1/2

over the last few months, i've been going back and forth on whether or not i would run a full or a half this month. i finally decided it will be the 1/2. i'm sad to miss the marathon because i love it so much, but i'm just not ready. not a good idea to try to run 26.2 miles when you're not trained properly, and especially when you're not 20 years old anymore.
so, the 1/2 it is. i've been running consistently all summer, so as long as my IT band doesn't give me too much trouble i should have a good run.

i also signed up for a 7 miler in November. it's more of a fun run than a race, but i love it. i'm doing it with a big group of people, so that makes it even better!

some random things i've been thinking about (not running related):

• october is my favorite month of the year.

• "the lazy mother does everything herself"... this is so true! it is usually easier to do things myself, but not the best choice for my kids. they need to know how to do things at home and how to do a job well (something i've noticed is really lacking in many young people. it seems like so many kids are growing up expecting to get whatever they want and be entertained all the time...ok, that made me sound old.).
• i'm subbing in elementary schools this year, and it has really made me notice a general lack of respect for authority. subs usually get little respect, but i've seen it in how the kids relate to the other teachers and adults throughout the school too. it makes me never want to teach full time.
• i need to find a new book to read. it's been such a busy year that i've only read one book (not counting kids books). any suggestions?

schedules.

remember when i said i wasn't going to follow a training schedule this year?! well, i've figured out that just doesn't work for me. i like to have a schedule (even if i just follow it loosely), and check off my runs. i like seeing how many weeks before my next marathon and how far i've come. i need the reminder. i need the accountability.

so, i'm back to following a training schedule. i'm tentatively training for a full marathon in october, but it's going to depend on how my IT band is doing. i don't want to overdo it and be sidelined again. the good news is, so far i've been feeling pretty good. i'm supposed to run 16 this weekend, but i'm planning to save it until monday or tuesday because running in 100+ degrees isn't fun. i tried that last night for 4 miles, and even though i made it, i felt like i was going to die.

so far this week i managed 4, 8, 4, and a few miles of walking with friends.

5

i keep forgetting to record my runs here. i'm going to try to be better about it. it helps keep me accountable.
i've been running consistently since the 20k, and have felt good. so thankful for that.

ran 5 today. 85 degrees. felt good. i tried to focus on relaxing my shoulders today, and just enjoying the run. i'm trying to look at my garmin less because that can really take the joy out of it sometimes.

we were at the pool all day today, and i almost didn't run when i got home. i was feeling so zapped from being out in the sun all day, but i'm glad i went.

i've been playing soccer once a week for the last month or so. it's not a league, but just a bunch of people that get together to play for fun. it's a first for me, and i've fallen in love with the sport. it's such a good workout!
sadly, i don't think i'm going to be able to keep doing it, if i want to continue training for a full this fall. it can be pretty brutal on my ankles and knees.

i finished the 20k this weekend! woo hoo!
it was a beautiful day to run, and i felt good almost the whole time. it wasn't a personal best, but i did what i set out to do. my goal was to take it easy and finish without any IT band pain. this run gave me hope that i may be able to run a full again this fall. usually i sign up right away so i can get the early bird discount, but this year i will sign up at the last minute, if i'm able to run. having an injury sure changes your perspective...

i'm also going to do my marathon training schedule different this year too. i usually follow one of hal higdon's schedules, but this year i'm going to run when i can and just get some longer runs in. by now i know how far i need to be able to go, and how many miles i should be doing in training. so, that's the plan for this summer. most of all, i want to enjoy the journey. sometimes i'm too focused on getting to the finish line.

5

today's run didn't started out the best.
-my garmin strap broke right before i left. such a bummer. i knew i couldn't run without it, so i just held it in my hand while i ran. not ideal, but it worked.
-i wore a pair of sunglasses today that i've never run in before, and they were flopping up and down quite a bit.
-all of the thin dri-fit socks that i like to wear were dirty... womp. womp.

sometimes there are annoyances like this before or during a run, but i know i just have to put one foot in front of the other and keep going (just like in life). i did that today, and it turned out to be my best run of the year. i just had to get through the first mile. i ran 5 sweaty miles and it felt good.

the 20k is this weekend. today gave me hope that i can finish. i think my longest run this year has been 7 miles, so the plan is to finish and enjoy the miles in between.

lately...

running is getting better, and thankfully i haven't noticed any pain in my left leg.

this week:
monday - 3 somehow managed to squeeze in 3 miles before taking kids to their activities.
tuesday - 4
thursday - 5 in the rain. when i left it was sunny, and i had no idea it was supposed to rain. felt good though.
friday - 3
sunday - 8 - had to stop twice at stop lights. felt good overall. this run gave me hope that i can finish the 1/2 without dying in a few weeks. i'm no where near where i'd want to be, but it will be a fun training run.

today after i was done running, i sat on the grass in the sun and just sat there for awhile. i turned my music off, and was just still for awhile. it made me realize how rarely i do that. there are so many distractions in this world, and i need to sit and be still before the Lord more often. it was so refreshing.

looks like it's finally going to warm up this week. i'm looking forward to getting in a longer run at some point this week. i'd like to run a 10 miler before the 1/2.

coming back (slowly)

sunday - walked 6 miles with a friend. it was a great day!
monday - ran 6 miles on the treadmill at the gym. tired of the treadmill, but running next to fit 20 year-olds is always a good motivator.
wednesday - 3 miles and a blister. i ran too fast. i need to pace myself better, so i'm not huffing and puffing so much. i passed a friend that was pushing her daughter in a stroller, and she probably thought i was dying.
friday - 3 miles on a beautiful day. i noticed lots of flowering trees, including my favorite magnolia tree. 

4ish

yesterday it was 75 here. it was great! it's been so cold here.
i enjoyed it and ran outside. i'm slowly getting back to it, but it's not fun to start from scratch again. the good news is my leg hasn't given me any trouble so far.

i seem to have forgotten how to pace myself. yesterday i took off and ran my first two miles under 9 min., huffing and puffing the whole way. i had a hard time running up the hill by my house. that hill is always a good indicator for how i'm doing. it's a long and steep one.
the last two miles were slower, and i stopped twice at stop lights. i was thankful for that because i was so out of breath.

looking forward to getting back to longer/easier runs.

march random...

hello friends.

• hard to believe another month has passed since i last posted, yet this seems like the winter that is never ending. we still have lots of snow on the ground and temps in the low 30's, but i'm trying really hard to not be a complainer. complaining about the weather is a relatively small issue, but i think it can become a part of who someone is - always discontent. so, i'm looking for the positives, and today the sun is out and the snow is melting. 
• i signed up for a 1/2 in june. it's the same one i've done every year for quite awhile (lost count). i'm not sure how my leg will be, but i'll walk some if i have to.
• last week was spring break. it was a nice break from the norm and less mom-taxing.
• the girls are learning to play "10,000 Reasons" on the piano, so they can share it at church. so awesome!

• we're in the process of getting rid of the carpet in our house. did you know that carpet is one of the worst things for allergy sufferers? i had no idea there were so many wood options, types of wood, and colors. thankful that we can do our research online to narrow down our options.
• can't wait to run outside later this week! woo hoo!

februrary random...

• i had my hair dyed a couple months ago. it ended up being quite a bit darker than i wanted (i.e. almost black), but it's kind of growing on me now. i like change. it's been nice not to see so many grays for awhile too.
• wow, getting gray hair happened too fast. how am i closer to 40 than 30?! 
• bears have the right idea - hibernate all winter
• February is the longest shortest month ever.
• today i looked at real estate in hawaii online. yep, i officially have cabin fever.
• the good news is, the sun is out today.
• i miss running. pretty much every winter i lose everything i trained and worked so hard for. i just can't get myself to get out the door when it's 30 or below. i've been on the treadmill some, but my limit is a few miles. so boring.
• we're trying to figure out where to go on vacation this year. we thought about yellowstone/yosemite, but the kids said they've seen enough mountains. they want to go to a beach. i don't blame them. the national park vacation would be a lot of time in the car, and they had so much fun at the beach last summer. it doesn't really matter to me where we go, i'm just thankful we have the option of going somewhere. i know this isn't the case for every family and it may not always be the case for us. 
• i think i've decided on a spring half and a fall marathon (more on that to come soon), as long as my leg allows me to run.

still here.

still here. not much running, but i've gone a few times and my leg seems to be better.
the plan right now is to continue alternating running and walking until march and then i will start training for a 1/2 in june.
of course, that all depends on how much leg is doing.
if that goes well, i'd like to run another marathon in the fall.

hope to be back soon with regular updates.

and there was rejoicing in the land!

i ran 2 (mostly) pain-free miles today! usually two miles isn't very note-worthy, but i haven't run that far without a lot of pain since october.

i dusted off my garmin (it probably literally needed it!), and set out in 35 degree weather. the cold burned my lungs, but it felt good. my first mile was way too fast, which was not the goal. i wanted to take it really easy on my leg, but i ended up running the first mile in 8:45. i was just too excited to be running, i guess.
after that, i stopped to stretch out my leg. to my surprise, i was able to continue on for another mile. the sun was going down, and i decided i better not try to push it anyway.

YAY! i'm hopeful that i will be running more consistently soon!
thanks so much for all of you that have checked in here and thought of me!

hopefully i will be posting more now.

waiting...

still here, just not a lot to say. i'm still injured. i've tried to run a couple times, and can't seem to get past a mile without pain. sometimes i notice pain in the back of my left leg even when i'm not running. makes me wonder if i have an I T band problem, and something else going on too?
i'm hoping to be able to at least walk on the treadmill this winter. i need to do something.
i miss it so much!

i'd love to run another marathon next year, but i will have to wait and see how recovery goes.
there's a marathon in california i would love to run this spring when i'm there for my sister's wedding, but it's kind of a long shot right now with my leg...

sidelined.

took the week off after running my last marathon. 
i decided to give running a try yesterday. it's been so hard to see people out there running in this beautiful weather, and not be one of them.
i ran 3 miles, kind of. i felt pain after just one mile. i finished my 3 mile loop, but had to stop and stretch several times. today my leg hurts again, just with walking.

i guess i'm still in denial that i am actually injured. i'm the worst sick person too. i don't want to rest. i just want to keep going.

Marathon 7

78 degrees for the high. a lot warmer than my last marathon two weeks ago where we were scraping car windows! most of the morning was in the 50's - perfect.

i started with the 4:50 pace group. i wasn't sure how my I T band was going to be, since i had taken the whole week off from running, but i'm forever an optimist.

i first noticed some pain at mile 3. not a good sign when you're trying to run 26.2! i managed to run through it and stay with the pace group until mile 13. after that, i walked and ran a little. by mile 16, i couldn't run on it anymore at all. my right leg started hurting too because i was using it more due to the pain in my left.
ugh. huge bummer!

around this same time, i saw a guy drop out of the race. a race official on a motorcycle came to get him. i thought really hard about doing the same thing. i kept seeing golf carts too, and i was so tempted to ask for a ride back. so many people around me were walking. i was surprised to see that, since it seems like it usually happens around miles 18-20.

i walked the entire last half of the race. wow. the miles seemed to go forever. thankfully, God sent me a friend. a lady that had a similar injury was walking to the finish too, so we decided to walk together. misery loves company, i guess...

a lady at an aid station gave me some advil, but it didn't really seem to help. i just really wanted to be done.

it was my worst finishing time, but i think it's the marathon that i am most proud of because of what it took to get to the finish line.

update

i ended up seeing a physical therapist (who also happens to be my friend) this week. she showed me a bunch of stretches that should help, used an anti inflammatory gel patch on my hip, and had me run a mile on the treadmill to make sure i wasn't over pronating or anything. she said it looked like i was running fine, but she did discover that my left leg is weaker in general. i guess that's pretty common. it was news to me.

so, this week i walked 3 miles. and ran 2.5 (one at the p.t. appt.). other than that, i have been resting and stretching. as of right now, i am planning to run the marathon this weekend. it's all kind of up in the air as to whether or not i can make it to the finish with my leg. if it is painful, i will try to run and walk. if that hurts too much, i will quit. there are always other races, and since i just ran a marathon, this is just a bonus if it works out. it's actually kind of nice to go into a race with this laid back attitude. no pressure.

as always, my goal will be to enjoy it, be thankful that i am able to run, and pray for people i love during each mile.

off to run #7.
stay tuned...

I T BAND

today was the first run i attempted since the marathon. i wanted to give my leg time to heal.
the bad news is i only got in 1.3 miles before i had to turn around and walk home.
when i got home, i googled I T band. sure enough, that's the exact pain i am having. 

i'm so discouraged. i want to run the marathon so badly this week. i feel great other than this injury, i'm trained, the weather is perfect, and this is one of my favorite races.

planning to take the rest of the week off to see how i feel.

has anyone had experience with this type of injury before? how long was it until you were back to normal?

Marathon 6

(waiting on more pictures from my friend amy...)

 didn't spend much time at the expo this year. it looked like a lot of the same vendors were there and i didn't see any speakers that i was that interested in. i did get a free pair of gloves and headband to wear for the marathon.

after the expo, my friend amy and i were off to eat some carbs! we went to a yummy italian restaurant for lunch and had pizza for dinner.

went to bed early (although i think i laid there for about 2 hours) and set the alarm for 5 a.m.
when we left for the marathon, we had to scrape the car windows! wow, it was cold! probably high 20's. i ended up wearing a long sleeve t, tights, two pairs of gloves, and a jacket from the goodwill to toss later in the race. i also had my ears covered for almost the entire race. standing at the corral waiting to start was really cold, but once i got going the cold actually felt pretty good. i ended up keeping my jacket and gloves on until mile 6.

i was hoping to run with a pacer, but couldn't find them. the first half felt great. the course is so beautiful with all the changing trees and we ran around 3 lakes. around mile 14, i started to notice the pain in my left leg (same leg that has bothered me off and on through training). i ran without stopping until mile 17 and then i started to walk a little through the water stops. i turned my ipod on, but there were so many bands and people cheering that i didn't really need it.

my leg started to hurt pretty bad around mile 20. from then on, i walked up most of the hills and my pace slowed way down. i knew i could finish, but it wasn't going to be a PR-kind-of day. the last mile i was hobbling pretty bad, but i manged to run the last two miles without stopping to the finish. at mile 25, it hit me that i was almost to the finish line of another marathon. i had worked hard for 16 weeks to get to this point. i was praising God for the ability to do something i enjoy so much, and for how He has worked in my life. i started to cry, which led to me almost hyperventilating. never a good idea when you're trying to run. i should know this by now. somehow i pulled myself together, and ran to the downhill finish. the finish line of this marathon is AMAZING. all downhill with people cheering the entire last mile. such an awesome experience.

i don't think i will ever grow tired of the marathon finish line, no matter what my time is. i don't want to win  awards or qualify for Boston. For me, it's more about the journey of getting to the finish line - all the training, trying to enjoy each run, and seeing all the amazing things God has created along the way. i never want to lose sight of 1 Timothy 4:8  For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

*i'm signed up for another full next week. i'm going to see how my leg is doing, but i'm hoping to run it. it may end up being a run/walk, i don't know? i've never run them back to back before...

thanks everyone for cheering me on!
a special thanks to my friend amy for being there for me again this year!

#6 done!

I FINISHED! Stayed tuned for a race report in the next couple days...

Marathon Training: Week 17

this week was 4,6,3,8.
still have a little pain in my left leg, but not too bad.
yesterday my 8 went well, except for the bug i swallowed and the one i got in my eye. they were everywhere!

it's marathon week!! can't believe it! taper madness is here! i've already been stalking the weather. a cold front is coming after 80's last week. it's looking like it will be in the mid 50's for race day, so probably pretty chilly at the start. i thought i'd be wearing a tank and shorts, but now i'm not so sure?!


this week will be 4, 3, 2 with lots of rest and some carbo loading.
i'll be obsessively checking the weather, probably worrying about every little pain, and adding new songs to my ipod (i always try not to turn it on until mile 13 though).

looking forward to spending time with my friend amy!

so thankful for all the encouragement from all of you!
thankful to be able to keep running. thankful for a healthy body.