Bullet Points

How's that for an attention-grabbing title?!

I've been running! I've been reading running blogs! I just haven't been keeping mine updated. So many times I've sat down to spill the latest and am just too far behind to even start.

So, it's been decided. Some experiences from the past year will simply need to be shared. Others can be skipped. Posts must happen, though, and I have to start somewhere. Bullet points it shall be, followed by some stories from events passed AND current events.

At least I still look exactly the same. No tattoos, piercings or the like.

Since my last post, there have been crazy and/or awesome developments in my Running Life :

• My first Boston Qualifying time wasn't fast enough to get me into the 2014 race. (oops. That one wasn't awesome or particularly crazy)
• So I signed up for a 50-miler, instead.
• I had a heartbreaking DNS*
• So I signed up for a different 50-miler
• Along the way I did some Pacing/Training*

That guy didn't run. He cheered and drank chocolate milk.

• And secured a faster Boston Qualifier for 2015
• My kids and husband became more than spectators.

 

• I was lucky enough to find a fast, local running buddy. She lets me talk her ear off in exchange for training advice which she uses to beat me at races. It works.

  

Plus she has cute socks

• We ran a beautifully-paced, negatively-split, Personal Best(s) half-marathon, together...up until the last .20 miles where she sprinted off to beat me.
• I finally completed a 50-miler. The same issue that caused the previous DNS, threatened to end my race at mile 8.*

ow

• There was a lot of peer pressure and I signed up for a 100-mile race.
• I ran an even faster Boston Qualifier 3 weeks after my first Ultra. *

PRs make me do funny faces









 

• I sidled out of my comfort zone and successfully paced an even faster marathon.
• Team Shanghaied ran another Ragnar Florida Keys. And beat every. other. Ultra Team. That was a darned good weekend. *

  
• I completed a 100-mile race. Sorry for the bold type. It deserves it. And "completed" is somewhat of an understatement.*
• Three weeks later I ran the 119th Boston Marathon. It was worth the wait. Kind of.*

  

Which brings us all to one week, post-Boston. The *s indicate a juicy story to follow. I'll do my best to keep up with posts if you guys do your best to read my ramblings.

 

Deal? 



 

Spoiler

I'm not the type to frantically flip to the back of the book to read the last page, before conquering the rest of the story. I do know and love "this type", but it's not my typical move.

It's been a while since we've all chatted, though, so I'll pretend we're all strangers. With that in mind, for all I know, you guys like fast-forwarding to the end of the story.

So, I guess the current page would read a bit something like this :

 

 

The time for brave-faced jokes and stiff-upper-lipping was over. I finally succumbed. The powerful music that fueled so many months, days, hours...agonizing seconds of training overcame me. I let it wash over me as I crumbled.

 

Physically, mentally...it was inevitable.

 

Those tears of regret and pain that had been threatening for weeks didn't feel therapeutic or peaceful. They burned. They broke me even further. They seemed to be endless.

 



Let's Do This (again)

This is a bit of a cheat. I actually drafted this post before my first marathon, back in October. I set it to publish Sunday morning, the day of the race, but it never did.
I still like it, though, and found it fitting as I'll be running my SECOND marathon, tomorrow.

Enjoy!

By the time you read this, I will either be pounding out 26.2 miles (consecutively, apparently?!) or will be finished doing so and whining things like " why did I EVER think that would be a good idea?!" (clean version of what I'll actually be saying)

While I could type, endlessly, about my feelings about this upcoming race. I'll spare you and keep this short, honest and only mildly dorky.

You're welcome.

GOALS : in reverse order, 'cause no one can stop me.

C : Finish with a smile on my face and a strong desire to race this distance, again. Yes, yes, I have read and been told that "finish" should be my one and only goal for the first marathon. Turns out I'm way too stupid over-acheiving for that nonsense. Really, though, I'm not taking it lightly. I respect the distance and have felt the pain of long-distance racing.

B. Sub 4:00. Without the whole stress fracture business messing with my fragile brain, I'd think this would be totally do-able. The facts remain, though. I was forced to sit and not run for seemingly endless weeks during this training cycle. This goal may turn out to be extremely difficult to reach.

A. 3:45 I have struggled, for months, to come up with realistic, fearful-smile-inducing goals. Earlier this week, though, I had a total moment of peace and clarity. 3:45 it would be. The icing on the CrazyGoal Cake? Afterward my a-ha moment, I plugged my most recent 10k time into Mr. McMillan's calculator. He predicts, based on that stat alone, that my marathon finishing time could be 3:45:12.

The nerves and stress are astronomical. Not only am I venturing into completely unknown territory, but I'm also taking my entire family with me.

Imagine packing your suitcase for your very first marathon.
Now imagine it's also out of the Country.
And you have to pack everything your family of five will need for several days.

SeewhatImean?

The Middlest, demonstrating Freakout Mode

 

It'll all come together. It won't be easy,  it will absolutely be life-changing, and I am so excited I can hardly wait.

 

Please stop back by for a marathon of a recap. 

 



12-12-12

I wish I had a clever post associated with the date. I may have, at some point, actually.

Last night's Christmas party has rendered me mostly useless, though, today. I was up way past my bedtime and indulged, just a bit too much.

That's the cool thing about being a lame-o and rarely going out, though. The few times a year we get out of our "comfies", get babysitters and hang out with other adults pretty much allows us to get a little crazy. People tend to forgive us more easily with the "They don't get out much..." mindset.

this pretty much captures the overall feel of the night

 

Since I forced invited all my friends and family to join the running group, we get to go to group functions, together. Last night the West Volusia Runners held their annual Christmas party. The founder/president/runner extraordinaire, Jennifer, makes sure everyone has a fun time.

 

There was plenty of food and drinks, personalized awards, runners in Regular Clothes (i.e. shocked and awkward conversations when people start to recognize each other) and a cutthroat gift exchange. Perfect ingredients for a memorable party.

 

The husband was awarded the very sweet and appropriate "Wind Beneath Her Wings" certificate. He was recognized for always supporting me, in every way, for every one of my crazy running goals.

 

I was honored to be named :

 

Best Looking in a Boot

 

Almost made me want to break it out and model for everyone!

 

I did manage to drag myself out for my last, short speedwork before the marathon, this morning.

 

1 Mile Warm Up (this isn't going to be nearly as bad as I thought it would!)

4x400s w/active recovery between each (oh-ho! This is actually worse than I thought it would be!)

1 Mile Cool Down (I think that happened. I don't really remember much past the wind-sucking, dry heaving, head-throbbing bits)

 

Before the fuzziness in my brain takes over, again, I'll end with :

 

Today's Share: I'm a fairly new reader of Fit Fun Mom, but I'm so glad I found her. Like me, she recently completed her first Full Marathon (just over 4 hours, too!!), after years of running and racing. Unlike me, though, she actually offers readers posts that are useful. While it may be unfair that she's extremely intelligent AND a talented runner, she's earned her claim to both.

 

Any fun holiday events on your schedule? 



Day Ten

Double Digits of Adventrageous! Woohoo! We are moving right along. If anyone says "you're almost there!", Misguided Race Spectator-style, they'll get punched in the ear.
 

Today's Topic : Ten Reasons I Run. I actually keep a running (harhar!) list, in my journal. These are just a handful, in no particular order.

•  I run so I can eat ice cream. Every day, if I feel so inclined.

hello, yummy friend!

• I run to make up for all the years I didn't.

Remedying this problem for our future generations by starting the boys out early

•  I run so I can later drive down that same stretch of the road and think "I ran that". Weird? Maybe. True? Absolutely.
• I run so I can feel like a real athlete. My lack of grace, skill, strength or natural talent in any other physical arena kinda limits me. It's cool, though, because I can run. I can even run for hours on end! Without passing out or vomiting!
• I run to clear my thoughts. You have no idea what intricate problems I can solve during my runs. Or, more often, what mind-boggling thoughts I can completely tune out during the time I'm smacking my feet on the pavement. Either way, it provides great benefits.
• I run to clear my sinuses. It's true! It's a great cure for a stuffy nose.
• I run for friends and family who want to and can't.

we all know someone's who has been here...or worse

 

• I run to stay in shape for racing. That may seem like double-dipping, but the two don't always go hand-in-hand. I love running. I love racing. I want to be able to do both for a very long time.

check out that blurry, heel-striking, happy lady!

• I run to show my boys how cool it is to have a hobby or passion that is also good for your health and well-being. Video Gaming just doesn't stand up to running, in those areas.
• I run to maintain my sanity. 

Today's share : Just in case I'm not the last person to stumble on this fun read, I thought I'd pass it on. I check it every now and then and get a little creeped out. It's like the contributors read my mind!

 

Tell me a reason you run :

 

Not a runner? Why the heck not?



 

 

 



Trendy Post

I think this post idea/tag originated from the cool ladies over at this site. I've enjoyed reading other bloggers answers so much, I took this other cool lady's advice and decided to post my own.

Within the next couple days, you will be lucky enough to forced to read my recap of tomorrow's First 5k of The Season (and post-injury) Which Will Be Immediately Followed By Fourteen More Miles of Running. It's a working title, but you get the gist. It's going to be an interesting day, running-wise, and I'm excited about the prospect of sharing all the horrific gory awesome details with you!

Until then, you get this :

1. Best run ever? Most recently, and the one that immediately comes to mind, is my 20-miler. I'd had a nightmare of a run, the prior week, when I ran 18 miles. I joined our running group to run 20 miles of a 22.5 mile loop. It was well-stocked with volunteers, water, goodies, company and quiet scenery. I felt good the entire time and couldn't wipe the stupid smile off my sweaty face from about mile 16 on.

action shot! Not really..that's a bunch of us stopping for water. I'm the one with the ratty hair hidden in a ratty bun.

 

2. Three words that describe your running? goal-oriented, necessary, life-changing

 

3. Your go-to running outfit? I'm typically a pre-dawn runner so I stick with bright colors. I have a couple blindingly bright neon shirts I rotate. My favorite bottoms are anything light and loose.

 

me, on the end, with the neon. And ratty ponytail.

 

4. Quirky habit while running? Hm. That would be an interesting question to ask the people I run with. Otherwise, it's not terribly quirky, but I like nice, even numbers. I'll take as many or few steps, at the end, to make sure my watch reads out a full mile. No willy-nilly, 2.84 milers for me.

 

5. Morning, midday, evening? (knock on wood) My body really adjust well to running any time of day. I'm consistently pretty darned happy just to be able to go for a run. The time of day isn't a big deal to me. As I said, though, I'm typically out before the sun.

 

6. I won't run outside when it's: ummmm...Lemme think...Yeah. I got nothin'

 

7. Worst injury-and how you got over it? I've had to take some time off for groin, hamstring and calf pulls, before.  I didn't really fully understand "injury" until my recent stress fracture, though. I got over it by babying that poor fibula, researching the topic and implementing what I learned and filling my non-running days with pool jogs.



boo! :(

 

8. I felt most like a badass mother runner when: I saw my name, in print, in a local magazine. It was on a list of The 2011 5k Fastest Times (run in FL, by Floridians). I would've never have imagined being recognized for anything athletic. Ever.

 

There's an online version, too

 

9. Next race is: Tomorrow!!

 

10. Potential running goal for 2013? I've set myself up for a dizzying amount of new running experiences, in the upcoming months. I hope to be injury-free enough to conquer my first marathon(s), survive my first relay (an ultra, no less!), enjoy some new PRs in races I already know I love and help some of my very favorite running buddies acheive some of their new goals. And, through the magic of Blogland, we all get to share those moments, together!! Whoopee!!

 

I'd love to read your answers to any or all of these questions, in the comments. Or, if you have a blog, and post your own, please share the link. :)

 



 





 

 

 

 

 

 





 



Lesser-Known Cues

Wouldn't it be awesome if our bodies were equipped with a lighting system, in regards to exercise?!





For example:
Green would mean "Go run, walk, bike, swim...go go go!!"

Yellow would indicate a need for rest "take it easy until you see the green light, again"

Red would, of course, mean to "STOP. Cease all activity immediately!"

(p.s. If I were designing this feature, I'd have it installed on the belly button. It's about time we got some use out of that thing, anyway.)

Obviously, we are forced to resort to obsessing over other, less obvious signs to determine our daily capabilites.

"If it hurts to walk, don't run". (I would also add "don't walk", but maybe that's a given)

"If the pain forces you to alter your gait, don't run"

 

Middlest demonstrating "altered gait"

 

"If you're feeling sick anywhere from the neck down, don't run" (wins prize for "most-ignored")

 

"Palpate the injured area. If there's pain, don't run"

 

"Do not run until you can hop on the injured leg, without pain"

 

 

"Duh"

 

Most of the classic, dire warnings, are fairly cut and dry. Some are left up to the delusional  athlete's interpretation, though. I, personally, drove myself (more) crazy, trying to determine when it would be safe to try running after I was injured.

 

The following are a few, lesser-known, rules-of-thumb I have been using lately. They're pretty darned practical and way more definitive than "If you're limping, take a day or two off" .

 

You're out for your gentle walk, and the creepy sidewalk guy starts heading your way. If you determine that you can run away from him, if necessary, you might be healed!

 

 

If you are not nervous about heating up and eating your favorite "ice pack" for lunch , it might be okay to start running!

 

 





You are surely on the road to recovery when the sight of stairs doesn't make you break into a cold sweat.

 

If you have lingering pain, go see your doctor, physical therapist, chiropractor...some sort of trusted medical professional. When you decide to ignore or out-think them, though, feel free to reference these handy tips.

 

You're welcome.

 

Any good ones to add?

 



Warning : Long But Possibly Useful Post

...sprinkled with random, gratuitous cuteness. Non-running family members get forced to read this blog. The least I can do is reward them with some photos.

I've tried to not bore everyone (if you're family or very close friend, you're out of luck) with the daily details of recovering from my injury. I realized, however, that this may make it appear that I was one day sporting this snazzy foot enhancement :

you know you love it

 

 

and the next day out resuming marathon training. This was definitely not the case. In between the boot-hobbling', non-running, whining-filled weeks and the running shoe-wearing, slow, ugly, running, (still) whining-filled days, there was a time of transition.

 

Pretty sad when your foot looks better covered by a hideous medical apparatus, huh?



 

I read every piece of information I could on how to safely return to running, following an injury. There was advice and resources a'plenty. With my newfound knowledge, I compiled my own, loose plan. Maybe, someday, it will make another runner's return just that much easier.

 

Weaning : When I was able to tolerate putting a little bit of weight on my injured foot, I began to slowly (that word is key during rehab) spend less time wearing the boot. I found my muscles and tendons to be completely useless, in that leg, after being confined to said boot. This is totally normal. The whole point of it is to keep your foot immobile. The first few days, I would walk around 3-4x, during the day or evening, just to try to help my feet remember how to work normally, again. It felt "funny", but not painful. Eventually, I left it off most of the time I was at home. This way I could still elevate it, when necessary, but walking from room to room gave me a chance to (slowly) work my way out of Boot Life.

 

Walking : I was lucky enough to have pool running to help try to maintain my fitness and sanity. Also, with it being Summertime, it was something my family and I could enjoy, together.

he was never this excited about running with me

 

 

Everything I'd read, though, touted the benefits of walking to (slowly) work my way back up to running. Thanks to some random hooligans aka sandals I was forced to overcome my fear of putting one, bootless foot in front of the other, and try walking. It was gloriously successful and pain-free. I continued to walk, every other day, and ,eventually every day, slowly building mileage. Even after I passed some key tests I continued to stick to walking. This exercise mimics running, but without the serious impact. It's a great way to work on your form, meet your (non-running) neighbors and whine about how bored you are!

 

Wrunning: I don't remember how I found this link, but it's the schedule I loosely used to work some (slow) running in with my walks. The first day I walked for about 15 minutes and then (oh-so-nervously) tried a slow, steady run. It lasted approximately 10, painful seconds. I immediately stopped, in a panic. However, upon evaluation, I realized that everything hurt. My injured ankle was no more painful than any other part of my body. So I tried again. This time the running portion lasted 3, awful minutes. I knocked out a couple more intervals and headed home, doubtful and discouraged.

 

The following two days, I stuck to walking.  There was no residual pain, but the running had definitely felt disgusting. However, I kept waiting for the "you overdid it, again dummy!" pain to surface, but it never did.

 

I then spent a week concentrating on different walk/run intervals. My plan was to not get stuck on finishing a certain amount of running minutes, though. I needed to listen to AND obey my body. The walking felt perfect. The first sets of running always aggravated my ankle. The pain wasn't stabbish, though, only a dull ache. It also never worsened. Had either of those symptoms been present, I'd really like to think I would've stopped. At some point, during my workouts, though, the ankle pain would disappear.

 

On the off days, I continued to do the pool running. It's zero impact, incredibly boring but cool and splashy.

 



also, notice how lonely the pool looks without me flailing around in it

 

The running was awkward, painful and slow. I think all of the pool workouts helped maintain my cardio, but my muscles (glutes, hamstrings, quads...you name it) protested every time I ran. Turns out running is freaking hard! Neither my brain, nor my body decided to remember that, apparently.

 

 

Also hard, but such an integral part of recovering : don't follow a plan. don't set goals. don't have expectations. There is no way to know how your body will react to each phase of healing, transition and running, again. You can't set expectations for the unknown. It must be taken one step at a time.

 

This is not only my unsolicited advice, it's also a reminder for myself.

 

This week I'm back to full-on, but oh-so-modified, runner mode. I'm still processing the progress but can't wait to bore you to tears with all the details.

 

If you've made it this far, you deserve an award. In lieu of prizes, though, you get to see some darling children eating ice cream. You're welcome.

 

How about you? Any injury recovery advice to share?

 

 

 

 















Exercising Whilst Injured

Disclaimer : I am not a medical or sports professional. If you must know, I'm not even sure I could pass a 3rd grade assessment. (To prove my point : I previously misspelled "assessment", had to use spell-checker, and correct it before continuing.)  All that I share with you is simply my experience.

I hear you, I hear you..."We miss seeing pictures of your boot!" "Where's that delightful Summer wardrobe piece?!" Here you go :

Dear hateful boot ,

 I do not miss you.

Sincerely, Jenn

I'm calling my current running state : transition. I've been running, nice and slowly, for brief segments of my walks. This has been happening for about a week. I'll have a whole 'nother post dedicated to transition. For now, though, we'll take a step back to examine : How To Stay Sane While You Are Unable To Run.

Each situation is, obviously, very different and should be treated as such. Runner's World has a good article regarding injury prevention. In it, there's also a brief guideline for what you may or may not be able to substitute for running, depending on the nature of your injury/health situation.

Bottom line : If you love to run...if Running Moves You (haha...I shamelessly plugged my OWN blog on MY blog! I'm such a loser...) then there's really no substitute for running. Yes, there are bumloads of ways to exercise, maintain cardio and try to keep physically fit. They. AreNOT. Running.

Also, due to the nature of my injury (anterior fibular stress fracture. thanks for asking!) there was actually very little I was cleared to do, exercise-wise. The hated elliptical machine was out, as was riding on an actual bike. (stationary was ok). No running , walking,  break-dancing, zumba, aerobics, belly-dancing, jumping rope...you get the idea. I, like a lot of injured runners, was unable to engage in any weight-bearing or impact-based activities. Blech.

As you can imagine, after a few hours days, I was ready to climb the walls, in frustration.

not literally, as The Middlest enjoys doing

If you ever find yourself, as a runner, unable to run. Here is a list of alternative activities that should keep you off the walls and (mostly) sane.

• Pool Running  - I devoted a small post (It's No Joke), with links and references, to this. I know not everyone has access to a pool. If you do, though, this is a lifesaver. I have been continuing my pool running, even now that I'm running on land, again. My favorite: Kick and splash, spastically, at the excess part of the strap on your AquaBelt because you thought it was a pool creature attacking you.
• Upper Body Workouts - Traditional : You can modify a lot of workout DVDs/Videos, and upper body moves to keep you off your feet. I sat on a chair, couch or sturdy coffee table and bicep-curled my little heart out. It may not be something you feel comfortable doing at the gym, but, at home, you'll be surprised how many exercises you can modify to accommodate a lower body injury. My favorite: Wave your hands and pointed finger at various items you'd like your children to fetch for you. All day. Quality exercise for you AND them!
• Abs - while I was nervous to perform any full plank variations, I did bust on some sets that kept my knees on the mat. Also, sit-ups, crunches, torso twists, V-sits...they were all a-okay. My favorite : Clench your gut as tight as you can to avoid yelling profanities at the random runner jaunting happily past your car.
• Glutes - This was a perfect time to strengthen that oft-neglected body part! Clamshells, donkey kicks (on my knees), reverse scissors, etc. No weight, no impact, plenty of focus on building that special set of muscles. My favorite: Wiggle around, while sitting on the couch, to the catchy song on your ipod. Your 14-year-old child will take his friend and run away, in horror. Again, 2 birds with one stone!
• All-Time Favorite: Constantly complain, whine, blog and  moan about your injury to every person you come in contact with. They will love it and you will be exercising the heck out of your jaw muscles.

If all else fails, though, feel free to go visit this girl. She'll make you one of her (now famous) margaritas and all your non-running worries will disappear...

How do you deal with a running hiatus? 





Pushing Back the Dumb

Boot : size SM. Perfect accessory to any Summer attire

Chair : Vintage Thomas the Tank.

Extra Artwork on Seat: Crayola "washable" Marker, by the Littlest

While doing a lot of extra sitting, over the past few weeks. I have had plenty of time to contemplate just how danged Smart I was being, regarding this injury. Each day that passed, without me trying to go for a run, walk or even firmly planting my foot on the stairs, gave me a little extra confidence.

I am a Smart Runner!

Others reinforced this newfound revelation. DailyMile comments ranged from "So proud of you for taking it slow!" to the ever-pleasant "You're an Inspiration!" Even my mom, who feels I am never cautious enough, was totally impressed. Sure, I may've made some not-so-smart decisions to get myself into this situation, but I was more than making up for it with my enviable patience and "smartness".

 

I did have to keep pushing back that one, teensy nagging thought : Pssst! Moron! The only reason you're not sneaking out to run is because it feels like someone is stabbing your anklebone every time you even think of putting weight on it!

I woke up, Friday morning, and didn't have that jolt of agony I'd grown so accustomed to when I stepped out of bed. This was new, encouraging and exciting! After gingerly walking around a bit, sans boot, I determined this really was a "better" feeling ankle day. I decided to continue to take it easy, wean myself off the boot somewhat, and see how things went. The plan was to definitely maybe take a short, slow walk on Monday.

Some troublesome kids and/or a lazy Pool Cleaner Guy made this plan fall into place. So, I, the Smart (Injured) Runner, set out for a Smart Walk. I'd decided to walk a mile or less, depending on how the ankle felt. There was some achiness for about 1 minute. Then it was gone. The sun shone a little brighter, the gnats swarming around my face buzzed a little quieter and my feet were SO happy!

Full disclosure: This double-rainbow shot was captured in my neighborhood...but not during my walk. That'd be cool, though, right?!

My back was almost getting SORE from all the self-patting I was giving it. "Look at you and all your Smart-ness...walking!" "You haven't even tried to run one. single. day, whilst injured." "You are soooo Smart!"

And then it happened. The Dumb started creeping in. I blame my happy feet. They can't help it, really, they're SO far away from my brain. The feet-to-brain communication is probably very fuzzy and, at times, totally non-existent.

"Hey! We should try to run! No, no...just a little, teeny bit!"

"Ok. You know what? If we're going to run, a little, it should be a sprint." "You LOVE to sprint, remember?!"

"Ok. Ok. I see that you're still making us walk. Walking's cool, and all, but how about we just Run Home. That's a simple enough goal : Run Home!" "It'll be rad!!"

And so on...

Turns out, all this time, I wasn't being smart. The Dumb just hadn't had an opportunity to work it's magic.

This long, drawn-out story has a happy ending, though. I pushed back The Dumb, long enough to finish that walk, get myself safely inside and elevate those overly-happy feet. Granted, it ended up being 1.28 miles, rather than "maybe 1 mile", but no one...ever...has accused me of being The Smartest.

Just Smart Enough is okay with me, though.

When does your Dumb creep in?

Ever seen a double rainbow?