Missing those Long Runs!

I met up with my friend Maura yesterday to do my boring speed walk/jog around her son's school campus. She insists on meeting up with me in spite of my limitations and I feel guilty because she is capable of so much more. Maura spoils me. She keeps me thinking positive, makes me lattes, tamales and fresh squeezed orange juice too. I woke up with more pain than usual today and I am thinking the pain is a result of the entire four miles being on a concrete surface. It was so foggy yesterday but the breeze was great and really made me miss those early morning runs. It was one of those days that would have been just perfect for a long training run.  I really miss those long runs and cannot wait until I am able to do them again.

I spent the day icing and worrying about the pain I was feeling. Buster kept me company today as he enjoyed laying on my lap and checking out other dogs on the web. He is feeling much better after this surgery last week and he is no longer acting as territorial as he was in the past. Thank God! He also thinks he is much smaller than what he really is (16 pounds) and insists on laying on my lap whenever he gets the opportunity. I call Buster my "laptop."

Lastly, I am sorry to report that I was not one of the three winners of the $640,000,000 Mega Millions jackpot!! We do not play often but played this time around and ended up winning $10.00.  Not too bad but I would have preferred the $640 million instead!! I heard that the winner in Maryland only bought one quick pick and won!  I guess it only take $1.00 to win!!

I am hoping to get a 5 miler in tomorrow while this great weather lasts. If the pain is still beyond what I think it should be, I will play it smart and head to the gym and try a treadmill run or resort to the elliptical. I am supposed to run a half marathon next Saturday but my new found patience are telling me to sit it out. I have to be honest with myself...I am not there yet.   

Hope you are having a great weekend! Did anyone race this weekend?

Ultrasound Therapy or H-Wave Therapy?

I had another physical therapy session today and I have two sessions left over the next month. Since I am making progress, I will now be going every other week. Today I did my strengthening exercises, speed walked/jogged 1.11 miles for 15 minutes and then had my beloved 15-minute H-Wave therapy/icing session.

This is my second session of H-Wave therapy and I really feel like it has done me some good.  I had the ultrasound therapy for the first five weeks of physical therapy and I am convinced that it did nothing at all for me. I have had a couple of comments from my small group of faithful readers who stated that ultrasound therapy did not work for them and they wanted to know if in the end it worked for me.  I am have to say "NO," it did NOT work for me. Each of us are different so it may work for you but I did not see any results. My PT also told me that if it was helping, I should have noticed something by week five.

Even though I am able to speed walk/jog these days, I still feel some sort of discomfort and not so much pain like I was experiencing when this whole nightmare first occurred. According to my PT this is normal as long as the minor aches and pains subside within a couple of days and do not get worse. 

I was given the go ahead to lessen the amount of time speed walking and increase the jogging time and the treadmill speed to 5.2! Although it is not where I want to be, I am thankful that I am making progress and able to do just a little more. There are days when I just want to get out there and go for a long run and those are the days that are the most difficult.  It's much easier to talk myself out of it these days because I have made some progress and I don't want to give that back!  I just can't do that!

HAPPY MONDAY!

After a three day weekend it is so hard to get back into the work routine.  This weekend was a pretty lazy weekend since I pretty much stayed home and kept an eye on my pups. I did sneak off to get a much needed pedicure and I think having nine toe nails is actually a record for me.  I am usually missing at least two and in the process of losing a third.

Buster is back to normal and feeling much better. I even let him lay in my bed with me for a nap and now he doesn't like his dog bed anymore! I am going to be in trouble for allowing him on the bed!

On Sunday morning I hit the road before the rains came and did my little speed walk/jog routine outdoors. It felt good to not be on the treadmill and get some fresh air instead of that wonderful smell of the gym!  I had no hamstring pain but I did feel some pressure in my left shin.  It eased up after a few breaks and I took my chances and kept going. In the end, I put in 4.45 miles and broke a little sweat so I was happy.

I was thrilled to see my weekly report from dailymile since I finally got some miles on the books. Of the 20.42 miles, 16.42 of those miles are my speed walk/jog routine.  I know that I am way off from achieving my goal of 1200 miles for the year but glad to be doing more than I could last month. I am happy to see any kind of progress these days. I have a physical therapy session tomorrow and I am looking forward to getting my H-Wave therapy.  I swear I felt better after I had it for the first time. The things I look forward to these days...

Did you do anything exciting this weekend?  Have a great week!

Donning the Cone of Shame

Buster is not a happy camper this morning!  He got neutered and micro chipped yesterday and doesn't quite understand what is going on!  Roxy, my 12 year old Pomeranian, had her teeth cleaned yesterday so they made the trip to the vet together for moral support.

They stayed at the vet for most of the day and got picked up at 8pm.  Their vet is the absolute best and had them all decked out in their scarves when we arrived to take them home.

Roxy is back to normal with pearly whites but Buster not so much. His meds were much heavier since his procedure required a bit more work.

We are keeping a close eye on him to make sure that he doesn't lick his stitches.  I hope he refrains from the search of his missing jewels or else he will be donning the "Cone of Shame." I am sure he won't like it even though it has his name on it!

We have no big plans for the weekend since we will be on doggy watch!

Tick Tock...

So last Saturday, I finished the last exam to complete my MPA but now I have to wait for about a month to find out if I passed all three exams. You have to pass all three exams or you fail the class! It's only offered once a year and you are only allowed to repeat the course one more time before they kick you out of the program. It was bad enough having to take one test after the other not knowing if you passed or not!  The tests are being graded by an outside board so I guess they need at least four weeks to grade them.  Boy are my patience being tested lately!

Tonight is my date with my friend the dreadmill treadmill. It will be my third attempt to do the jog/walk thing.  I just hope I don't pick the treadmill by the girl who is running at a great speed without stopping. I can just imagine what she is thinking about me! 

Baby Steps

I finally feel like I might be making some progress! 

I have successfully jogged/walked four miles twice without any pain during or after!  I am not a huge fan of the treadmill but I lately the treadmill has been good to me and I might be having a change of heart. 

Sorry dreadmill treadmill for not showing you the love!

I was given the go-ahead by my PT to try a jog/walk combo on the treadmill. I am doing two minutes of walking at 3.8-4.0 and then a jog for two minutes at 5.0. I have been playing around with the time to see if I can handle a little more and I am now able to do two minutes

of walking and five minutes of jogging without

any pain during or after. I don’t break much of a sweat so

I hop on the elliptical for 15 minutes after my 45-minute treadmill workout and pick up the pace!

I am finally learning to be more patient and accept this whole recovery process. I know that I have to start slowly and work myself back to where I was. This is the hard part because I have so many races that I want to run and so many goals that I want to tackle. I just keep telling myself...

"Be patient. You will get there. Slowly but surely you will get there."

This post guest from BQ by 40 about a runners journey to qualify for Boston also gave me some inspiration today. Check it out!

I Love to Torture Myself!

Maura sent me a text on Wednesday night asking me if I wanted to go to the LA Marathon Expo with her on Friday. I was hesitant to go to the Expo at first because I was already feeling sad about not being able to run the race. I decided that I might as well go and pick up the shirt that I paid for so off we went. I am a terrible co-pilot so we got lost of course, but we made it.

 I am kind of glad that I went because I have never ran the LA Marathon before so it gave me the opportunity to familiarize myself with the area and see how they run things.  I actually picked up my bib, t-shirt and my goodie bag and then we did some walking around. We spun a few wheels to get some prizes, ate and drank lots of free samples and visited the Lululemon trailer and took this silly picture.

One of the first things that we did was try out KT Pro Tape.  They were taping people up for free and I was curious to see if it really works.  The guy who was doing the taping was a PT so I explained my injury to him, hopped up on the table and he taped me right up. 

I don't know if it was in mind or not but I was able to get a great workout in that evening which included a jog/walk on the treadmill followed by serious 15 minutes on the elliptical without any pain.  I also had no pain when I got up  Saturday morning. The KT Pro tape is water resistant and can last up to a week or longer.  I showered with it on and it didn't come off so that was a plus.  I decided to take it off last night because I thought three days was good enough and I am going to buy more and attempt to re-tape myself.The PT told me that he would post an instructional video for me so that I can do it myself.  How nice of him!

I also did some shopping and decided to buy some CEP Recovery Compression socks. I have been wanting a pair and decided to treat myself! They were a little bit cheaper at the Expo not to mention no tax and no shipping costs! I am glad that I went to the Expo but at the same time it was a form of self torture when you know that you won't be crossing the starting line :(

A Meltdown, H-Waves and an Extension!

I was feeling pretty bad this morning about going to PT.

I guess I am just sick of being injured and not being able to run!

The pain is still lingering and the fact that the

LA Marathon is this Sunday did not help.

Today was the day for my re-evaluation at physical therapy.

The results would determine if I would need to continue 

with the physical therapy or not.

My PT will be running the LA Marathon this weekend.

All of the patients know about it and she was telling them

how great her training is going and how excited she is.

Great...just what I needed to hear.

My PT was asking how I was feeling and I told her I was frustrated.

I told her that I know that I am better but not 100%.

I told her that as long as I can't run, I don't consider myself better.

She started talking to me about the healing process..blah blah blah

and I had a meltdown!

I explained to her that it has been five weeks and I am done!

I even told her that perhaps I was misdiagnosed and something

more serious must be wrong.

Legally she cannot discuss my MRI with me and I have to consult
my doctor but she disappeared for a moment and then returned.

I am pretty sure she took a sneak peak at my MRI because

she told me that my diagnosis was correct and that I would be 

running soon but just need to be patient.

Soon, what does that mean?  A year?

She did lots of PT things to me today that she doesn't 

normally do.  Today she gave me a massage, ultrasound therapy 

and this..

It's called H-Wave and it's a form of electrotherapy.  It's supposed to
help with pain and healing.  I thought it was weird how it made my
leg jump around! It made me feel like it was working!

I think my PT felt sorry for me so she extended my treatment
for another 8 weeks because she said that she wants to see me
running before she sets me free!
The plan is alternating jogging and walking 
on the treadmill.
The highest speed I am allowed to do is 5.0!
That's some serious speedwork so watch out!

I have my last big exam to complete my degree this Saturday!
I will be so glad when it's over.
On Sunday, the LA Marathon will be broadcasted live so
I will be in my bed crying on Sunday at 7:00am in case you need me!
( I know, I'm such a complainer...I promise I will stop soon!)

Did I Fail to Mention Something?

Have I failed to mention that I really miss running lately? 

 If I haven't told you lately then listen up...

I MISS RUNNING!!

 You have no idea how much miss running....

I have been spending lots of time learning to like 
 my new best friend the elliptical.
I am not very fond of my new friend, but he's
all I can count on right now.
He never lets me down.

What do I miss about running?
I miss following my training schedule.
I miss the challenge that running brings upon me.

I miss the natural high that I feel after a great run.

I miss waking up at 6:00am for a long run.

I miss being able to release stress through a great run.
I miss not being able to meet my running goals.
I miss the feeling I get in the pit of my stomach before a marathon.
I miss being able to eat whatever the hell I want and not gain a pound.

Tomorrow is probably going to be my last day of PT.
I will have to continue this healing process on my own.
I know that it is going to require a lot of patience.
I may have to sit out another race or two.

I know that I have to be patient and allow myself to heal,

BUT I CAN'T DENY IT...
I MISS RUNNING!

Do I need a Pain Pill or a Chill Pill?

I started to feel some pain last night so I was starting to regret that three mile run I went on yesterday. So what did I do? I did lots of stretching, icing, popped 800 mgs of ibuprofen and I prayed! Usually the pain does not appear until the next day so the fact that it appeared so soon was a huge disappointment.

So I woke up this morning and guess what?  NO PAIN when I stepped off of my bed!  As I started walking around my bedroom I did start to feel a little bit of pain but nothing like I have felt in the past so I was pretty happy about that! I also noticed some soreness in the back of my left hamstring, quad and calf too;nothing in my right leg though.  Good thing I took the day off of work to study for my big exam tomorrow because I have been icing and babying my leg all day!  I will be overly thrilled, joyed, and bouncing off of the walls if I wake up pain-free tomorrow!

Tomorrow is another day we will see what happens.  I am super duper nervous about this big exam tomorrow because we don't really know what to expect since it is a cumulative exam of the entire MPA program!  All I know is that I have to pass all three exams or no degree for me! I am not sure what I need more right now... a Pain Pill for my leg or a Chill Pill to calm myself down for this exam tomorrow!

Well, I better back to studying so wish me luck with my recovery and my BIG exam!

An Incredibly Slow Run in My Super Clean Shoes

Today was my big day!  I got up early and headed out the door for a test run in my super clean shoes.  I don't think I have ever seen my shoes this clean for this long.  I avoid looking at them because it is a sign that I have been absolutely nothing in them! In my defense, the shoes are fairly new but new shoes never stay clean for too long when you are working them out like you ought to be, right?

I was a little nervous about this run because tomorrow is uncertain. My pace was incredibly slow, especially for the first mile which was well over a 10 minute pace.  I felt some tightness in my knee the first mile and I stopped a few times to stretch it out and take a little break. It actually felt very weird to run.  I felt awkward and felt like my feet were heavy.  It just felt different... The second mile was still incredibly slow was a little bit better since the weird feelings were starting to go away. Mile three was the best. It was still incredibly slow but a little bit faster than the first two.  

Even though I was feeling pretty good, I stopped at three miles, iced my leg immediately and popped an anti-inflammatory.  The pain seems to get me the next day so now it's a waiting game. Although I am not excited about my pace, it's definitely a start for me and I know that I have to be patient. Please continue to keep your fingers crossed that I will not back to square one tomorrow. I also want to thank everyone who has stopped by to send me well wishes on my journey back to running.  It keeps me hopeful, optimistic and most of all sane!

If you haven't noticed, this little countdown clock to my next race has appeared on my Homepage! I am hoping to be able to run the Hollywood Half Marathon on April 6th. The race is a month away so if I am not able to run by then, I might as well just just commit myself to an insane asylum!

A Trial Run...

I am hopeful that next week will be my last session of physical therapy. My PT will do a re-evaluation and she will decide if I need to continue with the therapy or if she will release me and I will continue the healing process on my own.

I have been getting a little risky lately.....I can't lie.  I have been trying a little speed walk/jog routine on the treadmill to see how I feel. I don't want to get overly optimistic here but for the last two times that I tried this, I have not had any pain during or the day after. In the past, the pain was pretty bad the next day so I know that I am making progress. Having said that, I was going to try to run on the treadmill last night.  I went to the gym and it was so crowded!!  There wasn't a single treadmill or elliptical available so I took that as a sign that I shouldn't run.  I opted for the 6:45pm spin class since it was 6:40pm when I looked at my watch. Spin is always a great workout for me but I have to admit that I was struggling at times. I didn't feel as strong as I used to so I was kind of sad about that! That's okay though, I will get it back!

I woke up this morning with a very, very slight amount of pain which my PT said is normal as long as it dies down and doesn't get worse. I am going to take a rest today and I think I am going to try to run tomorrow.  Nothing crazy but I really want to try a couple miles at a really slow pace and see that happens.  My doctor did tell me that I will be able to run again when I do not feel any pain and I think I am ready to take a chance and see what happens.  Keep your fingers crossed a say a little prayer for me. I am dying to get back to running again!!

Progress

I feel like the pain in my leg is starting to feel better.  I haven't actually ran yet but I feel like I am making some progress since the pain associated with other forms of cardio is minimal.  On Friday, I did 30 minutes of the elliptical and did a speed walk/jog on the treadmill for a mile.  There was no pain but lots of fear in my mind so I didn't dare push it!  I had no pain the following day so I will attempt the same today at the gym and maybe try an extra half mile on the treadmill.

On another note, I am thrilled to tell you that I have two weeks until I complete the final course of the MPA program!  I will have a Master's degree!! Yippee!!  I wasn't going to participate in the commencement in June but everyone thinks that I should so maybe I will. The next two weeks will be very intense as I have lots of reading and studying to do!  I am nervous about the whole thing but I have to do it! It kind of keeps my mind off of running too which is a good thing right now.

Without running in my life, things are really different.  Everyone's schedule is usually based around my training and my race schedule but not anymore.  I am hoping that this will soon change.  I miss running so much and I can't wait to get back out there!!  I am probably going to be overly cautious at first but eventually those fears will go away and life will be back to "normal" again.

Have a great Sunday!  I will be spending most of my day reading! FUN! I have tons of it to catch up on!  I am off to Starbucks to grab a Caramel Brule Latte to keep me awake. Starbucks is an expensive habit but I have figured out a way to support it for the most part and it costs me almost nothing!

What are your Sunday plans?  What is your favorite drink from Starbucks? Are you a Starbucks addict like me?

Downgrading and DNS#3 on the Way!

This is where I hang out on Thursday mornings!

It is Week #4 of physical therapy and my PT seems to think that I am getting better.  Although the pain is mild when I am doing nothing it hurts a little more after any type of cardio workout of  20 minutes or longer.  I have no pain during my workouts but it's the next day that reminds me that something is still going on in there. I talked with my PT today and she told me that it is normal for me to feel pain after a workout and as long as the pain goes away and doesn't get worse than I should be fine.  She increased my workouts on the elliptical from 20 minutes to 30 minutes today (WOW) and I actually broke a little sweat.   Check out the few drops of sweat on my shirt!! It was pretty exciting to see some sweat!! Weird..I know.

I am registered for three races in the next couple of months and I have decided to downgrade from a full marathon in May to just a half.  It took me a while to make the move and login to the website to make the change.  I felt like I was giving up when I was doing it but I think my chances of running a half marathon are probably better than tackling a full marathon so soon!  So that means no LA Marathon on March 18th for me either!  I am not sure what is bugging me the most. If it is the $155.00 that I paid for the LA Marathon or is it just the fact that I can't run it?? In any case, it's not happening this year... DNS#3!! I am hopeful that I will be able to run a half marathon in April so I am keeping my fingers crossed. 

I think I am slowly (very slowly) coming to terms with all of this and realizing that the more rest I give this leg the faster it will heal!  I am trying to see the positive side of this whole injury situation....trust me I am!