Since my last post, a few things have happened. First, I took off an entire week of running. 10 days to be exact. Second, I reached my fundraising goal of $1800, and then some! Even those last minute donations help to fight for a cure. And third is the big one: my leg status.
After freaking out a bit, and wearing an ankle brace, tape, and several different types of bandages, I found that the key to me feeling better in the morning was elevating my feet in the evening (against all of my temptations to be up working around the house and shopping for the wedding). I called my doctor early the next day and she was so smug about the whole thing that I just wanted to punch her! But, I am sort of over that now. You can't be angry forever, because you are only hurting yourself.
Anyway, I told her about my pain and she was basically like, oh it's fine. I am NOT going back to her again.
So, for the week of May 25th-29th, I resisted all of my inner demons that said not being productive is bad for you and I rested my leg. I used medical tape around my leg to keep on the ice packs, and stuck like 4 pillows under it while I went about my merry way. Well, I didn't WENT exactly. More like SAT.
The leg hurt on Monday and Tuesday, but it wasn't like a sharp pain. It was more like a tightness that needed to be stretched. So, I kept icing/elevating/resting and wearing braces/tape as much as I could. Eventually, by Thursday, it started feeling more normal during the day. It was only in the evenings that I noticed any tension again. It was particularly bad when I went to bed and laid down. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to sleep comfortably. By Saturday, it felt more like a tight muscle that was just over worked than an injury.
That Saturday morning was the last practice with the Maryland teams for training and everyone was doing 6 miles. Aunt Janet was told by her physical therapist not to run so she decided to try walking some of it. I thought it would be nice to do that with her, so we did a 4 mile speed walk together. It was not as rewarding as getting the good running buzz...but I still felt that my heart rate was elevated, and I was very sweaty at the finish. Afterwards, we went to the Under Armour outlet together (I think we have a problem staying away from that place), and I found some really cheap heat gear shirts and some pants for Alec.
<<Side story: Alec has this pair of UA pants that we found at Marshall's for like $49.99 when we were in Boston last summer. When I walked over to look at the men's rack in the outlet, the first thing that I saw were those pants. You may think that it is silly to have 2 pairs of the same pants...but when your significant other decides to paint the front door in his pants, sometimes it is necessary to have a second pair that are a little more presentable.>>
On Saturday evening, I prepared for our Memorial Day/race/engagement celebration BBQ. We haven't really had any groups of friends over since we moved in two years ago, so it was very overdue. I ended up doing a lot of shopping, cleaning, cooking, and dog stuff (we were watching my parents pup) that day, and when it came time to go to bed, I realized that I definitely overdid it on my feet. I had to lay with my feet up for a long time!! Lesson learned. On Sunday, even though I had church in the a.m. and the BBQ, I made it a point to take breaks and sit down because I had every intention of going for a run on Monday morning. I also realized on Sunday morning that at some point, I broke my third toe. It might have even been part of the cause for all of the tightness in my right leg. It's hard to tell. So that has been taped up for about 4 days now.
Oh yeah...about that Monday run...it was hot...and humid...and I couldn't breath....and it was only 3.5 miles. Up until that run, I figured that taking a week off wouldn't be too long to maintain my breath. On Monday I found out that the real truth is that unless you are going every week, your breath disappears very quickly. I waited until it was about 84 degrees outside, because I didn't want to go out in the bad heat and it ended up being 9pm. I did a warm up run/walk and then stretched for a few minutes. I made sure to drink a ton of water for the heat, but I'm telling you I still needed a lot to replace what I had lost when I got home. I kept an 11.2 min/mile pace, which is about 29 seconds slower than I had been doing before. But, I am trying to focus on the fact that it could have been much worse. During the run, I didn't feel any tightness or pain in my right leg and afterwards I put ice on it immediately. I also taped it up with K tape before and after. I have kept tape on it all week and I can feel a BIG difference in that leg.
When I took the ice off, I started to feel the muscle contracting, so in order to get comfortable before sleep, I had to wrap it up to keep it warm. That was when I realized that my muscle had somehow become the place that I was having issues and not the tendon. So, on Tuesday I used a heating pad before I ran to stretch it out while it was warm, and then I taped. I ended up doing 1.5 miles and then a bunch of weight lifting, because I don't want to push it too much this week. On Tuesday evening, I used the heating pad again and it felt much better.
This morning, I did 2.25 miles on the treadmill (I used to be a treadmill person, but I'm sort of falling out of love with it. I really only like it for speed training now, and intervals) and I felt minimal tightness and a little twitching when I was done. Afterwards, I went to the pool (we have a pool membership at the Hilton outdoor pool through our gym) and did some laps. That felt GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I even wore a bathing suit from high school that turned out to be a bit too big for me now. I think I will go for another swim tomorrow morning.
On Friday, we are heading down to race events in the late morning. My plan right now is to do 1 or 2 miles and some resistance training early in the morning (it has been my routine through all of the training and I don't want to change it), and then head down to VA with Alec and Aunt Janet. I am getting nervous about the big day, and I still feel like it is very up in the air. At this point, I don't think I will know what my plan is until that morning when I am getting ready to run. And it may even be something that changed mid-course. I have said to my self that there are certain guidelines that I will follow in determining what my best route will be. The first and most important is that I CANNOT get injured. So, if I feel any pain whatsoever, I will stop running to walk. Also, I need to be over-hydrating on Friday because dehydration leads to muscle problems and that is the last thing that I want. And last, I will be patient with my body and listen to it with the intention of having many more years of racing to come. Because, even if I can't run this entire half-marathon, there is always tomorrow.
Race day essentials list for Sara:
-Gu/Clif Shot/Shot Block/Stingers -->haven't narrowed this down yet because I like them all!
-Water belt
-Suncreen applied before dressing and just before race
-Reflective running hat
-Either my NB or UA pants depending on the heat/humidity
-Race tank top
-Sports bra
-Body Glide anti-chaf stick
-Deodorant
-Compression Socks
-Shoes with fresh coat of Shoe Goo on them
-SPF lip balm
-Oatmeal
-Egg whites
-Banana
-Lucky running underwear (no explanation needed)
-No slip hair elastic
-Cover-up (This seems to give a little extra shield against sun. I notice a diff in my freckles if I don't have it).
-Phone
-Wrist bands for all events
-Extra clothes/Sunglasses/Camera for post-race
-K Tape/RockTape preferably applied when first waking up.
-Smiling face! :)
The next time you hear from me, it will be post-race!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you all for reading.
XO
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
The waiting game.
This sucks. This really really really sucks.
Oh, about last week: Last weekend, I did 8 miles (we are coming down to the home stretch so the miles decrease) at a hotel gym. It smelled like chlorine, has about a 90% humidity, and had a glorious view of: the indoor pool. But, I did it. I even clocked in my fastest 8 miles yet, and had plenty of energy for planks/ab roller/push-ups/free weights. But, that's not the real story here. The real story starts post-wedding with an infection.
You know, infections just creep up on you, and sometimes you just don't realize how bad they are until a little too late. Of course, with being an attendant in a wedding, such things take a back seat to hair, makeup, and doing "the beavis and butthead dance" with your fiancee. So, when you start to face the music again on Monday, sometimes you get "chopsticks" instead of Beethoven's 9th. This is how it went:
Monday evening, I wasn't feeling quite right and I told Alec about it. I chalked it up to some other health problems that have been my companion for a while now and decided to go to bed. When I woke up at 2am, 3am, 4am and 5am, I realized that something was terribly wrong, so we rushed out to the store at 6am on Tuesday to get medicine. I called my doctor's office as soon as they opened and said that I had to work, so I was wondering if they could have the doc call in a prescription for me. She called me back 2 hours later and said that she wouldn't do that because she had to see me in person. I feel pretty blah about this because I ended up telling her exactly the same things in person as I did on the phone.
I told her what was going on, and that I was currently training for a half marathon in a few weeks. I also let her know that I have no insurance right now (not recommended) because I'm waiting to go on Alec's. She said she would just write me a prescription for 3 days and everything should be fine. I thought, great! No lab work= no extra money!
I went to Target to get my prescription and the pharmacist looked at what it was and said "are you sure you don't have any questions about this?" and I said, nah. Just assuming it was your run of the mill Bactrim/Cillin. I took a pill immediately because I am terrified of infections and I wanted to get it working as soon as possible. Then I drove home and as I was getting out of the car, I started to read the warning label. It was 5 pages of paper worth (really? for an antibiotic, you need 5 pages of warnings? doesn't that sound not-quite-right to you?).
The medicine that I took was called Ciprofloxacin. NEVER EVER TAKE THIS MEDICINE! If you have heard of Levaquin, or Levofloxacin, this is a similar type of medication to that and can have the same severe side effects. They are called fluoroquinolones and can do irretrievable damage to your body...especially if you have the genetic predisposition that considers them toxic.
So, to continue my story, I started reading this warning label and had a few doubts about whether the doctor knew what she was doing or not...but, I wanted to believe that she knew enough about them to prescribe them to me without fearing any ill harm. This is a tricky situation to deal with, because I really want to trust my doctor, but I also don't want to face anything that might disable me from running. The label basically read all of the standard warnings about sleeplessness, anxiety, sun exposure, hearing voices, and depression, but then I got to the last page. It said that this medication causes tendinitis in people that are taking certain medications, and that suffer from several medical conditions. It also said at the very end that exercise can sometimes cause this. I scratched my head a little, and figured that the doctor knew what she was doing. I made a plan to rest while I was on the meds from Tues-Fri, and then to exercise again at the 12 mile run on Saturday.
This plan did come to fruition, but not with the results that I intended. On Tuesday night, I felt dizzy and very tired after taking the pill, so I went to bed relatively early. Wednesday morning, I woke up feeling sleepy again, but I figured it was all because of the lack of sleeping that happened Monday night. I'm pretty sure that I was wrong about that. On Thursday morning, I sat down and had a moment of panic. I went online and started reading runner's forums about the effects of Cipro. I happened upon them when I was looking at making a plan for my next run after a few days off, and I noticed one about tendinitis due to this drug. My heart sank. I immediately stopped taking the pills in the hopes that only 2 days of it wouldn't have done any damage.
I made a plan to call the doctor first thing in the morning to get another antibiotic. "Phew!", I thought. I was not taking it for very long and I wasn't having any pain so I must be perfectly OK. So, Friday morning, I went to the gym to do my usual interval training and weight lifting that I do the day before long runs. I was paying close attention to my Achilles tendon as I ran, and I told myself that if I felt ANY pain or weird sensations that I would stop running. I felt no pain. Everything was normal.
I laid out my running clothes and planned to take it easy on Saturday morning, just to be cautious. I thought I would run easy and walk part of the course to give my tendons a break. At training, I skipped the warm up and headed out to walk as a warm up. I stopped for a minute after .75 miles and did some easy stretching. Then, I started to run at a slow pace and continued running until mile 3. I walked from 3-4, and then two of the mentors caught up with me and I started walking with them. We soon ran, from miles 4-6. It's funny because I was only planning on running/walking 10 miles, but I looked down and there we were at 6-the halfway point.
The whole time that I was running, I was giving all of my attention to my muscles and tendons. I didn't feel a single twinge that was beyond my normal hip and knee pain. So, I continued to walk/run from 7-9, and then I ran all the way back to 12. It was a slow and even pace. When I got done, I felt great! I wanted to run more at the end because I felt like I didn't do my best time...but I knew that at least I had finished. I went for the perfect post-run treat with a few other girls at the snoasis snowball stand in Cockeysville, and was not even tired.
When I got home, I had a snack and decided to cut the grass while the weather was nice. After that I basically just rested the entire day. I noticed that my arms felt really tired (like tennis elbow) but I sometimes get that, and attributed it to mowing the grass.
Now comes the bad part...
This morning I woke up and got ready for church feeling a little more stiff than your average day. I was tired and groggy so I just kept going and didn't take any pain meds. By the time that I got to church, I felt an awful tightness going up the sides of my legs. My initial reaction was that it was from my calves being tired due to the flat course that we ran. So, when I got into church, I used my phone to look up where the tendons are in your legs. This was when I almost started crying at rehearsal. Your peroneal tendons start behind your ankles and go all the way up the sides of your legs. There are brevis (short) and longus (long) sections. My peronea longus is where I am feeling the most tightness. It was literally the only thing that I didn't want to be sore. I could have dealt with any other type of pain from running than tendon pain, because tendon pain means I was right. I was having a bad reaction to the medication.
The questions that I have about all of this are swirling around in my head right now endlessly. Why me? Why so close to the race? What did I do to deserve this? What should I do now? Will I be able to run the race? Will I be able to recover from this? Will I gain weight from not being able to exercise?
A few lessons have already been learned from this experience, so I know it's not 100% bad. The first is that I have always had a deep respect for Alec because of all that he went through when he tore his ACL. I never understood what it felt like, and I always avoided talking to him about it, because I didn't want to stir up old memories. But this week, when I broke down about my feelings of failure and my questions to the universe, he told me about how he felt when it happened to him. I don't know if it is good that we had to go through these experiences in our lives, but I do know that there is a reason for everything. And I honestly feel that he was meant to guide me through this and be my comfort, and that having someone who has been injured at the peak of their game who also loves me and is my best friend is exactly what I needed. It's amazing how God works.
Another lesson: no matter how hardcore you are, and how tough you are, there is a point when you have to say enough is enough. Your body might tell you or your mind might tell you, but whichever it is, you have to listen. And then, you have to wait. Because if you push yourself too soon (like I did, doing 12 miles and then mowing the grass), you will pay for it tenfold and be even more unhappy with yourself.
I am so terrified that I am going to gain weight in these next few weeks. I even told Alec to take all of the junk food out of the house (he was like, "what? the granola bars?") because I don't want to start snacking while I'm stuck resting. There is this inner demon that is saying "you were fat before, you could be fat again, everyone will think you're lazy if you don't run it because you were fat before, you need to just push through it and say screw it all I am tough, you are going to let everyone down if you don't do all 13.1 miles, people don't respect you as much now that you didn't complete your goal, even if you do another half marathon you didn't finish this one and it's this one that matters the most, what if you never get to run again you might as well give it everything now, and etc..." Poisonous and stinkin' thinkin', I know. The question that I have is, how do I make it stop?
Sisters are good for that. And friends. And fiancees. And family. And that is my plan. Focus on how I've inspired people (not how I'm letting those people down), how I've completely turned my life around (not how two weeks of rest is going to send me back down the slippery slope of unhealthiness), how there is always a possibility that I might be fine to run (not how I could suffer from chronic tendinitis for the rest of my life) and how I am surrounded by people that I love and that love me.
And I will rest, ice, elevate, tape/compress, and take an anti-inflammatory. And I will take glucosamine/chondroitin, omega 3, and coQ10. And I will let my body tell me when I am ready to run again, and not vice versa. I will wait.
I forgot to say one thing. My aunt has an injury herself. While I know that she will have a full recovery with rest and PT, she is not going to be able to run the race but will walk it instead. When I heard the news from her about her injury, I was lost for words. I wanted to tell her this: even though you feel like you've worked so hard to get here and now you cannot achieve your goal, you've come so far and inspired so many people along the way. No one has any doubts about you being able to run 13.1 miles. You are stronger and tougher than most people out there, and the more wonderful because of it. Don't let this part of your journey get you down, because there is always the possibility of another race. Just tell me where to sign up, and I will be at your side.
My goal now: start believing that about myself.
XO
Oh, about last week: Last weekend, I did 8 miles (we are coming down to the home stretch so the miles decrease) at a hotel gym. It smelled like chlorine, has about a 90% humidity, and had a glorious view of: the indoor pool. But, I did it. I even clocked in my fastest 8 miles yet, and had plenty of energy for planks/ab roller/push-ups/free weights. But, that's not the real story here. The real story starts post-wedding with an infection.
You know, infections just creep up on you, and sometimes you just don't realize how bad they are until a little too late. Of course, with being an attendant in a wedding, such things take a back seat to hair, makeup, and doing "the beavis and butthead dance" with your fiancee. So, when you start to face the music again on Monday, sometimes you get "chopsticks" instead of Beethoven's 9th. This is how it went:
Monday evening, I wasn't feeling quite right and I told Alec about it. I chalked it up to some other health problems that have been my companion for a while now and decided to go to bed. When I woke up at 2am, 3am, 4am and 5am, I realized that something was terribly wrong, so we rushed out to the store at 6am on Tuesday to get medicine. I called my doctor's office as soon as they opened and said that I had to work, so I was wondering if they could have the doc call in a prescription for me. She called me back 2 hours later and said that she wouldn't do that because she had to see me in person. I feel pretty blah about this because I ended up telling her exactly the same things in person as I did on the phone.
I told her what was going on, and that I was currently training for a half marathon in a few weeks. I also let her know that I have no insurance right now (not recommended) because I'm waiting to go on Alec's. She said she would just write me a prescription for 3 days and everything should be fine. I thought, great! No lab work= no extra money!
I went to Target to get my prescription and the pharmacist looked at what it was and said "are you sure you don't have any questions about this?" and I said, nah. Just assuming it was your run of the mill Bactrim/Cillin. I took a pill immediately because I am terrified of infections and I wanted to get it working as soon as possible. Then I drove home and as I was getting out of the car, I started to read the warning label. It was 5 pages of paper worth (really? for an antibiotic, you need 5 pages of warnings? doesn't that sound not-quite-right to you?).
The medicine that I took was called Ciprofloxacin. NEVER EVER TAKE THIS MEDICINE! If you have heard of Levaquin, or Levofloxacin, this is a similar type of medication to that and can have the same severe side effects. They are called fluoroquinolones and can do irretrievable damage to your body...especially if you have the genetic predisposition that considers them toxic.
So, to continue my story, I started reading this warning label and had a few doubts about whether the doctor knew what she was doing or not...but, I wanted to believe that she knew enough about them to prescribe them to me without fearing any ill harm. This is a tricky situation to deal with, because I really want to trust my doctor, but I also don't want to face anything that might disable me from running. The label basically read all of the standard warnings about sleeplessness, anxiety, sun exposure, hearing voices, and depression, but then I got to the last page. It said that this medication causes tendinitis in people that are taking certain medications, and that suffer from several medical conditions. It also said at the very end that exercise can sometimes cause this. I scratched my head a little, and figured that the doctor knew what she was doing. I made a plan to rest while I was on the meds from Tues-Fri, and then to exercise again at the 12 mile run on Saturday.
This plan did come to fruition, but not with the results that I intended. On Tuesday night, I felt dizzy and very tired after taking the pill, so I went to bed relatively early. Wednesday morning, I woke up feeling sleepy again, but I figured it was all because of the lack of sleeping that happened Monday night. I'm pretty sure that I was wrong about that. On Thursday morning, I sat down and had a moment of panic. I went online and started reading runner's forums about the effects of Cipro. I happened upon them when I was looking at making a plan for my next run after a few days off, and I noticed one about tendinitis due to this drug. My heart sank. I immediately stopped taking the pills in the hopes that only 2 days of it wouldn't have done any damage.
I made a plan to call the doctor first thing in the morning to get another antibiotic. "Phew!", I thought. I was not taking it for very long and I wasn't having any pain so I must be perfectly OK. So, Friday morning, I went to the gym to do my usual interval training and weight lifting that I do the day before long runs. I was paying close attention to my Achilles tendon as I ran, and I told myself that if I felt ANY pain or weird sensations that I would stop running. I felt no pain. Everything was normal.
I laid out my running clothes and planned to take it easy on Saturday morning, just to be cautious. I thought I would run easy and walk part of the course to give my tendons a break. At training, I skipped the warm up and headed out to walk as a warm up. I stopped for a minute after .75 miles and did some easy stretching. Then, I started to run at a slow pace and continued running until mile 3. I walked from 3-4, and then two of the mentors caught up with me and I started walking with them. We soon ran, from miles 4-6. It's funny because I was only planning on running/walking 10 miles, but I looked down and there we were at 6-the halfway point.
The whole time that I was running, I was giving all of my attention to my muscles and tendons. I didn't feel a single twinge that was beyond my normal hip and knee pain. So, I continued to walk/run from 7-9, and then I ran all the way back to 12. It was a slow and even pace. When I got done, I felt great! I wanted to run more at the end because I felt like I didn't do my best time...but I knew that at least I had finished. I went for the perfect post-run treat with a few other girls at the snoasis snowball stand in Cockeysville, and was not even tired.
When I got home, I had a snack and decided to cut the grass while the weather was nice. After that I basically just rested the entire day. I noticed that my arms felt really tired (like tennis elbow) but I sometimes get that, and attributed it to mowing the grass.
Now comes the bad part...
This morning I woke up and got ready for church feeling a little more stiff than your average day. I was tired and groggy so I just kept going and didn't take any pain meds. By the time that I got to church, I felt an awful tightness going up the sides of my legs. My initial reaction was that it was from my calves being tired due to the flat course that we ran. So, when I got into church, I used my phone to look up where the tendons are in your legs. This was when I almost started crying at rehearsal. Your peroneal tendons start behind your ankles and go all the way up the sides of your legs. There are brevis (short) and longus (long) sections. My peronea longus is where I am feeling the most tightness. It was literally the only thing that I didn't want to be sore. I could have dealt with any other type of pain from running than tendon pain, because tendon pain means I was right. I was having a bad reaction to the medication.
The questions that I have about all of this are swirling around in my head right now endlessly. Why me? Why so close to the race? What did I do to deserve this? What should I do now? Will I be able to run the race? Will I be able to recover from this? Will I gain weight from not being able to exercise?
A few lessons have already been learned from this experience, so I know it's not 100% bad. The first is that I have always had a deep respect for Alec because of all that he went through when he tore his ACL. I never understood what it felt like, and I always avoided talking to him about it, because I didn't want to stir up old memories. But this week, when I broke down about my feelings of failure and my questions to the universe, he told me about how he felt when it happened to him. I don't know if it is good that we had to go through these experiences in our lives, but I do know that there is a reason for everything. And I honestly feel that he was meant to guide me through this and be my comfort, and that having someone who has been injured at the peak of their game who also loves me and is my best friend is exactly what I needed. It's amazing how God works.
Another lesson: no matter how hardcore you are, and how tough you are, there is a point when you have to say enough is enough. Your body might tell you or your mind might tell you, but whichever it is, you have to listen. And then, you have to wait. Because if you push yourself too soon (like I did, doing 12 miles and then mowing the grass), you will pay for it tenfold and be even more unhappy with yourself.
I am so terrified that I am going to gain weight in these next few weeks. I even told Alec to take all of the junk food out of the house (he was like, "what? the granola bars?") because I don't want to start snacking while I'm stuck resting. There is this inner demon that is saying "you were fat before, you could be fat again, everyone will think you're lazy if you don't run it because you were fat before, you need to just push through it and say screw it all I am tough, you are going to let everyone down if you don't do all 13.1 miles, people don't respect you as much now that you didn't complete your goal, even if you do another half marathon you didn't finish this one and it's this one that matters the most, what if you never get to run again you might as well give it everything now, and etc..." Poisonous and stinkin' thinkin', I know. The question that I have is, how do I make it stop?
Sisters are good for that. And friends. And fiancees. And family. And that is my plan. Focus on how I've inspired people (not how I'm letting those people down), how I've completely turned my life around (not how two weeks of rest is going to send me back down the slippery slope of unhealthiness), how there is always a possibility that I might be fine to run (not how I could suffer from chronic tendinitis for the rest of my life) and how I am surrounded by people that I love and that love me.
And I will rest, ice, elevate, tape/compress, and take an anti-inflammatory. And I will take glucosamine/chondroitin, omega 3, and coQ10. And I will let my body tell me when I am ready to run again, and not vice versa. I will wait.
I forgot to say one thing. My aunt has an injury herself. While I know that she will have a full recovery with rest and PT, she is not going to be able to run the race but will walk it instead. When I heard the news from her about her injury, I was lost for words. I wanted to tell her this: even though you feel like you've worked so hard to get here and now you cannot achieve your goal, you've come so far and inspired so many people along the way. No one has any doubts about you being able to run 13.1 miles. You are stronger and tougher than most people out there, and the more wonderful because of it. Don't let this part of your journey get you down, because there is always the possibility of another race. Just tell me where to sign up, and I will be at your side.
My goal now: start believing that about myself.
XO
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
11 miles/Bad bad morning
On Friday evening, I was overcome by my nerves about our 11 mile training run on Saturday morning. I thought of every possible motivation that could make me feel better, and meditated on the thought that I would have success. I got all of my clothes laid out and all of my assorted habits in order, and went to bed feeling unsettled. When I woke up in the morning, I just knew. I knew my run was going to be awful, I knew that I was going to have to work mentally to keep from stopping midway through, and I knew that it would be a struggle to keep up my pace. Sometimes intuition can be a curse. The question here is very "chicken or egg"... did I know it was going to go badly and then it did (like something fated to be), or did it go badly because I gave in to the intuition?
Either way, it was crap. I started out by waking up 10 minutes after my alarm went off (I think the volume was down too low), and when you have allowed yourself 30 minutes to get ready, 10 minutes is a big chunk of time. So, I ended up having to rush through my breakfast of oatmeal, egg whites, and banana, and running around like a crazy person putting on body glide/tape/sunscreen and filling my water bottles for my belt. When I was ready to go and almost out the door, my stomach went crazy! I had to run back in and go to the bathroom. I managed to get out the door 4 minutes late, and make it to meet Aunt J at Barnes&Noble 4 minutes behind schedule. Then, about 5 minutes around the beltway, I realized that I left my running belt filled with all of my Gu at home on the stairs because of my emergency bathroom trip.
YIKES!
Not having a running belt when you always do is cause for a serious panic attack. Especially when you are sensitive to caffeine and all of the Gu that they have on the course have caffeine. And, when you hate stopping for water breaks because the water is warm, or they are out of it, or all they have is gatorade.
We stopped at Royal Farms on the way to BWI and I realized that my stomach was still upset so I went to the bathroom again. I do enjoy that a lot of the courses we have been using are close to Wawa's or Royal Farms stores for that simple reason. When we got to BWI Sawmill, I talked to a couple of people about not having a running belt, and one of the coaches had a spare one for me to borrow. It really wasn't the kind that I like, but I figured something is better than nothing.
I grabbed a water bottle and stuck it in the belt, and used one of my Aunt's Clif bars. We all got ready to start and I realized that my ipod wasn't starting (it's a 1st generation Nano). So I had to hang back for a minute to figure out the problem with it, and by that time everyone else was pretty much gone. I started to run and got about 100 feet along when I noticed that my water bottle had fallen out. That meant that I had to turn around after starting so late and add even more time on. It took my almost 5 miles to get used to the running belt, because it was so old school. It had no elastic in the band and had a clip that wouldn't stay closed. It was constantly turning around on my waist and flipping up in the air.
Around mile 2, I started feeling my stomach get uneasy again, and this time I made the brilliant decision to not stop at the bathrooms that were right in front of me on the trail. When I got to mile 3, I found out just how idiotic that was. I started considering running across the street to the Burger King up ahead when I notice a port-o-potty that looked like it was intended for airport employees. It was just inside of a fence area, but not in a zone that was marked "employees only" so I ventured over to it. I was probably in there for a good 7-8 minutes and let's just say that after inhaling that much fake air freshener, it does feel a little bit like your eyes are going to pop out of your head if you hold your breath any longer.
When I came out, it occurred to me just how long I was holding my breath because my eyes were watering and I had to take a bit gasping breath. At this point, I decided to pick up my pace a little bit. I planned out my water so that I could refill it right around halfway, which meant that I could start sipping it. And, I took the first bite of the Clif bar. It was right around mile 4 that I began having gal bladder spasms, and looking back, I now know that it was because my stomach was so empty before I started refilling it. Around mile 4.5, I caught up with Aunt J who had left earlier than the rest of us to get a head start. It was nice seeing her out there and running with her for a minute!! I definitely got some motivation hearing that she was having some issues herself.
I think this is one of those life lessons that I have been unable to accept, but that I know to be true. Never assume. Don't assume that people are thinking negatively about you, don't assume that they do or do not care about you, and don't assume that their life is any easier/harder than your own. I make the mistake constantly of thinking that people are looking at me in a negative way (even when they are praising me, I still sometimes feel like they go behind my back to talk about me), or that they have had an easier time of it than me. In all reality (which I know, but find it hard to remember in those stupid moments), I cannot ever put myself in anyone elses shoes so spontaneously. Even people that I know could have something going on that I don't know about. Some sort of difficulty, or even a true happiness might be racing through their mind and I would never know it.
I'm not saying all of this because I thought that Aunt J was having an easier time than I was, so don't get me wrong! It was just an aside in reference to my daily emotional struggles that have been coming out of the woodwork these past few months. Aren't you all glad that you get to read about my issues, haha!
Anyway, back to the run.
I picked up my pace after one of the coaches gave us a little pep talk, and made it to the halfway point. It was there that I realized that I had no more water. I stopped to blow my nose (I never realize that I have spring allergies until I am running and my nose is too), and ate half of the Clif bar with my last sip of water. I turned around and then really tried to get my pace up. Around mile 6, it hit me that my mouth was really dry from the Clif, so I made the plan that even though I was going to be angry with myself, I would stop at mile 7 where I spotted some refreshments on the way out. I swear I ran even faster once I came up with that plan. So guess what happened....
No water at mile 7!! It was drained by the previous athletes. Dry. No sustenance for me. NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! Was one of the things that was going through my mind. As well as some choice words. However, this freak out moment gave me a huge boost in motivation, because I knew that somewhere on the way back, there just had to be water for me! My pace increased so much that I passed a girl who was way ahead of me from the beginning, and then a team of two ladies who had passed me earlier, and then finally all of the walkers. At mile 8-9, I swear that I have never run that fast in a practice. It was all because I knew that sweet sweet water was at the 9 mile marker.
And when I got there, it was glorious. Glorious warm gatorade. I had 5 tiny cups of it and felt so refreshed that I even finished my Clif bar! :) Mile 9-10 was the absolute longest mile of the day. Even though I had finally found my pace, the winding path through the forest felt like it went on for days...something about a turn, then some trees, then a hill, then a turn, then some trees, then a hill going on for 10 minutes is monotonous... At mile 10-11, I could taste sweet victory just around the corner (mostly because I know this part of the course the best), so I kept up the energy despite my body wanting to stop and my joints aching, and I ran it in as best as I could.
All-in-all my time was 2 hours/11 minutes...but that includes the water bottle turn around at the beginning, an 8 minute bathroom break, and a stop at the turn around, and the 9 mile marker. So, maybe more like 2 hours/2 minutes??? I'm thinking when it was broken down it would have been more like 11 minute miles. In which case, I was right on par with the 10 mile run the week before.
After we got done, everyone socialized for a bit (I love this part of training together) and then Aunt J and I headed out to the Under Armour outlet (making a necessary stop at Royal Farms for some bathroom/water/food action). I finally got the hat that I should have gotten the first time we went, and a heat gear shirt for running in the warm weather. I can't believe how excited I get about buying new running clothes now! I'm such a nerd!
So, to sum it all up: my morning starting off awful, and I came away with it saying "I just ran 11 miles. I actually overcame all of my stupid negative thoughts and ran the whole thing." That's a win in my book. The coach also said something that has kept me from being hard on myself about the whole day. She said that even though at the time it may feel like you just can't get through it, you will. And the beautiful thing is, because you have a bad training run a few weeks before the big race, the day of the race will be perfect. All of the quirks are now worked out of the system and it is ready to go. Now if only real life could be like that all of the time.
Logging a lot of miles this week, so wish me luck!
XO
Either way, it was crap. I started out by waking up 10 minutes after my alarm went off (I think the volume was down too low), and when you have allowed yourself 30 minutes to get ready, 10 minutes is a big chunk of time. So, I ended up having to rush through my breakfast of oatmeal, egg whites, and banana, and running around like a crazy person putting on body glide/tape/sunscreen and filling my water bottles for my belt. When I was ready to go and almost out the door, my stomach went crazy! I had to run back in and go to the bathroom. I managed to get out the door 4 minutes late, and make it to meet Aunt J at Barnes&Noble 4 minutes behind schedule. Then, about 5 minutes around the beltway, I realized that I left my running belt filled with all of my Gu at home on the stairs because of my emergency bathroom trip.
YIKES!
Not having a running belt when you always do is cause for a serious panic attack. Especially when you are sensitive to caffeine and all of the Gu that they have on the course have caffeine. And, when you hate stopping for water breaks because the water is warm, or they are out of it, or all they have is gatorade.
We stopped at Royal Farms on the way to BWI and I realized that my stomach was still upset so I went to the bathroom again. I do enjoy that a lot of the courses we have been using are close to Wawa's or Royal Farms stores for that simple reason. When we got to BWI Sawmill, I talked to a couple of people about not having a running belt, and one of the coaches had a spare one for me to borrow. It really wasn't the kind that I like, but I figured something is better than nothing.
I grabbed a water bottle and stuck it in the belt, and used one of my Aunt's Clif bars. We all got ready to start and I realized that my ipod wasn't starting (it's a 1st generation Nano). So I had to hang back for a minute to figure out the problem with it, and by that time everyone else was pretty much gone. I started to run and got about 100 feet along when I noticed that my water bottle had fallen out. That meant that I had to turn around after starting so late and add even more time on. It took my almost 5 miles to get used to the running belt, because it was so old school. It had no elastic in the band and had a clip that wouldn't stay closed. It was constantly turning around on my waist and flipping up in the air.
Around mile 2, I started feeling my stomach get uneasy again, and this time I made the brilliant decision to not stop at the bathrooms that were right in front of me on the trail. When I got to mile 3, I found out just how idiotic that was. I started considering running across the street to the Burger King up ahead when I notice a port-o-potty that looked like it was intended for airport employees. It was just inside of a fence area, but not in a zone that was marked "employees only" so I ventured over to it. I was probably in there for a good 7-8 minutes and let's just say that after inhaling that much fake air freshener, it does feel a little bit like your eyes are going to pop out of your head if you hold your breath any longer.
When I came out, it occurred to me just how long I was holding my breath because my eyes were watering and I had to take a bit gasping breath. At this point, I decided to pick up my pace a little bit. I planned out my water so that I could refill it right around halfway, which meant that I could start sipping it. And, I took the first bite of the Clif bar. It was right around mile 4 that I began having gal bladder spasms, and looking back, I now know that it was because my stomach was so empty before I started refilling it. Around mile 4.5, I caught up with Aunt J who had left earlier than the rest of us to get a head start. It was nice seeing her out there and running with her for a minute!! I definitely got some motivation hearing that she was having some issues herself.
I think this is one of those life lessons that I have been unable to accept, but that I know to be true. Never assume. Don't assume that people are thinking negatively about you, don't assume that they do or do not care about you, and don't assume that their life is any easier/harder than your own. I make the mistake constantly of thinking that people are looking at me in a negative way (even when they are praising me, I still sometimes feel like they go behind my back to talk about me), or that they have had an easier time of it than me. In all reality (which I know, but find it hard to remember in those stupid moments), I cannot ever put myself in anyone elses shoes so spontaneously. Even people that I know could have something going on that I don't know about. Some sort of difficulty, or even a true happiness might be racing through their mind and I would never know it.
I'm not saying all of this because I thought that Aunt J was having an easier time than I was, so don't get me wrong! It was just an aside in reference to my daily emotional struggles that have been coming out of the woodwork these past few months. Aren't you all glad that you get to read about my issues, haha!
Anyway, back to the run.
I picked up my pace after one of the coaches gave us a little pep talk, and made it to the halfway point. It was there that I realized that I had no more water. I stopped to blow my nose (I never realize that I have spring allergies until I am running and my nose is too), and ate half of the Clif bar with my last sip of water. I turned around and then really tried to get my pace up. Around mile 6, it hit me that my mouth was really dry from the Clif, so I made the plan that even though I was going to be angry with myself, I would stop at mile 7 where I spotted some refreshments on the way out. I swear I ran even faster once I came up with that plan. So guess what happened....
No water at mile 7!! It was drained by the previous athletes. Dry. No sustenance for me. NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! Was one of the things that was going through my mind. As well as some choice words. However, this freak out moment gave me a huge boost in motivation, because I knew that somewhere on the way back, there just had to be water for me! My pace increased so much that I passed a girl who was way ahead of me from the beginning, and then a team of two ladies who had passed me earlier, and then finally all of the walkers. At mile 8-9, I swear that I have never run that fast in a practice. It was all because I knew that sweet sweet water was at the 9 mile marker.
And when I got there, it was glorious. Glorious warm gatorade. I had 5 tiny cups of it and felt so refreshed that I even finished my Clif bar! :) Mile 9-10 was the absolute longest mile of the day. Even though I had finally found my pace, the winding path through the forest felt like it went on for days...something about a turn, then some trees, then a hill, then a turn, then some trees, then a hill going on for 10 minutes is monotonous... At mile 10-11, I could taste sweet victory just around the corner (mostly because I know this part of the course the best), so I kept up the energy despite my body wanting to stop and my joints aching, and I ran it in as best as I could.
All-in-all my time was 2 hours/11 minutes...but that includes the water bottle turn around at the beginning, an 8 minute bathroom break, and a stop at the turn around, and the 9 mile marker. So, maybe more like 2 hours/2 minutes??? I'm thinking when it was broken down it would have been more like 11 minute miles. In which case, I was right on par with the 10 mile run the week before.
After we got done, everyone socialized for a bit (I love this part of training together) and then Aunt J and I headed out to the Under Armour outlet (making a necessary stop at Royal Farms for some bathroom/water/food action). I finally got the hat that I should have gotten the first time we went, and a heat gear shirt for running in the warm weather. I can't believe how excited I get about buying new running clothes now! I'm such a nerd!
So, to sum it all up: my morning starting off awful, and I came away with it saying "I just ran 11 miles. I actually overcame all of my stupid negative thoughts and ran the whole thing." That's a win in my book. The coach also said something that has kept me from being hard on myself about the whole day. She said that even though at the time it may feel like you just can't get through it, you will. And the beautiful thing is, because you have a bad training run a few weeks before the big race, the day of the race will be perfect. All of the quirks are now worked out of the system and it is ready to go. Now if only real life could be like that all of the time.
Logging a lot of miles this week, so wish me luck!
XO
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Fabulous weekend/Two PR's
This past Saturday was a glorious day for me. Not only did I achieve the 10 mile run that I was so nervous about, but I also finally met my fundraising minimum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was a little afraid that I wasn't going to meet it for the past few weeks, because I knew that there were people who wanted to donate, but they just weren't coming through for me. It added a lot of stress into my life because if I didn't meet my minimum, they would have charged our bank account. I am assuming that you all understand what it is like when you are planning a wedding and even $10 seems like a HUGE amount to pay for something. I can't help but think about the favors that I could be ordering with that money, or the drink that we could be having on our honeymoon :-)
Thankfully, a very dear friend of mine took pity on my facebook pleas and donated the last bit that I needed before the deadline. Phew! No more limbo for me!
The run on Saturday was so nerve-wracking! There was something about crossing the line from singular to double digit miles that scared the hell out of me. On top of it, I got next to no sleep. I couldn't seem to fall asleep until Alec got home from work around 1am, and then I woke up at 5am from a terrible nightmare (involving ghosts of dead relatives) and just couldn't seem to fall back asleep before 6am when I had to wake up. For the record, I am absolutely non-functional unless I get 8 hours of sleep. I know it sounds like something a teenager might say, like: "oh, I need soooo much sleep", but if I am being completely honest with you, when I get less than 8 hours, I am grumpy, my eyes get red and baggy, my stomach is upset, and I will get sick if I am exposed to any germs. This is one of the reasons that I am a party pooper on Saturday nights...because I know that I have to sing in the morning, and if I go on less than 8 hours (heaven forbid, throwing in a drink or two), I am no good for at least two days.
So, now that you get how severe my sleep-deprivation effects me, I can move on with the run. When I "woke up" that morning, I made my standard egg whites, oatmeal w/brown sugar, and banana breakfast and drank about 5 servings of water. I went to the bathroom (hooray!) and got dressed, and left the house. I realized about 10 minutes later that I had completely forgotten to take along my water bottle for post-run. I think in all of my nervousness, I had a brain fart. I drove to the NCR trail and got there right around 8am when practice starts. We did some calisthenics and stretched a little (it is bad to stretch cold muscle) and pretty much just started right away.
For those of you who have not read my older posts, I am not the biggest fan of the NCR trail. I think it stems from a combo of monotonous running scenery (it's great for biking), slanted path tracks after rain, and the whole "last time I was here I seriously injured my ankle" thing. That in addition to the 10 mile heebeejeebees equalled a very tentative Sara. One thing that really helped me was that I got up that morning and went online to check email/facebook and saw that Aunt Janet had emailed me. It made me remember just why I am doing this and gave me a little extra push. Then, I saw the status of one of the other girls that is training and it said that she was nervous, too! I felt really relieved seeing that I wasn't alone.
So, the course was very basic. Out-and-back. Run up 5 miles, run back 5 miles. The first 5 were pretty decent. I started off a little slow due to technical ipod issues, but once I found my footing I didn't stop. Around mile 4 is when I start to feel REALLY good. It is like I will be able to just run forever at mile 4. I also got my Gu timing down for the duration so that I have a plan for future long-distance runs. I take it after 4, 7, and then if I really need it at 9. For the marathon, I will be able to space it out even further... I am thinking 4, 8, 12. That last one is really important, because it gives me the extra boost that I need to have a strong sprint to the finish.
So, the second 5 were pretty strong, but I ran into some road blocks along the way. When I took Gu the second time, I stopped to drink a bottle of water. And, being as competitive with myself as I am, I wanted to drink it down as quickly as possible so I could keep going. Well, I must have swallowed a lot of air with it because like 5 steps later, I had a severe pain in my stomach/digestive tract. I ended up slowing my pace for almost a mile because it just wouldn't go away. It almost felt like when you get a stitch in your side, only it was higher. Eventually, it went back to normal (I have no idea why it did, but thank gosh!).
Around mile 8, I started to get fatigued and had to fight with myself to stay positive about finishing. I sort of love that internal struggle, because when you get through it is even more invigorating. It takes a good struggle to really grow! When I took the Gu at 9, I felt re-energized and just hit the turf as hard as I could. I managed to almost sprint towards the end. When I did, I realized that I was only the second runner to finish for the day!!!! WOWeeWOWeeWOW!!!
We figured out my time (I desperately want a Garmin) to be around 1hr, 51 minutes which is a little over an 11 minute mile. I think that is pretty fan-freakin-tastic considering that when I started running in October 2003, I could just barely jog for a 1/2 mile at 3.0mph (20 min. per mile). Last January, I got it up to 3.5 mph (17 min. per mile), and last summer 2010, I ran my first 5k at the gym at about 4.5 mph (13 min. per mile), in January when I signed up, I was running my distance runs at 4.9mph or just under 12 min. per mile.... 11 minute miles this week =about 5.4 or 5.5 mph! I can't wait to see what my time will be in a year. I hope to still be blogging so that you all can follow my improvements and be encouraged by them.
On Monday of this week, I didn't have enough time, so I ended up running 4 miles. Just to give you an idea: in January, I was running a 5K (3.1) at 40 minutes. On Monday, I ran 4 miles in 40 minutes (that a PR-personal record, for me). I think something that helped me was that Alec was there with me and I knew that we had to go to the store, and then he had to head to work. So, I used the motivation of not making him late to work and it turned out very much in my favor.
Then, on Tuesday, I did 5 miles by running to the gym, working out my abs and arms, and then running home. That was great because I waited until it was the height of the heat (yes, Mom I wore my sunscreen) and headed outside. I am trying to prepare myself for any weather conditions that we might experience in Virginia. I have a sneaking suspicion that it is going to be 85 and humid even at 7am.
This evening, I decided to mix it up again and used http://www.mapmyrun.com/ to find a new route around Pikesville. The start location that I wanted to use was 1.5 miles away, and I didn't want to drive, so I rode my bike and then headed out for a run. In spite of all of this great early morning training that I have been doing, tonight is proof that I am an evening runner at heart. I beat my old PR and after I biked home, had enough energy to take the dog out for a run as well. When all of this is over, I think I will try to mix in more evening workouts again.
My annoying moment of the week so far: I just can't seem to shake the dressing room anxiety. We went shopping today for a suit and dress for some events coming up, and even though I know that I am a small size 14, when I was going to put the dress over my head, I just wanted to stop and take it off because if it didn't fit I was going to be so disappointed in myself and feel fat all over again. So I had to take a deep breath and I asked Alec about 10 times, "are you sure it isn't too tight?" before I realized that in all reality, I looked good. Meaning- I didn't hate myself when I looked in the mirror. The reason that I say this is annoying is that I want to be over this feeling now, and just go shopping like most girls do...you know, for the fun of it. Maybe that should be my "homework"?
11 miles this weekend. As me how nervous I am about that! I'm glad that Aunt Janet will be back, and am hoping that she is up for a trip to Under Armour so I can score a running hat for cheap. Now that's exciting shopping!
XO
ps-for those following my injuries: they are significantly better after using Rock Tape. I now swear by the stuff for all of my long runs and recommend it to anyone who has recurring pain.
Thankfully, a very dear friend of mine took pity on my facebook pleas and donated the last bit that I needed before the deadline. Phew! No more limbo for me!
The run on Saturday was so nerve-wracking! There was something about crossing the line from singular to double digit miles that scared the hell out of me. On top of it, I got next to no sleep. I couldn't seem to fall asleep until Alec got home from work around 1am, and then I woke up at 5am from a terrible nightmare (involving ghosts of dead relatives) and just couldn't seem to fall back asleep before 6am when I had to wake up. For the record, I am absolutely non-functional unless I get 8 hours of sleep. I know it sounds like something a teenager might say, like: "oh, I need soooo much sleep", but if I am being completely honest with you, when I get less than 8 hours, I am grumpy, my eyes get red and baggy, my stomach is upset, and I will get sick if I am exposed to any germs. This is one of the reasons that I am a party pooper on Saturday nights...because I know that I have to sing in the morning, and if I go on less than 8 hours (heaven forbid, throwing in a drink or two), I am no good for at least two days.
So, now that you get how severe my sleep-deprivation effects me, I can move on with the run. When I "woke up" that morning, I made my standard egg whites, oatmeal w/brown sugar, and banana breakfast and drank about 5 servings of water. I went to the bathroom (hooray!) and got dressed, and left the house. I realized about 10 minutes later that I had completely forgotten to take along my water bottle for post-run. I think in all of my nervousness, I had a brain fart. I drove to the NCR trail and got there right around 8am when practice starts. We did some calisthenics and stretched a little (it is bad to stretch cold muscle) and pretty much just started right away.
For those of you who have not read my older posts, I am not the biggest fan of the NCR trail. I think it stems from a combo of monotonous running scenery (it's great for biking), slanted path tracks after rain, and the whole "last time I was here I seriously injured my ankle" thing. That in addition to the 10 mile heebeejeebees equalled a very tentative Sara. One thing that really helped me was that I got up that morning and went online to check email/facebook and saw that Aunt Janet had emailed me. It made me remember just why I am doing this and gave me a little extra push. Then, I saw the status of one of the other girls that is training and it said that she was nervous, too! I felt really relieved seeing that I wasn't alone.
So, the course was very basic. Out-and-back. Run up 5 miles, run back 5 miles. The first 5 were pretty decent. I started off a little slow due to technical ipod issues, but once I found my footing I didn't stop. Around mile 4 is when I start to feel REALLY good. It is like I will be able to just run forever at mile 4. I also got my Gu timing down for the duration so that I have a plan for future long-distance runs. I take it after 4, 7, and then if I really need it at 9. For the marathon, I will be able to space it out even further... I am thinking 4, 8, 12. That last one is really important, because it gives me the extra boost that I need to have a strong sprint to the finish.
So, the second 5 were pretty strong, but I ran into some road blocks along the way. When I took Gu the second time, I stopped to drink a bottle of water. And, being as competitive with myself as I am, I wanted to drink it down as quickly as possible so I could keep going. Well, I must have swallowed a lot of air with it because like 5 steps later, I had a severe pain in my stomach/digestive tract. I ended up slowing my pace for almost a mile because it just wouldn't go away. It almost felt like when you get a stitch in your side, only it was higher. Eventually, it went back to normal (I have no idea why it did, but thank gosh!).
Around mile 8, I started to get fatigued and had to fight with myself to stay positive about finishing. I sort of love that internal struggle, because when you get through it is even more invigorating. It takes a good struggle to really grow! When I took the Gu at 9, I felt re-energized and just hit the turf as hard as I could. I managed to almost sprint towards the end. When I did, I realized that I was only the second runner to finish for the day!!!! WOWeeWOWeeWOW!!!
We figured out my time (I desperately want a Garmin) to be around 1hr, 51 minutes which is a little over an 11 minute mile. I think that is pretty fan-freakin-tastic considering that when I started running in October 2003, I could just barely jog for a 1/2 mile at 3.0mph (20 min. per mile). Last January, I got it up to 3.5 mph (17 min. per mile), and last summer 2010, I ran my first 5k at the gym at about 4.5 mph (13 min. per mile), in January when I signed up, I was running my distance runs at 4.9mph or just under 12 min. per mile.... 11 minute miles this week =about 5.4 or 5.5 mph! I can't wait to see what my time will be in a year. I hope to still be blogging so that you all can follow my improvements and be encouraged by them.
On Monday of this week, I didn't have enough time, so I ended up running 4 miles. Just to give you an idea: in January, I was running a 5K (3.1) at 40 minutes. On Monday, I ran 4 miles in 40 minutes (that a PR-personal record, for me). I think something that helped me was that Alec was there with me and I knew that we had to go to the store, and then he had to head to work. So, I used the motivation of not making him late to work and it turned out very much in my favor.
Then, on Tuesday, I did 5 miles by running to the gym, working out my abs and arms, and then running home. That was great because I waited until it was the height of the heat (yes, Mom I wore my sunscreen) and headed outside. I am trying to prepare myself for any weather conditions that we might experience in Virginia. I have a sneaking suspicion that it is going to be 85 and humid even at 7am.
This evening, I decided to mix it up again and used http://www.mapmyrun.com/ to find a new route around Pikesville. The start location that I wanted to use was 1.5 miles away, and I didn't want to drive, so I rode my bike and then headed out for a run. In spite of all of this great early morning training that I have been doing, tonight is proof that I am an evening runner at heart. I beat my old PR and after I biked home, had enough energy to take the dog out for a run as well. When all of this is over, I think I will try to mix in more evening workouts again.
My annoying moment of the week so far: I just can't seem to shake the dressing room anxiety. We went shopping today for a suit and dress for some events coming up, and even though I know that I am a small size 14, when I was going to put the dress over my head, I just wanted to stop and take it off because if it didn't fit I was going to be so disappointed in myself and feel fat all over again. So I had to take a deep breath and I asked Alec about 10 times, "are you sure it isn't too tight?" before I realized that in all reality, I looked good. Meaning- I didn't hate myself when I looked in the mirror. The reason that I say this is annoying is that I want to be over this feeling now, and just go shopping like most girls do...you know, for the fun of it. Maybe that should be my "homework"?
11 miles this weekend. As me how nervous I am about that! I'm glad that Aunt Janet will be back, and am hoping that she is up for a trip to Under Armour so I can score a running hat for cheap. Now that's exciting shopping!
XO
ps-for those following my injuries: they are significantly better after using Rock Tape. I now swear by the stuff for all of my long runs and recommend it to anyone who has recurring pain.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tired of injuries
I am so tired of being injured. I looked back through my blog postings and realized that there hasn't been a single week that I've been completely injury-free. I suspect that it all spawns from my dance injury from years ago, and that each consecutive injury has been a result of one from the past. I also think that if I had a little bit more time to follow the R.I.C.E. rule. Rest.Ice.Compress.Elevate. I used to always forget the "c" but now that I am a regularly injured runner, it is just old hat.
The reason that I am talking about injuries is because sometime between last Saturday's run and Tuesday, I pulled the arch muscle in my right foot. Last week, I was finally feeling that my left foot was completing the healing process and that all that was left was some hip pain and tightness...and now, I'm stuck with this.
I was talking with a friend the other day about how there are some people in the world who seem to coast through. They go from day-to-day without any major drama, and they seem to understand how life works just fine, but they never have to deal with hardship or real set backs. I've met a few people like this in my life and it is frustrating. Not that I feel that I've gotten the hard end of the stick, but I definitely have faced some serious challenges in my life. We were talking about how lucky those people are, and then I realized that in some ways, yes, those people are lucky. But, they are also very unlucky, because the obstacles that many people face are truly what makes them stronger. It takes living through life without a silver platter to learn humility, and gratitude at their strongest.
So, maybe the fact that I've been having to face injuries every week of training has made me stronger. My persistence and dedication through all of it will make the final journey that much sweeter.
About the injury:
On Saturday, we ran 9 miles at Loch Raven Reservoir. It is such a beautiful place to run and I truly loved it. There were several setbacks right away: it started pouring the second that we started running, and didn't stop until mile 6; I had desperate need for a bathroom and there were none there (you would think there would've been, seeing as how we're racing for Crohn's and Colitis, both gastrointestinal diseases) so I ended up going behind a tree; I had a new shirt on that I didn't have time to wash and halfway through, I felt myself itching from a breakout.
HOWEVER, I continued on with the help of several people. For the first few miles, I was running with a new person that I've never met at training. Her name is Veronica. She was so nice and we talked about everything from bras-music-dentist-mothers. She had to miss a few weeks of training, so I felt compelled to help her keep up her pace and at least run until the top of the very first hill. I liked helping her and I could definitely see myself being a coach if I could lose a few more pounds and make some time in my schedule. When we got to the top of mile 3, a coach was there to run with us for a bit and she helped pass the time a bit more talking about dietary issues. Finally, Veronica slowed and the coach stayed back with her. I picked up the pace and caught up to Ashley and Katie. Two VERY awesome ladies (one a mentor and one a participant). Ashley came in ahead of me by a minute at the 10k, so I really wanted to work on trying to keep up with her as much as I could. We had a nice chat and kept a medium pace until we got to the really long uphill sequence, and my stomach started hurting. I tried a Gu, but it still felt uneasy, so I backed my pace up a click or two and Ashley went ahead.
Mile 6-7 was a real winner, let me tell you! We started at the bottom on the road by Sander's old restaurant and ran all the way up to the top of the hill on Providence road. It was unforgiving to say the least. There was a moment when I thought I was going to punch a sign that said "Team Challenge" on it and it ended up not being the turnaround sign. I felt the need to be violent for a moment there, ha ha! My pace slowed all the way until the top of that and then I finally took off. From 7-8 was mostly downhill and I really kept my pace up. Then, for the last mile I pretty much sprinted. This is a new thing that I have been doing. Even when I run on the treadmill, I finish with a bang!
When I was finished, I realized that I felt MUCH MUCH better than the first time that I ran 9 miles. In fact, I could have kept going! Maybe it was adrenaline, or maybe I have finally gotten to the point where I am ready to run this half marathon. I'm hoping it was the latter. After the race, I went home and took it easy all day. I even took a nap!! Can I get a hallelujah, amen?! I intended it to be a 1.5 hour nap and ended up sleeping 3!! Woohoo, yea, yea. When I woke up, I did start to feel the run in my muscles. I think the reason that I felt it so much more in my bum and hammer's was A. We ran uphill for 1/2 of it and, B. I decided to do weight training on Friday night at the gym. A+B=ouch. I had to sing Easter Vigil that evening and the entire thing is a long process of sit-stand-kneel-sing, and I ended up sit-stand-sit-singing instead. I even still felt sore on Sunday.
On Monday, I ran 4 miles outside in Pikesville. I've been using Google maps to do this because I like the element of mystery in that, compared with Mapmyrun.com. It turned out to be an interesting surprise, too! I literally had to run straight uphill and then straight downhill through a neighborhood that I didn't even know existed (I thought it was just a connecting road to a main road). And then, I had to run straight uphill on Old Court and turned right through what ended up being a gated apartment complex (I got some dirty looks from old ladies). The new and exciting paths are always a good distraction for me! I am almost 100% positive that on that straight uphill is where I pulled my arch.
When I went to teach on Monday afternoon, my foot felt a little tight. When I woke up Tuesday morning, it HURT. I kept stretching and it would feel better for a minute, but then it would go right back to the tight and aching feeling. I had a hard day because my intention was to do a fast 5 miler on Tuesday morning and after cutting the grass, I didn't have time. So then I planned on doing 6 miles Tuesday evening after a church service and cutting my Wednesday run back. When I left church, my foot felt tight still. When I got out of the car at the gym, it was a sharp pulling feeling that radiated up my whole leg.
I got back in the car and drove home. When i got home I felt so guilty for not having done any exercise that I put my running clothes back on and got ready to go out and push through a run anyway. Then I realized that I was having a problem and I called Alec. Thank you God for Alec. My voice of sanity when I am being obsessive compulsive. And thank you God for giving me the insight to know that I am caught up in my obsession so I need to call someone.
Today I ended up running through the foot pain. I used Rock Tape (LOVE that stuff!!!!!!!!!) to wrap around my arch and I did 6 miles in a little slower than the 6.2 that I ran for the 10K. I am OK with that because I know that it was what my body needed. Though sometimes I just want to punch my injuries. Somehow, I think that might be counterproductive. Just sayin'....
This week we are running 10 miles at the NCR trail. I am REALLY nervous about this. I feel like I have just figured out the right amount of Gu/water and the right pace to complete 9 and now all of sudden, it is changing. Maybe my nerves will help get me through the run! Yea. I'm gonna go with that....
Until next time.......
(Isn't that what Lavar Burton used to say on "Reading Rainbow"?)
XO
The reason that I am talking about injuries is because sometime between last Saturday's run and Tuesday, I pulled the arch muscle in my right foot. Last week, I was finally feeling that my left foot was completing the healing process and that all that was left was some hip pain and tightness...and now, I'm stuck with this.
I was talking with a friend the other day about how there are some people in the world who seem to coast through. They go from day-to-day without any major drama, and they seem to understand how life works just fine, but they never have to deal with hardship or real set backs. I've met a few people like this in my life and it is frustrating. Not that I feel that I've gotten the hard end of the stick, but I definitely have faced some serious challenges in my life. We were talking about how lucky those people are, and then I realized that in some ways, yes, those people are lucky. But, they are also very unlucky, because the obstacles that many people face are truly what makes them stronger. It takes living through life without a silver platter to learn humility, and gratitude at their strongest.
So, maybe the fact that I've been having to face injuries every week of training has made me stronger. My persistence and dedication through all of it will make the final journey that much sweeter.
About the injury:
On Saturday, we ran 9 miles at Loch Raven Reservoir. It is such a beautiful place to run and I truly loved it. There were several setbacks right away: it started pouring the second that we started running, and didn't stop until mile 6; I had desperate need for a bathroom and there were none there (you would think there would've been, seeing as how we're racing for Crohn's and Colitis, both gastrointestinal diseases) so I ended up going behind a tree; I had a new shirt on that I didn't have time to wash and halfway through, I felt myself itching from a breakout.
HOWEVER, I continued on with the help of several people. For the first few miles, I was running with a new person that I've never met at training. Her name is Veronica. She was so nice and we talked about everything from bras-music-dentist-mothers. She had to miss a few weeks of training, so I felt compelled to help her keep up her pace and at least run until the top of the very first hill. I liked helping her and I could definitely see myself being a coach if I could lose a few more pounds and make some time in my schedule. When we got to the top of mile 3, a coach was there to run with us for a bit and she helped pass the time a bit more talking about dietary issues. Finally, Veronica slowed and the coach stayed back with her. I picked up the pace and caught up to Ashley and Katie. Two VERY awesome ladies (one a mentor and one a participant). Ashley came in ahead of me by a minute at the 10k, so I really wanted to work on trying to keep up with her as much as I could. We had a nice chat and kept a medium pace until we got to the really long uphill sequence, and my stomach started hurting. I tried a Gu, but it still felt uneasy, so I backed my pace up a click or two and Ashley went ahead.
Mile 6-7 was a real winner, let me tell you! We started at the bottom on the road by Sander's old restaurant and ran all the way up to the top of the hill on Providence road. It was unforgiving to say the least. There was a moment when I thought I was going to punch a sign that said "Team Challenge" on it and it ended up not being the turnaround sign. I felt the need to be violent for a moment there, ha ha! My pace slowed all the way until the top of that and then I finally took off. From 7-8 was mostly downhill and I really kept my pace up. Then, for the last mile I pretty much sprinted. This is a new thing that I have been doing. Even when I run on the treadmill, I finish with a bang!
When I was finished, I realized that I felt MUCH MUCH better than the first time that I ran 9 miles. In fact, I could have kept going! Maybe it was adrenaline, or maybe I have finally gotten to the point where I am ready to run this half marathon. I'm hoping it was the latter. After the race, I went home and took it easy all day. I even took a nap!! Can I get a hallelujah, amen?! I intended it to be a 1.5 hour nap and ended up sleeping 3!! Woohoo, yea, yea. When I woke up, I did start to feel the run in my muscles. I think the reason that I felt it so much more in my bum and hammer's was A. We ran uphill for 1/2 of it and, B. I decided to do weight training on Friday night at the gym. A+B=ouch. I had to sing Easter Vigil that evening and the entire thing is a long process of sit-stand-kneel-sing, and I ended up sit-stand-sit-singing instead. I even still felt sore on Sunday.
On Monday, I ran 4 miles outside in Pikesville. I've been using Google maps to do this because I like the element of mystery in that, compared with Mapmyrun.com. It turned out to be an interesting surprise, too! I literally had to run straight uphill and then straight downhill through a neighborhood that I didn't even know existed (I thought it was just a connecting road to a main road). And then, I had to run straight uphill on Old Court and turned right through what ended up being a gated apartment complex (I got some dirty looks from old ladies). The new and exciting paths are always a good distraction for me! I am almost 100% positive that on that straight uphill is where I pulled my arch.
When I went to teach on Monday afternoon, my foot felt a little tight. When I woke up Tuesday morning, it HURT. I kept stretching and it would feel better for a minute, but then it would go right back to the tight and aching feeling. I had a hard day because my intention was to do a fast 5 miler on Tuesday morning and after cutting the grass, I didn't have time. So then I planned on doing 6 miles Tuesday evening after a church service and cutting my Wednesday run back. When I left church, my foot felt tight still. When I got out of the car at the gym, it was a sharp pulling feeling that radiated up my whole leg.
I got back in the car and drove home. When i got home I felt so guilty for not having done any exercise that I put my running clothes back on and got ready to go out and push through a run anyway. Then I realized that I was having a problem and I called Alec. Thank you God for Alec. My voice of sanity when I am being obsessive compulsive. And thank you God for giving me the insight to know that I am caught up in my obsession so I need to call someone.
Today I ended up running through the foot pain. I used Rock Tape (LOVE that stuff!!!!!!!!!) to wrap around my arch and I did 6 miles in a little slower than the 6.2 that I ran for the 10K. I am OK with that because I know that it was what my body needed. Though sometimes I just want to punch my injuries. Somehow, I think that might be counterproductive. Just sayin'....
This week we are running 10 miles at the NCR trail. I am REALLY nervous about this. I feel like I have just figured out the right amount of Gu/water and the right pace to complete 9 and now all of sudden, it is changing. Maybe my nerves will help get me through the run! Yea. I'm gonna go with that....
Until next time.......
(Isn't that what Lavar Burton used to say on "Reading Rainbow"?)
XO
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
90 lbs/10K/Wedding madness
So I think I will make this entry short, because I am sleepy and I just haven't had any breathing time by myself in the past few days.
I have had an epiphany amidst all of the wedding craziness. This is what I already knew: I am the kind of person who will always desire to "go with the flow" of life and look for the most laid back/fun people to be around, BUT, I also set very high standards for myself and have a hard time letting go when I don't reach my goals. This is what I realized: In terms of wedding planning, the part of me whol loves to be carefree and laid back is arguing with the part of me that sets high standards. I cannot let the carefree self takeover completely while planning an event, because it is inevitable that later on, the detail-oriented self will creep in and completely change all decisions that were made while being carefree...or at least freak out about them.
My cousin said earlier on the phone today that maybe it is a good thing that I don't have everything done yet (I was expressing how frustrating it is to have to wait until so late in the game to do so many little things), because if I did, I would just be waiting...
and waiting....
and waiting...
For 4 1/2 months.
That doesn't sound like fun to me at all. So, I've decided to take her attitude, and do what I can in the way that I want to do it. Even when I want to be carefree and laid back, I cannot deny the true part of myself that wants things to be a specific way. It is OK to be detail-oriented, as long as when the time for the wedding comes, I can allow myself to have a good time and let go. I am finally getting to the point where I am really truly excited. I cannot wait to marry Alec, and I cannot wait to spend the weekend with the people that I love at a big, beautiful party.
I also have had a bit of a boost with my weight loss, because I've been on a plateau for WEEEEEEEKS. It has been just terrible weighing myself and seeing the same number over and over. When I started the marathon, I assumed that it would all just melt away. What I have found instead is that I've built up muscles so much from my training schedule that I actually gained 2 pounds. So, where before I was only 1 pound away from 90, it went to 3 pounds away. This is the first time in my weight loss journey that I have gained weight that has stayed on for any amount of time. You can imagine how backwards that feels. I was suddenly back up to 193 for about a month and a half, and it wouldn't budge. Right down to the ounces. THEN, last week, I weighed myself and it was one of the greatest days that I've had with this whole thing so far! I weigh 190 pounds!! I've lost 90 pounds!! It is an amazing feeling knowing that I've accomplished that in a little over 1 1/2 years. And, my measurements just keep shrinking. So, while I may not have been losing pounds, I've defnitely gone down in inches, and am still going down. Phew!
I think it helped that I've been starting to run outside and utilize the more hilly courses around the area. Instead of running the flat course that I first mapped out, I've been ending with a huge 1 mile long hill, or making sure that I have rolling hills in all of my maps. I've also been trying to increase speed. It may be helping to get off the treadmill because I've been able to let myself go. However, I must admit that I miss the t.v.'s and distractions at the gym. I also have been slacking a little with my weight training because of running outside. My next investments are an exercise ball, bands, and an ab roller for my house.
Oooo speaking of investments: I went to Charm City Run (love that place) and bought a new sports bra and a hydration belt. I also went out and got some 100+ Neutrogena Ultimate sunblock to avoid burns and tanlines. Best purchases for running in a while! I talked to one of the people who is training with us about the fact that my chest was bleeding after long runs and she suggested a different brand of bra. So far, it has been perfect! My first day with it was a little weird because it has adjustable straps, and I think I had them too tight so I had neck pain. But after I figured that out, I haven't had a single complaint. Hooray for the people out there who know not all runners are flat-chested. Have I talked about this already? If I have I'm sorry. But I'm just so excited about the difference!
The belt took me a little longer to get used to, and I must say that it is still a little strange. The bottles wobble and sometimes they leak if they aren't completely closed. Also, the water gets warm halfway through the run, so it really needs to be consumed pretty quickly. I'm thinking about putting some ice in next time to see how that works to maintain the temperature.
The most recent training run wasn't one that I used the belt for, though. It was a 10K. My first time ever being officially "timed" for a race. And I really loved it! It gave me extra motivation to keep my speed up and I ended up beating my best time by 7 minutes. That's over 1 minute per mile faster! It was a nice course, too.
We met at BWI Sawmill, which is right off of 97, and it has a baseball park attached to it. The course started there and then went across a bridge to another wooded area. Then it crossed a street and we were right next to the airport. It's cool seeing the planes take off while you're running. Also, I LOVED the surface of that course. It had a little give, but it was still paved. I ended up coming in way ahead of one of the girls that I have been behind almost every week...not to say that I would have been unhappy if I hadn't done that, because it is all healthy competition, but it is still ok that I am proud of myself for really pulling it together. It ended up being a crappy day again (I don't get it, every week it is beautiful and then every Saturday it is cold and rainy), and that proved a challenge. The rain wasn't bad until my last mile, so it gave me an extra boost to sprint to the finish line. Yet, I realized later on that even though I wasn't running all 6.2 in a torrential down pour, I was still soaked all the way through.
At the end of the run, we got back to the pavilion and there was breakfast there for everyone. This is something that I've been struggling with. I know that I just ran a race and that my metabolism is really high, but I still cannot bring myself to indulge in any foods. I guess it's not a bad thing, right? Being healthy is good, so I should be proud of myself. But sometimes I wonder if it has gotten to the point where I cannot reward myself. Hmm...maybe I did reward myself. I take that back. Aunt J and I ended up going to the Under Armour outlet after the run and I got two pairs of running shorts. That was definitely a reward! I take all of that back about the food. :)
So, the epiphanies continue during this time of training/wedding planning/weight loss, and I hope to keep having them as much as I have so that I can share them with you. I've even had others, but my brain is too fried to post about anything else. Because, like I said, this is going to be a short post. I said that, didn't I? And when I say short, I mean moderately long. Still working on my hip and ankle injuries. Hopefully, by the next post, I will be telling you that they are all better.
Until next time: in the heat and humidity, if you are outside and sweating, always hydrate hydrate hydrate. You're skin/brain/stomach/lips/body will thank you. Also, even if you get tan, wear your sunscreen, and a hat. Even lip sunscreen doesn't hurt. The UV rays are evil and you are too precious to me.
XO
I have had an epiphany amidst all of the wedding craziness. This is what I already knew: I am the kind of person who will always desire to "go with the flow" of life and look for the most laid back/fun people to be around, BUT, I also set very high standards for myself and have a hard time letting go when I don't reach my goals. This is what I realized: In terms of wedding planning, the part of me whol loves to be carefree and laid back is arguing with the part of me that sets high standards. I cannot let the carefree self takeover completely while planning an event, because it is inevitable that later on, the detail-oriented self will creep in and completely change all decisions that were made while being carefree...or at least freak out about them.
My cousin said earlier on the phone today that maybe it is a good thing that I don't have everything done yet (I was expressing how frustrating it is to have to wait until so late in the game to do so many little things), because if I did, I would just be waiting...
and waiting....
and waiting...
For 4 1/2 months.
That doesn't sound like fun to me at all. So, I've decided to take her attitude, and do what I can in the way that I want to do it. Even when I want to be carefree and laid back, I cannot deny the true part of myself that wants things to be a specific way. It is OK to be detail-oriented, as long as when the time for the wedding comes, I can allow myself to have a good time and let go. I am finally getting to the point where I am really truly excited. I cannot wait to marry Alec, and I cannot wait to spend the weekend with the people that I love at a big, beautiful party.
I also have had a bit of a boost with my weight loss, because I've been on a plateau for WEEEEEEEKS. It has been just terrible weighing myself and seeing the same number over and over. When I started the marathon, I assumed that it would all just melt away. What I have found instead is that I've built up muscles so much from my training schedule that I actually gained 2 pounds. So, where before I was only 1 pound away from 90, it went to 3 pounds away. This is the first time in my weight loss journey that I have gained weight that has stayed on for any amount of time. You can imagine how backwards that feels. I was suddenly back up to 193 for about a month and a half, and it wouldn't budge. Right down to the ounces. THEN, last week, I weighed myself and it was one of the greatest days that I've had with this whole thing so far! I weigh 190 pounds!! I've lost 90 pounds!! It is an amazing feeling knowing that I've accomplished that in a little over 1 1/2 years. And, my measurements just keep shrinking. So, while I may not have been losing pounds, I've defnitely gone down in inches, and am still going down. Phew!
I think it helped that I've been starting to run outside and utilize the more hilly courses around the area. Instead of running the flat course that I first mapped out, I've been ending with a huge 1 mile long hill, or making sure that I have rolling hills in all of my maps. I've also been trying to increase speed. It may be helping to get off the treadmill because I've been able to let myself go. However, I must admit that I miss the t.v.'s and distractions at the gym. I also have been slacking a little with my weight training because of running outside. My next investments are an exercise ball, bands, and an ab roller for my house.
Oooo speaking of investments: I went to Charm City Run (love that place) and bought a new sports bra and a hydration belt. I also went out and got some 100+ Neutrogena Ultimate sunblock to avoid burns and tanlines. Best purchases for running in a while! I talked to one of the people who is training with us about the fact that my chest was bleeding after long runs and she suggested a different brand of bra. So far, it has been perfect! My first day with it was a little weird because it has adjustable straps, and I think I had them too tight so I had neck pain. But after I figured that out, I haven't had a single complaint. Hooray for the people out there who know not all runners are flat-chested. Have I talked about this already? If I have I'm sorry. But I'm just so excited about the difference!
The belt took me a little longer to get used to, and I must say that it is still a little strange. The bottles wobble and sometimes they leak if they aren't completely closed. Also, the water gets warm halfway through the run, so it really needs to be consumed pretty quickly. I'm thinking about putting some ice in next time to see how that works to maintain the temperature.
The most recent training run wasn't one that I used the belt for, though. It was a 10K. My first time ever being officially "timed" for a race. And I really loved it! It gave me extra motivation to keep my speed up and I ended up beating my best time by 7 minutes. That's over 1 minute per mile faster! It was a nice course, too.
We met at BWI Sawmill, which is right off of 97, and it has a baseball park attached to it. The course started there and then went across a bridge to another wooded area. Then it crossed a street and we were right next to the airport. It's cool seeing the planes take off while you're running. Also, I LOVED the surface of that course. It had a little give, but it was still paved. I ended up coming in way ahead of one of the girls that I have been behind almost every week...not to say that I would have been unhappy if I hadn't done that, because it is all healthy competition, but it is still ok that I am proud of myself for really pulling it together. It ended up being a crappy day again (I don't get it, every week it is beautiful and then every Saturday it is cold and rainy), and that proved a challenge. The rain wasn't bad until my last mile, so it gave me an extra boost to sprint to the finish line. Yet, I realized later on that even though I wasn't running all 6.2 in a torrential down pour, I was still soaked all the way through.
At the end of the run, we got back to the pavilion and there was breakfast there for everyone. This is something that I've been struggling with. I know that I just ran a race and that my metabolism is really high, but I still cannot bring myself to indulge in any foods. I guess it's not a bad thing, right? Being healthy is good, so I should be proud of myself. But sometimes I wonder if it has gotten to the point where I cannot reward myself. Hmm...maybe I did reward myself. I take that back. Aunt J and I ended up going to the Under Armour outlet after the run and I got two pairs of running shorts. That was definitely a reward! I take all of that back about the food. :)
So, the epiphanies continue during this time of training/wedding planning/weight loss, and I hope to keep having them as much as I have so that I can share them with you. I've even had others, but my brain is too fried to post about anything else. Because, like I said, this is going to be a short post. I said that, didn't I? And when I say short, I mean moderately long. Still working on my hip and ankle injuries. Hopefully, by the next post, I will be telling you that they are all better.
Until next time: in the heat and humidity, if you are outside and sweating, always hydrate hydrate hydrate. You're skin/brain/stomach/lips/body will thank you. Also, even if you get tan, wear your sunscreen, and a hat. Even lip sunscreen doesn't hurt. The UV rays are evil and you are too precious to me.
XO
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
I ran 9 miles!!!!!!!!!!!
Well actually, it was more like 9.1, because someone from the coaching team got the route slightly wrong, which ended in running around the bathroom area twice. My the bathrooms were lovely. BUT, I'm getting ahead of myself!
Last weekend and week, I was SO busy that I felt beyond insane. I didn't even have enough time to think about stressing over wedding or marathon stuff because I only had the time to do what I was doing at the moment. How's that for living in the moment? Ha. So, my run schedule Monday-Friday was interesting. I ended up switching some of the longer runs around and ended up adding a run in on Friday morning before I went wedding dress shopping.
Oh yeah, I GOT A WEDDING DRESS!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhh!!!!!!! For risk of Alec reading this, I won't go into any detail, but let's just say that it is not really what I set myself out to get as far as fabric/color/style, but it has the important qualities of classic, modern, and romantic. We went to two different places to find it and there was another dress that I was considering, but I am SO glad that I didn't go with that one and continued to the second store. The people at the second place were also really awesome, so if you're looking for a prom/recital/wedding dress, ask me about it!
I had a really difficult time saying "yes" at the dress store, because it was a very emotional moment for me. It was overwhelming to think about the fact that this is our "one and only" wedding and that everyone will be looking at me on that day. I went through so many feelings standing there. All I could think was about the fact that there might be another dress out there that is better for me, or that maybe I should look for more, or what if I don't like this dress in a couple of months when I go to get it fitted.
At the first store, I loved the woman who was helping me and there were some nice dresses there. As I went to stand on the platform in front of everyone, it really didn't sink in until 3 or 4 dresses that I was looking for my wedding dress. When it did hit me, I had the first really big "I am a bride" moment since being engaged. I actually pictured myself walking down the aisle in white. (I am such a visual person that before actually trying a wedding dress on, all I could picture was everything else in the wedding. I had all those details worked out perfectly, but just couldn't picture myself). An enormous help in the whole process of shopping was having my sister (and MOH!) there with me. Not only is she my favorite lady to be around, she also has this amazing ability to bring me back to who I am, and help me center and live with more of an open heart. So, she was the perfect person to have in the dressing room and the perfect person to talk to when I needed help.
It was actually really cool looking at myself in the mirror that long. Not that I'm vain about myself... I've always been one to run away from mirrors...but this experience was the first time since being in an opera that I was forced to stare at myself in a mirror for a long period of time. It actually started to sink in that I've lost weight.
This may be something that you will hear from other people who lose a significant amount as well, because it is one of the challenges of letting go of the old person and forming a new self image; I struggle every minute of every day with accepting exactly what I look like now. I go into the store and am afraid to pull clothes that are in the size that I am now, because I am absolutely convinced that I am going to wake up and this is all going to be one big weight loss dream. I even wake up every morning and am shocked at how I look. In my head I am still a size 22, in my dreams every night, I am still a size 22...even though I may feel soooo healthy and energetic and in-shape, I still think that I look like I did a year and 1/2 ago. Weird, huh?
So, I am working on that. Standing in front of a mirror for 3 hours helped. Perhaps by the time of the wedding, I will have enough mirror time and pictures of myself that I will have a good strong mental image that is a little more realistic.
Speaking of the time of the wedding, let's talk about how much I LOVE that it is going to be warm at that time of year. The other day when it was 80 degrees outside, I was like "oh yeah, this is why we're having a summer wedding!" But, that was also the day that I went running outside and felt myself really slowing down. I am pretty sure that running when it is 30-50 degrees outside and then all of a sudden running in 80, is like shock for your body. Especially if you are not hydrated enough, which I wasn't. Or, if you ate more bad foods the day before that, which I did. My hands were like sausages by the end of it. My rings would just barely fit on my fingers!
I mapped a new run around my area that day that I quite enjoyed. It went through a park, by a train, under a bridge, up a hill, down main street, and all through my neighborhood. The only issue was that it was 80 degrees and there was no shade until the last mile. Despite my efforts of putting on plenty of sunscreen (can't have bad tan lines for the wedding!) I still got a tan. Uh-oh! I might ask the coaches what their advice would be on sunscreen that works with excessive sweating. Otherwise, I think I will spend the entire summer with strapless shirts on gardening and laying out in my back yard. Has anyone else with pale skin done distance runs?? What do you do for it??
Although, that was not an issue this past Saturday at practice. We met at the Gwynns Falls trail in Baltimore City at the end of I-70, where the Park-N-Ride is, and ran all through the park. I forget what the park name is, but it is actually really beautiful. Coming from this area, it is general knowledge that Security isn't considered the safest place to be, and there was definitely a moment there in the beginning that I could have sworn I saw a trash bag that was human shaped in the woods....BUT, once we got to the main area that winds around the falls, it was gorgeous. The first mile ran down through a little town, crossed a road several times, and then went up into the woods. There was a leg of it that was going straight down a ramp that made sharp turns all the way down. Mile 2 was where we ended up going around the bathroom area in a circle before one of the coaches caught me and told me to go the other way. I was tempted to stop to use the restroom, but I resisted because I really wanted to finish with a decent time.
After mile 2, the rest of the run until the turn-around at 4.5 was consistently in the woods. There was one bit that was on a road, and then woods again all the way. I think it was around the turn-around that I felt my ankle tweak again. For the first 4 miles, it was like it was completely healed and then all of a sudden after I stopped for Gu at 4.5, I felt it twinge and for the rest of the run it never felt the same. On the way back, I also realized that I absolutely had to stop and use the restroom. This was a big disappointment for me, because I was trying to make it home as quickly as possible to see my sister/niece. Let's just say that the bathrooms there left something to be desired- including but not limited to: toilet paper. I hit my brick wall at mile 8, which was what I was anticipated. That is the furthest that I ran before that day, and my body was ready to be finished. So, as I anticipated this happening, I was smart and packed an extra Gu for that moment. It gave me a tiny little boost that allowed me to complete the last mile. I think I might have even sped up!
One thing that I liked was that I ended up finishing ahead of someone that I've consistently been behind at the practices. Not that I was trying to do this, it just sort of happened around mile 6. Even with the bathroom break at 7, I still managed to keep a decent enough gap. When I finished the run, I grabbed a water and booked it out of there. I could feel my stomach getting upset, and I really wanted to get home for waffle brunch with my sister/fiance/niece/aunt. The plan was that I would run home and shower, and then start the waffles. In reality, my stomach got upset instantly when I got home and took all day to feel normal again. Alec and Laura ended up making the waffles (which were good after the first few came out a little strange) and we had the perfect meal for a post-run. Blueberry waffles with fresh fruit and real maple syrup. MMMMMmmmm! I froze some, so I might do that again in a week.
So, it is now 7 weeks to the race. A little update for my current state: My ankle pain seems to have just disappeared overnight, and I have no idea why, but I will not complain. My hip still feels tight, and I am going to try to ice it as much as I can over the next week. I have noticed some REALLY bad chaffing as well on my chest that bled after the 8 mile run, so I am heading out this week to buy a bra that is made for runners who are not flat-chested. I'm excited about that! Also, I've decided to get a belt that I can use to have water and Gu in, so that I don't have to make stops anymore and so I can time the nourishment according to my needs. My aunt and I are planning to go to the Under Armour outlet after the race on Saturday, so that might end in some other clothing that will help me in the next few months. I'm looking forward to feeling a little more comfortable than I have so far! I've completed my first two days of training this week and I'm feeling well, so I'm hoping that I will continue to improve - hip-wise - as the week progresses. It's all up to my dedication of icing and rest. So, until next time, I love you all and wish me luck!
XO
Up next- I am running out of foreshadowing topics. Anything that you all would like to hear about?
Last weekend and week, I was SO busy that I felt beyond insane. I didn't even have enough time to think about stressing over wedding or marathon stuff because I only had the time to do what I was doing at the moment. How's that for living in the moment? Ha. So, my run schedule Monday-Friday was interesting. I ended up switching some of the longer runs around and ended up adding a run in on Friday morning before I went wedding dress shopping.
Oh yeah, I GOT A WEDDING DRESS!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhh!!!!!!! For risk of Alec reading this, I won't go into any detail, but let's just say that it is not really what I set myself out to get as far as fabric/color/style, but it has the important qualities of classic, modern, and romantic. We went to two different places to find it and there was another dress that I was considering, but I am SO glad that I didn't go with that one and continued to the second store. The people at the second place were also really awesome, so if you're looking for a prom/recital/wedding dress, ask me about it!
I had a really difficult time saying "yes" at the dress store, because it was a very emotional moment for me. It was overwhelming to think about the fact that this is our "one and only" wedding and that everyone will be looking at me on that day. I went through so many feelings standing there. All I could think was about the fact that there might be another dress out there that is better for me, or that maybe I should look for more, or what if I don't like this dress in a couple of months when I go to get it fitted.
At the first store, I loved the woman who was helping me and there were some nice dresses there. As I went to stand on the platform in front of everyone, it really didn't sink in until 3 or 4 dresses that I was looking for my wedding dress. When it did hit me, I had the first really big "I am a bride" moment since being engaged. I actually pictured myself walking down the aisle in white. (I am such a visual person that before actually trying a wedding dress on, all I could picture was everything else in the wedding. I had all those details worked out perfectly, but just couldn't picture myself). An enormous help in the whole process of shopping was having my sister (and MOH!) there with me. Not only is she my favorite lady to be around, she also has this amazing ability to bring me back to who I am, and help me center and live with more of an open heart. So, she was the perfect person to have in the dressing room and the perfect person to talk to when I needed help.
It was actually really cool looking at myself in the mirror that long. Not that I'm vain about myself... I've always been one to run away from mirrors...but this experience was the first time since being in an opera that I was forced to stare at myself in a mirror for a long period of time. It actually started to sink in that I've lost weight.
This may be something that you will hear from other people who lose a significant amount as well, because it is one of the challenges of letting go of the old person and forming a new self image; I struggle every minute of every day with accepting exactly what I look like now. I go into the store and am afraid to pull clothes that are in the size that I am now, because I am absolutely convinced that I am going to wake up and this is all going to be one big weight loss dream. I even wake up every morning and am shocked at how I look. In my head I am still a size 22, in my dreams every night, I am still a size 22...even though I may feel soooo healthy and energetic and in-shape, I still think that I look like I did a year and 1/2 ago. Weird, huh?
So, I am working on that. Standing in front of a mirror for 3 hours helped. Perhaps by the time of the wedding, I will have enough mirror time and pictures of myself that I will have a good strong mental image that is a little more realistic.
Speaking of the time of the wedding, let's talk about how much I LOVE that it is going to be warm at that time of year. The other day when it was 80 degrees outside, I was like "oh yeah, this is why we're having a summer wedding!" But, that was also the day that I went running outside and felt myself really slowing down. I am pretty sure that running when it is 30-50 degrees outside and then all of a sudden running in 80, is like shock for your body. Especially if you are not hydrated enough, which I wasn't. Or, if you ate more bad foods the day before that, which I did. My hands were like sausages by the end of it. My rings would just barely fit on my fingers!
I mapped a new run around my area that day that I quite enjoyed. It went through a park, by a train, under a bridge, up a hill, down main street, and all through my neighborhood. The only issue was that it was 80 degrees and there was no shade until the last mile. Despite my efforts of putting on plenty of sunscreen (can't have bad tan lines for the wedding!) I still got a tan. Uh-oh! I might ask the coaches what their advice would be on sunscreen that works with excessive sweating. Otherwise, I think I will spend the entire summer with strapless shirts on gardening and laying out in my back yard. Has anyone else with pale skin done distance runs?? What do you do for it??
Although, that was not an issue this past Saturday at practice. We met at the Gwynns Falls trail in Baltimore City at the end of I-70, where the Park-N-Ride is, and ran all through the park. I forget what the park name is, but it is actually really beautiful. Coming from this area, it is general knowledge that Security isn't considered the safest place to be, and there was definitely a moment there in the beginning that I could have sworn I saw a trash bag that was human shaped in the woods....BUT, once we got to the main area that winds around the falls, it was gorgeous. The first mile ran down through a little town, crossed a road several times, and then went up into the woods. There was a leg of it that was going straight down a ramp that made sharp turns all the way down. Mile 2 was where we ended up going around the bathroom area in a circle before one of the coaches caught me and told me to go the other way. I was tempted to stop to use the restroom, but I resisted because I really wanted to finish with a decent time.
After mile 2, the rest of the run until the turn-around at 4.5 was consistently in the woods. There was one bit that was on a road, and then woods again all the way. I think it was around the turn-around that I felt my ankle tweak again. For the first 4 miles, it was like it was completely healed and then all of a sudden after I stopped for Gu at 4.5, I felt it twinge and for the rest of the run it never felt the same. On the way back, I also realized that I absolutely had to stop and use the restroom. This was a big disappointment for me, because I was trying to make it home as quickly as possible to see my sister/niece. Let's just say that the bathrooms there left something to be desired- including but not limited to: toilet paper. I hit my brick wall at mile 8, which was what I was anticipated. That is the furthest that I ran before that day, and my body was ready to be finished. So, as I anticipated this happening, I was smart and packed an extra Gu for that moment. It gave me a tiny little boost that allowed me to complete the last mile. I think I might have even sped up!
One thing that I liked was that I ended up finishing ahead of someone that I've consistently been behind at the practices. Not that I was trying to do this, it just sort of happened around mile 6. Even with the bathroom break at 7, I still managed to keep a decent enough gap. When I finished the run, I grabbed a water and booked it out of there. I could feel my stomach getting upset, and I really wanted to get home for waffle brunch with my sister/fiance/niece/aunt. The plan was that I would run home and shower, and then start the waffles. In reality, my stomach got upset instantly when I got home and took all day to feel normal again. Alec and Laura ended up making the waffles (which were good after the first few came out a little strange) and we had the perfect meal for a post-run. Blueberry waffles with fresh fruit and real maple syrup. MMMMMmmmm! I froze some, so I might do that again in a week.
So, it is now 7 weeks to the race. A little update for my current state: My ankle pain seems to have just disappeared overnight, and I have no idea why, but I will not complain. My hip still feels tight, and I am going to try to ice it as much as I can over the next week. I have noticed some REALLY bad chaffing as well on my chest that bled after the 8 mile run, so I am heading out this week to buy a bra that is made for runners who are not flat-chested. I'm excited about that! Also, I've decided to get a belt that I can use to have water and Gu in, so that I don't have to make stops anymore and so I can time the nourishment according to my needs. My aunt and I are planning to go to the Under Armour outlet after the race on Saturday, so that might end in some other clothing that will help me in the next few months. I'm looking forward to feeling a little more comfortable than I have so far! I've completed my first two days of training this week and I'm feeling well, so I'm hoping that I will continue to improve - hip-wise - as the week progresses. It's all up to my dedication of icing and rest. So, until next time, I love you all and wish me luck!
XO
Up next- I am running out of foreshadowing topics. Anything that you all would like to hear about?
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