Old Man's Disease

The past few weeks have been pretty terrible running wise. Matthew was out of town for two weeks, I was sick, then was battling a leg injury. Then, Matthew finally came home and I was ready to get running......

But my big toe had a different idea. I have dealt with Gout for the past few years, and while it has always been a pain in the toe, it has never really gotten in the way of anything I truly wanted to do. But this Sunday I was ready to get out and run 8 to 12 miles with the best running partner ever (Matthew!!!), then I walked out to check on the temperature...and BAM. I felt that semi familiar feeling deep in my toe. Lots of curse words went through my head, but I sadly told Matthew about it. He didnt allow me to run at all!

I do have medication that is supposed to stop the attack from getting full blown aka walk on crutches for a week, so I started taking that yesterday. And last night, I discovered the lovely side effects, nausea. TERRIFIC. I got a crappy night of sleep, and woke up tired, grumpy, and still in pain.

I struggled through the morning at work and was excited to get to the gym. My toe shouldnt stop me from core and upper body strength training..........but severe nausea can. :(

So after many weeks of feeling crappy about running, I have to wait even longer to get started again. Im worried that I have lost too much fitness  that I will have to start over. I hate feeling incompetent as a runner and as a person. I cant wait to get back out on the road and training for another half marathon. I know its just a matter of time and effort until I healthy and able to run again. Until then, I need to get in the holiday spirit. My tree is up but undecorated, the stockings are up but empty, and the presents are piled up but unwrapped.

On a happier note: I am getting a garmin forerunner 410 for Christmas. I know I am not supposed to know my own presents....but when a fiance asks if thats what I really want, then see the tracking number....I just know. Now I just cant wait!

A New Outlook

Ive been in a running rut since I got sick a month ago. Almost no run has been "good", and I have had a huge amount of self doubt lately. I have found it difficult to run the planned distances, even with Matthew by my side. We havent ran the whole planned distance since our first half marathon and I have been extremely disappointed in my mental, and physical, performance.

Matthew is gone for the next two weeks, and it gets dark around 5pm now. I get home from work around 330, so that doesnt leave much time to run after work. I do get in a run, or at least a workout, at lunch everyday, but there is no way to get in my planned mileage.......or is there?

We have three dogs, Zolten, Storm, and Dakota. I decided to try running with them...but dont ask me why. Our dogs are "leash trained", aka they will allow us to put the leash on them before taking off pulling as hard as they can, usually for the whole walk. So I am not sure what I was thinking when I decided I would take them running with me!!!

I needed to get in 3 more miles to keep my sanity yesterday, and it just so happens I have three wild and crazy dogs who love walks. So I took each dog out for 1 mile each.

First up was Zolten, our 60 pound 6.5 year old german shorthaired pointer. She is our biggest, and oldest dog...but the most hyper. I have a heavy duty leash for her since she has a pulling problem, and has failed doggy obedience class. Surprisingly she did amazing on the run! After she figured out what was going on, she got her little doggy legs moving in cadence with mine, and we completed the mile in 9:02. Not bad for her first time running. And I was happy.

Next up was Storm. She is our most well behaved polite mannered dog. She is approximately 3 years old and 50 pounds. She is the biggest cuddle bug dog I have ever met and is usually fairly well behaved on the leash. I dont think she really understands running on a leash. She kept trying to sprint across streets then slow down on the sidewalks. She would swerve right in front of me then turn around and sit. Maybe she doesnt like running...yet. But she made it the full mile as well, in 9:04. Not too bad of a time...now to fix that behavior!

Last, but certainly not least is our newest addition to the family, Dakota. Shes about 3 years old and 50 pounds like Storm is. However, she is completely opposite of Storm behavior-wise. She is a punk, there is nothing else to say. She wasnt sure about going with me since the other girls had to stay behind, but once she realized it was ok, her ears perked up and she seemed fine. We were going at a pretty good pace and she was actually behaving really well...until 0.6 miles in. She started running into my legs every few steps, she would try to stop and walk, she even tried to sit MID RUN. I ended up having to encourage her quite a bit to finish out the mile, and we came in at 9:11. She needs some remedial running training as well...maybe a Couch 2 5K for dogs. 

I had been in a rut. Nothing felt good about running and my motivated was squashed. But running with the dogs was a very enjoyable experience, despite the small issues we had together. While Matt is gone for the next two weeks, I plan on running with them more often. Its fun and different, and I feel safe running alone with three cute and cuddly dogs. But the best part of running with the dogs..........bed time!

Feeling Incompetent

Im sure everyone has those days, or weeks, that they just feel off. Since the last half marathon, I have not had a good strong run. I havent felt like running or been motivated to get out there and push myself. When I do run I cut them short and struggle to even finish the abridged version. I dont get it.

Im hoping this doesnt last very long. It is really a horrible feeling and just thinking about it makes me feel even worse about it. I started running so I could lose some weight and fit into my mom's wedding dress. The dress fits...and now I have to maintain for another 5 months. Maybe I am a little bitter about the fact that it is going to take constant work, for the rest of my life, in order to stay at the level I am at...or was at a few weeks ago.

Or maybe its because I had to travel for work the week after the HM, then it was the week of Thanksgiving, and now Matthew is traveling for work for two full weeks. Maybe that is what is causing the funk. Running alone sure does suck. Matt and I almost never actually talk during the run, but it is very comforting to be with him. Running has brought us closer to each other, mainly because we have set out to do something we thought was impossible just a few months ago. We have had to help each other and encourage each other to get through each and every run. We have done it all together...and now Im on my own for the next two weeks.

My goal for the next few days is to get feeling better, get my motivation back, and have at least one good long run. Is that really too much to ask for? I just want to feel like a competent runner, and not like the completely incompetent runner that I have been feeling like the past 2 weeks.

So I Dress A Little Strange

When I started running, I could hardly stand to wear running shorts. They are so short...and my legs werent exactly thin. But I got over that issue after a few months and have come to love my running shorts. All of my running clothes are the most comfy things I own, and I can often be found lounging around in a running shirt.

This weekend, it was about 50 degrees out, so I decided to try some of my super cool cold weather running gear. I bought the capris a few months ago, and they didnt fit. But I have lost some weight and some inches so they fit now YAY. But, as with my issue with running shorts in the beginning, I was not comfortable wearing ONLY running capris. So I wore shorts on top.

Top it off with a long sleeve shirt and a super cool bandana...and I look pretty dorky. At least I didnt freeze to death...or chafe! Score 2 for the capris!

Oh, and Matt looks pretty silly too in his cold weather clothes. Compression shorts are about as warm as he goes.

Mental health

There is something amazing about a good hard run on a cold day under the sun. 

We finished training early today so I got to run outdoors!!!!! Right by the hotel there is a small pond and a path that goes all the way around. The path had some fun ups and downs. One lap was about 0.4 miles. I ran at a quick but manageable pace. At 2.8 miles I went as fast as I could to finish my planned 3 miles.

Out of breath, legs burning, and nose running I finished the run smiling. And life is good again. A good run does amazing things for ones mental health!

No Running Blues

This week I am in Washington D.C. for work. We are locked in training for 8 hours a day. We don't even get out at lunch. I haven't gotten in hardly any miles and they have all been on the treadmill. I'm getting really bummed out. Little exercise, long days of sitting, and eating out nightly has taken a toll.

I can feel the difference between my normal lifestyle and this travel one. Im sad and sluggish and have aches and pains all over. I'm ready to be home!

A painful half.

Why do races have to be so early in the morning...and 2 hours away? Three days before the race it had been almost 90 degrees, but the morning of the race it was only 2 degrees above freezing. I don't really like cold weather and have zero experience running in it.

We were the first runners to arrive and get our bibs, then quickly scurry back to the car to defrost. We stayed in the car as long as possible but we knew eventually we would have to get out to get ready to run.

 The race was staged at a high school stadium and the best part of that was they had real bathrooms! Best pre race toilet stop ever!!
Before we got half a mile, Matt was hit with a sharp side pain and we almost had to stop and walk. He complained for another half mile before the  pain went away.
 










By mile 2 I started to feel my toes and they hurt already. At mile 3 I dodged a spider and felt my hamstring pull. Great. 


Around half way, there was a group of kids with signs and one said "chuck Norris never ran a half marathon". I love seeing encouraging people on the route. That was the pick me up I needed to get through the next few miles.


 One thing that really started to piss me off was a group of 3 girls. They would run for a minute or two then stop and walk. Now there is nothing wrong with that...except that when they walked they would be three wide. The running lane was about 3 wide in most areas so it was incredibly frustrating. We passed them and they passed us at least 15 times in the first three quartets of the race.

 

By mile 10 I was fading fast. I grabbed a banana from the aid station and did my best to keep pace. Between mile 11 and 12 things started to fall apart quickly. I got a horrible side pain (but not as bad as the last half marathon) and Matt got his strange pain. We really struggled to keep moving.

We rounded the corner  toward the finish line and Matt saw the race clock. He knew my goal was to beat 2:15:00...and about 100 yards away we had 8 seconds to make it. I had assumed we lost too much time when I had to walk for a minute so I wasn't thinking about meeting my time goal. We took off as fast as possible but I knew it wasn't possible. We crossed the line at 2:15:04 and promptly collapsed to the grass. Our only hope of breaking our goal was the official chip time.

After a few minutes of laying down we got up and went to the free food. Then when we got the strength to walk to the car we went and turned the heater on. In over 2 hours it had only warmed up 7 degrees. Yuk.

This was the most painful race I have done. It almost makes me question my ability as a runner. And really makes me question whether I want to attempt a full marathon.

Our chip time came in at exactly 2:15:00. One freaking second short of my goal. Maybe next time I guess.