One more week down

I ran 20km thru the trails on Saturday a.m. Felt ok, nothing great, nothing awful. But later . . . wow I was beat. My legs were not too happy with me. Sore Sunday and Monday too. But I also had baseball Friday night and Sunday night, so sprinting the bases might have helped out with that. . .

I had decided to run Tuesday morning, just a little run to get things moving again. But when the time came for me to get up - I kept coming up with reasons why I couldn't. First of all the sun is coming up later again which means at 6 a.m. it still is not light out. So I feel like I can't run that early because it's "dark" and I'm going to get attacked. Oh come on! What am I - crazy!? For those that know me - don't answer that! It was rhetorical. Another reason is that I must need the rest since I didn't get up right away - my body was telling me something. (Nope, that was just my lazy brain trying to trick me.) Another reason is that I needed to wake the hubby up to make sure he didn't miss the train to work . . . uhmmm nope, I'd be home in enough time.

In the end I got my butt out of bed and went for a 4 km run. 6:15 a.m. sun was just coming up and it was definitely light enough outside. I decided even 6 a.m. would be light enough. So I don't have that excuse for right now. But I still wonder how I'm going to run when it's dark out. I guess the issue is that I'm alone. Lots of times in the winter I've run at night, but always with other people.

Wednesday - no run.

Thursday - 6:30 a.m. run - 4 km again. I'd like to go longer and probably should be going longer but getting up early seems to be a problem right now. Maybe I just really do need a rest. I have been using this as a "rest" week. Lighter mileage then going to ramp back up next week.

25km race is October 3. So trying to figure out how these last 4 weeks of training should go. Boggles the mind all the options.

Tonight I'm doing 12km minimum. See how I'm feeling. I'm doing it alone - my running partner is out of town. I want to check out a few trails leading off our regular loop, so we'll see how much extra that tacks on.

Rest tomorrow and then run Sunday.

Have a good weekend all!

Definitely a problem

Blogging is not natural for me . . . luckily I don't have to worry about others waiting for me to post things - ahahaha!

Maybe one day . . .

So just briefly - everything seems to be going smoothly - knock on wood. Friday night finished an 18km training run on the trails. My IT band feels good. Stretching and icing (when I remember) just to be safe. Bought "The Stick", use it regularly, like it. Still want to go for a full sports massage soon, sometime in September. Body is really tight - hamstrings and calves tight, tight, tight.

No time to continue today . . . at work and they seem to want me to do work here? go figure.

So maybe I'm not so good at this after all . . .

It's been a month basically. Writing a blog seems to be a hard habit for me to start.

I've been injured for 2 weeks.  Not a running injury per se . . . but a softball injury to my FOOT! Which makes it a little difficult to run. Decided to use my foot instead of glove to stop the ball . . . not always the best decision.

So I haven't run in 2 weeks. I did a 4 km "fast walk" on Saturday, foot was pretty sore later that day so I decided to rest it a little more. I ran for the first time last night - 3km. I felt like I was lumbering, heavy, no rhythm. It was weird. But my cardio felt fine. Foot seems ok.  A little sore in the arch today but nothing major.  I have softball tomorrow night and a 5km race on Sunday a.m.

I'm going to tape up my foot. I checked out a few websites and for now, have decided that's the best way to go. I'll test it out tonight and see how much tape I can waste trying to get it to feel right.

And  .  . .  using my glove only for stopping and catching the ball. Really need to think before I do things sometimes. The goal is to have fun not get hurt!

Hopefully I'll remember to keep you up to date!

6 a.m. comes waaayyy too early!

Well, I was scheduled to run this a.m. but when I woke up I realized there was no way I was getting out of bed. Man, was I tired. I hate having to work . . . If I didn't have to go to work, I'd be able to run at a normal time of the morning like say 8 or 9 a.m. or whenever I wanted!

I think not being able to get up this a.m. was a result of not sleeping AT ALL on Saturday night. Major case of insomnia . . . after my race at 6:30 that night. Wondered if it had anything to do with the race?? I went to bed at midnight, tossed and turned, got up around 2 a.m. and caught up on shows on my PVR for almost 4 hours. Decided I should try and sleep . . . that lasted for about 1 hour. Got up, got coffee, went down to cheer on my fellow runners during the Mississauga Marathon. Napped a couple times during the day for an hour each.

Weird eh?! 

Oh well . . . I'll still be running at 6:00  . . . it will just be P.M. not A.M.

I love racing

Ok so it wasn't the distance I originally intended to do . . . but it was a PB.

I was scheduled to do the Mississauga Half Marathon but due to IT band injury that doesn't seem to want to go away, I dropped down to the 10km. I was a little disappointed originally but got over that. Decided I would do my best but not to the point of hurting myself. There was no point in healing my injury, dropping down to the 10km and then pushing so hard that I re-injured myself.

The worst part of the Mississauga 10km is the first 3ish kms of hills, so I wanted to make sure I took my time on those, so I kept it slower. By the 5km mat/time I realized I was behind my intended time and was going to have to push it for the 2nd half. So push it I did. I ran hard, I took no breaks  . . . only slowed down through one water station for a few gulps, was going along at a great pace and then we hit the penninsula . . . narrow path that fits 2-3 people max and I got stuck. Arrgghh . . . it was frustrating. I couldn't get around for 3/4's of this path. So then once I did, I hit the ground even harder trying to make up for lost time. Not the best move, even as I was doing it, I kept telling myself - take it easy, leave something for the end . . . So as I rounded the little "bay" and headed towards the finish I was pushing really, really hard. Kept checking my garmin knowing I had only 1-2 minutes and I would miss my goal of under 1 hour.

For the first time ever in a race, I actually felt like I assume one would feel if they had to puke from exertion. I have never gone that hard. I now know what that feels like. I did drop my pace just a little because I was afraid I wouldn't make the finish which was only a few hundred metres away at this point.

And before I knew it I had crossed the finish line - garmin read 59:40. Woohoo! Slowed down, caught my breath and did a mental systems check - all good. Felt good, stretched a bit while I waited for my friend. It was a good race. 

We didn't bother to wait around in the line up for food. Figured we would stop at Tim's since that's where we were parked. The walk to the van was good. Legs felt good. Much better than trying to walk that long walk after the half marathon - lol.

So when I got home and checked my chip time on line, I found out it was actually 59:16. Very happy with this time. And as always, my thoughts are . . . . wonder how much faster I'll do my next 10km . . . "when there's no hills" or "when I'm fully healed" or "when I've trained properly", etc, etc.

I'm sure we all do that . . .

Oops

So . . . I seem to have been gone for quite some time . . .

Still running, still doing laser therapy - in fact I think I'm cured (for now).

Went to appointment last night and the left IT band is all good. The right one is a little sore but no pain unless it's being pushed on.

Ooops

So I didn't come back to update - sorry!

Well it's Friday. Woohooo!

Monday night I did a laser therapy session then went for my 8km run. All went well. Felt great, IT band was good. All in all a good run. A little chilly with the wind and no sun but definitely not winter.

Tuesday - ran my "crescents" 4.6 km - done in 28 mins. Good stuff! I had a great run. Did it as soon as I got home so I was home and finished and ready to start my night by 6:30 p.m. Awesome! Then did weights on Wednesday. Not sure yet if the weights - specifically squats and lunges - are contributing to my IT band problem. Just irritating it, not the cause. But I won't give it up because I need to strengthen those muscles because THAT I believe is the problem. Thursday off - we went shopping. Friday - 6 a.m. 3 km run just to loosen up. I wasn't too happy running that early but . . . it's really a habit I should get into. Tonight another laser therapy session. And I just realized I forgot my shorts! AArrrggghhh!  This will mean I need to stop at home - gonna make me late.

I've been reading a lot of really good blogs. A lot of people out there doing this. I need to figure out how to make this page "prettier". Add some stuff like pictures and better bordered boxes, etc. 

See you all - have a great weekend!

Why . . .

me?

So here's where I start to whine. I've been sick for the past week, my IT band isn't improving, in fact it's now starting to hurt on the right side as well as the left. Sympathy pain?? I haven't been sick for months . . . I can never tell whether to run while I'm sick. It really is only a cold, but I get periods of extreme tiredness. We were supposed to do 8 km yesterday - that got cancelled and we'll do it tonight. Except I'm pretty darn sure that by tonight I'll be exhausted. I have an appointment after work for laser therapy on my IT band - I don't think that's working and I'm tired of going to the appointments. But she said it needs a minimum of 9 sessions . . . I guess it's not really getting worse . . . but I haven't run very far yet.

I'm pissy because my IT bands are giving me such problems. I suppose I should stop running all together to rest them but I don't want to. I'm already pissed because I can't do my HM. I have my favourite 5km race coming up in June that I can't decide whether to do or not. My whole running life is in a bit of an uproar. I need to decide if and how hard I want to train for triathlons this season . . . I have all kinds of things I want to do at home but I'm a huge procrastinator . . . I'm not altogether happy with life at home right now, feel like I'm doing something wrong at every turn . . .  See told you this is where I start to whine! Well at least this way I get it out.

oh poor me, cause this doesn't happen to anyone else . . . ya right! Suck it up buttercup!

So try back later and see what I end up doing. . . 

monday . . . need i say more . . .

Oh Monday . . . Not the best start to a week I've had.

Very busy exhausting weekend. I was supposed to run Saturday a.m. - my 7 km run to see how my IT band was doing. . . but the WIND! OMG - 50-60 km winds - not a hope in hell I was running in that.

So instead I ran on Sunday night after a 4-hour night sleep. Wow, did not mean to do that, but . . . oh well. Had a busy day, out all day got home at 6:30 p.m. Decided if I didn't run that night I wasn't because of the REALLY CRAPPY weather we were about to get hit with. So I went. Ended up doing a decent 7.8 kms. Felt good, IT band felt ok running and after.

But today, my legs are sore. Not muscle sore when I move or walk but sore when I run my hand over them massage like . . . its not good. It's actually pissing me off. Thinking about getting "The Stick" - heard that was a good investment?? Anyone??

I'm sooo tired today. So I'm outta here.

Let's hope Tuesday is better.

Yuck!

What an ugly day! Rain, rain and more rain. Thankfully I don't have a run scheduled for today.

Yesterday was my 5km run around my neighbourhood that we affectionately call "the crescents". I was doing it alone (happily) and earlier in the day (I left work early) so it was warm and sunny and not too busy on the roads. I was excited because I would be using my brand new Garmin and heart rate monitor. I didn't want to affect the results at all so I made sure I didn't look at the thing the whole way. Checked my pace a few times - excellent - in fact faster than I expected. But felt really good. Knee was happy, breathing was happy, I was happy.

Just over 1/2 way I decided to look at the distance and time - I was curious . . . everything read  ZERO!! I had forgotten to push start. $%#*&^&%$$#^**$@@#@@ OMG, I can't believe it. So excited to use it and I go and have a brain cramp! So I pushed start and went about my run. A little dejected but still on. Got to the end of my run and in the house. Said to my husband "You didn't happen to notice what time it was when I left, did you?". He looked at me, looked at my Garmin, looked at me, looked at the Garmin . . . said "Ahh, noo??". I proudly stated "Forgot to push start." That got a good laugh and shake of the head.

So, I g-mapped it, 4.78km. So I figure I did it in 28 mins. Knee felt great. Even after. Took a Traumeel, showered, rolled around on the foam roller for a while. Got some food and put an ice pack on my knee and relaxed! It was only 6 p.m.!! Wow, I'm usually only getting home! This working for a living sucks!

Knee still feels good today. That's a good sign but still only minimal mileage . . . tomorrow I'm going to try for 7km. That's usually where the twinge starts. Going for laser therapy on the IT band again today. Hard to know if it's doing anything but worth the try!

Happy Friday!

Newbie . . .

What in the world am I thinking doing this? I wondered for awhile about blogging. I always figured I didn't have anything to say and I wasn't witty enough . . . maybe that was because I grew up with my brother constantly telling me "that wasn't funny". Or my husband rolling his eyes at my jokes. Or him looking at me with a face that says "OMG does she ever shut up!??". Or his comment of me "living in my own little bubble". Or any number of comments from him . . .

But as I read other blogs, I think - I can be funny and it doesn't always have to be funny anyway. That just helps. Plus I find that when I can't talk to people I end up writing them emails that end up sounding just like blogs. I need an outlet.

So . . . a little background for now . . . I am just 39 yrs old (omg when did that happen!) female, married, 2 teenage children, 2 teenage step-children, wannabe athlete (specifically running and the occasional triathlon and just entering the world of weight training) , full time job - sucks takes away from sooo much.

As I run, I talk. I talk non-stop usually. Actually I talk all the time anyway. It's not that I am uncomfortable with silence, it is just that I have so much to tell people. One day one of my running buddies said to the other running buddy . . . If Michele would just shut up, she would probably run faster. Wow I thought, what a concept! I never thought about my talking slowing me down. So I try. Some runs I keep quiet, some start out talking and then I let it go for a bit . . . I know I won't actually stop talking but I do try to not do it as much anymore. Plus I thought "maybe someone else would like to talk once in awhile"  . . . hmmm.

I just finished a half marathon in March. My last long run before the race included a re-occurence of an IT band issue - Ahhhh Nooooo!  So off to the sports injury doc for a lovely bout of ART therapy. Owww. Fixed me up for a bit, race was OK, but still had pain for the last half of the run. Continued to train - did the weights and hills for strength and shortened my long runs to 12-16 km  . . . but still got the pain at 8-9km mark. Just figured oh that's normal timing - nothing awful.

Well  . . . Last Saturday I went out to do 10km. Felt the normal little twinging at 8 km . . . stopped at 9 km for a small walk (10 & 1's) and as soon as I stopped the pain in my knee was more intense than I ever felt. So I tried to pick the run back up again - no way was my knee having that either! I proceeded to limp peg-legged pirate style back home.

So . . . now I'm thinking the May half marathon I'm supposed to do is out of the question. I am cutting back my runs to 4km (last night - went ok), 5km tomorrow and 7km on Saturday - see how it goes. But my long runs were supposed to go like this - this week 16km, next 2 weeks 18km, taper down to 12km then the following week is race day. There is no way that is happening. I'm not 100% ready to give up this race - waaahhh. I guess I'm going to have to. Drop down to the 10km race. I have to get myself healthy. That must be my main concern right now. If not, I'll never run right again. Dammit!

Weight training hurts. By the way, I'm a bit of a whiner . . . I think in the nicest way but still a whiner. It's my outlet. It's just what I do. I hate training anything hard - I'd rather not hurt - LOL.  So tonight will be the weight training night. I'll have to work hard - I have to get past this mental block of hurting - because it really isn't physical. Yes, it hurts but that's not what stops me . . . it's my brain. Weakling in brain strength! Do they have an exercise for that too??

As I look back at this blog, I see that yes I talk a lot. I'm not even done yet. But I'd hate to lose my first readers, just because I can't shut up.

Sooo  . . . . have a wonderful rest of your day and maybe you'll come back to hear the rest of my rambles.

Later!