My Plan for the Ventura Marathon

When I first talked about my running plans for the summer I knew that I wanted to run the Ventura Marathon or Half Marathon since it takes place on my birthday. I didn't want to put any pressure on myself and I just wanted to enjoy my run since it will be a while before a race falls on my birthday again. 

For the past few weeks I have been dealing with pain in my left hip. It never hurts while I run but seems to be sore the next morning. I self diagnosed myself with hip bursitis so I took nine days off from running to see if it would get better. I have been faithfully doing these exercises at home twice a day. I decided to go for an easy 6 miles run on Monday since I needed to make a decision by Tuesday and still had some minor soreness. I also saw my doctor on Tuesday and he confirmed that I have a case of hip bursitis. 

The good thing is that I have already been doing the exercises he recommended and taking anti-inflammatory meds so I am a already a lot better. He told me that I should not run as long as I feel the pain which is what I expected he would say. The words that us runners hate to hear!

My deadline to defer my race was Tuesday so I had to make a decision or take my chances and lose my money. I honestly felt like I could still run the race if I ran at any easy pace which was my original plan to begin with. After much thought and listening to the advice of others, I decided to defer my entry to 2015 because it is the smart thing to do. I have to listen to my body and think of how this will affect me long term. I also have to practice what I preach. I still have my heart set on running Long Beach with my friend in four weeks so I need to focus on getting better for that race. I already have a 20 miler under my belt so I think I can pull it off if I allow myself to heal. My doctor thinks that I should be feeling 100% in the next week or so since I already took some time off.

So if you are running Ventura I won't be out there running in my birthday outfit. I won't have a chance to run a race that falls on my birthday for quite a few years so that is kind of disappointing. I think I am at peace with my decision and am grateful that I am already feeling a lot better. I am a little sad that this is my second DNS for 2014. I almost feel like I am jinxed but hopefully this is the start to something even better for me.

Have you ever ran a race on your birthday?

A Week of Workouts and a DNS

The weeks are flying by so fast and summer is in full effect. We kind of had a small break this week from the 90 degree heat but it is going to be back next week. My long runs take some strategic planning when it come to this heat.

This past Saturday I was supposed run the Zooma Napa Valley Half Marathon. The bad news is that I did not make it to the race. When I stepped out of bed on Friday morning, I had the worst pain in my right heel. I could hardly walk on it. I have dealt with a minor case of plantar fasciitis in the past so I know what to do. I decided that I did not want to take the six hour drive and spend $400 on my hotel if I was not going to be able to run the race. It was a difficult decision but I know that I would have felt even worse if pain kept me from finishing the race. I think I prefer a DNS over a DNF!

I had to change my running plans around at the end of the week due to the heel pain. In other words, I missed my long run this week because I didn't want to push it. I was pretty bummed since it kind of killed my mileage for June.

Monday: Rest Day with strength training. I keep these things right by my bed so they are right there when I need to get up and do them. I am really enjoying the medicine ball!

Tuesday: 7.32 Miles@ 8:12/I had a really busy week at work and did not get home from work until almost 11:00 pm on Tuesday. I still made time for my run but I was exhausted by the time I finally got home.  I am very lucky to have the job that I have so I cannot complain.

Wednesday: Rest Day with strength training. I can hold a plank for over three minutes now so I am kind of proud of myself because it's progress. I would really like to get to five minutes one day!

Thursday: 6.02 Miles@9:08/I was not in the mood for the treadmill so I took my chances and ran in the 80 degree heat. It was slow, painful and ugly (9:40, 9:14, 9:12, 9:11, 9:06, 8:26.) I know that every run cannot be a good run so I pushed through it and got it done.

Friday:Rest Day with strength training. 

Saturday: 7.10 Mile Progressive Run @8:39 avg/The weather was perfect and I wanted to test out my foot to see if my heel would hurt while I ran and it did not. Thank God! I started out easy and then picked it up the last few miles. I have been rolling my foot with a frozen water bottle and tennis ball to get it under control. I am keeping my fingers crossed on this one.

Sunday: 5 Miles Easy@ 8:56/After my run we headed out on a road trip to Las Vegas. My son was pretty bummed that he did not get to go to San Francisco as part of our trip so we made a quick trip to Las Vegas and he was good with that. I will post some pictures of our trip when we return.

Total Miles: 25.44 (Pretty low mileage week, but low miles is better than no miles.)

Have you ever dealt with plantar fasciitis?  Any advice?

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!

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!

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! 

 

DNS#2 and Thoughts on Not Running...

Life has been pretty stressful lately since I have not been able to run.  My last run was the Tinker Bell Half Marathon on January 29th.  Since then, I have missed the Surf City Marathon and the Pasadena R&R Half Marathon. Pretty depressing...

To put it mildly...I really miss running!  I feel as though something I love has been taken away from me.  I can't begin to tell how many times I have wanted to just ignore the doctor's orders and just go for a run....just a short run and not tell anyone about it.  I would keep it between the pavement and me.  It would be our little secret.

It's difficult to go on Twitter, Facebook or even read all of my favorite blogs because it's all good news.  Please don't get me wrong. I love to read about all of the great tempo runs, the challenging long runs and all of the PR's that all of you are knocking out.  I just wish it was me so maybe I am insanely a little jealous.  I had big plans for 2012 and now I am not quite certain what this year has in store for me. Those familiar routes that I was getting tired of running now seem so desirable to me these days. 

I can hardly wait to get back out there and have a decent run.  I can't wait to feel my Garmin on my wrist again.  I can hardly wait to break one of those awesome sweats that lets you know you accomplished something.  I can't wait to feel my running shoes back on my feet again. I can hardly wait to be sore again after a marathon.  I can't wait to get home from a great run and share it on DailyMile. I can hardly wait to wake up early on a Sunday morning to go for a long run. I can't wait to run with my buddies again. I can hardly wait to feel those butterflies in my stomach right before the start of a marathon. I just want my life to go back to "normal" again.

I have been doing other forms of cardio like the elliptical, stationary bike and I even cheat and take a spin class once in a while but it's not the same as a run.  I know that I should be using this time to work on strength training and flexibility since I seem to ignore these things. I have been wanting to try a yoga class but it just doesn't appeal to me like a  15 mile run does! I did make progress and actually bought a yoga video but I have yet to pop it in the DVD player and try it out. 

My shopping habits have also spiraled out of control.  Lululemon and Nike.com are loving me right now!!  I have bought like three pairs of shoes, a few more running skirts, a few pairs of Tempo shorts and you don't know how many times I have been tempted to sign up for a race or two. I hope my husband isn't reading this post but I am sure he has clued in on all the UPS deliveries we have been receiving lately!!

I know I sound like a big whiner but if you are a runner you can probably relate. It is going to be a while before you hear the words, "I don't feel like running today" come out of my mouth. I know that I have to be smart and take the time to let my body heal.  Thank you to everyone who reminds me of the need to take this break and listen to the doctor. I do appreciate it because it stops me from putting on my running shoes and secretly flying out the front door. I promise to never take a single run for granted again even if it's a less than wonderful one.

Tomorrow will be physical therapy session #3.  The pain is still there but seems to be getting a little bit better. Thanks for listening to me vent!

No Surfing For Me!

The pain in my leg is still here which means that the Surf City Marathon is not going to happen in 2012!  I am pretty bummed since I will have to start the Beach Cities Challenge all over again!  It is bittersweet for me since I am sad that I cannot run Surf City but at the same time this may be my opportunity to redeem myself in Long Beach this October! Long Beach was such a disaster that it probably should not count anyway! 

In the meantime, I am taking it easy and testing my leg out to see what it will tolerate.  I did a 45 minutes on the elliptical last night and felt no pain but it's usually in the morning that the pain hits me.  So far so good but I really want to try spin and see what happens. I have decided to see an orthopedic doctor to make sure that the Sports Medicine doctor I saw has diagnosed me correctly.

Until then, I will keep hoping and praying and looking forward to getting back out there.  With all of the suffering and sad days that I have had wishing that I could run, I should be coming back with a vengeance!