Shin Pain Where Are You and My Year End Race Wish List

I never thought the day would come where I would be feeling thankful to have ran 8.50 miles in a week but it did. This past week I managed those 8.50 miles with minimal shin pain. Sunday morning was the first day in a few months that I actually stepped out of bed and felt pain free. The pain in my shin was gone but my calves were a little sore! I feel like I can't win but I am hoping that the shin pain stays away and the calf pain subsides with some foam rolling. Was it the change from the Nike's back to the Mizunos or is this shin pain finally going away? I guess I will never know but I do know that I am going to stick with the Mizunos for a while and see what happens. The only thing that I don't like about the Mizunos is that I think I am in between sizes so I can't get the perfect fit. A size 8 seems just a bit small but the 8-1/2 is kind of big.

This week I will continue to keep the mileage low and stay at an pace easy and see if my luck continues. I want to sign up for some races but have been holding off due to the shin issue and the fact that that I have enough DNS's on my record! Registration for the Fontana Days Half Marathon opens today and I really want to register.  The race isn't until June 1, 2013 so I think it is safe to sign up for it plus $40 is a reasonable registration fee for a half marathon. I am used to paying $150 for Disney half marathons which are not cheap! The Fontana Days Half Marathon sells out every year and is pretty close to home so no hotel required. It is an easy PR course since it is downhill and is recognized as the fastest in the world by the USATF. 

I also want to sign up for a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day but I am going to hold off until a few days before since this race does not sell out. I want to be able to run at a decent 5K pace and not just for the heck of it. My current 5K goal is sub 23:00 and I am not sure if I am capable of that right now since I have not been running very much at all. I would love to do a Christmas fun run too but I am not sure if I am over committing at this point. I guess I just love running...what can I say?

So are you planning on signing up for any Turkey Trots or Holiday themed races to close out the year? 

Do you already have a Race Wish List for 2013?

I do! I want to run so many races that it makes my mind spin! The first half of the year is pretty booked but I would love to add CIM to December, 2013. 

Some Things Go As Planned and Some Just Don't!

So much for being all excited about refinancing last week. Everything was set to go and I had an appointment for the Notary to come to my house on Friday at 4:00 p.m. to sign all of the paperwork and then I get a call at 1:30 p.m. It was not good news. I have to postpone the closing until mid November due to some weird FHA rules that would end up costing me an extra month of interest charges from my current lender. Apparently, the lender must collect 30 days worth of interest and my title would not record until November 2nd which throws me into another month.

I had the choice to pay the additional $1500 of interest charges to close right away or I could hold postpone it until mid November and avoid paying the additional money. No brainer, right? So now I have to make my November payment and the new closing date will be in mid-November. I will end up not having to make a mortgage payment in December versus November so it is going to come out about the same. I also have to take the cashier's check back to the bank since the closing costs will not be the same amount next month. I feel like I wasted a big part of my Friday but life could be worse! On a positive note, my new monthly payment is going to be $468 lower which is much better than I thought. I was thinking I would save around $300-325 a month so that is BIG plus. All I know is that I will so glad when this all said and done!

The remainder of my Friday was spent running errands, bathing dogs, doing laundry and eating my favorite salad BBQ Chicken Salad from CPK.  I bought a full size salad to eat for lunch and dinner! I think I earned it after stressing myself out on over this whole refinancing dilemma. This salad is my favorite and I also love the fat free balsamic vinagrette dressing.

I also planned on running on this morning and I was hoping to get at least 6 miles in since I had only put in 2 miles earlier in the week. I have also been thinking about changing back to Mizunos. As much as I love my Nike's I am wondering if they are part of my problem. They just don't feel as comfortable anymore so I ended up buying another pair of Mizunos. I have ran in Mizunos before so they are not new to my feet but I didn't want to put too many miles on them for the initial run. 

My run did go as planned! I ran 6.30 miles in my Mizunos at a 9:30 pace. It was slower than I would have wanted it to be but that was the comfortable pace. My feet felt much better in the Mizunos so I might switch back to them for a while. Slower paced runs are going to have to work for now because the shin pain is still there.  I think it's better but it's definitely a problem and affects my ability to run the pace and distance that I would like to.

Today we are going Halloween costume shopping for my son. I am not sure what he is going to dress up as but he always wants some crazy scary costume. I also have to get busy making my costume for work this week. I saw this cute idea on the Internet and I hope that nobody shows up dressed in the same costume!

Do your kids dress up for Halloween? What are they going to be this year? 

My son goes to a private school and they do not allow the students to dress up.  They have a fall festival instead which is more like a carnival with games and food. He does dress up at home and we take him out trick or treating in our neighborhood.

Does your employer celebrate Halloween and encourage you to dress up?

We fund raise for a charity every year and have a lunch with raffles.  They do give away prizes for the best costumes so I am hoping to grab a prize this year!

Three Things Thursday

1. I am very happy to say that my loan is all approved!! My payment is actually going to be about $320.00 cheaper a month and that is great news for me. I love saving money! I don't make my first payment until December 1st which means no mortgage payment in November! Since I don't have a payment in November, I will use that money to cover some of my prepaid costs like taxes and insurance. A notary will be coming to my house tomorrow so I can sign my life away!

2.  I can't believe that it is almost Thanksgiving and then Christmas is right around the corner.  Christmas is 60 days away to be exact! Several of my co-workers have mentioned that they have already started Christmas shopping! I have had some people tell me that they shop year round so that they don't have to beat the crowds during the holiday season. The shopping bug doesn't officially hit me until the day after Thanksgiving AKA BLACK FRIDAY! I am a big Black Friday shopper! The crowds are crazy and the lines are ridiculously long but I love it for some reason. I think it is a sign for me that Christmas is almost here.

3. My sister and her family will be flying in from South Carolina to stay with us for Christmas so we are going to have a full house! This is probably the only time of the year where we actually occupy every single square foot of the house! We have two empty bedrooms in our house that we don't use so when my sister visits the space is filled. It's going to be a busy week!

So are you a Black Friday shopper?

Have you already started your Christmas shopping? If not, when do you officially start?

A Running Update and Piling on the Miles

I haven't said too much about my lack of running status lately because I don't want to sound like a "Negative Nellie" all of the time but I am going to give you a little update in the most positive way that I can. The last two months since the Disneyland Half Marathon have not been so great. I have been battling some serious issues with my right shin and it just won't seem to go away.  I have icing like crazy, foam rolling, using my stick, taking ibuprofen and doing all of the things that I should be to get rid of the problem. My mileage for the past couple of months kind of says it all and it makes me sad just to look at it so I am not going to look....

I pretty much took a whole three weeks off to give my shins some rest and I think it helped. I have gradually started to run here and there and have been doing lots of cross training like spinning, the elliptical plus other stuff at home like push ups, planks, my PT exercises and stretches. I think I can actually do 50 "real" push ups now and I could only do about 15-20 a couple of months ago. I was lucky enough to run 6.25 miles while on my trip to Santa Barbara and I am feeling really thankful for that. It was a pain free run and I had very little shin pain afterward. That is actually the longest run I have done in almost two months. How pitiful is that? I have really been trying to play it smart this time since I have no races on the books for the remainder of the year. I have high hopes of doing a Thanksgiving 5K and possibly a Christmas 5K with my daughter for fun. We will see what happens but no matter what I promised myself that I will not do anything that I am not fully capable of even though I am craving a run over 10 miles. I should be starting my training for my February marathon right about now but I am not so sure if that is going to happen quite yet so if I have to downgrade to the half marathon or run a slower paced marathon than I would like to, then I have accepted that. 

I have decided that I am going to keep busy whether I am running or walking so I signed up for Pile on the Miles 2012, which takes place from  November 1st through December 1st. Run Eat Repeat is inviting everyone to sign up and you have the chance to win some goodies too! You can read the rules and sign up here. 

Go Ahead and Challenge Yourself!  

I am challenging myself so I won't feel so bad about all of the cupcakes and goodies that I plan to consume during the holidays!

 
If you have ever been injured, what are your alternatives to running to keep yourself sane?

A Ladies Weekend

This weekend was spent enjoying some time away with a few of the ladies from my Ragnar Relay Team. We did lots of eating, laughing and a little bit of running too. I rarely leave my family to take trips alone and this was the first time that I actually went away with friends so there was a little bit of guilt there. My kids never like it when I leave. My daughter still cries when I leave and she's a big girl already.

I had second thoughts about going because part of the trip included plans to run, of course! As you know, running and I have not been the best of friends lately so I didn't want to be the odd man out on the trip or be in the way. They insisted that I go anyway so I agreed and brought my running gear along with me just in case I was feeling up to it. I love running in new places and had been watching the weather forecast and when I saw that it was predicted to be in the mid 50's, I felt even worse. I haven't seen cool weather for quite a few months here in California so I was looking forward to it.

We headed out to Santa Barbara on Saturday morning and thankfully I did not have to drive! We made a quick pit stop at Starbucks and then we were on our way. I am kind of burned out with driving so that was one of the conditions for me to come along. NO DRIVING! We stayed at the Hotel Santa Barbara which is about a 135 mile drive from home. The drive was about an hour and a half but the time went by pretty quickly with all of the talking that we were doing.

The hotel was very pretty and the room was really cute but maybe a little too cozy for three females to share. The building is four stories high and we stayed on the 4th floor. Imagine how much time it takes for three women to get ready with only one bathroom....

After we settled into our room we walked down State Street and had breakfast. I had an egg white vegetable omelet and it was really good! They also served us some warm bread that was out of this world (one of my biggest weaknesses!)  

After breakfast we walked to the outdoor mall and ran into a couple of dangerous places.  I behaved myself at Lululemon and did not but anything even though I saw a few items that I would love to have! We also visited a cupcakery that had 100 calorie cupcakes but it was hardly a bite! Can you believe that I passed on the cupcakes? That is probably my biggest weakness of all!

The girls really wanted to go wine tasting but I am not much of a drinker... at all.  I have a drink every blue moon but I never ever finish it. I never developed a taste for alcohol but I went along just to see what it was all about. I told them that I would be the designated driver so they could enjoy themselves but we ended up catching the shuttle there. We went to the Santa Barbara Winery and I had a small taste one of the sweeter wines and it didn't taste like anything wonderful so I stopped there. The ladies really enjoyed it and purchased a few bottles to take home. I had never experienced what wine tasting was all about so it was a fun experience.

We had an amazing dinner at Pierre LaFond Bistro on Saturday night and since one of the girls that we met up with actually works there, she got us an amazing discount. We ordered different entrees and shared so that we could taste everything and it was all so delicious. I ordered the macaroni and cheese and some of the other dishes included meatloaf, diablo pizza which had goat cheese, veggies and soy chorizo on top, and the other dish was a risotto dish with duck. The appetizer was fried vegetables and they were so good. The veggies included kale,green beans, broccoli and squash.

The dessert, Kahlua Tiramisu, was by far my favorite. I love dessert (another one of my weakness)! 

After dinner we took a walk down State Street to burn off all of the yummy food but decided to turn in early because everyone was tired and wanted to rest up for a long run in the morning. State Street gets pretty crazy at night and that was confirmed when the Land Shark drove by with a bunch of intoxicated college students dancing to "Call Me Maybe."

The highlight of my weekend was our Sunday morning run and the weather was absolutely perfect!! It was 53 degrees at 8:00 a.m. and I enjoyed it so so much! We ran down State Street until we ended up on a bike trail by the ocean and the time flew right by because I was so busy taking everything in. After 3 miles, I told the girls that I was going to head back and told them to continue on because they wanted to run 10-12 miles and I knew that it was not a good idea for me. I felt sad turning back alone but I knew that it was a smart decision that I would not regret. It was a pain free run so I was happy about that and I am still feeling okay today considering that 6.25 miles was probably pushing it for me right now. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging out downtown and probably some more eating. We also checked out the course of the upcoming Santa Barbara International Half Marathon/Marathon that is coming up in a few weeks. There is a pretty decent hill on the course that is in a pretty crazy location (Mile 10 for the half and Mile 22 of the full.) We drove up the hill which was about about a .40 mile climb and it is a pretty challenging one for me since I do not exactly love hills. I would love to run the half because I really love the perfect weather in Santa Barbara at this time of year. We headed home about 5:00 p.m and did not run into any traffic. I had a fun time but was a little home sick so I was glad to be back home with my family in my own bed on my own pillow :)

So what was the highlight of your weekend? 

Three Things Thursday

1. I received notice on Monday that my loan was approved but contingent upon me providing them with 10,000 documents.  There seemed to be some issue with the bank doubting that I actually live in the house I am refinancing. The truth is that I am currently renting out the condo that I used to live in  but my driver's license still has that old address on it.  I did change my address with the DMV but it didn't make sense to pay $30 for a new license with my current address on it since it doesn't expire for another four years. Not to mention that $30 could be used towards a race entry, right? Anyway, I provided  the 10,000 documents they requested and they cleared me so now I am just waiting for the final audit and a closing date. I can't wait to see that mortgage payment go down!

2. My performance evaluation seemed to go pretty well.  My boss prefers that I do most of the talking which includes what I have done, what I am doing and what I have planned for the future. My raise is retroactive and it was due back in September so I will have a little extra plus a raise on my next paycheck. I am excited but I promise to control myself which means I will not visit the Lululemon website nor will I open the emails they send me every Tuesday morning!

3. Exercising has not been going so well due to my decreased energy level. I came down with what I thought was allergies on Monday and it just progressed into this horrible sneezing and runny nose mess which I am now calling a cold. I am still confused as to whether or not I am sick or not but I have been doing my best to avoid people so that I don't get them sick! I haven't been sleeping so well at night so I am pretty beat by the end of the day. I had zero energy on the elliptical on Tuesday and thought about quitting a thousand times but hung in there.  If I take my body to the gym I am going to try to best to make it worth it! This cold also stopped me from attending a get-together with a fellow blogger/daily miler that I have really been wanting to meet because she is the sweetest, most humble and not to mention speediest thing ever! I hope I have another opportunity to meet up with her really soon!

Have you had the chance to meet a fellow blogger or Daily Miler? 

I have only met one blogger/daily miler and she is the nicest lady in the world! I have meet some others from Daily Mile who I run with on a regular basis. I feel like I know lot of bloggers since we communicate often and know all about each other's lives!

Who Do You Compete With?

In my mind, there are two types of competition: Competing with Others and Competing with Yourself.  I think we all have some type of competitive edge in us or else we would not strive to be better at anything we do, right?

I am the type of person who competes with myself and I think my level of competition is at a pretty healthy level. I think that blogging and other forms of social media can sometimes lead to competition and comparing yourself to others and that can be on the unhealthy side. We are all at different levels with our running and that is what keeps me in perspective. Do I want to be a better and faster runner? Of course, I do or else I will never run the Boston Marathon! Do I want to beat others or run as fast as they do? No, I don't. I am definitely happy when others achieve their goals but my focus remains on my game. I am by far my own worst enemy and I am rarely satisfied with my performance because I always think I could have done better.

Am I competitive? Of course I am, I want to run a half in 1:45 but my goals are not based upon the performance of others. My goals are reasonable goals that I feel that I can achieve based on past races and current performance. Will I ever run a 3:30 marathon? No I will not; and I don't think I even want to try because in my mind it's crazy fast and out of my comfort zone.

I don't want to be super fast or beat anyone. I just want to BQ and run the Boston Marathon! I just want to be Me and Do My Thing! Am I happy for people who can out run me? Of course I am or else I would be a pretty stressed out person trying to compete without much success. Running would no longer be fun if my level of competition became out of control and I never want that to happen! I actually admire the hell out of those who have that tremendous running ability since they are the ones who motivate me to become a better runner and inspire me to push harder and achieve things that I never thought I could!

What are your thoughts on competition?  Who do you compete with?

Taking Chances...

I finally got myself together yesterday afternoon and went for that test run I kept talking about. After the rain we had last Thursday I thought that the hot weather was finally over but I was wrong.  It is back into the 90's for a good part of this week which makes running outside almost impossible for me. I can't wait for the heat to move on so that I can get back to my regular routine. I think I need to spend more time on the roads then on the treadmill which may be a good explanation as to why my shin is rebelling.

I had no choice but to run on the treadmill because I did not get up early enough to run (this is really starting to become a bad habit) and by the time I decided that I was going to do it, it was already 91 degrees. The gym was pretty empty which was nice because during the week it is crazy busy and if you get there too late you have to wait to get a machine. I was able to run with minor shin pain but I can still feel something there.  I alternated between running a half mile and walking a quarter mile and ended up with 3.35 miles. Not much of a "run" but I wasn't about to go all out and kill myself after a 21 day break from running! I did have to stop myself a couple of times from increasing the speed since I was feeling good and I felt refreshed to be running again.

Although the pain was minimal, the true test is always the very next day. As I am typing this post, I can say that I am feeling pretty good. The pain is still there when I touch it but I am not feeling like my whole leg is about to fall off! Today is a cross training day so I will be spinning this evening and tomorrow I will attempt the same jog/walk routine as I did yesterday and see what happens. I am being faithful about stretching, electrotherapy, icing and doing my PT exercises. I am also getting better at taping myself with KT Tape and that seems to be helping as well. 

The three black dots are the point of pain, in case you were wondering.

Hopefully this will be a turning point for me. I have an exciting "Girls Only" weekend coming up which includes a little bit of running so hopefully I can be a part of it.

Can I also confess my jealousy towards everyone who ran the Nike Women's Marathon on Sunday?  Everyone was talking about these super cute Tiffany blue Lunarglides and I want them... I am not sure if I would wear them but I would love to have them even though I did not run the race. They are all over Ebay for $200-300+ which is out of my spending limit for shoes :(

 

Were you lucky enough to run the hills of the Nike Women's Marathon or Half Marathon this weekend in San Francisco? 

I wasn't, but this race is definitely on my list of races to run.  It has the best race loot by far!

 

Do you collect special limited edition items from races?  

I never do but I am sure that I will go broke on Boston Marathon everything when I finally get there!

Pumpkin Spice Lattes and My Trial Run

So this trial run has been on my To Do List for the past couple of days and I have not done it.  I said I was going to do it yesterday and just didn't. I thought about it and then just decided that it was better to just stay in bed and do it tomorrow. I even told myself that even if I didn't run that I would go to the morning spin class but I skipped that too! I have did a busy day yesterday which included getting my teeth cleaned, pet food shopping, lunch at CPK, and gift shopping for a family birthday party that we are attending today but that has nothing to do skipping out on my run.

Today I woke up early and almost got up to go for that run 10 times and just didn't do it again!   The weather was perfect but that still wasn't enough to get me to do it. I thought to myself if I try to go for this run and my shin is still hurting it is going to ruin my day and I wasn't in the mood to feel like that today. I didn't get out of my bed until 8:00 am which almost never happens! Instead of running, I suggested that we grab some pumpkin spice lattes and then take the puppies to get their shots. Great idea, right? I have never tried a pumpkin spice latte and it was actually really good so now I understand what the hype is all about. 

The puppies got their shots today so they are not very happy with us say the least. They get really quiet and actually stay calm for a change. They are 19 weeks old today and are getting so big! Jackie weighs 8.2 pounds and Chiquita weights 6.6 pounds.

The rest of my day includes haircuts for the boys and then the birthday party. My trial run is not in the plan for the remainder of the day. Will it happen tomorrow? I really don't know!  I am not sure what is wrong with me but I really need to get my running mojo back! 

What do you do when you feel like you are losing your running mojo? 

Three Things Thursday

 1. I finally heard back on my home appraisal and it was not as great as I wanted it to be.  I am still going to move forward with it even though I am going to have to come up with some extra cash at closing to make up for the small difference between the new loan amount and the current loan amount. I can't have two mortgages so I have to pay the difference to get my current one down to zero. It is not a bad thing since it's actually paying my mortgage down and I will owe a little bit less. I will be glad when I see that lower mortgage payment!

2. I almost gave in and went for a trial run on the treadmill last night before my spin class. I even brought my running shoes with me which I usually leave at home so I don't get crazy and actually run. I was thinking about it all day and but resisted the urge. I wasn't really in the mood to be in the saddle last night but I forced myself to go anyway. I think I kept my eye on the clock the whole time and couldn't wait for the class to be over.  Not good..I know.

3. Today I have my annual performance evaluation at work. I think it is going to go well but I get nervous anyway. Sitting one on one with my boss for an hour and listening to what he really thinks of my performance makes me a little nervous. The good news is that I will get a raise if all goes well! I have to admit that I have a great job and I feel really lucky to be in the position that I am in. Sometimes I feel like I don't really deserve the job that I have so I am thankful for it everyday. So once I get the house refinanced and my new raise kicks in, I will have more money to spend on races, Lululemon running skirts and a vacation.  Just Kidding! I am a little smarter than that. I am actually looking forward to stashing more money away for a rainy day or paying a little extra on my mortgage every month. You never know what life is going to deal you at any given time!

  

Are you a saver or a spender? 

I have my moments but I think I am "financially smart" for the most part.  I definitely know my limits. I use my credit cards for everything because I like to see my reward points build up and then I use them to get extras like my Starbucks cards. My rule is that I have to pay my credit cards off monthly and if I cannot then I am over spending and cannot afford it!

Running Pop Quiz

Thank you to Fancy Nancy  for sharing this idea with everyone.  I thought it was kind of fun so I jumped on the bandwagon and did it too! Yeah I know, I am such a follower!

1. FUEL: Shot Bloks, GU, Energy Chews, Candy or Other?I am a GU Girl! I occasionally use Shot Bloks but GU seems to do the trick for me or at least my mind is convinced that it does. My favorite flavor is Jet Blackberry but I also like TriBerry and mix a few in when I buy a new stash.

2. Race Length: 5k, 10k, 1/2 Marathon, Marathon, Ultra or Other?

I love the half marathon!  It is not too short and not too long.  I have a love hate relationship with the marathon.  I want to conquer it so badly but once I qualify for Boston and actually run it, I think I will never ever run another marathon.

3. Workout Bottoms: Skirts, Running Shorts, Capris, Pants or Other?

For most of my workouts I wear my Nike Tempo shorts. They are the most comfortable for me and the only shorts I have ever really worn.  I also like my capris for the colder days and for spinning classes.  I also love my lululemon skirts and wear them for 5k’s and 10K’s.  They are so comfy and you don't even notice that you have a skirt on.

 4. Sports Drink: Gatorade, Powerade, Cytomax, you stick to water when you run or Other?
I usually stick to water for the shorter distances but fuel with water and Nuun for the longer distances. I also like to drink Smart Water during my spin classes since it has electrolytes.

5. Running Temperatures: HEAT or COLD?

COLD!!!  We had a brutal summer here in California and it is just starting to cool down. I am looking forward to being able spend more time running outside rather than on the treadmill. I think we actually have rain in the forecast this week!

6. Running Shoe Brands: Saucony, Mizuno, Nike, Brookes, Asics or Other?

I have tried several brands of running shoes including Mizunos, Nikes, and Brooks.  My all time favorite seem to be my Nike Vomeros so I always so back to them.

7. Pre-race meal: Oatmeal, Bagel, Banana, Eggs, Cereal or Other?

I usually eat a banana for the shorter distances and a bagel and a banana for the longer distances.  There have been times when I have woken up super hungry and fueled with oatmeal.

8. Rest Days: 1x per week, 2x per week, never ever ever or Other?

I usually run 3-4 days a week, cross train twice a week and then rest for a day or two.  I find that I cannot run too many consecutive days or else I run into problems with injuries.

9. Music: Have to have it or go without it?

I hardly ever run with music.  I think is dangerous and I am paranoid that someone is going to sneak up on me or I am going to get hit by a car. If I do run with music, I usually plug in one ear only so I  can kind of hear what is going on around me.  I once read an article about a man who was running on the beach with his music on and did not hear a plane that ended up crashing and killing him. What are  the chances of that happening but still kind of freaked me out!

10. #1 reason for running: stress-relief, endorphins, you love to race, so you can eat all the cupcakes you want, weight-loss, love running for social reasons or Other?

I started out running to lose some weight and then it became an addiction. I love running because it helps me release stress and I love the challenge. Running also forces me to stay in shape especially if I am signed up for a race. I also love to eat and I especially love cupcakes so running gives me the excuse to reward myself!

Feel free to join in on fun and take the running pop quiz too!

17 Days and Counting....

It has been 17 days since my last run. Yes, I am counting the days because running is part of my life and I can't live without it. The plan is to continue spinning this week and then go for a trial run over the weekend to see how it goes. I am so tempted to hop on the treadmill at the gym so I have to leave my running shoes at home to stop myself. I wear my flip flops to the gym and then change into my cycling shoes so that's all I can do. I am actually starting to enjoy spinning and I think it is a great way for me to continue my cross training once I get back to running again. Last night I was pretty tired and had to drag myself to the 6:45pm class and once it was over I was glad I went. I never regret a great workout. I think I am taking this injury thing much better this time around but I am not sure how long this somewhat positive attitude lasts.

My original plan was to start my marathon training the week of October 14th, which would give me 16 weeks to train but that may not happen. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can at least get a small run in this weekend and remain pain free. I will not run through pain because I don't enjoy it and then I turn into a bag of nerves wondering what I am going to feel like the next day. If I cannot get back into training soon enough I will downgrade to the half marathon in February and reschedule my sub-four quest for my Dad. I really want to hit my goal so I won't run a marathon that I am not properly trained for. If I don't make the February marathon then I might put it off until the end of the year. I would really love to run CIM in December so maybe that will be my race.

I haven't talked about my puppies in a while but I still have two of them. My girls are 18 weeks old now and have grown so much.  I am not sure what I am going to do with them or better yet without them. I have been way to picky in placing them in new homes so I guess it is my own fault. The puppies are very attached to us so going to a new home will be difficult for them but I know they will adjust if they find a loving home. I have to stop the whole picking up the stray animals thing but I can't help myself.

So tell me...How many weeks do you train for a marathon?  
I have always stuck to a 16 week training program.

Do you have a soft spot for stray animals? 
You know I do! I have picked up two in the past year and all of my dogs have been strays with the exception of one. I can't bring myself to spend money on a pet when so many are homeless or in shelters about to be put down :(

Happy Columbus Day and a Fun Run!

What a weekend! I am so glad that it is over so that I can get over DNS#4 and focus on getting myself back to running! So many PR's and great things happened for so many people this weekend and even though I had to sit my race out, I am so happy for everyone who has worked so hard to achieve big things!

Sunday morning was a little tough for me since my race clock still went off at 4:00 a.m. even though I was not heading to a race. I sure thought about it though but I know that being dumb is never the right choice. I have a full race calendar for the beginning of 2013 and I am not about to throw it all away for a crappy race that would not be my best anyway. I want to be able to give 100%! Running through pain and worrying about whether or not you are really doing yourself more damage is no fun anyway so I am glad I made the right decision! Enough said about that and on to some really exciting stuff like my son's fun mile run!

My son was signed up for the Aquarium of the Pacific Kids Fun Run so we went ahead and took him to his race and let him have his moment. He was so proud of himself and we are so proud of him too. He wore his new running shoes and he ran his mile in about 9:20. He did not stop at all and even carried his hand held water bottle so that he didn't have to stop for water. He even met Lashinda Demus, who is a 2012 Olympic Silver Medalist in the 400m hurdles.

Here are some other highlights from his race!

Did you do anything exciting this weekend?   

Do you have Columbus Day off?  I don't :(

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

Would Everyone Please Make Up Your Minds!

Thank you to everyone who wished me well and gave some great advice about what I should do about my half marathon on Sunday. I know the answer but sometimes you need to hear it from other people so you know what an idiot you really are for thinking that doing what you want over what is best is the right thing. I still haven't convinced myself that I am not run Long Beach in case you are wondering but I most likely it is a big fat " NO." I just need to give myself false hopes until Sunday so I won't be sad for more than a day. 

As far as this small area of unknown pain is concerned, my doctor recommended that I go to physical therapy and have them show me some stretches and strengthening exercises so that this weird pain will go away, so I went. I probably won't go again since I do want to get better and I will do the exercises that they have shown me. I don't need to pay them money to watch me do them so I will be fine on my own. All I need is a wall to lean against and a resistance band and I have both at home. The exercises are pretty easy so I think I am good.

The PT gave me an evaluation which included lots of ... "does this hurt" and "do this and do that" and he seems to think that the pain I am having is tendinitis of the muscle surrounding my shin.  He showed me some stretches and exercises and then iced me up before I left. He gave some handouts that illustrate the exercises so I will start to do them daily.

My son will be running the Kids Fun Run that is associated with the Long Beach Marathon tomorrow morning so I will have to head to Long Beach in spite of not running the half. I guess I will just head to the Expo and pick up my goodie bag and be done with it.  All runners get free admission into the Aquarium of the Pacific so I can at least get that and take my son. One thing that I won't be doing at the Expo is signing up for any races. I promise you that one! I am beginning to wonder if signing up early to save money is even worth it anymore since you lose all your money if you can't run the race for some reason or another. Is there a such thing as race insurance? That would be nice wouldn't it?

On the brighter side, my PT told me that I can continue to spin as long as their is no pain and I have no pain at all.  He seems to think that this is something really minor and as long as I don't run then it should heal up pretty quickly but he would not give me a time frame. It has already been two weeks since my last run so maybe a little while longer??

So life would be much easier if my doctors would make up their minds as to what is really wrong with me and I need to make up my mind about running Long Beach and get on with it! Oh..and the appraiser needs to make up his mind too since my lender has not heard back from him about my home appraisal!

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE WHO IS RUNNING LONG BEACH AND CHICAGO! I WISH I WAS YOU!

A Tough Decision...

So I went to see the orthopedic doctor and after chatting with him and an examination, he doesn't seem to think that anything is seriously wrong with me. He thinks I have a shin splint issue or possibly a very minor strain. Having said that, I have not yet decided whether or not I will run the Long Beach Half Marathon this coming Sunday. I have dealt with shin splints in the past and this small spot where the pain remains is not what I have experienced so I  have been playing it safe by spinning instead of running. I don't feel any kind of pain while spinning so it is a safe way to maintain my cardio for now and I like it because I sweat like crazy! I like spinning but I enjoy spinning much more when I am able to combine it with running as my method of cross training. 

The doctor suggested that I take a couple of weeks off to see if the pain goes away and if it doesn't then we will have to re-evaluate and take it from there. By the way, I have not ran in 10 days! I am dying to run really want to run Long Beach because I don't want to mess up the Beach Cities Challenge medal series but as of now I am 60% sure that Long Beach will be another DNS for me. Boo!! If I am feeling pain free on Saturday then I might be out there. I guess my last injury taught me a lesson on being patient because I am taking this a lot better than I did the first time around. This does not mean that I am not upset or feeling down about this but the positive side of me is telling me to keep my eye on the big goal which is my sub 4 marathon for my Dad in February. I know that I need to be strong for that race and if it means sitting this one out, I can handle it. I am sure my Dad is missing out on a lot more things in his life that he wishes he could do so what the heck am I complaining about?? I am lucky enough to have my health so that I am able to run!

No word yet on the home appraisal but I am thinking positive. If I get good news back on the appraisal then maybe sitting Long Beach out won't seem so bad after all. In the mean time, I will live vicariously through all of you who are racing this weekend and the weeks to come and wish you the very best. I know my time will come and I can't wait to live those moments!

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE WHO IS RACING THIS WEEKEND!