Pain = Good

Usually when I arrive at PT, I have my choice of one or more of the many typical, simple PT tables, that look much like a medical exam table. But, today, those tables were all full. . . and there was one, newly arrived, fancy table to which D directed me.

This new table looked tantalizingly like a massage table. Unfortunately, it was not a massage table.

No hot stones. No aromatherapy. No CD playing wind chimes, whale songs, and native American chants. Oh, no.

In fact, it was a torture table. Apparently the variable height and other accoutrements made it just right for D's work tonight. It was not a good night to be on that table.

After rearranging my whacked out sacroilliac joint via some pretzel like postures complimented by D's manipulations, D generously applied his astonishingly strong thumbs to my already tender tensor fascia latae, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. This process hurt like a son of a bitch was uncomfortable. Over the course of perhaps 15 minutes, I am quite sure I swore at least a dozen times. My three natural childbirths lasted much longer, but I can't say they hurt much more. And, I got really cute babies out of those deals. Anyway, after quite some time, and some progress "releasing" my insanely tight muscles of deep inside my right hip and right ass cheek, D had to get a break from my bitching attend to other patients.

So that he could get away from my cursing I could control the intesity of the pressure, D next introduced me to a new torture device with which, oh joy, I can continue treatments at home! Every day! The deceptively innocent looking tennis ball is the latest bane of my existence. The daily objective is to sit on the floor somewhere with my innocent sunny, fuzzy, bouncy ball. . . and rest my ass right on that ball just in the most painful spot, then relax (snort) for however long it takes for the pain to subside. (Oh, excuse me, I mean, however long it takes for the muscle to "release"). . . Of course, I should readjust the angle and the weight to maximize the pain as needed. Pain = Good. (This is not something I am liking about being an athlete, this seemingly characteristic correlation between pain and benefit.)

You know, my ass used to be treated more kindly. My husband always rather liked it. But, no, now it is a source of pain. Damn ass. Dumb ass. Whatever.

So, why was I at the torture table today? Because I haven't been able to run more than a couple miles without pain since my half marathon 19 days ago. In fact, the last time I even tried to run was last Thursday, a full seven days ago, and after that failed run, I was so frustrated at the every-other-day fails at attempting to get in a decent run that I went on strike and haven't ran for 7 days. The frustration of getting out there, running a couple miles, and having my RIGHT (why right now!?) hip/thigh/knee go into hissy fits of pain was getting to me. Everything else felt great, my breathing  was good. . . but my knee to hip zone on the right side just goes into spasms. It seemed to be centered around my good-old-ass-cheek pain, but was also typical IT band zone. So, who knows what it really is. That's where I go to D for his genuis at figuring these things out.

So, anyway, today it was D's job to figure me out so I can get back on track. He did a lot of examining and tests, and determined that I have some asymetry in my pelvis. His pretzel work rearranged things (for now), but as the asymetry might be long standing, things might just go back out of whack right away. So, I have lots of at-home exercises to try to keep things in line and to rearrange them if they get out of whack again. I also have the lovely tennis ball work to release the insanely tight and inflamed muscles deep in the right half of my ass. (The asymetry presumably contributes to the muscle and nerve whackitronics, which is why we are trying to address both the asymetry and the muscle and nerve whackitronics.)

I sure am glad to have D around to figure out my body's mechanics, and I will be happy when I can get back to running coaching and not deep tissue release. I am not so panicked as I was the other times I couldn't run due to injury, because this time I have more faith that I'll be back at it soon enough.

This week's assignment: run again, some more, to see if there are IT band issues in addition to the identified ass issues.

Meanwhile, I am reassessing the wisdom of doing a full marathon in 2011. I'm thinking I'd just like to run 20-30 miles a week all summer pain free, having fun, being healthy. . . and then reassess in the fall. I kept telling myself that I'd decide about the marathon after my first good post-HM run, and since it's going on 3 weeks and I haven't had one yet, I'm starting to think maybe that's my sign that 2012 would be a better year for a marathon.

That's OK. If I wasn't training for my first full marathon, I could have time to do some speed work, and maybe a Spring triathlon. . . And maybe break 2 hours on my next half. . . There's always something fun to do. I just want to get back out there.

Saturday. I'm gonna run Saturday.

Or, maybe tomorrow evening if the weather is good.

Oh man, I want an hour on the roads with tunes in my ears and nothing to think about other than the pavement under my shoes. I'm missing it.

Race Report: Decker's Creek Half Marathon

Decker's Creek Half Marathon. Morgantown, WV 6/4/2011

Official time: 2:11:11.78. Pace = 10:00.9 min/mile

373rd out of 529 runners. 40th out of 68 women in the 40-49 year old class.

A solid mid-pack performance. Not bad for my first race since I was legal to drive, my first run over 10 miles, and well, hell, it's just not bad at all!

I had an advantage for my first HM since it's a fast, easy course (gently drops about 800 ft over the course, with no significant uphills, and just the last 3-4 miles are pretty flat.) Weather was close to ideal. Probably about 60 at the start, mid 70s by the end. Most of the course is shady, but it is sunny most of the last 3 miles or so.

Unofficial mile splits from my watch (which only thought the 13.1 mile course was about 13, so I was actually a touch faster than these times would reflect.)

1. 9:29
2. 9:04
3. 9:29
4. 9:57
5. 10:28
6. 10:14
7. 9:58
8. 9:57
9. 10:09
10. 10:27
11. 10:15
12. 10:25
13. 10:44
14. and change: + 10ish seconds. Obviously the Garmin wasn't tracking exactly the same as the official course. But, off by 1/10 of a mile on a 13.1 course is OK I guess, lol

I flew the first 3 miles, mostly b/c it is a solid downhill. For the rest of the race, I stayed close to my purported goal pace of 10:20, but obviously was a bit faster than that. Overall, it was excellent.

Before the race:

The night before the race, I had a panic b/c my hips/glutes were giving me a lot of pain d/t over doing it with strength training this week. (I think I was redirecting my running energy since I couldn't run much with the tapering and the long distance today.) In the past, my ass never bothers me running, even if it's sore from strength or whatever, but that didn't stop me from worrying a lot. Fortunately, my luck held out and I was totally pain free for the race. (Not saying I didn't load up on NSAIDs the last 24 hrs because I did, lol)

So, I needed to leave the house at 6:30 to get to my friend's at 7 where I was dropping my kids off to her husband and picking her up for the race. (She lives 3 minutes from the race.)

So, I got up at 5, drained about 24 oz of watered down OJ & some gatorade over about 30 minutes while eating a banana and about 6 oz of yogurt. My GI system seemed to handle it all fine, and since I was done drinking by 6ish, that gave me plenty of time to get all the pee out before the race began. (My athlete-brother told me that so long as I was done drinking by 90 before start, I'd be good. That worked for me.)

Somehow I got put in the early start (fast) group. They seemed to have put all the real contenders in this fast group, and then a random selection of slackers like me. It was nice that they started so fast because most of them zipped ahead and were out of the crush quickly.

The race is a one-way route along the trail, so you park at the finish and take a bus to the starting point. I had to be on a bus by 7:30 for my 8:30 start time.

The start was well organized, but my 20-25 minutes wasn't quite enough time to get through the lines to pick up my packet, get that packet back to my parked car (BTW, thanks, Morgantown parking cops, for not ticketing me on my meter that day. . . as I wasn't willing to take the time to park in the garage), wait in the potty lines, and get on the bus. I did manage to do it all, but had to jog a bit and had less than a minute to spare. Next year I'll allow at least 45 minutes before the bus departure time to get all that done. Lesson learned.

About the bus. . . The buses were well organized, and departed on time exactly. . . But, as our bus was flying along the freeway, the back of the bus suddenly erupted in "TAKE THE EXIT! GET OFF HERE!" as the bus driver was just about to pass the exit. After the driver swerved to our exit in a manner that made me nervous about the welfare of the school kids who typically ride her bus and also sorry the bus didn't have seat belts, a local racer came to the front to direct her the rest of the way to the trail head. Unfortunately, another one of the several buses didn't have as loud and knowledgable riders (or as aggressive a driver) and completely missed the exit, heading up another dozen or so miles to a completely wrong area. Due to all this, the start time for the race was ultimately delayed 15 minutes, which is not bad considering. Hopefully the race organizers will provide drivers with better directions next year!
Once we arrived at the start, I was happy to note that porta potties were provided. I took my turn in line and in the potties, then walked down to the starting area to wait for the start. After the 15 minute delay, the race began. . .

Miles 1 - 3, this is fun!

Miles 1 through 3 were fast and easy. It's a nice downhill, shady path, temps around 55-60. Sweet. I knew I was well faster than goal pace, but just watched my HR to keep a lid on it, as I knew the downhill was giving me the extra speed, and I didn't want to throw it away, but I also didn't want to wreck the whole race by giving the first few miles too much.

Miles 4 - 9, in the zone

Miles 4 through 9 were generally very solid. I was in the zone. I was still going a bit faster than planned, but the hill was still working for me, so I just took what I could and kept on keeping on.

I got to see my kids around mile 7 or 8, and that was awesome. I got high fives from two of the kids, and my oldest was manning the camera, lol. It gave me a huge jolt. Super, super special.

A few times in those middle miles I actually got chills down my body when I realized that I was actually doing this, and I was going to complete it. I felt tears well in my eyes a number of times just from the realization that I was going to finish this thing. It really felt big to me.

Mile 10, longest run of my life

Around mile 10 my body seemed to feel every step like a pounding cement hammer up my legs. (Oddly enough, this was still on the nice dirt/pea gravel trail.) It didn't *hurt* but was an odd sensation. Fortunately, it only lasted a mile or so. Never did hurt, but was weird.
Since my longest training run had been 10 miles, once I crossed the 10 mile mark, I knew I was now into the longest-run-of-my-life-so-far part of the race. That was very cool. Every step was one step beyond my longest ever run. That was a bit of a reward during those last hard miles.

Miles 11 - 13, right to be worried

I had been worried about miles 11 through 13 because they are pavement, flat, hot, sunny as opposed to the first 10 miles that are downhill, shady, and on crushed limestone gravel/dirt. Of course, they also come at the end of the run, after running 10 miles, so that'd make them extra fun. Right. Everyone who'd run the race before told me they are hard miles, and they were right.

It was hard, but I still felt strong during miles 11 & 12. It was really nice to see my husband during mile 11. I stole a kiss, and I got a huge jolt of energy from seeing him. He works Saturday mornings, and he doesn't have anyone to cover for him on Saturdays (he's a vet), but he had blocked out appointments for 90 minutes so he could come see me there at mile 11 and then meet me at the finish. (His hospital is conveniently just about 2 miles from mile 11 and also from the finish.) It's a big deal for him to close to appointments for any reason, so seeing him standing there waiting for me just made me feel so supported and loved. It was just the right moment to get that energizing boost. He made it much easier for me to crank through the last couple miles.

Soon after seeing my husband, I entered a very familiar section of the trail where I often walk and have also ran). Also, that last 1.5 miles of the race is the precise section on which I did my c25k graduation run last October. It was kind of a nice full circle to be back there doing this race.

By mile 13, it was very hard. Very. Hard. I was actually tempted to walk during that last mile! I found myself doing the math. . . it's only 1/2 mile. . . If I walk it, it'd just slow my total time down by 5 min. . . LOL, I don't think I was actually very tempted, but I was simply very scared that I simply couldn't make it. I gave it all I had, allowed my HR to climb up into dropping-dead-zone, and managed to maintain close to goal pace even that last mile, which amazed me when I saw it on the garmin, as I was sure I was doing more like a 12 min mile then. Nope, near goal pace, despite being my slowest mile of the day. That mile was a killer.

Me, post-race:

Me, post-race with my awesome kids/cheering section (minus the husband who had to go back to work after my finish):

General Notes about the Race

Folks were very nice. Scenery is awesome. Morgantown is a great town (but I'm biased as it's home for me.) Food, water, etc was good. It would be nice if they had more porta-potties at some mid-points. From what I heard they had one at Mile 7, but I didn't know that. One porta potty on the entire route for over 600 runners seems a bit skimpy, lol. Fortunately I didn't need a potty break, but it would have sure been nice to know it was an option if I had needed one.

At the finish, there was nice music at the ampitheater and lots of food and drink.

During race nourishment

I didn't use much of the candy I had stashed in my pocket; I even threw most of it out after a couple miles. I ate 5-7 skittles 2 or 3 times, and I think I ate 2 starbursts. I didn't want the gatorade they offered, just water. But I did take a couple good swigs of water each time it was offered (about every 2 miles), but I always took two cups, and used the spare to slosh my head, face, etc. That felt great, although one time I did douse an earbud pretty seriously so that it didn't start playing music out of my left earbud for a few minutes. That was around mile 12, so it was not a big disaster.

Tunes

I loved having my tunes. I had programmed a main playlist, but also a 20 min power mix. I did indeed need that power mix the last mile or so, and it helped get me through the end. I'd never want to do a long run or long race without my tunes.

Later that day, and the next day

I crashed on my bed all afternoon, but surprisingly never slept. We went to a great party last night, and so we had gobs of yummy food (Ali Baba's is awesome!). By 9 p.m., having had a glass of wine and stuffed myself on sambosas and hummus, I was ready to find a corner to call my own and sleep on the floor. Fortunately, the birthday cake was served, and we could leave by 10.

I self medicated with plenty of ibuprofen every 6 hours since the race, and took one of the lovely lortabs in my emergency stash (leftover from a surgery last year) at bed time, along with a pair of benadryl (I honestly do have hay fever), to ensure a relatively pain free and lengthy sleep.

The day after, I feel surprisingly good. I slept over 12 hours last night, and the kids brought me breakfast in bed. Chocolate chip pancakes with home grown strawberries are always a good way to start a day.

My major muscle groups are all pretty achey and stiff, especially my quads, but I do not have any joint pain or anything that worries me at all. I'm actually pretty surprised that I don't have any pains, swellings, or scary things happening at all. Yeehaw!

I have a massage scheduled for tomorrow (wooohooo!) and will probably take tomorrow off from exercise as I did today.

This week is a flexible week on my training plan, so I might not run until Thursday unless I am feeling really good tomorrow, in which case I might run early Tuesday morning. (It's hot as heck here, so mornings are the only option.)

I am eager to get back in my running kicks, so I guess that's a sign that this HM didn't do me in.

I have also already been stalking my goal marathon website again and tweaking my training plan for it, and I think I've even got my husband talked into it, so I think that the 10/1/11 Freedom's Run Marathon is going to be the one. I've got to get in a run or two before I commit, but I think it's going to happen. I am really excited about it, strangely enough.

13 hours until blast off. . .

In 13 hours, I'll have just begun my 13.1 miles. . .

I'm scared witless. And excited. And jumpy.

Mostly scared.

When did you consider yourself a runner?

Someone posted this query over on the active.com running boards recently, and it got me thinking.

For the first several months, I ran, but would never have called myself a "runner".

Why is that?

I thought that running was just something I was doing, but not part of who I was.

Now I do consider myself a runner.

Why is that?

Back before I realized I am a runner, I was already running up to 10 miles without stopping. I was running over endless WV hills, through sleet, snow, and rain despite discomfort, pain, and fatigue. I was budgeting my time and money to make it happen, no excuses. I was running 4 or more days a week, over 25 miles a week. All that, but I would never, ever have called myself a runner.

Even then, I already loved to talk about running. I was proud of my accomplishments. I blogged many runs on my favorite C25K forums and was surely hidden on the facebook feeds of many facebook friends due to my endless run posts.

"I ran my longest run ever today." 
"Today was the most beautiful run yet."
"I love to run." 
"I run as often as I can."
"I want to run a half marathon in the spring."

But, oh, never would I have said, "I am a runner."

That would have sounded too officious, too proud, too much like I wanted to be better than someone else, too much like an athlete. I was not like those other people. . . the ones who are fast, the ones who want to be ranked among others, the ones who win races, or at least try to. No, I was not that.

If I say, "I am a runner", isn't that inviting people to compare me to those other runners? The ones whose long distance training pace is my sprint pace? The ones who win races? The ones who I don't even want to be, but definitely don't want to be compared to?

I don't want to be compared to anyone. I just want to be me, running, pushing myself, trying harder than I thought I could, doing more than I thought I could.

The closest I'd ever come to being an athlete was horseback riding in high school. (A season of cross country track when I was 14 really does not count. I was not fast; I didn't stick with it.) I was serious about riding because I just loved horses, but (excuse me, horse folks) it is more of a hobby than a sport.

My motivator was hanging out with my horse -- brushing her, washing her, cleaning her stall, polishing her tack to butter soft leather, shopping for the coziest blanket. I loved it all. Yes, I won a few ribbons in eventing and dressage, and I enjoyed many hours riding, but my biggest 'wins' were winning awards for having the best 'horsemanship' (clean horse, nicely organized gear, etc), and I even led a team to a 2nd place ribbon at the national 'knowdown' (essentially a book knowledge test of knowledge of horse care, training, conformation, etc). I really just loved my oversized pet, not the sport of riding. I might have considered my horse an athlete, but not me.

Maybe part of it is that I was just not very competitive in that way. I didn't thrill to the competition. I always preferred a long trail ride or a hot afternoon with the hose & horse shampoo to a show. I just wanted to be, not to compete. Growing up with an older brother who would always be bigger, smarter, stronger, and faster, I learned early that the safest route in any physical competition was conceding early, or, better yet, not starting.

So, forget the horse, back to the running.  Here I was more than 20 years later, running.

I didn't realize it at the time, but in retrospect, I have figured out the transition point from running to being a runner. It was when I got hurt and could not run.

When faced with losing it, I learned just how much running had gotten into my soul. Who knew that my relationship with running could be so similar to a relationship with a beloved human being. I would never have imagined.

For a couple weeks at the holidays, and then again a couple months ago, I was unable to run at all due to running related injury. It was a dark place (sad, lonely, angry, sleepless, scared) that I don't want to revisit in detail, but suffice it to say that I discovered, much to my surprise, that this random habit of running that I had begun in order to get fitter and thinner had become something more. Much more.

I am still at the beginning of the adventure, but I am pretty sure that running has a lot more to teach me. I may never break a 7 minute mile (although I am pretty sure I'll break an 8 minute mile sometime soon). I will likely never win a race (unless it is a very small race). I might not make my 2011 marathon goal. (It might be 2012.)

But, I am pretty sure that I am going to be running, and I am going to be a runner, for a very long time.

Hi, my name is Stephanie. I am a runner.

My PT is trying to kill me

So, my knee crapped out on me a couple months back, which led me to meet my wonderful S&M master physical therapist, D, who I leave veiled in anonymity for his own protection, as he might be embarrassed at my hyperbolic tales and crazed whining mixed with fawning worshipfulness I fear other would-be therapy patients would overwhelm the switchboard at his office or stalk him around town mercilessly for help with their own issues after reading this post.

Yes, there is an apparent disconnect between my title of this post and calling him wonderful, but he really is both wonderful and also trying to kill me.

The (silly) sports medicine doctor who took my knee x-rays & told me that I hyperpronate & I need to stretch more & get orthotics was apparently full of bunk not thinking through all the options. D has a different approach. D thinks orthotics are for sissies a short cut and not an optimal solution for me. He believes that I need to both learn better running form and also strengthen my weak body parts so that they all align properly when I run without the crutch of orthotics. This seems like a more organic approach than putting firm plastic inserts into my shoes for the rest of my life, and D is proving to be both an awesome athlete and also a thoughtful and skillful PT, so I have put my faith in him.

My faith has been rewarded. He has brought me from a puddle of crying, miserable, insomniac bitchiness who couldn't run at all for three weeks back to a cheerful, exhausted, sore, happy runner. I am very thankful, and I am also confident that he'll remain my go-to PT and coach for the future as, over time, I learn to run in a way that allows me to increase my mileage and just run, run, run as I love to do, without injuring myself to an extent that inhibits that running. If I get to my marathon in September, then I will be sending him flowers. Or maybe a liter of vodka. I guess I'll have to get to know him better in order to decide what to send him, but I'll be sending him something good.

About twice a week (as long as the insurance holds out), I see D for S&M torture sessions therapy appointments. During these sessions he tries to kill me teaches me better running form and also assigns me various daily masochistic assignments strengthening exercises. He also applies "modalities" to my knee that involve administering steroids through both ultrasound and electroshock therapy some kind of mysterious electrodes that zap steroids through my skin and into deeper tissues.

Of course, as anyone who has rehabbed an injury lately could guess, ice has become my new best friend. One thing everyone seems to agree about is how wonderful ice is for this kind of injury. D takes it to a new level, however. Other pansies experts advise you to put a towel between the icepack and your skin. Not D. If the skin isn't glowing red and ice cold to the touch when you take the ice pack off, it isn't cold enough. In fact, forget the ice pack. . . even better is an ice massage, massaging the skin directly with a hunk of ice frozen in a dixie cup. Massage until the skin is the optimum shade of red, dimpled, numb, and cold to the touch. Of course, once it is numb, you no longer feel the cold, so that is a bonus.

The running form work was my first massive challenge. It began with changing my cadence from 80 to 90 strides per minute. This was a near death experience hell of a challenge. My maximum heart rate is high naturally, around 200, so a relatively high heart rate is not particularly worrisome. However, at a cadence of 90, my heart rate was constantly in my I'm-about-to-die-zone Zone 5 (over 180 bpm) for the first week or so (about 15 running miles) at the new cadence. Add to this that I was actually running along with an actual physical, clicking, ticking, tocking metronome on the treadmill and the trails. I am sure the people who saw me in my extreme state of exertion, constantly watching the handheld clicking time bomb metronome, made some interesting comments about my obvious insanity to their walking partners.

Thankfully, over the following handful of runs, my heart rate normalized to the point where I could then run at the new cadence at a normal heart rate. D explained to me that as I adjusted to the new cadence, my body was exerting a lot of unnecessary muscles, but once I 'got it', those unneeded muscles could relax, thus my heart rate normalized. This was pretty impressive to me, and taught me to trust D's judgment.

Once I got the cadence down (and thereby my foot fall much improved to more of a midfoot strike instead of a heel strike), D moved me on to the next form challenges. About once a week, he puts me through various running drills in the parking lot at the PT place or on the treadmill. He has me stop sticking my ass out correct my pelvic tilt, suck in my gut engage my abdominal muscles, land quietly (as opposed to landing like an elephant dropped from the second story), keep my arms high and loose (as opposed to the frozen robot stance), hold my chest high and upright (doesn't he realize I am about to fall over?), put bounce in my step (really? now?), and of course, above all relax, relax, relax. That was not actually a joke. That is actually what he tells me to do. All at the same time.

Yesterday, D had me run "as fast as you can" across the parking lot a few times, and has added that to my homework regimen at the end of all runs. You know, just run as fast as you can, just to see how your form is going when you are running away from a bear as fast as you can. No problem. Umhmm.

Of course, while D is having me do these drills, he occasionally jogs along side me to watch my form. While I am running at top speed, as in away from a man eating bear, with sweat dripping down my tomato red face, D is jogging slowly alongside me in his professional dress khakis without breathing hard. How it is physically possible for us two similarly sized human beings to be doing two completely disparate activities (me running from a man eating bear; D jogging gently through a field of daisies) but seemingly traveling at identical speeds escapes my understanding of basic laws of nature. I think maybe it has something to do with Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, but I'm not really sure about that.

The other key to improving my running health is apparently strengthening various muscle groups which are needed to maintain said good running form. Apparently, many seemingly unrelated body parts can contribute to my incredibly ridiculous wild assed knock kneed running gait. My first strengthening assignments focused on my flat weak ass glutes and saddle bags hips, and he has since moved on to my soft squishy belly abdominal muscles.

I now have eleven different strengthening exercises to do each day. I don't know the real names of most of these exercises. My new favorite this week is the one legged squats balancing on a small step, with a strong rubber band attached to the working knee with the intent of knocking me over & breaking my neck strengthening the various stabilizing muscles.

Torture implements strength training tools currently used include:

• Kettle ball & dumbbells
• Giant rubber ball (upon which I rest either my feet or my shins, with either my back or hands on the ground, and proceed to do a series of bridges and/or planks)
• Giant rubber bands
• Blood pressure cuff (upon which I tilt my lower back/pelvis while engaging my lower abs and then bicycling my legs while not allowing the pressure reading to lessen) 

Some of my exercises are assigned simply as a certain number or reps. Other ones are assigned to do "with as much weight and as many reps as needed to cause pain. Then do two or three more. Then stop." This is an amusing method if you think about it.

Needless to say, my ass, hips, abdomen, and back are in a constant state of tenderness. My leg muscles only get sore occasionally, but the rest is constant.

I'm back up to running 5 milers, and am allowed 6 on Easter day. So, I am happy, happy, happy about that. I don't know why I am driven to run, but I am very, very driven. I am willing to do whatever I have to do in order to run my nice long runs once again. I'm getting close to my favorite 7-10 mile distances, and am just hoping that all this work allows me to get there soon without another setback.

Some days I wonder, with at least a touch of seriousness, if D assigns me these challenges to keep me so distracted, sore, and exhausted that I relent from my ever present quest to get him to allow me 'one more mile' each week. (He usually relents, but with moronic sensible rules like no running down hill and no running the day after a 5+ miler.)

Most of the time I am confident D has my best interest at heart, but other days I do wonder, just a little, if he is actually trying to kill me.

Disclaimer: any resemblance to anyone living or dead is perfectly accurate purely coincidental. No, really, D only pushes me hard because I beg for more every time I see him. It's not that he's actually a sadist, it's just that he's willing to feed my masochistic tendencies for my own good. I'm the crazy one, not D.

Running for 6 Months

My first couch 2 5k run was 8/31/2010.

As I hit my 6 month mark, I thought I'd summarize some changes in me that I observe. . .

6 months after my first run of c25k. . .

• I can run 10 miles, where as I couldn't run 1 mile.
• I haven't taken a xanax in 6 months.
• I sleep like a baby. That's without Benadryl or Xanax.
• I much more rarely lose my temper with husband or kids.
• Work stress & money stress & the world is crazy stress (generally) rolls right off me.
• I have several friendships that have deepened greatly due to long, no-limits conversations running.
• I am 25 lb lighter (23 BMI as opposed to 27).
• My kids say things like, "Mom is strong." or "Mom is such a strong runner." when they don't even realize I am listening.
• I am taking yoga several times a week.
• I eat healthier foods most of the time, but still enjoy my chocoloate chip cookie dough by the bowlful.
• I see friends for just-me time several times a week, talking while running, walking, or going to a yoga class. 6 months ago I got one hour just-me time walking with friends a week. Now I get 3-6 hours friend time each week.
• I am running 20-25 miles a week.
• My husband has been motivated/inspired by me to take up running as well, completed c25k a couple months after I did, ran 20 miles last week with a long run over 9 miles. We're doing my favorite loop in the morning -- but a shortish one, so just 7 miles. . . since I did 6.5 today and am nursing an IT band issue.
• I have discovered many muscles and other structures I never imagined having. Mostly by 1) hurting them & 2) seeing how pretty & muscley they look.
• My kids want to run, do run, and will run more.
• I have bought a treadmill, two pairs of running shoes, more underarmour than I care to admit, running gloves, headband, ipod shuffle, a $400 watch. . . and can't imagine anything more worthwhile than every running item I've bought. I'd spend every dollar all over again tomorrow if you told me I had to in order to run the next day.
• I have had 4 minor injuries, one requiring a trip to the doctor, and one more appt in the offing, but none that stopped me from running for more than a few days.
• I have signed up for a half marathon in April, and am planning for a marathon in September. Two things I'd never have imagined 6 months ago.

How about you? What's changed in your life due to running?

First 10 Miler

Short story:

I successfully completed a grueling 10 miles on the hills. (1300 ft ascent, 1300 ft descent, for an average grade of 5%, including a continuous 0.6 mile hill with a 9 grade). Total time 2hr 10 min (13:04 min/mi average).

Longer story:

My first double digit run started out poorly, as I had turned off the 8 AM alarm. . . and didn't wake back up 'till 8:45 when the phone rang. I was supposed to be hitting the road at 9!

Add to that, my period started yesterday, and I am not real comfy with the whole tampon thing (sorry for the TMI, gents), so I'd really wanted to get up an hour early to get all set with that in addition to getting hydrated & fueled up. Anyway, that worked out fine, thankfully, but I was pretty agitated about it.

So anyway, the ringing phone was running buddy #2, who had gotten my email last night & was up for running. So, she was going to meet me and running buddy #1 at the 2 mile point (actually 2.3 miles) in my run . . . at precisely 9:30. (This God awful early timing had been dictated my running buddy #1's kid schedule today. Scheduling a group run is going to be a lot easier when all the kids enter college in a decade or so. . . as long as our knees last that long.) In my 15 minute window, I took care of the necessities, tossed back a couple tablespoons of yogurt & a few swigs of water, and got out the door right on time.

At 9:29, I arrived at designated meet-up point right on time for our 9:30 meet up. NO WAITING CARS! WTF?!?!? Last time I had told #1 that I'd ditch her if she wasn't there on time, but I hadn’t warned either of them this time. I am usually so easy going about lateness: pre-run, kid coordinating, whatever, no problem. I don’t mind being the first and waiting; but that’s not when I am mid-run!! This STINKS!

I decide to give them 5 minutes, no more. I paused my Garmin, stretch, watch the clock on my Garmin, stretch some more, struggle against unreasonably extreme irritation, and realize that #1 was bringing me water – both for swigging now & for picking up at Mile 8 for the final 2 miles. I am really steamed now; I was counting on that water. Lose-Lose. If I ditch them, I am being a bitch, AND I am waterless for 10 miles. If I wait, I will be a bitch to them anyways with recriminations, AND I get cold, stiff, & mess up my first 10 miler.  UGH. I figure they can run with each other, and I’ll take option LOSE #1 as the 5 minutes draws to a close. With my toe, in the snow, I draw an arrow & sign my initials to indicate my direction. . . look up the road once more. . .

Then, right at 9:35, #1 pulls up. Thank goodness. Apologies, swigs of water, phone call to #2. . . and I am calming down. However, I don’t want to wait another 7 minutes for #2. We’re outta here, and #2 will have to try to find us based on my abbreviated description of where we’re headed.

So, anyway, #2 caught up with us less than a mile later, found a place to pull off to park, and joined us.

Lessons learned: Have a drop dead time for meet-ups mid run. I think I’ll have a 5 min window.

Rule 1: Drivers get there first; runners leave if driver not there waiting. Period.

Rule 2: Don’t count on running buddy for water. Carry it, or stash it ahead of time.

We had a nice time together, and I agreed to forgive their lateness conditioned upon them agreeing to forgive my irritability. Next time, we’ll have a plan: they won’t be late; but I’ll leave if they are.

So, the actual running went fairly smoothly, but I felt tired and slow. I ran a bit slower than other similar recent runs (13:04 min/mi instead of upper 12s), but my heart rate was also a lot slower. Heck, I burned fewer calories doing 10 miles today than I did in 9 miles on the same route 5 days ago! I don’t know if it was the sudden waking, the early (for me) hour, overtraining, irritation, or what, but I just wasn’t gung ho to crank up the pace. I guess I was more nervous about the footing as a fresh coat of powdery snow combined with a hard freeze made the roads icy. I guess just didn’t feel as happy as I usually do running that route. My knees ached a bit, but my ankles and the rest of me was fine. I spent a lot of time with ice packs this afternoon, and took 600 mg ibuprofen, which has me feeling pretty decent. I’m already looking forward to my next run, so I guess I am doing OK.

The extra mile I added today (to make the 9 mile route I’d done before into a 10 mile run) was an out-n-back spur on a back road at the far end of my lollipop loop. It was amazingly beautiful. You drop into this pine grove and the pine forest aroma knocked me off my socks it was so rich and wonderful. There is a nice big loop back there (with a monster hill) that I could add to the route, but it’d add about 4 miles, so I’ll either have to wait for it until I am up to 13 miles (4 more weeks according to the plan), or park at the 2 mile cross roads, allowing for a 9 mile loop. Maybe I could do that next week as a shorter run? Can I make the 9 miler fit within my training plan soon? With kid commitments early in the week, and travel at the end of the week, the only realistic day this week would be Monday, which is technically still *this* training week, and that would make my weekly mileage a highly illegal 28 miles (max 26 this week, not to mention that’s just 2 days away). I guess I have to wait at least 10 days or so to explore that loop. I will make time to drive it ASAP, though, so I can make sure the roads connect the way the maps show them. Humph.

The total mileage felt long. I was slower my last mile than I usually am; I didn’t get that last mile burst of energy I usually do. I think I missed listening to my tunes, as I left the earbuds out of my ears most of the time since I had friends along. I should have plugged them in and tuned out a bit, especially when I was irritated with the waiting.