On the road to recovery
When I have been sick and lying around all day I always feel like I could be doing something more. Especially when I don't feel overly miserable. I stayed home from school yesterday to get one more day of recovery. I had big plans of cleaning, doing work, paying bills, etc... Instead I lazed on the couch, napped, and watched bad TV. I felt a little bad about not working since I didn't feel terrible.
This morning I knew better than to try to do my maintenance run, although I did pack a bag in case I felt up to water running later on. I woke up feeling great and kept that feeling until I was about 5 miles from school. By the time I got to school I was pretty sure that I had made a mistake. I made it about an hour before my fever spiked and I sweated through my deodorant. I tracked down some kids, gathered work together, and headed home.
I thought I would come home and relax but they are powerwashing and painting my building. And, somehow the fire alarm keeps going off. At least I'm in comfortable clothes and am lying down.
6 out of 12 ain't bad
Yesterday I woke up feeling "off" and I knew that I was going to have a tough time on my run. I let my group know that I was going to need some extra support. There were only 6 of us so I didn't think it would be a problem. In the fourth mile we ran up Arguello in the Presidio and close to the top I got a stich in my side. The rest of the group continued on and I caught up with them once we reached the top. During the 5th mile I started to hyperventilate. I had to stop and keep myself calm so I could catch my breath again. Elizabeth stayed with me and the rest of the group moved on. While I tried to breathe I started to dry heave. Once I had everything under control I started to run again. Elizabeth was great, she stuck with me and encouraged me, but I had the feeling that my run was over. I started to hyperventilate again and that made my final decision. I didn't hesitate to listen to my body. There was a water stop at mile 6 so I stopped there, helped pour water for the remaining groups and got a ride back to camp with the water volunteer. All of the COBs were great, checking in with me and sympathizing with my off day. We iced in the bay and I headed home.
Once I got home I got into bed. Four hours later I got out and jumped in the shower. I was supposed to attend a fundraiser for my school last night but while I was showering I realized how sick I was. I checked my temperature and the thermometer read 102. I lay on the couch in misery the rest of the night. By the time I went to bed my fever had broken and I was feeling fairly comfortable. At 3am I woke up and once again found myself praying for death. I won't go into details but lets just say that I spent the next 3 hours battling the stomach flu. Finally at 6am I was able to get another couple of hours of sleep. This morning I have been trying to nurse myself back to health with bland foods while staying close to the bathroom.
I'm chalking it up to illness. This will not keep me from running next week, or the week after that, or the week after that.
Tan lines
I'm going on a cruise to the Bahamas with my friend Libby in just over a week. Last weekend I started thinking about my fair skin and how it reacts to sun after being covered up and pasty for so long. I figured it would be a good idea to get a little bit of a base tan before heading to Florida/the Bahamas for a week. Sunday I popped into the tanning place that is around the corner from my house and foudn that they had a 2 week, all you can tan, special - perfect for my needs. Since I don't care about being golden brown, my first session was a mere 8 minutes.
On Tuesday night, after my water running class, I went back. The man at the front desk said that they had just changed the bulbs and so he was only going to put me in the bed for 7 minutes. The next morning when I awoke I was on fire. My whole body was red but I still put on my sweats and headed to school to work out.
When I emerged from the shower I noticed that I had 2 white swaths of skin between my armpit and breast. I stood dumbfounded at the bizarre tan line that I was seeing and I couldn't figure out what might have happened. I put my arms in the position that they had been in and didn't see how I could have cast a shadow on that particular part of my body. Then it hit me. Those of you who are not particularly well endowed in the upper region of your body may not know that the larger the breast, the more they slide into your armpits when you lie on your back. In my case they created a fold, creating a triangular patch of white skin on parts of my body that I don't necessarily like to call attention to. The design reminded me of the back of Charlie Sheen's hair in that awful 80s movie,
Major League.
I fretted that I was going to have to fashion some sort of taping regimen to keep everything where it was supposed to be. I came up with a better idea, but not one that I'm willing to detail in my blog. Rest assured that I tanned last night and this morning there are no more white triangles in unexpected places.
Maintenance runs
So Tuesday morning comes and I cut 3 donuts of moleskin and tape up my feet. I'm ready to run my 3 miles. I gingerly put my running shoes on and can barely stand. After limping around the house for several minutes I resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to be able to run. I sent an email to Eric asking about the water running class at the YMCA, thinking that was the only way I was going to get any exercise.
After work I set off to the Presido with my bathing suit and towel ready to workout. Now, I don't have what you would call an appropriate bathing suit for water running. I own one that was definitely made for lounging next to a pool or on a boat - all show, no support. I recently bought another suit to take on my cruise to the Bahamas that is cute and covers a bit more of me, but still isn't the kind of thing you see in the pool at the Y. I'm also still wearing my glasses and can't really see without them. I tried getting in the water with them on but that only lasted a couple of seconds.
I talked with the instructor and told her that I was training for a marathon and had a blister that was keeping me from running. She gave me some pointers on form, etc... and sent me off to join the group. I did my best to work as hard as possible but I'm not what one would call a "water person." I attribute that to almost drowning at the age of 3, but that is beside the point. I can swim and hold my own in a pool, lake, or ocean. I just don't seek out the water - I would rather do my exercise on dry land. I never got a good feeling as to whether I was was really working out or not. I didn't feel out of breath and in the pool you don't sweat, or at least you don't feel it. It was so foreign to me that I still don't know how much good it did. At least it really cleaned the remaining sand out of the blister.
I chatted with Patti on Tuesday and kept up a steady regimen of neosporine, second skin, and knuckle bandages this week to heal the blister that was bothering me. This morning I slipped into my running shoes like they were glass slippers. I ran for 3 miles and felt like I could have done another 3. I decided not to push it since we will be running 12 miles on Saturday. I have got to find a better solution for the blister problem on my long runs or this is going to get really old really quickly.
What a sap!
Why do I watch shows like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition? I sob, I blubber, I sniffle, I soak my sleeves. I usually only cry at the end but not tonight. It was a story about a dying man's wish and there were times during the show that you weren't sure if he was going to live. A smart woman would have gotten the tissue box after the first 15 minutes, but not me. My sleeves were sopping, although I didn't resort to wiping my tears on my socks (Amanda). It makes me feel silly, yet I watch every week.
10 miles, baby!
On Wednesday evening I joined the faculty pick up basketball game. Now, I haven't played basketball since middle school so I wasn't expecting to show off any great moves or shots. I certainly met my own low expectations. The only embarrassing part was the gaggle of boys who came to watch us play after they finished with volleyball practice. I made 1 shot, but only because no one was guarding me and they let me shoot it 3 times. Who cares, I still celebrated.
I decided to sit out the second game since I could feel the blister on my left arch coming back. I did stay and watch so I could go out for beers afterward. The next morning I had a work breakfast so I didn't get to do my maintence run. I was planning to run after school but one of my seniors convinced me to cheer the soccer team to victory over our big rival. I thought I might run after that but instead I had to put out a fire with the Foreign Language Department and then it was time to watch
Hello! Dolly the spring musical. I decided that the 45 minutes of basketball on Wednesday night could substitute for my run on Thursday morning.
So, I came into my 10 mile Saturday run with a little trepidation. Not only was I jumping to a double digit run for the first time ever, but I also hadn't followed my normal training schedule. Yesterday morning my blisters seemed healed enough to handle duct tape. I wrapped my arches in duct tape and added a handful of vaseline to my toes. I figured I was ready for the day.
The run started well - we had three new people in our group so there was a lot of "getting to know you" conversation. We ran from the Marina to Ft. Mason Park and up the hill that just one month ago was daunting. I reveled in the fact that I now zipped up the hill without breaking a sweat or changing my breathing. We ran through North Beach to the Embarcadero and on to the Ferry Building - which is the starting point for the marathon. Even though Coach Scott promised us that we wouldn't be running hills this week, we did. If anyone has ever taken the California Cable Car you know the hill that I'm talking about. In 6 short blocks there is a 280 ft elevation gain - we were given permission to walk the three steepest blocks if we wanted.
We finished by running through Pacific Heights, staring at all of the mansions, and on through the Presidio. During the 7th mile I had to stop and remove the duct tape from my left foot. It started to bunch under my foot which kept it from protecting my existing blister and created another one. My group finished 10 miles in 2hrs 6 min, which if you average it out adds up to a 12.5 minute pace. When you account for a bathroom break, waiting for traffic lights, and stopping several times to refill water bottles we were right on track. After snacking on treats and stretching I was ready to ice.
This week I brought shorts, my tevas, and a towel. I had to change from my running tights to my short in the backseat of my car. I would hate to have to explain to my Head of School why I was arrested for indecent exposure over the weekend. Francisco, a COB who runs in another group, joined me in the bay for a 20 minute chill. We chatted about the city and relationships and dodged dogs chasing tennis balls in the water. When we exited the water the bottom of my left foot felt a little strange. I stopped to check it out and found that half of my blister was filled with sand.
When I got home I took a picture of it. I contemplated adding it here, but I don't think that all of you would be as fascinated with it as I was, so I refrained from grossing you out. I won't go into the details of how I cleaned it out either - also gross. I guess next week I will have to come up with a new plan for my blisters.
The direct correlation of running and productivity
Yesterday when I woke up I thought I had it made. I had gone to bed early on Monday night and woke up rested after 9 1/2 hours of sleep. I was practically whistling on my way out the door. I arrived at school and jumped on the treadmill bright eyed and bushy tailed. The next 45 minutes were hell.
I had to fight my way through 3 miles. The first mile was painful, but I trudged on convincing myself that I just needed to find my rhythm. During the second mile I had to slow to a walk 3 times. After the third time I checked my distance and had only gone 2.2 miles. I figured I could run the next .3 and finish with 2.5 miles. Then I got to 2.5 and decided to run 2.75. Then I decided I was so close to 3 I should just finish. By the time I hit about 2.5 miles everything started to flow. I was proud of myself for finishing the full 3 miles and I think that set me on a good course for the day.
I was Super-Productive Girl! I reviewed the course selections for all of the upper school kids, making notes on any missing requirements and the rigor of their courseload. I wrote lists of college suggestions for current juniors. I read articles that have been sitting on my desk for months. I cheered the men's volleyball team to victory. And, last but not least, I visited two grocery stores to shop for the first time in what seems like a month (I'm not sure what I have been eating since my parents visited).
This morning I woke up ready to push around some weights and then spent an hour in the car getting to school. I got caught behind a 9 car accident and it ended up taking me 35 minutes to go 2 miles. By the time I got to school I decided to scrap the workout and just get ready for the day. That has definitely set the tone for the rest of my day. I keep starting projects and then moving on to something else. Oh well, maybe tomorrow will be better.
It sucked, but it was great.
I know my mom hates the word "suck" but there is no other way to describe today, except amazing. I know it seems strange to use those two words in one sentence to describe the same experience but that is just the way the day has gone. This morning when I woke up I checked my blister and it seemed healed. I celebrated by slathering my feet with vaseline and squishing my feet into my running shoes.
On my drive to Golden Gate Park, I noticed one of my fellow PGLs waiting for the bus so I stopped to pick her up. Leigh is one of the people I met at my information session in January and she rocks. This is her 3rd Aids Marathon so she is filled with tips about training, fundraising, and other good stuff. We chatted happily for the 40 blocks before we got to the starting point.
I think one of the benefits of not knowing the city well is not knowing what is in store for me. I get the route a couple of days early and I trace it on a map so I know where we will be going. What I don't know is the topography of these places. So, yesterday when I read that we would be running to the Cliff House, on to the Legion of Honor, and through the Sea Cliff neighborhood it meant nothing to me. Today I learned what "up" means! I have done a lot of hiking and have met my fair share of hills. I have never tried to run up them while keeping an 11 mile pace. We weren't on pace today, but no one was.
The first 2 miles were easy. We ran in the park to the buffalo paddock and back to our starting point. Then we started running along the ocean beach. It was about 40 degrees, the sun was shining, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the waves were crashing. It was breathtaking. What I didn't notice was the HUMUNGOUS hill in front of us. Now I understood why everyone groaned when Coach Scott explained the route. So the 3rd and 4th mile were uphill, the 5th mile was downhill, the 6th mile was uphill, and the 7th and 8th were downhill. And, when I say uphill I mean a 45 degree angle at least.
At about 4 miles I realized the the blister that I thought had healed was not. By the 6th mile I could feeling it getting bigger and I think my right foot was feeling left out so it decided it needed a blister too. I guess that I will have to try to heal the blisters this week and next week resort to the old standby, duct tape. They aren't kidding when they say you can use duct tape for everything.
After stretching and cheering in the group behind us we headed in to "camp" where there were snacks waiting. PB&J never tasted so good! I sampled bits of bagel, slices of orange, pretzels, and grapes. Then I found an alternative to icing. Leigh and I walked back to the ocean, rolled up our pants, and stood in the water. The only drawback to using the ocean as my own personal ice bath is the waves. When the waves were small we would walk out to keep our legs covered in water. Inevitably as soon as we would venture farther into the water a big wave would come and soak us to our middles. After 10 minutes we turned to make sure our shoes were still on the beach. A huge wave hit us from behind, buckled my knees, and took me down. If Leigh hadn't grabbed my hands I would have gone all of the way under. That was the end of the icing for me.
I drove Leigh home and we are planning to get together for dinner sometime soon. She mentioned a Burmese restaurant near her house. Who knows what that means, but you know me I will try anything at least once.
A good day turning bad, and quick
I thought this morning was going to be a good one. I went to bed last night at 9pm and set my alarm for 6:30am. I got a good 9 hours of sleep and spent the last half hour lazing in my bed until the alarm went off. I put on my new favorite t-shirt (that I bought yesterday), straightened my hair, and set off to work ready to face the day.
After being in the car for about 20 minutes my right eye started to water; I had something on my contact lense. So, I did what I have done since the seventh grade and poked and prodded at my eye trying to get whatever was stuck to my lense to dislodge. Instead I prodded my contact right out of my eye and into the no man's land that is my car. Since I was driving 70 mph on the freeway, I decided the best course of action was to pull off to the side of the road. I spent a good 10 minutes patting myself down and searching my car. At one point I was on my knees beside my car, with my head at seat level, with one eye closed, running my hands over the carpet beneath the gas pedal and clutch. I finally decided to head home and get my glasses.
For those of you who do not have vision problems, you won't understand the disembodied feeling of having clear sight in one eye and being near blind in the other. Now, imagine that feeling while driving on the freeway. I was contemplating which was worse: driving with 2 eyes open and feeling disembodied or driving with my right eye closed and having no depth perception whatsoever. I chose to go the route of 1 eyed driving. Upon my return home I put on my glasses and searched my car again.
Now I have to find an eye doctor who can get me in soon so I can get new contacts and I might as well throw in new glasses while I'm at it. I love it when days start this way.
Getting easier...
I remember bitching to myself that my maintence runs should be getting easier as I struggled to finish what had been an easy run the previous week. Well, this week I can feel the difference. My Tuesday run wasn't effortless, but I found my rythym much more quickly than I had before and the 2nd mile didn't make me want to quit. This morning's run was good as well. Now if I could just get my shin splint and blister to heal I would be in good shape.
Last night on my way home from a learning disabilities simulation I stopped at Walgreens. I bought a bottle of ibuprofen, athletic tape, a large jar of vaseline, and 4 tubes of lipbalm. I got a strange look from the woman behind the counter, but who cares. I'm keep thing the ibuprofen for post-workout inflammation reduction and a roll of athletic tape for whatever comes up in my desk drawer. I will be diving into the vaseline this weekend. Andy told me that once I hit 8-10 miles I should slather my feet and toes with vaseline before putting on my socks and shoes. This would help reduce friction and blisters. So, once again I'm going to put my trust in Andy, we'll see how it works out.
On a different note, my volleyball team played in the playoffs on Tuesday night. We beat the first team in the 1st and 3rd game, but we fell to the dreaded Nitrous in the finals. They walked away with t-shirts and we went to get drinks. Our setter approached me to play with her on a different team during the next season. I think it will be fun to play amongst others who have played competitive volleyball. I'm going to meet some of them at an open gym tonight and then I will make my final decision.
Purple eyeshadow is never the answer....
After icing various body parts and catching up on errands yesterday I decided to walk to Macy's in Union Square. The Clinique counter was having a special "update your spring look" event and I figured that getting a make over was the perfect end to a good day.
So I sat down with Brittni and we chatted about my daily regimen of cleansing, moisturizing, and makeup-ing. I think I confounded her a little because I have used Clinique products exclusively for the past 20 years or so. I also do all of the things I'm supposed to do like taking my makeup off before bed and using eye cream. So, Brittni decided to play with some color.
I mentioned to her that one of the other makeup artists was wearing eye shadow that I liked. Brittni went off to consult with the woman and came back triumphantly stating that purple was the answer. I was hesitant, but figured, "what the hell." I became nervous when I saw the many shades and layers of purple that were going to make their way onto my eyelids. I almost yelled STOP when Brittni trotted out the gold, but I just crossed my fingers and had faith.
When she was finished I took a peek in the mirror and had to keep from audibly gasping. Plain and simple, I looked like a hooker! The makeup looked nothing like the woman that I had admired nor did it look good in any way. I made pleasant murmurs and vowed to wash it off as soon as I returned home. As I sat and let Brittni apply lipstick to my abused face I grabbed the woman whose makeup I coveted and said, "See this is what I wanted. Subtle yet fresh." The nice lady then showed me what she did to get her look and moved on. I could tell that Brittni was hurt and I assured her that I just wanted another option for the purple eyeshadow.
On my walk home I was certain I would be stopped by someone driving by and asked for my rates. My friend Libby begged me to take the look out to a bar and at least have one drink. I bought Girl Scout cookies instead.
Superfeet and Gu
I can't get in to see my doctor (I finally figured out who she was) for a month so I decided to slap together a little home remedy for the 'ole shin splints. It consists of heating and stretching before exercise, orthotic insoles during exercise, and icing and ibuprofen after exercise. I made a trip to my beloved Sports Basement on my way home from work yesterday to pick up the necessary supplies. I paid $30 for Superfeet to help "absorb shock and properly align my feet and body," which is much less than the $300 I paid for custom fit orthotics five years ago.
I excitedly opened the package last night and admired the lime green inserts that were going to become my feet and legs' new best friend. I carefully read the instructions on how to cut them to fit into my shoes and their suggestions for "easing" into wearing them. They tell you to wear them for 2 hours the first day, 4 the second, 6 the next, and so on until you are up to a full day. You are also supposed to give your feet and muscles 10 days to adjust to their new support.
Did I listen to any of that advice - NO! I cut them to fit my shoes and wore them out for the first time on today's 7 mile run. Now, most normal people would think running farther than ever before would be enough of a milestone for one day, but not me. No, I needed to fix my shin splints at the same time. I have to say that my shins didn't hurt while running, nor do they now. My arches are a bit pissy with me. I developed some nice blisters and decided that icing them along with my achilles and right shin would probably make them a wee bit happier. I don't know that it really made all that much difference, but I feel better knowing that I tried. I plan on sticking to biking on my crosstraining days until I know that the shin splints are gone. And, one of my running mates offered me free entrance to the YMCA to do some water running as a non-impact alternative.
Besides the arch/shin splint struggle I also added Gu to my regimen. For those of you who do not run or every need a quick kick of carbohydrates you may not have heard of this viscous stuff. It comes in individual packets or large jugs that you can pour into a squeeze bottle. It is the consistency of honey and comes in flavors such as triple berry, mango, espresso, and plain. There are many brands out there and I brought home individual packets in chocolate from each brand to see if I like the taste of one better than the others. I chose plain for my first foray into Gu-dom.
I have to say that I was a bit cynical about the Gu, even though Andy assured me that I would need it. I was even more cynical when I started to eat it. If you have ever eaten a spoonful of honey you will know what I'm talking about. Now imagine two or three spoonfuls of honey. I drank lots of water to wash it down and spread it out over almost a mile. For all of my cynicism, it works. I finished the run with more energy that I had during the first half and was in high spirits during stretching and all the way home. Gu is good!
7 miles down in 1hr 21min and I felt great (minus the arches), kept my group together, and got a big high-five for our time from Coach Scott. Man, I'm good at this.
The dreaded shin splints
I know I promised a post filled with all of the fabulous things I did in the past two week but I don't have much time this morning and I just have to complain a little.
I have self-diagnosed shin splints. It all started on Monday when I went out to do my cross training. I was at a conference in Las Vegas and thought I would slip down to the gym at the hotel to push around some weights. Much to my surprise they wanted $25 a day to use the gym - so I took to the strip (no, not in the hooker way). I walked from the Aladdin to the Mandalay Bay and back. Along the way I noticed that I had a sharp pain above my right ankle along the inside of my shin. And so, like a good girl, I iced.
The next day on my run the nagging pain was still there and so I iced some more. Tuesday night at my volleyball game my right hip began to ache. When I came home to ice I realized that I didn't have enough to cover all of the parts that needed attention. So, I sat on a bag of frozen peas while I used my remaining ice for my achilles and shin. When I told my co-worker Jeannie about it she laughed at me, stating that I was the only person she knew that ran out of ice for medical reasons and not a party.
Yesterday morning's run was a nightmare. I forced myself to run 2 miles, but it was so painful couldn't complete any more. I knew that this was more than just soreness so I searched the internet while I propped my leg up on my desk drawer for icing. Through my research of anatomical pictures of the lower leg I convinced myself that I was having problems with my Flexor Hallucis Longus or Flexor Digitorum Longus. As I delved further into my research I realized that couldn't possibly be the problem since I didn't have any of the typical symptoms.
On a whim I clicked on links for other lower leg injuries and there it was, staring back at me. The shin splint. As I read more it was clear to me that this was the problem I had encountered and I became more and more disheartened. First of all I wanted to have a "cool" injury, one that allowed me to use the term Flexor Hallucis Longus in as many sentences as possible. Secondly, I have the feeling that the shin splint is going to seriously hinder my training. I have to think about everything in a new way. On my non-running days I will have to switch to non-weight bearing excercises like biking or swimming (where am I going to find a pool?). I will be icing constantly and keeping my lower leg taped every day to help it heal even when I walking around school (so much for skirts).
I also realized that I probably needed to go and see my primary care doctor so she could refer me to a sports medicine clinic to help me through this training process. I don't want to rely soley on our school trainer Patti. The worst thing is that I don't know who my doctor is. I had to go to the woman in charge of benefits and to look up the name of the person I designated as my doctor at the beginning of the school year, whom I picked from a doctor search because she was a female GP whose office is mere blocks from my house.
And so the adventure continues.
