Talk About a Day Off

I've been awake for a total of 4.75 hours so far today. It's currently 8:15 p.m. Got to get cracking tomorrow!

Friday 2/27

Miles ran: 0.5
Miles walked: 1.25

I knew the helpfulness of the shoes would be determined by how this workout went. The day after a long run is always interesting—up to this point, the days after my longer runs have been extremely painful, even when just walking at work or around the house. Friday though, I had no pain when I was walking and all day at work was fine. Success! The shoes helped! I did find out, however, that when I tried to actually run again, the legs weren't too happy about that, even though I iced my legs Thursday night. So, I was pretty sore after leaving the gym, but went home and iced the legs again.

Thursday 2/26

Mile 1: Walk 0.25 miles, run 0.75 miles
Mile 2: Walk 0.25 miles, run 0.75 miles
Mile 3: Walk 0.5 miles, run 0.5 miles
Mile 4: Walk 0.5 miles, run 0.5 miles
Cooldown: Walk 0.5 miles, slowly

Thursday's workout was awesome! The shoes definitely help a lot. I also think that the run/walk technique is really helping a lot. The theory behind it is that you can run longer and save your energy longer. If I can follow a run walk technique of run 1 mile, walk 0.5 mile, I can complete the half-marathon (13.1 miles) and only have to actually run 9 miles of that. Don't yet know if I can even keep going that long.... this was my longest workout yet. :)

Strength, Speed, and Victory

I had my gait analysis done last night, and as I knew, I roll my feet inward. So I have weak and flat arches. Swell! After trying on a dozen or so pairs of shoes, all of which had some form of stabilizing material throughout the instep to help control the over-pronating, I am the proud owner of my first pair of Nikes.

Throughout the years and several sports, I have shunned the world-famous Nike for many other brands: Reebok, Adidas, New Balance, Saucony, and most recently, Asics. However, I now embrace the Nike brand and will use them as a motivational tool: according to Wikipedia,

"In Greek mythology, Nike was a goddess who personified triumph throughout the ages of the ancient Greek culture. ... Nike is seen with wings in most statues and paintings. ... Nike is the goddess of strength, speed, and victory."

Photo Credit (it's #4)
The wings description makes me wonder; is that what the swoosh is supposed to represent, in an abstract way? Regardless, I hope that these new shoes will help push the boundaries of my strength, increase my speed, and achieve personal victory (not dying mid-race, or shortly thereafter). As long as I'm not on the bench for days after each run, I'm fine with that too.

Analyze This.

Wow, I was so happy after Sunday's run... Monday night was not so good. I left the gym plotting a terrible crabby blog post because I was having a bad day and the gym was the last straw. Examples of what I would have complained about:

1. My ponytail holders aren't strong enough to keep my hair in a good ponytail.
2. There are 5 good treadmills with TVs at the gym, and one TV is always broken. But you don't know until you're already on it, and there aren't any other TVs that face your direction at that point.
3. Treadmills never have a large enough water bottle holder for my large bottles of Fiji.
   
4. Apparently my legs are boycotting running, because every time I make them do it, they punish me for days.

Then yesterday, I was planning on writing a more positive blog post, with the crabby complaints but then something positive, a solution, or at least a different spin on it. (In my sorority meetings you had to follow up with a positive no matter how vile the thing you just said. It made for some interesting positives, especially about prospective members—"she got good grades in high school," etc.—but still not a terrible idea to try and soften the blow.) So here are some answers to the above complaints:

1. Go buy some new ones already.
2. Always bring a backup plan, like a magazine. This way you're prepared to hold off boredom for at least a little while. Besides, when it gets warmer, you'll be running outside and you won't have TV at all, so be glad for what you have, spoiled brat.
3. Umm maybe you should use a different water bottle. ("But I drink a lot when I work out!") Well then maybe you should investigate a tall skinny water bottle that you can refill over and over, even with Fiji.
4. GO SEE SOMEONE! Start with gait analysis at a running store, if new shoes don't help then go see a doctor. Enough whining already.

So, listening to myself, I'm going after work to Potomac River Running in Burke. They have a video system hooked up to a treadmill so that both you and they can watch you run (I wonder if it will confuse me and make me run funny or fall down?), and then they can help recommend shoes that will help correct your issues. Fingers crossed—that they figure out my problem and that their recommended shoes aren't too expensive! Thanks to tax refunds, I am allowing $150 to be put towards running shoes, if they are going to help. So, hopefully they're in my budget.

Cardio Cinema

Miles Ran: 1.5
Miles Walked: 1.5

Best. Thing. Ever! I don't know if it was the darkness, which made me feel totally unself-conscious, or being entertained by a continuous storyline, but I had a great workout! (Despite being sick to my stomach lately.) They really should choose their movies more carefully though--it's hard to try not to cry while running. (Yes, I cry at Armageddon, and every other movie ever.)

I have some minor leg pain, but I feel good and am really glad I am able to run again!

Entertainment Factor

Unfortunately, I don't enjoy working out in silence. I don't even enjoy working in silence--I always have music or an audiobook on when I'm in the office. This need for entertainment is kind of bad when running outside or for long periods of time, because something has to keep me occupied enough to make me forget that I'm excercising--no easy task.

You can imagine my excitement when I just learned that the Fairfax Station gym (close to my house) has a cardio theater: a room with a movie screen where you can run and watch movies!!! AMAZING!!! Too bad I can't run an indoor marathon, because if we had a string of good movies, I could keep going forever. And really, a marathon would (ideally) only take a couple of movies, or maybe even just one really long one, like King Kong or the English Patient. Hmm... how to devise some sort of sunglasses where I can watch movies outside...

Hopefully this cardio theater lives up to my expectations. At least they are playing a movie I like today: Armageddon. Nothing keeps you running like the fear that the world is going to end.

How Long...

Will it take me if I walk the half-marathon?

13.1 miles x 15 minutes/mile = 196.5 minutes (3 hours and 16.5 minutes)

Some people run a marathon in that time. If I don't start running soon, I'm screwed.

(Miles Ran: 0 Miles Walked: 3.08)

These Shins Weren't Made for Running

I'm about to work out, and I'm dreading it... but not for the usual reasons. I'm dreading it because I can't run, as opposed to hating running. All I want is for my muscles to ache and my lungs to burn. Is that so much to ask?

They're Baaaack....

Miles Ran: 0.001
Miles Walked: 1.999

So... last night's workout was interesting. First of all, I went to the gym in my building (like usual), got changed, and headed out... only to find that all 15 or so treadmills were completely full. This could be since I worked late and didn't get down there until 6pm. I really need to use that advantage of being there immediately after work. Anyway, I could have stood there waiting, but I chose instead to drive to the gym near our house. I hadn't tried it yet and I figured that by the time I got there, people would be eating dinner. Wrong again... but I did get a treadmill after only 10 minutes or so. This time was spent stretching well, since I've learned that stretching may be what keeps me from falling apart.

As I'm warming up with a little walk, watching Alex Trebek, I'm feeling pretty good. Surprisingly good considering that it has been a week since I even walked a decent distance. So I started to run. It was OK, but I felt a little funny in the shin region. I pressed on for a bit, but finally decided that the legs weren't ready yet. The good thing is that I walked about 2 miles, so at least I'm not completely dormant.

Today the legs have been aching a little bit, but I feel like hopefully the shin splints are healing and I'll be back to runnning soon. I really need to get on the ball if I'm going to make a decent showing at this half marathon. I've only missed a week, but these are precious days that I need to work up to running 13 miles by May 17. Ugh. So far and so soon at the same time!

Long Break

Apparently, the cure for shin splints is skiing... or maybe the position your feet and legs are in when you're skiing. Ski boots force your feet to be flexed all the time, which I think provided the amount of stretching necessary to make my legs feel better. I did start to feel the aching coming back today, since I didn't ski Sunday or yesterday, but I think if I can do a proper amount of stretching before, after, and during my run, I can avoid the pain. Hopefully my new shoes will help too...

While I've excercised, I haven't actually run since last Monday, when I really killed my legs. Now I know that if it really starts hurting, I should stop. I just need to get on with the training because I don't have forever to train for this half marathon in May. No more days off, hopefully...

I Heart Books

I went to Barnes & Noble on my lunch break to scope out some books on running. I wanted to be able to read about hurting myself, mainly when I'm supposed to ignore it and when I should be allowed to whine about it. (We all know I will anyway, but at least I'll know if I should whine on the way to the doctor.) Normally I would read all of the reviews on Amazon and then buy the books online. But I actually wanted to try these out before purchasing them... something I haven't done with any purchase in a really long time!

I found a great book on "ouchies": The Runner's Repair Manual. At first I was a little turned off by the book's appearance—it's black only and the pages are a really mushy offset (not glossy)—compared to the oversized books with bright photos of happy people running and big charts of what hurts and what you should do. Once I started looking up my symptoms, however, the charts went out the window. This book is amazing. It tells you exactly why you have the symptoms you do, what kind of first aid you can do at home to ease your suffering, and what causes this so that you can try to fix it and prevent it in the future.

The other book I bought does have bright graphics and slick pages (easing my graphically-prejudiced mind), and it has information on what seems like every imaginable aspect of running: food/nutrition, gear, preventing and treating injuries, how to get started, workouts for every level (and a very clear description of what each level entails—something that is really hard to come by), pace, and a lot more. Beginner's Guide to Long Distance Running is a book that has so much information, I'm going to have to literally sit down and read through the whole thing to process it all.

I don't think I've been this excited about running or reading nonfiction since elementary school.

Sitting the Bench

During my scheduled day off yesterday, I bought a new pair of running shoes and some insoles to help with the shin splints. I don't really know if they are going to help or not, because I couldn't even finish my workout today due to the pain in my lower legs. And believe me, I know I am a wimp so I pushed myself through the pain for a while. But when they started to feel numbly painful, I had to stop.

I talked to the general manager at the gym, and he told me several interesting things:

1. Sitting all day keeps your muscles in the same (non-running) position and that's bad.
2. Stretching is really important for running.
3. You can buy expensive stuff (equipment, etc.) to help your gait if your feet roll in or out.
4. There is nothing you can do for shin splints but rest.

So for now I'm kind of sitting the bench, which really sucks because I'm finally motivated and committed to doing something. But... I'm suspecting that this is not the last of the injuries that I will face in this mission, so I will be happy with a prescription of rest. "Rest" doesn't mean sit on my butt (unfortunately), but no more running for now, which isn't good for my training. I can bike, and apparently the elliptical trainer is ok, depending on how your legs feel. This whole thing is really frustrating because (under the excess) my legs are pretty strong--I need endurance.

I'd like to find a place to swim, not with a team but just for training, but I already pay for the gym and I really don't want to pay for another. But we'll see. I'm really missing it lately and it would be great for the endurance...

Outdoors

Miles Ran: 1.375
Miles Walked: 1.455

Wow, running outside is much different than running inside. At least today was a really beautiful spring-like day! It was much harder to run outside (hills, a 10 lb. camelbak, free will, etc.) but at the same time it was so much easier to just pick a point and say, "I'm getting to that point and no stopping" and then just zone out until I get there. On the treadmill it's very hard not to look down and check where you are every 20 seconds. This is my route and etc. (courtesy Gmaps Ped):

I pointed out home and highlighted the prison for those of you who have never been here. The prison is closed, of course--we're not idiots. They are in the early stages of turning it into a town center with retail, food, and lots of housing. I wish they'd hurry up, I'd love to walk to decent food (right now we have Burger King, a crappy pizza place, and a new kabob restaurant that is to be tested... perhaps tonight...).

It's amazing how inept I am at Microsoft Paint when I use high-tech graphics software everyday. It's even more amazing that I was in a terribly cranky mood before I ran, and working out MADE IT BETTER. I know this is a scientifically proven fact, but the force of the couch was strong within me. I never thought I'd be happier after working out.

"Pump Bump"--Not the Same as "Pumps and a Bump"

(yes, you just got a wicked MC Hammer reference!)

Miles Ran: 1.25
Miles Walked: 1.0

I had a really great workout tonight! I left feeling like I could have done more, and when I got to my car I was wondering why I didn't. But, I chalked it up to learning myself and my tolerance... tonight whenever I felt like I was hitting a wall, I just kept running a little bit further. This workout I did all of the running in two spurts, instead of run/walk off and on throughout. It sounds silly to celebrate running 0.75 miles at once, but it's the first of (hopefully) many small victories to celebrate. I think the mind and body are starting to remember what they were doing 10 years ago--and getting back into the swing of being athletic.

Tomorrow is going to be a real test of how I'm doing. It will be my first attempt at running outside in a really long time. One thing I really like about using the treadmill is all of the information that is right in front of you; if I can see that I am very close to making a milestone, I'm more likely to push myself to achieve it instead of stopping when I feel like it. Out on the open road, there isn't an end in sight so it's easier to say, "oh I can start walking here" instead of pushing through. I am going to map out my route on Gmaps Pedometer to get a rough idea my GPS also has a "walk" setting so that it can calculate times and distances (and I'm assuming different routes, on one-way streets for example) for a walker rather than a driver. So maybe I'll play with calculating a route there too. The latest updates on Google aren't very recent in our area--too many new building projects in the past few years for the satellite imaging to keep up with I guess.

I also have to get out and buy new shoes at some point this weekend. I have major shin splint action going on (strangely, it's worse when I walk than when I run), and while I can ignore it to a certain point it still isn't comfortable. Plus, there are holes in my Sauconys and it's time to retire them. BTW--the reason my shoes have holes in them is that I have a knobby section of bone at the bottom of each Achilles tendon that rubs the inside back of my shoes. I Googled "heel bone" (duh, Google is my lifeline) and found this photo:


Based on this image, I looked up "Haglund's Deformity" (also called "pump bump" because it is sometimes caused by wearing heels--I wonder how the men with this condition feel about that name... or are we ladies the only ones who have foot deformities??) and found out that it is supposedly painful and is more likely to develop when there is a prominent bump on the heel. So I guess if it ever does start hurting I'll know that I have bursitis of the heel. The worst I've ever had is just blisters.

Yay for Rest!

Miles Ran: 1.0
Miles Walked: 1.5

Last night's workout was... interesting. I'm learning that when I walk, my legs hurt more, and when I run, my endurance/lungs hurts more. I definitely am going to look into new shoes this weekend to see if that helps with the hurting legs. (It's mostly in the shin and calf areas.)

Apparently there is a run/walk method for marathons. I'm not sure if it is just for training, or if you would actually do it in the marathon as well. I'm also not really sure if there is a certain ratio of run to walk, or if you just do your own intervals. I'll have to check. In any case, it's really hard to switch between running and walking on the treadmill—I end up taking breaks whenever I switch from run to walk, but then again maybe that's a good thing! :)

Today is a day of rest—I'm exhausted and I am happy to hear that days of rest are important for your training. Right now I am trying to work up to full-on running for 30 minutes at a time, and then I will start the real training schedule...

Bailout

I let the nice woman from TNT know that I won't make the meeting tonight and asked for the information by email or snail mail. I just can't sit through an hour-long meeting tonight. I'm hitting the gym and then going to Amanda's for dinner. There will be other meetings.

Excuse #1

So I didn't run last night. I stayed at work pretty late (7:15) and after that all I wanted to do was go home. So I did. But ever since, it's been bothering me. I have a nagging feeling that 1) this is going to happen more often, and 2) I can't skip days over and over because of it. So I will not be skipping days because of working late anymore.

I've also come to the realization that there are lots of legitimate reasons that I might not run: going on a ski trip (I'm already excercising...), going on a work conference (we're on our feet from 6 a.m. to midnight most days), having a migraine (unfortunately happens somewhat often), going out with friends, etc. But really, how many of these are really reasons that I wouldn't run? Skiing, I could count as cross-training. Work, well I would just have to get up even earlier, which I am really terrible at, but could plausibly do. Migraine, this would have to get played by ear. If it's early in the stages, I could run anyway. But if I'm at the vomiting stage, the folks at Gold's Gym would probably rather I didn't puke on their equipment or lie moaning in their locker room. And going out with friends, well I will just have to schedule my social life around my running schedule. It's not that happening anyway. :)

Tonight (after I run, of course) I'm headed to a meeting for the Team in Training (TNT). It's girls night, so I'll be showing up late... the first of my altered schedule due to the running. My contact at the TNT said that the meetings usually last "a little over an hour." WTF? What could we possibly be talking about for that long? Just tell me how to sign up and how much money I need to get for you. I'm not joining this team to meet new people. If I make a few friends, great, but I don't feel the need to pump each other up and hold hands and hug. Being chipper is not my deal, ESPECIALLY when excercise is involved. If I avoided working out with my friend Jenny because of her perpetual happiness, then I definitely don't need this random group of strangers cheering me on!

Day One: 2/2/09

Miles Ran: 0.75
Miles Walked: 1.5

The marathon training has begun. Slowly. But last night on the treadmill, I decided that I will not be embarrassed at any time during this training process. It's just not worth it. The thing is, it's AWESOME that I am even trying, so I really have nothing to be embarrassed about. Running hurt last night, mostly the lungs. No more social smoking for me! I also need new shoes since my current Sauconys have holes in them... so maybe this weekend I'll find a running store. (Is there such a thing as just a running store??)

What kicked this idea off was a book that I randomly picked up at REI last weekend: The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide for Women by Dawn Dais. I'm not sure why I even bought it, but after reading a few chapters I was sold. Dawn is really funny, and her sarcastic style suits me perfectly. So newly-inspired, I signed up for the Historic Half-Marathon on May 17 in Fredericksburg as a midway point, and then hopefully I can get into the Marine Corps Marathon on October 25 (our anniversary!).

I wonder: if you don't get an official ticket, can you just run with everyone anyway and just not be counted? The marathon course looks really cool, it's like a tour of all D.C. touristy spots. Not like I'll be able to enjoy the view anyway, as I'll be dying... :) The plan is to sign up with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training, in which case I should be able to get a ticket. Not sure that I want to train with these random people—I'm pretty friendly but not always excited to hang out with a bunch of people I don't know—but at least I can raise money for a good cause while I prove that I can commit to something and not quit. (I guess I proved that with my marriage, but that's about it!)