One More For The Road

Miles run this year: 1138.8

 Days until the OC Marathon: 76

Better late than never, right?

Saturday was a great day. Eric rode the bike with me (thanks Uncle Lonnie and Aunt Vicky!!) and it made the run so much fun! It was so nice to have someone there to keep me company when I got bored. And even better was that it gave us 3 hours of alone time. Granted we were a little busy, but it was nice to have an uninterrupted conversation with my husband!

 I can’t believe what a difference it made to have a partner out there. The time went by faster, he seemed to know when to offer encouragement and when to just shut up, and I ran fast without even realizing I was running fast.

 Today, 2 days later, my quads are pretty sore. That’s a first, and is getting better. Yesterday was actually the first time since my dr’s appointment that my knee hasn’t hurt. So it was either psychosomatic and going on a long run “cured” me, or maybe this means that I won’t have to live in constant pain. That would be nice.

 My final numbers are:

3 hr 8 min 19 sec (21.38 miles at 6.8 mph)

8:49/mile

1635 cals

For those of you who are interested (or just bored out of your ever-lovin’ mind!), you can now access my running log. On the left are some links. If you click on “Running Ahead”, you will find yourself at my log. This has all of the information of my last year of running. Total mileage to date, total hours, and every workout. Within that log, on the left you can click on “Courses” and see all of the different routes I have run.

 Like I said, this is for those who are bored!

I’m feeling better. I’m certainly not feeling quite as desperate as I was on Friday night.

I decided yesterday that I can either sit back and change nothing, and rail at God and fate, or I can be proactive about it. So off I went to WalMart and bought myself some inserts for my shoes (the dr said that shoes with a high arch support will help my knee the most, and I can’t afford to go get a new $100 pair of shoes right now), some Glucosamine and Chondroitin, arthritis cream, and calcium with Vitamin D.

I’ve know for a while that I wasn’t getting enough calcium. It was a problem for another day. But now is a perfect time to start taking better care of my bones and joints. Also, studies show (according to WedMD) that Glucosamine and Chondroitin really do help to rebuild and preserve cartiledge. Some of the studies are more ambiguous, but it certainly can’t hurt, right? (That’s a rhetorical question. I looked up the side effects and there are none that I need to worry about). The only downside is that it usually takes about 2-3 months to notice much improvement. But that is just in time for the marathon, so I have nothing to lose.

The only thing I bought that I am a bit unsure of is St. John’s Wort. Again according to WebMD, there has been some correlation between the herb and an improvement in joint pain. The added perk to that is that it’s also a “mood enhancer” (how’s that for politically correct?!) and can help with the “feelings of depression that may occur after the onset of injury.” My main concern is that they want you to take 2 pills, 3 times day. 6 pills a day. That could get very expensive! Maintenance levels can often be reduced, so I may just take the minimum and see how it goes.

All told, I spent $35 and feel better for actually doing something about it. I can’t just sit back and do nothing. I also think I may start going to a yoga class (free!). The relaxation and flexibility may also help with my knee. I also have found some strengthening exercises that will specifically target the quad muscles. This should help stabilize and support my knee. I feel better for having done something and come up with a tentative plan. It makes me feel like I am in charge of my destiny, not chance.

I’ve toyed with the idea of getting a second opinion, since I still kind of think it’s just runner’s knee. But I don’t think I could take it right now if the new doc verified the old doc’s findings.So instead I will do what it takes to get throught the next 12 weeks and finish this marathon. After that I will consult another doctor and consider all of my options.

I’ve been told, on various occasions, that I’m a bit of a pessimist. I know this about myself and generally am able to ignore the voice in my head that insists things are too good to be true.

 So I do a pretty good job of silencing that voice when she whispers things like, “You’re never going to be able to finish this marathon.” or “God help you if you get hurt now. Your luck is such that it wouldn’t be surprising if you had to quit running right after you found it.”

Turns out, this time the voice was right.

A few weeks ago, I made an appointment with my doctor to discuss my right knee pain. I loosely diagnosed myself with runner’s knee, and new shoes seemed to help quite a bit. In fact, I almost cancelled my appointment because my knee feels so much better. But little things have been bothering me about it, and I wanted to get it taken care of before it became a real problem.

After seeing the doctor and having XRays done of my knee, it was clear that this isn’t going to be an easily fixed problem. In fact, it probably won’t be fixed at all. Thanks to a surgery I had many years ago, the outer meniscus in my right knee is practically gone. Because of that, I have developed arthritis in my knee and a bone spur on my knee cap. There is no solution for it, and the fact that I can’t take anti-inflammatories makes the pain and swelling harder to manage. I could possibly have a meniscus-like material put in, but the only place to have it done would be the Bay Area, and God only knows how much it would cost.

 This will likely be my first and only marathon.

 The doctor was semi-encouraging, in that he didn’t tell me to quit running right this second. He only told me that the long runs would eventually catch up with me, and that I should start to consider other sources of cardio conditioning.

I have 12 weeks. For a marathon, you begin tapering with about a month to go before the race. With a few tweaks to my training schedule, I should be able to cut down on my 20+ mile runs to 5, and make up the rest with shorter, easier runs.  

The question I have been asking myself is “What next?”. After coming this far, I can’t go back to doing nothing, and my desire to maintain my weight loss wouldn’t allow it. There is always the possibility of cycling, and Eric and I have been discussing the idea of triathlons. If I can continue with short races, I may be able to focus on improving my 5 and 10K times. But there is every possibility that I won’t be able to continue running for much longer.

While the questions are looming over my head, those are problems for another day. I just wanted to keep you all updated. In 12 weeks I will be able to say that I ran a marathon, and will decide then what the next move will be.

I’m just popping in quickly to record my run. My computer is down, so I don’t have access as much at the moment. But I had to update you all on my latest run!
3 hr 4 min 10 sec (21.15 miles at 6.9 mph)

I was sore beyond belief when I was done, because my legs cramped up as soon as I stopped moving. But here it is 3 hours later and I feel great!

8:43/mile

Much better than last week, and I broke the 20-Mile barrier! YEAH!

OC Marathon, here I come!

{Why is it that only today do I actually really believe that I can finish this marathon?}

……………..Miles, that is.

19 miles total on Saturday. I’ve promised myself that I won’t focus on the negatives of the run this morning. I told Eric that I must be the only person I know who can make running 19 miles a bad thing. I know I’m obsessing, but that’s really nothing new, now is it?

So, positives:

***I ran 19 miles this morning.

***It was 19 rather hilly miles.

***I did a route that really put into perspective just how far 19 miles really is. When you do the run in figure 8’s around town, you don’t really realize just what an accomplishment it is. But today I actually had Eric pick me up at the end. Eric’s comment was that I ran a route that is a long drive for most people. I ran all the way to another town. It really makes you appreciate just how far you’ve gone.

***I accomplished all of this while still being sick, with raspy lungs throughout part of the run.

***I only had to stop once to pee, and it was a total of 3.5 minutes. I counted it as part of my time to give me a realistic look at what my time will be at the marathon.

And now, because I just can’t help myself, are the negatives:

***I set out to do 20 miles, but changed my route at the very beginning. I thought I would come in at 20 and was disappointed when I mapped it out later.

***I ran slower than I’ve run in a while (outside, anyway). Again, I was a bit disappointed that my pace time wasn’t below 9 minutes like it was for the 18.5 mile run 2 weeks ago. Especially when my calorie count was higher, and my run was a full 13 minutes longer than before while only going an additional half mile.

Yeah. Yeah. You don’t have to say it. I will now get over myself and move on.

You would really have to know the area I live in to appreciate the run I did, though. To most of you who live in suburban areas, running to “another town” means little because the towns all bleed together. I live in rural Central California, where the towns are getting closer together but there are still clear city limits. For those of you who know the area, I ran from the Albertson’s in Paso Robles, out to Target, through Templeton, out by the dump and all the way to Atascadero on the back roads. Then 2 laps around the Lake and back to Starbuck’s to meet Eric. It was a huge accomplishment for me, and after driving it on the way home………..I will probably never do it again. It’s a good thing it was early and there was no traffic, because if I had been a driver on that road and came up on a runner my thought would be, “What the hell are they doing!?” It’s long, hilly, and windy (as in, has curves.) There isn’t really a shoulder to run on. Basically, it was a good challenge but now that I know I can do it I can be happy sticking to the city streets.

2 hr 55 min 53 minutes (19 miles at 6.5 mph)

9:16/mile

1705 cals

Wouldn’t you know that the race I have waited for all summer would happen the week that the boys and I are sick. I have been so bummed the last few days thinking that I wouldn’t be able to run. But I woke up yesterday feeling pretty good, and figured that if that was the worst I felt then I could make it.

So I signed up. And spent the rest of the day nervous about it.

Everyone in the house has been sick off and on for the last 3 weeks, and the last few days have been the worst. Crappy sleep, endless coughing, runny noses. I tried not to make any time goals for the race, since I had no idea how I’d feel before and during. But I couldn’t help reflect on my best time ever, which was a 7:31/mile run. Building up to this race, I had been thinking that I would shoot for 46:30 (a 7:30 pace), and my absolute-best-case-scenario was to beat 46 minutes. I revised that yesterday, and knew that beating 48 minutes (7:45/mile) would be pushing my abilities. But it gave me something to focus on.

And I blew it out of the water.

Official time 45:17

7:17/mile

This is beyond what I thought I could do even while healthy. I don’t think I would have done any better even with more sleep last night (nerves kept me awake late and then sick kids woke me up after that) or a healthy system. I am absolutely amazed that I was able to pull this off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I set my alarm for 6am this morning. The race started at 7:30am and I wanted time to relax a little before rushing off. Eric and I had talked and the plan (I thought) was for him to drive me down there and drop me off and then come home with the boys. With the boys being sick, I couldn’t blame them for not staying.

I don’t give my wonderful husband enough credit. Apparently he was just playing along with my plan and was going to surprise me by just parking and being on the side of the road cheering me on. He told me this morning just before we left, when I was trying to figure out how to carry my phone so I could call him when I was done. I didn’t realize how badly I wanted him there until he told me he was going and I was so relieved. Having him there is such a huge inspiration and motivator, and I am so lucky that he has taken such an an active role in my running.

I drank my carb shake at 6:45, went potty, got our bags ready (going anywhere with kids is always a production!), and we were out of the house by 7:05. Since it only took us 3 minutes to drive there, we were there with time to spare.

This run was an open race, but the real action of the day was the Masters National Championship 10K. They were running after us, so we were kind of the pre-event race. But it was fun to watch them warming up and getting ready (many were running the course backward as we were running). It defintely helped keep me from feeling too sorry for myself when my lungs were heaving and my legs were pumping.

As always, the first 2 miles were the longest. It was cold and I was wearing shirts and a sleeveless top and carrying an ice cold bottle of Gatorade. It took about 2 miles for my body to warm up. I never really felt like I found a comfortable pace, but I suppose that will always be the case when I am pushing myself beyond what I am used to. I saw Eric and the boys a little after mile 1.

After mile 2 I started loosening up a bit, settling in more. I was shocked when I hit the mile marker at (according to my watch) exactly 14 minutes. I knew I was going fast, but didn’t realize it was that fast. A guy passed me and I set my pace by him. We both seemed to be running at the same level (never mind that he was twice my age), and I was determined to keep up.

Mile 2-3 was pretty easy. Nothing exciting or spectacular. I felt like I was breathing too hard and I started to get a mild side cramp, but focusing on evening things out seemed to help. I carried my own bottle so I didn’t have to stop at water stations and could drink whenever I wanted.

This was a looped course, with the start also being the finish of both the 5K and the 10K. The 10K was just 2 loops instead of 1. Going into it I was a little turned off by this, because I imagined that I would be running and dreading having to do it twice. Instead it was kind of a relief, because I knew I just had to make it through one more time. The course was incredibly flat and through the middle of my small hometown, so I was familiar with everything. Eric was at the corner just after the 3 mile marker, and then I was running through the finish area to start the loop again.

I remember little about miles 3 and 4, just running and pushing and breathing. The guy in front of me and I switched places a couple of times. I have to say that it’s hard to focus on your breathing when someone else is breathing in your ear. So I let him take the lead so I could focus more on myself than him. I passed Eric at about 4.5 miles and was able to smile and wave. That’s saying something, right?!

I was just starting to feel like I couldn’t push anymore when I hit mile 5. I was getting a little nervous, feeling like I couldn’t continue at that pace for much longer. Then I passed a guy and he said, “You’re doing great. Keep it up. You’re almost there.” He was another runner, and I turned my head to smile. He smiled back and said, “You can do it. Keep going.” It was all I needed to hear.

After the 5 mile marker, my mantra was “1.2 miles left.” “Less than 1.2 miles left.” “Only about three quarters of a mile left.” I talked to myself a lot through the race, mostly telling myself that I could slow down if I needed to.

I picked it up just before the 6 mile marker. I tried to increase my speed, and I think I did a little, but I was already running so much faster than what I am used to that I wasn’t really able to speed up too much. I ran into the finish right behind the guy I’d pace with, just like I’d wanted to do.

This was an awesome run, and I am so incredibly impressed with what I was able to. It went beyond my greatest expectations and I have no complaints. My knee felt (and still feels) good (yea! for new shoes) and my shoes caused no blisters (yea! for new socks!). I ate a banana at the end, and was given a free Jamba Juice smoothie.

And the $50? I misunderstood. Every runner received 50 bucks as they crossed the finish line. Basically, I just got paid 20 bucks and a free shirt to run this race. Oh, and a cool medal. And in 15 minutes I am going back down to the park with Jacob to play in the bounce houses and see if we won a trip to Hawaii (every runner was entered). It’s been an amazing morning, and I am so glad I was able to do this.

A brand new blog, a fresh new start. Hopefully this works out better than my last 2 attempts!