What Have I Been Up To Lately?

Lots of sweating! The temps have really shot up lately and my mid morning run has needed to be pushed back a couple of hours to earlier morning so that I don't become to overheated. I am still drenched when I finish my run, but I love that! I actually like running in the heat because I feel like I am working harder, but common sense tells me that I need to be careful out there. The cooler mornings are working well and I am enjoying about 16-20 miles a week right now. I took some time off from running after my half and just rode my bike. I think that was a good break for me. I am STILL having issues with the area where my injury was, but I think it is just going to be a weak area and I am going to need to be super disciplined with my post run stretching and not pushing too much...and listening to my body.

I have also tried to get in 2 bike rides a week of about 17-20 miles each. I love cycling...not quite as much as running, but it is a close second. I am really excited to be riding with a friend this week at the river trail...it should be a nice time of fellowship as well as a great workout!

One thing I am doing much more of is resitance training...lots of free weights, push ups, jump squats, planks...things like that. I really feel much stronger and more fit since increasing these type of workouts.

All in all, I feel great and am blessed to be able to enjoy being active and taking care of myself. Good health is not a given and I want to be a good steward of the good health God has given me--not just for my benefit, but for my family as well.

My kids are having a pretty active summer as well...swimming almost everyday...tumbling class for my 8 year old, basketball camp and summer baseball for my 6 year old. Gracie has been running with me some, which is always nice. Abigail has a summer job which is keeping her super busy and right now we don't see her as much as we would like, but she is getting some great life experience and learning how to manage her own money/save for college.

There is lots more going on in my life....besides striving for a healthy active lifestyle. Maybe I can post on my Lifesong blog soon and discuss more important issues of the heart.

Began Physical Therapy

I went in to see the physical therapist this morning for an evaluation. After multiple muscle strength tests, he concluded with *I don't know what it is*...but he did notice that my pelvis is rotated and one leg(the right one)is shorter than the other leg which could be causing my running troubles.

A wonderful therapists worked with me teaching some exercises and stretching my psoas out really good...The best part was the ultrasound, heat, and electrodes applied to the area. That is supposed to help with the healing.

I am going 2 days a week for a few weeks and we will see how it goes. At some point I will try and run again and see if it has helped. Untl then, yoga, stretching, and some weights will be my only workouts.

LR Half Marathon

I am so happy to say--I survived the half marathon. My hip did not break, nor did my uterus fall out! My intestines seem all still intact and my pelvis is not falling apart with stress fractures.

In fact, I had so much energy at the end (the last 3 miles), I ran at my old pace and finished well. I was thrilled!

Mike and I had a great weekend. Our room was right on the street where the marathon began, in fact we could see the start line from our window...and we heard the music for the early start at 5:30 am. Mike wasn't too thrilled with that, though. The great thing about having the room was the fact that I didn't have to go outside until right at the time to start...we stayed in the warm lobby and watched everybody line up, then Cheryl and I hopped in line 5 minutes before race start! The temp was a chilly 32 degrees and cloudy.

Cheryl is a friend of mine that I found out was running the half a few weeks ago...we had never run together and had actually been out of touch over the last few years. One day she inboxed me on facebook and told me she was training for the half. We began encouraging eachother during the training and really didn't ever discuss running together.

As my injury started bothering me more and more during my training, I knew if I did run, it would have to be a much slower pace than what I had originally wanted. Cheryl had mentioned that she has been training running 12 minute miles. It was a blessing that we decided last minute to meet up and try to run together...at least in the beginning and if either one felt like going ahead, we had the freedom to do that. I had in my mind that I might even need to walk at times and I didn't want to hold her back at all. We agreed to that and had a wonderful time running side by side for most of the race. I think we were together for 10 miles.

When we reached Chester, the street where I knew we were almost done, I told Cheryl that I was going to try and pick up my pace a little and just see how I would do. She said fine...go ahead...so I took off alone. I began really hurting at about mile 9 earlier in the race, but God allowed me to somehow tolerate the pain and push myself. I wanted to finish in about 2 1/2 hours so bad! I knew I could if I pushed the last three miles.

The last 3 miles felt so good. I passed quite a few people...even Rick from last season's Biggest Loser. He did a great job, by the way, and has kept his weight off. It was great to see him during the race! It just felt good to get my pace to a place I remembered from before injury! Loved it! It felt surreal, knowing that just 2 days before, I told Mike I was just not going to do it...it would be too hard...it would hurt...and I didn't even think I could actually finish it. All of those thoughts were whirling around in my head as I crossed the finish line. God did protect me...He did give me the required endurance....He even gave me joy in the pain. It was wonderful in everyway!

I ran the whole way...did not need to walk at all....although I did walk a few seconds to drink at the drink stations....I can't run and drink!

Thank you so much to those of you who prayed for me and encouraged me. I have no regrets in going through with it, but if I hadn't done it, I would have regrets forever. God is so good! Thank you for being such sweet godly friends! I give Him all the glory for what He has done!

My time: 2:31:04 Future goal is 2:15 and hopefully be injury free!

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is my first half marathon. I'm excited, but very nervous. Mike and I are going to Little Rock today to pick up my packet. I'm going to just do my best and have fun--running or walking...whatever feels right! Biofreeze and ibuprofen are my dear friends right now.

I'm praying God will give me the endurance to finish and that He will protect me from further injury. He cares about the tiniest details of my life and I am so thankful for that.

2.5 miles

My plan is to run short 2.5-3 mile runs until the race. I am also icing where it hurts after the run. I will probably be using Jeff Galloway's aproach to run and walk some to prevent further injury during the race.

Half Marathon Email Confirmation

I received IT this mornong...IT is the document that has to be shown to pick up race packet the day before the race. So, it is official and only 11 days away. Yikes.

Why is it that I am having all these new aches and pains? I do not feel the least bit ready for this. My left foot has been hurting a lot even on short runs...my left hamstring has started hurting on mile 3 and continues to throb and pull during my run....and my injury from almost 2 years ago has flared up again and I am feeling a pull/tightness and pain in the inguinal ligament area...does this mean my uterus is going to fall out?! Also, my lower back is killing me.

As you can see, my mind is racing with all kinds of what ifs...I have convinced myself of a total body MRI after the race.

This is going to be UGLY.

6 miles today

I ran/walked 6 today. I'm planning on just short runs now until the half. Please pray I can do this. I'm really looking forward to the fun of the day/weekend...it is just exciting to be a part of something like this!

Running

Hopefully it is just this.

I ran 3.5 miles and walked 1 mile in the beautiful sunshine today. The temp is about 68 degrees! Feeling great and hoping the weather is just like today for the half!

Not a lot of running going on...

For a couple of reasons:

1) We have 7 inches of snow on the ground and I don't own a treadmill.

2) I think I over did it last week and am feeling it this week.


I'm hoping that having a week off will not affect my training too much. Endurance wise I am fine, but those pesky pains try to interfere! Fear about the half coming up is entering my mind.

Mike thinks I need to rest, so I will listen to his advice.

Hopefully this weekend I can get in some short runs. The snow is gorgeous and I am enjoying some fun family time! We have a fun day of sledding planned for tomorrow!

Athletic Publagia

Interesting info on my mystery injury here...that STILL starts bothering me once my mileage gets up. I am pretty sure this is what it is. My biggest clue is that no matter what I do...rest, ice, etc...it still comes back.

But, I am learning to deal with it...lots of rest days, not as many long runs, and a slow pace. These 3 things keep it controlled. The frustrating thing is knowing I could go faster and longer if it was gone...but I am not sure that surgery is for me.

Today

6 miles in the snow...I can't believe how many times I have run this year with snow on the ground. We are also expecting more late on Sunday and next Tuesday and Wednesday! Must be the global warming. Yeah, right.

Although I am experiencing pain in the injured area and also in the upper left hamstring, I am actually doing quite well with the training. I am just going to deal with the minor pain and do it anyway. That is just my attitude this time. JUST DO IT!

The Unveiling of the HUGE LR Marathon Medal!

The half marathon medal is about half the size...still large, though!

Slow, but good.

I ran 10 miles this morning and the first 6 or so felt great! I walked for a minute and ate a bite size Clif bar at the 6 mile mark. Then, silly me, forgot to turn my Garmin back on after stretching. I noticed it stopped after about another mile and half of running. So, my time is not exactly right, but it did give me an idea of where I might be for the race. I ran 10 in just under 2 hours, so another 3 would be about 30 minutes, so I am looking at a 2 1/2 hour time. Not too bad.

I did start getting really achy in my typical past injury areas and my lower back. The last 2 miles felt kinda bad, but I made it! I know I can do the whole 13.1! With proper rest before the run and a few snacks along the way, I should be fine. I also had a Lance Armstrong waffle thingie that I picked up at the Easy Runner Store. They are so delicious and I highly recommed them(see my link below). They are not a protein product, but super good for carb energy.

When I got home I made a blueberry whey protein smoothie and iced my achy areas. I am really trying to do things smarter this time!

Next week, my miles drop back down and then a 12 mile long run the following week!

10 Miles

10 miles tomorrow. I'm ready! These will help!

Sunshine and Snow

Oh, how I loved my run this morning...for so many reasons.

First of all, it was just gorgeous outside! Snow is still everywhere and the sun was shining very brightly through the glittery trees. As I ran, the wind was blowing some of the snow flakes into my face, but it felt really good! It reminded me of the Getty's song where it says "His fingerprints in flakes of snow" in "Creation Sings the Father's Song". That is actually one of the songs on my ipod right now...love it!

Secondly, I loved my run because it felt so good...I did have some minor pain, but it never amounted to anything significant. Thank you, Lord! I was really nervous about today's run since it was 8 miles. It seems everytime I get my mileage up past 6or so, I feel I can't do it. I think I get scared of an injury again. But, not today....the endorphins kicked in after a small snack in between mile 5 and 6 and I felt like I could run forever! Don't you love that feeling?!!!

I also ran the 8 a little quicker than I thought I could. I think that after today's run, I can get my half under 2 1/2 hours, which would be great for me! I'm not running it for a certain time, though...I would just be thrilled with a decent time. Originally, before my injury, I was trying for a half under 2 hours.....I don't think that could happen this time, but maybe one day!

After my run, I did walking lunges up our long driveway and jumped rope for about 3-4minutes. I am on my way....and it feels great!

3 Miler Before Winter Weather

I ran my scheduled 3 miles this morning as the drizzle fell from the sky...which would later turn to ice, which then tuned into the prettiest biggest snowflakes ever. It is snowing pretty hard now and looks so gorgeous with the white blanket over our town. I am so glad I got my run in....Saturday is 8!

Different Approach This Time

Those of you that know me can remember my running injury that took place a couple of years ago...I was doing some things that I think could have contributed to becoming injured. This time around, as I am training for a half coming up in March, I am doing a few things differently. To start, I am eating much less restrictively. I was pretty much a vegan back then, with the exception of fish sometimes. I was trying out a very restrictive approach to my eating because first of all, I really love fruits and veggies, and after reading some books, I became convinced that a vegan diet was extremely healthy. I wanted to at least give it a try. During that time I was also running quite a bit....increasing distance, speed, and adding lots of pretty steep hills. It was during a fast 5k that I actully felt the injury happen and when I tried to run a few days later, I realized I couldn't. It was much worse than I orginally thought and I stopped running for about 4 months. I started back super slow with still pain at times. Even today I can still feel it.

Although everything came back great with my blood work, I thought, as well as my doctor, that my calorie intake was just not fueling my body enough for the kind of energy I was using up. Also, I had very little fat in my diet as well. I was stiff, sore, and lacked energy later in the day. I think I could have been deficient in zinc and calcium.

This time I am trying to be smarter and more balanced. My goal is to fuel my body with nutrients, proteins, antioxidants, and fat. I realize now that when I run, my body needs to be replenished and sometimes a red bell pepper and fresh greens are not enough.

So, here are some things I am doing to help me be stronger and injury free this time:

Eating lean red meat once a week
Adding whey protein isolate to my smoothies for extra calories and protein
Adding flax seed meal to yogurt, smoothies, and oatmeal
Eating eggs...and lots of them
Eating some form of protein with every meal and snack
Still eating tons of green veggies and berries
Using real butter and low fat and full fat cheese
Lots of seeds and nuts
Greek yogurt--can't do without this yummy stuff!
Green tea...still a staple
Skim milk
Regular pasta sometimes, but still prefer whole grain
Fortified cereals like Total to give me much needed vitamins since I can't take a supplement

Hopefully, this plan will get me through the training and the run on March 6th!

Today

6.1 miles today in the sunshine...a little achy afterwards, but I am well on my way!

Rest Days are Crucial

I have learned that rest days are mandatory for me. With me becoming more injury prone these last couple of years, the best thing for me is not to run 2 days in a row. That is part of my strategy as I train for the half coming up. Also, when I have a longer run, I rest 2 days and then feel fine to run again. I guess all of those running articles I have read over the years were right.

I'm a little stubborn and have had to learn these things the hard way!

Cabin Fever....nothing a 5 miler can't help!

The snow is gorgeous, but after a while of being inside, I need to GET OUT! Today was beautiful! 35 degrees, snow on the ground(not on the road), sun shining...a perfect day for a sweet 5 miler.

It was glorious!

Little Rock Half Marathon

Well, I am officially registered for the Little Rock Half Marathon. I am a little bit behind on the training because I have been keeping my distances shorter(3-4 milers). I ran 5 miles this morning and it felt good, but I was more tired at the end than usual...so I have a ways to go. Endurance wise, I feel pretty good about it. I have run 13 miles at home for just a regular long run, so I know I am capable....just not sure how the stubborn past injuries are going to do. Hopefully with a slow pace and taking lots of rest days, I should be fine.

My plan for the race is to have fun, go slow and steady, walk when I stop for drinks, and enjoy the day. I am really excited to finally be running the race of my dreams! Mike has reserved a hotel for me in the river market, so I won't have to get up so early and drive there. He may stay with me or go home to bring the kids back the next moning. We are not sure yet. It should be a lot of fun!