new shoes work wonders

It's kind of amazing how running on old shoes can make you feel about 40yrs older than you really are. My old kicks were coming down to the end of their life...I knew this. I was just trying to get as much use out of them as I could because, dog-gone-it, shoes are expensive! It is for this that I paid the price by developing shin splints. Which you have read about in the last, oh, 5 posts or so and I will not bore you with the details about them any longer.

Last week I got my new runners out of the box, knowing that, seriously, I need to retire my previous pair. They are shiny, white, pink and silver. I love them! It's always an exciting day to put on a new pair of running shoes. They fit nice and snug in just the right places. They have lots of cushion in the sole. They make you WANT to put them on and go for a run!

The new shoes started getting broken in on Friday after a day of 30min on the elliptical and 30min run/walking on the treadmill. They were further broken in after a 9mi run outside on Saturday. It's hard to keep your new shoes pretty when it's wet, muddy and salty...oh well.

Did you notice I got my long run in? It's because the shin splints are gone. Because I got out the new shoes. Because I retired my old ones. A new pair of shoes really does work wonders...

demoted

No, not at work. But at the gym. I've been very bad and haven't let my leg heal. I've tried running thru the pain and I gotta tell ya, it's just not worth it. So, I've demoted myself to the elliptical machine at the gym. I haven't used it yet...but I will tonight. Hopefully I can get a solid hour in tonight. I won't have much time to get a good workout in tomorrow (prob only half an hour or so) so I've really gotta make it count when I can get there!

Here's what I've been up to since the last post:
Jan 15th - 5miles. This run was done around 7am around Lake Quannapowitt. The sun was coming up over the lake and breaking thru some clouds...it was gorgeous!! My leg was sore but there was no shooting pain, just a dull ache. Thought I was okay...
Jan 15-17 - Middle School Retreat at Camp Berea!! No running done on this weekend. I did go snowshoeing, however. It was my first time...such fun! Loved hanging out with my girls. I love them.
Jan 18th - 6.2miles. After not running all weekend I felt like I could do a nice long run. There was a crazy snow storm happening outside so this was done on the treadmill at the gym. I'm impressed that I lasted that long... I hate the treadmill!!! My motivation was the Wicked soundtrack. Good stuff. Leg felt stiff but again, no shooting pain.
Jan 19th - 2.5miles. My goal was 3 or so but the pain was SO bad in my leg that I had to shut the machine off and call it quits. It was bad.
Jan 20th - nada. Did not even go to the gym. For the record, I wanted to but had promised my friend that we'd go out for drinks...and after a margarita and chips and salsa, who wants to go to the gym?! :) Not me.
Today - as I mentioned before, I'll try to get some good time in on the elliptical.

Hoping and praying these days off from running, with the icing and ibuprofen-ing, will heal my leg.

i apologize

I have often thought that shin splints were for wussies. That they didn't hurt that bad or keep you out of training for long. That if you have them, seriously, just suck it up and work through it. I mean, come on, the pain is not that bad...just a little tightness, that's it.

To all of those who have had them, I apologize for thinking the above. I, too, have fallen victim to shin splints and understand the agony you feel. The sometimes shooting, sharp pains that go along with them. The effort it takes to walk normally. The amount of time it takes to get over them.

Last week, I began having pain in my right shin (I believe I've told you this...). Well a few days of painful running and they went away. I thought I was in the clear. Managed a few longer runs with no pain at all. Then...Sunday, they came back. I took that day off but decided that I needed to get a good one in on Monday. FOOLISH! You see, when I started there was a bit of dull pain...after the first mile or two it went away. Then returned in full force when I had to stop to cross the road at mile 4.5. When I started up again it was excruciating pain shooting through my leg! Whoops.

Soooo to that end, I have taken the past few days easy. Tuesday there was no running. Wednesday there was walking at the gym. Today there will be no running. Tomorrow there will be. My regimen of ice/stretching/and all important Ibuprofen has been working well and with only 6wks to the half, I need to get to training.

Do not worry, dear reader. I will be careful. I will stretch like it's my job. I will ice like it's going out of style. I will massage my shin like I never have before. I will not continue on Ibu for too long as I know it does a number on stomachs. But I will keep training and I will run this half. The last half I trained for I could not run due to ITband issues. I will not sit out this one.

47 days

Sorry, readers, that it has been a month since my previous post. Also, Happy 2010!! I have been asked many times this year, "Do you have any resolutions?" The answer is no, not really. But in thinking more about it...maybe I do.

1. I resolve to run every day that I can.
2. I resolve not to feel guilty if I miss a run.
3. I resolve to run because it makes me feel good and healthy, not because I want to be skinny.
4. I resolve to run as many half marathons as my body (and wallet!) will allow me.
5. I resolve to run the NYC Marathon, if I get in. If not, maybe Bay State or Cape Cod...maybe.

These are not big, life altering resolutions. But they are resolutions I can stick to. Do you out there have any resolutions? Do you find that you forget what they are by the time March rolls around? (I usually do if I make them...)

In training news: The Hyannis Half Marathon is only 47 days away. (I found out yesterday that running legend Bill Rodgers will be there! Outstanding! He has won Boston three times and NY three times. Incredible.) I have been dealing with painful shin splints in my right leg...doing a lot of stretching and not as much icing as I should be. Also, beginning to take an Advil regimen for the inflammation. I've been running outside the past week as much as I'm able. I thought it would be hard...but it's turned out to be much more enjoyable than going to the gym ever is. The cold air feels so good and as long as I'm dressed properly and watch where I plant my feet, I'm good to go! I thought to myself yesterday that reflective gear looks kinda dorky...but I'd rather look dorky than, well, hit by a car...

I got a solid 20mi week in last week and I'm shooting for another one this week (as long as the pain in my leg lessens). Hopefully, I'll get in a couple of 25mi weeks and at least one 30mi week before the half.

Oh, and after that, I've got another half coming up on March 28th in New Bedford. So that one is 67 days away. Can't wait!

a week off never hurt anyone

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, friends! It has been a very busy time for me and I've got to be honest, I pushed training to the back burner. It's been 10 days since my last run. Doh!

I was asked to be involved with the Christmas Eve service drama here at church and with rehearsals (4) and services (5), time was short. Add to that working full time and having a really rough week at work...I just didn't get the miles in.

I figure, last spring while training for the marathon, I had to take an entire month off to heal my ITBand. I will be fine with having a week (okay, more than a week...) off while training for a half. Honestly, I feel like there's no distance less than a marathon I can't complete right now. I suppose running 26.2mi puts that idea in my head...

Well, not to worry, I will be back in action from now until Feb 28th when some friends and I will participate in the Hyannis Half Marathon! And just so I don't get lazy after that...I will also continue training to run the New Bedford Half Marathon on March 21st. :) I'm a glutton for half marathons, I tell you. I'm wondering how many I can run this year... Stay tuned.

long-needed update

I did it. I completed my marathon. I actually ran 26.2 miles. It's been over two months and there are still times when I think, did that really happen, did I actually do it?! But I know I did. I have the medal to prove it! Let me tell you a little bit about the experience.

Saturday, I went to the Expo. Picked up my packet, chip, shirt and bib. It was at this moment that it was real. I have to run this now...I have my number in my hand!! We didn't stay too long at the Expo as it was pretty overwhelming. I did pick up a reflective jacket to wear during the winter months. After the Expo, it was time to get off my feet (we had walked around at Navy Pier all morning) and relax for the rest of the evening. Instead of trying to find a restaurant in the city, my family and I ate at the one in our hotel. It was not crowded and very convenient. Thankfully, I was able to custom order pasta and chicken which was very tasty! After dinner I went up to my room, set out everything I would need in the morning, packed and got into bed. I had the lights off and was sleeping by 9:30! Oh, in order to fall asleep, I repeated to myself that tomorrow was nothing more than just a little race, a fun run, something I could do at home... Ha!

Sunday morning, the alarm went off at 4:15am. This was it. Today I was going to run a marathon. I got up, ate my bagel, drank my coffee and took a long hot shower to loosen up the muscles. Once I was ready to go my brother and I jogged over to my friends' hotel where we met up and headed to the starting line together. I thought that I would be nervous...but what I was feeling wasn't nerves at all, it was pure excitement. This was the most amazing, crazy thing I'd ever done! I could NOT WAIT for the gun to go off and to cross the starting line.

It was really cold at the start, 30deg. But once we were in the start corral getting warmed up, the clothes started flying, quite literally! The guy next to me tapped me on the shoulder and pointed forward. There was sweatshirts, pants, jackets, etc flying over heads of runners to the sidelines. Quite a sight! Another fun experience in the start corral: two women jumped in in front of me and on their back they had Phil 4:13 printed on their shirts, "I can do all things thru Him who strengthens me." It was just what I needed as the nerves had started to get to me!

Soon after we began the slow process to the starting line. To prevent too much congestion they kept us back a ways from the previous group. It was a bit frustrating as we just wanted to GO already!! Finally it was time to just run. And run, and run some more.

The first five or so miles were a blur. There were huge crowds cheering for us as we made our way thru the city. I'm telling you, it was the crowds that kept us going! They were great!!! I thoroughly enjoyed the first half...it was then that I started looking for my family and friend, Jennifer. My lips were super chapped at this point and I knew my mom would have some chapstick on her. Unfortunately, I did not see them! I was so disappointed. I nearly started crying...I needed to see them, needed the encouragement I knew they would have given. It turns out they were there! And they were close enough to touch me...and Jennifer screamed my name...and I never knew. I was so focused that I never heard them!

After the halfway, I was still enjoying myself. Mile 15-16, the crowds started to thin out. This is where the "Charity Row" was. All the charities that were represented had booths where their runners could stop and get some encouragement and energy drinks/gels. They were kind enough to be cheering us all on...which was great because, as I mentioned, the crowds were gone at this point. We were south of the city near the highways and business parks.

At mile 21 or so I started to really feel hurt and exhausted. My hips and knees were getting pretty stiff. But my brother was supposed to meet me at 21 and I was stoked to see him. We were going to run the last 5 together. Again, we missed each other. I never saw him and thought he forgot to come. Turns out he was waiting there for over an hour to try and spot me. Blast, foiled again. :(

As I said, I was starting to hurt...I stopped and stretched at this point hoping to loosen up a bit for the last 5 miles. It was rough going until about mile 23 or so. I knew that the end was in sight...only 3.2 miles away. I could do that in my sleep! The last 3mi the course went right up Michigan Ave, we were running straight for the Sears Tower. With the pure blue sky in the back ground, it was a beautiful sight. The crowds had returned and I was pumped to see the finish line.

At mile 26 we turned a corner and faced the largest incline on the course: 24ft. Not so bad, right? Well, try it after 26miles! Actually, it wasn't that bad and as soon as we got to the top we turned again and there was the FINISH line!!!!! Just .1mi away! I nearly lost it at this point but knew that I still needed to breath for that last tenth of a mile. As soon as I did cross the finish line, with my hand raised in grateful prayer that God was with me the whole way and enabled me to do this, I let the tears come. It is a remarkable accomplishment that I did this. I finished! I made my way thru the finishers corral, got my blanket and my medal, tearfully thanking the volunteers who put them on me. We were given bagels, pretzels, water, crackers, cookies and (my favorite) a delightful, hard earned beer. :) I was only able to stomach half of the beer and a few pretzels.

I began hobbling (yes, at this point my legs were toast!) over to the runner reunite area where I was to meet my friends and family, which was almost a whole mile away! Oh, and it was still very cold! It warmed up to about 44deg and with the sun it was a perfect day for running but afterwards it was COLD!! A foil blanket only retains so much heat. I finally found my friends and family and promptly began crying again. Hey, it's an emotional thing! We talked about the race, they told me how they had seen me but I hadn't seen them, we took some pictures, visited the finisher's tent and then decided it was time to get me warmed up and sitting down!

My parents and brother and I took a cab over to the hotel where the car was and after making it down 2 flights of stairs (just barely!) I hoisted myself into the car and we began the 3hr drive to Kalamazoo. It was so uncomfortable to sit for so long but it hurt more to walk around! Ha! We stopped at a rest area to use the facilities and it was all I could do to shuffle into the Ladies room. Another patron took one look at me and (from what I could tell) decided that I looked like I just got out of a drug rehab center or something. I was wearing slippers, pajama pants, my mothers winter jacket that is 4 sizes too big and a knit cap on my head. My mother says to the woman, "she just ran a marathon!" The lady grunted a "yeah, sure..." and left. It was rather amusing... :) At this point I was still shivering, I just could not get warm so a coffee was in order (I didn't care that it was rest stop coffee...I needed something!) and it did the trick to warm me up. The rest of the drive was uneventful...I still hadn't eaten much other than a banana and a bit more bagel. I was looking forward to going out to dinner and getting a giant cheeseburger!

And that's just what we did. I spent the next couple of days in Mich with the fam recovering (Advil works wonders on sore muscles!). By Tuesday I was able to get a couple miles in and once I returned home, I ran a few miles a week for about a month.

Earlier this December I decided I needed another race/challenge to motivate me to continue running. So I found one. A half marathon in Hyannis on Feb 28th. Cold and windy 13.1...sounds good to me! :) A couple of friends are doing it as well and I am so excited. It's good to have a goal again.

I also put my name in the lottery for the New York Marathon on Nov 7th, 2010. I'll find out in a month or so if I get in... It will be another marathon journey and another reason to keep this blog going. Thanks for joining me in my first journey...I hope you'll stick with me in my second!! (and third and fourth... ??!!)

a tough one, for sure

Well, friends, I completed the 25K. I think that was the toughest physical thing I've ever had to do. I knew going in that it was going to be taxing, it was advertised as having "16 crazy hills." Well, they weren't kidding. They were crazy and physically exhausting! The majority of hills were in the first half, which I'm actually thankful for, but my second half was slow and sloppy due to being so tired from the first half. Here's a play by play of the mileage:

Mile 1, felt great! enjoyed the scenery
Mile 2 the hills began in earnest.
Mile 3, up, down, up down
By mile 4, I was already thinking, "What in the world have I signed up for?! There is NO WAY I can finish this course."
Mile 5, "I only have to do THAT 2 more times...or, I could quit. No, I can't quit, I must do this..."
Mile 6, I ate my first snack, energy gummies. They are not as good as they may sound...more hills ensued.
Mile 7, I don't remember this mile...only know that it finally came to an end.
Mile 8, I got two glasses of Gatorade (they were only half full).
Mile 9, I began to really enjoy running along the ocean and thru downtown Rockport - didn't really enjoy the enormous hill coming out of the center of town...
Mile 10, more of the same. accepted a square of chocolate from a delightful older couple.
Mile 11, met a lady also training for Chicago. We chatted for about a mile. Her name was Susan.
Mile 12, I ate my GU.
Miles 13-15, more of the same again. I walked, not the whole thing but quite a bit. My hammies were KILLING me!
Mile 15-15.56, a steep hill, then only about .2mi to the finish.
The Finish!!! in 2:50:45 - 11min/miles. I got an oversized tech shirt (they ran out of my size, ended up with a large), a medal, and a hot dog. :)

*please note, my timing may be off...I maybe a little fuzzy on exact mileage. all events did, in fact, take place.*

Overall, looking back this was a lot of fun and a good experience. The course took us thru parts of Cape Ann that I remembered and also parts that I've never been before. I enjoyed seeing the Lobster Pot where I had dinner with some good friends. I enjoyed running thru Rockport and seeing all the tourists making the most of the last weekend of summer. I enjoyed unexpectedly running thru downtown Gloucester. I enjoyed having a couple friends at the finish line. I enjoyed thinking that I am more prepared for the Marathon now that I have this crazy course under my belt.

I've got a couple more long runs planned for the next two weeks. I can't believe The Marathon, the thing I've been running towards (pun intended...), the goal I've wanted to achieve for years, is only 32 days away. The butterflys in my stomach get bigger everyday...