Weekend Recap

I had a lovely weekend.   I didn't want it to end, actually.  I've been thinking lately that it would be a really great plan to make the work week 4 days and the weekend 3.  Who's with me?! 

I started out Saturday morning by making myself a peanut butter, banana, and honey wrap.  I didn't want the bulk of bread weighing me down when I headed out for my long WALK, so I used a whole wheat "homemade" tortilla from H.E.B.  It was perfect.

I opted not to carry water with me for my WALK because I wasn't planning on doing a whole lot of miles and because I truly do hate carrying anything more than I need with me.  I did pop a Powerade Zero in the mailbox so that I could stop on by the house without actually going in the house to hydrate. 

I decided to count the change I came across as I've noticed a lot of coinage lately on the ground.  I found a penny, but no...I didn't pick it up.  Then I happened across a dollar bill.  Eureka!  I surely did pick that puppy up (but only after looking around me to make sure nobody was watching as if I was doing something wrong).  Later I happened across another penny.  So, the dollar made my long WALK profitable, I'd say!

this is a dramatic reenactment since I didn't have my camera with me at the time of discovery


Around mile 3, I returned to the ol' mailbox for a drink.  I then continued on my merry way.  My left knee started giving me a bit of trouble - complaining, I guess you could say.  It was kinda popping a little bit here and there as I rounded corners.  I made it back to the house around 5.5 miles and decided I should ice it.  Good thing I did, too, as there was definitely a bit of fluid in there.  =/


We didn't have family lunch this weekend because my dad was flying in from San Fran later in the afternoon and we didn't want him to feel left out.  I did, however, go with my mom to IHOP for a second breakfast of sorts.  Hey...when you burn 800 calories so early in the day, you get HUNGRY!
 

After IHOP, I hung out with my mom for a while, then we ran errands, then picked up my dad from the airport and went to BJs for a late lunch. 

I dropped them off at home and then headed to my own place to chill with my doggies until it was dinner time.

I had purchased a Groupon a few weeks ago for The Brownstone Cafe and my friend Kim and I decided we needed one of our infamous KNOs (Kim Nights Out - it originated when we were in college together).  We had a most wonderful time enjoying our respective meals, catching up on our respective lives, and sharing a Nutella crepe for dessert.  Since we all know I'm terrible about remembering to take pics, this is one I found on Google that closely resembles the deliciousness that melted in my mouth!

source here

 


Sunday, I decided to not set my alarm.  The dogs woke me up at 6:56am because they were STARVING.  I swear you would think I never feed them.  Shortly after they ate, Penelope decided to put herself back to bed (she never leaves my side, so this was weird).  Delilah and I decided to join her and we slept for another 3 hours.  Bliss.

My parents and I then went to see The Help.  I loved it, though I wish there were a few things they had included in the movie that I thought were pivotal parts of the storyline.  I then went back to their house to enjoy the new puppies as older sister Cathy and brother-in-law Jay brought them by for the afternoon.  Later younger sister Linda and brother-in-law Craig joined us and we had a wonderful family feast!

I tracked my food all weekend long, I started reading a new book (The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers) that is quite good, I hung out with some of my fave peeps, and I rested up.

 

Now let's just get to another weekend, shall we?! 

if at first I don't succeed, GET BACK ON THE WAGON!

How many times have I gotten off track on my diet plan in the past 6 months?  How many times have I had to regroup, recommit, refocus, and all that jazz?  Does it matter?  Point is, I've gotten back on the wagon.

I, like so many other peeps I know (specifically of the female gender) emotionally eat.  When I'm upset, I eat to soothe my soul.  When I'm happy, I eat in celebration.  When I'm mad, I eat to calm my inner beast.  When I'm sick or hurt, I eat to ease my pain.  There is always an excuse, it seems.

I was stressed out over the whole car purchasing thing.

Finally getting into a relationship after a year of not even dating caused me some anxiety as you can't be a 34 year old woman without some emotional baggage from past relationships that creeps in the back of your mind when getting involved in new relationships.

Work pretty much always has me in one tizzy or another.

The pain in my side held me back for almost a week.

Being sick for the past week and a half has put a dent in my training plan for my upcoming two back-to-back half marathons.  My lungs are still not where they need to be, so I haven't been able to run.  I can walk, though, so I have had to reconfigure my plan.  More on this in another post.

My point - if at first I don't succeed - I just need to GET BACK ON THE WAGON until I get it right once and for all!

I'm so sick and tired of trying again.  I know I can be successful - I've proven that.  Remember this girl:

She was me not so long ago.

I know I'm not where I want to be, though, and the only way to get there is to commit to the process - mind, body, and spirit.  I need to stay focused.  I need to remain loyal to my food plan AND combine that with an exercise (cross training) program along with my running schedule to get me to my goal.

I can do it!  I will do it!

a pain in my side

I had the worst night's sleep EVER Sunday night.  Well...I've had other sleepless/restless nights, but I guess when it's the most current one that is so fresh on the brain it seems like the "worst one EVER". 

I got home (mind you that "home" means my parent's house this week) from a date around 11pm.  I would have felt awfully guilty forcing the dogs to go to bed right away considering they were just sleeping prior to my homecoming, so I let them frolick and play for a bit before calling it a night.  We probably hit the hay just after midnight and then enter tossing and turning from stage left.  First of all, the dogs had to do their territorial bickering over who got to be the closest to me.  You would think this would give me the warm fuzzies, but really it just made me angry.  I was at the point where I would have just preferred one of them pee on me to claim me as their own so we could call it a night - honestly.  Sheesh.  Finally we were positioned just right so that THEY were comfortable.  I was not, but in all fairness it had nothing to do with them.  More on that in just a bit.  Then, Penelope woke me around 3:45am having to go to the bathroom, so all dogs went outside.  Dear sweet loveable Penelope woke me again at 4:15am to go to the bathroom AGAIN, so all dogs went outside.  Me thinks Penelope was having some issues.  I finally fell back asleep just to be awakened at 5:08am by one of my employees.  No worries - he was thoroughly yelled at.  Apparently the two of us have differing opinions about what constitutes an emergency.  I assure you...the reason behind his call was not one.  I gave up any and all hope for sleep and started my day.

For the past few days I've been harboring a secret pain.  My right side hurts -  more specifically it's my rib cage area.  It's not debilitating or anything remotely along those dramatic lines.  It mostly only hurts when I turn to the right, cough, breath out deeply, or touch it.  It still isn't normal and so I've been kind of worried.  Crazy thoughts have been filling my overactive imagination - liver issues?  gall bladder?  appendix?  lungs?  I had no idea what to make of it.  I decided to be a big girl yesterday and go to the doctor.

She wanted to rule out obvious big ticket items, so she ran a few tests and took some chest x-rays.  Everything came back as normal.  Based on me telling her of my side stitches as of late with my running - specifically with the half marathon and based on the fact that I've been really working on the use of my arm swing during my runs, my doctor has determined that it's a muscle strain with delayed muscle soreness.  I was prescribed an anti-inflammatory, a muscle relaxer, and rest.  So much for my PR hopes on Saturday...rar.

On a side note - the muscle relaxer's instructions say to take it 3x a day.  Who could possibly take a muscle relaxer while working and still manage to be fuctional?  Surely not I.  Last night it was totally like this:

Muscle Relaxer 1
Kimpossible 0

I crashed turbo fast after taking my pill.  I will say that I do feel better already, so I hope this is an indication of healing and I will be back in the swing of things in no time!

little victories

Yo, what's up buttercups?

I've just been struggling with my long runs across the board.  for reals.

My week day runs go down like a smooth piece of Milka chocolate (flashback to my college month-long European trip and a slight obsession I may or may not have had with that particular brand).  Well, that is if you consider listening to me plodding along huffing and puffing as smooth.  I guess my point is that I git 'm done.

My long runs...er....that's a whole different story.  I seem to ALWAYS get a ridiculously late start and I seem to lack direction - not in the sense of which way to go, but rather how do I go about handling this business.  Let me explain.  First and foremost, understand that I'm an over-thinker.  I prefer (apparently) to burn my calories by way of worrying and fretting and stressing as opposed to actually just doing CLEARLY.  Why else would I get myself into such a tizzy over that which will work itself out?!

I hate intervals.  I feel like it takes a lot of effort to start and stop and then start and stop and....oh you get the idea.  I feel like once you get the momentum going, it's best to just go with it.  That being said, some days I just don't have it in me...every 1/4 of a mile seems like an eternity of trudging through thigh-high mud.  I seem to be faster with the intervals because that little walk break rejuvenates me for the running intervals, but that being said, running without intervals builds my endurance.

I have my first race this weekend - the Chick-fil-A 5K - and I know I have zero shot of getting a PR if I run the mileage without intervals / walk breaks.  I also know that if I run the mileage without intervals, it will be my first 5K to do this and that, in itself, is an accomplishment.

Tonight, I set out to do 3 miles (sans intervals).  I could tell it was going to be a slow mileage day.  For some reason, I was just not moving at my usual speed (which is also quite slow, but this was SLOW, if you catch my drift).  I actually felt okay, though.  I attribute this to the fact that I made a decision to NOT run the cul-de-sacs anymore.  All this time, I've been running every cul-de-sac I encounter to "add" to the neighborhood mileage so that I don't have to create new routes or run loops.  I decided cul-de-sacs are hard on my body and so they were removed from my routing.  For the first time in a long time, I felt like I actually got my breathing somewhat under control (maybe because I was going so slow?).  I ended up doing 4.25 miles.  This is my longest week day run EVER (even before injury).  It is also my longest run without intervals post-injury.

For now, I choose to celebrate the little victories, so yay to 4.25 miles without intervals ON A WEEKNIGHT, no less!

And while we are at it...what shall we celebrate for you?

Happy February!

Happy February to you.

I'm trying to be in better spirits about February than I was about January, so bear with me here while I work my way through it.  One of my many issues right now is loneliness, so February bringing ol' V-day isn't going to help that, but whatever. 

So, on Sunday I went out to watch the Houston Chevron Marathon.  My friend Melissa was running her very first.  I was supposed to be running this race, but the ol' pelvic stress fracture took that opportunity away from me.  I wasn't really so sad about that when I took note of the weather that day.  The temperature was between 68 to 72 degrees and it was quite humid and drizzling most of the day.  I felt sorry for the runners and was quite thankful that it wasn't my first marathon.  Now, watch it be identical conditions next year when I embark upon my "adventure".  Oye.  Our first stop was Mile 6.  It was pretty cool because we got there so early that we were able to watch all the gazelles elites run by.  They are truly amazing!  I kept my eye out in the crowd for some familiar faces I knew were running the races - most specifically That Pink Girl, but alas...I sadly never did see her.  =(  I did cheer my heart out for all the runners.  As a runner myself, I know it means the world to me to hear people cheer.  It doesn't matter if you know them or not.  One dude told me he loved me.  I figured that meant we were dating and if I saw him again at a later mile marker perhaps we would become engaged, but no such luck.  I became hoarse from shouting my encouragements throughout the day.  We made it to miles 11, 15, 19, 23, and then to the George R. Brown Convention Center to congratulate Melissa.  She did great!  We were sooo proud of her!  I would also like to mention that we did see one guy running the race who wore a blue t-shirt that read "from 426 lbs to 26.2 miles".  Though I don't know who this guy is - he brought tears to my eyes.  Not only had he conquered one remarkable feat, but he had conquered two!  So very inspiring!

The marathon got me thinking about my plans for improving my running and achieving my goals.  I told myself that it's time to stop the pity party and time to start conquering my demons!  Tuesday morning, I got up at 4:30am and went out for a run.  It was 68 degrees and ridiculously humid.  A few hours later, it was 38 degrees.  What is going on Houston?!  Sheesh!  Last night I went out to run my coldest run EVER - it was 29 degrees (20 with the wind chill).  I managed 2.75 miles.  Post run, my house felt like an inferno compared to the chilly outdoors. 

In other news, I booked my vacation yesterday.  Uber excited about this.  Since I'm going out to Los Angeles to run the Orange County Half Marathon on May 1st, I thought I should incorporate that into my vacation.  It's really cool that I don't have to run this race alone.  A friend / co-worker of mine from NJ is coming out to Cali with her husband (also a co-worker of  mine) to visit their son and daughter-in-law who live in the same area where my brother and sister-in-law live.  This will be her first half marathon, though she is quite the runner! I'm heading out on Saturday, April 30th, and I will stay out there until Wednesday, May 4th.  On the 4th, I will head out to Greenville, SC to visit one of my best friends and her husband.  I haven't seen them since October '09.  I will stay with them until the 8th when I will arrive back in Houston JUST in time to celebrate Mother's Day with my family!  This means the mini triathlon I was going to do on May 8th is out.  I'm okay with that, though.  I think I really would rather focus on running this year and then I can consider a tri next year.

I also did more race shopping - one of my favorite things to do.  I discovered the Hippity Rock Half Marathon in Cypress, TX (VERY local) on April 23rd.  Do the math, my friends - this is 8 days before my Orange County Half Marathon.  Call me cRaZy, but I decided to take the plunge and register for it...I really want to be comfortable with the half marathon distance so that the marathon won't be quite so daunting for me.  I also found the See Jane Run Half Marathon in Austin on October 9th.  This is an all women's half.  I'm about 90% sure I'll be doing this one, as well.  Their slogan is "i run for champagne and chocolate."  How much do I love that?!

Well there you have it - you can tell, I'm sure, that now I'm all kinds of excited about what is in store for me running-wise, so my body better be in agreement!  =D

a little venting is good for the soul

Some chick calls me from the hospital where I had that fateful bone scan that pronounced my pelvis to be unfit for running.  Well...correction...she apparently called my mom and dad's house and left a message.  My mother mistakenly thought she was calling for my father and gave my father the number to call the chickadee back.  After waiting for 100 years, he finally spoke to her just to find out she wasn't calling for him, but rather me.  Oh yeah...they had my parent's number on file for me.  nice.  I haven't lived with my parents since a brief 2 month stint between graduating college and getting my own apartment.  They had this particular number for me, however, as a result of my two knee surgeries that were performed on their premises some 16 and 11 years ago, respectively.

She informed me that I owe the hospital $237.38 and wants to know how I would like to pay that.  WHAT?  Wait just a minute.  Why do I owe money?  She explains that I only paid some of the cost of what I owed.  Um...I paid what you people told me I owed at the time of the procedure.  If it was more than that, you should have said so.  I don't really understand.  Furthermore, I feel like I'm under attack by some Guido.  Dude - send a bill like a normal person so I have a chance to look it over and figure out what's going on.  Don't expect me to blindly pay you to get you off my back. 

I'm still confused as to how they came up with the random dollar figure I paid at the time of the procedure - $639.08.  I know we have some weird deductible thing going on at my work, but still.  Anyway, I'm in the process of straightening the whole thing out.  Here's what I do know...if I do owe any additional money, it's no more than $110.91.  It's possible I don't owe anything at all or that I'm owed some money back, too.  Confusing?  You betcha! 

Anyway...don't treat me like I'm some slouch who doesn't pay her bills and make sure you have my information correct in the system.  How is it possible that you spent 15 minutes with me having me fill out paperwork before my procedure, that you accepted payment from me, performed a procedure on me, and  accessed my insurance information, yet you don't have my correct/current address and phone number?  I bet they did send a paper bill TO MY PARENT'S OLD ADDRESS - the house I grew up in.  lame.

Okay, done venting.

whack-a-doodle doo

I had a whackadoo idea when I woke up this morning.  shocker.  I know so many people who are venturing into the C25K land with this new year and/or who started it last year.  Somehow/someway when I started my so called running thing last January, I had never heard of such a thing.  By the time my Meliska bamboozled  me into running my first 5K later that month, well I guess it just seemed silly to "backtrack" by doing a program designed to get me prepared for my first 5K that I had already run.

I also started thinking about how I went from doing my 3/1 interval method (February to April) to my 4/1 intervals (April to August) and then to straight-out running (September to current).  I'm kind of all or nothing like that, I suppose.  There was no other gradual progression put into place.  It was like BAM! take that body!  Now I seem to just be struggling to get back into the groove post injury.  I think it's because I want to be able to resume where I left off - not in distance, per say, but in my ability to rock the mileage outright (sans intervals).  I'm not so certain I'm being fair to my body.  In a lot of ways I'm starting over from scratch here.

My Rock 'n' Roll Dallas Half Marathon is in a little over 9 weeks.  My Orange County Half Marathon is in a little over 14 weeks.  I'm not concerned with finishing either of these races in their time limits (4 hours and 3 1/2 hours, respectively), but what I am concerned with is finishing them with my head held high knowing I put forth my best effort.  I don't feel like I've been giving running my best effort in the past week.  I feel like I've been discouraged and so I've just not run.

Well, my friends...there's a new attitude in town - she just arrived today (oh dear - I hope it's a new attitude and not another personality indicative of some kind of personality disorder).  So this leads me to my whackadoo idea.  I'm going to do the C25K, but in fast forward.  This means instead of doing 3 workouts a week for 9 weeks to complete the program, I'm going to do 5 to 6 workouts a week to complete the program in 5 to 6 weeks.  This will be in addition to my long Saturday or Sunday run. 

Now don't be getting any crazy ideas that I will be overworking my pelvis.  I will still be cross-training one day a week with a 24-Hour Fitness class and keep in mind this C25K program incorporates a lot of walking intermixed with the running.  If I feel any pain at any given moment - everything comes to a SCREECHING HALT! 

Oh...I'm also wondering if this C25K program will help increase my speed.  I know I've mentioned it before (perhaps on SEVERAL occasions) that I was faster when I incorporated intervals into the mix than when I nixed them.  Perhaps by taking it back a bit and working through the transitions of intervals to straight running, I will learn how to maintain my speed.  By the way, I do use the term speed very lightly since we all know I'm a special kind of turtle!  =D

So, what do you think?  Whackadoo?  I'm starting tomorrow morning!

In case you are wondering - here is the program in a written out format.  I know I can get an application for my phone, but I don't want to carry my phone with me, so I'm going to set my Garmin for each workout to keep me on program.

some things never change

Guess what, guys?  I still hate the first mile!  Do you hear me???  I HATE the first mile!  Do you know what that means?  I ran my first mile...and then...I ran a second mile!  Yep.  2 miles were on the schedule and I was bound and determined to do exactly what the schedule mandated (well as long as I could do so without pain).

I have had a problem lately with feeling chilled ALL THE TIME.  It's not even cold here.  People in the Midwest and on the East Coast would laugh at my ridiculousness.  I was not sure how to handle running in this weather.  Also, I have started having major anxiety about getting hit by a car while running.  I know how to properly gear up to best prepare for avoidance of such things, but still...  Furthermore, I was just plain sCaReD to actually get my booty out there and run after all this time wondering if I was truly healed.

I went to Target during lunch and bought a couple of light weight long sleeved shirts that had some reflective stitching on them.  I came home from work and charged my iPod and my Garmin.  I geared up, stretched, walked outside, said a little prayer, and hit the streets.  It was very important to me to be able to run the full 2 miles without stopping.  I did it.  It was slow...proof that I'm still a special kind of turtle...but I did it!  Too bad my calcified pelvis didn't bring me some magic super speediness, huh?

I'm a little coughy...apparently my lungs weren't used to working.  Time should fix that, right?!

Hopefully I wake up tomorrow with all my body parts feeling as they should!

Tomorrow is cross-training.

and she shall run free...FINALLY

After 10 whole weeks of being benched, I can finally be proud of my pelvis for healing up so nicely.  I had a follow-up visit with my orthopedic doctor today.  Have I mentioned how great he has been?  Sure, I had to wait an hour in the waiting room for him, but I didn't mind...not really...maybe it had something to do with Angry Birds keeping me occupied, but alas...I digress.  He really takes that time to talk to you...to listen.  I like that.

So, he had mentioned during our last visit that upon my return he wanted to take x-rays.  This confused me since my stress fracture did not show up on the x-rays we took 8 weeks ago.  He explained that the injury was too new at that point and that he should see that the bone has calcified in the new x-rays.  Hmmm...interesting.  So, I took x-rays and it was soooo cool to see my calcified former stress fracture.

I was told to take it slow and easy and to stop if I feel any pain or discomfort at all.  He said to make sure I'm incorporating cross training into my schedule and to avoid hills for the time being.  I asked if I needed to start out on that horrible awful treadmill and much to my delight he said it wouldn't be necessary.

So, I have 11 weeks to prepare for my next half marathon - Dallas Rock 'n' Roll on March 27th.  I've created a schedule based on Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training guide, but modified to fit my needs.  I'm excited, but kind of a little scared to get started.

Oh and another thing...since I've last run, some cRaZy things have happened.  The time has changed.  The weather has changed.  It is now dark in the morning before work and it is now dark in the evening when I get home.  Even though it has been in the 60s and 70s the past week or so, the air is damp and I find myself being so chilled.  However am I going to deal with the really cold temperatures we get?!  It's all going to be one big adjustment, but I can do it!

So, Saturday's big huge "long" run is going to be a 3-miler.  Sounds rough, huh?!  ;)  Don't laugh, but it probably will be for me since it has been 10 weeks since this girl has run and over a month since I've worked out.  When the doc said REST IT to HEAL IT, I did just that!  So, cheers to a new season of running - hopefully this one will be injury free and worry free so that I can run free!

2010 Race Review

I've decided to follow in the footsteps of my friends and fellow bloggers, Lauren and That Pink Girl and take a look at my year in races.

2010 marked my adventures in running.  Adventures...they were.  I ran four 5Ks, one 10K, and two half marathons.  I suffered through two injuries in the process - hip tendonitis for 4 months and then most recently my pelvic stress fracture.  I also started the tradition of blogging about my finishing song with each and every race!

Let's take a look, shall we?

On January 31st, I ran my very first 5K, The Rocket's Run (cuz Meliska made encouraged me).  This was an amazing experience!  I remember starting off the race (in the ridiculous cold, by the way) wondering what I had gotten myself into.  How was I going to run 3.1 miles???  I never saw the 2nd mile marker, so I was sure I was off track and I wanted to stop and cry a few times, but I didn't.  I kept on trucking a long.  As I entered into the Toyota Center for the last tenth of a mile, the cheer teams were lined up and I got all teary eyed with my accomplishment.  I knew then that I had come a long way.  I knew then that I was truly on the right path.  My heart was filled with such pride.  I ran across the Rocket's court - past the finish line and looked up into the stands for my friends, Meliska and Lauren.  I love this picture because I look dead.  ha!  I had a goal of 48 minutes (cuz I'm a special kind of turtle) and surprised myself by finishing in 44:15.  I then understood the term "runner's high".  Consequently, I think the hip tendonitis started with this race as a result of not knowing to alternate sides of the street to even out the wear and tear of the unevenness of the pavement on my body.  Ahhh...the things you learn AFTER you need the information!  Finishing Song:  Single Ladies (Beyonce)

On February 27th, I ran my 2nd 5K, The Rodeo Run.  This was NOT my favorite run.  I learned some important lessons with this race, however.  I learned it is best to not overdress for a race (I overheated).  I learned I need my music to run (left mine at home).  I learned not to start off too fast (ran my first mile in 12 minutes and I'm so not a 12 minute mile girl).  This race was not time chipped for the 5Kers - which, by the way, is lame, so I don't have an official time.  I do know that it was definitely higher than my Rocket's Run time.  I did enjoy racing with my friends Meliska (turned out to be her last race because she was preggers with Liam), Greggy-D, Lauren, Rodney, and Meliska's parents!  Finishing Song:  none  =(

On March 13th, I ran my first 10K, Bayou City Classic.  I loved this race.  I did this one with my younger sister, Linda, and our friend Melissa (not the preggers one).  Lauren and her sister also ran it, but I never did see them.  =(  It was very nicely organized race and perfect running weather.  I remained strong and steady during this race despite the tendonitis giving me a lot of trouble on the second leg of this race - I was proud of my 1:26:38 finish.  Here's a picture of Linda and I sporting our t-shirts later that day.  Finishing Song:  Pocketful of Sunshine (Natasha Bedingfield)

On April 10th, I ran the Tomball Bunny Run with Lauren and Rodney.  They had run this race the year before and loved it.  I have to admit it was so nice to participate in a local race for a change!  This was not time chipped, BUT I had received my Garmin for my birthday, so this was the first race I was able to run wearing it.  I also successfully incorporated 4/1s to my race (versus the 3/1s I had done previously) which lead me to a PR of 39:40.  What made this especially exciting was that I had set a goal to beat 40 minutes and I accomplished that goal with sheer determination and hard work!  I like my look in this picture - it's totally all retro 70s with my sweatband and 'fro!  Finishing Song:  I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor)

I then took a race hiatus for a few months while I trained for my first half marathon - the Chicago Rock 'n' Roll Half which was on August 1st.  My friend Bobbi Jo came to Chicago and ran this race with me.  We stayed downtown with my grandmother the night before the race.  My two double cousins, Danielle and Nicole joined us, as did cousin Courtney from New Albany, Ohio.  My aunt, Danielle, Nicole, and Courtney were an awesome support crew chasing us around the race with drinks!  I did pretty well the first half of the race with my 4/1s, but then the charlie horses attacked me and I speed walked the second half of the race.  I ended up being a bit disappointed with my 3:24:39 finish since I knew I was capable of better.  My body and pride were sore, but I picked up the pieces and returned to Houston to begin marathon training with my running group.  Finishing Song:  Low (Flo Rida)

On September 11th, I ran the Bearkat Bash.  This was a great race of irony for me as I hated running the mile in high school - it was a source of embarrassment, frustration, and stress for me so many years ago and here I was willing to pay money to run 3 times that ON PURPOSE.  My how times had changed!  The thing was that my running group was scheduled to run 7 miles that day, so my coach had wanted us to run before the race, so I ran 3 miles - some at the park and then I ran to the race with just enough time to rush to the bathroom and then start the race.  I must have been slightly dehydrated because after the second mile, I had some issues with charlie horses AGAIN and this caused me to have to walk most of the 3rd mile.  This sucked because I had run the first 5 miles of my day.  My time was terrible at 47:40.  I felt horrible.  I would have rather run this 5K and then run another 3 or 4 miles afterwards to save face on my time than have performed how I did.  On the positive side, though, Lauren and her sister, Sarah, participated in this race, as well, so it was nice to familiar friendly faces when I was feeling LOW.  Finishing Song:  Mr. A-Z (Jason Mraz)

On October 24th, I ran the Houston Half with my friend Melissa (it was her first half marathon)  This race was a bit daunting for me as it had a 3 hour time limit and I knew I would be pushing it.  My goal was to run the entire distance outright (as I had long ago dropped my run/walk method) and just walk through the water stations and/or when my siblings passed me off G2.  Around mile 3, I started hurting.  I thought it was my hamstring.  Somewhere between mile 3 and mile 4, I saw my siblings and their spouses - they were awesome, by the way - and they passed me off a drink and I told them the "hills" (meaning entrance ramps) were killing me.  I proceeded to run the race, but something was wrong.  There was one turn-around in the race, but before I could get there, the police forced a whole bunch of us to turn early.  I was EXTREMELY UPSET.  At that point, I was 3 minutes behind where I needed to be to finish in the 3 hour time limit.  I felt they had taken my half marathon from me.  I almost gave up.  I almost quit the race.  It took everything in me to continue - and I do mean everything because I was tired and I was hurt and I was defeated, BUT I kept on.  My finish time doesn't really matter here because it's not legitimate.  I didn't actually complete this half marathon if we are being technical.  Finishing Song:  Low (Flo Rida).  Does anyone else think it's weird that both of my half marathons had the same finishing song?  I just now realized this!!!

I was supposed to do the RunGirl 13.1 on December 12th.  Remember how I previously discussed being hurt?  Turns out I somehow got a stress fracture in my pelvis during that half marathon.  I had to drop out of the RunGirl (BUT I really look forward to doing this race next year with my Meliska as it is an all girl half marathon).  I also had to defer my Houston Marathon 2011 registration to the Houston Marathon 2012.

It is very difficult not to feel like a failure looking back at the last few months of my running.  I know that isn't fair.  In some ways, writing this post made me kind of relive it all.  In other ways, it makes me want to come back with a vengeance!  2011 is going to be my year!  I'm going to run smarter and stronger!  I am already registered for 2 races with another 3 planned.  I honestly think cross-training is going to be the key to keeping me injury free.  I think proper hydration is going to keep those charlie horses at bay.  I think that for a first year runner with no previous running experience at all - well...I guess I didn't do half bad.

Cheers to 2011!

visions of races dance through my head

I feel a wee bit pathetic as I sit on my love seat this Saturday night, alone.  Well...I have one dog who managed to manipulate her way onto my lap and another who is hogging my foot space, but you get the idea.  What am I doing here?  Ahhh...well...I'm shopping, but not for Christmas presents as you might think.  Nope, I'm shopping for races.  I'm longingly looking up info for anything from local 5Ks to out of town half marathons starting anytime after February 1st.

Officially, so far, I'm only signed up for a 10K in Houston on 3/12 and a half marathon in Dallas on 3/27.  I want to add so many more races to this list, but I know it would be irresponsible at this point considering the last two races I registered for I am unable to participate in.  It hurts me that there is a half marathon going on tomorrow that I registered for 2 1/2 months ago and that I cannot run.  It hurts me that I cannot run at all right now and that I'm not 100% sure when I will be able to do so again.  I need to run.  I need to race.  I need to know that even though I'm not very good at running or racing, I can put time and energy into something and feel a sense of accomplishment while I'm doing it.  Right now I just feel depressed.  So, I shop for races.

There is a local 5K on 2/12 I have my eye on.
There is a local 10K on 2/26 I am considering.
There is a half marathon on 5/1 in Orange County that would be cool to do.

You see, I didn't run any races in May, June, or July this year and thus noticed a lack of enthusiasm in my runs during those months.  2011 isn't going to go down like that.  I want to have a minimum of one race per month, but ideally two if I can swing it in the schedule!  Races bring forth a certain excitement to the game - an adrenaline rush.  I need that!  I crave that!

*sigh*  I just need to get better, so I can officially sign up for these 3 races and many more!

no half marathon for me

Went back to the doctor today...

Not a big shocker that he said walking the RunGirl 13.1 would NOT be a good idea.  For the record, I'm still picking up my race packet, though.  Long sleeved tech t-shirt?  Yes, please!  Technically I paid for it, right?  I may not have earned it, but well...circumstances beyond my control.

He went into his spiel about 4 to 6 weeks for recovery.  I explained to him that this weekend will make 6 weeks since my last run, so I don't understand why we don't have more progress.  He countered with the whole...4 to 6 weeks once I *rest* it.  Huh?!  He suspects that all the walking around in the parks was a wee bit counterproductive to my recovery.  He then explained my elliptical usage should be on a low incline.  Ohhh....ooops!  I was mostly doing my mileage on the weight loss program which is kinda up and down.  Yeah, apparently that wasn't right.  Well...in my defense, I had not done the elliptical in 3 weeks either.  He said stress fractures are tricky and we have to be patient.  Hmmm...back to that whole patience thing.  Yeah, I don't have any of that.

He told me that these things never happen at a convenient time - it's always when someone is working hard for something which is what makes it so devastating.  He was quite sympathetic, which I appreciated, BUT well...we had one more matter to discuss...  I asked him about the Aramco Houston Half.  I explained that I had knocked my full down to the half and was now wondering what my status was going to be for this race.  He said he wants to see me in another month and we can evaluate at that time.  I told him that I have until 12/19 to bail out.  He said he hates to tell me I can't do something I've been working towards and then asked me if I could walk that one...he would feel better if I walked that and thought I would be in a position to walk a half marathon in another 7 1/2 weeks.  Um...that's not how I saw me taking Houston.  It has a 4 hour time limit for the half, so yeah...I could totally walk it in that time, BUT this isn't what I wanted...this isn't how I imagined it.  It's bad enough it isn't the race I initially signed up for, but now to not even be able to RUN the half...  I know what you are thinking...I was perfectly willing to walk the RunGirl 13.1 if he would have allowed me to.  It's different.  RunGirl 13.1 is like a local half...it was part of my training...Houston was the big ticket item.  I don't want to do it half-assed.  Houston has a policy in place that if you can't race, you can defer your registration for 2012 (by 12/19).  I have an email out to the committee to find out if they will honor my full marathon registration since I had prematurely knocked my registration down to the half 3 weeks ago.  Regardless of their answer, I will be deferring my registration to 2012...come half or come full.

So, there you have it.  No RunGirl 13.1.  No Aramco Houston Half Marathon.  Just me wishin', hopin', and prayin' for a full recovery in the next 4 weeks so that I can get back in the game.  I only have a year to prepare for a marathon, after all, and we all know it's gonna take me that time to get my act together - mind, body, and spirit!

until tomorrow...

You know what sucks?

Being honest with yourself sucks, that's what!

It's easy to be in denial.  It's easy to pretend that everything is okay.  Facing the cold hard truth is hard.  Why?  I surely don't know....well maybe I do know, but I don't like to say it out loud.

Yes, yes...I'm still whining about my injury.  I am very sure you are sick of hearing about it.  I know I keep talking about how I am bound and determined to power-walk my half marathon this weekend "NO MATTER WHAT" as long as my doctor approves it, of course.  Why wouldn't he, after all?  I mean I'm talking walking, not running.  I know why he won't, though.  This is me being honest.  I'm not better.

I don't understand why I'm not better, though.  I've been taking the double dose of Calcium with Vitamin D as he told me to do.  I have not run.  I even laid off the elliptical (which he did not tell me to do, but I was hoping rest would speed the recovery).  I know that walking the Disney and Universal parks for 8 days were hard on my injury.  Is it possible that this set me back?

I switched my full marathon to the half a few weeks ago, when I was diagnosed, but now I'm wondering if I'm going to be able to do that half.  Here I am 7 1/2 weeks out and I haven't run in 5 1/2 weeks.  This is quite daunting to me.  I have until 12/19 to make a decision.  I want to welcome 2011 with this half marathon.  I want to be able to train for this race successfully.  I want to be healed.  *Sigh*  Doctor tomorrow...I suppose I'm getting a head of myself and I need to wait to hear what he says.  Maybe the cold weather is just agitating my injury.  Maybe I'm just being a worry-wort.  Maybe...

Until tomorrow...

something to think about

I'm finally sitting down to catch up on some of my DVR.  Practically every day this week my father has asked me if I've watched the Thanksgiving episode of Parenthood.  I told him I'm never going to watch it if he keeps asking me.  Yes, I'm a terrible brat.  I'm also a liar because I totally watched it tonight.  It was, of course, good.  I love that show.  I love the family dynamics - in a way, it reminds me of my family - a loud, chaotic family that has its issues, but clearly loves each other.

The other day I was having a conversation with younger sister Linda about my struggle regarding my injury and this upcoming RunGirl 13.1.  I registered for this race to have yet another opportunity to prove something to myself.  In the end, I will fall short.  I always do.  Even if my doctor allows me to power walk it, I won't be completing it in the fashion I would have liked to, you see.  I won't truly have the glory I so long for.  Truth be told, even in the Aramco Half I am now going to be participating in on January 30th (in lieu of the Chevron full marathon), I still won't have the glory I long for as I'm not doing the race I planned on doing and I'm not even going to be able to do this race as well as I want given that it is now 7 weeks out and I have not run in 5 weeks.  I'm my own worst enemy, I know.  I'm seemingly never happy with me.  Someday, I will start being my own best friend.  It's just not today, but alas...in typical me fashion, I digress.  My point is that I'm bound and determined to complete this sucker even knowing I will be doing so with disappointment.  First of all, I signed up for it.  Second of all, I paid money for it.  Thirdly, I want that really cute medal.

Linda did encourage me to watch The Biggest Loser:  Where are They Now episode that aired Thanksgiving week.  She said there was a former contestant named Holly who was disappointed with the outcome of a race and said something that reminded her of my struggles as of late, particularly my last half marathon.  I watched the episode tonight and cried along with Holly.  I knew her pain, her heartbreak.  I then went back and watched her again and typed up what she shared.

"You can get through anything.

You're gonna fall down.

Things are not gonna go perfect.

You're gonna have a bad day.

You're gonna have a bad race.

All this bad stuff can happen,

but it's like...it's what you do with that

that determines how you live your life"

You know what I realized?  I have fallen down a lot this year.  You know what else I realized?  I conquered a lot, too.  You won't fall down, if you don't get up/out and try, BUT you can't ever succeed if you don't try either.  Maybe it really is about the journey...the experiences and not necessarily the end result.  It's kind of something to think about.

a very Merry weekend - EXTENDED

Yay!  It's Friday night!  Am I normally this excited about Friday nights?  Nope!  Why is this one so different?  Well, my friends, I am embarking upon a 5-day weekend!  Woot!  Turns out that I've been uber healthy (um...when it comes to sickness, not injury) this year which means I have all 6 of my personal days left.  My company allows us to carry over our days until the end of February, so I've decided to use 3 of my days Monday thru Wednesday and then save the other 3 for the first couple of months of 2011!

Tonight I decided to put up my Christmas tree, but then I got lazy when it took me an hour and a half just to get it standing.  Yikes!  Truth be told, it was really the first strand of "tree" that gave me a bit o' struggle.  It appears the branches got all kinds of twisted and by the time I got them untwisted, I was about ready to go buy either a new fake tree or a freakin' fresh tree.  Needless to say, I decided it best to get back into the Christmas spirit and actually enjoy decorating it by waiting until tomorrow.  =/

What's on the agenda for the rest of my little siesta?  First and foremost, I decided to take the opportunity to get some doctor appointments out of the way - 3, to be exact.  One of these is a follow-up on  my pelvic stress fracture.  As I mentioned on Wednesday, I'm still wishin' and hopin' that my doctor will say I can power walk the RunGirl 13.1 on 12/12.  If he says no, though, I will abide by his ruling, but I will pout.  Secondly, I plan on getting my Christmas shopping done.  Thirdly, I want to catch up on a few movies.  I've been eying Burlesque, Love and Other Drugs, and Morning Glory.  Finally...and this is the doozy...I want to declutter, organize, and deep clean my house room by room.  I have a small home, but I've lived in it for almost 10 1/2 years, so it's accumulated quite the non-essentials.  I'm not going to be so silly as to think I'm going to get rid of all non-essentials, but I can definitely cut back.  Let's just say I would love to be able to proudly display my 2 spare bedrooms with their doors open.

I'm looking forward to having some me time at home - no stress, no pressure, just a general outline of "things to do" and the time to do it!

May you all have a very Merry weekend!

pocketful of randomness

So...December, we meet again.  It's like WHOA...where did the year go?  One minute 2010 began and then I blinked away a whole year....well 11 months.  I don't want to discount this month (not yet, anyway).

Injury update:  I'm not gonna lie...the first two days of my vacation in the Disney parks were ROUGH.  I wasn't sure how I was going to hold up for the remaining 6 with all the walking and standing and the jarring (some of those rides were no joke).  On day 3, my hip/leg decided to cooperate, for the most part.  It would only cause me grief when I stopped walking for a while (lunch or a show) and then tried to get back up again.  I forgot my anti-inflammatory pills at home, so Advil Liqui-gels and I became besties.  As soon as I returned home to Houston, my hip/leg just started aching something fierce.  Though I wanted to jump right back onto the elliptical, I know that rest is what I need to recover.  I'm still hanging onto the hope of being able to complete my RunGirl 13.1 on 12/12 - just as a walker instead of a runner.  I have a follow-up with my doctor next week and he will let me know YAY or NAY.  I realize I'm probably just setting myself up for further disappointment by hanging onto this hope, but...well...it's how I roll.

I *heart* Christmas music.  Did you know that about me?  I'm seriously torn right now about what to listen to while in the car - Christmas music on XM Holly 23 or my latest audio book?  Certain songs make me sad...lonely for some reason.  Other songs make me all kinds of nostalgic.  Have you ever heard of Elmo & Patsy?  They are the singers of "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer".  They have some really silly songs on their album like "Percy the Puny Poinsettia" and "Grandma's Killer Fruitcake", just to name a couple.  My mom loves their songs.  I love that - she's so funny/quirky!

I've been cooking all kinds of things this week.  On Monday night, I made my butternut squash soup.  Last year, someone gave me the tip of using light cream cheese in the soup instead of cream to get that creamy texture.  It cuts out tons of fat and calories and tastes great!  The ingredients are simple - butternut squash, apple, onion, salt, peppercorn, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cream cheese.  If you want the full recipe, just let me know!  On Tuesday, I made a macaroni and cheese casserole with cauliflower (vegetarian recipe - FYI).  I got the recipe from Carrots 'n' Cake, but modified it slightly using 2% cheese in lieu of full fat, skim milk in lieu of 1%, greek yogurt in lieu of lite sour cream, double fiber bread in lieu of bread crumbs or whole grain bread, and adding garlic salt.  Tonight, I made homemade applesauce.  I peeled and chopped up 5 granny smith apples and put them in a pot.  I then added some water - not a whole lot - just enough for the apples to simmer.  Next, I added a dash of salt, some cinnamon, some nutmeg, a bit of vanilla, and 1/3 of a cup of sugar substitute.  I let it cool on the stove until it was the chunky/saucy consistency I wanted.  The house smells FANTASTIC!  I am also planning on making a killer chicken soup this week with all sorts of veggies - mushrooms, onion, celery, cabbage, yellow squash, and zucchini.  I'm also going to add great northern beans and barley to my soup for substance!

Oh...I might have done a little happy dance today during my lunch break.  Why, you ask?  Well...I went to Kroger to buy me some of my Carb Master yogurts just to discover they added 6 new flavors to their line!  There are hardly any low carb / low sugar yogurts on the market.  I think Dannon makes one and it's ridiculously expensive, only 4 oz., and comes in 2 flavors.  The Carb Master yogurt is 6 oz and tastes delicious.  I think they already had 8 or 9 flavors, so adding 6 more is HUGE!  The new flavors are vanilla chai, spiced pear, tropical fruit, raspberry yumberry, strawberry colada, and carrot cake.  So far I've only tried the carrot cake and it was DELICIOUS!  Can't wait to try the others!  I bought two of each flavor!

Okay, well this was a pocketful of randomness kind of blog.  Happy December to you, my lovelies!

a diagnosis =(

I have been injured for a month.

I have come to the realization that it would be next to impossible for me to run the full marathon on January 30th. 

I have to pay $10 to knock my registration down to the half marathon...I will now be doing the Aramco Half Marathon on January 30th in Houston.

It is incredibly difficult to not feel like a failure.  This is not to say that I want comments on how far I've come and what I've accomplished.  I know that a year ago I couldn't run a mile.  I get that.  It's just really hard to set your mind on something and not see it come to fruition.  In a lot of ways, I feel as though I have sacrificed continuing my weight loss for the cause of this marathon training.  I know that sounds silly because in essense wouldn't weighing less help my plight and wouldn't it go without saying that exercising (running) would help that plight?!  Yes, it would, but the more I've run, the hungrier I've become.  I've let the hunger take over.  I've also let frustration and depression take over, too.  You see, when things don't go as planned, I don't do so well.  This injury felt like yet another blow in a long line of blows I've felt like I've been dealt lately (the whole o' woe is me card, you know?!).

I did the bone scan today.  The pictures were sent to my doctor and he was awesome enough to call me this evening.  I honestly didn't expect it to show anything.  I kinda thought I was wasting my deductible (ouch!) getting this done, but wanted the peace of mind that comes with knowing.  What this means is that I guess I would have rather the pain been in my head and the money been "wasted" because I'm not exactly thrilled with the results.  The technical term of my diagnosis is Anterior Superior Iliac Spine Avulsion.  The simplification of the term is pelvic stress fracture.

He took the exercise bike off my list of approved activities, leaving me with the elliptical and swimming.  He said 3 more weeks ought to do the trick.  I explained I have a half marathon on Dec. 12th (RunGirl 13.1) and asked what he thought.  He said we will have to play it by ear and asked me to come see him the week before.  I am pretty bound and determined to do that sucker NO MATTER WHAT (which means walking the whole thing if I have to).  It has a really cute medal, after all.  The good news is that I have a doctor who cares, who knows my goals, and wants me to be able to achieve those goals HEALED.  The bad news is that I'm still sad, upset, disappointed, frustrated, angry...

2011 is going to be full of a lot of things for this KIMpossible.  I'm going to spend the entire year losing the rest of this weight to get to my goal.  I'm going to spend the entire year training to do a full marathon.  I'm going to become a stronger, smarter runner (injury free).

Weekend Recap

Friday
My dad and I flew out at 7:25am to Chicago for our annual management meetings.  We pulled the whole aisle/window seat game hoping nobody would be in the middle seat and...IT WORKED!  Yay!  Had to finish reading a book that was required reading for the meetings.  =/  When it was done, I started reading a book recommended by my friend, LaShaune, called "I Was Told There'd Be Cake" - Essays by Sloane Crosley. 

We were picked up from the airport along with my uncle Mike and then taken to our headquarters to say hello to all the peeps.  After an hour, we were taken to our hotel where we would spend the next 24 hours.

First was lunch, then meetings, followed by the award banquet.  The last 2 years, my service center walked away as The Big Winner, so it was a bit humbling to not receive the same honors this year.  =(  We did earn 3rd place in customer service and then we had some drivers earn special recognition for their efforts, but it was a bit disappointing because I know we have the skills and the talent to perform better.  I'm beginning  my plan of action to regain our elite status for next year!

Saturday
I decided to go walking with two of my favorite people out of our New Jersey operation at 5am.  Maybe not the wisest choice considering I went to bed at 1am, but hey...I only see these people once a year!  I took my Garmin with me so we would know how far we walked and we hit 3.75 miles in an hour - not too shabby considering I was all kinds of achy (maybe due to the coldish weather?)!  I then showered and met the rest of the peeps for breakfast before we started our meetings.  We had a half a day of meetings followed by lunch and then...that's it until next year!  Most everyone flew home in the afternoon, but since my family is from Chicago, my dad, brother, and I always stay the extra day at my aunt and uncle's house.  We went over there and hung out.  I got my aunt and brother hooked on Angry Birds (cuz my friend Amy got me hooked on it on Thursday).  We were sitting there playing it while my uncle and dad were watching football.  Later we went for a yummy Mexican dinner and then I went to bed because the life had been sucked out of me.

Sunday
I woke up at 5:15am to hit the gym.  14 miles was on the schedule for my running group, so that meant 14 miles on the elliptical.  I downloaded a book on my Nano this time - "Devil in the White City", to help make the time go by faster.  It was hard to get into the groove though - for one thing, this book is strictly a narrative - would have made for a better read, than a listen.  I actually switched over to music for the last 3 miles for a change of pace.  Secondly, these were different ellipticals than I am used to, so the miles were going by more slowly.  I hopped off my elliptical at mile 5 and went on a different machine - not sure what it was called, but it looked sort of like The Gazelle, but a bit more complex.  I only did it for 1/2 a mile because it was a killah and it took me 10 minutes just to do that much - yikes!  Then I went back to the elliptical for the remainder.  It took me 3 1/2 hours for the entirely of the 14 miles (ugh) and I was booking it, so that was kind of obnoxious!  My family was nice enough to wait for me to go eat.  I got back to the house, showered uber fast, and then we went to Walker Bros Pancake House - a staple in my family!  I ordered scrambled eggs, rye toast, and this month's special - pumpkin pancakes!  Yes, I sound gluttonous, but I was HUNGRY after all that work!  When we were parking the car, he pulled into a 2 hour limit spot and I asked him if that was going to be okay.  He answered with, "this ain't no Kim at the gym!"  It made me laugh!  =D  After brunch, we headed back to the house to hang out until our flight.  My dad and I did not fair as well on the ride home, so I kindly did not make some stranger sit between us and scooted over to the middle.  We landed and went to my parent's house.  My mom made us some homemade soup and sugar free / fat free apple cinnamon bread.  I then retrieved my dogs from her care and went to my own home!  Ahhhh...home sweet home UNTIL Saturday when I leave for Orlando!!!  =D

survivor

So I'm notorious for hatin' this whole "dark by the time I get home from work" thang.  It messes with my head.  It doesn't take much to mess with my head, mind you, but still...

Okay...first things first.  I bet you are wondering if I was able to master the 13 miles on the elliptical.  Well...I didn't only master it, I overachieved it by 0.1 of a mile just to make it a half ellipticathalon.  You see 26.2 miles is a full ellipticathalon.  I don't ever want to go that far.  If I do, PLEASE have me committed.

My plan was to hit the gym bright eyed and bushy tailed, but that didn't happen because Runner's World was doing a live blog feed of the ING NY Marathon and I was drawn to it like bees to honey!  I was pulling for Shalane Flanagan to win it for the women, but I was quite proud of her 2nd place finish!  Imagine running your first marathon and finishing 2nd place?!  Bananas!  Then again, when she competed in her first half marathon here in Houston in January of this year, she won it!  She's amazing!

Okay, so once the winners were established, I geared up, grabbed my Powerade Zero and my iPod shuffle and headed to 24-Hour Fitness.  I picked my machine, tested the ol' iPod to make sure there were no technical difficulties and then I was off.  My quad/thigh was a bit achy at first, but I told it to "man-up" and I adjusted the intensity and the incline and eventually found my rhythm.  The machine only allowed me to set it up for 60 minute segments, so after the first 60 minutes, I reset it for another.  About half way through my second 60 minute segment, I had to briefly pop off the machine to refill my bottle - water was gonna have to do it for the rest of my jaunt.  I took that opportunity to stretch my legs.  I hopped back on the machine and finished up that 60 minutes.  I reset the machine for the final 60 minutes knowing full well it wasn't going to take me that long.  I worked on my arm swing during the entire work-out since I know that has been a weakness for me.  I would have killed for an audio book, FYI.  Half ellipticathalons are MEGA BORING!  33 minutes later, I was done.  13.1 miles completed.  I can honestly say I have never before spent 2 hours and 33 minutes in the gym in one segment before.  I would love to say that I will never do that again, but sadly this may not be the case depending on what's going on with my injury.

Good news is that my leg doesn't feel any worse for the wear today.  Honestly - my upper back and shoulders are a mess (from the arm swinging).  Weird, right?!

I was able to make an appointment with the sports medicine ortho at the practice I go to.  The ortho who did both of my ACL knee surgeries ('94 and '98) retired several years back and the ortho who helped me through my hip tendonitis (earlier this year) is a joint specialist, so I decided to go with the sports medicine expert.  This one lists running as his hobby, so he'll understand!

I took today off (as I would after a long run), but I'm hitting up my elliptical new BFF again tomorrow.  I'm planning on a 4 to 5 miler.

Where there is a will, there is a way!  Destiny Child's Survivor popped up on my shuffle while I was laboring away.  The lyrics inspired me.  Here are just a few:

I'm a survivor,
I'm not gonna give up,
I'm not gon' stop,
I'm gonna work harder,
I'm a survivor,
I'm gonna make it,
I will survive,
Keep on survivin'

Oh and I almost forgot to share with you that my blind beagle, Penelope, stole 2 packs of Clif's Shot Bloks, 5 Larabars, 2 Luna Bars, and 2 South Beach bars while I was at work today.  I had a bag full of my goodies on top of my desk in the kitchen and she must have been desperately seeking something/anything to satisfy her hunger?!  Hmmm...guess who is NOT getting dinner tonight.  

fighter

Let's talk about how much I *love* waking up at 5am on a Saturday.  Let's one-up the early birding with 38 degree weather, shall we?!

Since I am not eating bread carbs right now, I made myself a breakfast of 2 hard boiled eggs, 2 lite mini baby bell cheeses, and 2 TBSP of almond butter.  I washed it all down with water.

I geared up with Nike capris, a light weight long sleeve shirt, my shoes, my Spibelt, my Garmin, my iPod Shuffle, and my visor.  I stretched VERY thoroughly and then headed out the door at 6:45am.

I had a positive attitude.  I knew that I might not be able to do all 13, but I felt that surely I would be able to do the same 7 I had done the week before.  I promised myself I would stop if I hurt.

My team met up at the picnic table, discussed the plan of action, and headed out.  I had a bit of a struggle with my iPod.  It wasn't working and I panicked that I was going to have to run without it.  Just me and my thoughts?!  Yikes!  No worries...got it working.  I started jogging and BAM...pain in my thigh...all the way around it.  That is where the pain has moved to - from the hamstring to the glutes, back to the hamstring, then to the entire thigh/upper leg.  Do you see how this is the weirdest injury ever?!  It keeps moving.  I'm thinking at this rate, in two weeks, it's going to be in my ankle.  Sheesh!

I just stopped.  What was the point?  I could feel myself running with a limp.  I don't want to put myself out of commission, so I turned around and walked back to my car.  I almost cried.  I wanted to, but I stopped myself.  I am not giving up here.  I have done everything that I could on my own, so it's time to take it to a doctor (I will call my ortho on Monday and make an appointment).  What's my biggest fear here?  It's not really that he will tell me not to run, because I don't believe my injury is that serious.  He didn't tell me to stop running when I had the tendonitis in my hip, after all.  My biggest fear is losing my training.  I don't feel like I can go another week of nothing and then be expected to pick up where I left off.  I feel like if I don't pick up where I left off, I will be getting too far behind to catch up.  In other words...continuing to build distance is going to be a problem.

I have a plan.  I'm going to the gym tomorrow morning.  I want to try the elliptical first.  It's low impact and I control the intensity/tension of the machine.  I will know instantly as to whether or not it is aggravating my injury.  If it does, I get off and try the bike.  If it doesn't, I do 13 miles.  I know it isn't the same, but it's something.

I don't know if I've mentioned it on my blog before, but I consider my theme song to be Christina Aguilera's
"Fighter".  Most of the song applies to my life regarding a rather unfortunate experience I had (for several years), but that withstanding...isolating some select lyrics can be applied to this situation:

Makes me that much stronger
Makes me work a little bit harder
Makes me that much wiser
So thanks for making me a fighter

I am a fighter.  I'm going to fight my way through this injury.  You fight for what you believe in.  I believe in me.  I just have to fight smart.