Wonderful news from the doctor last week!
I can start running again!
Well, sort of.
Week 1 (last week) was 1.5 min walking alternating with 1.5 min run for 2 miles
This week is 1 mile, 3 times this week.
It's so strange, looking back to this time last year, I was running 20 milers training for the marathon, now the longest I am allowed to run is 1 freaking mile! Strange.
It feels really good to be back out there and running! At the same time I want to run more! I'm trying to be really good and follow my return to running plan. I know from having stress fractures in my shins in high school, that not following the doctors orders only results in longer recovery time. However, I have a feeling that this part of the healing process is going to be as painfully slow as the rest of it.
Seriously, why has no one invented skelegrow?
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
It's been awhile
I stopped blogging. I don't know why exactly. I'm not a superb writer, my blog has no real purpose.... mainly me just rambling, I go bored with it, I got busy.... I don't really know.
So, what's been going on since I stopped blogging?
The good:
First off, I ran the Cleveland 10 Miler. It was awesome! It was possibly the best race i've ever run. I felt great the entire time and I held a really steady (very rare for me!) and fast (for me) 8:30 mile pace for the entire race. I put up a time I was really excited about. After the race I had hopes of PRing in the Cleveland Half.
I also ran the Cleveland Half. Also I really great race! I would say that the Denver 1/2 is my #1 favorite, but Cleveland is a very close second. I really like the race course, lots of turns, lots of things to see. The weather was great (cold and rainy) the day of the race. I didn't PR. If I had run like I did at the 10 miler, I definitely think I would have. My legs felt really heavy race day and my tummy got upset about halfway through the race. I pretty much knew it wasn't going to be a PR day, but I still managed to beat last years 1/2 marathon time by a minute. Being able to beat last years time on what I thought was an "off day" made me feel like I was in better shape and a PR might be to come one of these days. Overall, I was really happy with the race.
The Bad:
After the Cleveland 1/2, my running was just feeling really off. I took an entire week off because I was feeling really fatigued. My first week back my legs felt terrible. I knew I needed new shoes. Did I go and get some? Nope. Why? Busy, Lazy, who knows. July 3rd, I went for a 7 mile "long run" and my foot hurt afterwards. I knew something wasn't right, but I told myself my laces had been tied too tight. I ran on it, in pain, for about a week before I admitted to myself that this wasn't due to tying my shoelaces too tight. I took a week off of running - did some spinning and elliptical. Then I figured, hey, it should be healed by now, right? Wrong. I started running again and every time I stopped my foot hurt. By the following week it was pretty difficult to walk without limping - and running was definitely out of the question. I finally admitted to myself that something was wrong and went to the doctor. Diagnosis - stress fracture in my second metatarsal. It was visible by x-ran (not usual for stress fractures) suggesting that I may have even "converted" it into an actual fracture. I was in an aircast for 3 weeks. I've been out of the aircast now for about 4 weeks.
The Ugly:
We had to cancel our backpacking trip to the grand canyon. I'm really really sad about this. We have been planning it since January. It was really hard not to be physically able to do it. I also have had to bow out of the Warrior Dash and Akron marathon relay (sad). I'm still not allowed to run and I'M GOING FREAKING CRAZY! Yes, i'm being kind of a baby about this. It's not the end of the world, i'll be able to run again, and there are many many people out there suffering from worse injuries or life threatening illness, so in the grand scheme of things I know it's not that big of a deal, but i'm having such a hard time not being able to run. I'm sick of spinning and quite frankly I suck at swimming and I hate it. I just want to run dammit!
It has occurred to me that venting my frustrations on my blog might provide a good outlet for my frustrations. So, i'm back to blogging, and hopefully soon will be back to running! I go to the doctor Monday and i'm really hoping for some good news!
So, what's been going on since I stopped blogging?
The good:
First off, I ran the Cleveland 10 Miler. It was awesome! It was possibly the best race i've ever run. I felt great the entire time and I held a really steady (very rare for me!) and fast (for me) 8:30 mile pace for the entire race. I put up a time I was really excited about. After the race I had hopes of PRing in the Cleveland Half.
I also ran the Cleveland Half. Also I really great race! I would say that the Denver 1/2 is my #1 favorite, but Cleveland is a very close second. I really like the race course, lots of turns, lots of things to see. The weather was great (cold and rainy) the day of the race. I didn't PR. If I had run like I did at the 10 miler, I definitely think I would have. My legs felt really heavy race day and my tummy got upset about halfway through the race. I pretty much knew it wasn't going to be a PR day, but I still managed to beat last years 1/2 marathon time by a minute. Being able to beat last years time on what I thought was an "off day" made me feel like I was in better shape and a PR might be to come one of these days. Overall, I was really happy with the race.
The Bad:
After the Cleveland 1/2, my running was just feeling really off. I took an entire week off because I was feeling really fatigued. My first week back my legs felt terrible. I knew I needed new shoes. Did I go and get some? Nope. Why? Busy, Lazy, who knows. July 3rd, I went for a 7 mile "long run" and my foot hurt afterwards. I knew something wasn't right, but I told myself my laces had been tied too tight. I ran on it, in pain, for about a week before I admitted to myself that this wasn't due to tying my shoelaces too tight. I took a week off of running - did some spinning and elliptical. Then I figured, hey, it should be healed by now, right? Wrong. I started running again and every time I stopped my foot hurt. By the following week it was pretty difficult to walk without limping - and running was definitely out of the question. I finally admitted to myself that something was wrong and went to the doctor. Diagnosis - stress fracture in my second metatarsal. It was visible by x-ran (not usual for stress fractures) suggesting that I may have even "converted" it into an actual fracture. I was in an aircast for 3 weeks. I've been out of the aircast now for about 4 weeks.
The Ugly:
We had to cancel our backpacking trip to the grand canyon. I'm really really sad about this. We have been planning it since January. It was really hard not to be physically able to do it. I also have had to bow out of the Warrior Dash and Akron marathon relay (sad). I'm still not allowed to run and I'M GOING FREAKING CRAZY! Yes, i'm being kind of a baby about this. It's not the end of the world, i'll be able to run again, and there are many many people out there suffering from worse injuries or life threatening illness, so in the grand scheme of things I know it's not that big of a deal, but i'm having such a hard time not being able to run. I'm sick of spinning and quite frankly I suck at swimming and I hate it. I just want to run dammit!
It has occurred to me that venting my frustrations on my blog might provide a good outlet for my frustrations. So, i'm back to blogging, and hopefully soon will be back to running! I go to the doctor Monday and i'm really hoping for some good news!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Weekly Recap 2/21/11 - 2/28/11
Well, I got through last week and all of my school stuff went well. The weekend was a little hectic trying to catch up on all the chores i've been neglecting over the last month while working like a maniac. I'm hoping things will slow down a little bit and i'll have more time for myself in the next month or so. I got most of my workouts in last week. Thursday was supposed to be a 5 miler with some hills, but I was so exhausted by that point that I settled for a 3 mile easy run on the treadmill and called it a day.
Sunday - 6.2 miles
Saturday - 5 miles
Friday - off
Thursday - 3 miles
Wednesday - off
Tuesday - 4 miles with 3 x 3 min of speed
Monday - weights
Weekly Milage Total: 18.2 Miles
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Worn Down
I'm feeling a little run down and worn out. This past month has been extremely busy on the school end of things. Writing a grant progress report, writing a change of project proposal for my grant, co-writing a review, and prepping for my next committee meeting. It's been busy, and stressful. I think it's almost over. The review is due this week and my committee meeting happens this week, so after that i'm hoping to go back to a somewhat normal schedule where I can actually get home at a decent hour and not stay up late writing or reading! I'm also looking forward to taking next weekend completely off (of work anyways... i'm sure i'll still be running). I really need some R&R. These last few weeks my weights routine has suffered, although I've still managed to get most of my runs in. I was pretty sore from the race last sunday, and overall just exhausted, so I skipped all forms of speed work this week. Here's hoping this week goes by as quickly and painlessly as possible!
Weekly Recap 2/14/11 - 2/20/11
Sunday - 8 miles
Saturday - 5 miles
Friday - off
Thursday - 4 miles
Wednesday - off
Tuesday - 4 miles
Monday - off
Weekly Milage Total: 21 miles
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Run With your Heart Trail Challenge-Race Report
Let the 2011 racing season begin!
Let me start off by saying this race was very different than any race i've ever done and it was fun! I've done my fair share of winter trail running while growing up and, if you can believe it, even raced on my high school SNOW SHOE TEAM (yes this really exists). If I had to make a comparison, this race most closely resembled my snow shoe days (only without the snow shoes and with more slipping around). I've been toying with the idea of buying yak trax... but never got around to it. Too bad. They would have been helpful. It became clear to me early on that "fast" was not how I was going to be running. The day was beautiful, in the upper 30's (I think) and SUNNY!! The course was hilly and without traction I pretty much had to walk up and down the steepest parts. I managed to only wipe out once, and not to twist an ankle (I consider this a win!). What I did I think would better be described as riking (hiking/running) or jiking? (jogging/hiking), rather than actual running. Whatever it was, it was still a great day to get outside and great exercise. Man am I sore from all that sliding around! Towards the end I started to feel really down on myself for how God aweful slow I was going. My final time was 1:50:49.... for a 15K.... I can practically run a half marathon in that time! Well, after looking at the race results, I really don't feel that bad. The female winner ran 8:14/mile, there were a handful of people who ran 9ish min/miles and everyone else was 10+ min miles. After looking at that, my 11:54/mile doesn't seem SO bad.
Overall it was a great race, great support, great energy. I think there were more pictures taken than in the marathon! Hopefully there will be at least one good one.... I tried to smile.... it will probably come out looking like a grimace with my eyes closed (this is usually the case). I even managed to win a raffle prize: tickets to the Cleveland Film festival. Not to shabby. I think I'll do this race again. First I think i'll purchase some yak trax.
Training Recaps
2/7/11 - 2/13/11
Sunday - 9.3 miles (Run with your heart Trail Challenge)
Saturday- 4.0 miles
Friday - rest
Thursday - 4.0 miles
Wednesday - rest
Tuesday - 6 miles total. 4X800, 4X400 with 400 recoveries.
Monday - Full Body Weights
Weekly Milage Total: 23.3 miles
Sunday - 6.1 miles
Saturday - 4.0 miles
Friday - rest
Thursday - 4.0 mile progression run
Wednesday - Cardio weights class at the gym
Tuesday- 6 miles total. 4X800, 4X400 with 400 recoveries for speedwork.
Monday - Full Body Weights
Weekly Milage Total: 20.1 miles.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Feeling Undertrained
So, here's the thing...
I still have no motivation to follow a strict training schedule. I'm signed up for a 15K on February 13th. I haven't *really* trained for it. I did an 8.5 mile long run a few weeks ago and 8 this past weekend... so I definitely think i'll be able to finish it, i'm just not expecting a stellar performance. Now is about the time I should start training for the Cleveland 1/2 marathon too. I filled in the plan I used last year into my calendar... this should be week 2. The first few weeks of the plan consist of a few 4 mile and a few 6 mile runs each week, which is pretty much what i've been doing, so for now (and maybe for the whole time) i'm going to loosely follow the training plan and try to get as many of the prescribed long runs in as possible.
Weekly Recap 1/24/11-1/30/11
Sunday - 8.0 Miles. It was a good long run. I managed to keep my pace up despite snow packed roads.
Saturday - 4.0 miles. Icky weather...it was not a fun run.
Friday - rest
Thursday - I had planned 5 miles with some hills and speedwork, but forgot my ipod and could only manage 3 on the dreadmill before I gave up.
Wednesday - Tried a new Cardio/Weights class at the gym. It gets a thumbs up. I'm going to try to make it to that again!
Tuesday - 4.0 miles
Monday - Body Pump
Weekly Milage Total: 19 Miles
Monday, January 24, 2011
Running, even on a treadmill, is NOT "a waste of time"!
I don't know what the deal is, but it seems like this statement is everywhere these days... trainers at the gym, other health and fitness blogs, tv, internet all saying "stop wasting your time on the treadmill". Now, I kind of get what they are saying... in terms of weight loss (which, hey, it's January, so what other possible goal could anyone in a gym possibly have?) jogging along at a moderate pace at a 0% incline is not probably going to make you loose massive amounts of weight. Of course strength training and interval training are helpful to weightloss and overall fitness, but this hardly means that treadmill use is a waste of time. I, as a runner, refuse to believe that running (even on the treadmill) is a waste of time! And I really really wish people would stop saying that it is! Even treadmill running can be quite challenging, if done correctly.
I myself did a very challenging hill workout (which i'm hoping will help to prepare me for my upcoming trail race) on the treadmill last week. I stole the idea for the workout from: http://instephsshoes.blogspot.com. Personally, I did not feel it was a waste of time AT ALL. In fact, IT KICKED MY ASS! I should really do hill workouts (outdoors and on the treadmill) more often.
Here's the recap:
Sunday - 7 very chilly miles (8 degrees outside, 2 pairs of pants and 3 shirts.... I'll still take it over hot and humid!)
Saturday - 5.5 Chilly miles (below 10 degrees - but the sun was out!)
Friday - 4 miles easy (on the treadmill BTW)
Thursday - rest
Wednesday - Cardio intervals (on random cardio equipment at the gym) interspersed with mainly upper body weights.
Tuesday - 5.1 miles total with Treadmill Hill repeats as follows: 1%, 2%, 1%, 4%, 1%, 6%, 1%, 8%, 1%, 10% for one minute each. Repeat twice.
Monday - Full Body Weights
Weekly Milage Total: 21.6 Miles
Sunday, January 16, 2011
A good running week.
This past week was a good running week. I managed to meet my 20 mile/week "off season" goal and work in two strength training sessions. I'm getting better at picking outdoor snow routes that allow me to run in the street (since no one shovels the sidewalk here). Today's run was great! It was 17 degrees, "feels like" 6 degrees temperature wise, so it was chilly, but the sun was out, which made it feel much nicer. At one point a guy ran past me and turned to me and said, "you know, most people think we are crazy for being out here doing this today, but I like it". It is so true, runners are a little nuts, but in a good way :-)
Here's the Weekly recap:
1/10/11-1/16/11
Sunday - 7.03 Miles
Saturday - 4.20 Miles
Friday - off
Thursday - 4.1 Mile tempo run on the treadmill
Wednesday - Weights with a focus on upper body.
Tuesday - My favorite speed workout: 1600 (400 recovery), 2X800 (400 recovery), 2X400 (200 recovery), 4X200 (200 recovery). With warmup and cooldown 5.11 Miles total.
Monday - Full Body weights
Weekly Milage Total: 20.44 Miles
Saturday, January 15, 2011
New Years Resolutions?
I don't like New Years resolutions. I don't really know why... I guess it always seems so forced and like everyone makes the exact same resolution, like to loose weight. Maybe that's why I've been procrastinating my first 2011 post. What are my 2011 resolutions? I don't want to make any, so there (stomping feet). I like the sound of "goals" more than I like "resolutions", so how about some 2011 goals. (1) Mainly I would like to run more races in 2011 than I did in 2010. With all the moving craziness that happened last year I only did 3 races! It shouldn't be too hard to run more races in 2011. If I run the races i'm already registered for i'll be at 3 already. (2) I also want to have more fun running this year. I really did not enjoy the marathon training, so this year I want to get more enjoyment out of running. P.S. I wont be running another marathon this year. (3) As far as a milage goal, i'd love to hit 1000 miles again, but without marathon training, i'm not sure that's realistic, so i'm going to set a goal of 800 miles for this year. (4) I'd also like to really re-incorporate weight training into my routine, which i've started to do again, but i'd like to be more consistent about it.
Since i've been totally slacking on my weekly milage posts, here's the last 2 weeks:
Sunday - 5.85 miles
Saturday - 8.5 miles
Friday - 3 miles
Thursday- 3.06 miles
Wednesday - body pump
Tuesday - 4 miles
Monday - off
Weekly Total: 24.41 Miles
12/27/10 - 1/2/11
Sunday- 6.10 miles
Saturday- 5.26 miles
Friday - off
Thursday- 3.22
Wednesday- 2 miles + weights
Tuesday- 4.34 Miles
Monday - Weights
Weekly Total: 20.92 Miles
2010 Stats
So that I can start putting up some 2011 stats, here's what happened in 2010:
mONTHLY MILEAGE
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