Hi everybody,

I hope everybody has a great weekend and successful runs! 

A short update from here... yesterday and today were the first two days without hip pain! Hooray! :-) Also last week I had increased my running to 2.5 miles and if my body doesn't complain too much about it (meaning pain will come back) then I am allowed to increase it to 3 miles :-) And then, I finally have my new bike!!!! I picked it up yesterday and the decision to buy it in a small store on the country was the right one. The owners of the store are great, superfriendly, and helpful. They recommended a trail where I could go on a first ride and told me, that if I come back before the store closes I should come back in to tell them how it was.. I even didn't get a chance to go in there as they came outside and asked me how it was ;-) That first ride was a gorgeous one, beautiful nature and great trails. The trails - in the flat, nothing hilly - were very narrow though with lots of rocks on them... as I haven't done mountain biking in 20 years and certainly not on a bike like this, this was a huge learning process. First to get to know the bike and to get used to it and then to lose that anxiety of riding over rocks ;-) But I improved by the minute.... and although neither the mileage was big nor it was strenuous it felt like a good workout as my body was so tense and I had to learn so much. It was a beautiful day on the countryside and I am all happy about my bike!! The only downside to my first bike ride was, that I already had some minor back pain in the morning and after riding my bike over those bumpy, rocky, and narrow trails plus after 1.5 hours sitting in the car my back pain was really bad. I hardly could bend down at all.  I took a muscle relaxing bath in the evening, wore one of those heating pads overnight and today it was a bit better. Will do some back pain yoga later on and luckily I have an appointment with my PT tomorrow! I know it was stupid to go on the bike ride at all, but how could I not to, as I finally got to pick up my bike and was in beautiful nature? ;-)

Mary Kay, congrats on your 10k and personal record!

Britta

Mary, you'll find that on any given course different devices will not give the same measurement.  Sometimes it's because the organizers follow the center of the path while others use one edge or just read their own gps.  In the end it doesn't matter that much, you had a great run and are making lots of progress.  Enjoy it and don't look back.

Britta, that's great news!  Mountain biking does have some more technical aspects and requires more core strength and flexibility to avoid that lower back pain than road biking.  Still, it's lots of fun so you'll get lots of enjoyment from your new bike.

For my part I ran my HM yesterday in 2:12, about 10 minutes faster than last year.  I switched to power walking on the steep climbs and used the lower pacing for drinking and eating the shot blocks.  I went for long strides on the downhills to make up some time and tried to hold about a 9:30 pace on the flats which worked for a while but I started to fade more about mile 11.  At the aid station at mile 10 I decided to go all in and used the rest of my food and drink and took some water from the station to help wash it down.  I know that I was giving it all I had because with less than a mile to go when I could hear the finish line music I got a bad stitch under my right ribs so had  to walk some while it cleared so I could run across the finish line.  The last 100 yards was amazing with the crowd cheering and giving us high fives as we ran under the archway.  I'm certain all the hill work helped a lot because while I'm a little sore today, which is inevitable, overall I felt really strong and had no issues with muscle pain, joint pain, or cramps and my only limit was my cardio ability.

In the end I didn't make my goal time which was somewhat ambitious.  It had to be to be a goal.  But I know that I ran a good race and gave it all I had so I'm perfectly happy with the results and now have another event t-shirt, finisher's medal and pint glass to add to the collection.  Now I'm going to focus on recovery for my 15.5 mile race in 2 weeks.  It doesn't have nearly the climbing so I'll be interested to see the time difference when I'm allowed to just run.  I just stick with my overall racing slogan: I'm not fast, I'm relentless and I never quit.

Andy

Andy~Congratulations on your HM!  10 minutes faster than last year is huge and an awesome accomplishment.  It sounded like a great race, and the motivation from the spectators always makes a big difference at the finish line.  Best wishes getting ready for the 15.5 race, and love your slogan!

Britta, such good news about your fun with Baby Kahuna but so sad to hear about all your stiffness and pain!! I hope you can keep with it and get comfortable. You make trail riding sounds like such fun I may have to rethink my preference for a street bike.

Penny, thanks for your appreciation and good wishes. You sound more than ready for your HM!! You got me thinking I had to get one more long run in. Well, honestly, it's been bugging me for weeks but your reminder that I would be running probably 3 hrs. pushed the issue. I've been balancing PT with gym workouts and short run for weeks itching to prove to myself that I still can run long before it's time to taper and I was running out of time, good weather and flexible work days. So I called in sick this morning and tried to run 12 mi. but my route ran out of real estate too soon and I was too slow. At 2:50, I had done just over 10 mi. and my legs felt like jelly but I did it without feeling winded at all and if I had to walk three more miles I could have so now I can taper in peace, if the body lets me. I'm at work and the muscles (after an ice bath) aren't bad. The knee is the same.

Congratulations, Andy, on your HM and a great time!!! Ten minutes better than last year? You are such a master marathoner! So glad you are happy with that because it sounds like you executed a well-planned run and really enjoyed yourself. Good luck with your 15.5. BTW, I am totally following your advice and working on my 5 and 10k races this summer, putting the FM off until next year. There is a 14k beer run I will be joining and I maybe may push for one or two more HMs before December. As for my 10k, the event folks emailed and said there was a mistake in the course; it was a mile short. I had a great time adjusting my attitude and not getting all spun up about the competition and the unlimited Sam Adams at the end wasn't bad either so I can't be too annoyed about losing the opportunity at this year's 10k PR. It will haunt me until I get it, though.

Debra, you were able to run 11 miles!! You are ready and will run fierce!! The PT will make you that much more ready and you will have this HM so under control! So glad it is working for you. it does take time and persistance but I know you will give it your all. The thought of putting all the excitement and training on hold is just too scary to not give it all the effort you can, at least that's how I saw it. Ugh.

As for how much to eat for long runs in the morning, I LOVE the details about what everyone is eating and when because I still don't have a good plan. What I do know is to avoid oatmeal and maybe toast with coffee. Whenever I've eaten those, I've had to find a bathroom. During a run isn't as much trouble as during a trail race, my first experience. Blaugh. I've tried a half banana, half of a Clif bar and a couple Gu Chomps before a 5k. That worked ok but it's not enough after 45 min. So that's when I have my first gel (w/caffeinne) and water. Then I have one an hour later. Hammer advises to take some form of protein after 2 hrs. but I hate them all and I run slow. If I were really running, I'd force it but gels are getting me through right now or maybe not. 

So today's run was a switch because breathing wasn't a problem as much as my legs. I was jogging really slowly so there's that and I've incorporated Tabata intervals at the gym as cross training with the knee and pollen being problems. It may be too early to claim a benefit but they may be shaking my metabolism out of its deep sleep. That would be so nice if it happened. Anyone have any experience with them? 

Penny, have that cupcake now and after!! Thanks to you and Debra for the wisdom and excellent advice! As it turned out, the long run was a piece of cake the day after so I'm feeling rather confident.

Well, folks I'm excited. I cannot wait!! I haven't been this excited since I graduated law school 23 yrs. ago. That doesn't include, of course, events of the intimate kind. It's a great feeling to know I planned it, prepared for it, and pushed through some setbacks to get here. Hopefully there will be no last minute drama. I may have found someone to bring me a coat for afterward. We'll probably end up about a mile from my car unless they open the stadiums for parking. Carb loading??? Love it!! Had a nice breakfast this morning at Perkins and this could only be better if I drank alcohol. Gotta remember to trim the toenails, preset the Garmin, take warm-up clothes to discard, lay out everything the night before, plan breakfast.... oh, this could be so much fun! Is everybody happy???

Stephanie,

It has been ages! Talk about perserverence! I am surprised you are thinking of running again after such an ordeal. So sorry you were so sick. Pneumonia is so draining. Glad to hear you are feeling better and hope you are almost 100%.  You will be at the starting line soon enough once you get started. Btw, I didn't run the Ault Park race either because of my knee and I would have won my division, being the only one over 60 there. Meh. It was a good decision. I was just worried I was missing the chance to meet up with you.

Thanks so much for your good wishes going into the race! I can't wait to see the temple up close; it is quite beautiful! How wonderful to have such a rich family history and name, Wise!!  I will definitely check it out. I hope to be able to actually run the Pig next year so if you're up for it, we may still try to meet. By the time I get to Mile 11 and 12 I expect my only thoughts will be "Left, right, left, right" but if anything can get my attention, it's ice cream.

Good running and take care not to push too hard. There's a whole summer ahead to enjoy and one week less won't matter so much a couple months from now. So glad you're feeling better!!

Hey everyone! Its been awhile since I've been on, I have been dealing with the dreaded knee issues. Doing the P.T., and getting back into the swing of things. I registered for the St. Judes Half Marathon in December. I am so excited!!!!

Stephanie, I am so glad you are doing better. Pneumonia is draining all around. Keep your head up, and know that we're all behind you.

Debra, sounds like you're ready. Good Luck and run happy.

Andy, awesome time on the HM. I just hope I can finish my first one, not only for myself, but for the kids at St. Jude's. If that's not inspiring, I don't need to be running.

If I have missed anyone, which I probably have, I didn't mean to. Good luck to everyone gearing up to run. Be safe, Be smart, and run happy.

God Bless ya'll

Hi everybody!

I am finally back in this forum I tried to reply to your posts for a week but nothing happened once I hit the reply button. It seems that I had some technical problems with Internet Explorer, now as I am using Firefox it works... anyway, I am back!

I am still at 2.5 miles, but I am happy to say that I was able to improve my time by 3minutes this past week. I ran a time of 25.57min yesterday and was more than happy. I am still going to PT, last time I also learned that my running style is not good... I was landing on my heels and this of course has too much inpact on my legs and knees. So I learned a technique of how to land on the front of my foot. I tried it out yesterday and although it felt weird it turned out that running felt easier and I sure was faster :-) Maybe coincidence, maybe not. So I guess I will be increasing to 3 miles soon. Two things I noticed on my runs... it is really hard to be patient when it comes to increasing mileage.. I still feel "bad" about running "only 2.5 miles"... also I think I am really scared and nervous of reinjury.... I am really afraid that my PR of running 9 miles in February was all I will ever achieve, that I will never be able to get that far/become that good and that I never will reach my goal of running a HM.... has anyone of you who has been injured before had this kind of "anxiety"?

I haven't had a chance for another ride with Baby Kahuna as I live in the city and don't have time during the week. This weekend I will take her out to the local mounains and am already excited for a nice ride! :-))))

Penny and Mary Kay, good luck for your upcoming HMs!!!! I am so excited for you and can't wait to hear about it!!! I will be thinking of you for sure!!!!!!!

Penny, sorry to hear about the cramps... I feel for you! For me it is the worst to run during that specific time of the month... I have less energy and feel weaker and usually can only run short runs at the best.. When I read your post I figured out that my HM in November will fall exactly in that time :-( if you ladies have any advice how to master that specific time of the month and still feel energetic and peform well, please let me know!

STephanie, so sorry to hear that you were so sick!! I hope you recovered well. I so understand how you must feel. Having your goal set up and not being sure if you should go through or not. I got injured in February, at that time I was able to run 9 miles nonstop... I felt really close to a HM and had planned to run one in May or June .... well, I did not run for 5 weeks and lost lots of endurance and mileage. I am currently in PT, learning a lot about running I should have known before. I am at 2.5 miles now, and I feel so frustrated that I cannot run the HM.... I will run one hopefully in November of this year (that's the one I had initially planned anyway). But it is frustrating to give up a goal.... so I totally feel for you! Good luck for whatever you will choose as your goal!!!

Debra, good luck for your HM as well and hopefully your hip won't bother you!

kris0511, congrats on registering for the HM in December! I registered for my first HM in November and am really excited!

Britta