Having an injury sure puts things in perspective. I've been able to run a minimum of 4 miles easily for 20+ years now and on most weeks, I run a long run of 10 - 12 miles on Saturday. But now that I'm not running much, when I do run, I feel like I'm just starting for the first time.
So, today, Evan left his homework at home and I was heading out for a 3-miler. I thought, why don't I just run it out to Monfort, which is 3 miles from my house (but that means I have to run home, making it a 6-miler). No problem, I thought, I can do it! Its probably ok to run that far now, isn't it???
So I did and well, lets just say that I made it home without totally puking up my breakfast. I felt like crap 2 miles into the run - almost like I was going to faint. Arrgghhh...I didn't expect to feel like that!
With Evan's homework sheets scrolled up in my hand, I plodded on. But it was so weird...I had run this distance for years and years, on this same road, and for the first time, I thought I wouldn't make it.
But I did and actually, on the way home I felt better than on the way out. Maybe it was because I swam this morning (got in a mere 1000 yards today) and my body was just tired or maybe its because I'm getting older and I refuse to accept this minor fact (ya think?)...
Either way, I'm happy I was able to run that far. I need to be running again and I've decided to just go for it and live with the pain. I'll continue with PT but I can't wait any longer.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Parenting Trumps a Group Run
Well, its Saturday and my friends are all running at 8:00 this morning. They are running 12 miles and I would LOVE to be running with them. When my kids' soccer games for today were cancelled last night, I thought "yippee, I can run with the group" (at least start off with them and turn back after 3-4 miles).
But then the phone rang. It was the mom of one of Katerina's friends, who wanted to know if she could spend the night. Of course she can, that would be great. Katerina is at the age where friends are starting to be important to her so she was over the moon when I told her.
So, it would be just me and Evan for the evening (Kurt is out of town). I had never spent an evening with just Evan so this would be pretty cool (and it was). But it dawned on me that leaving to run with the group would mean leaving him alone, which is a whole different ball game than leaving the two kids alone.
At first I thought "no problem, he'll be fine" but then after remembering that my mother is also out of town, I realized that I couldn't say "if you get scared, you can call Daddy or grandma". Neither of them are around this morning and that would make being left alone seem even lonelier.
Bear in mind that this is a kid who LOVES his computer and who LOVES it when I'm gone because that means he gets to play his computer. I let him do that because it totally preoccupies him and he won't bug his sister when I'm gone. But this time, he would know that not only am I gone, but there is no one for him to call if he got scared. Not good.
And...one more reason I need to stay put....the wind. It is howling outside and it scares him to death. For some reason, he does not like ths sound of the wind. So, it looks like a ride on the trainer for me!
That's ok, I'd rather stay here with him anyway. The group runs are great but so is hangin' out with my son. He'd be happy as a clam if he could play his computer games while I rode my bike in the basement.
Such is the life of an Iron Quest Mama!
But then the phone rang. It was the mom of one of Katerina's friends, who wanted to know if she could spend the night. Of course she can, that would be great. Katerina is at the age where friends are starting to be important to her so she was over the moon when I told her.
So, it would be just me and Evan for the evening (Kurt is out of town). I had never spent an evening with just Evan so this would be pretty cool (and it was). But it dawned on me that leaving to run with the group would mean leaving him alone, which is a whole different ball game than leaving the two kids alone.
At first I thought "no problem, he'll be fine" but then after remembering that my mother is also out of town, I realized that I couldn't say "if you get scared, you can call Daddy or grandma". Neither of them are around this morning and that would make being left alone seem even lonelier.
Bear in mind that this is a kid who LOVES his computer and who LOVES it when I'm gone because that means he gets to play his computer. I let him do that because it totally preoccupies him and he won't bug his sister when I'm gone. But this time, he would know that not only am I gone, but there is no one for him to call if he got scared. Not good.
And...one more reason I need to stay put....the wind. It is howling outside and it scares him to death. For some reason, he does not like ths sound of the wind. So, it looks like a ride on the trainer for me!
That's ok, I'd rather stay here with him anyway. The group runs are great but so is hangin' out with my son. He'd be happy as a clam if he could play his computer games while I rode my bike in the basement.
Such is the life of an Iron Quest Mama!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Surprise - A Good Swim!
Wonders never cease, my mother used to say. And today one of those wonders happened at Master's swim practice: I had a really good swim!
It was weird all the way around. I woke with a start at 4:50 AM (I rarely bold anything but this deserves bolding). I got up and felt strangely wide awake. Still, I drank my usual 1.5 cups of coffee and had so much energy, I almost bolted from the couch to get to the pool.
I was in the water by 6:20 and took off like a bat out of you-know-where. Sarah was already there (of course) and we shared a lane. Kurt came in 15 mins later (he rides his bike) and we 3 shared a lane.
I felt strong and swift. Even though I can't keep up with well, anyone, at Master's swim, I still swam fast. Richard wasn't there but he had emailed Todd the workout so we did it on our own:
Warm-up: 200 free, 200 kick, 200 pull
Main set:
3 x 200's
4 x 100's, alternating choice with free, descending (slow to fast), 30 seconds rest
6 x 50's, breathing every 5th stroke (what was Richard thinking?)
6 x 25's, odds easy, evens fast
I don't remember all the details but this was pretty much it. There was a cool-down kick thing but I couldn't stay that long. Although this was one of the easier workouts that Richard has had us do, I was still happy with how easy it felt for me. I could've easily swam (swum?) longer but just didn't have time (I have to leave by 7:00 to get my kids to school).
All in all, a good workout. Looking forward to swimming outside this summer, both in the pool and at the lake.
TTFN
It was weird all the way around. I woke with a start at 4:50 AM (I rarely bold anything but this deserves bolding). I got up and felt strangely wide awake. Still, I drank my usual 1.5 cups of coffee and had so much energy, I almost bolted from the couch to get to the pool.
I was in the water by 6:20 and took off like a bat out of you-know-where. Sarah was already there (of course) and we shared a lane. Kurt came in 15 mins later (he rides his bike) and we 3 shared a lane.
I felt strong and swift. Even though I can't keep up with well, anyone, at Master's swim, I still swam fast. Richard wasn't there but he had emailed Todd the workout so we did it on our own:
Warm-up: 200 free, 200 kick, 200 pull
Main set:
3 x 200's
4 x 100's, alternating choice with free, descending (slow to fast), 30 seconds rest
6 x 50's, breathing every 5th stroke (what was Richard thinking?)
6 x 25's, odds easy, evens fast
I don't remember all the details but this was pretty much it. There was a cool-down kick thing but I couldn't stay that long. Although this was one of the easier workouts that Richard has had us do, I was still happy with how easy it felt for me. I could've easily swam (swum?) longer but just didn't have time (I have to leave by 7:00 to get my kids to school).
All in all, a good workout. Looking forward to swimming outside this summer, both in the pool and at the lake.
TTFN
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Trying to Be Positive
Well, I ran 50 mins this morning (very slow) and didn't feel any pain. That is good. However, later on the pain came back with a vengeance. Sigh.
I shouldn't be surprised. After all, it is a strained muscle or something like that. And given how bad it has hurt in the last few months, I shouldn't have expected it to go away quickly.
So, back to PT on Thursday. I was going anyway but I didn't expect to be back at square one. Made an appt with Todd for more "trigger point dry needle therapy" and ultrasound treatment.
I know injuries are common in runners and that training for an Ironman raises the risk even higher. And I know its still early enough that it might heal in time for Arizona (although Boulder is in August and I need to be training for that race NOW). So I'm trying to be positive.
Just disappointed, that's all.
Tomorrow is Master's swim and then on Thursday, I'll do a hard Spinerval workout. Friday I'll swim again and Saturday I'll run 12. No, just kidding...I'll do a slow, wimpy little 4 mile run. BIG sigh.
I shouldn't be surprised. After all, it is a strained muscle or something like that. And given how bad it has hurt in the last few months, I shouldn't have expected it to go away quickly.
So, back to PT on Thursday. I was going anyway but I didn't expect to be back at square one. Made an appt with Todd for more "trigger point dry needle therapy" and ultrasound treatment.
I know injuries are common in runners and that training for an Ironman raises the risk even higher. And I know its still early enough that it might heal in time for Arizona (although Boulder is in August and I need to be training for that race NOW). So I'm trying to be positive.
Just disappointed, that's all.
Tomorrow is Master's swim and then on Thursday, I'll do a hard Spinerval workout. Friday I'll swim again and Saturday I'll run 12. No, just kidding...I'll do a slow, wimpy little 4 mile run. BIG sigh.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Brenda Ran Boston!
Anyway, she finished in 3:58, which is really a good time for a race like that. Boston is not a good race to PR in - there are thousands of people on a skinny road and its just not known for fast times. And from what I hear, she went out too fast and couldn't maintain that pace at the end. But good for her for trying!
I learned some things from Brenda. She was so diligent about her training and I really admire her for that. I took many shortcuts in my Ironman training and Brenda is the kind of person that if her training plan called for 10 miles and our training run ended up being 9.7, she would go out and run .3 mile more.
I was also amazed at how much she was running. One weekend when i ran with her, she had run 10 mile the day before, 20 on Saturday, spin bike on Sunday, 8 on Monday, 6 on Tuesday, 5 on Weds, off on Thursday and 10 again on Friday. It was insane! Never in my wildest dreams would I run that much when training for a marathon! Now, I look back at my training for marathons - back when I ran marathons - and I can see how wimpy my training was!
But there were no training plans back then. There wasn't even the internet back then, except for the last few I ran. All I knew was that I needed a long run every weekend and that's what I did. No speedwork, no tempo runs, no hill repeats, nada. Just 3-7 mile runs during the week and one long run on the weekend (and I took the other day off).
I'm happy for Brenda and looking forward to training with her for Arizona!
One more thing about Boston. I was so excited about running it and had such a wonderful time, that I wrote my all-time favorite article for the Greeley Tribune when I got back. At that time I was writing a monthly nutrition column and they asked me to write about my experience running the Boston marathon when I got back. I remember sitting at the computer and my hands just started writing. It flowed so easily whereas my nutrition columns were difficult or sometimes boring to write. This article came straight from my heart and i still treasure it to this day.
Now....what am I blogging about....oh yeah, training for the AZ Ironman triathlon! What have I dont this last week?
After seeing Todd last Weds for the amazing, fantastic, magical needle therapy that has literally worked wonders in my tensor fascia lata, I did the following:
Thursday: ran 38 mins slow and easy
Friday: swam 1400 yards
Saturday: ran 30 mins
Sunday: biked 31 miles - awesome ride!
Monday (today): Master's swim, 1600 fast yards - about killed my shoulders!
Tomorrow I have to get up super early but will plan to run for 45 mins before getting kids to school, then off to class.
Congrats to Brenda and here's to an exciting year ahead!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Things are looking up
This last week was crazy busy so I'm behind in blogging...
The good news is that my PT guy, Todd Smith (aka, muscle magician) tried a new treatment on my sore spot called intramuscular-something...and it involves sharp needles....but it might, just might, be a miracle. Really!
I can't believe I'm even saying that. I'm THE biggest skeptic around. I don't believe in most of what passes as "alternative medicine" and I definitely don't believe in acupunture. But this procedure is similar to acupuncture and well, it worked (if you define "worked" as there is no more pain).
I'm holding out to see if it comes back but right now, I have no pain when I run or walk. I still have pain when I get out of the car (but I fixed tha situation by swinging my legs around to face the other way, then putting my right leg down first - wa la!). And I've been taking Celebrex so it could be a combination of everything. But I was so excited I had to blog about it.
Too tired to write more...will finish this tomorrow. TTFN!
The good news is that my PT guy, Todd Smith (aka, muscle magician) tried a new treatment on my sore spot called intramuscular-something...and it involves sharp needles....but it might, just might, be a miracle. Really!
I can't believe I'm even saying that. I'm THE biggest skeptic around. I don't believe in most of what passes as "alternative medicine" and I definitely don't believe in acupunture. But this procedure is similar to acupuncture and well, it worked (if you define "worked" as there is no more pain).
I'm holding out to see if it comes back but right now, I have no pain when I run or walk. I still have pain when I get out of the car (but I fixed tha situation by swinging my legs around to face the other way, then putting my right leg down first - wa la!). And I've been taking Celebrex so it could be a combination of everything. But I was so excited I had to blog about it.
Too tired to write more...will finish this tomorrow. TTFN!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Biding My Time
We started a new 5-week session in Master's swim today. I actually got there on time (6:15 AM) and was in the water at 6:20 (can I hear a collective "wow"!). It seems that no matter how hard I try, I can't get there any earlier than that. And to be honest, I'm not sure I really need to but that's another story.
After warming up for 300 yds or so, Richard had us do 4 sets of 3 100's with a minute rest in between. After each set we were supposed to do an "easy 50" with a drill for the first 25 and freestyle the last 25. There was actually more detail to this workout but my brain shuts down after hearing the first half of what we're supposed to do! Honestly, I can never keep it straight, I just go when he says go and I stop when I see everyone else stop (no trouble there, I'm always the last one to stop).
Today I started with fins thinking I could kind of keep up. Natalie and Al were in the lane next to me, with Todd and Jim next to them. These people happen to be the fastest swimmers in our program and they lap me handily. Its like running with Doug Bell or some elite Boulderite. But people like that don't intimidate me - they're so far out of my league that I don't even think twice about it.
But Jade and Sarah are more like me and I try to keep up with them. I used to be able to be fairly close to their speed but not today. They were way ahead of me. I really had to keep myself from starting a pity party - I felt like a total clod. Even wearing fins, I couldn't keep up with them.
What's interesting is that sometimes I feel totally hypoxic when i swim, like I can't get my breath. And other times its smooth-sailing. Today I was hypoxic and strangely enough, I was kind of glad because it mimics how I feel in a triathlon sometimes. I get that panicky feel where i can't seem to breathe. I haven't had that feeling in a long, long time (thank God, because its horrible). But today I had a minor version of that happening and i just kept swimming.
I figured I swam my usual 1400 yards today and I think that's fine for now. Will start to increase it when we move outdoors in June. I plan to swim the perimeter of the lake at least twice a month (1.2 miles) all summer and fall, until we move back indoors. That's more swimming than i did last year and I had a decent swim time in Florida!
I wanted to run really bad after dropping off the kids. But I had a lot of school work to do and since I'm not supposed to be running much anyway, I decided to get the work done. I lifted for 20 mins and then worked on school stuff. In fact, I was sitting on my butt almost the entire day - UGH!
So, when it was time to go to Kat's soccer practice, I decided to take Daisy and try a short, easy run. I did, and ran about 2 miles, very easy and slow. I felt great and had no pain. But later I did, of course and i'm icing my hip right now.
All in all, not a bad day. Got a good swim workout in and lifting. Will keep going as planned...hope to be running again soon!
After warming up for 300 yds or so, Richard had us do 4 sets of 3 100's with a minute rest in between. After each set we were supposed to do an "easy 50" with a drill for the first 25 and freestyle the last 25. There was actually more detail to this workout but my brain shuts down after hearing the first half of what we're supposed to do! Honestly, I can never keep it straight, I just go when he says go and I stop when I see everyone else stop (no trouble there, I'm always the last one to stop).
Today I started with fins thinking I could kind of keep up. Natalie and Al were in the lane next to me, with Todd and Jim next to them. These people happen to be the fastest swimmers in our program and they lap me handily. Its like running with Doug Bell or some elite Boulderite. But people like that don't intimidate me - they're so far out of my league that I don't even think twice about it.
But Jade and Sarah are more like me and I try to keep up with them. I used to be able to be fairly close to their speed but not today. They were way ahead of me. I really had to keep myself from starting a pity party - I felt like a total clod. Even wearing fins, I couldn't keep up with them.
What's interesting is that sometimes I feel totally hypoxic when i swim, like I can't get my breath. And other times its smooth-sailing. Today I was hypoxic and strangely enough, I was kind of glad because it mimics how I feel in a triathlon sometimes. I get that panicky feel where i can't seem to breathe. I haven't had that feeling in a long, long time (thank God, because its horrible). But today I had a minor version of that happening and i just kept swimming.
I figured I swam my usual 1400 yards today and I think that's fine for now. Will start to increase it when we move outdoors in June. I plan to swim the perimeter of the lake at least twice a month (1.2 miles) all summer and fall, until we move back indoors. That's more swimming than i did last year and I had a decent swim time in Florida!
I wanted to run really bad after dropping off the kids. But I had a lot of school work to do and since I'm not supposed to be running much anyway, I decided to get the work done. I lifted for 20 mins and then worked on school stuff. In fact, I was sitting on my butt almost the entire day - UGH!
So, when it was time to go to Kat's soccer practice, I decided to take Daisy and try a short, easy run. I did, and ran about 2 miles, very easy and slow. I felt great and had no pain. But later I did, of course and i'm icing my hip right now.
All in all, not a bad day. Got a good swim workout in and lifting. Will keep going as planned...hope to be running again soon!
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