It Helps

I should be in the car, on my way to my first 1/2 marathon adventure but as you've read in my previous posts, after 2 weeks of debating, I decided to put it on hold.

It really sucks to come to that decision after the intense weeks of training and feeling fine throughout. I keep thinking, "Why couldn't all of this wait 2 weeks?" and "maybe if I would've just trained up to 10 or 11 miles, this wouldn't have happened," and "I wonder if people are going to think I'm a loser or a quitter?"

That last question seems to be bothering me the most. It's been answered many times over, by friends and family. Obviously no one is going to tell me, "Yeah, Amy, I think you should just go out there and try it even though you might have pain in your knee for 10 miles." Everyone has been so supportive and through all the comments, I think I'm going to be OK with it (except around 11am this morning - when all the other halfers are lined up and taking off). I think it's important for me to share some of the words that I've gotten - you need to know how supportive my family and friends are and I need a place where I can put all those comments (just in case I need to come back to reread them -like @ 11am this morning- when all the other halfers are lined up and taking off).

"Take care of your knee now so you can continue to run long term." - Jeremy

"It's just a learning experience. In a long running career there are bound to be injuries. Now you'll have your first 'missed race' under your belt and you can move on."  - Sue C.

"You also know now that you can do all the training and get to the point where you are ready for a [big] race."  - Sue C

"Sorry to hear about the 1/2 marathon - but just think, you already have so many miles under your belt this early in the year!! You can maintain those miles pretty well."  -Sarah

"It's kinda like you did all your chores but don't get to eat ice cream..... ie. you did all the training during the crappy weather but don't get to race."  -Mike 

"Welcome to the world of running!"  - Art

"No need to be embarrassed. You are going great with it. "  -Sandy

 

"I am so sorry!! But you know what?!.....welcome to running!! :) It happens, and you taking care of your body first means only one thing....you are officially a TRUE runner!! It is only a race!!!! There will be many more!!! ;)
The worst thing you can do is get caught up in the frustration and disappointment of it all. "All that work"...is not for nothing. You can still count all you have accomplished and take great pride in how far you have come.
It is SO much better to take care of your body, than to really cause damage and miss months of running. It is a little hiccup---and really, it is just a part of this sport you have come to love. I guarantee you won't find a runner out there that doesn't have a story of training for SOMETHING--only to sprain an ankle in the yard, get food poisoning or something equally ridiculous that ruins the big day. But you get better and you hit the road again. The good news is, Spring is right around the corner, and with it LOTS of opportunities to race!!"
-Amy

 

"So sorry!

That is just such a bummer, I know. Injuries are the worst. But, sometimes you need a layoff for whatever reason and you end up coming back even stronger. I hope that is the case!"

- Felice

"First of all, you are not a failure if you do not run race! Look at all you have done in the past year...failure is the last thing you are. It is just one race...there will be more! You know you are able to survive the training and you have run a half already...timed race or not! just see how you feel this week. If you have to walk more than you thought ...no big deal...if you just can't do it..no big deal. you don't want to mess yourself up for a longer time period if you push it too far!"   -Christa

So, of course in runner fashion, I'm thinking WHAT'S NEXT? When can I run again? I think I'm going to consult with PT and get on a 'rehab' track and in the mean time, just cross train like hell so I can maintain some level of fitness. Then it'll be back on the roads running all over the place and feeling good again.

So in 2 hours, when the halfers line up and I'm not there, I will be rereading this post because

IT HELPS!

Thanks xoxo

 



To Race or Not To Race - the question has been answered.......

Not to race - that is the answer.

:(



1/2 Marathon Training - Week 13 (Ah Man!)

I'm not too sure where to start this week. It's been a weird week. I'm totally off any sort of training schedule with pretty much no miles under my belt; I'm not tapering, just a lot of unexpected things popped up.

Last Sunday I ran 13.1 miles on the Ghost Town Trail and flared up my knee enough that I had to take some time off from running. Add to that a terrible cold and I haven't really had much of an opportunity to train. This weekend brought about more illnesses in the house.

So I'm not sure where I go from here. The 1/2 marathon, the one I've been training for so intensely for 12 weeks, is 5 days away and I'm not certain if I'll be able to run it.

I guess I just need to see what this week brings and if a 13.1 mile run isn't in the stars for me this coming weekend, it will be at some other time. I'm kinda bummed, but also cautiously optimistic........

Stay tuned.

1/2 Marathon Training - Week 11

Shame on me for posting this so late. This week has proven to be a challenge with a hurting knee and a nasty cold (no....it can't be happening now! It all needs to wait a couple of weeks).

Monday: Rest day BIG TIME -that 12 miler proved to be a bigger challenge than I was expecting

Tuesday: Run 3.01 miles in 29:00

Wednesday: Walk on treadmill for 20:00 and gliding eliptical for 20:00

Thursday: Run ~ 8.2 miles around Loretto - I had to estimate my mileage based on time

Friday: Walk 50:00 minutes

Saturday: Rest day

Sunday: Run 13.1 miles with my good buddy Amy F. I did it, I ran a 1/2 marathon - woot! woot! (that's what all the cool college students always write in their emails when they're excited about something:)

TOTAL MILES: 24.4 + all the other things I did.

This was my survival pile of stuff that I laid out prior to my long run (somehow I knew I'd need this stuff): water, Ibuprofen, ice pack, knee wrap, banana, snacks!

The water and Ibuprofen turned out to be what I needed most :( 

Me and my friend, Amy F. She is an amazing woman - a mom of 4 young girls, a marathoner, a motivator, just an all-around awesome person. Thank God for her - I called her, she immediately said "yes" to a long run, and kept me going the entire 13 miles.



1/2 Marathon Training - Week 10

Wow! What a week. I went from 'not really feeling it' and 'wanting to change it up a bit' to PDR (personal distance record). I guess the 'wanting to change it up a bit' was exactly what I needed for my successful end-of-the-week LR (long run).

Sometimes it's still hard for me to believe that 1 year ago I couldn't run more than a mile or so without feeling like I was going to die. This is all coming so full circle and on April 2 rolls around, I just hope I'm not too emotional to keep my focus. The synchronicity of it all is amazing - I started running April 2, 2010 and now I'm running a 1/2 marathon on April 2, 2011! Yay!

As I write this, I'm sitting at home. On a Monday. Not at work. I was in much need of some extra zzzzz's and some heavy-duty stretching (i.e. babying my legs) - here's why:

Monday - Run 2.0 miles in 19:09 (Mondays are 10-hour days @ work during March, so I was just looking to squeeze in whatever I could)

Tuesday - Run 4.0 miles in 36:17

Wednesday - 1.86 miles on the elliptical in 20:00 + 20:00 of arms/legs/abs circuit training

Thursday - Run 4.0 miles in 37:18 + 11:00 on the Bike + 11:41 on the gliding elliptical/stair thingie. This was the day that I was craving some other sort of activity - still got my run in, but the bike and gliding elliptical thingie provided that extra diversion I was looking for!

Friday - Walked 2.74 miles on the treadmill - this was my 'just not feeling it today' day.

Saturday - Run 2.0 miles in 19:09 OUTSIDE. The weather is finally breaking! I need to be out in nature. It was also exactly what I needed given my attitude all week toward training .

Sunday - Run 12.0 (yep, 12, not 1.2) in 1:58:40. I almost peed typing this! I was not feeling that big of a run when I hit the gym, but it turned out that way. Yes, it was on the treadmill, but I figure if my mind can endure almost 2 hours on the treadmill, that's good training! AND, I still kept it under a 10 min/mile (avg was 9:53min/mile - I'll take it).

TOTAL MILES Run: 24.0 + all the other 'miles' generated in other ways!

Yay!

Reflections:

* Got a 1st-hand anatomy lesson as I discovered exactly where my IT (iliotibial) bands are -ouchy. My knees started aching through the night last night and by morning the pain, esp in my right knee, practically brought me to tears. Hence, my semi-sick day today. I've been RICEing all day today and feel some relief - so glad it's just overuse and not an injury.

* Obviously change is good sometimes and I learned to just listen to my body - more running doesn't make me a better runner, necessarily. Sometimes I just need to change it up!

Looking ahead:

*Trying to recruit my friend to go on my LR with me this weekend.

*My LR this week will be my longest, after this, I start to taper. Wow! I never thought I'd actually be using a big word like 'taper.'

Here we go into week 11!

OUTSIDE

Man! The smell of fresh air (burning my lungs), the blinding sun, the killer effort needed to get up those hills, jumping puddles. All this must mean 1 thing - FINALLY, and OUTSIDE RUN! Yay! Just what I needed to revive me during this training :)

1/2 is just 3 weeks away!

1/2 Marathon Training - Week 9 (can't believe it)

Wow - reality check....When I made up my training guide, it seems like Week 9 was so far away, but here we are!



Monday -         Run 6.39 miles in 60:00 minutes

Tuesday -         MASSAGE :) highlight of the week

Wednesday -    Run 6.4 miles in 60:00 minutes

Thursday -        Run 2.0 miles in 18:20 + 3.0 miles on the elliptical in 30:08 minutes

Friday -            Run 10.01 miles in 1:35:30 (that's a 9:32 pace for 10 miles - score!)

Saturday -        Rest

Sunday -          Rest

TOTAL MILES: 24.80 (+ the 3 miles on the elliptical)

Reflections:

* I didn't plan on my long run being 10 miles, but it was, and that makes me happy!

* I didn't plan on 2 rest days, but there were, and that doesn't make me so happy...

* It was a great week overall and I feel stronger on every run! It's also been a great weekend and the reason I took 2 rest days this weekend is #1 - baby shower for my best friend! and #2 a visit to our friends that we haven't seen since last summer -both events well worth 2 rest days :) Friends - love them - I promise, spending the quality time with them will motivate me far beyond a couple of extra miles on the treadmill :)

* No outside running this week like I had hoped.....

* I don't think I realized how much time I'd have to invest into training for this race - wow! I can't imagine people who run marathons. Don't get me wrong, it's a wise time investment and I am excited to put it all in to action in a few weeks. This month is going to be busier @ work too, so I'm being double whammied.

Looking ahead:

* This is my "B" week, meaning most runs will be short with a bigger long run @ week's end!

* 26 days till the race - probably going to book our hotel room this week and start to look at more of the logistical stuff for race day (clothing, music, fuel, etc).

Enjoy some photos of my Assistant Baker! We were making healthy banana bread muffins!

Whole wheat flour

Baking soda

Flax seeds

Apple sauce

Egg whites

Bananas

Raisins

Cinnamon (of course)