Ending the hiatus at last

If you've kept up with this blog at all, you may be wondering what I've been doing for the last six months since the Tyler Rose Half. The short answer is: moping. I've been moping and feeling sorry for myself. I've gotten most of that out of my system now. I'll be posting some new fitness and nutrition goals next week.

For a more detailed break down of my six month pity party:

Race Day:

Aka, the "purpose" of this entire blog. It didn't go as planned. During our first 9 mile run (about a month from the half), I had some kind of physical break down where my hip gave out and my guts went crazy. I had to stop running about 6 miles when my gastrointestinal distress became so severe that I feared an imminent pants-disaster. We stopped at a gas station but I couldn't go to the bathroom. So, we tried to run again (because I'm hard headed) and that's when my hip just gave out. I didn't feel anything snap or pop, it just suddenly became loose and wobbly. I hobbled down to the nearest Dairy Queen and made it to the bathroom just in time. Then we hobbled back home about 3 miles. The next day I could barely walk. Awesome.

I made a lot of bad bad decisions that run. Looking back, I should have stopped for good the first time. I should've called a friend to come pick us up. I should've refueled better and eaten more carbs before the run. I should've kept up with my strength training, since I knew my hips were vulnerable to injury.

I basically rested for the next two and a half weeks, and then attempted some 30 minute walks along our normal running paths. Although I still had some serious hip discomfort, I was too bone-headed to give up. By the day of the half, I felt "well" enough to convince my husband that we should walk the half. So we did. It was incredibly cold (like, almost freezing). It was slow going, but my hip and my fear kept us from running. We did end up running the last mile, which was pretty encouraging. All in all, it took us about three and a half hours to cross the finish line... pretty abysmal. Because we got there so late, the race organizers had run out of finisher's medals. Ugh. We did eventually get them in the mail.

They looked like this:

After the race:
I didn't feel like running EVER again. I felt incredibly discouraged, stupid, and worthless (never mind the fact that I had just walked 13.1 miles after training for months, something that should have made me feel proud of myself). It just seemed so pointless. I spent about two months doing nothing aside from some karate and half-hearted walks. Needless to say, I put on a bit of weight. Then the holidays came, and I put on some more weight. Yay!

At some point, I decided to get off my butt and do something. I landed on this strength training program from Kara Goucher, courtesy of Tony Salazar. It's specially designed for runners and it is a beast. I made it through one full round (four weeks of increasingly heavy weights + one rest week), put on a lot of muscle, and felt pretty awesome about myself. During my first week of round two, I screwed up by not eating enough calories (again) which resulted in me almost passing out in the middle of a set.

Shortly after this experience, my husband and I traded various flu strains back and forth for about 6 weeks. Then I got a little depressed. Then, we had this ridiculous month of crazy weather changes that threw my poor joints into a tailspin.

Then I went out of town for ten days for a conference in New York. Then I got sick again.

Aaaaaand now I'm here. Sick and tired of being sick and tired, as they say. Last week, my husband and I started a new round of the Kara Goucher workout. Next week, I'm going to start a weird paleo food challenge called the Whole30 Challenge. So there you go.

Words of encouragement are welcome, as are any hilarious stories of failure that you might have.

Worst timing ever... trucking along

On top of the hip troubles I mentioned last week, I spent the weekend (technically Thursday through Monday) with the worst case of flu I have had in the last five years. It was super adorable. Anyhow, with three Sundays to go until the BIG DAY, it's become abundantly clear that this race won't be what I would consider a successful one. We haven't run/walked more than 9 miles, and that was almost a month ago. I'm just not sure that I have the lung integrity and hip strength to accomplish 13.1 right now.

That said, we're still planning to attempt the race even if it means walking most of the way.

After October 7th, we'll start training for the next attempt (February 3, 2013, Irving, Texas: the Texas Half). In the week after the Tyler Rose Half, I'll write an analysis of what we can do better to train for Irving.

Half-marathon distance, I *will* own you.

Temporarily waylaid

Here's a quick and dirty update, since the blog has been kind of quiet.

August 25th, we had an 11.5 mile run planned. It was pretty disastrous, with major blood sugar problems, GI crises, hip pain, and gear issues. Also, the lingering after effects of my spring bout with bronchitis were present today; I struggled to breathe even with my inhaler. I couldn't get my blood sugar balance to a good point. I don't think I prepared nutritionally for the run very well (loooots of church casserole), so I'm going to have to try some different strategies for our next long run. I'm really at a loss for what kinds of food will properly fuel me on long treks.  So, the short description of this run is that it really really sucked.

We ran about 4.5 miles at a pretty slow pace, and then stopped in at the gas station on Loop and Paluxy. My tummy wouldn't cooperate at said gas station, so we started up again but had to stop shortly thereafter. We walked down to the Dairy Queen in the French Quarter parking lot where my tummy WOULD cooperate (in a very urgent way).

About 7.25 miles in, after 4/4.5 running and a couple miles of walking), Matt encouraged me to start up again. It was a pretty pitiful pace, but we did make it almost 2 more miles this way. Although it was miserable, I drew deep on my mental and physical reserves. I think it was a valuable experience. By the end of the run, my hips were screaming. I hadn't been paying much attention to my form while I was hobbling along, and I think I threw something out of whack. The issue is on the outside of my left hip, and it seems to be some kind of inflamed bursa or ITB issue. I experienced a lot of looseness in my hip, if that makes sense, where it kept trying to pop out of the joint while I was walking around during the following week.

I rested and did some light rehab (stretching, core strengthening, icing) for the next 10 days.

On Wednesday the 5th, I attempted to run around the indoor track on my lunch break at UT Tyler.  It started out okay and I kept up a decent pace (for me). However, about 3/4 miles in my hip starting seriously cramping up. I made myself finish the mile, just in case the discomfort subsided. It did not. It got worse. So, I stopped at 1 mile (10:30min pace) and grumbled back to the office.

This last Saturday, the 8th, Matt and I went for a real easy run along our normal 30 minute course. We made it about 2.01 miles in 23 minutes. My hip started cramping up about 1.5 miles in, but I was able to walk it out for a block or so. About 2 miles in, I had to walk again because the cramping/soreness had increased significantly. There was no coming back from this walk break; I was limping and grimacing the whole way home. And now I remember that I forgot to ice it afterwards.

That's where I am today. We'll probably try to run the easy 30 minute course today and hopefully the weather will stay nice. Last Saturday's run was supposed to be 12.5 miles, but we ran approximately 2. I'm not sure what is going to happen to our training plan, or the half-marathon itself.

We are registered for the Tyler Half, and on the suggestion of a fellow Daily Miler I signed us up for the Mellew Four Seasons Challenge. So, even if this first half marathon is a big ol' disappointment (which I reckon it will be), we'll have three more to train for this year. I'll be trying out some new strategies then.

For anyone reading this week, thank you. For anyone who takes the time to ask me, "How's that running thing going?", thank you. For everyone who commiserates with my misery and mishaps, thank you. I appreciate your encouragement more than you know. I'm grateful to be a part of this running community, even if my contributions are pretty pitiful.

Onward and upward, folks.

Small victory and a good solid run

Well, I survived the dreaded belt test I mentioned in my last post. The main thing I learned is that I really do need to work on high-intensity aerobic conditioning. The running I have been doing does not help much in short (2 minute) high intensity sparring matches. Obviously it's better than doing no cardio/aerobic workouts, but I was definitely huffing a bit. For my rank, I had to spar two people in a row for about 1:30-2:00 minutes each. Doesn't sound like much, but it'll wear you out quick.

Anyway, Matt and I skipped out on celebratory ice cream to fit in the run we missed on Wednesday. We ran a 30 minute circuit near our house. Pace was about 11:57. If I look at my times for the last 5 30 minute runs (11:57, 12:49, 13:12, 10:49, 12:36) my average pace is 12:27. So, I feel like I can consistently run right around 12:30. It's a comfortable pace for me right now, but I don't want to get complacent and stay stuck there.

My goal for the Half Marathon is just to finish. For my running in general, I want to build a steady base and move towards a slightly quicker speed. My body feels most fluid (and least painful) at a pace between 9:30 and 10:30. Right now, my body isn't conditioned to run that pace for long... but I'll get there.

Aside from pace, Thursday's run went really well. I jabbered on non-stop for the first 13-14 minutes, mostly as a result of the lasting adrenaline from my belt test. I did try to push the pace a bit but I could probably do better. I wish we had been more intentional with our interval work, but I can always improve that next week.

The temperature was right at 90F (didn't see the heat index), so we're making really good training progress in the heat. If I'm lucky, October will be nice and cool! The average temperature for October 7, the day of the race, historically falls between 60F and 80F.  Because this is Texas, however, the temperature could be anywhere between 50F and 90F.

I experienced little to no pain during the run, which is incredible; just after 20 minutes, I had a recurrence of the side pain that has been plaguing me this week, but it was much milder than Tuesday and it passed very quickly. I'm really happy with my posture and attitude. My breathing returned to a normal level in less than 3 blocks from the end of our run. That's especially awesome to me, and a sign that I've made a lot of progress.

Saturday's run will be a 5-mile, eek! In the meantime, I'm reading through Gordon Piries' "Running Fast and Injury Free". You can find it for free online here.

Tuesday run

Well, this has been a heck of a week. Monday's run got pushed to Tuesday, Wednesday's run got pushed to (hopefully) Thursday, and Saturday's run will follow 8 hours on my feet in front of a forge.

The plan for this week is basically:

Monday 30 min run
Wednesday 30 min run
Friday easy walk
Saturday 5 mile run

I've got a belt test on Thursday that has my head all out in left field. I keep having these nightmare scenarios where I strain my ankle running and can't test... or break my leg sparring and can't run... or any number of ridiculous scenarios.

Sigh. Ugh. Sigh. Anyway, the running's got to be done. This is week 8 of the blog (can you believe it?) with 16 weeks of training left. I feel like I'm at a crucial point in my mental training (and physical conditioning). I'm definitely getting into the habit of running even when I don't want to. This week has been more challenging than most, because I've had a lot of excuses at hand. My body feels fine, but my mental resolve is lagging.

Anyway, Tuesday's run went okay. I feel like it was a solid 30 minutes, although I wasn't thrilled about the pace. We ran after 9:00pm, and it was STILL 93F with a heat index of 99. Crazy.

I had a really rough time about 14 minutes in with a flare-up of abdominal pain (i.e. ovarian pain). It's a thing that comes up cyclically. Some months it is worse than others, and some months it doesn't appear at all. This was one of the first obstacles I encountered when I tried to start running a few years ago. I have no idea what it is, although I had a ton of tests done. On Tuesday night, I just kind of ran through it. I tried slowing down, which made it hurt worse. It subsided somewhat after I gulped some gatorade and sped up a little, paying special attention to my breathing.

Mostly, my joints were fine. The shin pain I was worried about really didn't give me any trouble, although I iced it post run just in case. My hip flexor was a little naggy, but not painful. Attitude was mostly really good (Matt complimented me on keeping my cool).

That's the sum of it for now. La ti da.

Ewwww, it's hot.

Monday afternoon, we ran on the UT Tyler trails right after work. It was 96F, heat index of 102. Which was clearly horrible.

According to this week's schedule, we were supposed to run for 30 minutes. Well, between the heat index, the rigorous nature of the trails, and my sadistic hormones, I made it just over 25 minutes. (Hormone issues: I have some kind of recurring ovarian issue which seems to be nothing serious, as doctors can't detect anything. They believe it might be recurring cysts or fibroids, which I basically just have to "deal with". It's usually fine, but sometimes when my hormones and my running schedule line up JUST wrong, I experience a sudden sharp pain which makes me stop running).

I stopped for a quick walk break to allow my side pain to subside, but the heat had drained me so much that I couldn't start back up.

A part of me feels disappointed because it's the first time since I started up this training program that I haven't completed a goal. On the other hand, I have absolute confidence that I ran as hard as I could for as long as I could on Monday.

We definitely made the decision that the trails are probably out for the rest of this training season. Last summer saw 80+ days over 100F, so this summer is likely to heat up pretty quick.

We're probably going to transition to evening running along the official Tyler Half course near our house.

Monday run/Tuesday run

Monday run:
Started out week 8 of the Cool Running Couch to 5k plan, 28 minutes. We covered about 2.3 miles along the same route that I mapped around Bergfeld Park on my Daily Mile account. First mile was 11:45, second mile was 12:45. The last portion was about an 11:30 pace (we made an effort to kick it up a bit). I wasn't super thrilled about the pace, but I got through it. Objectively, it's not bad at all. Considering we ran the Komen 5k at an average pace of 12:52, I'm making really significant strides.

I definitely feel most comfortable (in my stride/joints/etc) at about 10:00-10:30. I just can't run that fast over the course of a run, yet. I'm trying to add in a little bit of informal speed work, but I don't know if I'm applying it scientifically enough to make a difference.

I didn't have any issues with aches or pains for this whole run, which was awesome. Mentally, I flagged a bit at the beginning (around 10 minutes) and 3/4 through (a little after 21 minutes).

Tuesday run:
Same time (28 minutes), different route. Normally my second run is on Wednesday, but I'm going out of town this weekend to a convention so I thought I'd compress my running schedule. I didn't plan to run on Tuesday (normally, I have a karate class) but I didn't make it to class this week after some delays at the primary election polling site.

We covered 2.37 miles, apparently, which put us at an average pace of 11:48. That's not bad at all. I'm curious to see what kind of splits we hit next time we run that course. Matt and I played the animal guessing game for the last half, because I was really dropping off. I didn't have any physiological complaints, I just didn't want to run after about 8 minutes. I had an overall malaise that made this run kind of a slog.

Running two days back to back is rough. We've got another run planned for today (Wednesday), which I may postpone. I can definitely feel the effects of not having a rest day in my feet and hips; it's not "pain", just fatigue. I had a lot of problem on this Tuesday run maintaining my form. I got real flopsy. I don't want to set myself up for injury or burnout.

Overall
Anyway, that's where I am so far in the week. I definitely need to invest in some non-cotton running clothes ASAP, and remember that red Gatorade tastes like medicine. Blech.

Return of my running nemesis, or the time I was a big big baby.

Wednesday's run was 25 minutes straight jogging (no walk breaks). I started out grumpy, and stayed pretty grumpy for the whole run. I don't know what it is about running that gets me so mad, but I spend a good number of my runs really angry. I've learned to channel that anger into motivational energy, but it used to really demoralize me.

We ran in Rose Rudman park after dark (note to self: bring headlamp next time, that was way too dark). I wanted to miss the heat, and I was having a rough time getting out of the house. I really just didn't want to go (cue tantrum).
 
We did manage to leave the house. I stewed in my bad temper the whole time we were walking to warm up. The tendons on the bottom of my feet weren't bothering me, but the top of my right ankle was. I grumbled about it a lot. We started running, and the discomfort persisted. After about 5 minutes it went away, but replacing it was an old familiar pain: my stupid, stupid hip flexor.

I originally strained my stupid, stupid hip flexor in 2010 when I went a bit overboard in my training for our first Warrior Dash. Because I was a big bonehead, I insisted on running that race even though I had REALLY injured myself. The race took place the weekend before our belated honeymoon in San Antonio/New Braunfels. By the second day of our honeymoon, I could barely walk because the pain was so bad. Before I got injured, I was up to running 45 minutes at a time. I've never really gotten back to that point, because I never manage to rehabilitate it fully. I'm kind of at the "point of no return", here.
 
When this pain flared up in the middle of our run, I got pretty upset. It wasn't so nagging that I had to stop, but it triggered a whole flood of negative thinking. We managed to finish the run anyway (and cover a fair distance).

The next day, I looked at some stretches and strength training exercises which specifically target my hip flexor. I know my hips are weak; I know my core is really weak. I had a lot of success in the past supplementing my running with pilates and yoga, but I stopped for a while because I'm really (overly) picky about classes. Anyway, I've got to figure out a way to get back into a good core strengthening routine or I will NEVER make it to the half-marathon.

(Remind me of that last sentence, readers)

I've also got to make a real, serious effort to stretch them every EVERY day.

  So, that's where I am right now. As I write this, we're getting ready for our Saturday run. It's over 90 degrees (32 celsius), and it's a hot sticky day. I'm going to get myself pumped up before we head out the door by listening to Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now". Wish me luck!

Here are some videos I found for hip flexor stretches/exercises:
http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/microsite/article/0,8029,s6-238-511-0-13952-0,00.html

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/1,7120,s6-241-286--13410-0,00.html

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/1,7120,s6-241-285--13543-0,00.html

Monday run

Found a great video on of the UT Tyler trails where we run. It's filmed on a mountain bike, but it gives a great preview of the trail nonetheless. I love this trail. Turns out its about 5 miles long in total, but it's not marked very well so I have no idea how far we actually run on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Monday's run (week 7 of the Cool Running Couch to 5k program) was a hard won success. The training schedule called for 25 minutes of "jogging" or 2.5 miles (we opted for 25 minutes). We typically run at about 11:00min/mile, so factoring in an extra minutes per mile due to the trails and temperature, I'm going to guess that we ran just over 2 miles.

Good news: Breathing was good and steady. We kept up an "ok" pace, although it flagged a bit around the 3/4 mark. I mentally dominated this run, although I had some initial doubts about my breathing.

Bad news: Last week, I noticed some pain in my right plantar fascia while running. It subsided by the next morning, but I was pretty spooked. This run definitely aggravated it again, although less acutely. I know plantar fascitis is a very common (and very frustrating) running injury. I've never experienced it before (I just need to try them all apparently). I'm going to try to preempt any long-term injury by incorporating some foot strengthening exercises and tendon stretches into my work day.

UP NEXT:
Wednesday's run is another 25 minutes. I'm taking the day off, so we won't be near the trails. This might be a great opportunity to run at Rose Rudman park.

May 7, 2012: The day I decided, on a whim, to run a half marathon.

 So how did I get here, anyway?

An innocuous Facebook link from a friend: “Who’s with me on this if I sign up?” A half marathon, in my very own city, five months away. A distance I have dreamed about running since I stumbled through my first mile.

I have never run a distance anywhere close to 13.1k. I’m not even particularly good at running, period. As a child, I looked like a runner – long and lean, I was the fastest girl in fourth grade. But then puberty happened. Suddenly, I sucked at running, and I hated it. I was not “built” for it. I was an intellectual. Blah blah blah.

My adult relationship with running began when my husband and I started dating in 2008. He was one of those “runners”, a bizarre subgroup of people I never expected to understand – much less associate with. I started running to spend time with him. It was a miserable, painful, and discouraging experience overall; I would push through the initial agony of starting a running regimen, achieve a modicum of success, and then get set back by injury or illness (a pulled groin, strained hip flexor, fibroid pain, bronchitis).

In spite of all this, something kept bringing me back to running: that ephemeral “high” that runners talk about, eyes glazed and distant. It’s a feeling of freedom, potential, and childlike glee; of absolute purpose and orientation. It is a defiant howl against every voice that has ever told me I’m too fat, too lazy, too defeatist, too much of a victim. I have only experienced it as a fleeting echo, typically bookended by frustration and weariness. I am determined to unlock it for good – to become “a runner”. 

But why a half marathon, you loony?

I don't know. I have never run that far before. I think in my heart of hearts, I just want to know if I can do it... and the only way to make myself train for it is to sign up for a race.

Down to the nitty-gritty.

Over the course of this long halting journey, I have learned a few things about myself. 

1. I am a social runner. I do best when I am running with other people. My husband is the ideal running partner. Fortunately for me, he has agreed to join me (somewhat skeptically) on this crazy venture. I'm also blessed with some running friends who are more boneheaded persistent than I am.
2. I am injury prone. I have to progress really gradually, and I do best when I incorporate some kind of low intensity calisthenic strength training like yoga or Pilates. I hate weight training, but it may be necessary to stay safe and fit when my schedule does not allow for fitness classes.
3. I need a goal, namely a race. This is the best way for me to “make” myself run, because I’m cheap and I flourish under structure. So, having a race marked on the calendar gives me both incentive and timeline. My first race was a Susan G. Komen 5k; since then, I have run two consecutive Warrior Dash races (we missed the third one, this past April, because I came down with a horrible case of bronchitis). It has basically come down to one race a year since I started running.
4. I need a schedule. See number 3.

So, soon to follow... a couple of training plans I'm looking at, and all that jazz.

Past races

Susan Komen Race for the Cure (Tyler, Texas) 2009, North Texas Warrior Dash 2010, North Texas Warrior Dash 2011