Rookie Mistake?

So I sort of feel like an idiot.

I went to the clinic last night at the Running Spot and saw an orthopedic doctor. He made me walk back and forth like a gazillion times, stretched out my legs and asked "so how are you on stretching?" Whoops. My feeble answer of "uh, not too good" was answered with "I thought so." Turns out my "injury" is just really really tight muscles. So tight that he could feel muscle spasms in my calf (this was why I stopped running on Saturday). My pain is mostly because of not stretching but also because my knees are really really weird. By that, I mean, my knees turn inward when they should be facing forward. He said that this puts a lot more strain on my IT band every time I run. He gave me a bunch of stretches that I need to do twice a night. Oh and massage. Which of course, I am not going to object to.

I need to be vigilant about this so that I don't get hurt!

Maybe if I do this stretching I might be able to do things that normal people can do (like bend over and touch my toes). I honestly am tired of not being limber at all. I was always the girl in ballet who couldn't do half of the moves at the barre while my sister was little miss bendy. (Mind you, I never did anything about it...like stretch).

So this is good. And (for now) I don't have to mentally make plans for what I am going to do if I can't run the marathon - which makes me happy.

Injury Clinic

So, I booked a spot in the injury clinic, hoping that I will be able to get some answers about my injury. I hope I can still run. Last night I hit the gym for an elliptical workout, which I figured was okay since there is no impact on the elliptical (and that is what is aggravating my injury). It was sooooooo boring. I don't understand how people can work out on treadmills (and ellipticals) every night. And there are even TVs in the gym! I just can't do it. I think I need to be actually MOVING as I run. Plus, it is super annoying that my intensity level was so much more than when I run, but it took me 35 minutes to do 3 miles. Grrr.

Last night after the gym Bill and I drove down to our local high school to see if they have a track. They do! And it is open to residents of the neighborhood. Hurrah! I am just keeping all options open. Like, maybe I can do track for awhile but not road work. Or something. I don't know.

So I am trying not to be a Debbie Downer about the whole thing.

Cool New Toy

This weekend my husband and I went out in search for a bathroom scale. (You know that you are old when you refer to a scale as a “cool new toy”. ) ANYWAY this scale really is cool. It measures your body fat percentage and your hydration level along with your weight. Now, I am very skeptical when it comes to things like this. Especially since almost all of those BMI calculators online warn you that if you are highly athletic the numbers may not apply to you. But after I read how this thing works, I felt better. Basically, it sends an electric impulse through your heel (yes, it shocks you…that is why it works better if your feet are ‘slightly damp’) to take a reading of your bone versus muscle mass. You have to program in your height, age, sex and whether or not you are an athlete. They define athlete as someone who works out 6-10 hours a week at at least 2 hour intervals. Check. I think marathon training qualifies as an ‘athlete’ then. The instructions tell you to take a reading daily at around the same time and record it for a month to get your averages. Already just HAVING the scale has made me drink more water. So that is a good thing. And totally worth the $35!

I couldn’t find the link for the exact one that we got. But this is pretty close. Anyway, they have them at Target if anyone is interested.

Out of Commission

So, I don’t know if I should have run Saturday or not. The thing is, I was feeling pain in my legs on Friday. So much so, that I had to ask my friends/husband during lunch ‘should I run tomorrow if my legs hurt like they do today?’…which is actually a sign to me that no, I should not run. I have been having a lot of pain in my shins and knees, right where the bone is. I have had issues with vitamin D deficiency before (which causes bone pain) so I was thinking that might be why.

So, against my better judgement, I went running on Saturday. I made it about a half of a mile when my lower leg started feeling really tight. So I stopped to stretch it out. Then I picked up running. It hurt more. I decided to make it across the bridge into Ohio before I stopped to stretch again. Now the pain was shooting up into my knee and right above my knee. I started walking. It felt better so I thought I could run again. Ran for about 2 minutes through really bad pain. Walked. Ran. Nope. More pain. Walked and felt fine.

This is when I ran into Coach Joe B and told him my predicament. His solution was to walk (since I felt okay when I walked) and then when I saw people turning back from the first group, to turn back as well. Also, I need to see someone from the clinic, which is on Saturday, at the latest. Pttt.

Walking sucks. Especially by yourself and especially on Eastern and especially when you want to run.

But I just called to get a referral for a sports medicine specialist. I really want to run this marathon and I KNOW that running injured is a bad idea but I can already tell that it is going to drive me absolutely crazy if I cannot run for more than like 2 days. I am already going nuts just thinking about it!

Oh, and the reason I think it was good that I went running? Because if I hadn't, I probably would have ignored the problem. Having a coach tell you to see someone about your problem actually makes you think that you should do it.

Upping the Mileage

This marathon training has gone so fast! I don't remember upping my mileage this much this quickly...but maybe that is because I was just so amazed I was running double digit mileage at the time.

Tomorrow is 15-16 miles for me. It starts at Newport on the Levee and is described as a "pretty flat run". I know exactly what that means: Eastern Avenue. Oh how I love Eastern avenue (see hereand here). I am obviously being sarcastic. That just means I have to get mentally pumped up tonight. AND load up my ipod with really great music. At least I can be guilt free when I go out with my friends tomorrow night to gorge on bad food. :)

I didn't get to run or workout at all last night because I ended up working really late. This is doubly bad because there is nothing open downtown for takeaways and I always end up eating really bad food, and then not being able work it off. It also sucks because running gets rid of all the cortisol I work up inside after a stressful day...and of course days where you have to work late are the most stressful. Oh well, I am going to try and get some good sleep tonight so I can have a kick-butt run tomorrow!

Fun Running Wallpapers

OK. I'm sure you have all seen these, and they are nothing new, because I think the "Impossible is Nothing" campaign from adidas actually started a few years ago. But when I was in London, the whole Flora Marathon had all of these little drawings and sayings about running posted everywhere, and I thought they were so cool. Well, they have a lot of these sayings/drawings available as wallpaper for your desktop.

Just go here and under "downloads" is a pull-down menu that says "impossible is nothing". I almost guarantee that there will be a wallpaper that suits your running personality.

The one on my desktop right now says "halfway thru my run I realized I actually felt GOOD". My other favorites are: I run so I can eat cookies" and "I run until my playlist runs out" (although for me this is a little less true because otherwise I would be running for HOURS).

Anyway, I just thought they were cool and worth checking out. The entire site is actually pretty cool and worth checking out too.

Pace! Pace! Pace!

OK. I LOVED the Yasso 800s! Why is it that I always like the things I am supposed to hate?

Anyway, this is why I loved them...I have trouble keeping a steady pace. I think a lot of this is a mental, internal struggle I have with myself. You see, I keep thinking, well, I run a 10k at a 9 minute pace, why is my marathon pace so much SLOWER? I know this is stupid. And then that gets reinforced when the guy that I used to keep pace with in the Thanksgiving Day 10k program is still doing a 10 minute or so pace in the marathon group. I think I just finally realized that, well, I do an 11 minute marathon pace. That doesn't mean that I can't improve that, but that's where I need to start. Maybe now I can work on improvement instead of always trying to 'catch up' with myself. Anyway, I diverge...in the Yasso 800s you HAVE to keep the same pace constantly. My group actually only did 3. We did each 800 at 5 minutes with 90 seconds walking in between. Running on the track was nice because it seemed a lot cooler, it was that nice bouncy consistency instead of the uneven road, and it was on one level, which was great for my knee.

And of course, the coach for my group was AWESOME at keeping us on pace. On the last one we started to speed up because the B group was passing us in their lanes next to us and I think, you know, you just get caught up in the speed. I do it all the time in races. She kept yelling "PACE! PACE! PACE!" to remind us to keep on track. It actually worked.

I also found out after our 800s that the people I was pacing with were all running the Chicago Marathon! Hurrah! Now I know their names and can actually seek them out to run with in our group runs. This is the first marathon for all of them. It also is kind of cool that we are all training for the same marathon.

On the way back (we had a 2 mile run to the track and back from the track), I stayed with our coach, so that I could get used to running a consistent pace. It made SUCH a difference!

Tackling the Yasso 800s and liking them also makes me a little less worried about next week's Fartlek Session.

Yasso 800s and a Bad Knee

Grrrrr. My knee is acting up again. I took Sunday and Monday off to rest it. OK, well, I actually did some working out yesterday...but no legs. I just hit the weight room to do arms. I am banking on something Coach Joe B said, which is, if you increase the strength in your arms you will be a faster runner (because your legs speed up to accomodate your arm speed). I am definitely icing tonight after the workout.

Tonight is speedwork. More precisely, Yasso 800s. I didn't even know what these were until I read about them in this month's Runner's World. Basically, they involve 10 x 800 (two laps around the track) at the time you want to finish your marathon. So, if you want to be slow, like me, (my goal is to finish in less than 5 hours this time, so 4:59) you would do each 800 at 4 minutes and 59 seconds. I have never done this type of training before, and I always seemed to be out of town when we did track work in the last marathon group. We'll see how it goes. But already in my mind I am being negative, because there was a reason in high school that I ran on the cross country team and not the track team.

I also have another question. I have been reading a lot about getting your VO2 Max measured. I know of one place in
Cincinnati that does it, but it seems REALLY expensive. Has anyone got it done? Is it worth it?

In the Big Scheme of Things...

Saturday was our group run at 10 miles. Our route was an 8 mile loop, ending at the store and then you could add on 2, 3, 4, or 5 miles depending on which marathon you were running.

I started out just fine, with the group I have been running with (I am HORRIBLE at keeping pace, so I now make sure I am running with the same four people...they keep me on track). I actually felt like I had more energy than usual. We ran all the way down to the area by CrossRoads, and when I turned back to start making it into Norwood I DIED. I felt like someone took a powerful magic ray and just ZAPPED all of the energy out of me...you know, like in the cartoons. I stopped for my first water break, hoping I was just in need of some liquid or something. Mind you, I was only at 3.25 miles at this point. My hair was already soaking wet (did I mention that I don't usually sweat?). The water did help a little, but then I just felt zapped again. It didn't help that by this time most of the group had split up even further. This always happens at water stops, because some people take longer than others. But usually we all catch up with each other after a little bit. So I was running solo for what seemed like forever. It was funny too, because we ran this route a few weeks ago (but backwards) and it just flew by. I passed a guy that can usually kick my butt, who was walking. I passed some more people walking. It was awful, but I was glad to see that I wasn't the only one dying. It made me feel less like it was just a mental block or something.

Second water stop, two miles to go. The longest two miles of my life. The endless debate started in my head 'can I stop at 8? No, you have to do 10. But I am sooooo tired. Too bad, you signed up for this...are you going to stop in the marathon when you are tired?' I passed another walking girl. I saw the woman ahead of me stop to walk. I now looked like I had taken a shower. I made a deal with myself: 'if you RUN the rest of the way back to the store...no walking, you can stop at 8.' So I did it. I figured in the big scheme of things 2 miles was not going to make a difference when I felt like I did.

When I went up to get my keys, I saw that a lot of other people in my general pace group were stopping too. And on the way to my car I saw the woman who was in front of me in the last two miles. She told me she just didn't think she could go any more, and she wanted to do 5 more miles. I said "No way. I'm quitting. I wanted to do two more but it is just way too humid out here." I still feel like a quitter, even through all of my rationalization :)

Bad Breath Answers!

OK. Check out this link.

In summary: Bad breath IS caused by burning carbohydrates...which makes your body burn fat, turning it into fuel called ketones.

It is also caused by dehydration.

And NO, I don't care what the article says...I am NOT going to chew parsley to temporarily help. I think I will just be disgusting and have bad breath/gross mouth taste until after my run.

Lazy Girl

So, I didn't really work out last night, unless you count drinking a bunch of beers and running to first base once working out. I don't.

I could say that I at least tried to run in the morning, but I didn't. I didn't even set my alarm for early to make an attempt. I just can't do those morning runs. So I guess all my London good intentions have officially gone down the drain now.

Oh well, enough of me chastising myself...I am definitely hitting the gym tonight and working out my arms on the weight machines.

But, I found something interesting out. I always have this really horrible taste in my mouth when I am running, and afterwards my breath REALLY stinks. Bill said he was either watching something on TV, or read something (I do listen, I swear) where they said that the bad breath was due (at least partially) to burning fat. It was an article (or show segment) about bad breath, and they were saying that people on low carb diets often have bad breath because they are burning fat. Now I guess that would be an okay reason to have bad breath. Or, at least okay to have it while you are running and have no access to brushing your teeth. Anyway, I will have to look more into that.

Saturday (doesn't it feel like a Friday?) is an easy ten miles. Whoo hoo!

Repeat, Repeat

So last night we did the whole Grandin/Rookwood area repeat thing. I was really really hoping that we would meet at Game Day Sports Café and run up to Mt. Adams to do hill repeats, so when I looked on the schedule on Monday night I was really dreading practice. It's just that the hills when we start from O'Bryonville tend to be up and down and up and down and up and down, while in Mt. Adams it is just up and down.

Either I forgot what it was like, or we took a slightly different route than normal, because it really wasn't that bad. Besides that, I was in the slow group, so we only actually did three repeats.

I also have selective memory, because I say this every time (in my head at least) in the middle of the workout: hill repeats aren't so bad! To me, they are never as long as they seem. And I tend to look up the hill in front of me and get completely overwhelmed and then only a few seconds later, realize I am already halfway up.

Sure, there is a lot of huffing and puffing, but then at the end you get to run DOWN the hill. Plus, you know you did a hard workout. AND my repeats actually got faster each time (ok, only by like 2 seconds, but that is still faster).

I also think there is just a little bit of me that is actually psycho. I mean, seriously...who LIKES hills? And as slowly as I go up the hill, I seem to always pass people on them in the races. They are like my secret weapons. Last year when I ran the Race For the Cure I DIED and I swear it's because the course was so flat! I guess that doesn't bode well for Chicago. (I do secretly cringe every time someone tells me I will love the course so much more than the Pig because it is so flat!)

Anyway, after the hills we ran Millionaire's Mile (through Grandin, etc.) as our cool-down. Seeing all of those beautiful houses actually really helps the time go by quickly.

All in all, it was another great run!

Short Runs

OK. Last night I went on another 3 mile run around my neighborhood with my husband. I was really trying hard not to be annoyed when he would pass me up so far that he would have to come to a complete stop to wait for me as I chugged up the hill. Or as he doubled back to catch up with me like he had boundless energy as I was huffing and puffing. And really really tried when he told me that if we sprinted the last quarter of a mile we could make a nine minute mile. That is when I broke my niceness rule and said "you go ahead. I just want to finish." Don't get me wrong. I like running with him. It is just difficult when I feel like I am dying and just want to get it all over with to have someone who doesn't even run as much as I do run loops around me. My fatal flaw? Competitiveness.

He realized he was annoying me and asked me later on our walk with Benvy, our dog. I said basically I cannot STAND 3 mile runs. I feel like I am dying on them. Which he didn't understand. Because logically, how can I go out and run 12 miles no problem, but a 3-miler kills me? I have no idea. I really really hate the three mile runs on Mondays and Wednesdays. I told him I would pick 12 miles over 3 any day. I don't get it either.

I have heard other marathoners feel the same way, so I know I am not too crazy.

It doesn't make sense, I know.

I Totally Renege

I know. I know. I go on and on about how I hate running in Glendale. And how I hate doing loops. But I actually had a really really nice, enjoyable run this weekend. DESPITE the fact that I ended up running up and down one street 4 times in order to get all of my mileage in.

Since I was on the upper end of mileage for the group this weekend I did:
1. a 6.6 mile loop around Glendale (the most BORING part was a street that wrapped around by UPS that seemed to go on forever)
2. a 2.4 mile loop around by the Grande Finale which seemed extremely short
3. a 2.5 mile loop in the neighborhoods of Glendale, by where the Black Squirrel 5k is usually run
4. a 1.2 mile loop along the RR tracks (again!) to get me close to the 13-14 miles I needed to run.

I should have probably done another 1.2 miles to actually get me up to 13.9 instead of 12.7, but really, I could not run that whole RR track thing another time without going insane.

I think the weather makes all the difference. I was beating myself up in my past runs because I was doing between a 11-14 minute mile throughout the runs and walking up some of the hills. I felt totally out of shape and angry with myself. I guess it truly must be the heat/humidity though. Saturday I did 10 minute miles the entire way. That's more like it! It was beautiful out, and not the normal 85+ and humid. So my confidence is restored.

Even better, after the run I rewarded myself by going to pick up the new Harry Potter which I had on reserve so I could read it at the pool all day. Because I am a big believer in the theory that you have to reward yourself. :)

Tonight is an easy 3-mile run, which means my husband will be running with me. (Which also means I have to pick up the pace a bit). Oh well, I need to do speedwork.