A Windy 38 degrees this Morning

   I almost chickened out of running this morning, Dorian has been up through the last couple of nights whimpering (not sure if his teething is bothering him, or if he is having bad dreams), and he woke me up around 5 a.m this morning and I was worried that I would be able to run at 6 a.m. He eventually fell back to sleep around quarter 'til 6; so I got up and started getting dressed, and that was when I noticed the wind blowing the trees around outside..... I began to question my sanity and I almost chickened out. But I told myself "screw it, let's get this over with", and I headed out (with gloves this time) and my legs are definitely getting better. Hopefully I can up my weekly runs to 3.5 by next week, or at least my long run.
  I ran 3 miles in 34:32 and my splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:25
Mile 2 - 11:46
Mile 3 - 11:19

  Not bad, I wanted to get the last mile under 11 minutes but my lower hamstring and upper calf on my right leg tried tightening up each time I tried to increase my pace, no worries though. I got out there during 38 degrees with 16 mph winds and the windchill making it feel like 30 degrees or colder, and I got my run in so I am happy.

This Morning's Chilly 3 Mile Run

   Yesterday I did some squats, forgetting that I would be running sometime this morning but the squats didn't affect me. I wanted to get up at 6 a.m but Dorian kept me up all night grunting and whimpering so I was constantly waking up just to put the pacifier back in his mouth. Instead I got up at 7, I think the temperature was around 35-38 degrees which didn't feel bad except for my fingers were cold. I am going to have to remember to wear gloves from now during my runs under 40 degrees. I ran 3.07 miles in 36:31, the soreness is still there but not bad. My splits were:
Mile 1 - 12:09
Mile 2 - 12:11
Mile 3 - 11:28
.07 - 10:06 (haha)

  I think today is an off day for Molly, but I know she is going to have a lot of those now. Cameron and I both agreed that if we had put her down Friday it would have been murder, she isn't ready to go, she is tired and feeling old but she still has that spunk, like those sassy old ladies you love to meet and talk to. The exhaustion comes and goes for her, but she loves this chilly weather and I wish I had a fenced in yard so I could let her go out and lay in the grass and enjoy the air. Unfortunately her age has not done anything to her wondering ways and she has no problem ending up in the other fields around the house when I am not looking. Yesterday morning she was demanding me to take her out so I took her out in the back field, letting her sniff and enjoy the cold, and the wet grass. She was happy out there.

 I will gladly take her out whenever she wants to, because I know there won't be a lot of those days. I won't force her to go to work with me if she doesn't have the energy, I will let her sleep all day at home if she wants to, she'll let me know what she wants as she has always had no problem doing all her life.

Tonight's Run Went Well, but My Guardian Angel is Not

   First off, these last few months have been difficult for my girl Molly, I mainly thought it had to do with her aging but I was wrong. Last night Molly began to hack up foamy, bright pink blood, and we feared it was Congestive Heart Failure. It really sucks, there are no words to describe how I feel. Molly "found" me when she was 7 months old and I was 11 years old, she has been by my side for 13 years now. Through my teen crap, moving out of my mom's house, getting married and finally having my first baby, she has been through it all with me. Now I have to come to terms with the fact that I will be saying goodbye to my best, best friend in less than a year if not 6 months. For over 2 months she has been going back and forth, showing exhaustion and signs of giving up, and then within 24 hours back to her ole, spunky self. I took her to the vet this morning, and it isn't CHF.... the x-rays show cancerous spots all over her lungs, and fluid in her lungs. There is no cure, no way to slow it down without spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars for only 1 or 2 years, and I know she wouldn't want that. I am going to try and make her last few months, weeks or days as comfortable and peaceful as possible. Next weekend I'll be 25 years old, and she will be 14 years old which is a pretty big number for a dog that is around 60 lbs. Other than this problem, she has been in really great health all her life, I was just hoping she could make it to 15-17 years old, at least wait until Dorian was walking, talking and laughing with her before she went. Last year I told Cameron that she wouldn't leave me until she knew I was going to be okay without her, and Dorian was that sign for her to know that it would be okay to pass on if she had to. I don't want her to go, but I know that I cannot make her live forever, but I would give her 10 years of my life if I could.
   I went ahead and ran, I didn't feel up to it with all the stress over Molly but then after eating 2 long johns that morning, I had to go and work it off. I ran 3 miles, and then did a cool down walk for .5 miles. My leg is starting to feel better but there is still some soreness there, though it doesn't really affect my stride... I feel as if it does... My time was pretty much like last time, 35:07 and the splits were:
Mile 1 - 12:29
Mile 2 - 11:39
Mile 3 - 10:57
  So I did pick up the pace with each mile, and it helped me deal with Molly's news. I would like to get back to running 3 times a week with my two runs being 5 miles, but I won't increase my mileage until I can run 3 miles without any pain. 

A 3 mile run tonight

  Shauna and I ran 3 miles tonight, my right quad is still hurting right at the top but it isn't effecting my stride or causing me to limp. After the 3 mile run, we did a 1 mile cool down and I didn't limp. I am not limping even afterwards, so there is some improvement. We were slow, but I wasn't aiming for a record. I think I've messed with my garmin and I have no idea what I did, it gave me 5 splits even with just 3 miles.
Splits
1 - 1 mile / 11:53
2 - .43 mile / 11:30
3 - 1 mile / 12:04
4 - .42 / 11:47
5 - .15 / 11:34
If anyone could explain to me what I did to cause this, that would be great. It beeped like crazy and then made the sound when it hits 1 mile but not hitting one mile.
  Anyways, tomorrow I am going to rollerblade with Dorian, not sure if I am going to go 3 miles again or 4 miles, who knows.

First Run Since the Race

   This morning I got my butt up at 5 a.m, and ran 2 miles even though I wanted to stay in bed. This was a chance to try out my new pair of Ghost 5's, and they felt great. My legs were still a bit sore, mainly my right groin area, top of the quad and on the outside of my hip. The soreness didn't affect my stride though, in fact I think it forced me to run better. I stubbornly wanted to run 3 miles BUT I know that I must start off slow and easy again, and try to work through this injury so that I can get back to regularly running 5 mile runs during the week and a longer run during the weekends.
    Tonight Cameron and I will be biking another 7 miles like Monday night, so that will help. I really want to rollerblade again, my legs seem to feel so much better the day after rollerblading. Last night I did the plank position for 4 minutes, I've never made it to 4 minutes before, I think the longest was 3:43 about 2 years ago. I would have tried for longer, but my arms were getting exhausted dang it. I would like to make it to 5 minutes before this year is up, I got to 3 minutes last week although my strength comes and goes....some days 2-3 minutes is no problem and then other days my arms don't want to do it or my head can't take it.
   The splits this morning were:
Mile 1 - 11:04
Mile 2 - 10:46
    Eh, not bad but I wasn't trying to go faster, just trying to find a good comfortable stride. 

Last Night's Bike Ride

   Cameron and I went for what turned out to be a 7 mile bike ride last night, I felt that I probably could have done twice that without any real effort but he needs to start off slow and easy right now. I feel great with the bike ride but tonight I am not sure what I am going to do, run with Dorian or rollerblade with him.... rollerblading would be easier on my joints but running a mile or so would tell me whether my "injuries" are healing or not. The 7 mile bike ride only burnt half the calories that running 7 miles would, a bit disappointing but I am okay with it because at least we got out there and did something active. I love rollerblading, last Saturday I took Dorian for a 1.6 mile walk and then I threw my rollerblades on and we went for 2 miles. The walk had me hurting, my bottom left foot and my right lower hip and quad so I was expecting some soreness the next day and even during the rollerblading.... but nothing; in fact I woke up Sunday morning with absolutely no pain whatsoever in my legs, I felt great all day. I guess I will have to debate all day what I plan on doing..... and it also depends on how Dorian feels about it, we'll just have to see.
    I really want to try out my new shoes dang it, but now with Cameron's new found love and energy with biking, I don't want to be constantly having mom watch Dorian every evening but with the weather getting colder I don't want to be taking him out for runs or rollerblading. I might have to do my runs in the early mornings...but right now Dorian is dealing with his teething and some constipation issues, I am going to have to cut back on solids and slow it down a bit even though he really enjoys it. Hopefully I can get my butt up tomorrow morning and run before he starts waking up, I should've gone this morning because he didn't start making a peep until around 7:15. We will see how things go tomorrow morning, maybe he'll sleep well again and I can sneak out at 5 a.m. Here's to hoping.

Still Feeling it a Week Later

  Right now the pain and soreness in my legs comes and goes,  sometimes the bottom side of my left foot will hurt like a nerve is being pinched, but I will get that sometimes anyways.... not sure why though. Other than that my left leg is okay whereas in the beginning of this last week it was really hurting, my right leg will hurt occasionally, around the groin area and the outside of both my hip and butt cheek. Yesterday's 1.6 mile walk sucked, my foot hurt like I described, and my right quad and groin hurt like a b**ch, it was aggravating. After the 1.6 miles, I threw my rollerblades on and took Dorian for a much faster paced stroll for 2 miles. He was a little frightened at first, so I couldn't go faster than 7-8 minutes per mile but it felt good to be on my blades and it was great to go 2 miles in 17 minutes even though I was on wheels (would have been faster but.....).
  I purchased another pair of new shoes, so I won't be running in the 2 pair of shoes I was running in when I injured myself, and I am excited to try them out. I now have the Brooks Adrenaline GTs, the Brooks Ravenna (my race shoes) and now the Brooks Ghost 5 and they feel amazing! So much cushion and just comfortable, I went on the Brooks Running website and did their little test and that was the first choice. Oh I hope I can try and run 1-3 miles Tuesday or Wednesday, but on the days I can't, I will either ride my bike or "strollerblade" with Dorian.
  Hopefully my injuries will go away soon, I really don't want to fall behind another winter again.

Still Recovering

   I am not limping around quite as bad as Monday or Tuesday, but my hip still hurts just because I went for a 1.5 mile walk yesterday. Other than that things seem to be getting better, but I won't try for a 1-2 mile run until next week most likely. I am going to get my bike tire fixed this weekend so I can start riding 3-6 miles on days that I don't run. I hate not being active, but I know my legs need to heal and now that the Half Marathon that I had set my sights on for my 6 month post partum come back is over and finished, I am going to relax more and try to let my body heal. Next week if I am able to run, I will start building my base back to 3 miles and go from there, hopefully next February I will be able to add a day of hill training (or just run the trails at John James Audubon State Park) to ready myself for the St. Louis Half Marathon in April 2013. I am not going to worry about the Indianapolis Monumental Half this November, running it would be stupid and probably cause more damage to whatever injuries I have caused already. My body went through some major changes during the pregnancy and then took the beating of giving birth as well, only to turn around in less than 3 weeks after and start running (run/walks during my 3 mile walks) and then about a month later start training for the Half Marathon this past October. I have to admit that I am impressed with my progress after giving birth, though I also admit that I know it was a crazy and stupid goal.
   Hopefully with a few more easy days, and then starting up slowly, along with the foam roller, stretches and ice I will be back to 5 mile runs twice a week and a good 8-9 mile long run during the weekend by the end of December (depending on the weather).
(Continued) Last night (10-11-2012) I got the inner tube on my back tire replaced and now my bike is as good as new. Hopefully my mom can watch Dorian this evening so Cameron and I can go for a bike ride, I love my $88.00 Next bike even if it will only last me a couple of years. I am not about to spend $900 or whatever on a bike that I might only be able to use 5-20 times a year (flustered by some research on the internet). The pain comes and goes in my legs, not feeling so much like an injury but like I need a new mattress or something........ I guess I will find out next week when I try running, for now I am going to substitute my runs with bike riding and rollerblading or stroller-blading :).

The Day After

  I don't think one part of my legs/lower body isn't sore, I am wishing they made ice sleeves for legs because everything needs icing and I only have 2 ice packs so it is taking time. Even right under my butt cheeks are sore lol, my ankles and my right foot, my knees, my hamstrings and quads, inner thighs, my IT band. EVERYTHING hurts and I am limping when I walk. It sucks but it is also worth it, I finished and got my medal which looks awesome. My main concern now is when to get my first run in after the race, how many days should I wait to heal and rest.... I want to try 3 miles Wednesday but I think it might be smarter to wait until Thursday (or Friday). I am going to start off small, 3 miles a couple of days and if everything is okay or at least doesn't put me in such pain that I can't run or walk right. I am icing things right now, and after I shower I will use the foam roller and then maybe stretch my calves, quads, IT band and hamstrings as they all feel so tight right now. I am not really sure how I am going to ice my hams until I get to the shop where the ice pack holder is, that way I can at least try to keep it in place. If it wasn't 40 degrees outside and the furnace inside was actually working, I'd probably try to throw some ice in the tub and fill the rest up with water but I've never done that before and wonder how well that would work out.
  I am not at the office yet so I don't have the photos to put on here until I get there. The first guy to cross the finish line had a time of 1:07:16 which the pace calculator says was a 5:08 pace and that is crazy, heck right now that is my time for 6 miles if my legs aren't killing me. It is crazy to think of that pace, my goal this winter is to work on my pace and get closer to a 9:30 minute pace though it now all depends on my legs and their recovery. We'll just have to see how things go.

2012 YMCA Half Marathon Results

   Things did not go quite as awesome as I had hoped and prayed, but they did not go as awful as I expected after mile 5. My leg is still have issues, and I am beginning to think it is the IT band (again) mainly, my right leg gave me trouble up to mile 9 while my left leg was feeling fine but then my left leg started up. Then just a little ways past mile 10 my right leg felt like it snapped, like somebody grabbed it and tried to break it in half. Shauna and I stopped and stretched a bit, then got back to it. That knee gave me trouble a couple of more times but we pushed on, I was disappointed with our pace as I was really hoping we could run 1 minute faster, everything but my legs were feeling today. In short our time was 2:34:52 on my Garmin, 2:36:39 which is about right as we got to the starter mats about 2 minutes after the gun went off. We stopped once around 3 miles cause Shauna had to use the restroom but there were no other stops until the 10 mile stop. I am not very happy with how I did, but I just have to keep saying that I ran it and I finished it and I have my finisher's medal and can wear my race t-shirt proudly.
   Tomorrow when I get pictures loaded on the computer I will edit this blog post. It was not a negative split:
Mile 1: 11:15
Mile 2: 11:10
Mile 3: 11:17
Mile 4: 11:50
Mile 5: 11:48
Mile 6: 11:46
Mile 7: 12:00
Mile 8: 12:21
Mile 9: 12:01
Mile 10: 12:24
Mile 11: 12:46
Mile 12: 12:36
Mile 13: 11:30
0.02 Mile: 7:35

  They claim it was 13.1 but my garmin says different... I guess I will edit the mileage to see. Putting it at 13.1 instead of 13.02 my average pace was 11:46 so not much difference really. This photo is my favorite though, and it is worth every second of pain and suffering I went through.

Just a Few Hours Away

   I am about to go to sleep, however long that might be with Dorian as he is in some pain with his teething. I've got my alarm set for 3 a.m, I will wake up and eat a Cliff Chocolate Chip bar and go back to sleep, waking up around 4:30 a.m to get ready and drink whatever other carbs I will need. 

One Day and 9 Hours Left

  I got the shirt and the goodie bucket. The shirts were long sleeved again so I got larges for me and Shauna, I just don't like long sleeved shirts because even when they fit great on my body, the sleeves are tight on my wrist and I feel constricted. I am getting excited, but I am also getting really nervous too, concerned with how my leg will do and how Shauna will do. She hasn't ran in 3 weeks because of a bad cold and other difficulties, she claims she'll stay with me but she always gets that competitive urge at the beginning and the first 3-5 miles then I am suffering near the end to keep up. I told her I want a 11:00 - 11:30 minute per mile pace for the first 3-6 miles, nothing faster than that, definitely for the first 3 miles.
   I think my biggest concern right now is what I am going to do after the race, depending on how I do and how bad my leg might hurt. If everything goes okay I'll probably start back at 3 miles (hopefully), maybe take Dorian with me depending on the weather. That is my only concern now, I need to set up an appointment with a specialist but I am kind of concerned with how much

Only a Couple More Days!!!

 Only 2 more days and a few hours until the YMCA Half Marathon here in Evansville, IN. I am getting excited, and will be even more excited when I go and pick up the race packet tomorrow (weird I know). I am not expecting a great race, I know my leg will hurt for most of it but I am going to try and have fun. It might be stupid but I am excited to get the finisher medal, last year's Half was my first medal in my entire life and it is a huge deal to me. This weekend will be my second, then next month will be my 3rd when I run the Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon, I've already bought a new medal hanger for these three. 
  Last night I went ahead and registered for the Go! St. Louis Half Marathon in April next year, another out of town race in Missouri, and near another great zoo (St. Louis Zoo) so Dorian will love that. I am excited, hopefully with this new goal ahead of me I won't make any excuses throughout winter. I did hear that this winter is supposed to be brutal, starting late this month but I think I will be better prepared than last year (I was pregnant so that was harder). I am at least going to try and stick to 15-20 miles a week, well that is as long as my leg heals and icing it helps..... we'll just have to see I guess.
   The leg is definitely my biggest worry right now, I maybe have been to brazened when registering for the IMHM next month, but I really want to do it since it's on my birthday and we've booked everything. I am just going to suck it up, ice and stretch, foam roll and rest when I am not running or working out. I guess we will just have to see how things go, I think I've said that 3 times in this blog now.

Already a significant Difference from Yesterday

  Slowly but surely, I am getting more excited than nervous. The icing seems to really be helping, along with stretches and squats, and the Ibuprofen might be doing some good as well. This Sunday is the Evansville Half Marathon, next month is the Indianapolis Monumental Half on November 3 which is my birthday so I am getting even more excited. Hopefully being my birthday might give me more adrenaline, or just keep me excited during the race. I am sure it is going to be cold, I've got no problem with cold but Cameron does and he might freak out for Dorian but I've already purchased a warm suit for him (hopefully he'll still fit by next month, he's getting tall/long man!).
  Honestly, if all goes well with both these races, I could get used to running 2 Half Marathon races in the Fall and a couple in Spring, although I am still trying to find the second one next year. I've already found one in April which is the Southern Indiana Classic Half, though that one has been horribly humid these last 2 years, they've had to cancel the Full Marathon because of it. Indiana does not yet have a lot of Half Marathon races and I don't know how far Cameron is willing to drive for my races. 2013 isn't showing a lot of races yet, though I did receive my 2013 Runner's World calendar, I will have to check it out and see if they have 2013 races yet.

Might be some Hope Afterall

  With only 4 days until the Half Marathon, I finally decided to look a little deeper into what could be the problem, and hoping that it isn't a groin tear or adductor tear I am icing my quad and taking ibuprofen and my leg does already seem to be getting better but I am not going to get my hopes up. Research suggests I ice every hour for 15 minutes so I am going to try and do that while I am awake and take ibuprofen even though some suggest otherwise as it can dull the senses from pain. I am definitely going to take 3 ibuprofen pills 3 hours before the Half Marathon when I wake up to eat a bit (and go back to sleep). I am going to try and stick to the RICE thing, and hope for the best.
   I am excited, but nervous of course. I am really hoping things go well enough for me to enjoy the Indy Half, this will be my 3rd Half Marathon race and my first one out of town and I do not want to regret it. We're going to be taking Dorian to the Indianapolis Zoo to see the dolphins, walrus and others so that will make the trip worth it no matter what happens during the race.
  I am going to keep my fingers crossed, and hope that these next few days with icing and stretching and foam rolling will make a huge difference before the race Sunday.