Week in Review (Dec 5 - 11)

In this edition of Week in Review:

Days of Running: 3

Days of Cross Training: 2

Miles Logged: 6

Monday

Foot still tender today and it was dark and rainy by the time I got out of the black hole that is my windowless office so I decided to switch today's scheduled run with tomorrow's cross training.  Oliver will be in daycare until 6pm tomorrow so I'll have 5 glorious hours alone at home tomorrow to get a run in and get some schoolwork done after class!

But, back to today!  I cued up the Exercise TV on Demand and quickly clicked on Jillian Michaels' 30 Shred Level 2.  Chris and I watch the Biggest Loser and while I think I'd prefer to have Bob as my trainer, I'd kill at any opportunity to have either of them.  So today, it was Jillian via TV.  Not 100% sure what her 30 Shred program is, but this 25 min cardio/circuit/stretch/strength episode kicked..my..booty!  Loved it!  By the end my legs were wobbly, my arms were shaky and I knew I had earned every minute of workout.  Oliver wasn't so crazy about me doing jumping jacks in the living room, but it felt awesome on my foot - I had never considered jumping as a strengthening exercise to add for my foot.

I followed up this high intensity workout with a 15 minute yoga-based "Athletic Stretch" aimed at exercise recovery/stretching.  It had a good mix of stretching with a little strengthening.  I may keep this one in the rotation for post-run stretching too - nice and short, but focused.

Now for some grub!  

Tuesday

Today was Mr. O's first full day at doggie daycare and I decided to take advantage of my puppy-free rainy/dreary afternoon by heading to my favorite coffee shop downtown after class.  It's in an old warehouse and they were roasting beans the whole time I was there - the place smelled amazing.  After getting some work done, I headed home to find that my new running jacket had arrived!  I got this $90 jacket on a steal-of-a-deal at REI Outlet for around $30 with free shipping.  Now that the winter months are here, it means running in the dark and I can't tell you how frustrating it is that runners aren't visible enough - from both a runner and driver perspective.

Oooh!  So bright and shiny :D

The weather was warm (mid 60s), dreary, and drizzly - just about perfect weather to test out this jacket! It's waterproof and the right sleeve has an extra blinky LED light which I found to be a neat feature.  I went out for an easy 2 mile run to test it in the afternoon and found that it was extremely lightweight (about 6 or 7 oz) so if you wanted to take it off and tie around your waist, it wouldn't be a bother.  It breathes decently for a waterproof jacket, but I did get a little warm in it towards the end of my run.  It's probably best for really rainy runs or for when the temps are below mid-50s.  I'm ready for the temps to drop a bit (it doesn't feel like December when it's this warm) and when it does I'll be ready!  Pace was slow today- legs felt like lead, but that's ok - kept it comfortable and paid attention to form.  Sometimes it's good just to have a workout focused on form!  

Wednesday

Got 2 fantastic miles in today.  The cold front went through leaving beautiful running weather (50s) and the new jacket was much more comfortable.  Ran the same route as yesterday and averaged 30 sec/mile faster.  Chalk it up to looser legs & better weather.  That was some fun running!  Came back and did two 10 minute abs workouts on FitTV.

Thursday

Cross training day.  Really a very light cross training day.  Just did a few ab workouts and hit the books in prep for finals week.

Friday

Fast Friday (2 miles).  Ran with my New Balance Minimus shoes on.  Even though these are minimalist shoes without much cushioning at all, I feel like they are easier on my foot.  I land forefoot/midfoot and evenly distribute my weight on pushoff.  Also, I tend to take shorter strides (yay!) and with practice that has meant more turnover with my legs and a faster pace.  Without trying to push it too hard, I ran a 9:18 min/mile average on the same loop as Tuesday (9:54 avg) and Wednesday (9:24 avg).  Love these shoes and am really glad I can get out in them more than I used to.  I am working on slowly building up the mileage in them.  

Saturday

Saturday was packed with studying so I told myself I could do my long run Sunday (tomorrow) and hey, the weather would be nicer too!  Today was a rest day.

Sunday

Woke up with wicked back pain.  Spent the whole day on a heating pad with ibuprofen...studying...no fun.  Scratched the long run considering it hurts to walk.  Am I falling apart?
Did take some time off from studying to go to a movie screening (fancy right?).  It's a documentary featuring some of the world's best ultramarathoners at the Western States 100 Mile Race in 2010 - an epic battle.  The movie is called Unbreakable and was truly inspiring.  Also, fantastic scenery (both nature-related and sexy-trail-runner-related).  It was a really fun small screening at our local running store and lit a fire in me all over again to get out and do more trail running.  Maybe next weekend?  I really wish we had better trails around here...it always entails driving at least 30 min to get anything technical.  My poor trail shoes have <50 miles on them and that is a problem in my book.  I am teetering on whether to register for the Pilot Mtn Payback Heavy Half trail run again.  It's a FANTASTIC event (capped to 250 I think, all great trails, sweet race management) but the mileage may be a touch high for me come that weekend...I'll have to wait and see a few more weeks...

And that is my Week In Review - thanks!

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!  

hello world

I've had several old friends ask about this blog of late, so you did it - got me blogging here again!  I feel like I'm in freshman Java class again writing 'hello world' code.

Things to come:
   What the heck has been happening since last summer?
   Why it's been especially quiet of late (hint: injury).  Visit to PT tomorrow will determine the rest of spring...fingers crossed!
   Pending PT advice, plans for Spring/Summer races

Oh yeah, have I mentioned I'm "dissertating"?  Defense in June...crazy busy with school but hoping to find solace in the streets running this spring.

And a quote from Runners World email today:
Do the work.  Do the analysis.  But feel your run.  Feel your race.  Feel the joy that is running.  (Kara Goucher)

TTFN...

When I run by myself I have my most intimate thoughts. I look for meaning in some of my important memories, I work through present difficulties, and I try to chart the best course for my future. I also do a lot of dreaming when I run...

Kara Goucher 

Saw this quote this morning in my inbox and it perfectly reflects how I spent 21 miles yesterday on a beautiful fall day at the trail around the lake... :)

Race Preview - The Bear!

I can't help but say the name of this race with a mountain scroungy voice "The Beeaaarrrr!"  

A bit over a year ago, Chris and I were joking on a run as I was telling him about some of the crazy races I heard about growing up in Boone including this "ridiculous race up to the very top of Grandfather Mountain.  I mean, it's like straight up, ha!  Those people are crazy."  His reply - "what about 2010?  If we were able to even finish it..." and a dream began.  Now, we know we will not only be able to finish (and not get picked up by the sag wagon) but also finish strong.  Times are not so important to us here - more of a race against one's self, although Chris wants to place top 10% of males and I'd be happy with top 25% of females and a time somewhere in the 55-60 min range.

The blog's been quiet this last month as intense training picked up after the Biltmore 15k.  Each week typically went like this:  Sunday = rest, Monday = track workout (8-10x 400s), Tuesday = 3-5 miles, Wednesday = hill workout, Thursday = rest or 3 easy, Friday = 3-5 miles, Saturday = Long run of 6-10 miles of hilly of a route as possible.

The hill workouts were a blast (well, somedays) so long as the heat wasn't too terrible.  After a 1.25 mile jog through the neighborhood to the park where the track is, there is a big ole hill with streets 1/4 mile long that go straight up it.  "Hanes Hill," as I've dubbed it, ranges from 8-20% grade with the last 150 ft leveling out which helps in the "up and over" a hill mentality and recovery training.  The first week I started with 3 laps of Hanes Hill before a recovery jog back home.  Each week thereafter, I added 1-2 laps and tried to notch my lap time down.

The real test came a week and a half ago - Pilot Mountain.  Our plan was to make it out there a few times, but schedules have been busy so we only had one chance at this.  The road from the ranger station to the top parking lot is 2.0 miles with an elevation gain of 974 feet.  The grade starts at 7% and steadily increases to 12% at the top of the mountain with many switchbacks.  It's a great analog to The Bear, being a bit steeper than the last 2 miles of that race.  The hope is that the long hilly runs in addition to track and hill workouts will give me the stamina and endurance needed to make it to the top of Grandfather.  I usually feel more confident if I can practice the course ahead of time, but this is not a public course for people to run.  I've visited Grandfather several times in the past though and am quite familiar with the famous switchbacks on the climb to the top.  

My reward for a hard earned finishers medal - a weekend in paradise!  The hubby and I will be pampered Friday morning with massages (and a birthday pedicure for me) before heading out to Valle Crucis to stay at a bed & breakfast for the rest of the weekend.  I'm quite excited about the vacation and can't wait to sneak a run or two in on the side of the Watauga River.  I used to spend summers at Camp Broadstone on the river and have many fond memories of capture the flag and catching lightening bugs.  Did I mention that I can't wait!?!?!  :D