Back in the Saddle Again

November has been a rough month of false starts and hopes and skinned knees. The last time I ran at the beginning of the month, I fell and banged up my knees pretty good. And my injury never got better until I rested it. But today seems to be a new turning point for me in my running. I ended up having to take off two weeks to heal this injury while cross training. I still wasn't sure that I was OK at the beginning of this week and thought I may need more time but it looks like I'll be fine.

I did two 3 mile runs earlier in the week and topped it off with a 4 mile "long" run today. This is what Hal Higdon's 1st week of the novice half marathon plan required. I'm starting over so as not to injure myself again and get a good base going . I wanted to use the Run Less, Run Faster plan but it requires that you are all ready running 15 miles/wk. I also don't think I'm in a position to push too hard with the speed work it requires at this time.

This injury has been very frustrating and has opened my eyes. I really didn't think I would ever get injured. With the exception of a past back strain from doing yoga, I've been able to abuse/overuse my body and do pretty much whatever I wanted until now. I really hated not having the luxury of doing whatever type of exercise I pleased on any given day. It has made me deeply appreciate the gift of a healthy body. I plan to be much more kind to it from here on out!

Steady Improvement

It's been about a week since my last post and things are looking up. I'm really trying to be careful about training and not overdoing it. I really put my legs through a lot the past four days:

Sun- I cycled to my destination and ran 3 miles

Mon- Did a killer leg workout of bb squats, db walking lunges, ball curls, and single leg squats. Lunges always make me super sore.

Tues- Killer spinning class. There were times I felt like I might have to stop!

Weds- Warmed up with the elliptical and then ran 4 miles. My longest run in a month! Also had a great pace at for me at 9:41. I plan to stay at 4 miles for a week or two. I'd love to do the 100th Cincy Thanksgiving Day Run 10k. But we'll see. It always seems like I need a few more weeks to get ready than what I have.

I had to take a break today. My hamstrings are so sore (especially just above the knee behind the leg which has been bothering me) and I had plans to run tomorrow. Now I'm thinking of opting for some upper body weight training instead and do the run on Saturday. I was a little worried about my soreness last night and this morning. I've iced a lot! I have found bags of frozen corn to be miraculous for this purpose. I feel much better tonight. If I wake up feeling perfect, I'll run. But if not, I'll wait and take another day for recovery. Not sure if I'm needing so much recovery time due to injury, running less over the last month because of injury, or just need more time to heal due to age. Maybe it's all the above! lol

Well, all I can do is keep on keepin' on! Hopefully I'll be able to work through this. Just have to take my time with it. "Slow and steady wins the race" Right?

I Wanna Run

I'm so thankful that I have so many other activities I CAN do. BUT... I'm so tired of being injured and it has only been 3 weeks. I do realize it could be much worse.

I've come to the conclusion that I have a calf strain/tear at the very top where the gastrocnemius inserts behind the knee. A level 1 requires 2 wks off, level 2 could require up to 6 wks off, level 3 requires surgery and is accompanied by swelling and bruising. I estimate mine is somewhere between a 1 & 2. I gave it 2 wks semi rest and tried running again but running over 3 miles only makes the pain return. I've determined to only cross train for the next 2 wks and see what happens. If it takes longer it takes longer. So my plan is to do elliptical or arc trainer on running days and a combo of rowing and cycling on the opposite days with 3x/wk of weight training until this thing heals. The good news for now is that it feels fine during cross training and walking. It is specifically the impact and motion of running that sets it off.

I've also decided to follow the Run Less, Run Faster training plan once I am able. It alternates 3 running days with 3 xtraining days. Each run has a purpose rather than just logging miles. It should result in better quality runs and less injury. My friend Lori's husband is a marathon runner and swears by it. He has qualified and run in the Boston Marathon and it has helped even him to improve. He ran Columbus in 3:04!

Enough about me. Lori finished the Columbus 1/2 Marathon. She says she is disappointed with her time. I say she was out there and she finished it. It was hard for her but she endured. That's more than most people can say! She has even signed up for another 1/2 in May! Lori is someone to emulate. I'm proud of her.

Thank Goodness for the YMCA

We rejoined the Clermont Y this week and the timing couldn't have been better. I feel as though the kids have productive things to do again such as swim team and volleyball for Paige. There's swimming for Jesse too. James could also participate in those things but now being 14, he wants to do weight training. I signed him up for the teen orientation for the fitness center. Once he completes that, he can lift with me and Jim. He should be up and running (I mean lifting) by next weekend. When the kids were little, I often envisioned the time when our boys would start to become young men. Well, now we're there!

The timing was also perfect for me. Since I slightly injured my leg, I have access to cardio equipment and weights again! I've been having some great workouts this week. I'm so sore but I LOVE it! I didn't realize how much I missed lifting. I'm all ready missing my runs though. I hope this healing break is short lived. The combo of running with everything else we have available to us makes me very happy.

Now I'm Sure...It's an Injury

Went to the Y today. Paige played volleyball. My plan was to do lower body; squats, leg exts, and curls. While I warmed up on the treadmill some silly guy started doing bicep curls in the squat rack. So I decided to go outside for a 4 mile run. I just did 3.1 miles of treadmill intervals the night before and my leg felt pretty good. I thought it would be fine. The run did start out fine. I felt that twinge a little but not enough to stop. I had a really good pace going too! Then all of a sudden at 2.94 miles the pain was bad. I tried to walk it out and start back up a few times but it was a no go. Before this it felt like a pain behind my knee but now it actually feels like the very top of my calf muscle behind the knee. It's painful when I roll off the ball of my foot or when I flex my foot. I think the treadmill felt OK because you more or less are keeping up with the belt where on the ground you have to push off the ball of the foot more.

When I finally got back to the Y, I finished up on the arc trainer without discomfort. It's just impact on the ball of my foot and flexing the foot that makes the top of my calf hurt. So I think I can get by with cross training on the elliptical, arc trainer, and lifting weights for the next week and then see what happens. If it's still there next Wednesday, then I don't think I'll be able to run the half marathon (13.1 miles) on Sunday. I think what happened was my training got behind around the time we moved by missing my long runs. Then I tried to pick up the training schedule as if I hadn't missed. So I ran 9 miles the week before we moved, missed 3 weeks of long runs, ran 8 miles on the 4th week and then 10 miles the week after that. it's been since the 10 miler, I've had this pain. I was probably a bit too ambitious and needed more time. Too much too fast!

Hmmm... Maybe an Injury?

I really pushed myself hard to finish 10 miles on Wednesday and really felt the effects of it afterward. I'm not usually affected so dramatically. It could mean that I have reached my max for right now. I keep wondering if I can finish 13.1 in just 2 weeks? But still didn't think it was any big deal. Rest and ibuprofen usually takes care of that sort of thing.

Did a 6 mile run Saturday and started out feeling recovered but about 4 miles into it felt some pain behind my left knee. All in all it was a very pleasant run full of insightful solitude. But that spot really felt sore still this morning (Sunday). I hope it isn't anything big and that I wake up feeling my usual Monday morning. I only have 4 miles scheduled for tomorrow. So I guess that could be considered taking it easy compared to last Wednesday. lol

My hope for Monday is to get my 4 miles in and then take Paige to volleyball at our local YMCA. At that time I plan to rejoin the Y now that we are permanently living in Cincinnati again. At that time I am going to get in a good upper body workout. It's so funny that I am excited about it since I was so burned out on weight training a couple of months ago when I started training for this 1/2 marathon with Lori. Now I miss it. I say a good upper body workout but should probably take it easy since I do want to be able to move my arms the next day! lol

I'm kind of looking forward to this half being completed so I can find some balance again in my fitness routine. I will continue running as I have been bitten with the running bug. I know I at least have the first rule in Zombieland covered and that's cardio! That's all I'll say about that just in case you go see the movie. I wouldn't want to spoil it for you. lol

Big Milestone - My First 10 Mile Run!

Yep! I did it! I did my first 10 mile run. : ) I managed it in 1 hr. 47 mins. at a 10:43 avg. pace. That was better than I expected! It was a beautiful, crisp, fall like day too. It was definitely a lovely day to run.

I ran out and back for 6 miles on my favorite country route. Then I made a hydration and fuel stop at my in laws house and proceeded around town for another 4 miles. The first 6 were great! The last 4, especially miles 9 & 10, were grueling for me. Mile 10 was somewhat painful. Makes me wonder about the viability of actually running 13.1 miles in 2 short weeks. But I'm going to go with the saying of "where there is a will there is a way!" I know I have the will.

I got to wear some new running clothes today. One of my new items was a running skirt. It proved to be very comfortable. I've read a few people comment about being bothered by the skirt flopping up and down while they run. But that was NOT my experience at all. I had all the comfort of spandex shorts without the self consciousness I would have wearing them in public. lol

Good news on Jim's job! We thought he was finished this week but now we have a 3 month reprieve. If the market improves, maybe they will continue even after that! What a relief.

Everything is working out! It always does.