The flu strikes again
I'm home again today with the stomach flu. At least that is what I think it is. Although, it is hard to believe that I have been hit with exactly the same bug twice in a month. I had to come home yesterday after a couple of hours at work. During the 24 hour period of 7am on Monday to 7am today I slept 16 hours. The hours that I was awake were spent on the couch or in the bathroom. Nothing stayed down yesterday and I have been experimenting today. So far, english muffins-good, tomato soup-bad. I'm really tired of this.
The worst thing about being sick is keeping myself entertained. There is nothing good on TV, and I mean nothing. Today I am watching a marathon of Nashville Star. Kenny Rogers just sang and he is terrible. And, when will people learn that when you get a face lift you should get a neck lift too. It doesn't make any sense to have a tight face and a neck that jiggles like a turkey.
2 steps forward, 1 step back
This week has been one of ups and downs for me. My Tuesday maintenance run went well. I decided to keep it to 30 minutes since I would be running 16 miles on Saturday. Thursday was another story. I got on the treadmill eager to run my 30 minutes and be done with it. Little did I know that it would only last 5 short minutes. I walked for another 5 minutes and then moved to the stationary bike, knowing I couldn't forego all activity with my big run coming up.
I finally broke down and went to see Patti on Friday. I knew she would chide me, but also offer helpful suggestions. The problem with having a background in exercise science and athletic training is that I think I can self-diagnose and come up with remedies all on my own. I had to face the fact that I needed more help. Patti & I talked about what I have been doing, including the massage/ice/ibuprofen routine.
I walked for her and she just shook her head. That is when she told me that I have some of the worst biomechanics possible for running. Between my tight Achilles and massive over-pronation I am throwing my whole body out of whack. She did tell me that I was putting added stress on my Flexor Hallicus Longus and all I could think was "Hurray, I finally get to say something cooler than shin splints." Patti took a look at my motion control shoe and orthotic insert and quickly told me that I needed new ones. What? It is has only been 3 months. Shoes are supposed to be good for 500 miles - mine have only logged 200. But, due to my screwy feet I'm going to need new shoes every 2-3 months while I'm training this much. ARGHHHHH.
We talked about my training regimen -both running and off days and came up with a new plan. It includes less weight training and more non-impact cardio than I have been doing. Then we came to the big issue, my weight. Now, I know and have known for some time that I need to get back to paying attention to that aspect of my life. Basically in training for a marathon I have given myself free license to eat whatever the hell I want. Ice cream for dinner and chips and salsa breakfasts are common meals in my world.
Five years ago I joined Weight Watchers and lost 60 pounds over the span of a year. I have maintained that weightloss for four years and have been proud of myself for that. But, it is now time to pick up that ball again and run with it. With the amount of training that I am doing the weight should be melting off of me, and I have to say that I always feel a bit chagrined to admit that it hasn't when people ask. And so I am now saying, out loud, that I am going to join a meeting this week. Now that the thought has left my head and been put out into the world I have no choice but to follow through.
So, now we come to yesterday's run. I added arch and shin splint taping to my weekly regimen of blister bloc and vasaline toes. Everyone had a comment for me when I arrive to the run site with tape 3/4 way to my knees - most of them had to do with waxing/hair removal. Our run took us through North Beach to Telegraph Hill, where we ran up to Coit Tower and back. Then we meandered through my neighborhood and back through the Marina to the Presido. Although we dropped our pace to 12 minute miles and our run/walk ratio to 4:1 I still struggled on all of the hills. I had the choice of walking the hills or sitting down and crying; I chose walking. At about 12 miles we were close to camp and I made the tough decision to head back and skip out on the last 4 miles.
I know that many of you are probably thinking that stopping after 12 miles would not be a hard decision at all and I find it funny that I keep saying, "I only ran 12 miles." I'm proud of myself for making it 12 miles and for recognizing the fact that I needed to stop and take care of my body rather than risking more injuries. I'm disappointed that I didn't finish one of my long runs once again. I was so certain that I would be able to run 16 miles with minimal problems.
I had a talk with Coach Scott when I returned to camp and we came up with a plan that I grudgingly agreed to. Next week during our 8 mile recovery run I will run with the Salazars. They run a 12 minute mile and a 4:1 ratio. Then Scott and I will come up with a plan for the 18 mile run. I may run with a slower group or run a shorter course. I'm disappointed that I won't be running with my group but I also recognize that I need to take care of my body so I make it to the starting line on July 30th.
So, after my run and icing in the Bay I visited Sports Basement once again. I bought 2 more pair of the shoes and several new orthotic inserts. I know that I have given myself complete financial license for the marathon but this is starting to get ridiculous. I never imagined that I would be buying 3 pair of shoes on top of all of the other things that I have "needed". Basically it adds up to $Holy Crap.00.
The tag stops here
My friend Amanda tagged me on Monday with a "reveal 6 wierd things about yourself" game and I am just now responding, if you can call it that. I don't usually buy into these kind of things, but it seemed like a fun way to dissect myself in a public manner. I don't know enough bloggers to pass this on. That means I'm breaking the chain and something terrible will probably happen to me. I'm banking on the fact that it is a load of crap.
So, here goes:
1. I have to touch the outside of an airplane before boarding. Sometime long ago I had a dream that I would die in an airplane crash. Somehow I convinced myself that would keep me from plunging to a fiery death.
2. I thrive on order only in certain parts of my life. For example, my cds are organized by genre and then alphabetical within that category and my money is always facing the same direction in rank order. I can have dirty dishes stacked to the ceiling and create another cat by all the hair I scuff up on the carpet, but if one of my cds is out of place I break out in hives.
3. Any candy that is bite sized and comes in various colors must be eaten in twos and only in matching colors, even if they all taste the same. Once they are paired if there are several that don't match you must pick the closest in relation to each other according to the rainbow and pair those together.
4. I don't eat anything that is squishy, slimy, and sweet. That combination makes me gag. Example: I can eat yogurt, which has some tang, but not pudding. Don't even get me started on the foul substance called whipped cream.
5. I can tell you instantly if someone has been rummaging in my closet. My clothes are arranged in a very intricate way. For shirts it involves the color, sleeve length, and style. In pants and skirts it is based more on color and season. If I am looking for a particular item I can almost find it blindfolded.
6. I can wiggle my ears, but it doesn't stop there. I can move my whole scalp back and forth. This is a little trick that I picked up from my grandfather. Bapa used to entertain me by scrubbing his brush-cut back and forth on my hand. One day, in high school, I discovered that the scalp wiggling gene had been passed on to me and I have been using it to freak people out ever since.
The Boston Marathon
I want to give a shout out to my friend Andy. He completed the Boston Marathon yesterday in what I consider to be amazing time. He ran 26.2 miles in 3 hrs 6min - that is a 7:06 pace. Out of the 20,000 participants he placed 1664th. Just for reference, it took me nearly that amount of time to run 14 miles. Way to go Andy!
Its not just about the running
I have recently been scolded for not writing about my life in my blog - only my running. Well, running has become a large part of my life. If I'm not running I'm planning for a run, icing after a run, taping for a run, massaging my lower legs while swearing about running, etc... If you catch my drift I have become LAME!
In an amazing turn of events the last two weeks I have done much more than run. It all started on March 30th when I flew to San Antonio for a college visit to Trinity. I have known the Director of Admissions there for almost 10 years. She and I both started in admissions the same year - me at College of Santa Fe and her at Trinity. When I think of our various escapades and shenanigans throughout those three years I am amazed that we have both become directors. I have met most of her staff over the years and they are a fun bunch. They wined and dined the 25 counselors that were there, and of course I made sure they paid special attention to me. We tricked the Dean of Admission and Financial Aid into thinking that one of the Admissions Counselors took me to a strip club on Trinity's dime as a little April Fool's joke. I also got the opportunity to see a friend of mine from Cranbrook who moved to San Antonio two years ago. We drank margaritas along the riverwalk in the sunshine and caught up.
From San Antonio I headed on to Tampa, FL to Libby's house. We did some socializing that evening and then turned in so we could face the next day. All I can say about our 6 mile run the next day is HOT! After cleaning up and repacking we jumped in the car and headed to Miami through the Everglades. We crashed with a friend of Libby's who then took us to Fort Lauderdale Port in the early AM.
I geared myself up for five hour boat ride. I took my Bonine, picked the perfect spot on the boat, and concentrated on not vomiting. It actually wasn't bad, although I did sleep for most of the ride. We arrived in Freeport and made quick friends with a couple from Naples who were staying at our hotel. The 4 days in the Bahamas were spent mostly with sleep, lounging, sunning, eating, and drinking. It was one of the most restful vacations I have had in ages. I won't spend too much time regaling you with stories about the beach bonfire with too many Bahama Mamas or the $100 dinner tab that someone else picked up - suffice to say that we had fun. The trip home on the boat was not a good one for me. Even though I took my medicine I was lying down concentrating on the stars to keep my stomach from rolling around. It took determination but there was no vomiting.
I headed home on Friday, April 7th in time to get up and run my 14 miles on Saturday. Last week was eventful as well. My friend Trish came into town early in the week and we had a great time exploring. We took a run in Golden Gate Park and stopped to meander in the Japanese Tea Garden. It was almost magical walking the winding paths dotted with sun streaking through the blooming cherry blossoms. There were plenty of people enjoying the area, but the calm of the gardens inspired a quiet reverence in us all. Trish and I also got the opportunity to try out a restaurant that I have been dying to go to. It was a big hit and a place that I will definitely visit again. O'Reilly's Holy Grail is and Irish restaurant that serves all of the good food that you wish you could find in Ireland - nothing fried or mushy.
On Thursday I went to a party with a bunch of artists. Everyone worked with paint, ceramics, or glass. It was fun to chat with other creative folks and stand in awe of the full moon. Saturday after my 7 mile run I made a connection with one of the runners in my group. I have had the feeling that Elizabeth and I would be friends if we just had more time to hang out. She was shopping for shoes at Sports Basement when I wandered in to buy more Gu. I offered her a ride home and I think it the first step to us becoming closer. I hope I don't sound like a stalker.
That night I gussied myself up to go to a fundraising party for one of the COBs. I arrived at Dalva Bar in the Mission and when I walked through the door it was as if the record had scratched and there was dead silence. There were about 10 people sitting at the bar who all turned around to stare at me. I didn't see anyone I knew, nor did I recognize the woman holding the party. I skidaddled from there pretty quickly and went to join some friends who were hanging out at a bar in the Richmond. We drank pitchers of Budweiser and played dice for hours at a bar call Hockey Haven. It reminded me of hanging out at Mt. Chalet without all the smoke.
On Sunday I joined Stef and Kollin for Easter dinner and the Giants game. I have now learned most of the players names and am feeling much more savvy about baseball. I think this past two weeks have been my most non-lame ones in a long time. I'm going to try to keep it up, but I don't know if I can handle it.
Nothing to worry about
Last night after I shut down my computer I broke out the sandlewood rose aromatherapy massage oil. It is supposed to release tension and I was ready to do anything to get my calves and shins in shape for this morning's run. I spent a half an hour digging my thumbs into the muscles and coaxing the flexibility back into my tendons. I used half a nalgene with emergen-c to wash down 800 mg of ibuprofen and took myself off to bed.
Coach Scott wasn't there to get us started this morning. He sent Coach Toby in his stead and Toby was a little flustered. He asked if any of us were having trouble with blisters or chafing and my hand immediately went up. Toby asked me to address the group at large and give them some ideas on what to do. And, you all know how much I hate to talk in public or draw attention to myself, so of course I agreed. During the run this morning everyone kept referring to me as "Hey blister lady." Not exactly the best nickname, but I could be called worse.
There were only 5 of us this morning but we had a great time. It was a 7 mile recovery run and it went much better than I had expected. My group talked and joked our way through the first four miles. Then it started to rain. It had been misting on and off all morning, but started coming down in sheets and stayed that way for most of the last three miles. We were soaked, but our spirits didn't sink. Our route took us through the Marina and along the bay toward Golden Gate Bridge. We finished in 1hr 21 minutes - perfectly on pace with our 1/4 mile walk at the beginning and a bathroom break.
Suprisingly enough, my legs didn't hurt at all. I felt so much better than I had planned that I didn't know what to think. I still iced for 20 minutes in the Bay afterward for good measure. Francisco joined me and we had a nice chat about relationships and the myriad men he is dating. The time in the Bay may be my favorite part of the run. It is the time we get to relax and chat. I get to spend time with the COBs that run in other groups and others that I have met through the program.
I came home and ate my customary chips and salsa and gave myself another massage. I firgured it couldn't hurt. Overall today turned out to be a much better day than I had imagined or planned.
Determination versus my legs
As I sit here on the eve of my next long run I have been reflecting on my running. I have to say that I am really proud of myself. The marathon was great in the conceptual phase and the first few weeks were all distances that I could imagine running. Last Saturday I ran 14 miles. When I began to think of a starting and ending point that were 14 miles apart I realized what an accomplishment that was. I thought of running from my home town to the next city north and that is nothing I would ever choose to do. Somehow running in a loop through various parts of the city didn't seem that far.
I won't lie and say that I felt great. The last two miles were really tough on my body. My calves were screaming at me and my shins felt like someone was shoving knives into them. I powered through and my group came in as close to smiling as possible. We ran the 14 miles in 2 hours and 54 minutes. Somehow it didn't seem like we ran for three hours.
I have been struggling to get my legs back this entire week. I had to walk/run my three miles on Tuesday and didn't do another maintanence run this week. I was planning to go to water running last night but my errands ran late and I missed the class. Instead I joined Leigh at a party in the lower Haight. It was almost like running - well not really, but at least I was with someone else who is training for the marathon.
Tomorrow we have 7 miles and I just want to make it through. I know that isn't the greatest attitude, but I'm still struggling with my legs. After I write this I am going to give my calves a massage and hope that helps. I have been hydrating, icing, and taking high doses of ibuprofen at night to recover but nothing seems to help.
On a different note I felt really good on my six mile run on the 2nd. I was in Florida and Libby and I didn't get started until 10:45am. Although it was hot and humid we made it through without too much trouble. We also ran two maintanence runs in the Bahamas when we weren't lazing around on the beach and eating conch fritters.
We'll see how tomorrow goes. I am planning on going to a fundraising party thrown by one of my fellow COBs in the evening, so even if the run sucks I will have a good end to the day. I will end my weekend with finishing my taxes and relaxing before the kids come back from spring break.
