Week in Review - Catching up

Here I thought I'd have all the time in the world to blog over the holidays .... and I've barely touched the computer.

So where have I been and what have I been up to? (I know you're all sitting on the edge of your seats waiting to hear - hahahhaa).

Let's start with just before Christmas.  I've mentioned a few times that my legs are tight, tired, & sore.  It took barely being able to walk or straighten my legs to finally buck up and make an appointment with the therapist.  He worked my legs a bit and confirmed that they are extremely tight.  Extra mileage exaggerated the problem, but he said that I'm prone to it with my feet and he (like the shoe fitter) suggested I try stability shoes.  He told me to try running a little bit, see how it feels and come back after Christmas.  I was a bit disappointed because I didn't feel he worked my legs much (these thoughts would come back to bite me BIG TIME at the next visit).

Christmas was very peaceful and low key.  Finances are horrible so the gift exchange was beyond low, but it was still nice to have some down time together as a family and it was very peaceful.  On Christmas Day I went out for a walk, tried running a short distance and there was no way.  Even after that walk my legs were painfully tight.

Boxing Day was a total score for me!  My daughter and I hit up the Adidas outlet store.  I knew they had some pretty good prices before Christmas, but when we arrived everything was 40% off the lowest ticketed price.  My Mom had given me money for Christmas and I spent wisely!  I got:

• 5 pairs of running capris (1 for my daughter)
• 1 pair soccer pants for my daughter
• 1 pair yoga pants for my daughter
• 4 t-shirts (2 for me, 2 for the kiddo)
• 2 running tanks
• 1 long sleeve running shirt
• 1 yoga style jacket

 .... all for under $200!  Original value was about $700.  TOTAL SCORE!

 

Jacket - $15

Tank - $10.80

Capris - $6 !!!!!!!

Top - $10.80

Capris - $25

Cheesy Grin - Priceless!

I love the back of the blue tank.  And the capris with the long sleeve purple top are SO comfy!  On the back of the calf is about a 4" zipper and when you open it up, there is mesh in the opening.

Pictures of the other clothes will be scattered over the next few posts.

Plus I finally ordered some running shoes - Brooks Adrenaline GTS.  $170 in the local store (taxes in), $70 shipped, final price, online.  Score again!!!!  They arrived yesterday!!!!  WHOOP WHOOP!  I hope they help my problem.  I wore them around the house all last night but won't run in them until tomorrow.

On Monday, with all that new workout gear staring at me, I was dying to try it out and I HIT UP THE GYM!!!  That's been a while.  I warmed up with 1 mile on the treadmill and felt good, but decided to stop at that.  Did a killer weight workout that left me with expected, but reasonable, stiffness the next day (or two!).

Tuesday my friend wanted to get in her last long run before her upcoming marathon.  It was a nice day and she begged encouraged me to join her on my bike.  I met her partway through her run and did 18 miles along side her.  It wasn't much of a workout, but it was good to spin my legs.

Wed morning I had another session with Dr. Evil!  At my last appt I told him that I had expected it would hurt (because it always does) and he said, "It doesn't always have to hurt, Heidi."  Today as I was gritting my teeth trying not to scream and scare away his other patients, I reminded him of this conversation.  he said, "Ah yes, but last week I was just trying to figure out what was wrong with you ... today I'm fixing it!".  Holy mother of bright rainbows ... OWWWWWW!!!!!!!  He told me I could try running again a little bit to see how it feels, and to come back on Friday.  He said my legs are both very, very tight and definiely need some work.  I have a race on Saturday but will have to be open about whether I can "race" it or not.  It might have to be a casual run with the option of backing out part way if needed.  He didn't go so far as to give me permission to do it, but he didn't outright forbid me either.  I will play it by ear.  I'm already registered and paid so I may as well go.  I'm sure there's no harm in running it at a slow pace.  I will see how I feel.

After my session, I did a little 3 mile easy run.  It felt FANTASTIC and I wanted to fly.  Could still feel a little pain in my left foot, but the legs wanted to GO!  Good thing it was a courtesy run for my friend to shake out her legs from her long run, because left to my own devices I would have gone too fast & too long. By the evening I could feel some stiffness creeping back in, though I wonder if some of that might still be from my weight workout the other day.

So there you have it, the lowdown of my excitement for the last week.  At some point in the next week I will review my goals from 2010 and post my goals for 2011. 

Wishing everyone the very best for 2011 - health, happiness, prosperity.  I know there are some of us who can't put 2010 behind us quick enough (for me there are parts of it that I want to file in the "Forget this %$@#" drawer pronto!), let's do all we can to make the next year the best it can be. 

Reach for the stars, even if you only hit the moon you'll have one heck of a view.

Keep Active!

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥

Marathon Pros & Cons

I recently came across a post at Running My Mouth regarding pros & cons of running a marathon.  This is something that consumes my mind on a regular basis.  As of yet, the scales have not fully tipped in either direction.  I'm balancing on that fence, swaying in the wind.  So I thought I'd put together a list of my thoughts on the subject in a more expanded form than the comment section of her blog.

 

This thought process is not new, I've questioned it before (HERE).  I'm just gathering more thoughts on it, but am still not conclusive.

 

PROS

• Sense of accomplishment & pride - running 26.2 miles is something to be VERY proud of.  Not everyone can do it and it takes alot of dedication and effort.
• Motivation - There's a lot that goes into doing a marathon.  Months of training, time, expense.  It's not something you walk away from easily.  Therefore, you're likely to stay very motivated towards your goal for quite a time.
• Plan to follow - Not that I love following a plan, because I really do not.  But I do find having a goal to work towards keeps me motivated and dedicated.  I don't tend to flounder when I'm working towards achieving something.  And I'm less likely to get lazy and skip workouts when I know I'm building up to a goal.
• Member of "The Club" - Yes, then there is that little thing.  Not so much as bragging rights, but just to be able to say/know I've done it.  For me it's more about KNOWING I've done it than SAYING I've done it.

CONS

• Time - There is a TON of time required to train for a marathon.  It can not be taken lightly.  Weekend runs can easily consume 4-5 hours or more of your day.  Longer if you like to drive to other locations for a change of scenery.  Plus there are the runs during the week.  You can't just skip those and go all willy-nilly.  Regular, organized training is required.
• Expense - Entry fees alone are high for marathons.  At least double, or more, than a typical 10K.  If you don't live within reasonable distance of one, or have the desire to do a destination location, then you could incur substantial travel costs as well. 
• Injury - Risk of injury is pretty high, at some point or another.  You are pushing your body to a pretty high extreme and must be very careful, and even then you could get injured.
• Lack of Weight Loss - It's true.  While you may be burning a bazillion calories doing all that running, you will be hard pressed to lose any weight if that is your objective.  Your body simply needs more energy.  Reducing calories while training for hours on end just leaves you completely fatigued and slow to repair.  I read it before and thought it must be impossible to run that kind of mileage and not lose weight (or gain), but yet somehow it is QUITE possible.
• All Consuming - It's on your mind ... alot.  What & when you eat/drink.  Amount of sleep.  Cross training.  Adequate fluids.  Proper Nutrition.  If you have a 20+ mile run on Sunday, chances are you are not going out drinking and eating junk food Saturday night. 
• "What Now??" - The let down afterwards can be pretty tough.  Maybe let down is wrong, but many people get left with a feeling of wondering what they're going to do next.  You've just accomplished an amazing feat and it's easy to get lost in trying to figure out your next direction.

I'm right on the fence.  Having just gone through a compressed training plan with my friend for her upcoming marathon I've gotten a bit of a taste ... and yet I still don't know which way I lean.

 

I think I do want to do one.  I cetainly think about it alot!  I just don't really know yet what is driving that desire and maybe I need that answer to make my decision.  I want to be able to say I've done one, even though I have complete confidence now that I could do one, so the actual completion is not the challenge.  I know that for me I would have to determine a goal time and THAT would be the challenge for me.  I don't need an actual race just to feel like I've accomplished the distance.

That said ... the cons are pretty strong for me and are currently weighing in a little on the heavier side.  While I am very proud of myself for doing these longer distances (current PR 22 miles), I don't get a real kick out of doing them.  I think I'm happiest running between 6 and 16 miles.  The training takes a huge chunk of time.  10Ks and half marathons fit well into what I like to run and don't take alot of extra effort or time above my normal running to train for.  And financially I'd MUCH rather do 2 or 3 races for the cost that a single marathon would cost me.  Very hard to justify sinking all that money into one day.  I can't even consider the cost of an out of town marathon right now, though THAT would interest me for the experience.  I can't even fathome the disappointment if I trained for and paid a bunch of money for a single race and something occurred that made it not 100% ideal.  I'd be devastated. 

It's hard to consider this all right now.  I have been running on tired legs for what seems like forever now.  My pace is struggling and I can't help but feel concerned that it will never return (I've been assured by many that it will once I resume normal activity levels).  And now I have this pesky little injury that will sideline me for a week or so.  But, I've essentially been training for a marathon, using the quick method plan and not exactly following ideal nutrition/fluid/rest/sleep schedules.  No doubt my legs are revolting, no doubt I'm questioning my sanity and my drive.  Normal I expect???

With 2011 fast approaching, I of course am contemplating what it is I want to achieve in the next year.  No, I don't HAVE to decide this by January 1st, but it is an ideal time to seriously consider it.  Yet, I'm still blowing in the wind.  Maybe a marathon will make the list .... maybe it will be tabled.  Time will tell.

Keep Active!

Heidi

Shoe Fitting and an Owie

Yesterday I mentioned that I did something kind of exciting recently.  Pretty sad when this equals excitement in my life.

I finally went for another shoe fitting!  While I've been happy with my shoes, I also find myself currently suffering for the third time this year of a similar injury (January 2010, April 2010).  My left leg has been S-O-R-E since (and during) my long run this past Saturday.  The trigger areas are behind my left knee and in the arch of my left foot.  I can only assume that it's the same extremely tight calf muscle that caused similar pains before. 

Each time I've had my feet assessed, I've been told that I should probably be wearing a neutral shoe, however my left foot could possibly use some support. 

For this shoe fitting, the young male was very knowledgeable and thorough.  I could tell he was young-ish, but I was quite impressed when I learned that he was just 17.  This kid knew his stuff!

He told me the current shoe I'm wearing IS a very good fit for average running.  However, when pushing into higher mileage & frequent training as I've been doing, it's not enough support - especially as the shoes near the end of their life cycle (currently at 440 miles).

His #1 suggestion for me is the Brooks Adrenaline GTS.  I've never considered a Brooks shoe, but let me tell you ... they felt GOOD!  I have loved my Mizuno's (neutral), but when I tried their version of a support shoe it felt very awkward.  I will be getting a pair of these shoes.

I also tried on the Mizuno Wave Rider's.  These are very similar to my current Mizuno's (which they no longer make that model).  I still love these shoes.  I'm seriously considering getting a pair of these as well, and then alternating shoes.  Currently I wear the same shoes on EVERY run, which really isn't the greatest idea when you're running frequently.  Certainly it can't be good to pound them that often, many times in the rain, and then wear them again the next day.  If I get both pairs I should be able to get through most of the next year without needing another pair ... I hope!

 

I also got myself one more item.  We went to another store, where I had won a gift certificate at a race earlier this year.  A nifty little running hat came home with me, complete with a pony tail hole.  So cool!

Here is some more info on it.  DRYLINE PONYTAIL TOQUE

It was a welcome addition to Saturday's long run when it began to snow during the last 9 miles of the run.

I don't know what the next few days hold out for me.  I need to run 60 miles in the next 10 days to reach my running goal for this year.  Under normal circumstances I could totally do this, but with this injury I'm not sure.  I'm stretching as often as I can, and tonight will do a short trial run on the treadmill to see how I feel.  I've already scrapped the prospect of another 20+ mile run this year, but I'm not yet giving up on the goal. 

Keep Active!

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥

22 .... sigh ......

Sorry for the sporadic posting lately.  Things have been busy, however not terribly exciting or share-worthy. 

 

Been doing some Christmas baking, getting a few more decorations put up (wasn't going to bother, but then the mood struck).  Seeing a few friends for some Christmas cheer - however still not having enough time to see everyone I want to. :(

 

Oh ... wait.  I did do something exciting.  But I'll post about that later because I want to add pictures.

 

On Saturday we did another mileage record for me.  22 miles!  OK, yeah, I guess that might be exciting.

 

The first 13-ish miles were good.  I felt good, the weather was perfect (crisp & cool, but dry).  Running on quiet roads, past lots of farm fields and some quiet subdivisions.  Very nice. 

 

We then stopped at a coffee shop to fill up on our water.  I swear we were only in there for maybe 4-5 minutes.  When we came out ... the world had changed.  It started snowing, mixed with big drops of ice cold rain ... and the wind picked up.  It was disgusting!  My friend told me to make a decision ... press on, or stop now and get picked up.  I'm stubborn so I said press on. 

 

As it was, the rain and most of the wind stopped, however the snow continued to fall.  We were now running along a busy road and it wasn't pleasant at all.  Around 17 miles my body started to shut down.  My muscles were cramping, the arch in my left foot locked up.  It was very umcomfortable.  I had to stop a couple times to stretch.  My mind had checked out too, but like I said .. I'm stubborn, and we continued on.

 

We made it through, but really the last 4-5 miles were a bit of a blur for me.  I just had to get through it.  At least this time we had lots of time to warm up and have a good stretch after.  Unfortunately I sat on my friend's cat though.  I went to sit down and it jumped up underneath me as I was going down.  However my reaction time was seriously impaired and I couldn't get up in time.  Sorry kitty!!

 

I had prepared some steel cut oats for us to have after the run.  We ate them with blackberries.  YUM!  I think that's the best after run meal I've ever had.  Warm, chunky oats with fruit.  Heaven!!!

 

My leg muscles are so unbelievably tight right now.  I need to be very careful.  We had planned one more long run (24 miles) before the new year.  But I think I might reduce that one substantially.  I'm not willing to injure myself long term, especially when this training isn't for anything in particular for me.  I will be (and have been) dedicating alot of time to stretching.  My husband said when I'm at complete rest (ie: laying in bed having just woke up) my leg muscles feel like they are in the middle of a major weight press.

NOTES

Consumed prior to run: Multi-grain Cheerios w/milk & 1 cup of tea
Consumed during run: 3 water bottles filled with Gatorade, about 8-10 Sun Rype Fruit Bites
Immediately after run:  Steel Cut Oats w/blackberries & tea
Approx 2 hours later:  Awesome delicious dinner of roast pork tenderloin, cheesy scalloped potatoes, vegetable medley, salad and all kinds of goodies
Stomach issues: Pretty good
Energy level during run:  First half great, 2nd half extremely challenging
Muscles: Medic?????

Aftermath:  Very stiff, very sore, no headaches though and not completely drained of energy
Things to try on next long run:  Adequate rest!
 

Keep Active!

   

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥

Lessons Learned

Yesterday was a pretty stiff day after running 20 miles the night before.  When I woke up in the morning I could not straighten my left leg, just wasn't happening.  I tried for a few minutes and wondered how on earth I was going to stand up ... and hoping it would stretch out before I needed to go to the bathroom!  Luckily it did and I didn't have to wet the bed.

It sucks to do a long run like that and then go straight to bed.  The bonus is you sleep like a rock.  But, your muscles just lock right up and it makes recovery tough.  That coupled with having to go to work the next day and sit at a desk all day long.  I work in a very small office and usually work through my lunch hours, so not much opportunity to move around.

Normally on Tuesday nights I run.  But I wasn't sure if this was wise or not.  I e-mailed the oh-so-experienced Marlene to see what she would do.  Unfortunately I did it too late in the day and didn't hear back from her in time.  So .... I went anyway.  Did 3.5 miles at a snails pace.  The first few minutes were quite funny looking, but I did feel better at the end.

Tips I've learned recently:

• If there is even the slightest chance of rain ... bring a hat!
• Layering is an art ... that I am not even close to having perfected.
• Do not eat cabbage & samosas before a long run
• Make sure you REALLY like your long run partner.  After 3-4 hours you may begin to hate them, even if you absolutely love them.  I totally love my running buddy, but after that long when you're sore and tired, it can't possibly be your own fault [insert sarcasm]and you need someone to blame for dragging you into this crazy idea.  We may have been throwing the 'b' word back and forth at one another near the end.
• If you need to stop for a potty break en route and decide to use a farmer's apple orchard ... beware of Siberian Huskies that may come lurching at you.  Apparently he did not want me using his tree.  I agreed and found another field.

Did the dreaded swim this morning.  Other than that, I think today is a rest day. 

Keep Active!

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥

2-0 of Pure Determination

First off, in case you missed it (wink wink - lol!), Sunday was my birthday.  Being a runner, we do crazy things like challenge a new distance for our birthday.  There must be something wired wrong in our brains - seriously!

But it wasn't to be.  It rained SO hard on Sunday.  Now, it rains ALOT out here, we're quite used to it ... but this was beyond insane.  I think all said and done it was around 60mm (2+ inches) or more of rain.  My husband got up with the dog twice that night.  The first time he came back to bed and questioned my sanity to even consider running in that kind of rain.  The second time he came back he actually forbid me to run in it.  HAHAHA - he's cute!

My running friend called me in the morning to ask if I wanted to delay it an hour or two.  That was all I needed.  I would have done it, but really did not want to.

Instead we opted to do a nice family breakfast where I stuffed myself silly.  My running friend and her husband came over and she brought me Elmo Ice Cream Cupcakes from Dairy Queen.  Dairy Queen does not make ice cream cupcakes ... yet she convinced them that yes, indeed, they do make them, and they're cheap.  She's such a shyster!  They were cute and they tasted great.  It never really did clear up so we scrapped the run idea all together and went out to a Christmas store.  So festive!

In the evening we had some other friends over and had a wonderful dinner of Rouladen (recipe).  Mmmm, one of my favourites!  My friend also gave me a bottle of Kahlua which I've stashed away and will savour for probably a year or more.

The running plans were shot ... except I have this crazy goal of running 156.9 miles this month to meet my goal of running 1000 miles this year.  I really can't afford to miss a long run.  So, we did what any normal human being would do.  We just postponed it to the next day ... which just happens to be a Monday, and I work full time.

I went direct from work to my friends house and we were on the road by about 4:20.  I think we got about 10-15 minutes of semi-daylight before it got dark.  The first 2 miles were tough.  After a full day of work, in the dark ... my mind just wasn't into it ... plus my legs were stiff.  But then we hit a bit of a rhythym and it wasn't so bad. 

We passed my house and I was getting too hot so dropped off my jacket in the driveway.  I would come to regret this!  The route was a more or less out and back ... just after we reached the turn around point the skies decided to open up.  UGH!  I had no jacket.  I'd forgotten my hat.  Yuck!  It was disgusting.

Around mile 13 I was done, but there was still a long way to go.  I kept trying to find a way to zone out or magically click my heels and be teletransported (there's no place like home, there's no place like home  ... Oh Toto, we'll never get there).  It didn't work!

This run was SO much harder than last week's 18.5. Yes it was a little longer, after work, in the dark, in the rain ... but still.  Definitely a run of pure determination!

When we got back to her house we did a short walk but our legs just seemed to get stiffer as we walked.  We went into her garage for some stretching and I just started giggling like a school girl.  I went into hysterics, which of course made my friend start laughing.  Her husband came out and asked what was up.  I told him it was either laugh or cry, so I laughed. 

Between stretching at her house and then again when I got home, I probably spent over 40 minutes - and I'm still stiff.  Alot of stretching going on here at work today too!  It seems to be just tightness though, not soreness (ie injury), which is great!

There you have it ... 20 miles on the books ... pure h-e-double 'l', but it's done!  I slept like a log last night.  Hubby got up with the dog again and I didn't notice either of them even move.  There's definitely an option for those who suffer from insomnia.  Run for 3 1/2 hours right before bed.  Knocks you out flat!

NOTES

Consumed prior to run: breakfast & lunch (which included a bacon & cabbage dish - probably not ideal)
Consumed during run: 1water bottle filled with Gatorade, 1 of plain water, 4 Sharkies
Immediately after run:  Hot Chocolate & a Wendy's Spicy Chicken Burger (oh soooo good)
Approx 2 hours later:  Fast asleep!

Stomach issues: Not so great, couple of emergency stops .. probably the cabbage!

Energy level during run:  Medium-low - no doubt due to the circumstances and time of day
Muscles: O-U-C-H! 

Aftermath:  Other than expected stiffness this morning, I feel pretty darn good.  Rather tired, but I'm not certain that's related directly to the run.
Things to try on next long run:  An umbrella????
 

Keep Active!

   

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥

Kick in the Arse

This post is brought to you by 4:30 AM.  Why?  No, it's not because I'm up early to rack off some crazy miles.  No, I'm not up early to do chores, or go to work.  I can't sleep!  Last night I attended a Christmas Tea and ate too much, too late .... I'm paying the price with sleeplessness and bloating.

I took a picture to share with you, but honestly it was way too scary to share.  I look (and feel) like a train ran over me.

There's been too much of this lately.  No doubt some stress eating, coupled with a lack of time, motivation & organization.  Not a good formula.

There's not nearly enough fruits & veggies in my life lately.  And really, there's no excuse for that.  Over the next few days I'm getting myself organized.  Hitting up the produce stand.  There are some wicked salads out there that don't take much to put together.  I used to make myself some great packages of veggies to take to work everyday.

I need to get back to this!  I feel SOOOO much better with lots of produce in my life.  I crave sugar less.  My body just feels ... cleaner.

For tonight I've just finished off a hot cup of Sleepytime Tea.  Let's hope it does it's magic.

Keep Active!

and (note to self) eat your veggies!!!

Heidi

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