Black Friday , 11 miles and Many Thanks!!

So like I mentioned in my last blog I have been running 20 miles a week.  I had read in Runner's World that it's a great idea to run a slow, long run the day after Thanksgiving since it's a great carb-loaded meal.  What a great idea!  Why didn't I think to do this before?  Then I soon realized that the day after Thanksgiving is Black Friday.  I always go shopping on Black Friday and this year I set out at 10:30 pm and didn't arrive back home until 8:30 am.  Obviously with such little rest, it would've been a bad idea to run a long run.  Therefore, instead of running I slept until 1:30, went to parents for left overs and slept for another 2 hours.  I awoke to find this picture, taken by my lovely sister, posted on facebook!  I guess you could say I was tired.  So I planned on running Saturday.

Well I had only run 9 miles by Saturday so I was due for an 11 mile run if I planned on reaching 20 miles for the week.  I set out nice and slow planning to run 5 miles then stop back at my house for some sport jelly beans (from Leaha - thanks!) and water.  After that I planned to run my normal 6 mile loop, thinking if I had to I could always call Brent for a ride home if it proved to be too much.  I didn't have to call him and I ran as planned.  As usual, I felt better than I expected.  I probably felt my best around mile 7, which is amazing!  I ended my run 11 miles later in 1:46:21 and I wasn't even sore the next day.  I should mention here though, that my 4 mile run on Monday was pretty tough.  This makes me realize that running really is a mental sport.  If I am setting out to run 4 I will only run 4, but as you can read if I set out to run 11 I can run 11.  It never ceases to amaze me what my body is capable of doing! 

In case you were wondering, Black Friday wasn't even worth it.  I will never go at midnight again.  In previous years I always went in the morning and I made out much better.  I did get a new laptop for $300 and Brent's gift for half the price, but other those I have nothing to show for all that time and loss of sleep.  

As you can imagine running 11 miles gives me plenty of time to do some thinking.  I spent this run thinking about the many things I have to be thankful.  I must have thanked God 20 times for healing me and giving me the ability to run again.  I also thanked him for blessing me with an amazing, loving husband, a caring, supportive family, and thoughtful, encouraging friends.  I even thanked him for the blue skies, balmy weather, and the wind at my back - all perfect running conditions.  I thanked him for a happy, healthy, fulfilling life and for being an amazing, loyal God who loves me through and through.

10 miles!!

Can you believe it??  Yaaay!  I finally feel like myself again!  I have been running 20 miles a week for almost a month and a half now.  I had read in one of my Runner's World magazine's that to determine whether or not you are ready for your first marathon you should be able to run 20 miles a week for 2 months, so that's what I've been working on.  Anytime I've reached a new distance goal, I have been scaling back on my long runs for two weeks.  Although, to keep with the 20 mile per week goal I then have to lengthen my weekly runs.  This seems to really be working for me.  This is the best I've felt post injury.  I am so thankful!  I am still shocked that I was able to tackle 10 miles without any pain - as an added plus I was never sore afterward either!  My doctor still wants me to rule out compartment syndrome so I am going to a sports medicine doc for a consultation on Nov. 22nd.  My hope is that he'll say it's unnecessary.  I heard the testing is pretty intense and I'm such a wuss!  Hopefully I'll be posting more about my first encounter with a marathon.  You do realized that what was supposed to be a 4 month blog has now turned into a 9 month blog (to date).  Hopefully it will turn into a 16 month blog (that will mean I actually accomplished a marathon)!

7 miles!!!

Soooo after listening to the doctor and taking a month off of running I am finally feeling like myself again.  I ran 7 miles yesterday!!  That is my farthest distance yet!

I eased back into running the first week in August.  I started with one measly mile, but obviously this paid off.  Before I knew it 3 weeks had gone by and I was up to my comfortable 3 miles.  I spent a lot of time running over our vacation the third week in August.  I think I ran 5 days that week.  Taping the gauze over my hernia for the past month on every run has kept me pain free.  My achilles aren't bothering me anymore either...well except for those initial steps out of bed in the morning, but I keep reading and hearing as long as it's not hurting during running or walking I should be fine.  All of those heel drops must have paid off.  I have not been doing them at all anymore.  For some reason I just never think to do them, except for random times when I am unable to do them (at work, in bed, in the car, while running).  However, since I am seriously thinking about tackling this marathon training again in January I better get into the habit of doing them daily.  I DO NOT want to risk another injury because of sheer laziness/forgetfulness!

I'm so excited to think I may actually be able run the marathon this time!  I ran 19 miles last week and 18 miles this week.  Here's to praying for the strength to continue moving forward, slowly increasing mileage with ease and the ability to listen to my body.

2 chicks, a hernia and 4 miles

So I had this bright idea to hatch some chicks.  My friend's mom has chickens so she picked out 10 eggs for me and lent me her incubator.  All you have to do is keep the temperature at 99.5 degrees and turn each egg once in the morning and once in the evening.  So one day I checked the incubator and noticed that the temperature was only 80 degrees (a fuse had blown).  Then I went to the beach for the week and left my mom in charge of the eggs.  Well she felt it was too much of a hassle to drive back and forth to my house twice a day (a 5 mile commute) so she put the eggs into an egg carton, packed up the incubator and transported them to her house.  I came back from vacation and decided just to leave them there until they hatched.  I didn't want to jostle them too much.  So Monday night one of the eggs cracked and by Tuesday morning a chick had hatched.  Two more hatched my Wednesday.  However, one of them died by Friday.  No more eggs ever hatched.  Hmmmm maybe they weren't fertilized, maybe they were too weak to survive the temp change and the move.  Who knows?  Now I'm left with two cute chicks.  My dad is worried they won't survive the winter in their coop with only two chicks to huddle.  Therefore, I am looking into buying 2 or 3 more chicks.  Hopefully in the next 4-6 months I'll have my very own fresh eggs to eat each morning!

As for this hernia.  I have continued to run and I made it up to 3 miles before I went to my follow up appointment last week.  I told him that my lower leg was still bulging after running.  He suggested I put a folded up piece of gauze over the area and tape it there to hold it in.  I did this and boy what a difference it made.  He also informed me I could begin training for a marathon again.  I got super excited and decided it would be a great idea to train for the Rock and Roll Arizona Marathon.  Then I thought about it and realized it may just be better to ease back into this and shoot for the Delaware Marathon in May.  After all the director already took my payment from 2011 and applied it to 2012 (no refunds).  Also, I am still not sold on this hernia thing or the fact that I should be running on it.  So I am working on getting an appointment to see a sports medicine doctor for a second opinion.  I may be acting overly cautious here, but I'd rather err on the side of caution than encounter 4 months of suffering again.

Just yesterday I ventured out to see if I could handle a 4 mile run.  So I taped up my "hernia", warmed up with a walk, stretched and hit the pavement.  I felt awesome at the beginning of my run, like I never stopped running.  After about 3 miles my achilles began to act up so I stopped to stretch.  I made it to my friends house for a total of 4.06 miles .  I sat and chatted with her for about 45 minutes then headed home.  My achilles didn't hurt at all and the rest of me felt great too.  I was so excited!  Thank you Lord!  I'm running again tomorrow morning so we'll see how I feel after a "long" run. 

Take that "lower leg hernia"!!

slow and steady

Well I ran last Wednesday for the first time in a month.  I warmed up on the elliptical for a half hour, stretched out my achilles then ran a mile on the treadmill at a 10 minute pace.  Right away I could feel my ankle and after 5 mins my ankle stopped but my achilles tightened up.  Overall it was not a great run.  I left feeling pretty defeated.  I came home to ice and do heel drops.  Recently I read about an experiment to improve achilles tendonitis.  It focuses on eccentric calf exercises - heel drops off the edge of a step with a straight leg then a bent leg.  It recommends 3 sets of 15 reps of each type twice a day.  That's 180 heel drops a day - ugh!  So time consuming.  However, I'm willing to try anything at this point.  The experiment showed improvement in 70% of its patients.  That is after 6 months of 180 heel drops a day!!  So Friday I ran a mile outside and I had no pain at all!  I was so thankful!  Brent and I went for a run last night and I felt good then too.  However, I went to run this morning and I did not feel nearly as good as the last two.  I guess this could be expected.  I am sure it's going to come in waves.  I made sure to ice as soon as I got back.  Later I did heel drops and iced again.  I'm praying Wednesday's run goes better.  Meanwhile I'll be doing more heel drops, icing and cross training.  This journey is definitely taking longer than I had ever envisioned, but I'm not ready to give up.  What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

pay it forward

So I got cash back at the self check out at Redner's today around 4:15 and at 7:15 it dawned on me that I never picked it up.  I go there (praying the whole way there) and asked the lady at self check out if anyone turned it in - nope.  She told me to check with customer service.  I knew it was doubtful, but on my way I decided to look in the machine that I had checked out at just in case it was still there.  Low and behold there it was sitting in the machine!  There was a guy there checking out so I asked him if it was his - it wasn't!  Wow - I will definitely pay that one forward!!!

As for running, my foot and ankle doc recommended I take another 2 weeks off which leaves me waiting until next Wednesday.  However, he felt as though custom orthotics were unnecessary at this point.  He thinks there's a good possibility I could have a hernia in my lower leg, but also agrees with my family doc that the pain I'm experiencing could simply be from the stress on my shin.  Therefore, he recommended I get over the counter orthotics.  Thank goodness, because they are only $40 at shoe stores compared to $300 or more for custom.  Instead of going to the New Balance store to by them, I actually ended up getting them on Amazon along with a book that Oxford's cross country coach recommended (The Lore of Running) for a total of $40.  They should be here this weekend.  Then I'll have 4 days to break them in with walking.  I'm going to slowly ease back into running - 10 mins at a time and build up to a comfortable 30.  I hope they make a big difference! 

escaping reality

It has been a month since I've written and I think it's because I don't want to face reality.  Once I post it, it's real for everyone to see including myself.  So here goes nothing...after my first MRI my doctor called with the results.  He said I had no structural damage anywhere, but that my achilles looked irritated.  I could continue to run, but it would be essential for me to ice and stretch before and after each run.  I was on vacation when I got the results.  I ran 5 days that week (more than I ever run) because there were no other workouts available to me.   On my fifth run I set out to run 5 miles.  My cousin and Brent dropped me off in a state park in Va Beach.  I had no idea how long the trail was, but set out to run.  I used my gps on my phone to figure out it was a five mile trail from one end to the next.  After about half way through it my achilles began to feel tired and tight (which is nothing new), but so was the side of my leg -about 3 inches above my ankle.  When I stopped to stretch it felt like it the muscle was tearing away from my bone.  There was also some soft tissue protruding.  So here I am in the middle of the woods on some trail I've never run before.  I have definitely felt the sensation of my muscle being torn from my shin before, but it was years ago and just recently it has come up sporadically so I hadn't thought much about it.  I thought it was some sort of shin splint since it wasn't nagging and would go away on it's own (never lasted for more than 5 mins after a run).  So I kept running.  I finished the run and it didn't feel as bad as it did before.  However, I still felt it for the next 2 days (not as bad).  I called the doctor when we got back on Monday and went in that afternoon.  He was worried that I could have a stress fracture or compartment syndrome of the lower leg.  He had me schedule another MRI - this time for my lower leg (of course they couldn't see the area on my other MRI since it was focused on my ankle/achilles).  I just got the results for this MRI last Friday.  Thankfully there is no fracture, however there is definitely stress on my tibia (shin bone) and I have to get orthotics to prevent a stress fracture.  He thinks this will make a big difference and I will be able to continue running.  I'm going on Wednesday to see a foot and ankle specialist to get the ball rolling.  I feel like an old woman and I'm only 28!  Ha, the lengths I will go to run...let's hope this is it!  If it isn't, am I really going to try something else just so I can continue to run?  It's so hard for me because I feel like I should just suck it up and do other types of workouts for exercise, but I truly love running.  It does so many things for me.  It gives me a quiet time to think, pray and reflect on life.  It gives me energy, discipline and goals.  It has made me new friends and closer with old friends.  It allows me to eat whatever I want (well pretty much).  It's freeing, it's fun, it's challenging, it relieves stress and I miss it!! 

random thoughts

So I've had a lot of time on my hands lately since school has been out.  I have been doing a lot of thinking...too much thinking.  Even though it is officially summer vacation I still don't feel like it is.  Just like I never felt like it was the end of the school year.  I've never felt like this before.  Maybe it's because I have made an effort to continue getting up early (at least before 8, except for T/Th - I've been getting up to continue to go to group power at 5:30).  This week I've had a lot of time to myself since Brent and most of my friends work.  I've thought a lot about how much I have to be thankful for, I've thought a lot about getting up off the couch to do some housework, I've thought a lot about food and eating, I've thought a lot about what my body looked like this time last year (10 days before my wedding).  I know that body is unrealistic to maintain for life - that is if I want to enjoy life...I love to eat all kinds of food!  As I get closer to 30 I have def noticed a change in my body.  I am carrying weight in different places and I am definitely getting softer.  Instead of dwelling on these negative feelings I am striving to have a healthy life style.  I've also thought a lot about the fact that I feel sad for no reason at all.  I have Jesus as my savior, an amazing husband, an awesome family, fabulous friends and a great job.  Why would I feel down?  So the last couple of days I've really been focusing on the positive and I am feeling a lot better.  I've gotten a lot done around the house, I've been concentrating on eating balanced and I've increased the amount of time I spend working out as well as adding new workouts.  I've been doing some P90X, group power, the elliptical, the stepper and I've continued running.  I don't really have a set schedule, which is actually nice.  I just do whatever workout I feel like doing that day.  Running is the only one I have to think more about, just because I don't want to push it.  My ankle has really been bothering me and my achilles has felt really tight.  In fact on Monday when I was running I had only run 2 miles when I had to stop and stretch because it was bothering me so much.  However, after I stretched I was able to run 2 more miles.  I have yet to get passed 5 miles (I ran for 60 minutes once).  Needless to stay it has bothered me so much I went to the doctor yesterday.  He suggested an MRI so that's where I'm headed tomorrow.  Since I am planning on running a half marathon in September and would really like to try training again for a marathon I want to make sure there is nothing major going on with my foot.  I don't want to be stupid again.  I need peace of my mind.  With that being said I'm trying very hard to stay positive.  This morning I began to think "Ok, so what am I going to do when my doctor says I can no longer run?"  Yea, no those thoughts are not helpful!  I am going to pray about it and go in with an open mind.  Only God knows what tomorrow holds.

first place and a grill

This past Saturday was such a great one!  Leaha and I decided last minute to run Eli's Run - this was it's first annual race.  Oxford's seniors have to do a senior project.  One of the seniors chose this as hers and it is dedicated to a little boy who passed away from Leukemia.  Since it was a 5K we decided it would be a good idea to run a few miles before the race.  So we get there and discover that it is actually Oxford's Cross Country route.  We also quickly discovered that we hate running in the grass!  Ugh, it was unbelievable how much harder it was.  When I crossed the finish line I was handed an index card with the number four.  I wasn't quite sure what it was - it crossed my mind that it could be the place I finished in, but since my injury I haven't been able to run quite as fast so no way could I have come in 4th!  After more and more people finished we decided that it was indeed the place you came in - I couldn't believe it, ha!  It was so hot (the race didn't start until 9:45 - I hope they change that for next year), but we decided to stick around for awards.  The next thing you knew they called Leaha's name for first place in her age bracket.  Then they called my age bracket next and I came in first place as well!!  We couldn't believe it.  The idea of placing at all never crossed my mind - let alone first place!

After our run we decided to do some damage at the outlets.  We had a great time and the weather was beautiful for walking around shopping.  On the way home I decided we should grill out.  The only problem was Brent and I still had to put the grill together.  When I got home I informed him of my idea and the fact that I had already invited Leaha, some other friends and my parents.  We quickly got to work on the grill and finished assembling it in about an hour and half...without a fight!  That's two projects we did well together!  I think we're making progress here - lol.  Anyhow we had a fabulous night grilling.  The food was great, the weather was beautiful and the company was wonderful!  We couldn't wait to do it again so we had his parents over on Sunday and I cooked dinner for the two of us on the grill tonight too:

Hahaha, can you say dork?!?  Love it!

guest runner

I couldn't believe my ears today!  First of all the weather was gorgeous today!  Luckily I got to go on a walking field trip with my class.  I knew I'd be inside for the afternoon because I had to go to a meeting after school until 5:30.  The extra time outside with my kiddos was much needed.  Of course when I got home I was dying to go for a run since the weather was so perfect for it.  I still had to make dinner though.  So I decided to ask Brent to go with me for a run.  Now I have asked him to go running with me at least a million times in the past 6 years and he has never said yes.  In fact one day I asked him to walk with me on a cross training day while I was training for the marathon.  He kept complaining I was walking too fast.  Well I ended up walking at least 3 feet ahead of him because he was so slow - lol!  So...you'll never believe this, but his answer was yes!  He ran 2 miles with me today!!  I was so proud of him.  He did so good and he wasn't even breathing heavy - haha!  When we got back I even said to him you could've gone another mile and he agreed, but said why would he?  I said because you would burn 100 extra calories.  His response was if that's the reason then I definitely wouldn't run another mile - gotta love him!

On a side note I got one of the nicest letters passed on to me by my principal yesterday.  It was from the parents of one of my students.  This has been such a stressful week with trying to get grading finished, report cards complete and begin my 5-8 page grad paper so this letter was much needed!  It's nice to hear positive feedback from parents, but a hand written note speaks volumes. 

still truckin'

The good news is I've been able to keep running.  I ran 4 days last week Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday (2 days in a row twice)!  However, Friday I was on my feet all day and I def felt the aftermath.  Then Sunday after my run we went out on our friend's boat.  We rode out to the flats so I ended up being on my feet most of the day since we waded in the water.  The weather was perfect and we had such a great time, but my ankle was killing me which in turn affects (or is it effects? - I never know) my achilles.  I also ended up getting fried!  I was already burnt from field day - see pic below:

The upside is I have no more funny lines.  The bad news is my entire upper body is bright red!  Today was the first day it started to be tolerable.  Sunday night I couldn't even touch it to put aloe on and yesterday I couldn't even wear a bra because the straps hurt so bad!  Overall we had a great memorial day weekend!  We got a ton of stuff done around the house - yard is mowed, weeded and mulched.  We bought a grill, blinds and a ceiling fan.  Brent and I actually spent the majority of Monday hanging the blinds.  It took us 5 hours to hang 12 of them! 

We didn't fight once - can you believe it? haha!  The question is, will we be able to put the grill together without a fight?

built to run

So I went to the foot and ankle doctor yesterday morning.  There is def something wrong with my ankle, but he was not extremely concerned.  Right now it's more of an annoyance than anything else.  I forget exactly what he called it, but he compared it scar tissue build up in my ankle.  He told me to go ahead and continue running and if it gets too painful then he will give me a shot of steroids.  If that lasts two months then I'm good to go.  If it doesn't he told me to continue training with the marathon, but he would like to do surgery next summer to remove it.  As for the achilles.  The first thing he said when he was looking at my feet is that I'm definitely built to be a runner.  I so needed to hear that!  He felt my achilles and looked at it compared to the other foot.  He said everything looks and feels good.  Since I still feel tightness around 3 or 4 miles he wants me to gradually increase my mileage in .5 mile increments and keep with my strengthening/stretching techniques I learned at pt.  He thinks it will definitely get better.  Yaaay I'm so excited to know that I'm ready to run again safely! 

2 weeks MIA

So it's been a while since I wrote...not much has changed.  I should have run my first marathon last Sunday, May 15.  I had thought that day was going to be a rough one, but it actually felt just like any other day.  Somehow I was okay with the fact that I would not be completing it - the first race I ever missed that I signed up for.  Rather than dwelling on failure, I've been focusing on being thankful that I have been able to run 3 days a week again.  I've been maintaining 3-5 mile runs.  That's about as much as the achilles can take these days.  It's not painful at all, but I start to get a tired feeling - that's the best way I can describe it.  I learned my lesson in not pushing it and instead I'm listening to my body.  When it starts to feel "off" I stop.  I tried changing up my stride a bit last weekend and it really seemed to help.  I focused more on landing on my toes first.  It was challenging at first, but I made it 5 miles with no problems at all.  My calves were sooooo sore the next day though!  I dunno that this will be a permanent thing or not.  When I ran this week on the treadmill I couldn't run with that same stride - it felt too awkward.  I made it four miles with some mild tired/tight feeling in the achilles

Physical therapy ended about 2 weeks ago.  I went for 6 weeks, which was all my insurance covered.  Andrew (pt) suggested I see go to a foot/ankle specialist because as physical therapy progressed, my ankle started to bother me.  I'm just falling apart, aren't I?  That brings us up to date.  Today I went to get an x-ray of my ankle and Saturday I'm going to the foot/ankle doctor.  I'm praying he says "looks like everything's okay to me, get running!"  We shall see!  I'm anxious to begin training for my next marathon attempt.  I'm thinking of running the Rock n Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon in September and the Philadelphia Marathon in November.  Then there's the Marine Corps Marathon.  It's at the end of October and I heard that's a great race to run!  Also, a friend of mine has been encouraging me to run the Maine Marathon.  I would love to do that, but I'm worried October 2nd is too soon.  I would have to start training next week!  Decisions, decisions...I guess I can't really make any until I know I'm totally safe to begin training again.

bouncing back

So it seems as though I am going to be able to run on a regular basis again.  I ran 1 mile for the first time last Wednesday and again on Friday.  So I decided to try 3 miles this past Saturday and again yesterday (Monday).  On Saturday I had to stop after 24 minutes because I could feel some irritation in my achilles.  I walked for 4 minutes and was able to run the last 2 minutes home.  I def can feel it more when going up hill.  However, when I ran yesterday I didn't have any pain.  It definitely felt tired by the end of the run.  I was sure to ice and elevate immediately after each run, which seemed to help.  I plan to ease back into running very slowly.  I have begun to vary my workouts in hopes of preventing another injury in the future.  I joined the y so I started taking group power (full body weight lifting class) again and Zumba for fun.  I tried power yoga today for the first time.  I loved it.  It was so relaxing and has exactly the opposite effects on your body that running does.  Here's hoping for the best!

life without running

So life has not been as different as I thought it would be since I haven't been able to run.  I'm going on 4 weeks now.  My psyche has been a lot better than I had imagined.  We broke down and joined the y so I'm sure working out on the elliptical has helped.  I am def getting the itch to try running again, but I'm scared.  The warmer weather def makes it harder.  Andrew (my pt) says if I'm not feeling better by next week then I need to call my doc to get an MRI.  Speaking of Andrew, I couldn't believe what I did at pt the other day.  I always start the first ten minutes soaking my foot in the whirlpool tub.  Since it's been cold I always have pants on and I have to roll them up.  Well the other day it was warm and I had capris on.  I remember thinking to myself that wearing capris would be convenient since I wouldn't have to worry about rolling up my pants.  So I put my foot in the whirl pool.  The timer is about to go off and I look down.  My capris are soaking wet.  Turns out they were touching the water and absorbing the water the entire time.  I had no idea - I didn't feel it at all.  So I had to do all of my exercises/stretches in wet capris - fun!  Yeah, not so much. 

I won't be counting mileage any longer, but stay tuned b/c I'm hoping to begin training for the Philadelphia Marathon in November.  Obviously, this depends on the timing of my full recovery...

fail.

So I went to see Andrew today and it looks like no marathon for me.  I failed.  I don't know how I feel right now.  One second I'm devastated, the other I'm angry, then optimistic, then embarrassed, then nauseous, then frustrated, then bitter, then scared, then hopeful, then let down and the list keeps going.  I've never failed at running.  Any distance I set out, I conquered.  Any race I signed up for, I ran.  I would have never thought this would happen to me.  I didn't even think this was an option.  I signed up for a race, I paid $100 to run it and I followed a proper training program.  I even did ice baths!!!!!!!! Seriously?!?!?  There was never a thought that I wouldn't run it.  The only dumb thing I did was run a long distance with new sneakers - fail!  Ugh, I do not like that word.  The best part is I didn't ever once think to myself as I was running that this is prob not a good idea.  Andrew is the one who informed me of this dumb decision.  I've never had a problem with new sneakers.  I've never had a blister or new pain so why not run a Saturday run in them?  Well if I give anyone a piece of advice, don't run long distances in brand new sneakers without breaking them in with several short distances!  Another funny thing is that I didn't do any strength training this entire time.  I thought about it, but since the training program I was following didn't suggest it I thought I shouldn't.  I was afraid of over doing it.  Well that's another thing I've learned about achilles tendonitis - you need to build strong calf muscles to prevent it from happening again.  So I will be strength training when I begin training for the next marathon.  No, I am not giving up.  I still have a dream to run at least one marathon before I turn 30.  Actually, I'm still not throwing in the towel for this marathon.  I will need a miracle to complete it safely, but I'm not going to stop praying about it.  If all else fails, this race has a half marathon that I could drop down to.  Who knows what the next 4 weeks hold?  I sure don't.  But I'm going to take it one day at a time and let God do the rest.  But at the end of the day I still fail.

walk/run? okay, I'll try

So after talking to my mom last night (I told her how inclines were easier than declines on yesterday's run), she suggested I walk the inclines and run the declines.  What a great idea!  Why didn't I think of that?  So this morning I did a nice walk/run for 45 minutes.  Let me tell you, this injury is so weird!  Again when I first started walking I could tell my achilles wasn't feeling normal.  So I walked up my first incline then ran a flat surface - not too bad.  I continued to walk/run.  Well really it went walk-run-walk-run-walk-walk-walk-walk-run-walk-run-run-walk.  The weird part is that the first half was pretty challenging.  Almost as soon as I started running I had to stop.  Then when I would walk for about 30 seconds the pain was gone.  By about 35 minutes I could barely feel it when running - I was able to run twice as much by the end.  However, I did remember that something similar happened when I first hurt myself.  I kept pushing through and about 4 miles later (40 minutes) it felt better (still some pain, though) so I kept running.  I didn't push it today.  Whenever I felt pain I stopped and walked.  As of now when I walk I'm fine, which is a good sign.  I guess this will be my new workout for now.  Thanks mom!

308.25/407.25 miles complete!

week 14, day 4

I tried running today for the first time since I hurt my achilles (2 weeks).  I haven't been in any pain walking since Wednesday so I was pretty confident things would go well today.  My PT (Andrew) said he wanted me to warm up with walking for 5 minutes.  I'll admit my achilles did not feel normal during my warm up.  So I came back to my house to stretch some more.  I started running and about a quarter mile into my run it started to feel tight.  As the road started to slightly incline I could feel it more and more so I turned around to come home.  I was so bummed, but I swore I was going to listen to my body for now on.  It's so funny - I felt like a wuss if I stopped.  I kept thinking it's not even that painful - I can keep running.  I had to nip that frame of mind right way.  When I turned around to come home I was now running on a slight decline and it didn't bother me so I continued.  About 3 minutes later I could feel the tightness again so I stopped and walked home.  While I was walking home (prob the last .3 miles) I didn't feel anything.  I would def say I am healing, but obviously my body needs more time.  I'm going to listen to it and do just that.  I know God has a plan so I will be submissive...here's to a relaxing weekend!  No mapping out any long distance runs for me.  Instead I'll be icing, stretching and strengthening.

305/403 miles complete!

week 14, days 2 & 3 (more crosstraining)

So yesterday and today I felt great!  I had absolutely no pain while walking.  Going up/down stairs wasn't painful, just tight at times.  The elliptical was harder for me yesterday than any of the other days.  I forgot my water and I was so thirsty.  I had to get off 3 times in 45 minutes.  Today's workout was much better.  I was able to do an hour.  I'm so excited for Friday tomorrow for several reasons!  Hopefully it's my last day on the elliptical for a while, the weather is going to be nice and I have PT.  The weather is not looking too promising for Saturday, so I'm planning on running on Sunday.  I am so excited!  Here's to hoping I can get some decent mileage in...I've already lost 42 miles -- so crazy!  I can't believe that!

304/421 miles complete!

week 14, day 1 (still cross training)

So I am definitely feeling much better.  I have been cross training on the elliptical every day since Saturday and plan to for the rest of this week.  I went to PT today and he was pleased with the exercises I could do.  He had me do an eccentric exercise that mimics a single heal drop using the leg press.  I had to push up onto my toes, let off my right toe and lower the weight slowly with my left toe (my injured achilles foot).  He told me to try 2 sets of 10 with 30 pounds and if that felt ok to do a 3rd set.  I was nervous that this was going to kill me, but it didn't hurt at all and I ended up doing 3 sets!  He also put me on electric stimulation which felt awesome.  Then, he told me the best news yet - I can try running this weekend!  Obviously I'm not going to get in the 19 miles that I had hoped for, but at least I'm making progress.  I'm going to head out without a distance in mind and if I feel any pain at all I'm going to call Brent - lol!  I'm not even going to try to walk home.  I am not risking another injury!  Here's to enjoying the elliptical (and free Y membership) for 3 more days!

304/431 miles complete!

week 13 ,day 4 (of rest/cross training)

So I went to PT yesterday and he was a bit puzzled.  He moved my foot and pushed on it in all different directions and nothing hurt me.  He had me toe rises to aggravate it then he squeezed around my tendon - that didn't feel too good.  He's not sold on the fact that it's tendonitis, which is a good thing, right?  But he def says there's inflammation.  He rolled a heated ultrasound on it for a while - that felt great.  Then he massaged it for about 10 or 15 minutes which felt fabulous!  I could have laid there all day!  He instructed me not to run this weekend - ugh!  Obviously I was not happy about that!  But, I listened and I didn't run.  I went all the elliptical yesterday for 30 minutes and today for an hour though.  He did encourage me to do that.  I see him again on Tuesday so we'll see what he says.  It seems to be getting better while walking on flat surfaces, but stairs are hit or miss.  Most times it bothers it, but sometimes not.  So for now I will be cross training on the elliptical, icing and doing some stretches that he showed me.  I'm really missing running, but I will admit that I actually enjoyed the elliptical yesterday and today.  I've been working on keeping in mind that this marathon is just one race.  If skipping this race ensures that I will continue to be able to run otherwise then it's worth it.  But that's not to say I won't try for it again.  My goal was to run one before I turned 30 so I still have time! 

304/436 miles complete! (yes, I only subtracted 12 - next weekend's distance, hoping to run 19 then)

week 13, day 3 (of rest and mental agony)

So I'm really trying not to be negative, but the unknown is absolutely killing me!  While I can not wait to get to PT tomorrow morning, I am scared for what he has to say.  I keep reading about achilles tendonitis and recovery - it does not look good at all.  It's really scaring the crap out of me!  The funny thing is that I don't even know if that's really what it is yet.  I've only been to my primary doc and all he did was look at my tendon, squeeze it and roll my ankle around.  Clearly he is not a specialist in achilles tendonitis, so I shouldn't be so worked up!  Ha, that's way easier said than done.  It's not even anymore about being unable to complete the marathon, it's more about the chance that I may not be able to run anymore period!  I love running.  I seriously don't know what I would do if I couldn't run.  I know, I know calm down, be patient and wait until you see what the PT says!  I am a firm believer that God has a plan.  You'd think this would help me let things go better than I do, but no, instead I over analyze everything!  Anyway today's day of rest went well.  I pretty much felt the same as I did yesterday.  I could walk with little pain, however going up and down stairs seemed to be more manageable.  Here's to prayers that my PT has the knowledge to help me recover!  Meanwhile, I'll be dreaming of running...

304/448 miles complete!

week 13, day 2 (of "sorta" rest)

So I talked to some health teachers that gave me some insight into achilles tendonitis.  One of them recommended I continue some sort of aerobic activity like riding the stationary bike rather than resting completely.  She thought this would help me retain my aerobic stamina so that when (if) I go back to running it won't be as difficult.  Now, I despise riding the bike.  I don't know what it is, but it has always been quite uncomfortable to me.  I just don't enjoy it at all.  Regardless, I got up early this morning and hopped on the bike at the y for an hour (thank God I went and got a free 2 week pass last week).  It wasn't nearly as bad as I remembered.  It def sucked to watch the small amount of calories pass by.  I only burned about 188 calories in a half hour opposed to 280 when running.  I kept reminding myself of PMA.  I plan to do the same tomorrow and possibly Friday.  I can say I def felt better today.  I could walk normally without pain for a decent amount of time.  When I could feel pain it wasn't nearly as bad as the last couple of days.  I'm not sure if it's just the anti-inflammatory or if I'm actually beginning to heal, either way I'll take it.  The other health teacher had asked if I was going to physical therapy.  Funny, my doctor didn't suggest that.  So, I went ahead and scheduled my first physical therapy appointment for Friday morning anyway.  I'm really hoping that a) this will aid in speeding up my recovery, b) they'll tell me I can run this weekend and c) I'll learn some prevention techniques to keep this from happening again.  Wish me luck!

304/453 miles complete!

week 13, day 1 (of rest, that is)

Yes, you read correctly, that says rest - ugh!  I am taking this week off hoping that I will recover from what seems to be achilles tendonitis due to overuse.  As mentioned in my previous post, I woke up Sunday unable to walk without pain.  This seemed so odd to me.  I have never had any pain in my achilles area - so not cool!  Well I went to the doctor today and he prescribed rest and an awesome anti-inflammatory.  I have def come to terms with the fact that I will not be running for the rest of this week.  However, I am really struggling with the fact that if I am not feeling better on Friday, I should not run on Saturday.  This is going to really be a struggle!  I am supposed to run 19 miles and I will be a def headcase if I have to skip that run.  I am just going to stick with having a positive mental attitude (PMA) meanwhile I'll be praying for a speedy recovery.

304/458 miles complete

week 12, day 4

Yaaaaaaaaaay! I reached the 300 mile marker!  I can not believe I have run this many miles.  The sad thing is that, at this point, this may be all the miles I run for a while.  On Thursday's run I felt some tightness in my lower left leg, but continued to run.  Well it soon warmed up and felt better but I began to feel some discomfort in my ankle.  Once again, I continued to run.  I got back from my run and felt ok.  The rest of the day I was fine.  On Friday I felt some tenderness in my achilles.  Friday night I iced my achilles.  I woke up Saturday feeling some tenderness still, but I planned on running the 13 miles I intended for that day.  As soon as I set out to run my achilles was really bothering me.  It wasn't a shooting pain, but it definitely didn't feel good.  I continued to run.  By mile 4 it began to feel better.  I barely had any pain at all so I figured okay this can't be that bad of an injury if it feels better, right?  I met Bekie at mile 7 and continued to run 6 more miles.  I felt pretty good though.  There were still times that I felt some tenderness in my achilles, but not nearly as bad as when I began the run.  However, once I got home I could not go up or down the stairs without major pain.  So I immediately took advil, elevated my leg and iced.  I was so cold so I had to get a shower.  As soon as I was finished I iced more though (20 mins off 20 mins off for about an hour and a half).  We went out to dinner with my parents.  It still hurt to go up and down stairs, but walking on a flat surface was fine.  I iced for 20 minutes when we got back from dinner.  Then I went to bed.  I woke up this morning still unable to walk up or down stairs, but unable to walk on flat surfaces as well.  What the heck?  I can't believe this is happening to me!  Yeah, I prob shouldn't have continued to run yesterday, but besides that I have done nothing to risk an injury.  I am so frustrated and scared!  I iced for another 20 minutes this morning, but then I had to get ready for the Phillies game.  I took advil and iced 3 more times on the way to the game.  I still have pain when walking!  I am going to continue to ice and hope for the best.  If I have to I will skip this week's runs, but there is no way I can skip Saturday's run - 19 miles.  If I have to skip that then I'm done.  No more marathon for me.  I can't believe these words are coming out of my mouth!  All of this hard work for nothing?  No way, this can not be happening.  Please - someone have good news for me.  Anyone?  Maybe I am just not cut out to accomplish such a goal?  All I can do is pray that this heals extremely quickly!


304/463 miles complete!

week 12, day 3

I find it pretty funny that I forgot to blog this run until now (2 days later).  I guess I have too much going on.  When I checked the hourly weather on Wednesday, I was expecting to wake up to rain on Thursday morning.  I got lucky and only woke up to misting.  The run started out well.  Soon enough my lower left leg started to bother me again.  However, it seemed to move to a different spot.  By the end of my run I was feeling some tightness around the bottom my leg - near my achilles.  I came home and iced right away.  My knees felt fine the whole time thanks to more pain cream.  The rest of the run was good.  We ran 5.1 miles in 50: 51 (9:58).  The misting water felt so weird on my face.  I didn't step in any puddles (poor Leaha did, though), but my feet got wet anyway.  When I got home my new white socks were now wet and gray.  This did not happen the last time I ran in this kind of weather.  I did wear different shoes though.  I have 13 miles to run today and I keep thinking "yaaay I only have 13 miles this week."  It's so funny how your mentality changes as you increase mileage.  That used to be the furthest I ever ran and now it feels like "only 13".  We'll see how that actually feels today!  Let's hope for no rain.  The hourly says rain at 11 but dry from 12-2, so I'm heading out at 12.

291/463 miles complete!

the ice bath

Just in case you were wondering what I look like when I torture myself with an ice bath:

Yes, I am gripping the sides of the tub and gritting my teeth!

week 12, day 2

Getting up today was a little easier - thank goodness!  I forced down some oatmeal.  Then I warmed up, stretched and foam rolled - all really well.  I rubbed some pain cream on my knees and shins again, too.  I also iced last night.  All of these seem to be helping (of course I'm sure the ice baths are having their effect too).  Leaha and I were excited to try the new route I thought of yesterday.  We ran Wickersham in reverse then we headed into town toward Waterway, down Waterway and turned around at 5th street.  It was such a nice change, but def felt really long.  I think I had imagined running through town to feel shorter.  Overall it was a good run.  It wasn't as cold or windy as yesterday morning, which was nice.  My knee pain remained absent until about mile 6 - which is great!  It came and went after that.  I felt great again for the entire run.  I really wanted to speed up, but I forced myself to maintain a steady pace.  However, it did seem like we were running faster than what we averaged.  We ran 8 miles in 1:20:02 (10:00 miles).

286/463 miles! (almost 300 miles - which makes me realize that I didn't even make a big deal about 200 miles, weird...)

week 12, day 1

The alarm went off today and I did not want to get up!  It was soooo dark this morning.  I guess I had gotten used to the light from the full moon last week.  I put some pain cream on my knees and shin before my run.  Wow!  What a difference that made.  I didn't feel any pain in my knees at all today.  It was a great run.  I felt good the entire time and I even went out with my girlfriends last night!.  We had and wonderful dinner and great conversation.  As you can imagine, three hours and three glasses of wine later, I was a good 30 minutes passed my bedtime (and still had a 30 minute drive).  It was wonderful, but I didn't get to bed until 11:00.  I was home by 10:00, but for some reason I could not sleep.  I thought for sure this morning's run would be a bit challenging, but it wasn't in the least.  Leaha and I finished 5 miles in 48:50 (9:46 miles).  I think actually keeping Monday as my rest day this week made all the difference. 

278/463 (60%) miles complete!

week 11, day 4

Well today's run was great!  I had my running partners back so I'm sure that helped (along with skipping happy hour and getting a good night's sleep - I went to bed at 9:45)!  Leaha ran the first 10 miles with me.  We ran to my parents and back into town.  The way there was perfect.  I was even a little hot.  My knees hurt at first then they warmed up by mile 2.  We made it to my parents in 52 minutes.  I had some sport jelly beans and we continued into town.  There were so many bikers out.  We had fun saying hi to them.  The wind really started to pick up - it sucked!  When we got back into town (1:47) Bekie was waiting for us (poor thing).  I ate some more sport jelly beans and we set out for a 5 mile loop (Sacred Heart).  My knees were definitely feeling it by now.  However during this loop the pain was coming in waves.  There were times when I became a head case and felt like I wasn't going to be able to complete all18 miles.  Bekie really encouraged me though!  Thanks, Bekie!! :)  When we finished we ended at my house (2:38) and I got rid of my camelbak.  Again, I felt like a new person.  I practically sprinted the last 3 miles through Wickersham.  Miles 16 and 17 were amazing.  My knee was not bothering me at all.  However, the last mile my breathing grew laborious.  I decided I should slow down some.  It was so hard because I knew I wasn't going to average 10 minute miles (like I did for 17 miles).  I know, this is such a dumb thought.  I should not be concentrating on my time.  I should just be getting miles on my feet.  I just can't help it! ugh!  So I slowed down for about a quarter mile only to speed up again.  I made it home in 3:03:50 (10:12 miles).  Here's to another milestone - 18 miles.  It really amazes me what my body can do.
I decided I would attempt another ice bath.  I invited Leaha and Bekie to help distract me.  After about 5 minutes in the tub, I realized there was no way I would have been able to stay in there had they not been with me.  Again, I wanted to cry and scream all at the same time and I couldn't do either.  I did do a much better job at moving my toes than last time, though.  Before I knew it I couldn't move anymore.  I started to feel nauseous this time.  I kept begging to get out, but they kept egging me to stay.  It worked.  The last two minutes were the absolute worst!  I told Leaha to tell me when there was one minute left.  It felt like an eternity.  Then she said "ok get out".  That was a nice surprise!  Leaha had to leave, but Bekie kept me company in bed while I warmed up some.  At first I really thought I was going to puke.  Thankfully that quickly subsided.  We chatted, tried Chobani pineapple flavored yogurt for the first time (yum!) and I waited 30 minutes to get a warm shower.  I'll admit that the ice bath did not feel any better than last time, but the girls made it much more bearable!  I am so grateful for them during these 18 weeks of training.  I keep wondering how in the world I would have done this alone!  After a warm shower, a piece of italian sub (from capriotti's), some pasta and Herr's Old Bay potato chips I was good to go.  I laid on the couch, read The Girl Who Kicked Hornet's Nest and took a nap to recover.  Only 2 more long runs left!  I can't believe it!!

273/463 miles complete!

week 11, day 3

Today's run totaled 5 miles in 48:40 (9:44 miles).  I prayed that it wouldn't be raining this morning.  And it wasn't!  Woohoo!  It was misting a bit, but not bad to run in at all.  In fact I dressed so warmly that I grew hot and took off my gloves.  It got windy around mile 3.5.  Thankfully only my face was cold.  I felt great the entire run, which is funny because Leaha suggested we run our "Sacred Heart" route and I started whining (lol) saying that I didn't want to run that one because of the hills.  I wanted to run our flatter route - "5th Street" (she hates that one).  We ran her suggested route and it was def a good decision.  My knees didn't hurt, my breathing was easy and my legs weren't tight.  I needed that - I feel like my last few runs were a bit of a challenge.  I think the icing, advil and stretching is beginning to help.  I'll find out for sure on Saturday!  Until then I will be resting and carbloading - yum!  Pasta with a rose sauce and homemade meatballs is the plan for tomorrow night's dinner.  I can't wait!
 
255/463 miles complete!

week 11, day 2

So I have to admit, I can barely remember this morning's run.  It feels so long ago.  Leaha and I set out at 5:35 in the pitch black.  We were supposed to run at 5:30, but yet again I was running late.  I had to warm up, stretch, foam roll and eat though!  Poor Leaha...always waiting for me!  So obviously it was dark when we hit the pavement.  It wasn't as starry as usual because it was cloudy, but the temperature was rather mild.  That was nice!  The moon was really bright, too.  We could see so much better than usual.  Since I ran yesterday afternoon I was rather tight as soon as my run began.  My left knee bothered me right away.  However, I soon felt better.  Once again, I must not have been as warmed up as I thought I was.  I guess I need to get up a little earlier so I can spend more time doing so.  I did a good job at starting out slow and keeping a slow pace.  My goal was to do this until the last 3 or 4 miles.  At that point I was going to allow my self to speed up.  The first 3 miles (Wickersham) felt pretty good.  The first mile was the hardest, but by mile 2 I was feeling good.  Next we ran a 5 mile route.  By mile 5 I was feeling the urge to speed up.  So I did.  This actually felt great!  It was a bit windy at this point in our run, but thankfully I was a growing hot so it was refreshing.  By the last quarter mile I was ready to sprint - it felt great!  The run totaled 8 miles in 1:21:18 (10:09 miles).  However, by the time I stretched and made some coffee I could barely walk up/down the steps.  My quads were killing me!  I don't know what happened here.  The only thing I can think of is that I ran (5 miles) on my rest day yesterday afternoon only to wake up 12 hours later to run again (8 miles) - I'm gonna guess that's prob not enough rest from running 17 miles on Saturday.  My shin did feel a little better though.  I iced last night and used icy hot.  The icy hot kept waking me up throughout the night.  Every time it changed from icy to hot (and vice versa) seemed to bother me.  I guess I won't be doing that before bed anymore.  I also took some advil this morning too.  Let's hope these remedies work!  Looking forward to rest day tomorrow, but not running in the rain on Thursday morning!  I must do it though - PMA.  I refuse to run Friday before an 18 mile run on Saturday and I refuse to skip a run.  Here's to slish-sloshing!


250/463 miles complete!

week 11, day 1

Well it's going to be another rainy week.  Yet again, I found myself running on what was supposed to be my rest day - which I was really looking forward to enjoying.  I am grateful that it was sunny though!  I got to run in capri leggings and a tee shirt - so refreshing!  Although my butt felt a bit jiggly - LOL.  I'm so used to those compression leggings.  I didn't realize what a difference they really made - they really hold everything in! :)
My knees began to hurt within the first mile, but thankfully the pain soon subsided.  I guess I wasn't as warmed up as I thought I was.  I even used my new foam roller - yaaaaaay it came way earlier than I expected!  The rest of the run felt good.  Leaha and I ran a mostly flat route - it was a nice change.  However, when I got back and went to bend over to stretch my hamstrings my left leg felt like it was ripping away from my shin bone.  It was a horrible feeling.  It really scared me.  I have experienced this before in the past, but not for at least 2 or 3 years.  Back then it subsided, but I def wasn't running anywhere close to the distance I am now.  I looked up shin splints online and it recommends no running!  Well as you can imagine, that is not an option right now.  I decided I would ice.  Of course, I got distracted with cooking dinner.  Now that I'm sitting here typing this I am realizing I should be icing - so that's what I'm going to do as soon as I finish.  Let's hope this is just a minor set back and not a major injury.  Looks like I am going to be needing those ice baths whether I like it or not!

242/463 miles complete!

P.S. I did not give a run total for this run for 2 reasons: 1) I did not run a planned route b/c I am sick of them all and 2) I just set my Nike ipod for 50  minutes and ran - it said 5.71 miles.  I know that is off because it needs to be calibrated.  I went to the Oxford's track, but it was locked and I was scared to jump the fence - it's like 10 feet high.  Then I decided I would go to Lincoln University's track.  Well it is no longer.  They tore it up and it is now a mound of dirt and rubber.  Therefore, my ipod has yet to be calibrated.  I refuse to calibrate it on the road because I want a perfect calibration from a perfectly measured distance.  LOL!  No, I'm not picky at all! ;)

week 10, day 4

So the weather turned out to be beautiful for running!  No rain at all - it was nice and sunny (a bit windy at times, but def better than rain!).  I ran the entire 17 miles solo today.  It was better than I envisioned.  I started out feeling amazing.  I made it 5 miles to my parents - had some jelly belly sport beans then headed back toward my house for 5 more miles.  I tacked on a little 1 miler then went back to my house for some gu chomps.  Next, I headed out for one of my 3 mile loops.  This was a bit rough but once I was half way finished I was feeling good again.  I definitely went through waves of feeling good then bad throughout this run.  I dropped my camelbak off at my house and ran another one of my 3 mile loops (the last 3 of the day).  I felt like a brand new person without the camelbak.  It's funny because it wasn't bothering me as I was running, but once I took it off I felt so much better!  I was practically sprinting the last 3 miles.  Then during the last mile my left knee was killing me!  This knee definitely bothers me more than my right knee, but it was screaming at me by this point.  I changed up my stride and kept going.  Overall it was a good run - no crying, which is amazing!  Even though, sometimes it feels good.  I added some new songs to my playlist (new to my playlist, that is), which is always fun (money grabber, rolling in the deep, young folks and born this way)!  When I got back I was feeling a bit out of it, but I drank some water and gatorade and stretched.  This def helped.  Then I got ready for my first ice bath.  A friend of mine (who is an awesome runner and great inspiration) encouraged me to tackle these.  She said for her first marathon she didn't do them and was sore for 2 weeks.  She did them for her second marathon and was back to running in 3 days.  That is how she sold me.  So Brent got me two 5lb bags of ice.  I put on my running shorts, a tee shirt, long sleeve shirt and hoodie.  I made myself some coffee and brought my book.  Well let me tell you!  It didn't matter what I was wearing, that I had coffee or a book because I could not concentrate on anything except for how much pain I was in.  My toes and achilles tendons were hurting so bad!  She had suggested that I keep moving my toes - I couldn't bear to move them.  I can't even describe the way that I felt.  Brent had set the timer for 20 minutes for me.  I was dying to look at the time, but instead I encouraged myself to read my book.  So I picked it up, but only to put it back down.  I didn't even open it - LOL!  Seriously I couldn't do anything.  I wanted to cry and scream all at the same time - I couldn't do either!  It was such a weird feeling.  So I caved and looked at the time - I still had 11 minutes left.  So I yelled for Brent hoping that would help distract me.  He came up and I asked him how much time was left, ha!  I still had  9 minutes to go.  I kept saying I can't do this!  But at the same time I couldn't get out either, so somehow I lasted for 4 more minutes - a total of 15 minutes.  My friend recommended 15-20 so clearly I was not staying in there for 20!  LOL!  I got out and my legs were so red and numb.  I stripped off my wet clothes, dried off, stumbled to my bed and got under the electric blanket.  I was not warming up as quickly as I thought I would.  I was shivering and my lips were blue.  Eventually I took a hot shower and got back in bed.  I started to warm up more, but my lips were still blue.  When I woke up I dried my hair and got some food (white cheddar popcorn and a baked potato with butter and cheese).  Finally I felt warm again - about an hour later.  I really want to be able to continue ice baths, but I just don't know how I'm going to convince myself.  Next week is 18 miles so we'll see if a week is enough time for me to forget how bad it hurt, ha!  I have to admit today I really started thinking to myself, what the hell am doing?  why do I think running 26.2 miles is a good idea? who do I think I am? I decided to reward myself with dinner at Carraba's.  It was perfect!  Now that I am hydrated and dinner is digested I feel like I can do this.  I'm not in pain anymore - well my knees are bothering me a bit, but at this point I feel like it's been a normal Saturday.  This is def a good sign, right?  It's mind over matter and clearly running by myself for almost 3 hours affected my mind.  I can do this and I will do this!  Today's run totaled 17 miles in 2:50:33 (10:01 miles).

237/463 (more than halfway finished mileage!)

week 10, day 3

This morning's run feels like it was so long ago.  I woke up so congested.  Not to be graphic, but I never hocked up so many loogies in my life!!  I actually had to stop my electric tooth brush twice because the mucous was making me gag - so weird.  Once again, I ran under the stars.  It was a nice mild morning though!  I actually grew so hot I took off my gloves.  Overall the run was smooth and easy (4 miles in 39:10 - 9:47 miles).  My shins bothered me slightly, but I made it through.  The run actually helped me breathe better.  I took sudafed twice today, which helped lessen the mucous.  However my glands are still so swollen and my throat is killing me.  Time to pop some advil along with more sudafed and hope for the best!  They are calling for rain on Saturday so I'm a bit stressed about my 17 mile run.  I'm going to try to relax and hope for the good weather.  If it rains then I'll just run on Sunday, right? (I really don't want to though)  The weather is supposed to be beautiful for running.  Time to be flexible!


220/463 mile complete!

week 10, day 2

So this morning I woke up to pure darkness and the first thought that popped into my head was a negative one - "Ugh, I don't want to get up.  I don't want to run in the dark - this sucks!"  Then before I knew it I reminded myself to focus on keeping a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA)!  This is my new goal (as of yesterday - lol) - hmmm maybe I will give up negative attitudes for Lent.  Anyhow I hit the pavement at 5:35.  It was sooooooooo dark, but at least it didn't feel too cold.  I made sure I warmed up, stretched really well and took advantage of my last day with the foam roller (thanks so much, Stacy).  I did order one for myself, though.  It's arrival is set for next week - yaaaay!  Needless to say, my legs felt great right away - thank goodness!  I changed up my route a bit which felt nice as well.  Before too long Leaha and I realized we were running under the stars.  It was actually pretty cool - a nice and peaceful feeling!  The sun began to creep up around 6:40 and by 6:50 the horizon was a beautiful pink.  I kept a nice steady pace and finished 8 miles in 1:17:17 (9:39 miles). 

216/463 miles complete!

experts are there for a reason

I must learn to listen to experts.  After all, that's what they're there for, right?  I came across this randomly today: "Speed isn't as important as covering the distance and logging the time on your feet.  Running too fast risks injury and leaves your muscles fatigued and sore, interfering with quality workouts for days." (Basic Marathon Training by Don Garber, Leigh Ann Berry and Chip Mitchell).  Do you know how many times I have read/heard something of this nature.  Why can't I listen?  I just blogged that I was tight while running today.  Well that's because I'm running too fast!  I just can't help it...I seem to always want to speed up!  So then I continued to read and look what advice came next: "If you feel as though you are running too slow for your current fitness level, commit to maintaining a slower pace until the last 3-5 miles of the run, then pick up the pace through the finish."  This is the perfect solution for me.  This is exactly the technique I have thought about using when I actually run my marathon - start out nice and slow and speed up after mile 20.  "Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect". ~ Vince Lombardi

half way finished!! week 10, day 1

 Well I am officially half way finished training.  I can't believe it!  It looks like this week is going to be another off week since they're calling for rain on Wednesday.  I decided to run today, Tuesday and Thursday.  I knew there was no way I could chance having to run on Friday since I have 17 miles to tackle on Saturday.
Today's run was rather difficult.  I didn't warm up or stretch enough pre-run and my legs immediately tightened up within the first half mile.  I pushed through and focused on lengthening my strides.  This seemed to help a bit, but before I knew it my left outer shin was really bothering me.  I still continued to run.  I focused on my music and the beautiful sunshine.  That really helped.  Before I knew it I only had one mile left.  I felt myself starting to speed up - I was ready to get home and relax.  I made sure to stretch (and take advantage of the fact that I forgot to give my friend's foam roller back to her) as soon as I got home - boy did that feel good!  I'm a bit worried about how my legs will feel for my 8 miler tomorrow morning in complete darkness!  Dumb daylight savings.  I'd so much rather wake up to sunshine!  Wish me luck!

Today's total = 5 miles in 44:55 (8:59 miles)

208/463 miles complete!

week 9, day 4

My friend let me borrow her foam roller and wow, what a difference it made!  My knee pain was definitely not as prominent as it normally is during long runs.  I used the roller on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  It really helped to loosen up my IT band.  Who would have thought something so simple could make such a difference?  I have got to invest in one! 
This was the first time I ran my long run early in the morning.  We planned to leave for Erin Express at 9:30am so I had to run at 6:50am.  It wasn't as bad as I thought, but for the first time during training I just did not feel like running.  It wasn't until about 6 miles that I started to feel good.   I finished the last 5 much more easily than the first 5.  It was nice to run a shorter distance of 11 miles.  It took me 1:43:51 (9:26 miles).  This week, not only do I have to prepare for 17 miles, but my weekly mileage increases as well!  Whoa!

203/463 miles complete! 

pays to plan ahead

I am so glad I did not have to run today.  Thank God I believed the weather man this time!  There is no way I would have survived running in this weather.  I am so grateful I bumped up my runs for this week.  Even though I really could have used the rest day on Monday, it's all worth it now!  Here's to another day of rest tomorrow - except that I'm cheating a little and doing Cardio X in the am.  A Friday workout always makes the post-work beverages taste a little better!  So excited to carb-load with a homemade pasta meal tomorrow night. :)

week 9, day 3

I knew I had to run by myself today so I turned the alarm off 3 times!  What does that tell you?  All I have to say is I am very thankful for Leaha - if I had to train by myself I think I really would be struggling!  I know I keep saying this but I am so sick of it being cold and dark!!!  I think I left Arizona too quick.  Although, I don't remember being this fed up with winter ever!  I wonder if it's because I'm having to run outside way more than I have in the past.  As always, once I got out there I was fine.  It definitely helped that it was already light out by 6am.  Still, I kept finding myself speeding up because I wanted to get home.  This would normally be fine, except that it was making my run quite challenging.  It was as if my mind wasn't listening to my body.  Overall it was a good run.  I tried to relax and enjoy the sunrise.  I ran 4 miles in 37 minutes flat (9:15 miles).  Now I have two rest days in a row to look forward to and only 11 miles for my distance run this weekend - woohoo!

192/463 miles complete!

week 9, day 2

During this run my legs were definitely the most tired/tight/sore they've been lately.  Now that I'm getting into my longest distances on the weekends, I think I'm really starting to feel their effects during my weekly runs.  I'm sure since I ran yesterday when it was supposed to be a rest day had an impact as well (that's what happens when the weather doesn't cooperate).  I'm hoping having two days, Thursday and Friday, as rest days (normally I only have Friday) before my long run will help.  My friend recommended a foam roller.  She is bringing it to work tomorrow to let me try it out.  I can't wait!  The most noticeable part has been the tightness in my calves.  This isn't an area that usually bothers me.  At the beginning of my run, my knees were sore in places they normally aren't (inside area).  After about 2 miles they felt better - I think they needed more time to get warmed up.  I really need to be more proactive about warming up/stretching pre-run and stretching/icing post-run.  For some reason it doesn't dawn on me to ice until I'm ready for bed - not helpful.  Even though my legs were tired I still had the stamina to speed up the last 1.5 miles of my run.  This always makes me feel good.  At least I always end my runs on a positive note.  I ran 7 miles in 1:05:05 (9:17 miles).

188/463 miles complete!

week 9, day 1

I can't believe after this week I will be half way finished with training!  Normally today is a rest day, but since there's an 80% chance of rain on Thursday, I bumped this week's runs up.  I ran 4 today, then I'll do 7 on Tuesday and 4 on Wednesday.  There's also a chance I'm going to run my long run on Friday because we're going to the Erin Express on Saturday.  So this week's all mixed up!  I guess it doesn't matter as long as I get them in, right?  Anyway, today's run went well.  I had a faculty meeting after school today so as soon as my feet hit the pavement I was ready to be back home.  I think that's why I ended up running so fast.  I finished in 33:15 (8:18 miles). 

181/463 miles complete!

week 8, day 4

Well Saturday's run went exceptionally well considering I ran by myself the entire time!  I hadn't run alone during training until then.  I ran my longest distance to date - 15 miles.  My legs were a bit tight in the beginning, but soon warmed up.  My knee pain held out until about 8 miles.  Thankfully the hills helped.  My camelbak began to really annoy me at one point.  It seemed to really be bouncing around.  However, I tried tightening it and that did the trick.  Running alone made me notice more about my body's pains and form.  When I run with someone I don't seem to notice these things as much.  While it was nice to be alone to think, enjoy my music and take in the scenery, I def was a bit mental at some points.  I even wanted to cry a few times - for different reasons (happy, sad and scared). 

I mentally broke up my run into three parts.  I ran 5 miles in town, 5 miles out to my parents and 5 miles back home.  The first half definitely seemed to take longer than the second half.  However, by mile 12 my knees were really bothering me.  It made me a bit worried for the marathon.  By the end of my run I did not feel like I would have been able to run 11 more miles.  I'm thinking I def need to ice more and take Advil before every run.  My dad suggested I use a cream like Bengay, too.  Hopefully these will help.  I have heard of taking ice baths, but I am afraid of them - lol.  All in all it was  good run - 15 miles in 2:27:13 (9:56 mile), but I'm looking forward to an easy 11 this Saturday!


 177/463 miles complete!

week 8, day 3

This morning was pretty cold at the start, but somehow I soon became very comfortable.  I've been really enjoying the fact that it is light out by 6 and the sun is up by 6:30.  I'm not looking forward to turning our clocks back at all!  Of course that will occur the same week that I increase my Wednesday runs to 8 miles.  On a more positive note the sunrise has gotten earlier and earlier pretty quickly - here's to hoping it continues to to do so after daylight savings.  I could always run in the afternoon on Wednesdays since I don't have any obligations after work, but it's just so nice to get it finished first thing.  I'll just have to see how dark it actually will be.  For now I'll enjoy my last week of am sunlight. 
The rest of today's run was great.  I finished 4 miles in 37:37 (9:24 miles). I wore a stopwatch to measure the time against my ipod.  Low and behold it was accurate.  It feels so good to know that, even after pacing myself at slower paces, I still have it in me to run an 8:50 pace for 7 miles.  I'm looking forward to my rest day tomorrow.  Even more, it's Friday AND I'm heading to Victory with some awesome gals!  I have 15 miles to run on Saturday and I'm finally not feeling nervous at all.  I think since 14 miles went so well, I'm actually looking forward to 15 - never thought I'd say that!

162/463 miles complete!

week 8, day 2

Today's run went really well.  It was prob one of the warmest mornings to date.  My breathing was easy, my strides were even and I was a comfortable temperature for the entire run.  On Saturday I discovered that I could eat oatmeal right before running without cramping.  I was hungry today when I woke up so I decided I should try the oatmeal again.  I also had Gu Chomps again.  They def provided the energy I needed and made for a better run.
Leaha broke off from me around 5 miles.  She had mentioned she was making green eggs for her students to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday.  I remembered that last night Brent's dad dropped off 3 dozen eggs so I decided (right at that moment - 2 miles to go) that I should make green eggs for my students too.  Therefore, I began to really speed up my pace to get home so I would have time to make them (I'm so glad I did, b/c my students loved them!).  This really helped motivate me.  I ended up running 7 miles in 61:54 which is an 8:50 mile.  However, my ipod has not been too accurate lately (at least compared to walkjogrun.net).  My ipod said I ran 4.5 miles yesterday when walkjogrun.net said 4.  Today it said I ran 7.44 when walkjogrun.net said 7.   Then I ended running at an unbelievable pace...but could the clock on my ipod really be off?  I mean the clock keeps time no matter what the ipod is calibrated at, right?  I guess the only way to make sure is to run with a stop watch tomorrow.  Either way, I don't think it can be off by that much so I am pleased with my pace. :)

158/463 miles complete!

week 8, day 1

There's not much to report about yesterday's run.  The weather was pretty chilly, but not cold enough to have to wear a face mask - thank goodness!  All in all it was an easy four.  I thought I would have struggled since I just ran 14 miles on Saturday.  Anytime I run a half marathon, I take a week off from running.  Then after I run my longest distance to date, I only take 2 days off...I must be training well because I felt fine.  I finished in 37:01 which is a 9:15 mile.

151/463 miles complete

week 7, day 4

So yesterday's run started out amazing.  The weather was perfect and I felt great.  I set out at 12:30.  The sun was shining so bright - I was loving it.  It was so nice not to have to wear a headband and gloves.  Today was the first time I tried running with a Camelbak.  This may have been stupid since the was also the furthest run of my life.  However, I knew I would need to hydrate and this was the easiest way.  It turns out the sound of the water sloshing around bothered me more than the feel of the backpack.

I ran the first two miles by myself which was nice.  It was nice to look forward to meeting Leaha for the next five.  Those five were great.  We ran out to my parents house.  My knees started to tighten up around mile 4.  I kept running and eventually the pain would just come in waves.  I think running a route with hills def helps - it makes different muscles work.  While I love running an all flat terrain it only works certain muscles the whole time which takes a toll on my knees.  Needless to say we made it to my parents in about 71 minutes (7 miles) to find my dad in the yard waiting and waving - so motivating!  I dropped off Leaha, ate some Gu chomps for a boost of energy and continued my run.  Bekie met me around mile 8.5 and we continued into town.  My knees were really tight by now, but once we reached some hills the pain subsided a bit.  When we passed my house we had 2 more miles to go.  I could tell if Bekie had not been with me I would have been a head case and it would have taken everything I had to finish.  Thankfully her presence motivated me!  The last half mile my lower back was numb - I never experienced that before.  Maybe it was from wearing the Camelbak - which I ended up loving.  It was so easy to use and I was never thirsty.  We ended at my house with a total of 14 miles in 2:18:32 - a 9:53 mile.  I couldn't believe it!  I ran my very first half marathon (13.1 miles) in the same time!  I was pretty impressed!  Although, I was thinking the other day that I am not really a runner, I'm a jogger.  Well I don't like being a jogger.  So I don't care, I am going to continue calling myself a runner - LOL!  A "jogger" that runs this much has got to be considered a "runner", right?

I spent the rest of the afternoon eating and hydrating (hotdog, mac and cheese, blueberries, a banana, half a cucumber, Gatorade, water and advil).  I iced my knees for about 30 minutes.  Then Brent and I went out to eat at Iron Hill around 7pm.  I had a chicken salad sandwich, sweet potato fries and two brewskis.  I was so full.  However, I proceeded to order french fries (cowboy fries for the yellow dog) and two more brewskis at 9:30pm!  I was hungry again, already!  You can say I rewarded myself.  That's for sure!  Now next week is 15 miles.  If I can do 14.  I can do one more, right?  What will I eat then - haha I'm already thinking about it!  That's what they say, runners run because they love to eat.  So true!

147/463 miles complete!

week 7, day 3

Today's weather was def better than yesterday!  My run went well.  I def ran faster than I did yesterday.  I think I just wanted to be finished today.  I kept visualizing myself sipping my coffee on the couch in my warm living warm.  My breathing was noticeably heavier.  I didn't talk to Leaha nearly as much as I usually do.  She was probably grateful for that - LOL!  The rest of me felt good for the whole run.  I think the cold air really effects my breathing.  I wore the mask, but I kept pulling it down since it wasn't as cold.  Like I said it starts to get on my nerves.  Any sort of incline seemed to effect me way more than usual, but I guess if my breathing was hard to begin with then I would be more sensitive to inclines. 

We completed 4 miles in 37:33 (9:23 pace).  Now it's time to get mentally and physically (carb load) prepared for Saturday's run - 14 miles!!!!!!!  This will be the furthest I have ever run in my life.  I have only ever run half marathons (13.1 miles).  I'll take all the prayers I can get!  Time to think happy thoughts!


133/463 miles complete!

week 7, day 2

I had a good run today.  I had to bundle up again.  I am getting really sick of the cold.  I am so ready for Spring weather.  When I checked the weather last night it had said it would be 19 degrees but feel like 13 so I added an extra layer on top.  Thankfully I was warm and comfortable the whole time.   Except for my butt - it's always the coldest part of my body!  I find this weird because it seems to me like you use your butt just as much as your legs for running.  I don't get it.  By mile 5 the face mask started to bother me.  It had gotten so wet from my heavy breathing.  While I love that the face mask ensures I have warm air to breathe, it def makes it harder to breathe.  At least it wasn't wet and cold - it stayed warm as long as I was breathing under it.  I guess it just comes down to what I'd rather have a) warm air that is hard to breathe or b) cold air that is hard to breathe.  I think I'll take a.  So I ran 7 miles in 65 minutes.  I ran the first 5 miles at a nice steady pace (10:11 miles), but then I just wanted to get home so I sped up the last 2 miles.  When I got home Brent informed me that the feels like temperature (according to his iPhone) was 1 degree!  Yes, 1 degree.  How crazy!  I can't believe I ran in such bitter cold.  I never checked the weather again this morning before my run so I am taking his word for it.  Let's hope this is the coldest run I will have the rest of training!  Then I can say if I can run in what feels like 1 degree then I can run in virtually anything.  Come on warm weather!

129/463 miles complete!

week 7, day 1

I can't believe I'm already one third of the way finished with training.  So begins week 7.  Today was the most interesting run to date.  It snowed about 4 inches last night, no one had shoveled their sidewalks and the roads were not much better.  The temperature was reading 21 degrees.  I don't think I've ever run when it was that cold.  Lucky for me, Leaha braved the conditions.  I have to give her a lot of credit here.  If I was not training for a race there is no way I would have run today.  I would have done a video in my nice, warm house (you know, since we don't have a gym anymore).  Thanks, Leaha!  Thankfully, I dressed warm enough and felt good the entire run.  I had on 2 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of pants, 3 shirts, 1 fleece, 1 pair of gloves, 1 face mask and 1 head band.  The face mask definitely helped!  We ran 4 miles today for a total of 41:18 (10:17 miles).  Most of the time we had to run in slush to avoid getting run over (since we couldn't run on the sidewalk).  There was so much of it, it felt like running in wet sand.  It was a bit more challenging, but a nice change of terrain.  It felt good on my knees.  Let's hope the snow is gone by tomorrow.  I have 7 miles to run.


122/463 miles complete!

week 6, day 4

Technically this could be titled week 6, day 5 since I ran on Friday morning, but I was too lazy to post. LOL  Anyway, Friday was a nice easy run with Leaha.  We ran 3 miles in 28 minutes.  I can't wait to have warm weather like that all the time.  For now I'll just be grateful for snow/ice-free days.  At least 40 degrees feels pretty mild once I get warmed up.  I was supposed to run yesterday, but the wind was ridiculous.  The news said that at one point Kennett Square was experiencing 60mph winds.  Crazy!  Glad I decided not to run in that weather!  I ran today.  The weather was almost perfect.  It was in the mid forties and sunny.  Some spots were pretty windy though.  I ran 3 miles then stopped at Bekie's house to pick her up.  She joined me for the rest of the run (6 miles).  I started out feeling pretty winded so I was definitely looking forward to Bekie's company today (thank you, Bekie!!).  We took it easy.  I have been pleased with my ability to continue to slow my runs down.  The first couple miles I was averaging 10:30 miles.  By the end of the run I averaged 10:00 miles.  Overall it was a decent run.  This week my mileage increases to 4 on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 7 on Wednesdays.  We'll see how that feels.  Oh yeah, I did Cardio X and Ab Ripper X for cross training yesterday.  I was pretty sore when I woke up today (mainly my butt and upper abs).  After my run, I continued to grow increasingly sore.  I have to admit it actually felt good.  It's been really hard for me not to do any type of weight/resistance training.  Since the program I'm following doesn't recommend it, I'm afraid of over training.  After all, this is my first marathon.  I've decided that I'll incorporate weight training when (IF) I train for my second! :)

115/460 (+3 = 118/463)

week 6, day 3

Not much to report today.  I had a nice easy run of 3 miles.  I ran my normal "wickersham" route as I like to call it.  It took me about 27 minutes.  The temperature was even milder today, however it was much darker.  There was a full moon, but it was too cloudy.  I decided to add an extra run tomorrow morning since it's going to be so nice.  Can't wait for Friday! :)

106/460 miles complete!

week 6, day 2

Well since my gym closed randomly without warning yesterday, I was forced to run outside in the dark today.  Thank goodness Leaha was willing to run with me again.  It's scary running in the dark by yourself.  We were glad the sun started coming up 20 minutes into our run.  I just wish it would continue to come out that early, but we all know daylight savings time is going into effect soon.  I really wish we would stop changing our clocks - it's so annoying.  Anyway on to running...today's 6 mile run went well.  We had a nice, steady pace going and ended averaging a 9:57 per mile.  The dark and cold def added a new challenge, but watching the sun come up and feeling the temperature increase made it worth it.  Until I find another gym, I'll be running outside...here's hoping for no more snow and warmer weather!  On a more positive note, skipping the treadmill should help me to be better prepared for my marathon.

103/460 miles complete!

week 6, day 1

Today's run was amazing!  As soon as my feet hit the treadmill I felt great!  My strides were awesomely long today and my breathing was easy the entire time.  I began running at 6.6 mph and finished the first mile in 9:10.  So I increased my mph to 7.4 and finished mile 2 in 17:30.  For the last mile I increased my mph to 8.3.  Then the next thing you knew it was 9 mph and I finished with 10 mph for a total of 3 miles in 24:00.  That is almost as fast as my 5k race pr.  What a great run!

97/460 miles complete (almost 100 miles!)