NYC Race Weekend

Finally getting a chance to post this after catching up with some work stuff after vacation.  What a bittersweet weekend last weekend was. My first real trip to New York to run a half marathon with my cousin and I had a bum foot.  Once she found out about my tendonitis we discussed canceling for a little while but decided to just go and make the best of the weekend.  We had already bought the plane and race tickets and I still wanted her to run.  And I know she did too!  So we agreed to go and take it as easy as we could.  I knew that she would understand if I needed to rest after walking for awhile or didn't feel like going out late night because I needed to ice my ankle. And of course, that's exactly what happened and we had a great time.   

On Saturday, we did some sight seeing.  Of course we rode the huge red double decker around town like typical tourists.  But it was fun and it kept me off my injured foot.  Later that afternoon, we picked up our race packets and perused the booths at the race expo (one of the most depressing half hours of my life).  Then we made our way to the fitness store Athleta which was a few blocks away. They were one of the race sponsors and had a little event at the store- free snacks and energy drinks and raffles for fitness gear.

I liked a look of the things in the store but WOW, can we talk about expensive?  Sorry, I have a hard time shelling out $80 for a pair of running tights or a light running hoodie.  I was hoping they would have some deals for girls running the race, but nope. :(

Race morning was Sunday and I knew from the beginning that I wanted to go out to Central Park with Allison to watch her off and then to meet her at the finish line. I knew it would be difficult to see all the other racers getting excited and jittery before the start.  I was jealous, disappointed and overall just sad.  But now, I was there for Allison and I knew she would kill it.  I channeled all my negative emotions about the run into positive, exciting and hopefully motivating ones for Allison.  There were at least 10,000 runners, all women. It is the biggest women's only half in the country. Hoda Kotb was there hosting it as well, which is pretty cool.  Allison loves her and wants to be her best friend.  Haha.

As I was walking to a coffee shop nearby I got to wander through Central Park and what an awesome place. It's really a different experience to be among trees, flowers, fountains, ballparks, walkers/runners, people playing fetch with their dogs, (even a zoo) and then look up and see sky scrapers catching the morning sun on their windows. Two separate worlds, one circling the other.

During my alone time while Allison was running, I got a chance to sit and think (and write) about this whole healing thing.  Resting has really been a challenge for me.  For the last 5 years of my life I've been one of those people that is up before her alarm without any groans or "5 more minutes" croaking out between yawns.  And I'm out the door, either at the gym or (more recently) enjoying the sunrise on a long morning run outside.  I'm constantly needing to be on the go.  After work I usually go to a fitness class at least 3 times a week. So I'm not used to having all this extra free time on my hands, and to be honest, I don't like it.  But I just have to keep telling myself it is what it is.  There is nothing I can do to change my current situation.  And once you hear it from a doctor that its either "two weeks off now or six months off later" you know its no joke.  That really hit me hard.

Advice from my friend that I can't get out of my head- "All you can do now is focus on healing for the next opportunity.  You'll get another shot."  So that's what keeps playing on repeat in my head.  

OK back to what else we did in New York.  Believe it or not after 2 solid straight days of walking my foot actually felt better.  It was sore at night and hurt after I iced it but I think that's pretty normal.  Today marks 8 days that I haven't run.  The doc said 10-14 was what I needed to take off.  So the trip was just the first few days of recovery but now I'm half way there!  Anyway Sunday after the race, (which Allison killed!- beat her last time by like 5 mins) we grabbed lunch (Dean and DeLuca, duh) and then went back to the apartment.  Allison only rested for about half an hour before we decided we should go out again and see Brooklyn via the double decker bus.  This was a great idea because we got to see some cool parts and landmarks there as well as the famous Junior's restaurant.  (You know the one with the cheesecake that P. Diddy made the cast of that show Making the Band WALK miles just to bring him back cheesecake!?… RUDE).  Needless to say, we both got cheesecake…. but just so you know, it kind of sucked.  :(

Monday we did the uptown loop on the tour bus route which included Harlem and the parts north of Central Park.  Then we went to Chelsea Market which was another highlight for me.  It was this neat market that had tons of local boutiques and restaurants.  It is also where some food network shows are filled.

So overall our NYC trip was great.  Obviously, we both would have had more fun if I wasn't hurt and was able to run but oh well, there's always next year!  I'm kind of hesitant to write about my plan for my next run because I might jinx it like I did this one. So I just won't… at least for now.  But please PLEASE running Gods, let me be well enough to start training again soon.  PLEASE.   

Hoda cheering on the runners

the view from the apt we stayed in

me about to devour that raspberry tart

Tulsi for dinner on Friday

Allison and me before the race

the accomplished runner

a cool piece of graffiti outside of Nolita

Holy Peroneal Tendonitis

On Sunday I had my last long run before my half in NYC in two weeks.  I did 10.1 miles.  Two weeks before that I did 7.2 so this was sort of a big jump to do in one week.  Five miles were on the Cooper River Bridge and then the other 5.1 on the trails under the bridge and down and back Coleman blvd.  So I checked the weather like I always do before I head out and the little image next to the temp was a little swirl, not a cloud, but a swirl.  NOW I know that that little swirl means that there will be epic hurricane like winds that will try to blow you completely off the bridge, rip your hat off your head (that happened) and do everything possible to keep you from moving forward (while crushing your spirit and all motivation you have at the same time).  My hat really did get blown off my head by a gust of wind at the top of the bridge.  And I had it on tight with my ponytail through the loop too.  INTENSE.  My first mile time was about 3 minutes (THREE MINUTES!!!) longer than my usual average mile. It was just nuts.  It took almost all of my energy to just stay put and not fall backwards as I running up the incline.  And obviously it took a little more to actually move forward uphill. 

note the little swirly character...lesson learned

When my watch beeped at mile one I almost died when I saw the mile time.  “11:06”.  HAHAAAA I really did laugh out loud as I was running, and then quickly stopped because I couldn't breathe and eat a bunch of wind at the same time. This Saturday will be my last mid length run before my half on the 13th. In true tapering fashion for training, I’m doing the CRBR which is 6.2 miles, the perfect length to do one week away from a half. It also obviously incorporates an incline, which my half has 5 of.  FIVE.  CINCO.  CINQ.  What was I thinking?  

So after my run I relaxed the rest of the day, went to a movie with my family.  (Non-Stop. Liam Neeson… DO IT). And I felt fine all day and fine all day the next day (took Monday off from running), a little dehydrated but my body felt completely normal.  UNTIL… Monday night after I had heavy bag fitness class and krav.  That night before bed, I felt this strange pain in my ankle and bottom of my foot.  It was a dull pain but still noticeable.  I thought it would go away, but it hasn’t.  It’s actually gotten much worse.  I’m an idiot and don’t take anyone’s advice (not even my own) and ran on it Tuesday which was a really dumb thing to do. My planned 4.5 mile run got unexpectedly and painfully cut short at 3.2 when I rounded a corner and I thought a knife had gone through the bottom of my shoe and into my ankle.  I did some research and it’s got to be peroneal tendonitis.  PT is an inflammation of the two tendons rhat run behind the ankle and down into the foot.  They help stabilize and support the ankle and it’s movement.  Overuse of these tendons (or stupidly jumping from 7 miles to 10 miles in one week) can result in inflammation and pressure on the ankle as well as extreme tightness and soreness along the tendons.  Treatment?  Rest.  REST.  REST????  What’s that? UGHHHH… this is the worst.  I not only have my half in 10 days but like I mentioned above, I'm supposed to run the bridge run in 3.  I’ve been icing the beast like crazy and I’m addicted to ibuprofen at the moment.  No big deal.

So here's my NEW plan of action: Take the next 3 days off... 99.9% sure I wont be running the bridge.  (I don't' want to talk about it, more than a little upset.)  But I know that if I run the bridge I probably wont be able to do the half and that's more important to me right now.  I really need to stay off this thing.  Most of the things I read about PT said that if you keep training and irritating the tendons, they will tear and then you will need surgery.  In other words, I'd be S.O.L and my life would be a complete mess without running. It sucks and is super frustrating, but what can I do?

Focus. Focus. Focus.  I just keep thinking that in 8 days I’ll be on a plane to enjoy a fun filled weekend in NYC with my best friend and then doing a little bit of a run (painfree) on Sunday (HOPEFULLY).

yep... that's where it's ouchie.

Dreamboat

It's Spring! (kind of)

It's finally here! Spring has arrived!  I am so ready for the warm (HOT) weather.  But in the last few days its hasn't been too "Springy" here.  It's still pretty chilly- woke up this morning and it was in the 30s.  Not OK. And with the turn of Spring came daylight saving a few weeks ago.  Reasons I hate this: 1) We lose that hour of sleep, obviously. But that's easy to get over. And 2) sunrise is now at 7:30am instead of 6:30am...which is way too late for me to do a morning run outside. So I’ve had to run at the gym instead. Part of me is hoping this will be a good thing because I am able to run on an incline like I used to when I was a strict indoor only runner. I’m hoping this will help me out with the uphill sections of the half in NY. If you have read my post about the HH half last month, the bridge KILLED me. I died on top of it, my soul escaped my body, I saw my body lying there on ground, hundreds of other runners  effortlessly running and jumping over my dead body and doing nothing. That's only a small exaggeration. But ultimately the incline is what wrecked my 2 hour goal. GRRRR…

Ever since I started consistently running outside (vs. in the gym) a little over 3 months ago I find myself more excited to run outdoors. I dread rainy, cold days more than ever now. Don’t get me wrong, I do love the gym for the free weights, machines and fantastic people watching (watching ridiculous meat heads attempt to lift extreme amounts of weight and flexing proudly in the mirror, as well as the heavily made-up college girls who spend 3 minutes on the ellipticals and then leave) but running outside is much more exciting and freeing. I'm also way faster. :) Over the past few months I've really wondered about the differences between treadmill running and road running.  Is one more effective than the other? Do they work the same muscles? Am I likely to reduce injury and recover more quickly doing one vs. the other? After some research, here's what I found... 

Obviously the first thing is the wind impact/resistance you get outside vs indoors.  Running on a treadmill is easier than running outside because the belt propels you along. The way to compensate this while running on a t-mill is to up the incline.  I do this normally, and find that on some t-mills it can get pretty difficult and on others you've really got to ramp it up to feel anything. I know this is extremely important to do because I definitely have days when the wind is literally pushing me back and it’s a struggle to more forward.  I learned that treadmill is good for speed training.  Sprint at a fast set pace for a minute or two then recover at a set slower pace.  One disadvantage of t-mill training is that its difficult to learn your pace. When you run outside you run on instinct and you change your pace based on how you feel. On a treadmill it's easy to simply set it on a pace and then run that pace for however long you planned to run instead of putting more effort in to really figure out your pace.  So obviously there are pros and cons to both.  I think the best thing to do is to mix it up a bit, but try to keep most of the running outdoors when you can.  

I'm hoping to get some good outside runs in soon. Next half is in 2.5 weeks! AHH!!!

Speaking of that I came across this hilarious article about a girl who recently ran a half in NYC and to get her through it she took a pic of a hot guy for each mile.  GENIUS!  Too bad my next half is an all women's one. HAHA.  But I'm not stopping there. Here's the link if you want to see the pictures.  They are pretty funny!
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/woman-takes-selfies-13-hot-guys-marathon-article-1.1726861 

Testing, Testing, Level 1, 2, 3! (and half marathon number 2)

Life update since I haven't written in weeks… GO!

A few Saturdays ago, I took my krav maga test to advance into level 3.  The test was 3 plus hours of non-stop combatives, defenses, cardio, sparring, etc.  Half way through, the 7 of us testing were all so sweaty we could barely hold on to each other to deliver strikes.  It was difficult to get a good grip when both you and your partner are covered in sweat.  But at the end of the sweaty endeavor, we found out we all passed.  Phew!

I took Saturday and Sunday off from running, which was not really my plan.  I wanted to run Sunday but by the way I was feeling Sunday night, I’m glad I didn’t.  My calves were tight and my neck, back and triceps felt like they had all been wrung out like wet towels.  I guess I really needed the extra day off after that krav test.  But I was back at it Monday morning, with a good 4.5 mile run.  That night I took fitness bag class like normal and my first Brazilian Jui Jitzu class.  And let’s just say, I’m glad it’s over.  BJJ was interesting to say the least.  I was way out of my comfort zone on this new mat.  The basic concepts went against all of my instincts to punch and kick and basically flip out like a cat thrown into a bathtub full of water.  BJJ is all about manipulating the body to submit your attacker, whereas in krav there are no rules and its more of a realistic street fight curriculum.  It was hard for me to restrain my desire to punch my partner in the face when they climbed on top of me.  To make a long story short, it was impressive to see the advanced students roll and force each other into submission.  But I on the other hand, looked like I was having a seizure on the mat.   I couldn’t wait til the hour was over.  I am hesitant to try it again, but I was given a gi to borrow and I might try the gi class sometime soon to see if I like it better. 

The Newest Level 3 Krav Members

OK, OK… so in just about a month, I will be running my second half marathon with my cousin, Allison.  She also ran the Hilton Head one with me in February.  It was both of our firsts.  For our second half we are going to NYC!  It’s the More Magazine and Fitness Magazine’s Women Run the World Half Marathon.  It starts in Central Park and goes twice around the park and then up a few other streets.  We are leaving Charleston on Friday morning and coming back Monday night and with the race being on Sunday we should have some time to shop, maybe see a show and just explore.  Actually the magazines hosting the race are having tons of events and activities over the weekend to keep us busy.  We don't want to do all of them but there is a Women's health and fitness expo all day Saturday that we can go to.  The pictures from years’ past look pretty cool so I think we will at least check it out and see if it’s worth sticking around. There should be lots of fitness/health products on display and hopefully some cool running apparel for sale.  The website says there will be speakers, training sessions, SHOPPING, FOOD and PRODUCT SAMPLES, beauty touch-ups, GIFT BAGS, etc.  So basically, please note that we will really be going for the FREE STUFF.

My Motto For 2014

Running Advice I Gave To A Friend...

Last fall, a group of my friends and I signed up for The Rugged Maniac this upcoming March.  Unfortunately, I just found out that my level 3 advanced krav test is this same day so I had to sell my ticket to another friend.  :(  At least the ticket didn't go to waste.  Based on the race website and word of mouth, I think the obstacles are going to be pretty intense but I'm thinking during the wall climbs, rope swings and army crawls everyone will be able to catch their breath a bit from the actual running.  I am super bummed I'm missing out on this.  I think my friends are going to have such a good time and it will be an event to remember and talk about later.  However, I've been training for this krav test for at least a year and I am ready and excited to test next month.

In preparation for this 5k obstacle course run, my friend has recently started running.  Basically he is trying to transform from a skinny couch potato who huffs and puffs through a mile run (sorry Theo!) to a runner capable of doing a 5k in just a month or two.  He texted me a few nights ago asking how to get rid of shin splints.  I haven't had shin splints since high school but I do remember having them occasionally during soccer season and how brutal they were.  So first, let me explain what these little leg terrors are.  Some doctors and sports trainers say they are caused by an inflammation of the stretched tissue or overworked muscles that surround the tibia.  Other sports scientists believe shin splints are actual tears in the leg muscles as they pull away from the bone.  SICK.  

Anyway, here's what I told my friend...

Cut back a bit... but not too much.  Because shin splints are caused by an overworking and overuse of your leg muscles, specifically your calves.  This overuse does two things: builds and strengthens the calf muscles (good) and put pressure and stress on your tibia and fibula bones (bad).  Reduce incline running and running with lots of twists and turns.  So you don't want to completely stop running because once you start again, you are likely to develop shin splints again pretty quickly.  I would suggest reducing your mileage and the intensity of your runs.  It's also smart to incorporate some sort of cross-training such as biking or swimming.   

Get good running shoes.  I cannot stress how important quality running shoes are.  I log all of my miles in an Excel sheet daily.  In this spreadsheet, I also track when I get new running shoes.  I get new running shoes about 3 times a year (or every 400 miles or so).  And I can actually feel when I am getting close to this mileage based on how my runs are going.  When I start having a few runs in a row where I am feeling stressed and fatigued or notice an increased difficulty with a normally easy run I know it's about that time.  And sure enough, I'll check my spreadsheet and I find that I've run around 400-500 miles in those shoes.  And like magic, once I replace them, I feel like a brand new woman!  There's a great place in Charleston called Try Sports that will fit you for running shoes through a series of assessments.   You walk and run on a treadmill for a few minutes and they record and analyze your stride.  They look at weight distribution, pronation, if you stray to one side more than the other, etc. to determine the best shoe for you.  Then you get to try on several pair and run around the store (or outside if you're an outside runner) until you feel comfortable with a pair.  Another reason I like this place is because all the workers are actual runners (or some form of athlete) and they know what they're talking about.  In addition, they don't pressure you to buy anything right then, even after the assessment.  I highly recommend having a professional fit you for good running shoes if you want to be a runner and enjoy running.   Stretch.  Stretching often gets overlooked because it's not exciting and you may not reap the benefits of it right away.  But ignoring it can cause many problems, including shin splints.   It's important to remember that stretching is part of your workout too.  I promise, if you are consistent with it you will notice a huge difference in your level of energy, recovery time and overall athleticism over time.  It will definitely make those extra 10-15 minutes you spent focusing on your muscles worth it.  For shin splints specifically, stretching your Achilles tendon before and after runs is extremely helpful.  Another neat trick I read about to help work out shin splints is to write the alphabet on the ground with your toes while seated.  Another good stretch is to sit on the floor with your knees bent under you and your toes pointed straight back.  Slowly sit back onto your heels and imagine pushing your ankles into the floor.  You should feel the stretch in your muscles around your shin.  Hold this stretch for 20 seconds and do it a few times.  Stretches like these will help treat and prevent shin splints.  

The most important thing I can say is to listen to your body.  Believe me, I know it's very frustrating to have to stop or cut back your training.  It kind of feels like a cop out.  But in the long run, your body will thank you and you'll be a better, smarter runner for it.  

We Did It!

I finished my first half marathon!  And I'm already trying to plan my next.  Although I was about a minute short from my goal I still really enjoyed it and (based on the conditions) am happy with my performance.  My official posted chip time was 2hr 1min 38 secs, while my Garmin running watch said I finished the half at 1hr 57 minutes and the length of the course was a bit longer.  The fact that the two are conflicting is messing with my mind and competitive spirit.  :)  But like I mentioned, I'm not too bummed about my time considering it was my very first one, I didn't follow a real training plan, it was cold and raining the entire run and the course went up and over a bridge twice.  I know that I could crush a half in the future that was on a flat course.  So now I'm pumped up to prove it.  

Since the most I had ever run at one time was 9 miles, I wanted something to keep my energy stores up during those extra miles on race day.  The night before, at packet pick-up, I bought some Gatorade Endurance Carb Energy Chews to try for the half.  They were recommended to me by two runners because they were easy to digest, had a favorable orange flavor and could be taken in really small bites along the run.  They have 31g of carbs and 120 calories in the whole pack of 4 chews.  It's important to have something like this for endurance training because when your body gets fatigued it will reach out to fat stores for energy which take much longer to break down and convert into usable energy than carbs do.  So these chews provide an instant source or usable carbohydrate based energy to help you push through when you start to feel sluggish.  One of the experienced runners at packet pickup told me to take a small bit at every two miles and to let the chew dissolve on it's own in my mouth instead of chewing and swallowing.  I had my first bite at mile 4 and could not just let it dissolve in my mouth.  It was too chewy to just have sit on my tongue and it was distracting to keep in my mouth while running.  I ended up just chewing and swallowing each bite.  I had a small bite at miles 4, 6, 8 10 and maybe 11.  I do feel like it provided a quick pick me up for about half a mile each time I had a bit.  I ended the race still having about half the packet (2 chews) left.  They were easy to digest and tasted pretty good, like concentrated orange gatorade.  My brother had some of those goopy energy gels, one blackberry and one vanilla.  The packet said to eat one 15 minutes before start time and then one every 45 minutes after.  Watching him try to finish one minutes before the race was pretty painful.  He said they were very sweet and hard to eat all at once.  I'm glad I had something different.  

The most difficult part of the race wasn't the extra miles, it was the bridge.  UGHHHH, the bridge.  The first time over, around mile 5-6, definitely wasn't fun.  I slowed down and could really feel the incline taking it's toll on my calves and quads.  But on the way down I was able to relax a bit, pick up the pace and get back into my normal stride.  But it didn't stay that easy.  Oh no.  Because then around mile 9 or 10, I found myself staring up at the daunting incline again, thinking WHY???  This time up was brutal and I was struggling.  I just kept thinking this is it.  This is where my legs give out or I slow so much I end up moving backwards.  And once over the bridge the second time, coming down was not like coming down the first. After that, I was never able to get back into the zone mentally or physically.

How did I feel after the race and the next day?  I honestly felt pretty good after the race.  I didn't have wobbly legs and I wasn't that stiff.  Around mile 8 or so I did get an odd strain in the left side of my lower back that still hasn't gone away.  Actually, the sorest part of my body today is my back.  I could use a full body massage to work out all the knots and soreness.   Immediately after crossing the finish, I chugged several cups of water and gatorade but still continued to feel pretty dehydrated for the next 24 hours. Speaking of soreness and recovery, I'm going to rest today and make sure to stretch a lot to help my muscles recover from the micro-trauma they experienced yesterday.  But tomorrow, I'll be back at it!

Allison, Preston and me after the race

Take 1

Take 2 (with the medals showing)

Course Map (please note the goal ruining monster bridge)

I'm running my first half marathon in...

2 hours.  I’ve been training for my first half marathon for the past few weeks.  And by training I simply mean doing my normal running (4-5 miles daily, 6 times a week) with a longer run of 6-9 miles on the weekends.  I’ve wanted to do a half for a long time now but just kept putting it off for no good reason.   So when I saw the Hilton Head Half Marathon was coming up I figured why not do it?  I grew up going to HH every summer with my family for vacation since I was about 12 so this seemed like the right place to do it.  I know the area pretty well and I’ll be able to reminisce a bit about our family vacations while I’m on the course which will be good.  It will keep my mind off the miles and on the memories.  

I’ll be running with my brother, my cousin Allison and our friend Tim.  I thought about following a training plan but decided against it because they were all pretty long (the shortest one was about 10 weeks) and my brother and I only officially signed up about a month ago.  Plus, all the training plans incorporated at least 3 days off from running weekly, which stresses me out to even think about.  I cannot NOT run daily.  One thing that all of the training plans included was a weekly long run, so that’s all I changed about my personal running regime.  I did take it easy this final week, only running Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday and decreasing the miles for my last two runs.  And it was miserable.  I felt slightly like a couch potato.  But I knew that the last few days leading up to the half would be crucial as far as getting enough rest and storing energy so I tried to take it easy.  

People are asking me if I have a goal finishing time and the answer is yes and no.  I have a basic one in my mind but I am a bit hesitant to talk about it in case I jinx it.  Stupid, right? Anyway, my cool Garmin watch has a virtual pacer I can set that will notify me throughout the race how well I am sticking to my goal pace.  It's pretty awesome.  

Now let's talk about the weather conditions.  As of now, here is what today's sky is planning on dishing out during our run...

8 am

45^°

Rain

FEELS LIKE: 39°

 HUMIDITY:

  89%

 PRECIP:

  80%

 WIND:

  N at 12 mph

UGH.  I am definitely not a cold weather lover and I'd never trained in the rain before.  I think the water could certainly make the miles tougher and slower.  Luckily, I have a tight rain windbreaker with a hood that's pretty easy to run in.  I also bought an awesome orange (my favorite color) Brooks running hat (an impulse buy) at the packet pick-up a few hours ago.  So needless to say, the weather forecast is more than a little disappointing and possibly a bit daunting, but what can you do?  I'm signed up and I'm here.. so let's do it. 

I'll post the course map on here tomorrow (or as soon as this shoddy hotel wi-fi decides to function).  But it's up and over a bridge...twice, once around mile 5 and then again at mile 9.  YIKES.  

Ok, stay posted for the half marathon aftermath.