November Was Not Fun!

November was not a good month for running. It was a good month in all other aspects of life but when I am not running things just aren't the same. I did run the Las Vegas Half Marathon because my knee felt a lot better but after that race things returned to the same as they were before. It was not fun and I haven't ran since that race. I logged a whole 20 mile for the month of November. 

It was tough not running because the temperatures have really dropped and I really wanted to be out there enjoying it with everyone else. I miss the running club as well and seeing their Facebook posts makes me sad because I want to be out there running with them.

I have seen the my doctor and all of the tests didn't show any signs of a serious injury. Nothing is broken or torn but I have this pain on the inside of my knee cap. The only conclusion that they have come to is that I have runners knee and just need to rest it.

I started physical therapy last Friday and my knee felt a lot better the next day. My PT gave me 15 minutes of electrotherapy and she also did some ultrasound therapy as well. She showed me some strengthening exercises which are definitely for my quads and hips because those exercises left me feeling a little sore this week.

I was told that I can run but I haven't by choice. My knee usually hurts when I touch it or after I run but it has actually been pain free for a few days now. I am excited about it but at the same time I am willing to wait it out because I have no big races on the calendar. I want to be healthy and ready for 2015 so I know what I have to do to get myself there. PATIENCE!

There have been lots of positive things that have happened since I have not been running. I have done some things that I have been putting off around the house and I have spent more time with my family. It has also felt nice to have an open calendar and not have to worry so much about scheduling my life around my runs. I have sleeping a little bit more and I actually did all of my indoor Christmas decorating way in advance.

I have a lot to be thankful for so I have been keeping my head up and count my blessings. 

How was your November?

Have you started decorating or shopping for Christmas?

It's Race Week and Why it Pays to Dress up Like a Pinata!

It is hard to believe that another year has flown right by! November means that the year is almost over and all of the Christmas decorations are already displayed in the stores. Starbucks already has the seasonal red cups and I start looking forward to the two weeks off of work that I have at the end of every year! I kicked off November by cutting off my hair and donating it and I even won a free entry to race of my choice from the Lexus LaceUp Running Series for posting my Pinata costume on their Facebook page and collecting votes. These are a new series of local races that I have been thinking about signing up to try and now I have the opportunity to run one of their races for free! 

Life is Good except for one thing....

I do have something to share with you that I haven't mentioned because I was hoping that it would go away. After my last run with the club, which was two weeks ago, I started feeling some pain in my left knee. The pain is on my knee cap and I am not really sure what happened but I think I might have a case of runner's knee. I promised myself that I would not run as long as I feel pain and I have survived because the break was very much needed. The knee pain is still here but has gotten about 85% better if I had to guess. I am supposed to be running the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon with my other half on Sunday so I am hoping for the best. We planned this race in celebration of our 15 year anniversary so I am kind of bummed that I might have to miss my first freezing cold night run. I am pretty sure that snowflake means COLD!

I did go for a short 3.3 very easy run yesterday to test the knee out and it wasn't what I would call super painful but it wasn't how it should be.

The plan is to play it by "ear", or should I say "knee" and see what happens but my other half will be running with or without me. He has put in his training and I will be there to cheer him on no matter what. I am still excited for the race even if I end up sitting it out and saving myself for my half in December. It is what it is, right?

                                        Anyone else running Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas?

And I Ran...

Running has not been my favorite subject to talk about lately. It is a great topic when you are able to run and everything is going as planned but as you know, that has not been the case for me. The past few weeks have been tough since I have pretty much kissed my goal race goodbye. I have lost three weeks of training and my confidence level is pretty low at this point. I really have to think about how I am going to approach this race. I want to make the smartest choice so I need some time to digest all of this.

On a positive note, I ran this week. It was only a few miles, but I ran. This is better than nothing and the miles were pain free. 

The hip pain seems to be gone and I hope that it does not return. I have been doing all of the things that you great people have recommended to me. I have been icing, foam rolling and doing lots of different stretches which have helped a lot. 

Ragnar Relay is this coming Friday and I really want to run it. I don't have a lot of miles so I think if I keep the pace super easy then I might be okay. I have 12 miles to run and I think I can handle that. Thankfully we run this race for fun and we will be wearing tutus because #tutusrock! 

Who else is running Ragnar So Cal?

It looks like the weather is going to be great this year! Last year it was so hot so I am looking forward to the cooler weather!

Trying to Stay Positive

I have been avoiding blogging lately because I don't want to come here and be super negative because who wants to hear all of that! I am finally coming to terms with what all of this may mean for me so I guess I should talk about it. Life is not always perfect so here it goes..

This past week was probably one of the toughest weeks that I have had in a long time. Why? Because I did not run a single mile! After trying out a new pair of neutral shoes, I developed a bad pain in my hip that kind of radiated to my IT Band. The hip pain has gotten a lot better but the IT Band pain is still there and it has this weird burning sensation. I don't think that I have ever felt that before. I have to say that it was the shoes because I did not have this pain until after I ran in them. It is amazing how shoes can make such a difference in your running!

On a positive note, I think I may have found my Wave Inspire 9's that I have been desperately searching for. Since they are no longer made, I figured that if a website didn't have my size then they were no longer a future prospect for me. It turns out that www.holabirdsports.com was showing my size on their website on Friday night when they had not in the past. The website allowed me to buy two pair so I did. I just need an email confirming my order so I know that this is actually going to happen. The last two stores that claimed to have my shoes did not. After placing my order, they sent me emails stating that their inventory was incorrect and they refunded my money. Amazon seems to get more sizes in on a regular basis but they never seem to have my size. I think they had it once and when I went to buy it, it was no longer available. 

I did hop on the elliptical for 45 minutes on Friday and that was doable. I had no pain but it was painful to be on that treadmill staring all of the runners on the treadmills in front of me. I think they need to put one elliptical for me somewhere in the corner facing the wall for the time being lol!

I have been icing, foam rolling and most of all crying NOT running. Not being able to run is the hardest especially now that the weather has decided to cool down. We have had perfect running weather for the past week and that kills me even more. 

I am really worried about my two races that are coming up in the next couple of weeks. I Ragnar So Cal in a couple of weeks and I don't want to let my team down. I won't run through this pain so hopefully something changes before then. I only have 12 miles to run so that is the positive thing but I need to be able to run. I won't do anything stupid! I also have my goal BQ race on May 25th. I am thinking that is probably not going to happen now since I have lost two weeks of very critical training and the race is just 8 weeks away. I am hoping to be there but will definitely have to adjust my goals and possibly find another marathon to target at a later time. I am hoping to be able to run next week but if not, I will have to sit down and figure all of this out. THIS SUCKS! Sorry, I had to say that...

In the meantime, I am trying to stay as positive as I possibly can and hopefully my family won't move out of the house to avoid me and my mood swings!

How do you stay positive when you are injured?

Why I Spent Most of My Day in Bed

I am more than bummed to share that I may be having a small setback with my training. I woke up with a pain in the lower left side of my back a few days ago. The pain does not bother me at all when I walk or run but it's there and I am thinking that continuing to running could make it worse.

I decided to make an appointment with my doctor to have it checked and he seems to think I have a lower back/lumbar muscle strain. He asked me to take a few days off from running, rest and ice the area. WHAT? I looked at him like he was crazy and asked him how many days is a few. He knows that I run and we always talk running when I see him. He used to run too so I am pretty sure he gets it when I look at him like he is nuts. I can only think of one way that this happened. Last Sunday I reached over the side of the four foot exercise pen, as seen below, that I keep the puppies in to grab something and I almost fell in. I guess I should have opened the door and entered the correct way! The pain dissipated and then a couple days later it was back and it was much worse.

I was planning my long run for tomorrow but it is on hold for now. I spent most of the day resting and icing my back in hopes that it will go away. The doctor gave me some anti-inflammatory pills but I am trying not to take them since they have a lot of side effects. I am hoping to be able to run on Sunday but if the pain is still there then I will go out of my mind and want to kill myself for missing my long run won't run. I really don't want to take a break but I know it is probably the best thing for me. It sucks that I may have an injury that was not brought on by running. I will take it one day at a time and see what happens. 

Have you ever had a lower back strain? Any advice?

I Finally Had a Decent Week!

I am excited to say that I finally had a decent week and I feel like my running is starting to get back on track. I knew things were getting better once I was able to run 18 total miles last week without the shin pain lingering. I wasn't sure how long it would last but I just kept my fingers crossed and prayed for the best!  Not having any committed races for the remainder of 2012 took a lot of stress off of my back and is allowing me to slowly ease my way back into things.

Here is how my week went:

Monday: 6.5 miles on the treadmill at 8:44 average pace (I haven't seen the 8:XX pace in a while so I was excited!) I kind of pushed the last half because the dreadmill  is very boring!

Tuesday: 86 push-ups and PT stretches

Wednesday: REST DAY

Thursday: 6 Miles and ran the first half with Caroline. It was great running with her and I am sure that I talked her head off! 

Friday: 100 push-ups and PT stretches

Saturday: REST DAY

Sunday: 9 Miles

TOTAL MILES: 21.5

Pile on the Miles Update: I completed my first two weeks of Pile on the Miles with only 12 miles each week. Not so great but the good news is that I am running again and I am going to exceed my 50 mile goal for the challenge. At the time I signed up, the shin was still giving me grief and I wasn't about to sign up for a crazy amount of miles knowing that it was not going to happen. 

Moving Forward: I really want to get back to cross training and add spinning back into my routine. I kind of backed off of spinning so that I could rest my legs for running and get myself back up to speed. If things continue to improve, the plan is to increase the long runs and start preparing for the Allstate 13.1 Los Angeles Half Marathon that is coming up on January 13, 2013. I am still hoping to pull of the Surf City Marathon on February 3, 2013 but if not, I will just run the half marathon and plan for another marathon at a later date. 

Are you participating in Pile on the Miles? What is your goal?

Three Things Thursday

1. I was so excited to find out that my Caramel Brulee Latte as well as the other holiday drinks have returned to Starbucks for the holiday season! I knew they were coming soon because everyone has been posting about the return of the holiday cups! Now I have to be even more careful with a bowl full of Halloween candy at home and Caramel Brulee Lattes at Starbucks! Life is full of tough choices!

2.I have not had any shin pain at all this week. Normally I can feel the pain just by touching my shin but it his not there. I ran 5.5 miles on Monday and I am planning on running another 7 miles this weekend to give my shin a test run. I have decided to go with a size 8-1/2 in the Mizunos since bigger is better than smaller, right? I am praying for a great run with no pain afterwards.  My marathon training is three weeks off schedule and I am not sure what is going to happen if I don't catch up soon. Worst case scenario is that I run the half marathon instead.

3. I am sure you are all tired of hearing about my home refinancing issues but I will update you anyway. The new closing date for my loan has been rescheduled to November 19th. It better happens this time since Christmas is right around the corner and I don't want to be stressing out over this in the month of December.

What is your favorite holiday drink from Starbucks?

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. 

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?

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!

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!

Playing It Safe and A Cool Giveaway Coming Soon!

So this happened.....

After being injured once you learn not to mess around and let things go. The pain that I am having is a very small area (about an inch) on the side of my shin and my doctor thinks that it is inflammation of the surrounding tissue and not the bone itself. I wanted to be on the safe side so he agreed than an x-ray would rule out a stress fracture and then we would go from there. I won't have the results for 24-48 hours so now it is time to patiently wait it out and hope for the best. In the meantime I am just doing other forms of cardio but no running.

I have a 10K on the books for Saturday so hopefully I will know something by then and that will decide whether or not doing the 10K is safe. I would much rather save myself for the Long Beach Half Marathon which is less than three weeks away so if I have to sit the 10K out. I don't want to but I know it might be the smartest thing for me to do.

I thought this was pretty funny and I wanted to share it with all of you. I was telling my son that I was going to have an x-ray to see if anything was wrong with my shin and he asked what was wrong? I told him that I wanted to make sure that I didn't have a stress fracture and he replied, "Mommy, did I cause you to have the stress fracture from stressing you out sometimes?"  Kids say the funniest things, don't they?

I have another COOL Giveaway coming up that you are really going to like! I will give you a hint...it's another one of my favorite running items!!

What are some of your favorite or must have running items?

Am I Back?

May was a pretty decent month full of mostly solid runs. I have to work a lot harder for my runs but the effort is there. I ran 92 miles in May, the most I have ran this whole year. In May I ran a half marathon and a 10K.  Neither one of my races were PR's but then again I was just focusing on being able to finish and running without pain. Coming back from an injury is a scary thing. The thought of re-injuring yourself lingers in the back of your mind and every little ache and pain worries you. I am trying very hard to get rid of this mindset while still remaining cautious but I can't lie, it's been very difficult. 

The more that I think about it, I cannot consider myself "BACK" until I do something that impresses myself! Yes, I am incredibly hard on myself! When you know what you have accomplished in the past, you tend to hold yourself to those levels and anything else is just not worth talking about. I know that every race cannot be a PR and up until now I have not attempted to push myself or strive for anything great. I don't want to be disappointed with myself more than I already have been for the last few months. Things have really changed for me. My body is not familiar with the weekly mileage that I used to put in.  I can no longer run 13 miles on any given day without feeling tired or sore. I get tired way faster than I did in my better days. My endurance is simply not what it used to be! Sometimes I get so frustrated with myself that I have considered giving up on running but my love for running won't let me. I guess recovery takes time and even though I am thankful as ever to be running again, I still need to be patient with my body and take my time building myself back up to where I want to be.

via

My next race is not until September and I am not sure what I will shoot for but I am going to start pushing myself a little harder so that I have a goal to work towards. I have a training schedule that I have been working on since this injury first happened and I think it's almost time to bust it out and get busy!!  I can't wait for the day when I can confidently come back here to tell all of you that "I AM BACK!"

OC Half Marathon (My First Race Back Post Injury): 5/6/12

 This is first race back since my hamstring injury and it felt pretty good to be out there running like I did in the"old days!" My last half marathon was on January 29, 2012 and I have missed running so much. I have sat out four races this year because of my injury and I want to put those depressing days behind me. This race was really different from the others because it was not a race that I planned to PR at nor did I have any goals for this race with the exception of finishing and getting that first medal towards the Beach Cities Challenge.  This mind set was a little different for me this time around but I think the time off from running has given me a new perspective about running and the patience that I needed to execute a safe and smart race.

I was undecided as to whether or not I was going to run this race.  I wanted to be able to run 10 Miles without any pain and I was able to do that on the treadmill the Thursday before the race. I waited a couple of days to see if I developed any pain, discomfort or anything out of the norm.  I felt great but mentally I was still struggling with the idea. I prepared all of my gear for the race anyway and just waited it out.

 The Expo was at the OC Fair and Event Center, which also happens to be where the race ends. There was lots of parking but you had to pay parking for both the day of the Expo and race day. In spite of being undecided about running the race I went to the Expo since I needed the bib to run the race plus I decided that I would pick up my goodie bag since I paid for the race anyway. The Expo was a pretty decent size and was pretty crowded.  The Bib and Shirt pick up area was organized and moved fairly quickly which is a good thing.  We did a quick walk through the Expo and got suckered to buy a few things. My son loves going to the Expos because he loves to try all of the samples and spin all of the wheels in hopes of winning something.

I had actually signed up for the full marathon a while back knowing that I wanted to pursue the Beach Cities Challenge but after my injury I had to downgrade to the half marathon with hopes of being able to complete half of what I had planned on. It was a heart breaking decision but a very smart one. The decision to run the race was made when this happened on Sunday morning at 4:00am....

The OC Half Marathon was my first point to point race and the whole bus shuttle scenario was kind of stressful to me.  The race started at 6:15am and I was not on a bus heading to the start at 6:15am! I waited 45 minutes to get on a bus so I think it is best to have someone drop you off at the start to avoid having to be shuttled or be there an hour before your scheduled shuttle time. You live and learn, right?

My son really wanted to ride on the bus. Can you tell?

My bus arrived at the start around 6:35am and was one of the last buses to arrive. The start was about a three minute walk from the bus drop off location. I made a final stop at the porta potty and then lined up at the start and was off within a couple of minutes. I spent the first mile weaving in and out of traffic trying to find an open spot to settle into but that didn't really happen.  
Mile 1: 9:09

 I was well behaved and took some breaks, walked when I thought I needed to and based my race on how my body felt and not my pace. All of my training for this half was done on the treadmill so this was my first time stepping off the of mill.  It was a tough run and the treadmill training did me no justice because I have been running on the mill with minimal elevation.

 The course was not a difficult one but it did have a few hilly moments that were a little risky for me at this point. The course starts on a slight climb for the first mile, downhill on Miles 2 and 3 and then it's kind of up and down for the remainder of the course.  I had to slow myself down after the downhill miles.
 Mile 2:8:19
Mile 3: 8:24
Right before Mile 3 the course takes you by the water and it is pretty scenic and the breeze is refreshing. The weather was great as well.  It was 59 degrees at the start and about 63 degrees at the finish with overcast skies and no sun.

There were also a couple of times around Miles 6-8 where the course got really narrow and took the runners on a bike trail. This gets ugly when you have a bunch of people walking and you cannot get through or let alone move.  I don't have a problem with people walking but I guess it was just bad timing with the course becoming so narrow. 
Mile 6: 9:08
Mile 7: 8:53
Mile 8: 9:14

There was an ugly climb right at the end of Mile 1o! It didn't last long but I wasn't ready for it! Mile 10 ended up being my slowest mile,
 Mile 10: 9:22.

Based on these  signs you knew that the climb wasn't going to be fun!

I didn't look at my Garmin much at all which is pretty much unheard of me for me!  The only time I looked is when it beeped to tell me that I had completed another mile.  Based on what I saw, I adjusted my pace to keep myself from going too fast. For the most part, my miles were pretty close to 9:00 and that was comfortable so I tried to maintain that pace. Miles 12-13 were tough and I was getting tired.

Mile 12:8:56

Mile 13: 8:42

I did give myself a slight push the last quarter mile because I wanted to be done!  I was getting tired and I knew that the slower I ran the longer I was going to be out there.

 My official time was 1:57:57.  Nothing impressive for all of you speed demons out there but crossing that finish line was an incredible feeling for me! It was a feeling that I have never felt before! I am so thankful to be running again and even more grateful that I finished the race!

Can you tell that I was pretty tired?  I haven't seen 13.1 miles in a few months so I guess it shows! I wasn't in any pain at all during or after the race but my PT tells me to ice after a run so I was just being a good patient.

I know that I have lots of work to do! My next race, The Disneyland Half Marathon, isn't until September so I have plenty of time to train properly and get myself back into shape. I am also entertaining the idea of running the Long Beach Marathon at the end of this year.  If I am able, I will be running in honor of my Dad who is battling cancer. 

 I think it might be a little too soon to officially say that "I AM BACK" but things seem to be moving in the right direction!