So about that race...

I woke up Monday morning this week and realized that running NRT50K was pushing it if I wanted to do it right and do it healthy.  My base was nearly base-less and the training plan was too aggressive.  So before getting injured again (bonus pt - maybe I am finally learning?) I decided to scrap my plans at a 50K this fall.  Instead, I'll be setting my sights on a "Hometown" course if you will - the Salem Lake Frosty 50K held the first Saturday in January each year.

New race, new plan.  I have 10 weeks of "base building" now before the actual 50K training plan starts.  High mileage weeks fall after most of our Fall travel plans and tapering occurs right over the holidays :)  I've been apprehensive in the past about doing races at Salem lake because that is where a lot of my long run are and to be frank - 7 mile loops get boring.  But the Frosty 50K is a double out-and-back horseshoe course with some trail and some greenway.  I can roll out of bed and be at the race within 10 min rather than lugging myself across state lines and staying in a cheap motel with no sleep the night before.

KT Tape to the rescue!!

Also, to get me where I need to be (athletically) I need to be more than just a runner which means crosstraining!  I've got to work on endurance, cardio, core strength and flexibility.  Coincidentally, my dad offered to get me a YMCA membership for a year for my birthday next week.  Woot!  I've already printed out the class schedule and plan to head over today to check it out and become a card carrying member.  Those 5:15am cycle classes are going to kick my butt, but probably not as much as the sport conditioning classes (I hear they make you do wall sits!!  ahh!!!)

Oliver sporting his new trail pack!

 Hoping everyone had a great July 4th.  Being a Wednesday, we stuck around but did manage to get out the door (after a little foot taping) for a trail run at Pilot Mountain before it got too hot.  I did an enjoyable 5 miles on the Corridor Trail and Chris / Oliver went ahead to get a total of 6 miles in.  Oliver's reward was a dip in the Yadkin River to cool off afterwards.  It was his first open water adventure and after a few nervous minutes, he was running out into the middle of the river and paddling back.  <3 !  

Adventures in Trail Running

Remember this guy?  Back in August I blogged about our soon-to-come-home 8 week old puppy Oliver, a german shorthaired pointer (GSP).  He's now a leggy 65 lb goofy bundle of energy and he LOVES TO RUN.  More than I do, more than hubby does, more than all those Olympic hopefuls we'll be watching this weekend.

We spent a lot of time training Oliver this year and it's paid off tremendously.  He's super duper smart (and I'm not just saying that as a proud puppy parent) and truly likes to participate in training activities.  Our major problem is traffic in the neighborhood - it used to terrify him and we're to the point of tolerating it, but it still makes walks difficult on some days.  A healthy fear of traffic is ok though...he's gotten out of the backyard fence twice (gate left open) and he gets to the front yard and goes "Oh No!!"...we know this because he came right to the front door and barked to come back inside.  I told you he was super duper smart.

His favorite places to go have trails though.  In researching the breed as runners we were thrilled to find out that GSPs are one of the best speed or distance running breeds as well as an trail running breed and it's a trait we've embraced, especially with his discomfort near traffic.  When we get out of urban Winston and on the trails, he's in unity with it all.  As with most GSP puppies though, he's got two speeds - sleep or GO FAST!  He's learning, with our guidance, that an 8 mile run cannot be started at 6 minute miles... we will all tucker at before the end.  Pacing is getting easier and he listens much better to vocal commands on runs.  He's learning that runs are about him getting to stretch out his legs and test speed, but runs are about getting outside with us to exercise together.

Last night we headed to Tanglewood Park after work to enjoy some of the shaded singletrack mountain bike trails given the sudden jump in heat/humidity this week.  Hubby and our friend A headed off on a different trail to do a faster / longer run and I took pup down a different trail.  I packed up my Camelbak hip pack even though I planned on only doing 4 miles.  It was quite hot/humid and I knew pup would appreciate some water too.  Oliver stuck right with me loose leashed and cruised along the trails, just happy to be in his element.  I grew up horseback riding and realized that I use a lot of those techniques with Oliver on runs in terms of gentle leash taps for correction and vocal clicks to get his attention / focus.  It works very well for us.  At trail splits (or a tree in middle of trail), I can gently tap the leash in the direction to take or an intersection, Oliver will pause, turn, and wait for direction.  It's so nice not getting tangled in the leash or fight with him on directions.

About halfway through we came across the boys and Oliver was beside himself...I think he was ready to ditch me and go fast with the boys, but alas on this day it was too hot for him to go faster (at least until he gets more acclimated).  After a quick chat I let the boys go in front of us on the trail and waited a min or two for them to get out of sight.  Oliver decided that we must have been lost and had his nose to the ground tracking for Dad.  Every trail intersection he took pause and pulled to where they went.  We took pause for another minute, hit the reset button, and he was back to running with me rather than tracking Dad.  I'm sure it'll get better with more practice though.  Truthfully, I did get lost in the middle of the trail and did a loop three times before Oliver found the correct way down the trail...whew!

My favorite thing about taking Oliver out as a running partner?  It's a tie between the bond we get during that time and the aftermath of snuggles on the sofa. I swear if a dog could smile, he's smiling every time he looks at me on the trail. It has definitely been worth the time, training, and all other efforts to have such a dedicated running partner in our family!

The aftermath of runs...Pure snuggles

Week in Review (Nov 27 - Dec 4)

I'm going to try to keep this better up to date - the blog was a great motivator last year while I was training and hoping it will keep me honest and on track.

So here's this edition of Week in Review:

Days of Running: 4

Days of Cross Training: 2

Miles Logged: 8

Sunday

Rest Day. Enjoyed a wonderful 10 year anniversary dinner with Chris & decked the halls. Or really just the porch because I knew that Oliver would just pull a Christmas tree crashing down. Hanging all the garland turned out to be a great upper body work out - who knew!

60 feet of fresh garland with some holly berries I added from our yard's bushes - watch out Martha! Now just waiting patiently for a nice snowfall like we had on the day we moved in last year!

Monday

Took out ye ole running shoes for a short jaunt. Did a 5 min walk to warmup, a 1.5 mile run, and a 5 min walk to cooldown. The pace was nice and easy at 9:48. Started to mist/light rain during the run which was awesome with the 55 degree weather. I do miss running in the fall!! My foot felt a little sore towards the end of the run but the hip flexor was fine.

Tuesday

Honestly planned to do some yoga and did not. Honestly tried to take Oliver for a good hour long walk - he did not want to though. He was curled up by the heat vent in the bathroom and even though I put his sweater on, he was not going to make it any farther than two houses away. I feel guilty pulling him along for a walk but he needs the exercise (and so do I!). I think he's entered into the "fear stage" puppies enter around 5 months and suddenly he's terrified of going on walks. Last Tuesday's walk at the Greenway was only marginally more successful. Foot still sore from Monday's run.

Wednesday

Foot still sore. Lots of massaging it during the work day. Logged a 2 mile run at moderate pace to baby the foot a bit.

Got home and felt like doing some more so I cued up the FitnessTV on Demand.   We got rid of cable for about a year and a half and before that I did a lot of Namaste Yoga and Gilad Cardio on Fit TV...apparently there is not longer Fit TV - merged with Discovery Health which is mainly ER and birthing stories all day...No more Namaste Yoga and Gilad only comes on at an ungodly hour in the morning... I did a 10 min yoga session to stretch out after the run followed by 2 different 10 min Ab workouts.  2 different ones mostly because the first was a floor-based Ab workout and Oliver thought it would be the perfect opportunity to attack me and play.  Then I found a "standing Ab workout" and had much better success completing it!  

Thursday

Cross training day 

Mr. Oliver and I ventured to Salem Lake and logged a suh-weet walk.  That dog can go & go and taking him out to the Lake was more of an adventure for him - lots of sniffs and trail to explore, but less distractions and no traffic to freak out about!  At one point he stopped, pushed me to one side of the trail and started growling very protectively while staring at the embankment.  I never saw what he was carrying on about (he barked somewhat aggressively/protectively for about 2 minutes), but I trust his nose and think it may have been a snake or bobcat.  This was the first time he's gotten protective of me like that, and I have to admit - it was pretty cool.  The walk continued back to the car and all told, we did about 2 1/2 miles of brisk walking with 6 short jogs of 30-60 seconds to start getting him used to running at OUR paces.  We worked on heeling and by the end of the walk, I had a VERY tired puppy who was walking loose leash at my side.  Definitely need to keep up this kind of training for Oliver / cross training for me.  I could feel my foot getting some good strengthening and my hip flexor was able to stretch out with long strides.

Afterwards, we made the drive over to Ruff Housing for Oliver to claim his $250 winnings in gift certificates for a photo contest with the newspaper - Top Dog in the Best in Show & Cutest Puppy categories!  

"What!! I won? I really really won!?!?! Wowza mom!!! I can't wait to go to daycare and run around all day!"

Friday

Today was a 1.5 mile day - half the distance planned for the long run tomorrow.  Rushed home and got out the door in the cold to finish my run as daylight dwindled.  I chose not to take the headlamp and safety light based on how much daylight was left, although the safety light should probably always be worn.  I knew my route was well-lit and I would be sticking to the sidewalks.  A quick run with a few hills to it in a modest pace.  Great way to start the weekend! 

Saturday

So I had planned to do my long run today but my foot was a little tender which was enough of an excuse for me to wait an extra day and get some schoolwork done....Rest day today.

Sunday

Long run day! Not so long, but today I did a 3 mile "long run" - don't snicker!! Cardiovasculary it's nothing, but am still having tenderness with my peroneal tendon...
Run went EXCELLENT!  I kept a nice even pace and enjoyed the beautiful mid-50s weather.  About an hour afterwards though, my foot was sore.  Did some good stretching and rested while catching up on schoolwork and football.  Fast forward a few more hours - was outside playing with Oliver and felt a pull in my foot like after the half marathon. NO NO NO!  Man that was painful.  Back inside to the couch with an ice pack, ibuprofen, rest & elevation.  The foot felt better by bedtime and I as I write this on Monday, it's still a good bit tender but no stabbing pains today.  I'll have to wait and see how it's feeling later - hoping I can do a short run.

And that is my Week In Review - thanks!

Savannah Rock N Roll Half Marathon Recap...and...Back to the Basics

This year has been a roller coaster in terms of training.  Two major injuries, a few minor injuries, finishing my PhD, starting my postdoc...

Honestly, training has been more of a train wreck.  The kind you see coming and just can't help but watch...

After the Fontana 5k Dam, training was going well and I had my sights set on a healthy ramping up of mileage for the Savannah Rock N Roll Half Marathon Nov 5th.  

About 2 months out from the half marathon, I started to get extreme pain in both of my big toes and then realized that after losing my toenails post Marathon last year, the new nails grew in more curved and were starting to become ingrown.  Major pouty face.  After a few visits to the sports medicine podiatrist, I had slivers of both nails removed so that shouldn't happen again.  I had to take a few weeks off prior to the toe surgery and a few weeks off afterwards leaving a GAPING hole in my half marathon training. Major pouty face again.

I was left with two options - scrap the race that we had already invested vacation days into, travel expenses and race fees...or...very gently and rapidly ramp up my mileage knowing that it may cause problems, especially with my hip flexor.  

We all know I went with option 2.

I kept weekday mileage constant with 3x 2-4 miles and then had four weekends to get long runs up to half marathon:  5 miles - 7 miles - 9 miles - then 11 miles with no taper and the half marathon being the longest long run in quite some time.  The first three weeks went beautifully.  The 9 mile run was amazing.  Then the last week came.  I set out for my 11 mile run in the neighborhood with a 2 loop course so I could switch out the clutches (temps were abnormally high for October and on a side note - have continued to be so until the other day finally!).  I started off easy warming up all the muscles but my right hip flexor (major injury #1 of the year) was tight.  I stopped and stretched.  Jogged a little.  Stopped and stretched.  Jogged some more.  Come on!  Seriously?  The hip flexor was tight and only getting tighter it seemed.  By 3 miles I was walking ... walking home...I continued to try a walk/jog-like motion until I got home.  On top of that I was having major stomach cramps and bubble guts...definitely needed to head home...11 miles sliced to 4.5 miles the week before the half!  

Fast forward a few days of Chris and I on the couch...turns out that stomach cramping on the run was that we both had some sort of food poisoning all week leading up to the Savannah half.  No. Fun.  I've had worse food poisoning, mind you, but it still meant only getting in 2 miles the week before the race due to the need to stay in close proximity to bathrooms...Oh yeah and I also had a wicked case of upper / lower respiratory track infection with asthma and a cough that prohibited me from sleeping FOR TWO WEEKS.  

Race day came and I was feeling anxious considering the way training went.  I set out with a few small goals:

1. Run 10 miles - that would make it longer than any training run I had done
2. Keep the pace easy and honest - I hadn't put the training in to be able to push it and I was still a bit under the weather
3. See what you can do.  I kept a mantra in my mind the whole weekend and continued to repeat it in my mind while running:  "If you just give yourself a chance and get out the door, your mind and body will surprise you most of the time." -Jenny Simpson.  It was a quote tweeted by Runners World in the days leading up to the race and I kept it on a desktop post-it.
4. Finish under 2:15 if at all possible...given injuries, food poisoning, bad training, asthma/cough....

I started the race a few corrals back from what I was assigned so that I could keep with Goal #2 and kept company with a group of well paced runners from my corral.  The race had more than 23,000 participants so there was never a lonely moment.  The whole race I was having stomach cramps and at 5 miles stopped for 30 sec at an aid station to shoot a gel and crunch down 2 pepto bismol tablets I had stuffed in my race pouch.  Best Idea of the Day.  Still had a good bit of cramping but ending up making it through the finish line.    Checking my watch every so often, the pace was easy and honest and EVEN!  I wasn't sure if I have done that in a longer race yet so I was pretty happy mid race.  We came through downtown just after that and there were (finally) spectators on the course.  I picked up the pace with the festive energy - I was also running beside a guy dressed as the muppet Beaker (I know right?) so lots of cheering when we went by.  After that mile passed I slowed a bit to make the two miles even out and catch my breath a bit.  Asthma blows by the way...really blows...I had too much fun during that mile.  I also passed our friends G&M that came out to cheer - they were our gracious hosts for the weekend and I dearly enjoyed visiting them.  G&M went to high school with us and we only get to see them about once every year or two.  I passed mile 10 and realized that 1) I could run the entire race w/o stopping - still had plenty in the tank and 2) I was on pace to get around 2:15!  My initial goal this summer was for a 2:00 half marathon, but goals definitely have to be adjusted given certain circumstances.  

In the days leading up to the race I was really considering the Tobacco Road Marathon (March 2012) and kept thinking about this in a positive light during the Savannah half...Things are finally going good...I can't wait to run another full marathon..yada yada yada.

CRASH & BURN.  Around mile, eh, 10.5, I was cardiovascularly feeling great, the asthma was staying in check, the stomach cramps weren't unbearable...things were going well...but my left foot started hurting a smidge.  Just on the outside of the midfoot.  "Hmm..." I thought "must be the crowned roads and my foot getting tired...nothing major."  I kept running and was actually feeling good enough, aside from the minor foot pain, to take off and really push this last 5K.  This race was all kinds of whack and I must confess that anytime I tried to pick up the pace, the dreaded "oh crap I have to crap" feeling came.  Knowing what the last week had been like I really didnt want to be that runner that PR'd with poopy pants.  So I just kept the pace even and with a half mile left pushed it, plowing past people to finish in 2:14:46!  Yay!!  My first official half marathon done.  Medal, check...now where are the porta potties??!?!?!

Whew!  

I hobbled over to our pre-determined meeting place and G&M found me with Chris sitting on the grass in the park.  I realized after stopping at the finish line that my foot, in fact, was pretty badly hurt and that my mind-over-matter Goal #3 apparently worked wonders because it didnt hurt nearly that much while running. But now, I could-not-walk.  No weight on that foot.  Zip, zero, zilch.  G&M live in downtown Savannah and I assured them that I could hobble home and ice there - no need to check out the medical tent.  I threw on a compression sock and limped under the spanish moss.  It was a beautiful day and the weather had been wonderful for a race!

Fast forward a week or more of severe hobbling, rest/ice/compression/elevation/massive motrin doses...the xray came back negative for a stress fracture which means that I most likely tore the peroneal tendon that attached right at the end of the 5th metatarsal ( or "outside of the midfoot").  Not surprising given how I ramped my mileage up and I confessed as much to the head of Sports Med when I met with him...Thankfully he didn't shake his head chanting "Bad runner, bad runner"...yeah yeah - I know I shouldn't have...bad runner indeed.  

So here I am almost a month later with only 2 runs logged, but with many more planned.  What have I learned?

1. Do the time & do the training...I work best with a structured training schedule and weekly plan
2. Don't race when you haven't had more than 2 consecutive hours of sleep in more than 2 weeks...seriously...
3. Somehow I always manage to get asthma only on race weekends...I need to recognize the symptoms quicker and stay on top of it
4. A marathon in not in the cards for the spring...or an ultra marathon (See Lesson #1) - I have had several major injuries this year and need to be healthy and strong before we throw that into the mix.
5. I now have done an official half marathon distance and have a time to beat - so how about getting some PRs?

My new race calendar is without a full marathon....I'm now planning on doing several smaller distances including the Tobacco Road half marathon in March, the New River half marathon in May, and the Biltmore 15k in May (it's returning!!).  Some speed work and mileage through the summer and then maybe we can talk about a full and/or ultra....Also, our puppy Oliver will be able to start running in the next month or two (he's huge already but still has some running to do) so I'm excited about having a running partner.  It's been awesome taking him on walks while my foot is recovering.  In the meantime, I've got a 3 month plan to get me to a happy, healthy half marathon and have started logging small runs & returning back to the basics...

Fontana Dam 5k

After a very disappointing year, I'm starting to get back into the swing of things.  I'm not quite ready to race a 5k and will be way off of my PR, but tomorrow's 5k will get the gears going for what I hope will be a better end to the year in terms of running.  I'll be doing the Fontana Dam 5k and Chris will be running the 10k event.  We chose this event for several reasons:

•  it's down the road from where we honeymooned 4 years ago so it's very dear to us
• it's FLAT and fast - probably only 50 total elevation change in the mountains which is ridiculous
• it's got gorgeous scenery
• it's a small event that only had a few competitors last year (but those that were there were fast) so it'll give Chris a good race
• it had two events - given my setbacks, i'll be doing 1/2 the distances of Chris this fall so we found a series of events to do that had multiple distances:  5k/10k at fontana, 10k/30k at salem lake, 1/2 marathon and full marathon at savannah

I really have no expectations for this race and honestly thought I'd have to scratch all of this last week.  My hip flexor flaired up when I started training again this July and once that got under control, I had to go have two ingrown toenails partially removed.  Things got much better after that (last week) but then we went river tubing Saturday and my foot slipped on a rock and got wedged in the rock pile, peeling back my big toenail.  Lots of R&R and babying it this week led to a good pre-race shakeout last night of 2 miles, but the longest I've logged in the last 6 weeks was a 3.8 mi run.  My times are slowed right now and so I go in with the expectation not to PR, but rather to get a taste of what I've missed and reignite the fire!  

Catchup

This spring we had the great fortune of going out to the BIG SUR marathon weekend where I was able to slug out the 10.6 mi (breathtakingly beautiful) run with an injured hip flexor.  The next week I got first place in my age group at the New River 5K race, despite it being my slowest 5k ever.  The course had about 3/4 mi climb followed by a 3/4 mi decent that destroyed my knees.  That on top of my diagnosed rector femoris hip flexor tendonitis made for a rough go of the spring.  The summer was occupied with maintenance miles and dissertation writing.  But I finished (I'm now Dr. J) and am starting to get really excited about running again.  This weekend we pick up our new family addition - Oliver - an 8 week old German Shorthaired Pointer.  We're very excited to have a dog finally and maybe even more excited for a running partner!!  The breeder has been sending us pictures and he sure looks like a runner to me:

Oliver - 7 weeks

Recap

So the next 24 hours could be considered our "Puppymoon" (I've had several friends go on Babymoons before the baby comes...so why not Puppymoon?).  We'll be camping at the base of the Fontana Dam, getting up in the morning for races, stopping in Asheville for lunch (so many amazing choices!), and coming home to pick up Mr. Oliver.  Yay!