Back on Track.

Well, I pretty much left this blog hanging in the balance last fall.  When I last posted I was on my way to run the Chicago Marathon with a healing foot injury and a pretty skimpy training base due to an earlier knee issue that had landed me in PT most of the summer.  I will try and get my race recap on that event out eventually, but I am happy to report that I did finish that Marathon, and also completed another Half Marathon 2 weeks after that as well.  Following those 2 races, which I used the run/walk/run strategy, I gave my achy tendons a rest and pretty much took November and December completely off from running.  I then began a slow mile rebuild.  Fairly sporadic at first and eventually picking up to where I have been having some solid training weeks now since mid-March.  I am excited to report that I am back to running my miles consecutively without having to do the run/walk/run method.  That method is great, and was a true life saver for me last fall allowing me to do 2 halfs and a full marathon despite an injury, but if I can I prefer to run at a constant steady pace.  I've been paying more attention to my body, stretching and exercising problem areas for prevention, and making sure I don't increase my miles too quickly.  So far, so good :)

Here's the breakdown of tonight's run as an example of where I'm at currently...

I ran 5 miles.  It was 81 degrees and I left Abbie (our dog) at home this run.  I was able to negative split the run despite the heat.

I felt strong the entire run so I'm feeling better about my endurance level now.  I have 2 upcoming races on my calendar.  A 5K run on May 18th, and then a week later on May 25th I am running a half-marathon.  It feels so good to be back and to be running smoothly again without pain.  I am definitely back on track!

  Post-run photo 5/8/2013.

Peroneal Tendonitis.

Peroneal tendonitis...this is the diagnosis I got when I further freaked out about the pain in my foot and saw a podiatrist this past Tuesday.  Basically the tendon that goes behind the ankle bone and then along the outside edge of my foot is inflamed.  What is it with my tendons???  It seems they are very easily irritated these days and it's really beginning to irritate me!

The good news is that the podiatrist thought with resting it I should be able to run the marathon on Sunday.  He took some precautionary x-rays and all 3 films came back normal..Yay!  The area is not painful to the touch so I think it's a lot less severe than the patellar tendon injury I had.  I'm on a prescription NSAID, icing it, supporting it with KT tape, and most importantly not running at all.  It's hard not to test it out, but I want that area as healed as it can possibly be at the starting line so I'm trusting the regimen.

In other pre-race news it's going to be a chilly one this year!  Here's the forecasted conditions for the marathon as of today...

    
I haven't ever ran in temps this chilly for an endurance or long distance race before.  I've experienced this weather for a 5K, but I imagine dealing with these elements for 5 hours will bring a whole new aspect of running.  It should be interesting.  But it's the Chicago Marathon, and it can't help but be epic, and awesome, and super cool regardless of what mother nature throws at us.  Also, tons of runners posting to the marathon facebook page are very excited for these temperatures, especially since the last few years have been so hot in Chicago on race day.  I'm sure they know what they are talking about...after all this is only my 2nd marathon.  I'm hoping to embrace the cold and have a fabulous run!

Freaking out.

I haven't run since last Thursday when my 'new shoes' left my foot feeling very stressed.  It was even aching when walking so I wanted to give it sufficient time to calm down.  Today it felt pretty good even after walking the loop on my lunch break, so tonight I planned to go for an easy 2 mile run.  I laced up the new-new shoes that were the same everything as my old ones except for the color.  It did not go well and I'm freaking out!

Seriously 4 strides of running form into my workout and my foot cramped and had shooting pains underneath, on top, and along that outer edge of my left foot.  I stopped immediately and walked back home.  Now I have pain upon just walking again.  I could just scream, or cry, or both right now!  I'm sort of hoping it was more due to a charlie horse cramp since it felt a lot like that, but I'm skeptical.  I am so frustrated that I worked and worked to straighten out my knee issue with the ultimate goal to be able to run Chicago.  Now less than a week before the race I'm wondering if I'm going to be able to run, and not because of my knee (which is feeling great) but because some idiot at the running store put me in the wrong shoes.  My plan is to rest it and stretch it until it feels good again... which will hopefully be prior to Sunday.  I will be wearing my old shoes from now on until all fall races are complete!  I plan to pre-medicate with Ibuprofen on Sunday if it still feels sore since it definitely feels like a soft tissue injury.  My goal of getting in under 5 hours isn't looking as promising as it did a week ago when I crossed the half-marathon finish in under 2:10 :(  Please left foot heal quickly, and I promise never to make you wear those mean pink shoes again!!  

It's always something.

My current shoes, the ones I bought and posted about in March (here), have served their purpose but have become extremely worn out.  They have over 400 miles on them now and when I turn them over and look at the bottoms the tread is completely worn off of the heel on the outside edge on the left shoe, and close to being gone on the right.  Coincidentally the more worn side is the same side that I developed the patellar tendinitis on.  I loved these shoes, and the 3 or so pairs before them of the same model that I've run in, but I thought that maybe my shoe choice might have something to do with my injury.  Since I was going to Columbia to pick up my race packet before the Roots N Blues run anyway I decided to visit a running store there that does shoe fittings.  I brought my current shoes with me and explained to them about my injury and wondering if a new style of shoe would be appropriate.  They thought yes, and that I should go with a shoe without such an elevated heel height.  I tried on all different brands of shoes but Mizunos just conform to my foot so well that nothing else felt quite right.  The end result was the Mizuno Wave Precision 13...in bright pink and lime green!

I was in love with these shoes!  Super cool color scheme, felt great on my feet, and they did well on the trial run on the pavement out in their parking lot.  Plus they were somewhat cheaper than the Wave Creations I was used to buying so that was an extra bonus.  I knew I wouldn't wear them to the Roots N Blues half, but I was anxious to break them in so they would be road-ready for Chicago.

I ran in them for a 4 mile run this past Tuesday.  Everything started out great, but about half way through I started feeling some pain in my outside foot on the left.  I finished my run and chalked it up to the fact that I started out with too many miles in the new kicks.  Yesterday I decided to just go for 3 miles and to do the run/walk ratio instead.  Not good.  Even before I had the first mile down that same outside area was hurting again and feeling lots of stress.  I finished the 3 miler, but knew that these shoes would never work for Chicago...or any runs from now on for that matter.  I was very bummed.

So my first course of action after my run was to get online and order another pair of the trusty Wave Creations.  I placed my Amazon order last night around 7pm and selected next day shipping with my prime membership for $3.99.  Today I got an alert text on my phone at about 1pm that they had been delivered! That is crazy...shoes delivered to your doorstep in 18 hours...and tax-free too!  They aren't as cool in color scheme as the Precisions were, but I did get a bolder color this time around in the Creation model.

I am really hoping to be able to break these babies in during the next week so I can wear them to Chicago...my other Creations are really too worn down to make it another 26.2 miles, continuously at that.

So, you know me.  It's always something!  I'm going to keep the Precisions and wear them for non-running.  They feel fine to walk in, just not enough support for my heel-striking running gait.  I wouldn't normally spend that kind of money for some everyday tennis shoes, but since it happened this way I might as well keep them : )

Roots N Blues Half-Marathon 2012.

This past Saturday was the Roots N Blues N BBQ Half-Marathon in Columbia, MO.  It was also Steve's birthday, which makes him a totally awesome husband for agreeing to spend his special day taking me to my race and then spending the remainder of the afternoon at our daughter's softball tournament.  We did let him choose where he wanted to eat the night before to celebrate though...he picked a local hot wings place that we used to frequent when we lived in COMO.  Not the ideal 'pre-race meal', but I went with it and hoped for the best.  Luckily I didn't have any stomach issues before or during the race due to his spicy dinner choice.  

The half marathon was set to begin at 7am.  I had my alarm set for 5:00 am, but as usual on race day I woke up earlier than necessary on my own.  That worked out fine this time because it takes me longer to get race-ready these days.  I had to tape up both knees with KT tape which requires 3 strips per joint to be anchored, stretched appropriately, and secured with rubbing to heat up the adhesive.  I properly fueled and hydrated with a banana, breakfast cookie, and 2 bottles of water.  I did my dynamic stretching routine that I learned at PT.  All that combined with the multiple bathroom stops and I was pushing it to be done by 6:20 am to leave for the starting line.  Steve dropped me off a block from the start 30 minutes before scheduled start.  It was still dark  out and pretty chilly.  I used the porta-potty twice more before getting in the starting corral crowd.

The starting corral was set up very condensed with the 6 min/mile area through the Walkers section only spanning about 15 yards total.

We all just kinda smooshed into a big sea of runners that overlapped into Flat Branch Park.  There was no National Anthem and the race started about 4 minutes late without any kind of verbal warning.

This caught me off guard and my Garmin had gone into sleep mode so I spent the first minute or two after the gun trying to re-connect with the satellites and getting my interval program loaded.  My plan was to run the race with a 3:1 run/walk combo and I had created a program on my Garmin to alert me with vibration when to change these intervals.  It worked out great.

The first part of the race was through downtown Columbia and out near the Hospital where I once worked.  I couldn't help notice how much everything had changed since I worked there 7 years ago.  There were some hills in this part of the course but I really didn't notice them much since I had fresh legs and a lot of excitement from just getting the race underway.

We continued out towards the edge of town on Stadium Blvd, just as the sun was coming up.  The view of the crowd of runners ahead and the sun peeking out was very empowering.

At mile 3 we entered my favorite part of the race...the nature trail portion.  This section continued for 8 miles and was flat and shaded by trees.  The weather was perfect for running, by the way.  It was sunny with temperatures in the 50s to 60s throughout the race.  The nature trail terrain was also mostly crushed limestone which was a little better impact-wise than running on pavement.  I didn't have any issues with the trail being too narrow or crowded, and just really enjoyed the atmosphere of all the nature around me.

One of the unique things about doing the run/walk technique is that I yo-yo'd with a lot of the same runners throughout the race.  I would pass them when I was doing my run interval, and then they would pass me back when I took my walk break.  I'm sure a lot of them were wondering what in the heck I was doing stopping to walk all the time only to pass them up again a few minutes later.  I did meet one guy on the trail that asked me what interval I was doing...ahhh, someone who knew the strategy I was using.  He was doing a 3 min/30 sec ratio himself, and it made me feel better that I wasn't the only one using walk breaks to my advantage. 

Another 'first' that I did this race was that I fueled mid-run.  I have taken gatorade at the fluid stations before that have had it, but I have never taken GU or any of the other gels, chews, or carbohydrate substances.  This time I brought a sleeve of Clif Shot Bloks (citrus flavor) with me and took 3 bloks at mile 5 and the remaining 3 at mile 8.  They went down fairly easy and I could tell that they helped give me some more energy.  I will definitely be using these from now on in my longer distance races.  

At mile 11 came my least favorite part of the course.  We left the trail and got back onto the streets in a residential area.  It was hilly!!  I adjusted my intervals often during miles 11 and 12 to  be able to walk on the uphill climbs since there were several that were pretty steep.  I kept plugging along and once I saw the 12 mile marker I took out my walk intervals and ran in the last 1.1 miles.  

  

I was feeling pretty good...a whole lot better than I felt at the same point during the Nashville half that's for sure...and before I knew it I was at mile 13 with only 0.1 to go.

I finished strong and took a picture as I cleared the finish line.

My official chip time was 2:09:32.  I was very proud to come in under 2:10 using the run/walk method.  It definitely gave me some confidence and experience for my upcoming Chicago Marathon.  My knee felt great during and afterwards, and I really attribute this to the walk break strategy too.

My thoughts on this race are that I would definitely run it again.  I loved the trail portion of the race and the bands they had on the course and at the end in Flat Branch Park were very cool.  Another very cool thing about this race was the medal...I loved the bling!

Here's a look at the course the map and elevation from my Nike+ app.  Not joking that the last 3 miles were crapola hill-wise!  

All in all two thumbs up for the Roots N Blues Half!!  I hope to run it again next year, and maybe even get to enjoy the festival and BarBQ afterwards next time.  

Ready or Not...

It's been over a month since I last posted here...again...but that doesn't mean that I haven't been running.  Actually, my return from the patellar tendonitis/tendonosis injury that I suffered back in late June has been going very well recently.  I was pretty skeptical that I would be able to run the fall races that I had signed up and paid for prior to getting hurt.  Having to take a total of 7 weeks off of running completely, then the super slow re-introduction of jogging had me convinced I would no way be ready to run any kind of road race by this fall.  But things have been going very well with the knee, and not only am I still going to run all of those pre-planned races, I have also added another half-marathon to the schedule!  Just call me crazy!

First off, the low down on how my training has been building up over the past 2 months.  Like I said it was EXTREMELY slow at first.  But as my tendon grew stronger and I kept the inflammation and irritation at bay I have been making some pretty impressive progress.  Here are my recent mileage stats in graph form:

This graph is broken down by weeks.  Week 25 is when I did the 4 mile run that jacked up my knee so badly in June.  Then a tortuous 7 weeks off, with one stupid attempt at running a mile before my knee was ready.  I only made it 0.8 miles that day and it caused quite a set back in healing...lesson learned!!  Week 32 I started on the treadmill at PT.  I cautiously added time in 5-10 minute increments during week 33.  Week 34 brought my first outside running since the incident, and since then I have been riding the fine line between advancing my mileage and fitness while respecting the threshold level my knee will allow.  I've stuck to my plan of mainly extending the long runs on the weekends, resting well before and after those runs, and running short easy runs in between if my knee is feeling ok.  Yesterday (week 39) I ran 16 miles for my long run.  This distance seemed so unattainable a month ago!  I am convinced this progression is only possible because of the Run/Walk style I have been doing.  I'm so glad I stumbled upon the Galloway method!  Taping with KT tape for support and icing after each and every run has surely helped with the healing and progression as well, but giving my knee a rest with walk breaks mixed in has been the most beneficial for continuing training without re-injury.  Unfortunately I have run out of training time.  The Chicago Marathon is 2 1/2 weeks out and I am now entering taper mode to get my legs, and patellar tendon, rested and ready for the big day.  Sixteen miles will have to do for my longest distance prior to the race this time, ready or not.

Debonaire Dash 5K 2012:

This past Saturday I kicked off my fall race schedule with the Debonaire Dash 5K that is part of the fall festival in my hometown.  I have run this race the past 2 years, and it was actually the first road race I ever ran (read here).  This year the event had a change in date and a change in it's course route.  The change in date put it up against another 5K event in a bordering town and therefore only about 30 runners/walkers registered to participate.  My goals going in were to run the entire time (if my knee would allow it) and to maintain a 9.5 min/mile pace...this of course was contingent on my knee feeling good as I wasn't going to sacrifice a healthy knee for this or any 5K.  I'm happy to report that my knee felt fabulous throughout the race and I was able to run the entire 3.1 miles uninterrupted.  Surprisingly I ended up with a time of 26:18 and a 8:20 min/mile pace.  This was 2 minutes slower than last year's time, but 2 minutes faster than the first time I ran it (see sidebar).  Overall I was happy with my time and how my knee handled the pace and miles.  I got a medal for 1st place in my age group...sure I was the only one in my age group (LOL), but the hardware was still nice.  It was the perfect event to kick off my fall schedule of races.      

Next on the agenda is the half-marathon that I added a few weeks ago.  I am registered to run the Roots N Blues Half Marathon in Columbia, MO this coming Saturday.  I wanted to try out my run/walk/run method in a race format before going in green with it in Chicago.  The Roots N Blues race worked out perfectly since my daughter is playing in a softball tournament near COMO that same Saturday, so we will be in that area, and two of my friends that I ran the Nashville half with in April are running in this one also so I'll get to see them there.  Being that Chicago is only 2 weeks after this half I have no goals going in other than to complete it healthy.  Time is of no concern to me, I merely want to test the Galloway method and keep myself injury-free.  I am a sucker for race medals though so getting the hardware at the end will be a super cool bonus!  Race recap on how the Roots N Blues went for me to follow next week : )

Restart.

It's been one month since I last posted here, and 2 months now since 'the knee injury'.  What a roller-coaster this past 2 months have been!  I've been through pain, worry, frustration, depression, set backs, small advances, a defeated attitude, and now most recently encouraged that I'm finally near the end of this ordeal.  I have been going to PT for 5 weeks...first at 3 times a week, then 2 times weekly, and now I'm down to once a week sessions.  I've been doing all of my prescribed exercises and stretching religiously along the way in order to get this knee fixed.  On July 23rd I was finally allowed to jog and did a whopping 5 minutes on the treadmill at my PT session.  I was so happy because I didn't have any pain while running and thought it was the start to my comeback.  This was the Facebook status I posted that morning...

Unfortunately I had a return of symptoms later that evening and the next day with pain on stairs...it was emotionally very hard.  Another whole week of rest and ice before I could try running again, and it was devastating to me.  But, I was allowed to try the 5 minute jogging trial again the next week and this time I didn't relapse into pain.  Slowly I have been adding time to my jog-time and trying to find the threshold my knee will allow.  This past Thursday I ran 25 minutes on the treadmill without any rebound symptoms.  I have been asking for a week now if I could try and run outside, but my therapist wanted me to continue with the treadmill since it has more give and recoil.  I mentioned in passing that the Chicago Marathon is less than 2 months out now ; )  Friday I was given the green light to try an outside run over this weekend.  Yesterday I headed out on a gorgeous sunny and 74 degree morning for my first outside run in quite sometime.        

I of course did my dynamic stretching routine first, taped up with KT tape (the most wonderful stuff ever!), and walked a 5 minute warm-up before I cautiously began my run.  My plan was to do the Galloway run/walk/run method at a 3:1 ratio (which is what I plan to do on marathon day) and either stop if I felt any discomfort in my knee AT ALL or if I reached 5 miles.  I'm happy to report I made it the whole 5 miles without any pain.  And the 5 miles was relatively easy for me with the walk breaks intermixed in.  I've lost quite a bit of fitness and endurance in the 2 months I've been sidelined so that aspect also gave me new hope for fall races.  Looks like I will be a Galloway-girl for any runs over a 5K for awhile, but that is great by me.  I'm happy to be out on the road again and pain-free!!

So now I'm in restart mode.  I am going to take it slow during the week with low miles/time and then try and extend my long run on the weekend by a few miles each week.  I'm going to listen to my body in order not to derail my progress with doing too much too soon...which is probably what got me in this predicament in the first place.  If nothing else this injury has made me a smarter runner, and I'll probably be better off in the long run because of it.