Day 53 - 8 miles of sweat rings and lactation

Today's run was marginally better than yesterday's. My right shin still feels like it could snap with every step, but I think it feels a tad bit better. It's amazing what ibuprofen can do! I was only able to ice it twice today, but I kept my running shoes on and I didn't even notice the pain *most* of the day. I also started to get sharp, shooting pains/burning from my right toes around mile 6. It's like the pain makes it way down my legs and just settles in my toes for the remainder of the run. I really don't get it. I felt FINE during my long run on Saturday. Perhaps these are just after-effects? Who knows....but they have 19 days to vanish!!

I ran a new route today and it was loooong and boring. The head-on chilly wind didn't help a bit either. Guess it's time to start planning my routes according to the direction of the wind. You must remember, this is only my second winter running. I'm still figuring a lot of these things out! I wore the shirt that I had hoped to wear for M-day. I say "hoped" because it's a no-go right now! It fit fine. The color's great. But I look like I had lactated down the front of my shirt by the time I got home. I also had unsightly sweat rings in the crooks of my elbows, underarms, etc. If I can't find anything else, it will do.....but here's to hoping something better/more comfortable will be found!

Day 52 - Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad RUN

Okay, so maybe it wasn't that bad, but I knew it was going to be a bad run when I was woken up at 3:00am by thunder and couldn't go back to sleep until 4:00am, just to be woken back up at 5:00am by crying children. Add to that a "stride-breaking" pain that shot down my right shin upon the first step, chilly wind gusts, a near fall thanks to a fallen walnut and a dingo that acted like he'd never ran with me before and my "easy" 5-miler was less than enjoyable. I have no idea what's going on with my right leg. This is a pain I've never felt before. All my other "issues" and complaints thus far I've been able to work through. This is the first time it hurt so bad to run that I contemplated quitting. I really thought my shin bone might snap in half. The good news is that after 3 or 4 miles, the pain subsided (only to come back the second I took my shoes off and walked around barefoot). It was also my first run with my new insoles, and while my toes still hurt, it was manageable. So I iced my leg 3 times throughout the day and took some ibuprofen. The pain is much less noticeable when I wear my running shoes, so they've only come off to sleep! I wish I could say I wasn't worried about it, but obviously I am. I'm a worrier by nature and the marathon is in 3 weeks! Looks like I'll be taking my "rest" days seriously this week.

Day 50 & 51- Hip Hip Hooray...20 Miles DONE!!

Gosh, I have not been a good blogger this week! The good news is that there's not much to report. I did end up getting some insoles for my running shoes. After scouring the internet and coming home with a "burning" sensation in my toes after Thursday's 5-miler, a "diagnosis" of a neuroma was made. The knowledgeable guy at the running store got me fitted for a pair of insoles (with a 60-day money back guarantee). Of course, he advised me to NOT wear them for the 20-miler today, but I have been wearing them around casually and they definitely make a difference. That said, I completed today's 20-miler without much pain at all in my toes. Go figure.
As for the 20-miler today. I was really dreading it. I was anxious and nervous. Turns out it was all for not. Although it was rainy/drizzly/foggy/humid the whole time, it was all in all a great run. With our multiple stops (thank you Tim Hortons and McDonald's) and a couple of doozy-hills, it took us around 3:52. Not too bad for my first 20-miler (remember one year ago I couldn't even run 2 miles)! I stayed on track taking my GUs, carried my water and sipped consistently, and took 800 mg of ibuprofen at about mile 10. The multiple potty and water refill stops were just what my feet needed to keep going and finish the distance. Our poor feet got a bit beat up with the soggy socks and all. I've gotta say though, my SmartWools really did well. I think I'll have a couple of small blisters on the sides of my feet, but nothing bad. Our feet definitely looked like they had been submerged in a bath tub for 4 hours, by the time we got home.
The post-run ice bath was breath-taking as usual! My calves are pretty tight and my bum hurts. Nothing a steady stream of ibuprofen can't help! As much as I would like to do a 22-miler next week to give me more confidence....my mind has been set on 3 weeks of tapering. And as I found out last week, if my mind's not in it....the run will be bad!! So I finish this week with a weekly total of 40 miles. My biggest yet. Perhaps it's not as high as it could be, but according to my training plan/book, it's just enough. That's what I'm looking for. Just enough to get me across that finish line. And based on today's run and our past 3 long runs, I think I'll have enough steam in the engine to go 26.2. Hooray for tapering! Here's a few more pics from the morning.

The family greets us when we return:


Mommy....where have you been?


Our toes....

My heart and prayers go out to my friend, Devon and her children....

AddThis - Sharing http://www.kktv.com/home/headlines/60921702.html

Shared via AddThis

Days 48 & 49 - Blocked!

Tragedy of all tragedies...the hospital I work at decided to BLOCK blogger.com! I rely on work to get caught up on my emails, bloggy world and updating this blog! Add to that a home office remodel (on a whim) and I'm a bit behind. The good news is that there's really nothing to report. I did a slow 5-miler on Monday. Felt pretty good, besides the pain on the underside of my right toes. Tuesday I did 8 miles. I'm happy to report my shin pain *seems* to be gone (knock on wood). But dear God....the pain on the underside of my toes is ANNOYING. The weird thing is that the pain disappears as soon as I quit running. It has to be related to the biomechanics of running and/or my new shoes.

Another RANDOM event....the dingo and I were nearing the half-way mark of the 8-miler yesterday and he started getting sick. I slowed down to let him throw up and I notice a lady with a dog coming towards me. It's pretty dark at this time and she has a flashlight. As I get closer, I realize it's my BOSS. It was a bit awkard....but we were able to laugh about it today. Tomorrow will be my last run before our big one this weekend. 20 miles. After last weekend, I don't know what to expect....but all of our other long runs have gone well, so here's hoping that trend continues. Here's also hoping the humidity goes away!

Day 47 - Breakdown...

(I started writing this on Saturday....just now getting around to finishing it)
I've put off coming in here for hours now. Trying to process how and where the breakdown occurred. Did I go out too fast, was it too warm, did I not drink enough? The truth is...my mind (and heart) weren't there today. I gave in too easily. I gave in to the pain and I gave in to my weakness. Needless to say, I'm disappointed and now I have nothing but dread looking ahead to October 18th. Maybe I'm not cut out to run a marathon? Maybe my Dad was right....I haven't been running long enough (or had enough of a base) to start training for a marathon. Maybe that's why my legs and feet hate me so much. Maybe I needed this experience to make me stronger. To help me to rededicate myself to my training. To make me take better care of myself.
So here's how it all went down.....
Race time was 8:30am (3 hours LATER than we've been doing our long runs). Needless to say, my pre-run routine was messed up! BUT on the bright side, I had no tummy issues because of it! My sister picked me up a bit before 7:00am. We made our way to the base with plenty of time, parked and caught the bus to the starting line. It was in the low 50's at this time and pretty chilly! As we were arriving at the starting area, the marathoners were just starting out. Today, I was glad to not be going the full 26.2! We saw the F-16 Jets do their flyover and they were off! I got chills just thinking that in a month, that would be us! We hung out for the next hour and with a few minutes to spare, we made our way to the 9:10 pace group. I had no intention of maintaining that pace, but thought it was worth a shot. The mood was more serious (throughout the whole race, too) than in our first HM.
The opening ceremony for the half began, the jets did their flyover again and then we were off! It had warmed up a bit, as by 8:30 the sun was fully up. Right from the start, my belt/pouch began to ride up, DESPITE me taking advice from Heather at Run Faster Mommy, to pin it to keep it in place. Ugh, ugh, ugh. The first mile was nice and flat. Between mile 1-2 there was a decent-sized hill. All I could think about was my &*%$$#^ belt, though. I fiddled with it for the first 5 miles and when we stopped for a much needed pee break, I attempted to adjust it. Of course then I made it too tight. I felt pretty good at this point though, although we had been steadily going up a slight incline. Between mile 5 and 6 we hit another hill and I decided to take off the belt and just carry it. We averaged 9:08-9:23/mile the first 5 miles, according to Garmin (which I found out is a bit "off"). Around mile 6 was also the GU station. I took a Roctane GU about 30 minutes before the race, so this was my second GU of the day. Mile 6 was our slowest with the GU and hydration stations at 12:06/mile. From here on....it's pretty much a blur. It was hot and sunny, my calves hurt, my right toes began to feel like they were being pressed "up" and I just wasn't into it. Miles 7-10 we were running between 9:22 - 9:53/mile. Mile 8 had a long, drawn out incline (highway ramp). It was this point that I essentially just gave up. I gave in to the pain and had to walk. Miles 10.5-11.5 there were a handful of small hills, that just took it out of me. Our pace for those miles was 10:08-11:16/mile. I think I stopped at every single hydration station, just for the chance to slow down and take a break. Mile 11 we arrived back on base (to a heavy metal rock band). The end was near....but so far away! There were no more hills, but around mile 12 I needed another short walk break. I was hurting and tired and as I told my sister.....I didn't want to look like a "drowned rat" coming down the finish line straightaway! The last mile was essentially a big U-shape and there were spectators all along this part. I guess hubby thought I had dropped out of the race, because as we were coming down the backstretch to the finish line, he called me on my cell, wondering where I was. I searched and searched for them along the sidelines and finally found them! Braden had wanted to run with me, so hubby and the kids were stationed along the finish line straightaway, about 100 yards from the finish line. Braden held my hand as we ran to the finish line. He was so excited to run with me, but a bit disappointed when he didn't get a medal himself. I of course, gave him mine to wear! Our official time was 2:18:22. A slight PR from my first half.
We made our way through the finishers area. Braden loved all the food, water, chocolate milk, etc! I downed 2-3 bottles of water within minutes. I was apparently dehydrated, because I didn't end up peeing for 2 hours! I all in all, felt pretty good. My legs were tight and my feet hurt....but was else is new? We made our way back to hubby and Caroline and headed home for the day. I'm not going to lie. I was extremely disappointed with myself....not because of our finishing time, but because I couldn't push through the pain and fatigue. That said, the next morning in our newspaper, there was a follow up story about the runner who was recently killed while training for this race. I thought....how silly that I'm upset that I had to walk some of the race, when she didn't even get to the race! I should feel LUCKY that God gave me another day on this Earth with my family. Add to that the news that a friend/mother in my online parenting community lost her husband in Afghanistan and it gave me true perspective. Running is not the end all, be all.
So what did I learn:
1) I need to carry my own water with me. I hate having to anticipate the next hydration station.
2) I need to take my GUs every 45 minutes. I'm too drained if I don't!
3) I'm going to run with my iPod for the marathon. I was not in a chatty mood Saturday and I was just left with my own negative thoughts floating around my head. Distraction please!
4) I MUST figure out what is causing the pain on the underside of my toes. OUCH!
5) Spectators make a world of difference. With the race being held on an Air Force base, there were only TWO spectator spots.
6) I will not be disappointed with ANY finishing time for the marathon. I'm realizing it may take well over 5 hours....

So, here are some pics from the day:

Braden and Caroline with their race-day shirts


Waiting...waiting...waiting (Braden, Caroline and our friends' kids)


Our cheering squad is spoted


Braden running to the finish with us


Happy Family (I'm wearing the technical tee they gave us)

Day 46 - Expo!

So today was the eagerly awaited race expo....and I was sadly disappointed. This race isn't as big as the HM we did previously, and the expo showed it. I did get a Nathan Runner's Pak. It holds my cell phone and 6 or 7 GUs. Perfect (I hope)! I don't think I'm going to use it for this weekend's half....There's a GU station mid-way through and I think I will carry my own water for this race. It can hold an additional GU(s). I'm not quite sure about my GU strategy for this race. I'd like to stick with the every 45 minute routine that I've been following (hopefully training my belly too), but I probably don't need to re-fuel that often for such a "short" distance. Funny that 13.1 miles is now considered short!

As for my run this morning, the dingo and I set out on our 5 mile hilly route. I felt fine....the hills were a nice distraction from my aches and pains. My shins didn't hurt at all (and haven't all day). My feet are still adjusting to my shoes though. Our time was pretty good, considering I never stopped my watch once. Well, good for me!

Tonight I plan on making the kids and Daddy their race-day shirts. I've never done iron-on decals, so hopefully it won't be a huge disaster. The race shirt I got today is pretty nice. It's a short-sleeved technical tee in royal blue. Pictures to come, of course! Tomorrow night we're heading to our friends' house for a pasta buffet and carbo-loading. Should be fun! I really hope things go well on Saturday. The nice girl at the running store warned me that you can pysche yourself out for these "shorter" races. Kind of like when OSU is so busy preparing for Michigan that they overlook Northwestern (no offense, Gina). We'll see..... Hopefully I'll have a good race report on Saturday!