated, but we were ready for the finish!! Blueberry Nutrigrain bars greeted us at the end...and of course, Starbuck's....

Uneventful can be good....

2009-01-23T13:05:00.000-08:00

This week has been pretty uneventful as far as running goes...and that's the way I like it! I did Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, 4 miles each day. The weather was glorious, and somehow I managed to comfortably do less than 10 minute miles every time. Where that came from, I don't know...It has been weird getting used to my ipod again, which I never thought I would say, since I've been running by myself a lot...The shoes are working out a bit better and no It Band or hip flexor issues. I've cut back on hills a little and a bit more stretching. Monday and Tuesday, I ran in Lakewood and yesterday I ran in my neighborhood. Plan on getting out there in a few minutes to enjoy this last bout of warmer weather to do about 4 miles, but I am dreading that cold weather in the morning! I'm not exactly sure HOW cold, but I think it's supposed to be in the 30's or low 40's for a 14 miler at Murray Park with the LRM group. I got my PF night splint today in the mail, so I'm excited to see if it helps. Even if I can't stand to sleep in it, I've heard that it still helps to wear it a couple of hours each evening. So....we'll see...

Went to the LRM training meeting this week and the topic was nutrition. I was a bit disappointed in the content, it was more like 'Nutrition 101'. I was hoping it would be more race related, but it was pretty general. I could have done without it, oh well....Happy weekend!

A sucky running week.....

2009-01-16T12:03:00.000-08:00

Nothing spectacular about this blog...more of an update, record-keeping kind of thing...my blogging love has faded with the resurgence of my numerous injuries running... It's kind of depressing to chronicle it, but once I finish the marathon in March and move onto other goals (or another marathon if I'm crazy enough)...I can look back and see all I've gone through and appreciate it. I am so close to wanting to quit running, but then all these stupid injuries would be in vain! It has been a LAME running week, if I do say so myself...

The last long run did me in for a few days...when I ran on Monday...all I could do was 3.9 miles....followed by an equally lame Tuesday of 3 miles. I tried my new shoes and insoles out on Tuesday and got shin splints, so that was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back...Took Wednesday off...

Went to Podiatrist appt. #2 yesterday:

1. I am not stretching enough..."once a day isn't going to cut it" he says....I concur, whip me with a wet noodle...I'm a bad girl...

2 .I need to stick to slower speed and less hills for a while, adding them back in GRADUALLY...note to self...oh, and I'll memo the LRM training group and make sure that they take that into account when they are planning the Saturday runs....geez....

3. MD adjusted my custom insoles that were redone by New Balance, adding some heel cushioning and a felt strip to raise the arch...it felt better in the office at least....He told me to hang onto the shoes for a while and see how they work out. He felt like the main problem was the insoles...

4. I am allowed to get the night splints, but he recommended that I buy them online, since my insurance deductible is so high....Oh, insurance...how useless you really are....

5. I am to follow up for worsening symptoms and/or recurring shin splints...

In any event, I did my run yesterday at the NLRAC track (it was just too damn cold to be outside), 5 miles in my new shoes and insoles. It went better than expected and no shin splints. We'll see...Today I did about 3 miles on the track and I had mixed results with the shoes...Not sure what to do about tomorrow morning's long run...

And on a totally unrelated separate tangent...does anyone know of anyone looking for a roommate? I have got to get out of the PSYCHO ZONE here at home!!!!?????

DAMN! DAMN! DAMN!

2009-01-12T12:54:00.000-08:00

Well, I just tried out my new shoes on a short run and am annoyed as hell....I did the first 1.5 miles with my insoles I bought in Memphis and the second 2.5 miles with my remade custom orthotics...I don't know what to think. I hope to God that I have not just wasted $167 for nothing and that it is just the normal adjustment period. The Memphis insoles made my heels feel better, but I think they may have added too much cushion...while the orthotics seemed a little low on the arch. On top of that, I think the 1224 is a bulkier shoe....AGHHHH! I feel like I have mild shin splints and that always happens when I don't have good arch suport. Hopefully in a few runs, I'll work the kinks out...I would hate to have spent all that money on a shoe I can't wear.....

Feed me....

2009-01-11T06:48:00.000-08:00

This has been a pretty rough running week in general and it all started with our run on Monday morning....Cheryl had left town for Florida and it was me and Kim for the 6 mile loop. It was cold as usual...but about mile 4 it started sleeting on us! It was too far to turn around, but still over 2 miles to get home, so we had to stick it out...it sucked! It was SO COLD!!! My hands got the worst of it. I had worn Cheryl's mittens and they got super soaked, so as the wind blew on them..it was EXCRUCIATING!! It just felt like 10,000 needles were poking me and I couldn't move my fingers at all...We finally got home, Kim had to open the door and she turned the warm water on for me for my hands..However, it took me a million years to get my gloves off and I couldn't stand for the water to touch my hands. I started to feel nauseated and I thought it was because of the pain. Not long after that, my legs started to feel weak and I started to see black...I knew then it was my blood sugar and I stumbled to the living room to lie down. I tried to tell Kim to get my Luna bar out for me and when she asked "Where is it?" I said, "In my sweater...", although I didn't have a sweater! I finally got across that it was in my fleece pullover that I was wearing, and she got it out and had to feed me a couple of bites, since I still couldn't move my hands! She took my shoes off so I could put my legs up, and within a minute or so..I was feeling better. Scary....it really hit me quickly this time. I've only had one other episode that was that bad, but it has been several years since then....On a good note, we joked, we got our 6.2 miles....

Thursday was a rather uneventful running day...I had a HORRIBLE day at work and the traffic was bad, so I didn't get home until around 5pm..didn't have much time before dark, so only ended up doing 2.5 miles...Friday, I ran the 6 mile loop with Cheryl and Kim...it was a pretty slow pace, but I really felt like I needed it...the run seemed to last forever and my hip flexors and left heel were killing me. I'm pretty sure that I have PF in my left foot now...I have a Podiatrist appt this week and he's going to be so thrilled that I didn't follow his advice and cut back on the hills. Last week I really overdid it with too many hills and going faster than I should have...

Saturday's run with the LR marathon group was at Maumelle...a 16 miler...The weather started out fairly warm and threatened rain, but somehow we dodged that bullet again this week...It was windy and that got worse as the run went on. Annette went with us this week and Michelle met us about 3 miles into the route. I wish that I could say it was easier than last week, but honestly, I hurt from the get-go...First my hip flexors (I think I jacked those up last Friday doing squat-thrusts and mountain climbers), then my heels (my left one now), then my knees, finally to top off the fun with my IT Bands acting up....Geez...I just kept thinking..."How am I going to do this in a couple of months, plus 10 more miles?"...The course was relatively flat, compared to the last several weekends, but got more hilly towards the end. That wind was crazy and it got really COLD that last hour. I was afraid Cheryl would blow away, right into the lake!! My only consolation was Starbuck's...and that my friend Jenni was making me some Golden Grahams Smores treats as a reward for the torture!! We all went to Starbuck's to enjoy a hot drink and that was the best Venti coffee with Hazelnut syrup I have had in a while! Spent some time getting to know Annette and Michelle some...it's so fun meeting new running friends! They talked about the "Women can run" clinic coming up in February and I am thinking about doing it.. It sounds fun! I may need to make some additional running pals...since Kim is always in Texarkana now and Cheryl is traveling somewhere different every week! Don't worry guys...you are still my "running family"....Next week the long run is "only" (strange to say that) 10 miles...and I am looking forward to that...My doctor may just restrict me for being a bad girl anyway..I'm hoping to ask about that PF sock or shoe to wear at night...

On a fun note, I did get to go see "Bride Wars" this weekend with my good friends Jenni and Sabrina, it was cute...some mushy, some funny girl friend stuff...Somewhat predictable, but still a feel-good flick. I am watching "Everest" from Netflix and it is really good...I've had this thing for Discovery shows and documentaries lately...Anyhoo, updates on MD appt to come...Oh, and I got my insoles remade at New Balance and they are much lighter and more comfortable. I haven't tried them running yet though...just walking around in them. Saturday me and Cheryl went to the New Balance Store and I got a new pair of New Balance 1224's, they are pink! I'm thinking that maybe some of this foot pain resurfacing is because I needed new shoes. I figured it was the best time to get them, since the marathon is 2 months away!

Playing "Catch up"....

2009-01-03T16:32:00.000-08:00

I have been really lazy about blogging this week...and it has been a busy running week!

Monday-Ran with Cheryl and Kim in Lakewood....the usual 5 mile loop, but I guess we added somewhere because I ended up with 5.8 by the end...it was cold and I was sore...it was definitely a Monday! This was a busy workout day for me...did the run with the girls and then went to Circuit class at the NLRAC (it was tough!!). That night I did the elliptical for 30 minutes and then went to Sculpt class.

Tuesday-No running, but I did do Pilates (which really helped the soreness from the long run on Saturday and the heavy weights on Monday). After that, did spinning for an hour...since it was Natalie's last class teaching at the NLRAC...sniffle...

Wednesday (New Year's Eve)- Rather uneventful compared to others, but this year..I didn't mind one bit! Did Circuit class that morning..which was killer..and that afternoon, ran 4 miles in my neighborhood...nice and flat!!
Splits were: 9:11
9:02
9:06
9:23

Thursday (New Year's Day)- Did the Resolution Run with Cheryl in the Heights. It was SO COLD and it STARTED UPHILL at the part of Kavanaugh by Salon Avatar. We met one of the running groups there and grabbed a route sheet, deciding we would "only" do 5 miles that day! I was glad that we didn't do the usual "loop" in NLR, but the heights route was HILLY! We did pretty good considering the torture endured on Saturday...our times weren't bad, but I do believe that I may have pushed myself a little much....
Splits were: 10:30
10:17
10:03
9:52
9:47
We did our usual stop at Starbuck's, Cheryl proceeded to lose her keys..only to be found in the bathroom, but at least she got her much-desired Cinnamon Dolche and all was well. We stopped at Target to kill some time, Cheryl wanted to stop at Dillard's when they opened. Cheryl ended up getting some good stuff on sale on their Christmas markdowns. Later at Dillard's, she found a purse that she really liked and some slippers, while I got a new puffy vest and some slippers as well. Man, the way those people were pouncing on those purses on sale....you would think their lived depended on it!!! I wasn't too impressed with any of them, but hey...that's just not me...Later, we went to see "Seven Pounds". Now that movie was DISTURBING....and MORBID...and DEPRESSING....I left wanting to sob my head off....geez....

Friday- Cheryl and I did a 4 miler run around the lake. I wanted to do something flat, since we knew the route Saturday would be hilly again. It wasn't too cold..in the 40's or 50's, I think. For some reason, this day was torture for me....Either my hip flexors or IT bands were acting up, because I felt like I was just trying to "get through" it...I hadn't felt that great when we started, didn't get much sleep...but after I had coffee at Cheryl's after the run...I felt like some blow-up doll that got deflated...all of the sudden I just felt so weak and achy. I had planned to go to the gym and do the Mix-it-up class, but Cheryl was advising me not to. I went, to see what they were doing that day, hoping I could modify and scale it down a little, but after doing 20 minutes on the elliptical waiting for class to start...I was beat and I left! That night I went to a get together, but not feeling the best, I socialized some and headed home early.

Saturday- Kim, Cheryl, and I met at Cheryl's house, as usual, to leave for the LRM Run...this week was 16 miles, The MacArthur Park route (the despised route of all of us)...This was my first weekend to run that far! Thank goodness we dodged another bullet with the weather and it was humid and warm and slightly windy, but not raining! Very hilly as expected, but I took it slow. We really drug-it-out- this week...as many times as we had to stop to use the restroom, tie shoes, take nutrition, etc., but we finished in less than 3 hours...The last 3 miles seemed to last forever!! Cheryl kept saying that she felt like her foot was going to explode..and I felt the same way about mine..This week definitely was NOT as pain free as last week. In comparison, last week seemed to be easier for me..I think I pushed it a bit too hard overall this week....in mileage, speed, AND hills...every thing my doctor warned me about. Well, I'll be backing down this week some!! As far as the "achy" feeling I had Friday..it had gotten much better, since I had taken some Emergen-C (Vitamin C drink mix) several times. My heart rate did stay high though, and I burned over 1800 calories!

So that's it for this week! More to come!

Wind and hills....but at least, no rain....

2008-12-28T15:49:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning was "long-run" day with the Little Rock Marathon group, as usual, and this week was the Rhaling Rd. route. Last time I had run this route, we were only doing about 5 or 6 miles on the build-up. All I could think of was that massive hill... and on top of that, it was 80% chance of rain with muggy-warm temps.... As you can imagine, I was dreading that all week long. This week was 14 miles, as I told Cheryl and Kim "a half-marathon without the medal"...

I set out my stuff the night before...clothes, IT Band straps, rain jacket, etc....filled my bottles for my fuel belt...and went to bed, setting my alarm for 4:30. Cheryl wanted us to be at her house at 5:25 to give us plenty of time to get to LR and get a copy of the route. Well.....the next morning I hear this buzz and look at my phone to see that Kim had just texted me that she was on her way to Cheryl's house and that it was 5:13!!!!! I was like "Oh, sh**!" i couldn't believe that I had overslept and was actually supposed to be at her house in about 15 minutes....I texted Kim that I had just woken up and that I was scurrying around to get ready!! Kim said that she would "stall Cheryl"..I threw my clothes on, not even tying my shoes, and grabbed my stuff. Apparently, in all the rush, I forgot my Garmin, which I had wanted to use for the first time since getting it for Christmas...oh well...it was not meant to be that day! Apparently, Kim had been late too, although not as late as I...we jumped in the truck and headed to Little Rock. We got there shortly after 6, about 6:10 or 6:15 and Cheryl went to see if there were any routes left. Not near as many as usual were signed up to run.

We got all of our gear and headed out...stopping every few minutes at first...me to tie my shoe....and at mile 1, we all took off our rain jackets. When we first got to LR it poured for about 2 minutes or less, but when it started, we were like "oh, crap"...but then it quit completely. and Thank God! It never rained the whole time we ran and that was awesome! Overall, the run had its rough spots with the hills and wind. I hadn't done alot of hill work, so I was already anticipating my foot hurting. In reality, though, I had some general soreness in my hip flexors, but my foot did great! It was kind of like doing interval training with all those ups and downs, but I'm sure it was a good cardio workout. Cheryl had to stop once to use the restroom at Kroger. Kim and I wanted to, but we didn't want to take our gear off and have to put it all back on....and then it not fit right...blah, blah....we stopped for water along the way as well near the Pleasant Valley Country Club. It was almost gone because we started late...but we did have enough for each of us to fill up one water bottle or close to it...The last 2 miles was Rhaling Rd. and it was, as anticipated, TORTURE...I had to walk a few times for about 30 seconds at a time. Kim took off and Cheryl was behind me..we finally all caught up across from the meeting place. Cheryl was wishing she had her phone so she could call us and have us pick her up! Kim and I circled the parking lot to get our mileage and we headed to Tom's car to scratch off our names. He showed us the new training t-shirts and we each bought a small...They tend to run out of the smaller sizes first! We stretched and hopped in the car for our post-run tradition...STARBUCK'S!

We headed to the Starbuck's on HWY 10 to wait for the New Balance Store to open. I was planning on taking the insoles they made for me back, so they could be adjusted, but the store didn't open until 10:00. Cheryl ordered her fave drink, to which they informed her that the were out of the "Cinnamon dolche" in all of Central Arkansas....she was, of course, dismayed..I basically accosted Teena, the employee at the counter, asking her if I could have some of the Christmas decor after they take it down and she gave me the phone #, so I could check back later in the week...The New Balance Store was open by the time we left, and we were already 3rd in line to be assisted by the Podorthist on site. Kim ended up randomly buying a pair of her shoes on the spot as I waited. I told the guy that I have now been diagnosed with PF, so he took another imprint of my foot and told me that he would make the new ones out of cork or some substance that would have more "give"...During this whole saga, the associates noticed that we were all wearing Nike socks, called us "traitors"....and when we mentioned that we didn't have any New balance socks...they opened a 3-pack and gave us each a pair for free! They also gave me a pair of shoestrings for free!! My insoles should hopefully be ready in less than a week!

After leaving the New Balance Store, we went to Sports Authority, because I had a gift card to spend!! Usually Sports Authority, in general, sucks...but we actually found some cute pull-overs and I spent my gift card with $2 left to spare! I got a white and a black Alpine pullover and a Nike headband. We each took our turn at the massage chair on display...Kim and Cheryl were "ooooing" and "ahhhing" and I was like "owwww"...the neck rollers were a little lower on me than on the girls...as they pierced my shoulder blades, those two were just laughing at me!! Geez...the stuff I put up with...We made a quick stop at Barnes and Noble so that Cheryl could look for a daily planner, and somehow we were approached by this really wierd guy that was trying to tell us jokes....we spent the rest of the time there hiding from the guy once we got away...

All in all, it was a fun morning...I couldn't believe how great I felt...I know I won't always, but I was so excited my foot was doing so well and I didn't have to wear my IT Band straps the whole time!!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T09:29:00.000-08:00

To all of blog land....Merry Christmas! Cheryl, Kim and I went for a short 5.75 mile run this cold Christmas morning! My IT bands and hip flexors were bothering me a bit (they didn't take a holiday!) but I made it! I haven't been doing hills lately due to my PF, so today was a tad rough. The run was filled with funny stories and laughter and it was just great to be with the girls! Cheryl and I were the picture of Christmas...she with her Santa hat and me with my pink and red striped "legwarmers"....(the Cho-pat strap was a tad tacky with the outfit, but hey, can't help needing that...). We tried to chronicle the outfits, but Kim was having a "I can't work this camera" day and the battery died before we got a good shot....

After the run, we had some wonderful "nutty" coffee and opened presents....I got a cute journal, a serving bowl type thing from Pier 1, an ornament, an apron, some serving napkin/coasters, wonderfully warm and supportive slippers, and a baby piggy bank......I gave Kim a subscription to Ultra Running Magazine and I got Cheryl a runner planner/logbook. Neither present was actually available to give due to the shipping issues, but they were great about it and I hope they like what I got them! Fun morning with my little "running family", #2 and #3, as I affectionately call them! What a great way to start Christmas!

Doctor...doctor...gimmie the news...I got a bad case of...what?

2008-12-21T12:57:00.001-08:00

Well, this past Thursday was my much awaited visit with the new Podiatrist, Dr. Bronfman at the Jacksonville Foot and Ankle Clinic. I was somewhat nervous and excited...nervous that he would tell me he couldn't do anything for me or that maybe he didn't know what I was talking about...excited and somewhat hopeful that maybe he could tell me something that might help my foot issues...and therefore, my running.

Dr. Bronfman is a short little man and somewhat intimidating and I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to communicate what I've been experiencing to him or that when I told him what I had tried so far, that he would start to tune me out as I droned on with my saga.. as I talked to him, much of that subsided, and although he was busy, I felt like we talked about most of what I wanted to during the visit. I will now summarize for you what has been his take on my issues....and much of it was contrary to what most very well-meaning people have told me over the past two months....

1. No stress fractures! Yay! Considering that the inside of my foot has hurt since the Spa 10k, I was concerned that it had not really improved since then...However, X-rays reveal the "classic problem foot"....Wide forefoot and narrow heel..which typically makes it very hard to find shoes that fit well. He also suggested that although shoes vary so much depending oon make and model, going up a half size on my next pair might be a good idea. GEEZ....I'm already wearing an 11!
2. I have been told by many that I am a mild overpronator with medium, collapsing arches...Apparently, I am a moderate overpronator with high arches...okay.....next?
3. He wants me to attempt to use my HARD custom made prosthetic insoles that were made at the new Balance store in LR, asking the podorthist that made them to meld down the arch some, because it is too high, causing pressure on the bony area where I have been having so much pain and causing my foot to slide toward the outer part of the shoe....Until then, I can wear my Lynco insoles bought in Memphis at the Expo. The big question with that was "Hard prosthetics with stability shoes?" Well....if the insoles are made well and fit your feet well...he says it shouldn't matter. Don't know about that one...but I'll try it.
4. He didn't say I have to stop running and wasn't even really saying that I have to back off on my mileage, but he did recommend that I run SLOWLY and AVOID HILLS if at all possible. The slow, I can do....hills...well, I'll try my best.
5. I apparently am taking way too much Ibuprofen and with my IBS, he was concerned, so he put me on Mobic 15mg a day. You know you are officially part of the running community when you start taking medicine for arthritis!
6. Lastly..(at least for now)...I have plantar fasciitis....Yep...the dreaded syndrome of all runners....He was examining my foot and pressed on my heel and, yep, it was tender....I am therefore not allowed to go barefoot, or wear flip-flops or slippers anymore, unless they are arch supportive (like Birkenstocks)...I also have to do a couple of foot stretches 3-4 times a day. My follow-up is in 1 month. To be honest, I was actually surprised that he told me to follow up. Usually they just throw stuff at you and tell you to come back if there's still a problem...

Soooo, we will see what all this does for my running. In some respects, the visit was a comfort. He said that I was the 5th person that is training for the LR Marathon that he saw this week! I was beginning to feel like I was crazy or that I was psyching myself out with all these foot issues. It somehow made me feel better knowing that I wasn't alone, that I'm not the only one doing this with aches and pains!!

Went to the Podiatrist...and the verdict is.....

2008-12-19T20:00:00.000-08:00

You have to wait......I'll post it soon!

A BIG pain in the neck.............

2008-12-16T07:44:00.000-08:00

Well, right now I am sitting inside due to the SHEET of pure ice down our street! Going nowhere today, although I can't say I'm too heartbroken, since I had to miss work. I am, however, disappointed about no outside running or going to the gym....as you can see, my priorities are in the right place!! HA!

Yesterday I woke up with some horrible neck pain and stiffness, but it had started to get better as the morning went on...Somehow in my circuit class, I was doing the Lat Pulldown and I certainly "pulled" something, because I felt my neck spasm after I did it. I don't know if I made it worse or caused some new damage, but after that, much of my workout was useless. I couldn't raise my arms, or do planks or mountain climbers due to the pain...I had to leave the class. I did get in about 15 minutes of the elliptical before class, but it definitely pissed me off....that I hurt myself and that I had to stop....again, priorities....When I got home, I took a hot shower and some Ibuprofen and that seemed to help some. I didn't get adventurous, but I was able to turn my head better side-to-side as the day went on. I had to get my CPR Re-certification, so I announced to my instructor as I entered that I had limited ROM of my neck and "blowing into the dummy" might be hard! Ha! He was really laid back and commented that we would "simulate" breaths, since he didn't know the last time "Annie" had a good cleaning! I normally dread that class every two years, because every time I have had to re-certify, shortly thereafter, I have to use it in a code situation! I don't mean to be superstitious, but I guess I sure do pay alot more attention to detail!!

After the class, I headed to the North Little Rock Athletic Club to run on the indoor track. Twelve laps is one mile, so I did 60....5 miles....I had to keep changing directions, so that the curves wouldn't be on the same side all the time. It was a little boring, but I had my ipod (which, come to think of it, I need to add some more music to) and the softer surface seemed to help my foot hurt less than usual...I was going to go to the 5:30 Sculpt class, but the weather was supposed to start getting bad and I was unsure how smart it would be to go to class and try to lift anything or do anything that might make my neck worse....so I left. It did feel good to get that run in, and I definitely was glad I didn't have to treadmill it! I was glad I left when I did, because it had started to sleet again, and the traffic was horrible!

So....here and now, my neck is worse than yesterday. I tried both ice and heat, they might have helped somewhat, but lying down was the worst position to be in. I got hardly any sleep last night and any time I am in a lying position, I have to physically lift my head with my hand...Geez...I put on SalonPas patches and they seem to help some, but I may have to break out the muscle relaxers later today. I hate to take anything stronger than Ibuprofen, cause those pain pills make me feel funny....I'm hoping I don't have to. Work may be out tomorrow...Aside from the weather, I don't know if I can do patient care, when I can barely lift anything or turn my head...we'll see. Since I'm not getting outside today, I may do my exercise bike for a while to get SOME exercise! My Podiatrist appt is on Thursday and I am praying that God will give him wisdom as to what the deal with my foot is....Normally, I'm not thrilled with going to the doctor, but this guy, Dr. Richard Bronfman at the Jacksonville Foot Clinic, is well known for his treating runners! I'll keep you posted! A look further out to the weekend reveals...weird news, in that it is supposed to be in the 60's and rainy...geez....14 miles in the rain....ugh....

Red footie pjs....a silver bell...oh, and the Memphis Half Marathon.....

2008-12-08T10:15:00.000-08:00

I finally have a few minutes for an update of this past weekend...the Memphis Marathon Weekend in Memphis, TN. It was my first time doing the Memphis race, but for Cheryl and Kim, I believe it was the 3rd year. They convinced me to sign up after the Soaring Wings Half back in October and it was such fun, I gladly complied!! I was hoping just to finish because of all the foot issues I've been having lately...but I'm getting ahead of myself..more on that later...

We all met at Cheryl's house on Friday morning to set out from there. I believe Cheryl ran on her own that morning from her house, Kim went to the gym and ran , and I did a circuit class at 5:30 at the NLR Athletic Club. I didn't want to run the day before the race so my poor foot would function during the race. Of course I had the most stuff...as usual...Kim second...and then Cheryl. In my defense, Cheryl's clothes are pretty much as big as Barbie clothes, so of course, she only had one duffel bag! (ha ha..sorry Cheryl!) Once Kim arrived, we loaded up the car and headed to the Bucks for our coffee. I had to have at least one cup at Cheryl's because I had a BAD caffeine headache going on, but I still got my usual Venti coffee with Hazelnut syrup. Yum! The trip had plenty of conversation as usual, although I HATE the drive to Memphis with a passion... We discovered Kim's "hidden" Enrique Iglesias CD and the heckling began...ugh....It was hilarious! By the time we got to Memphis, we all had to pee pretty bad! It didn't take too long to find a parking spot, we saw Annette and her entourage in the parking lot. Of course, I forgot my running shoes in the trunk, so I had to run back to the car (and leave the girls freezing on the sidewalk) to get my shoes and insoles. We went inside, did the deed (aka went potty), and found our bib numbers. Kim and Cheryl had consecutive numbers in the 5000's, mine was double that 10524! Thankfully, we were able to get a size small shirt (I signed up for a medium) ! We got our "goodie" bags (as Cheryl says...minus the goodies) and started looking around. Most what I saw I had seen online at some point, so I didn't need much, but we did come across some $9.99 stuff and I got a shirt and hat. I really liked the shirt, so I got an extra large, and was glad later when Kim tried hers on and she said it was tight (hers was a medium)...FINALLY we came to the infamous insoles that were going to solve all my problems and cure all my ills...I tried them on and after walking in them a bit, decided to buy a pair. Apparently I have a "bunionette" and place almost no weight on my toes....go figure...As I talked to the reps, Kim and Cheryl talked to Arland and Annette. After that, there wasn't much else to look at, but I did buy a shoe charm for a necklace and we left.

After finding our way to the interstate, we headed another 30 minutes to Aunt Martha's house. I had never met her, but was looking forward to after Kim and Cheryl talked about how fun she is. We made a short pit stop to fuel up (our tummies) at Nook's, getting salads and soup. About halfway through eating, Kim thought she saw her lettuce move....and sure enough, there was a bug crawling in the bottom of her bowl! As you can imagine, that didn't exactly whet our appetites to finish our meal! Cheryl probably would have been okay to eat her soup, but she was so grossed out, she just ate some SEALED bread sticks, as did I. We made a quick pit stop to Kohl's to exchange Kim's hat. We all got matching hats the day after Thanksgiving at Kohl's and hers was torn in one spot....I call them the "yoddle-e-he-hoo" hats, because they have these little Braid-like things that hang down and make us all look like Scandinavian milk maids...The afternoon was finished with a trip to the local Target "just in case" there was something there that the NLR Target didn't have...hehe...and to Aunt Martha's for some dinner and rest. We had a lovely dinner of soup and sandwiches and we were just glad that we didn't have to go back out into the cold (especially Cheryl!). I modeled my long red footie pjs with the sock monkey feet and Cheryl's niece proceeded to poke fun of me...Oh well, it was just a showpiece I decided, I was going to suffocate in that thing (the bedroom was WARM)....We laid out our outfits for the next morning and hit the sack. It took a little while for me and Kim to fall asleep, so as we talked and giggled, Cheryl was wishing we would just SHUT UP...

Me and my infamous Sock Monkey pjs

The next morning we were up with our alarms around 5:45...I scared Kim by folding into "child's pose" on the bed after waking up, cause my back hurt..it was funny! It was SO cold and we were all torn about what to wear. I started out with a performance tank, 2 performance long sleeve shirts , a fleece, and of course, shorts...I ended up taking one of the long sleeves off. Cheryl was conflicted about adding another layer because of the wind, but I think she ended up with her original planned clothing, worried that she would be hot. I went against conventional advice and did something new on race day...I wore my new insoles! I know, I know....many of you are shaking your heads in feigned shame at the "rookie" , but I figured, I could either run in what I KNEW would hurt (aka my current insoles) or try something that MAY or MAY NOT hurt...more on that to come......It didn't take too long to find a place to park, in the parking garage Cheryl and Kim parked in last year. It was fairly close to the start, but we had to find our coral and go potty. We saw Annette, Gary, Michelle, Andrea, and Brenda. I was having BAD performance wear lust, seeing all those wondrous tech shirts, CRX running tights, and fleece cover ups...WE huddled together until the race started and we moved forward in timed increments. I was thinking "Where is that SUN?" It was cloudy and my fingers and toes were numb! They stayed that way until about mile 4 or so. I kept seeing all these cool hats, dropped and unopened Gu, and clothes that I wanted to snatch up....but alas....I could not....It was during these first few miles that I learned my first, of I'm sure many, running myths/lore/superstitions if you will....Apparently you are not supposed to wear the race shirt given to you IN the race....Bad luck? That's what Kim and Cheryl said..and they promptly reminded me that if I wanted to run with them, I would be in my running bra before I would be allowed to wear my race shirt!!!

I was actually pretty comfortable, as far as exertion and foot discomfort for quite a while. We had the usual stops for shoe tying and Cheryl had to hit the Porto-potty at mile 6. The water stations were a bit hairy at times, people just didn't pay attention to where they threw their cups! And speaking of not paying attention....I hate to say it, because I want to use mine, but those ipod people were CLUELESS!!! as far as what was going on around them. It was very frustrating. We also had our share of people that would just STOP right in front of you....I held up pretty well until mile 10, at such time that my foot issues returned. I had to take 2 or 3 15-30 second walking breaks from mile 10-13. We all took turns trying to offer incentives to finish because we were SO OVER IT by mile 12! Coffee.....medal....food.....these were the things that drove us...All in all, I am glad I wore the insoles. I know it's a no-no and I don't intend to start a habit of doing new things on race day, but I think I was actually better off than I would have been had I worn the other ones. I got my second wind about mile 13.001 (just kidding)...but somehow when I saw the finish around the corner....I just pushed it! Kim, Cheryl, and I crossed the finish line at the EXACT same time 2:14:19 and although I didn't PR or set any speed records.. I was just so happy #1 to be done, #2 to have run almost the entire race, and #3 to have finished at all. After all those foot issues, I seriously was questioning even finishing! There's time for a new PR later!

We were herded through the stadium area to the stairs, after getting our time chips cut off and getting our stylish Mylar blankets and medals. Some guy near us was saying how he felt "weird" and lightheaded and looked a little spacey..I offered him my Gu and got him a bottled water. I've seen that look many a time before, he looked like he was about to crash from low blood sugar! His friend assured that he would "look out for him", but he seemed more interested in telling his friend a story....geez...I was thinking to myself how dumb that guy was for not eating anything...and then I remembered that I had only one Gu at mile 7 and had only drank a small G2, much less than I usually consume. I'm usually pretty good at fueling up regularly! We finally got up the stairs into the "wind tunnel" to line up for food. I ate a banana, 1/4 cup veggie soup and 2 NutterButter cookies I was ready for some STARBUCKS!! We decided to go to the car to warm up and get some more layers so we could come back and watch Brenda and Andrea finish the marathon. On the way to the car, Cheryl had her Mylar blanket wrapped around her and all you could see was the silver blanket on top and her little legs sticking out the bottom...Kim and I cackled like crazy, as I started singing "Silver bells....." It was hilarious! Here we are (Cheryl and I, pic below) finally partaking in some coffee...as you can see, I'm not quite coherent yet...

By the time we got our layers, coffee, and a bathroom pit stop out of the way...we realized that it was about 15 minutes until Brenda and Andrea planned to be done! We hurried over to the stadium, found a place in the COLD shade close to the front and watched Brenda come in at a little over 4 hours, Andrea in around 4:28 ish?...we were excited for them! After that, we went to the car and tried to find our way out of the city. We saw Annette just as we were stopped for a second in traffic and we all yelled "Hey Annette!" She was trucking along, and I think she was fairly close to the end! It was soooo cold that day, we were all glad that we didn't have to do the full! But all those who did were awesome!

After getting to Aunt Martha's, we took a shower and headed out to shop...yes....you heard that right folks....although it didn't last long. We went to World Market and the mall, and finished up the evening with dinner at Ruby Tuesday's. My turkey burger was awesome and I actually was converted to liking guacamole after I tried some that Cheryl and Kim ordered! We headed back to Aunt Martha's and chilled for the evening, we were beat! The next morning we headed out for home around 8-8:30, with our Starbucks trip along the way. Cheryl had to get back to pack for Seattle and Kim had to pack for Texarkana. I was sooo glad I didn't have anywhere to be on Monday! It was a fun trip and I am so glad I could be a part of it, not only for the company, but that I could do the race. My only focus now is the LR Marathon....

A short blurb, if you will....

2008-12-07T18:07:00.000-08:00

I don't want to let too much time pass before I chronicle the events of the past few days, but right now, I don't have the energy to blog the complete saga. Just to say that this past Memphis Marathon weekend was cold, fun, and tiring! I hope to add more in the next few days, so, until then....

Prudence wins out......and laziness too...

2008-12-04T14:34:00.000-08:00

Well...I decided it would not be prudent to run today, despite my need to get at least 4 miles in. It was windy and cold and I was all too happy to "cop out", if you will, on today's run.... I found a podiatrist that I wanted to see today, Richard Bronfman, at the Jacksonville Foot Clinic. But, alas, he was booked until next Thursday. I asked the receptionist to notify me ASAP if there was a cancellation. I was hoping to get some feed back from him before heading to the Memphis Half, about my foot issues. He is a member of the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine and has lots of experience dealing with runners and their foot issues. I thought about seeing someone else, but I would really rather deal with someone who knows more about running injuries, etc. I called back to get an appt. and was dismayed to discover that while I was deciding what to do, the appts. for next week had filled up and I would not be able to see him until December 18th! Oh well....I made the appt. anyway...

Cheryl and I talked some about what to do and she thought it best as well to wait for the "expert". We chatted excitedly about Saturday and even though I am apprehensive...I am much more comfortable with allowing myself to finish however I need to, walking or not.....fast or not... We are staying at Aunt Martha's and she is excited to have us! She said that there is a Panera that was just opened down the road from her, so looks like all of us, even Kim, will be able to eat....

Tonight will be filled with packing and resting my foot/ankle. I'm not sure what to wear yet...the weather will probably be in the 30's with a slight wind...but I am planning to wear shorts anyway...as long as I have enough layers on top, I'm usually ok...Well, new post to come after the Half!

Good day....sunshine...

2008-12-02T12:58:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful day! Aside form the wind, the sunny and somewhat warmer day had me stepping outside this afternoon before Pilates for a short run. I need to get a few runs in this week before the Memphis Half on Saturday and I have to work tomorrow....

Kim, Cheryl, and I did the 6 mile loop yesterday and it was definitely a Monday! We were huffing and puffing as usual. It was pretty cold, but not quite as cold as I expected. I had shorts, 3 performance shirts, and a fleece on top...and of course, my gloves and headband (I WILL wear shorts as long as possible!!). I was quite comfortable. My fingers did stay pretty cold throughout the whole run though. For some reason, we got home later than usual and Kim didn't have time to stay for coffee. Cheryl and I enjoyed a couple of cups and then I headed out and she had some work to do. My foot was still sore, but not as bad as it was at the 6 mile point on Saturday's long run. I continue to do the ice packs, Ibuprofen, and SalonPas....

Back to today's run.....it was in my neighborhood...and I do mean "hood"...although in the light of day, it almost looks like a safe neighborhood..haha...Anyhoo, did my little 4 mile route, which is basically a few streets around my neighborhood and back home. My foot hurt quite a bit at first, let up, and then started to hurt again right before I finished. Luckily I was almost done, I could start to feel the pain creeping up the right inner leg. Geez...it's probably a good idea that I'm not running Friday with the girls before we leave, cause we will be walking around at the Expo and I'm going to try to rest it as much as possible before the race. My weird splits were:

1.5 miles 13:58
1.0 mile 8:44 (what?!)
1.5 miles 12:34

The pace felt pretty comfortable, as far as stamina, except for the foot issues. No knee pain or IT Band pain today...yay!!! I have been chatting with people via blogs and am hoping to check out the Breakaway Store in Memphis to see if I need a shoe and/or insole adjustment. Right now I am in a stability shoe with Powerstep insoles, because the orthotics I had made are too hard to wear. Apparently, this is a common thing for the New Balance store in Little Rock to set people up with a stability/orthotic combo...an apparent no-no in Memphis. I tried to give those orthotics a chance again yesterday, but I just couldn't wear them more than 1/2 hour. I've heard that some people need a neutral shoe with orthotics. I wasn't that sure that I am an overpronator, but I found out that I am a heel-striker and that means I, most likely, am overpronating. Anyhoo, as far as the pain goes, I think heating packs are better for me than ice, so maybe that will help me recover faster.

As a side note, I got some Sharkies and a Nike top on sale today at Academy...yay...My next run will probably be Thursday after work, hopefully another 4 miler.

A little reflection...

2008-11-30T14:27:00.000-08:00

One day out from yesterday's long run and not feeling like running today....Kim mentioned that she wanted to get a long run in, but the weather has been really cold and windy today, with a little rain sprinkled in. My knees and right foot are sore today, but it's more of an IT Band soreness on the outside of my knees, so I have been stretching a lot today. I went to the gym and did the elliptical for about 30 minutes with some leg exercises...squats with resistance bands and leg curls...I needed to do some leg extensions, but every time I wanted to, someone was on the machine. I'll probably do it tomorrow when I head up there for my circuit class. I didn't want to stay long because they lacquered the floor on Friday and that place reeked of headache causing fumes!! Ugh...think a few brain cells died today, and I can't spare many...

I saw Lisa Nichols at Wal-mart and she noticed I had my SalonPas patches on my knees. I'm sure I looked ridiculous, but they help....She used to be an avid and rabid runner and we talked about my various injuries...I think, in running, "walking" is a dirty word and it has affected what I think of myself when I have to walk....Yesterday was the first day I had to do that and for some reason, I was really ashamed of that... She was encouraging...some days are better than others. When Cheryl said that we averaged an 11 min mile yesterday when I was stopping a lot, I was sure it was longer than that. I am just glad I finished at all!! Mentally, the preparation for this marathon, has been even harder than the physical stuff. I admit that my physical setbacks have been the source of much of my discouragement, but how I handle those disappointments has not been pretty. There's time for improvement...and I DO want to. But I, all too often, set unrealistic goals for myself and then stew in the disappointment....I'm just not where other people are...And for those people that are genetic freaks of nature...I may never be like them. All I can be is me....and sometimes I have bad days. I CAN do this. I WILL do this. If I have to walk...then I WALK. Part of growing is rolling with the punches when things aren't what I wish they were...and to those people that have encouragement to offer, I am grateful..

I'm getting there...runnning, then slogging, then walking....

2008-11-29T10:19:00.000-08:00

Today was the LR Marathon run, as is every Saturday, 12 miles....I haven't done a run that long since the Soaring Wings half in October. The temp wasn't bad...Luckily, it wasn't raining, but Cheryl said that it was supposed to drop in temp outside, so I was concerned that I didn't have enough layers on..I ended up being very comfortable, even when it got windy. The route was the "River Market Route", but I wasn't sure what that entailed today, as it has been changed up several times. I told the girls, "At least it's not the MLK Route..." I had to laugh as I got the directions and Cheryl said "Look!" and I saw Daisy Bates and MLK Dr....ugh....I think we ran on every downtown street today! The route was redeemed, somewhat, as we didn't get lost.

Cheryl was designated the "Safety and Security Officer" of our little threesome (she is able to warn us of each and every car and crack in the road), Kim the "Taskmaster"(the drill sargeant, if you will) and me....I guess the designated "Scape Goat of injury"....kidding...partially....hehe...Speaking of...today my foot was acting up like it did after the Spa 10k. I was thinking that it was Posterior Tibial Tendonitis, could be, but Kim laughed when I said it.. For once my knees and IT band weren't too bad, just a little sore. Unfortunately, at about mile 3.5, my foot issue just got worse and worse and I had to slog (run/jog) and walk many times. I could tell it was getting irritating, but probably not half as irritating as my moaning and groaning about it.... I know that I need a desperate mindset change about this whole running and/or marathon thing...I am just so frustrated that I feel so helpless about all these physical issues I've been having. I guess I analyze it to death, hoping there's something that I can try that I haven't thought of yet. I really need to get my issues with my shoes settled, so I can continue injury free (as possible) for the marathon. I'm hoping when we go to Memphis on Friday, that when we go to the Expo, I can check out some insoles that may help. I'm not sure if I've really given my orthotics a fair chance, but in my defense...they seemed unbearable to wear! I may have to head out to the New Balance store to see if the Podorthist who made them for me can suggest something...

To my advantage and Cheryl's credit, I was able to finish today. She stopped with me every time I had to walk and even though I'm sure it was annoying as hell, she was very gracious about it and didn't make me feel even more horrible about slowing she and Kim down....over 2 hours later....geez... Afterwards, we headed to Starbuck's as usual, but we were SHOPPED OUT after yesterdays 11-12 hour shopping extravaganza, so we took a very quick trip to Barnes and Noble so Kim could get a book for her mom for Christmas. Cheryl ended up finding some things too.. Yesterday was full of good deals with the sales and various coupons we had. I even got a free $25 gift card at Sports Authority and was able to buy several pairs of much needed socks, one of which I wore today and I love them!

This week will be a few short runs during the week and off to Memphis on Friday for the Memphis Half next Saturday...I am not even thinking about a PR...at this point...only finishing....but it should be a fun weekend with Aunt Martha and SHOPPING!!

Different day, different injury....

2008-11-24T12:19:00.000-08:00

Maybe by my sheer experience of having each and every injury you could as a runner, I can help someone else someday....At least that's one way of looking at it....Geez....On the thankful side of things...at least I can walk....

There seems so little to say about the Spa 10k this past weekend, since Cheryl's blog just about said it all...lol...she should be the secretary of ANY and ALL organizations...her "minutes" would be THE BEST....All kidding aside (okay, maybe not all of it, I will have to sprinkle in some humor at some point in this blog or I run the risk of depressing all readers and driving you away forever)...

You may have already guessed that I was foreshadowing a bit, when I mentioned an "injury", but i will get to that soon enough..

This past Saturday was the Spa 10K in none other than"Spa City" Hot Springs, AR. Kim, Cheryl, and I headed up to Hot Springs on Saturday morning in the somewhat bitter cold. According to Cheryl...she hates the winter...any winter weather is bitter and unwelcome. I prefer the cold to the heat any day, but I will say that the numb fingers are a bit much sometimes! It was a reported 27 degrees, that supposedly FELT like 27 degrees that day. "At least it's not windy..." I thought....But it did seem to get colder as we approached Hot Springs. Kim had the heat cranked up for Cheryl...but I had to put the window down at one point...the heat and the windy roads just got to me...I was wearing pants, ill-fitting ones, I might add, and wishing that I had worn shorts that day, preferring numb legs to a "third butt cheek"by time I got those ChoPat straps on under my pants...

We got our packets and were pleased to see that we registered in time for a vest, but Kim and I got Medium sized everything. We regretted that decision, when we pulled out the HUGE "medium" shirt and vest that were inside. We were told that we could try to exchange it after the race for smalls, if there were any left...but we discovered after the race that the small sizes were all gone. Oh well...another nightshirt...hehe... We stayed inside as along as we could and Cheryl jumped and "flew" around in circles (funny to watch, by the way..), partially to warm up and partially to see if she could stimulate things "down below" before the race. We went to the starting area and when they fired the gun, Cheryl took off!! She wanted to finish in an hour, so she was "outta there"...I didn't have a goal, per se, but I had hoped to finish in under an hour.. Not to be gripey, but I just had an all-around, not-so-good race. I did not like the route, as the roads were badly slanted, even in the "flat" parts. I had heard lots of comments and warnings about the hills... I didn't mind the grade of the hills, as much as the steep slant of almost the whole course. I felt like I was constantly running on the insides of my feet!! My right foot, near my arch, the bone right above that, and up my right ankle was killing me...That eventually caught up with me around mile 5, when I realized that I could not run the rest of the way. I could feel myself tearing up with frustration, mostly at the pain and the realization that AGAIN, I had hurt myself..As I got closer to the finish line, I saw the clock and watched with dismay, more than I expected to feel, as 59:59 passed on by...I approached the finish and slowed to a walk, not realizing that I had to cross both mats for my chip to read...a few seconds more to my time.a somewhat disappointing 1:00:48..Kim and Cheryl cheered me on, and me...with my bad attitude and a scowl on my face, proceeded to get my chip cut off and head for the bathroom to take off my ChoPat straps. The girls could tell I needed a few minutes to myself and indeed, I did...Sorry, again, guys for my bad attitude..We left Hot Springs and headed for Benton...Starbuck's and target...here we come! Kim was really nice and bought my drink since I had such a bad race...

Kim and Cheryl were the best part of my day...I can't say that I will do that race again. I almost wish I hadn't done it, but I did have fun with the girls anyway. I have never really been a hypochondriac, but ever since I've started training for the LR Marathon, each and every twinge has become a source of worry...to the point of ridiculousness and self-fulfilling prophecy...I hate that, but it's been hard to know what aches and pains are normal for this kind of thing and what I should be careful about. I almost wonder if I should even do the Memphis Half, because the sheer "race" aspect of it, almost makes me push harder, even though it's supposed to be fun!

I've realized a something painful about myself too...I always thought that other people's expectations were the pressure and paralyzing things that made me fail...that maybe if other people didn't expect so much of me, I would be okay..Yes, some people in my life and immediate circle aren't too supportive or encouraging...But the truth is, well at least the partial truth is...I set MYSELF up for failure...the pressure that I feel most is that of my own expectations...Why won't I allow myself to fail? Why must my performance define who I am? Sometimes when I'm satisfied with where I am, I compare myself with others and sabotage my own efforts by trying to be where they are...All the while, killing my own joy and my ability to enjoy the success of others... Even though Kim and Cheryl are faster and have been around way longer, they have been nothing but encouraging to me, giving me the grace I don't give myself and praising my efforts...reminding me that it's not "all about the PR" and to cut myself some slack, even while helping me try my best. That's a gift, you know...and in light of Thanksgiving and all...I'm again, thankful for them...

Even as I sit here typing, not able to run because of my dang foot, alternating ice packs with SalonPas, and popping Ibuprofen...just hoping it's better by Saturday's long run...I am thankful for my new running family and their support.

Sign me up for a colonic and a massage....

2008-11-16T15:19:00.000-08:00

Well, back from my weekend in Louisville!!! After approximately 16 hours (there and back) in the car...I emerged....stiff and constipated..but HOME!

I drove up on Thursday, leaving about 9 that morning and stopping at Starbuck's on the way...I had contemplated running that morning before leaving, but I didn't want to get on the road too late and I woke up at 7:30...They gave me a free extra coffee at the Bucks, as they made my original drink wrong....either way, I was drinking two Venti coffees and knew I would be stopping soon for the bathroom!! The trip was pretty uneventful, with the stops for gas and bathroom time, and for once, the Mapquest directions were right! The drive was beautiful and the trees were muchmore colorful and vibrant up there! I didn't feel like going to the conference that night, after sitting all day, but I did meet my friends Lisa, Chas, and Ryan to eat dinner with them and say hello. I followed Lisa to "her house" (aka the awesome and cute house the church is letting her stay in as their supported missionary) and we just hung out, talking for the evening and catching up. She has been living in Nepal for the past two years, so it had been awhile!

The following day, I got up around 7:30 to get a short run in before the plenary session that morning...My knee was feeling a bit better, but the Doc told me to wear the Cho-Pat strap on the left leg too, so off I went...... I was actually overdressed, as I stepped outside and it was sunny and in the 50's, at least. I did several loops around the church nearby (it's at least a mile around the campus), and like clockwork, my IT Band was acting up...geez....it seems like 4 miles is the magic number! I was glad to have done SOMETHING, but discouraged that it seems like it's not getting better, but worse......The rest of the weekend was a series of plenary and break-out sessions, networking with various Medical Missions organizations and meeting people. There wasn't anything in particular at the conference itself that really stood out to me, but I did hook up with an organization called Equip Inc. that prepares people for medical trips overseas with an intensive training course in tropical medicine and nursing intervention. THAT was exciting..and I am already making plans to attend next May! It was also nice, albeit brief, to see my friends Chas and Ryan too! One of Chas' friends, Catherine from Jax, Fl and a PA was also staying at the house with us. She is also very much into running, although she loves trail running, and we talked forever about that, including all our injuries and various treatments for them...haahaha...I did get a chance to work out at the church fitness center for about an hour, so that made me feel a bit more lively after all that sitting and eating...ugh..

As we talked I told her about my intermittent IT Band issues and knee stuff, and she mentioned talking a few weeks off running....I was definitely hesitant...and still am...but then she said to just do what I can, take it easy, and run my race, enjoying it...even if I go slow. That somehow gave me relief...I guess I have been approaching the upcoming races with something to prove...a better PR, blah, blah, blah...and worrying more and more how I was going to do that, being hurt...it was almost like she gave me permission to enjoy myself and running again. I thought about it...I don't know how much longer I have to run, I mean, none of us do..I don't mean to be morbid or melodramatic, but anything can happen, anytime... At this point, I am thankful I can run at all...but I want to enjoy it again....and I hope, in the meantime...I will heal. Planning to meet up with Kim and Cheryl in the am and hopefully, not slow them down too much!!

4 X-Rays and some paper shorts later....

2008-11-12T13:37:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally got sick of hurting and not getting better, and wondering if I was making things worse with my knee and hip pain. Made an appointment for today to see Dr. Slater, an Orthopedist at Ortho Arkansas. I arrived at 9:30 and was being checked by 9:45!! The fastest I have ever gotten in to see a doc. Told him what has been going on, the things that do or don't help, etc. He concluded that I have no stress fractures, tendon or ligament problems or leg imbalances. He did X-rays on my hips and knees and said my joints look great! For that I was relieved... I have a touch of tendonitis in my left knee. He also said that my femurs tend to rotate inward, which is something I can't help due to the way they formed when I was growing. He didn't even say that I had to stop running, just cut it back a bit, and build back up according to how I feel. I do hate that it seems rather subjective...that I don't have a definitive plan or estimate as to when things will be okay again....I am to continue my NSAIDS, ice/heat, stretching, and rest. Was supposed to do a 10 miler today, but he recommended I not...I did a short 5 mile run in my neighborhood, and my knee actually feels okay, but my right IT Band was acting up, so I cut it short. This cutting back will be hard...especially the way I tend to push myself, but I hope it is better in the 'long run"...haha...

Commando...Chi Running....and Sprains...Oh my....

2008-11-10T11:37:00.000-08:00

Today was my first weekly run with the girls. Met at Cheryl's house about 6:10 to do their regular 5 mile loop. It was cold and as usual, the girls thought I was crazy for wearing shorts. I usually don't have problems with my legs getting cold as much as my arms do...I did have 2 shirts and a fleece on today....

Left from Cheryl's house and headed down to the bathrooms, at such time I proceeded to (gulp) "shed my underwear" as Cheryl puts it....they kept falling down and we still had about 4.3 miles to go....what was I going to do? Keep pulling them up the whole time? So, I did remove them, fold them in a little square, and tuck them in my "kangaroo pouch" on the front of my fleece pullover, and carry on with the run... The hills, although I usually like them, seemed tough today and I was breathing hard. Kim swears it's a "Monday" thing and I might be inclined to believe her, although that chick never has a "Monday" (she ran 10 miles yesterday... ) ! I had been reading last night, and watching You Tube, about Chi Running....It is supposed to help you run more efficiently and effortlessly, "using laws of physics and nature" to guide your body positioning. I tried the running posture, but I'm sure that it is something that takes some practice. Kim assured me that I looked like an absolute dork....but I think it may have helped???

Passing the Elementary school, Cheryl hurt her ankle again...I didn't really see it, but it looked like she tripped over a bulge in the road...She immediately had to sit down and it looked pretty painful. I'm sure it was just as frustrating as ever, as we have the Spa 10k coming up next weekend and the Memphis Half in December. We were not sure if she could walk back home, but after a few minutes she was able to stand and it didn't look swollen or bruised. We walked home with her and Kim and I continued our run. We ended up getting almost exactly 4 miles, by the time we got back to Cheryl's. My knee felt okay, but my damn IT Band was sore and that was even with wearing my ChoPat strap further up on my thigh....Ugh...We have a 10 miler on Wednesday and I'm kind of worried...Hopefully with some rest, ice/heat, SalonPas patches and Ibuprofen/Aleve, I will be functional on Wednesday morning. We are doing 4-6 miles before meeting Cheryl for the rest and I hope she is able to run by then....We went inside for some coffee and Cheryl was icing her ankle. I felt bad that she had to go to work this morning after the trauma....

Going out of town this week on Thursday to Louisville to go to a medical missions conference. I probably won't have time for much running up there, except a short one or two, so that's why I'm doing my long run on Wednesday. Looking forward to seeing my good friends Lisa, Chas, and Ryan. More on Wednsday's run to come....

Who would have thought my soul mate was a ChoPat strap???

2008-11-04T16:53:00.001-08:00

After Saturday's run, I was a bit nervous about starting to run this week....wondering if I should just take a small break....a few days...maybe a week...
And much to my delight...

There IT was...the Cho-Pat strap of my dreams.....Yes, it's true...I have found my soul-mate...okay, well... my new running mate anyway...

I wasn't sure how the thing would work. It is apparently supposed to be worn in the place closest to the area of discomfort when running. For a while, that was my knee, but lately it has been near my right hip. So...I wasn't sure if I would have to order another larger pair. I tried it anyway and tentatively started out...

One mile down...no pain...hmmm..maybe it just hasn't been long enough....
Two...three....four....Man, I felt great!!

A day later, it still feels okay.... and I am too excited about my new friend!! Again, props and a BIG "shout out" to Kim, who suggested them to me. I am looking forward to my runs this week and maybe this weekend's 8 mile route won't be too bad. At least my "running family" will be together again, with Cheryl and Kim both joining me for the LR Marathon group run and, of course, Starbucks' afterwards...

T-O-R-T-U-R-E........Definition: Today's run at Murray Park....

2008-11-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

Torture: (1) anguish of body or mind (2) something that causes agony or pain (3) the infliction of intense pain......In today's run....ALL OF THE ABOVE!!!

Today's run was out at the "infamous" Murray Park....I say that because Cheryl hates that route and I have always loved it UNTIL TODAY......

I kind of forgot where it was, because last time we started at Allsopp Park, so I was freaking out this morning because I didn't bring my directions and was convinced I knew where I was going...apparently not...I called Cheryl twice and texted Kim to find out where it was. Cheryl didn't answer, I think she didn't recognize my number and Kim was at work. She was going to send me the directions, but by then, I found it. They hadn't started yet, thank goodness, but for an unfortunate reason, I guess there was an accident with a runner and they had to call an ambulance. I'm not sure what happened....Anyhoo, I was thinking I was a little overdressed for the run. I had my Sugoi pants, long sleeve performance and a light rain slicker on because it was raining when I left the house. I ended up being comfortable because there was a slight wind.

I started out okay, but like clockwork my IT Band was killing me and I had to stop about EVERY mile to stretch. It had been doing that this week some during my runs, but not until at least mile 4. Not today.....I'm kind of worried about it, and wondering if I really jacked myself up by running the half last weekend. There was one girl that I kept passing and then, when I would stop to stretch, she would pass me....this went on for about 7 miles...geez, I felt like the biggest geek...Then one group of ladies, when I was stretching, said "I didn't realize there was ballet involved today..." and when I told her I was stretching, she said "Is your IT Band bothering you? I thought I recognized those stretches..." I guess it took me about an hour and 50 minutes, with about 7-10 stops along the way...I thought I would NEVER get done...

Anyone have any suggestions?? I have ordered my Cho-Pat straps, which now that I think about it, are probably the wrong size....I am doing stretches...and Ibuprofen...and ice.... Hopefully this won't interfere with the Memphis Half coming up in December....Should I rest for a week or two??

No that's not my sexy leg....these are the straps I ordered....

I'm not getting any younger....

2008-10-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

My runs this week since the half-marathon have been rather uneventful, to my pleasure, but I have been having some hip pain that flares up around mile 4. I have the 10 mile run this Saturday with the LRM Group, so I'm hoping that doesn't interfere. I have decided to get some IT Band Compression straps, maybe that will help. While on the subject, I must give a "shout-out" if you will, to Kim for telling me about them, I didn't know they existed and am excited to try them! The IT Band stretches I have been doing are helping some..

But, alas, that is not the subject of my post today. Yesterday I went to Pilates, thinking that it would really help me to do some more stretching and increase my flexibility, especially when my muscles get tight from running. I used to do Pilates on a regular basis, but I knew that I was nowhere near what I used to be doing. So...I decided to take it very easy and be careful. Well...I don't know if I hurt myself in that class or if I slept in a weird position, but I woke up last night with my neck KILLING me! It was the weirdest pain. I am used to neck stiffness and soreness, since I unfortunately "wear" my stress in neck aches and pains, but I couldn't tell if it was a muscle spasm or a pinched nerve. It felt like a shooting pain that went from my right shoulder, up my neck and the right side of my head...I tried an ice pack and that didn't help much, and finally took some Ibuprofen and was able to rest enough to go back to sleep....Ugh...

I woke up with it still hurting and anytime I lifted anything over 5 lbs. in my right hand, my neck and arm hurt...Geez...Since I don't know the source of how it happened, I'm not sure how to avoid it. Needless to say, I spent the day babying my neck at work and trying to avoid lifting too much, as not not make it worse....I didn't go to my Sculpt class tonight for the same reason. I just found myself thinking..."Man...I can't ever take NOT being in pain for granted again.."

I guess I'm not getting any younger, but I hope that doesn't mean living with this crap for long...

Soaring....Running....I figure it's the same thing...

2008-10-26T14:17:00.000-07:00

A momentous day in history.....I did my FIRST HALF MARATHON!!! It was the Inaugural Soaring Wings Half Marathon in Conway, AR....A DAY THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY!! Okay....at least, to me....

Pre-Race: Got up about 5:00..finally decided on my running skirt, tank, and long sleeve performance shirt for the race, with my PINK FLEECE along for the ride for post-race chills. Feeling rather bloated, I realized to my horror that my skirt was riding a bit higher than usual due to my monthly "girth expansion" (aka PMS), but the alternative, my Sugoi pants, were so tight, you could see my panty line...ick...I figured, "It's not Halloween and there WILL be small children there, best not to scare them...." It was cold, somewhere in the 40's, but not as cold as I expected. I grabbed an Odwalla Bar for breakfast to eat on the way to Target, where I was supposed to meet Cheryl and the "Infamous" Kim at 6:15, so we could ride together. I sat in the parking lot for about 2 minutes, adjusted my shoes and thought "what if they are waiting on the side of the building?" so I drove over there to make sure. They aren't, so I drove back to the front, just in time to see them pull up. I grabbed all my gear and off to Conway we went. We chatted all the way up there and we seemed to get there really fast! At first, we couldn't tell where to park, the driveway to the McGee Center was blocked off and there were no signs. We drove around the corner to a church parking lot and walked to the McGee Center from there. We got our packets with bib, chip, and t-shirts. The shirts were huge for the size indicated, so I was hoping that my medium could be traded for a small later. We headed back to the car to get closer parking and found that there were still some great spots on the grass near the finish line, although the parking guy was a bit RIGID on exactly where we parked! We went inside for a bathroom pit stop and I met some of the other running gals that Cheryl and Kim know. Not long after that, they announced that the race would start in about 10 minutes and that we should be making our way to the starting line. We quickly took some pics to commemorate the event and headed down the street.

During the Race: As soon as the "Go!" was shouted, we took off. Kim basically shot off and we never saw her again until after the race. Cheryl and I started off kind of fast, but gradually got into a groove. I had to stop and tie my shoe once, and boy I had to really take off to catch up with Cheryl again! I had a G2 with me, so I sipped that throughout and ended up taking some Gu about mile 5 and 9.5. Energy-wise, I felt okay, but I really started to get sore in my right hip and knee about mil 10 or so. When we hit mile 12, I was like..."Where is that finish line?" Cheryl reminded me of my medal awaiting me, and that was the incentive I needed to go that last 1.1 miles!! She asked me if I was going to cry at the end and I didn't think so, but I did tear up when we rounded the corner. No Kim in sight, but we virtually crossed the finish line at the same time and I was SO EXCITED!! I wish they had announced my name, but I was just so glad to finish at all!

Post-Race: They cut the chips off our shoes, gave us our medals, and we headed for the food!!! But not before Cheryl gave me a hug and congratulated me on my first half-marathon! We stretched by the road block and then went to look for Kim, our "invisible cheering section", she was nearby talking to a guy she knew from work. We walked around a bit, I got a hamburger, talked to some of the running gals, and went to get some pics at the finish line. When we got to the t-shirt table, not only did I get to trade in my t-shirt for a smaller size, we got to buy the short sleeve performance shirts that we had all been lusting over that morning for only $5 each! That was AWESOME! After the pics, we headed to the preliminary finishing list to see who placed. None of us did, although I was sure that I would place...I mean, I was awesome! Kidding....We all did PR...wait, can I PR? I mean, this was my first half.....I was fairly pleased with my time. I didn't really have a goal, but I was satisfied with 2:04:58...

Finally, at the car to leave for Starbucks, Cheryl and Kim gave me this bag of goodies (that almost made me cry) to celebrate my first half-marathon. It was one of the most thoughtful things anyone has ever done for me.....I normally keep those things to myself and these 2 ladies were allowing me to celebrate (and celebrating with me!) an accomplishment that means alot to me and something I didn't think I could do! Pardon if I get sentimental here...but sometimes, I really believe that God puts these blessings and people in my life to really show me He loves me. And I am grateful......Now, back to my story....we went to Starbucks for some yummy and much awaited coffee and Kim and I discovered that we not only have the same phone, but we also both have Verizon, so we can text like crazy now!! We went to Target and Old Navy, but didn't find much (although I almost shoplifted some panties at Old Navy), but it was still fun. By the time we got back to NLR, Kim and Cheryl had talked me into doing the St Jude Memphis Half Marathon and spending the weekend with them and Aunt Martha.....Boy, that should be a weekend to remember!!

All-in-All....a wonderful day with wonderful new friends....I hope to start running with them, next week in the mornings, at least on Monday and Friday mornings...and maybe the running clinic in Cabot on Tuesdays.....more fun to come!!

Will I soar at Soaring Wings???

2008-10-24T17:45:00.000-07:00

Well....it's merely hours until my first half-marathon....I didn't even know about the Soaring Wings Half Marathon this weekend until Cheryl mentioned it last Saturday at the River Market. As the weekend went on, I just could not get it out of my mind and when Cheryl told me to look at it as a treat to myself after coming home from Harrison, I just couldn't say no. I went online and registered and let her know right away. We have been obsessing ever since...

Now..I''m kind of nervous about it. I ate a good dinner and feel ok, except all the bloating from all this PMS crap. I was going to wear my running pants, but they are so tight...ugh....My left knee is sore too and I'm not sure why. I never have problems with my left knee or foot, it's ALWAYS my right.... I hope a good rest and a few ibuprofen take care of it before tomorrow morning. I tried an ice pack, but it hasn't seemed to help much.....

Tomorrow I am meeting Cheryl and Kim at Target in NLR to carpool to Conway. That should be fun and may help settle my nerves some...I've got most of my gear together so I won't have to fly around like a maniac in the morning looking for everything...my Gu, gloves, ipod, headband, LED light, fleece (of course) and my G2. I will probably wear a running skirt and long sleeve performance shirt. Cheryl is supposed to bring her running gloves and fuel belt in case I want to use those...

Looking forward to it!! My first medal!!!

A shameless plug for pink fleece and cupcakes.....

2008-10-18T09:13:00.000-07:00

PINK FLEECE!!!!!PINK FLEECE!!!!! I FINALLY GOT TO WEAR MY PINK FLEECE!!! OK.....now that we got that out of the way...

Today's run was down at the River Market, over into NLR and back up to Kavanaugh. Tried to look for Cheryl as we started, but alas, no Cheryl...I was having flashback to the first time I ran the Capitol run and was really dreading those hills...At first, it felt like I was dragging along and could not imagine finishing today, but somehow after I passed the Blind School, I got my second wind...and the rest of the run wasn't too bad. My G2 Gatorade kept me going, as did my energy gel, but the kind I had with me was one that Cheryl had given me to try, forgot the brand name, but the flavor was Strawberry-Kiwi. (Sorry, Cheryl, no offense, but it reminded me of warm snot and I almost gagged. I think I'll stick with the Chocolate Gu.) I was comfortably warm in my PINK FLEECE (how many times can I say that....) and the weather was beautiful. Of course, I didn't QUITE follow my instructions right and turned left on Cross St. (like my paper said) but apparently, that was assuming everyone would know to go up to Victory St. first....Oh well, once I caught my mistake I ran up to 4th and back down Broadway.. (Note to self: Tammy, just follow everyone else, you apparently NEVER know where you are going).

The outside of my knee has been bothering me and I think I am self-diagnosing in saying that I have ITB Friction Syndrome. Maybe with some more good stretching and building my quads and hamstrings more evenly, I can nip that in the bud. Man, I wish I had been able to go to the Marathon Meeting on Tuesday....I picked up one of the summary info sheets by Lace Luedke, and that was helpful. I do say with an extreme amount of glee that I will be home after this week in Harrison and I am looking forward to being able to have a life. I hope to do some runs with Cheryl at some point, and maybe go to a running clinic??

I was tempted to head over to Panera after my run, (I was going to meet my mom, but she got busy and couldn't go) but didn't really feel like driving that far, so I headed over to Starbuck's, with a few short stops at some garage sales on the way. Nothing too spectacular today, although there were garage sales galore. I skipped my Power Pump weight class at 8, I just didn't feel like it. Went over to Target and bought a welcome mat with an owl on it that says "Who's there?" A little cheesy, but cute. I was also going to go over to Cupcakes on Kavanaugh (my sister works there and told me that today they have the Pumpkin Spice Cupcake with Cream Cheese frosting), but she was baking and they don't actually open until 11am. Sweet as she is, she said she would get me one and bring it to me later!!! YAY!! I love all the Pumpkin recipes that come out in the fall and can't wait to start cooking with it myself!

Cheryl mentioned the Soaring Wings Half-Marathon next weekend, and although I have no business even thinking about it...I am sooooo tempted. We'll see how I feel, 9 miles today was brutal enough....I don't want to overdo it, since next week I will be incorporating one more day a week running. I'm sure that I will be updating on whether I am crazy enough to do it...

HELLA work week, but fleece makes it all better....

2008-10-17T12:43:00.000-07:00

Glad to be home after my 2nd to last week in Harrison. This week was HELLA at work. My patients were REALLY sick and (pardon me for saying so)...their families were REALLY annoying. I was running non-stop for almost the whole 13 hours I was there each day and nothing seemed like enough for anyone!! Aghhh....needless to say, I was anticipating coming home.....

I did 5 miles this morning in my neighborhood, and it was colder than expected. I just wore shorts, a t-shirt, and a fleece pull-over, but I did have to wear a headband over my ears...ahhhh, cold weather running....it felt pretty good and I started to feel comfortably warm about halfway through my run. I think tomorrow morning is supposed to be a FEW degrees warmer, so I will probably wear a running skirt and a long sleeve performance shirt.

My weird splits were: 1st 2.5 miles, 22 minutes
2nd 1.5 miles 13 minutes
3rd mile 9 minutes

Don't ask me to average that out....I'm too lazy and too focused on time lately...setting myself up for failure I think....

I need to be incorporating more hills and speed work into my runs soon...my routes are getting boring and I think I am reaching a stagnant plateau. I would love to do some stuff with a running clinic, whenever I am home on a regular basis, after next week...will probably ask around on that one...

Lastly....I am having runner's lust for any and all things fleece....can I be saved?
Maybe I will get to wear my pink-fleece tomorrow morning for the River-Trail run....9 miles...ugh...

Beyond running....

2008-10-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

Still a little sore from yesterday, but the am LR Marathon group run went well. It was SOOOOO foggy. My hair was soaked from all the moisture, but once the sun came up it was beautiful, fog and all. Finally met Cheryl, after commenting on each other's blogs for a while. It was nice to run with someone, and I didn't even miss my ipod! I have really enjoyed getting to know some of my fellow runners in the "running community". It has been inspiring and helpful...sharing struggles, getting advice, and learning to love running all over again.

It was 8 miles again, the group did 7. I felt a little slow this weekend, somewhat stiff, averaging close to a 10 minute mile. Only 2 more weeks in Harrison, thank goodness, so I can run more days a week and get used to the increased mileage. I hate treadmill running, even on the rare occasion I feel up to it after work. When I get back to working at St. Vincent's in a few weeks, I'll be doing mostly 8 hour days, so I will be able to do my runs in the evenings and go to some of the sculpt classes I have really been missing. I'm sad I won't be around for the LR Marathon training meeting on Tuesday. Hopefully people can fill me in on what I missed! Looks like a 9 mile route next weekend, if I'm up to it....

Martin Luther King (Blvd., that is) is not my friend....

2008-10-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

Dark, as usual, this morning, as I made my way to the LR Marathon running group meeting place. We were at the Arts Center (downtown), doing the route that passes by the Governor's Mansion and Central High. It was cool, as will probably be the norm for the next, oh, 6 months or so...but seemingly, not as cold as last Saturday morning.

Today was another 7 miler, and I say WAS because I had an interesting and slightly scary experience this morning. I forgot to email Tom and Hobbit and request a 7 mile route, so he had to modify an 8 mile route and adjust the directions for me. I thought it was fairly clear....apparently not. I know you're not supposed to follow the pack in front of you, in case they are doing different mileage, so you don't get stuck doing 20 miles when you meant to do 4....Still, the directions Tom gave me had me bailing from a fairly decent sized group, and I thought .."surely all of these people aren't doing over 8 miles......Well, I screwed up the directions anyway, and headed down martin Luther King Blvd. going the wrong way...

So, there I was, like the idiot that I am...a random white girl, running in the semi-dark in my cute running skirt...through shanty-town...hoping and praying that I would come upon Capitol Rd. so I could get the hell out of there.....I feel so stupid....I just kept going, praying that no one would attack me and I ended up at the damn State Fair Grounds!! Yes, that's right, folks....2.5 DAMN MILES, out of the way....

I finally had the sense to turn around and found my way back to where I should have turned before and after running past the RiverMarket to Commerce St., I cut my route short, headed to 10th St. and went back to the Arts Center early. So.....all that to say...what was SUPPOSED to be 7 miles, ended up being 8.2, even with me cutting about 2 miles off the original route.....Note to self....take the time to email Tom....or stick with the whole group...

One bright spot is that I got to go to Panera Bread for breakfast and got a Pink Ribbon Bagel (with vanilla, nuts, dried cherries, and dried cranberries) and coffee. It was SO good and I needed that reward. I also went to Target and Academy for some retail therapy...got a pink "performance" long sleeve running shirt (of sorts) at Target and some Gu, an awesome pink fleece pull-over, and a black headband with a little pink ribbon on it (they selling alot of pink ribbon stuff, I'm assuming for the Race for the Cure..) at Academy. I skipped weight class this morning, I was so sore anyway and I just didn't feel up to it after my "ordeal". It was bound to happen, I'm a newbie...I guess, now, I have all these "funny" stories to tell to my fellow runners..ha ha.....

Misty morning....

2008-09-27T14:05:00.000-07:00

It was beautiful this morning! Did the usual Saturday morning run with the Little Rock Marathon Group.....I love the locations they use for training. Today was out at 2 Rivers Park, near Maumelle park. I had never been out that way before. The temperature was a little chilly, but just perfect once I got warmed up. I did wish that I had brought some light gloves, however, cause even when I warmed up, my fingers stayed cold and stiff. Anyway, as the bright red sun came up over the misty farmland, it was so serene and beautiful. Much of the run I was by myself. The group was mostly 3-miler's doing the half buildup and 6 miler's doing the marathon buildup, so the few of us doing longer runs went in a different direction. I figured I better do a few weeks of 7 miles on my long run, and maybe a few weeks of 8 miles before I am in step with the whole group. The route ended up being 7.2 miles, but i didn't time myself this morning. I think it was around an hour and five minutes.

I tried one of my new C9 Target running skirts, and this one "stayed put" much better! It is a bit shorter than I'd prefer, but I still like it. It definitely doesn't chafe the legs, which is awesome. I did, however, get to experience the infamous (ahem) , nipple chafing that I've heard people talk about....

Still having a hard time getting my running in while up in Harrison. Only 4 more weeks up there and I'm ready to get back into a routine at home. I guess I will have to get a gym membership for one month, just to use the treadmill.... I can tell the lack of running during the week is really doing me in on the weekends as my long runs are getting longer.....

Running skirts....falling skirts...

2008-09-20T10:25:00.001-07:00

It was an interesting morning....I woke up to my alarm at 4;45 (geez...I couldn't believe it was already morning) and got ready to leave, wearing my new Runningskirts.com skirt. I was excited to finally get it and be wearing it!! Come to find out, it's too big, although when I put it on, it SEEMED to fit well. More on that later...

I usually check the weather to see what Saturday mornings are going to be like, but totally forgot last night. As I drove, it started to rain and I thought "Oh, crap"......Not only did I not have a waterproof jacket, but I was wearing a white top and wasn't about to be part of some wet t-shirt contest!! Thankfully, from the moment I stepped out of my car until the time I got back in, the most it did was mist a little.

I'd never run on the river trail, it was pretty enjoyable...although it was dark, and I kept looking around like a paranoid-schizophrenic for someone to pop out of the shadows and attack me. It was a good run and I felt great...aside from having to pull up that damn skirt the whole way..Don't get me wrong, I love the skirt, but I def have to buy a smaller size now. I should have tried it out on a shorter run. But now, I can't return it and am out $60! In any event, it was encouraging to be moving a bit faster this week. I did 6 miles this week, a nine minute mile! YAY!

I will try out the skirts I got from Target on shorter runs this week and eventually I will buy another running skirt from Runningskirts.com. I was pleasantly surprised that the length was longer than I anticipated and the material is SO soft! Anyone want to buy my other skirt at a discount? It's a 10-12 (size 4 on the runnningskirts website). I usually wear a size 10, sometimes an 8, but it seems to run larger.

Blah....and running skirts....

2008-09-19T05:32:00.000-07:00

Well, as I told some people, last weekend was pretty rough on the Saturday morning run. It was humid and I felt like it would never end. I guess I'm going to have to join a gym in Harrison just to be able to run on a treadmill while I'm up there, cause this "no running during the week" is really making my weekend runs an ordeal. Only 5 more weeks up there, but I have to do something soon. Tomorrow's run is downtown at the River Market and I think the weather will be somewhat cooler than last weekend.....today's stretch is 4 miles....
On a lighter note...I got some running skirts and am pretty excited about running in them. I had been looking online for a while and had tried to look into getting some from Target, but their online store said they were out of my size. I ordered one from RunningSkirts.com and it came but i haven't tried it on yet. But....to my delight, i popped into Target in Conway on my way to Harrison on Monday and found SEVERAL!! I was pumped! And they weren't as short as I had anticipated they would be. Hopefully I won't be too chicken to wear them now.....

This humidity is ridiculous...

2008-09-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

I just got back from what was supposed to be a 4 mile run....I ended it at 3.6. I didn't even pay attention to my time. It felt like I was suffocating out there today. Sure, some of it is the humidity, but I have a feeling it also has to do with making up for not working out all week and feeling out of shape! It was a bit discouraging. I guess, again, I need to give myself some room for this kind of stuff, being out of town all week...Plus I have been eating like crazy and feel sluggish...

Tomorrow morning is the marathon group run at 6am at the Capitol. I am dreading it a little because of today's performance. I need to start at 6 miles, if I can do it. I've been doing 5 for my last 3 long runs. I still haven't had time to go out to the new Balance store and have my shoes fit for orthotic insoles. I dread the drive all the way out to Cantrell (especially with gas going up to 4.50 a gallon) and spending $200 on the stupid things. Still, I think (and hope) it will be worth it. Hopefully, it won't rain tomorrow morning. I 'm not ready to run in the rain yet!! Updates to come....

Beautiful morning...

2008-09-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

This morning was absolutely beautiful!!!! It was actually cold and I started to wonder if the weather would be like last year, when it was hot for so long and then suddenly got cold. I run much better in the cold, but I still want fall to gradually ease me into winter!!

I was dreading it a little bit, cause yesterday's 4 mile was really hard for some reason. I'm not sure if I am not eating ENOUGH or just eating the WRONG things...I constantly feel as if my sugar is low lately and don't want to get in the habit of eating protein bars or Gu all the time. I was pleasantly surprised this morning when my 5 miles felt great! I know I'm supposed to be focused on finishing, but I couldn't help but be pleased with doing 5 miles in 45 minutes, a 9 minute mile! Aside from that, it was nice to run, not necessarily "with" other people, cause I don't "know" anyone there, but with other people around... I enjoyed the course, and I guess, since I haven't run the marathon yet, I haven't been tainted...

I went to my usual weight class afterwards. It seemed brutal, but it did help me stretch out and I am getting stronger. I am trying to be more balanced with toning my quads and hamstrings, so I don't have as much knee pain as I build up my mileage. Sadly, I am probably going to have to get prosthetics made for my shoes. I think my insoles are too rigid in my "new" stability shoes. Maybe I'll make the trip out to the New Balance store on Monday so the Podorthist can make a mold of my feet before I leave for Harrison. All in all, an exhilarating run today!!

Another Outlet....

2008-09-05T11:41:00.000-07:00

I decided I wanted to create a running blog as I train for the 2009 Little Rock Marathon so I can document my progress, pitfalls, and adventures for the next few months. I know that thousands of people have run marathons, and many of them more than one. I used to think how awesome it was that they could do it, but never imagined I would be attempting it myself. I ran in college, more as an exercise-obsessed person, having lost a significant amount of weight and wanting to keep it off. In a way, it was more of a self-punishment type of thing....for eating too much or just a way to keep from getting fat again....

It shocked me when I had this overwhelming desire a few months ago to actually DO one. So...I have embarked on the adventure of training as a newbie, and experiencing not only the ups and downs physically of my body adjusting again to all that running....but also the ups and downs mentally of setting goals for myself that are too high and unreasonable and realizing how, not only self-defeating that is...but also learning to enjoy something that was previously a form of punishment for my failures.

It has been tough to increase my mileage as I have been working in Harrison lately and that has been discouraging. I have been working at least 3 13-hour days every week and am just too tired after work to do anything but eat dinner, shower, and fall into bed, only to get up and do it all over again.... I admit I have been beating myself up over not going running after work, after being on my feet literally 13 hours a day. That's pretty stupid, now that I think about it...and it gets me nowhere, beating myself up. Not to mention that, this being my first marathon, I have been insanely worried about my times rather than just focusing on finishing...

Several good things about this new endeavor, though, have been meeting different groups of people, like the Hot Legs running club and the LR Marathon training group, that have inspired and encouraged me to continue, cut me some slack, and provided much guidance and support. For them, I am grateful...and it makes me realize that even though I am the one running, I know I don't HAVE to do it alone, despite my natural independent tendencies..

So....here I can outlet all my running triumphs and foibles..and hopefully get some good advice, from those who have been there before!

This is week 3 in the Marathon Build-up program. I have been at this stage for a short while. Tomorrow's scheduled distance is 4 miles. I am supposed to be doing 6, but will probably do 5 like I did last weekend. It was pretty brutal, with all those hills, but I guess it was good practice, since the actual race course is hills galore@! We'll see how tomorrow goes....I'm about to head out for today's run of 4 miles...