Friday, April 28, 2006

Week 20 - Day 5: It is Time

Well, it is finally time. Briar and I got up and made it to the Rec Center around 6:00 a.m. this morning. Briar had 3 miles left to complete his 25.2 miles, and we decided ahead of time that we'd do an out and back on the greenway to get 2 miles (my training called for 2 miles), and then we'd go up to the track inside the rec center and do his last mile sprinting and walking. I really like for him to run a few sprints each time he runs distance, too, because I don't want to neglect any fast twitch muscles he might have. I've always heard if kids run distance and no sprints it makes them slow. We don't want that. So anyways, it was a beautiful morning. Briar was in a great mood, and as we approached the Little Duck River that runs through the park, we noticed it was steaming from where it was a little cool, but the sun was out bright. Briar really liked that. We also saw a deer and tried to get a picture, but it was too fast for us. We did our out and back right in twenty minutes. I felt good. Briar felt good too. We had a nice time. We got back to the rec center and I stretched while Briar sprinted a lap/walked a lap until he had his mile. We went to the Donut Palace afterwards because that's what he wanted for breakfast, went home and got ready, and then he was off to school.

My plans were to spend the day packing, cleaning, and getting ready to go to the Expo and the hotel tonight, but they were interrupted by my workplace, who called several times. I ended up having to log in and work for about 4 hours. Ugh. I was pretty upset. Anyways, we finally left around 4:30. We took Bo and Wrigley to my mother (they are coming to see me finish tommorrow - Holly too!! Yea!), and set out for Nashville. I liked the Expo, I thought it was better than last year. More free stuff anyways. I bought a couple of things...one shirt that I really like, and then we went to Olive Garden with Gary and Tracy. Then back to the hotel to rest.

I guess the next time I enter a post here, the marathon will be over! Say a prayer for me!!!!




Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Week 20 - Day 4: Getting Motivated!

Wow. I have the greatest sister in the world! Holly knows how I've been stressing about the marathon lately....and last night she left a surprise in my car. It was the lyrics to the song "Faith of the Heart", and a cd with it and 2 other motivational songs. The cd said "CMM 2006" The lyrics to "Faith of the Heart" are great. Holly is so thoughtful like that. I am hoping that she'll be doing a marathon pretty soon, too. Right now she's training for the RC Cola and Moon Pie 10 Miler in Bell Buckle this June. She's already up over 8 miles, so I'm sure she'll do great. She runs fast, too. She ran the 400 meter relay on the track team in school and was awesome. So when I got the cd, I put it in the computer and turned up the songs. Bo immediately ran to his room and came back with his guitar and played along! As you can see - he was really getting into it! His favorite song to sing with that guitar is "I love Rock n Roll"!!

So, I am feeling very motivated. I am excited. I'm still nervous, but it's not as much a sick nervous anymore. I have to trust that I did the training, I put in the miles, and I have rested well this week. Granted, maybe I shouldn't have chosen a plan that included running 6 days a week. Granted, I probably should have used a beginner plan of any kind rather than an Intermediate Plan for my first marathon. But that's all in the past and I can't go back now. I have rested well this week. I have been taking my Naprosen. I am as ready as I am going to be. This is going to be fun. How can it not be?!?!?! I love running. I have run my heart out for the past 20 weeks all for this one event...it's going to be fun.

No running again today. Just resting - sorta. I'm working a half day, and attending my great aunt's funeral this afternoon. I'm gonna make sure and get in the bed early tonight, because I want to get up and run my last 2 miles with Briar early Friday morning. Briar did another mile last night, putting him at 22 miles. He's gonna do 1 this afternoon, and 2.2 in the morning. Then he'll be ready to go.

Week 20 - Day 3: Stocking up

I am notorious for making a trip Wal-Mart, getting home, and realizing I forgot half the stuff I went for. And you can forget me happening to remember other stuff that I might need while I'm in there. I despise Wal-Mart (the closest Target is 30 minutes away)...so normally I walk in and try my best to stay focused on the task at hand and get in and out as quickly as possible. Which isn't very quick since they don't hire enough people to work the cash registers - UGH!!! But anyways, that's not what happened today! I went to Wal-Mart on my lunch break because I knew I needed 2 things - lotion and puppy food. I went in, got the lotion and puppy food, and it dawned on me that I need to buy some stuff to take Nashville with me Friday. I was so proud of myself for remembering - I am normally the one who gets in the car and says "Oh crap! I forgot my Gatorade - do you guys have an extra?!?!" So anyways, I stocked up. I bought a case of Orange Gatorade, a case of Aquafina, some Cliff bars, some Zone bars, and some Fig Newtons(my fave!). Leslie has been recommending Zone bars to me - so I am going to try one maybe tonight or tommorrow. She says they aren't as heavy in her stomach as a Clif bar, so I am up for trying one. I used to eat the Snickers Marathon bars because I love snickers....but after a few races of tasting it for the last several miles I couldn't bear to look at another one. So I've been eating Clif bars, and I am about at that same point with them too.

So anyways, I'm all stocked up with goodies for this weekend - I won't be running to Wal-Mart an hour before we leave...and I won't be having to bum Gatorade! I only need one more thing, and that's a pack of Sport Beans. I doubt I will eat them, but I want a pack with me anyways. I am pretty scared that I'm gonna miss them out on the course. I think they're around miles 10 and 20....When I get close I'm gonna be intently watching for them. I hope they are the Lime flavor.

On a positive note, I am a little more relaxed today. I slept late, and I'm doing no running until Friday. My sister, Holly, was gracious enough to let Briar spend the night with her last night so that he could get in a couple miles at the rec center with her this morning. That way, I got to rest, and Briar still got in his much needed 2 miles. That puts him up to 21. Haha - he is really getting down to the wire! He needs 2 tommorrow and 2.2 Friday to get up to 25.2 before Saturday. I am so proud of him! Many thanks, Holly - for helping me out this morning!

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Laughing At Myself

Michele just reminded me of something that is sooooo cracking me up about myself. Last year, after 3 or 4 triathlons - I had to freakin QUIT for the season because I was getting so stressed out trying to make sure I placed in my age group each time, it was wearing me out!!!! I must really be a freak...bottom line. I think Elizabeth and Michele are probably right - this is just nerves. I cannot believe myself. What happened to my Mental Fortitude?!?!?! You guys must really be cracking up at me. Anyways, if nerves are the culprit then I will take it...and I will try to remember this the next time I set out to do something I've never done before.

Week 20 - Days 1 and 2: The Final Week and I'm Vomiting

Oh my goodness. So Day 1, as I said previously, didn't work out for a run so I rested. I actually got into the bed on time and had a good night's sleep. I had previously arranged to meet my sister, Holly, at 5:30 a.m. for 5 miles on Day 2. The schedule had called for 5 miles of Fartlek on Day 1 and 4 miles on Day 2. Since I skipped out on day 1, I decided to just run an easy 5 miles miles this morning. We started at her house and ran the same route I did last week's 5 mile run. I felt okay until the last mile. We climbed a fairly steep little hill behind my friend, Sage's, house, and it wore me down. I got that same feeling I had during the last mile of the 8 mile run. But we kept going and finally finished the 5 miles in 49:04 - 9:49 pace again. I felt bad when we finished. Holly offered me a Flintstone's vitamin (she takes them every day), and I took her up on it because at this point I'll take anything to make me feel better. I went home and made coffee, got Briar out of bed for school, let Wrigley out, and started getting ready. I had drank quite a bit of water because I felt so tired, and then I started feeling sick. I didn't feel like coming to work, but I really felt like I needed to with the new contract phase in. My drive to work is about 20 minutes, and I felt really bad the whole way. And about the time I was about to pull into the parking lot.......I'll let you figure out the rest. I did manage to get my door open and hang my head out enough that I didn't get any on me. But it was violent (I alway make a scene when I vomit anyways). It was just a ton of water and the half of banana I ate when I got home from running. I don't know if it was the vitamin or what...but I did start feeling better shortly thereafter. I went on in to work and felt good enough to have Chicken Casserole for lunch.
I am thinking I may not do much of anything else until the marathon, Saturday. The schedule says 5M tommorrow, rest Thursday, 2 Friday, then race...but I may just do nothing other than the 2 miles Friday. I figured Briar and I could run those last 2 miles of our training together. Anyone...anyone...who has any comments or advice on my physical condition lately...they are coveted. I am very nervous about Saturday. I've never really followed a plan like this before...I've always just done my workouts whenever and however I could get them in. I've never really even tapered like this before...so just the fact that I'm not running a whole lot lately makes me nervous in itself. When I ran the CM Half Marathon last year, I did my longest run of 12 miles 6 days before the actual event, ran a couple of 4's the week of, and a 6 miler on the Thursday beforehand. I never really thought that might be too much for the week of the event. So this is just all new territory for me. The unknown is way too scary.

Week 19 - Day 6: Last Long Run

I am late getting Day 6 posted. Probably because it's nothing great to post. Anyways, Saturday, April 22nd was Day 6 of Week 19, and my last long run. The schedule called for 10 miles, but Leslie suggested a week ago that I not push myself for 10, and that I might want to consider 8 since I am somewhat fatigued lately. I did just that. I set out after Briar's ballgame (which we lost - ugh) around 4:00 p.m. from my house. It was rather warm, but comfortably warm. I love warm/hot weather. I know it can be a bummer to run in hot weather because you get dehydrated and your times aren't as good, but I think it's just so much better than cold weather. I'd rather it be way too hot than a little too cold. I am a little stubborn when it comes to wearing my fuel belt, though, and I refused to wear it since I wasn't going over 12. That was probably a mistake, because I could have used some extra fluid during the run. The 5 miles went pretty well...I kept telling myself that I wasn't hurting at all because I knew in the back of mind I needed to have a successful last long run. But after 5, I started getting tired again. Mile 6 I didn't feel well at all, and Mile 7 - 8.25(it was an extra quarter mile to my house) I struggled. Is this real or in my head? It felt very real, and my watch reflected it. The garmin said 8.25 miles 1:21:00. That's 9:49 pace.
I did not want to run any slower than 9:30 in the marathon, and I can't run 8 miles in that? My oh my. I really don't know what's going on. I could barely finish those 8 miles. I was climbing a hill at one point and could barely catch my breath. I sure hope race day anxiety and next week's extra rest give me something I don't have now. I don't know if I am going to come out of this funk in time or not, and I am very nervous about it. I have put in way too much time and sweat for this to be happening.
Sunday and Monday were rest days. I was going to run 4 or 5 on Monday, but my intentions were overcome by circumstances, which probably turned out for the best.

Friday, April 21, 2006

Week 19 - Days and 5: Working Overtime

Ok...so my marathon training lets up a bit. It's time to taper...but forget relaxing...we are starting this new contract at work, and now I am now on my 3rd 11 - 12 hour day in a row. UGH!!! This is Friday, and I am not even supposed to work on Friday! My normal schedule is Monday - Thursday, 8 hours a day, 32 hours a week. I take Friday to catch up all the laundry and have some fun with my kids. It's called a "modified schedule" here, and I sorta negotiated that into my contract when I got hired a couple years ago. I don't like working 5 days a week. I'd really rather work 2 or 3, but I saw that I was gonna do good to get 4, so I decided not to push my luck. Incase you are new to my blog, I am a software programmer. I do mostly VB6 and .Net development for a government contractor. So anyways...the software development is putting me under lately. If it's not one thing, it's another I guess.

Yesterday Briar and I got out at 5:15 a.m. and ran 3 miles through town. He ran the whole way, only stopping once to tie his shoe. He was loving it. We saw the sun rise (or actually just light up, since there was lots of cloud cover) , and he sang with his IPod again. We then went to the pool and played around a little bit and relaxed in the therapy pool. I started to try and swim laps, but realized that I was running out of time, so I just said forget it and had some fun with Briar.

Today I was going to ride my bike, but has rained again all day. I didn't even bring it to work, nor any workout clothes, so I guess today is just a rest day. Hopefully I will be rested for my so called long run tommorrow morning. The schedule calls for 10, but if I'm not feeling great it's gonna be 8.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Week 19 - Days 2 and 3: Love The Taper

I am enjoying the taper. For day 2, which was Tuesday, I opted to bike instead of the 3 mile run. I had my bike in my car, but I wasn't sure if I'd have to time to take a lunch break or not (we are in the middle of a phase in for a new contract...so I'm having to meet lots of deadlines this week). I finally came to a good stopping place, so I rode 17.53 miles in around 59 minutes. Not blazing by any means...but I didn't wanna get to serious since it's the first time I've been on the bike in a while. I did enjoy the change. And I always forget how much I love cycling until I get out and do it. I think it's having to deal with all the preparation it takes that keeps me from doing it more often. I can be a forgetful person, and if you forget, say - your biking shorts...well, too bad - you won't be biking (or atleast I won't be biking without that extra cushion!). One time I forgot my helmet. And I woulda been S.O.L. that time, except that J.T. was nice enough to bring it to me at work (all the way to Tullahoma). So anyways, I got in a little bike ride and then drove over to GNC and got a smoothie for lunch. We finished up the day at the ball park...we defeated Bush Insurance to remain the only undefeated team. YEAH!

Day 3 (Wednesday), today, called for 5 miles. I got out around 5:30 a.m. and ran 5 pleasant miles through town in 47:14. It was a beautiful morning. I did some measuring too, with my GPS. For anyone that's interested, it is 1.1 miles from the rec center door to Hwy 55. And it's .53 miles to the main intersection, and then .96 from their to the bottom of jail hill - the little winding greenway sidewalk, to be exact. I did that and then a modification of that loop to get 5 miles. I finished up the workout by doing some weights at the rec center.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Week 19 - Day1: Happy Easter (late) and Back to Running

We had a nice Easter at the Sain house this past weekend. Bo got a new baseball glove and some baseballs and several other things, and Briar got his IPod Nano. I don't have the pictures with me right now, but I'll come back and post some of them later. Bo has worn the baseball glove non-stop - he even sleeps with it. And Briar loves the IPod. He got to run with it for the first time yesterday (Monday).

The schedule called for 4 miles after my rest day of Sunday (and boy did I rest-I even took a nap!). I didn't make it out of bed early, but Briar and I set out to run around 6 p.m. He was loving the tunes on the IPod(I wish I would've taken pics). He sang every song inspite of being out of breath alot! We ran an out and back from our house that totaled 2.5 miles, and then I kept going down Hwy 41 for another 1.5 to get 4 miles in 37:40. Briar was only going to run 2 miles, but we remembered that he had an extra half mile he had ran a couple weeks ago that he had never logged, so he wanted to go ahead and run another half to make it even. That put him at 16 miles. That leaves him 9.2 miles before the CMM. He's cutting it kind of close with everything else he has going on...but I'm sure he will make it.

The 4 miles I ran felt pretty good. I slept late again this morning, although I didn't get in the bed until 11:30 p.m. last night. I felt tired this morning, but I feel pretty good now. I've been taking the NapraPak that Jay prescribed me. I probably won't know if it's helping, though, until I try to run 10 this weekend, because my knee usually doesn't hurt until around 10 miles.

It's a beautiful day outside today. I haven't decided what kind of exercise I'm going to do today, if any. We have a baseball game tonight at 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Week 18 - Day 6: Still Struggling...

God, it's so painful when something that's so close
Is still so far out of reach
-Tom Petty
Tom Petty said it right, didn't he? I gotta tell ya - 26.2 miles seemed way out of reach Saturday. I'm saying - if the CMM had been scheduled for April 14th, I guess I would have had a DNF. That's a scary thought.
I set out around 9:40 a.m. Saturday morning to do my long run of 12 miles. I didn't feel great, but I didn't feel terrible either. I did take Aleve Friday night, so I was hopeful that my knee wouldn't cause too much pain. I started at my house and ran down to the intersection, up to and down interstate drive, took a right and headed down Hwy 55. As I crossed the road where the greenway meets Hwy 55, I heard someone yelling at me. It was Leslie and Jay. They were running up the greenway towards the road. Leslie was running on home to Willowbrook, and Jay was going to turn around and run back to the rec center and drive home. So I decide to run on out to Willowbrook with Leslie. I was right at 5 miles, and we figured Leslie's house was about 6 miles from where we were. I had been feeling a little weak, and was having to keep my pace around 10 min miles...so I warned her that I couldn't go fast. She said she was cool with it, so we took off. Around mile 8 I started feeling really bad. I was sweating profusely and my heart rate was getting higher and higher. I told her how bad I was struggling, and we slowed it down a little. I looked back at my gps and that mile was like 10:13 or something. Around mile 10 I didn't think I could even make it to her house. It was all I could do to keep putting one foot in front of the other. She was a great motivator...she keep trying to think of things to talk about to keep my mind off it...but I was really struggling - my heart rate was high for the pace, and I felt very weak. We made it to the Willowbrook entrance and my gps said 10.5 miles. So I told her was gonna run an out and back in order to go ahead and finish the 12 miles. I ran on down to the pro shop (half mile), then back to the entrance (half mile), then down to her house (half mile) for 12 miles in 2:03:00. The last mile took me 10:30. I downed a Gatorade in like 2 seconds when I got to her house. And I talked to Jay about my knee and he prescribed me some medication. I will be picking it up at Marcrom's Monday.
My knee didn't start hurting until around mile 10. And it really just tightened up a bit...not a whole lot of pain, but that's usually how it starts. Jay said I need an anti-inflammitory and need to try to some bike riding or strengthening exercises some instead of so many pounding runs. So I may start substituting a bike ride for a run this week.
I talked to Leslie in depth about the issue of not being able to run worth a crap at this point. I mean, 4 - 6 weeks ago I was running 22 and 24 milers without too much pain at all, other than ordinary fatigue. But this fatigue is something I've never experienced. It's like hidden....like...I don't realize how tired I am until I set out to run and can't make it. And it's not in my head at all. I will not my blame my mind for this one, because it was my mind that got me through the 12 miles. The body was saying "NO!", but mind said "YES!" and prevailed....not that it was the best thing, under the circumstances, for the body....but I desperately needed a mental victory this weekend. So anyways, Leslie said it's fairly normal to be very fatigued at this point in the training. She said after seeing how bad I struggled during the 12 that I may be a little more fatigued than I should be at this point...but that if I will taper pretty hard and let my body recover, it will come back. She seemed pretty confident of that, but it's hard to believe at this point. I am going to trust that, though, because it's really the only hope I have. Looking back, maybe we (or I) have tried to do too much for our (or my) first marathon experience. It just seemed to all be going fine until the injuries after Week 15, and then the failure of Week 17's long run. But, like Leslie said, I can't go back and change it now...I just have to do what needs to be done to get myself ready...even if it means resting.

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Week 18 - Day 5: Running With The Boys

Day 5 of Week 18 was Good Friday, and Briar got out of school at 12:30. So I talked him and Bo into going to the Westwood Jr. High Track with me. Briar needed to get in some more miles anyways...I think he only had about 12. So Bo and I picked him up and we headed to the track. I only needed 3 miles today. I had originally planned to go ahead and do my 12 miler today, but I didn't really see a way to get it in and get back in time to get Briar to school. So I stuck with the scheduled 3 miles. We had a good time...Briar ended up running 2 miles, and Bo ran quite a bit also. It was very warm, and we drained a water bottle that I had brought. When we got finished, I had a flash back of my high school basketball days and talked Briar into running some bleachers with me - He loved it. And just like in High School, about 3 am the next morning I woke up with a cramp in my calf!! Anyways, 3 more miles down for me. 2 more miles down for Briar.

Bo caught a ride back to the car!

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Week 18 - Day 4: Feeling Better

Ok. So now you probably think I'm manic. I went out and ran my 6 miles at lunch today while at work and felt pretty good. I failed to bring my Garmin to work with me today, so I didn't have to stare at my pace and yell at myself. Maybe that's why I felt better. I ran the same 6 mile route that Holly and I ran a couple weeks ago. The sun was shining beautifully, and it felt wonderful. I had mostly positive thoughts, and all in all I enjoyed the run. I'm going to go ahead and run my 12 miler tommorrow. I di d well with my diet today, and let me note that I did not eat breakfast. I am about to start thinking that eating breakfast is the culprit. I normally don't eat breakfast; I just drink coffee. But since I've been training hard, I started eating some oatmeal or cereal. The thing about it is that I always feel hungrier at lunch when I eat breakfast. It doesn't at all do for me what you would think it would. But everybody says you should eat it. I am starting to believe that my body just deals with eating breakfast different than the average Joe's.

WELL....it off to bed....

Week 18 - Day 3: Searching For Motivation

I got up Wednesday morning, got suited up with my running clothes and my gear, and set out for 6 miles through town. All in spite of the fact that I did not want to, and I would have rather laid in bed until 7 am. But I was hoping that the early morning run in the early days of spring would bring back some motivation. Just like it used to. I used to love to get out and start my day off with a 6 or 7 mile run through town while watching the sun rise and listening to the birds the sing. I used to feel this great appreciation for life and health with every step and every breath as I was running. But it's just not doing it for me lately. I felt like I was exerting major effort with every step, and was barely keeping a 10 min/mile pace. It was frustrating. I felt heavy, probably because I am, now that I've gained like 6 lbs in the past 10 weeks. I am really down and out about all this. Where has the joy of running gone? Where's the passion? The mental fortitude? The hunger for competition? At this point, I am running for 1 reason: To reach my goal of completing the marathon - because I started it and do not want to be a quitter.

I have searched the net for some motivation...and have found a little here and there. But not really anything to really rekindle the fire. I think that if I could drop these 6 lbs, that might just do the trick...but I am having a very difficult time with it. It's like my motivation for eating right has gone down the drain with my motivation for running. I really don't like this. I hope I'm not dead in the water. So for the meantime, I will continue searching for motivation...

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Week 18 - Day 2: 3 Miles at Lunch

My intentions were to go to the rec center this morning at 5:00 am and take Briar - but I turned the alarm off instead of hitting snooze and, instead, woke back up at 6:17 - too late to go to the rec center. So I packed my running clothes and did my 3 miles during my lunch break. It felt great outside, but I really didn't feel all that well. I was starving by the time I got to take my lunch break, and I always eat AFTER I run, not before...so I felt a little weak and shaky. But I was hopeful that perhaps I was burning off some fat that badly needs to come off. I ran the 3 miles in 28:12...not too great. But no knee pain - so that was great.
As I was coming back to the office, thinking about my appointment with Jay scheduled for this afternoon, I had an epiphany - if I go see Jay about my knee...then for any reason in the next several years I have to change insurance companies - they aren't going to give me any coverage on my knee. It'll be a pre-existing condition. I don't like pre-existing conditions. It's a long story, but I'll just say that they have previously cost me LOTS of money. So I cancelled my appointment. I'm not exactly sure what route I am going to take now...I'm going to keep taking Aleve and think it over for a while first.

Monday, April 10, 2006

Week 18 - Day 1: Back at it

The day after a long run is supposed to be rest or cross training. I chose cross training this morning at 5:30 am since my knee still hurt with every step. I went to the pool and swam a mile (32 laps) and totally enjoyed it! I appreciated the fact that I could get a work out without an injury nagging me and sending negative thoughts through my head. I wish I could swim like that with every trip to the pool. The water didn't bother ears...I was relaxed, and moving on. That whole water in the ears thing is probably mental anyways. Probably just a lack mental fortitude like most of whining is about. But I did have a good swim, and a good day at work.
While at work, I took Aleve until my knee stopped hurting. I started with 2, then took one more an hour later, then one more, and then one more until I could tell it was feeling better. That's probably a no no....but it helped my knee anyways. It helped enough that I decided to go ahead and try running my 5 miles of fartleks on the treadmill while Briar practiced with the swim team. I did the 5 miles in 44:46 and never felt pain in my knee. I am quite confused by this, unless it has everything to do with the Aleve. This morning, I could barely walk up the steps at the office on this knee - and by 5 p.m., it's carrying me 5 miles on the treadmill at less than 9 minutes/mile. I'm going ahead and going to see Jay tommorrow anyways, though. I still need some assurance that it's not going to break down on me after 10 miles.

Week 17 - Day 6: Failed

On Sunday, around 11:15, I set out for 22-24 miles. I didn't make it. I started at my house and ran back to Blanton's Chapel rd, then turned on Lyndel Bell Rd, then at Ward's Chapel. I headed back up towards Hwy 55, and crossed over the lake. I was fine until around mile 5 when my knee started acting up. Around mile 7 it subsided some, but the pain kicked back in shortly. There were lots of up and down hills in that run, and the downhills hurt badly. It was hurting so badly that I couldn't contain my form, and I felt like it was wearing me out. At one point, although the weather was pleasant, I got cold chills. I felt so exhausted that I drank all my water and gatorade by mile 11. At mile 13 I ran by Yogi's house hoping someone was home and could either fill my bottles up or just take me home, but no such luck. No one was at the house, and Yogi was mowing the yard intensely. I decided not to bother him, and felt like I could make it atleast to Chad Dyer's house which was a couple more miles down Hwy 55. I did make it, and was convinced by the time I got there that I did, indeed, need a ride home. My knee was in excrutiating pain with every step. Chad offered to take me home, and I finished up with a mere 15 miles.

Let me back up and say that this is probably all my fault. I think it may could have been prevented. I haven't been taking my Aleve, because I haven't felt much pain in 4 milers and less. Nor have I been icing it. I haven't been eating right, and I haven't been drinking my water. I felt dehydrated when I first started. I have been feeling sorry for myself for not having time to run and having all these nagging injuries. I have had ZERO mental fortitude. I really ashamed of myself, but have no other choice than to put it behind me and carry on. I made an appointment with Jay for tommorrow (Tuesday) to see if he can do something for my knee.

Friday, April 07, 2006

Week 17 - Days 1 thru 5: Time is hard to come by

Ok, I have been a little to0 busy lately. I will start by going over what kind of running I've been doing lately. First, since I ran 12 on Sunday, I decided to skip the 880s set for Monday. Instead, I ran 5 miles on my lunch break Monday. I figured the 880s might be bad for the shin. Then Tuesday, I just so happened to be in Chattanooga (long story), but I got up at 5:30 a.m., and ran 3 miles through downtown. Wednesday didn't work out for a run. 5:30 was out since J.T. had to leave by 6:00 a.m. for Chattanooga, and then I had to put in a full day at work, and then rush home for Briar's play practice at church. Thursday didn't work out for a run either, for a lot of the same reasons. My plan was to somewhere between 22 and 26 on Friday morning, but that didn't work out either. So instead, the kids and I went to the rec center and I ran 4 miles on the treadmill. Briar ran a mile on the track as well. I think he's got about 11.5 miles now. He's gonna have to get going on that.

Tommorrow is Little League Opening Day. We'll have to be on the square for the parade at 8:30 a.m., so I'll probably get up and do a 3 miler before that. Then Sunday I am going to try and squeeze in the long run. This will be the last really long run before the tapering starts. All I have to say is "bring on the taper!!!!".

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Week 16 - Day 5: Getting out of the slump

I've been in a slump. The last run I did, Thursday, was hard on my newly developed shin splints and my knee. They both hurt badly Friday, so I did nothing, and prepared to run my long run of 12 miles bright and early Saturday morning. I didn't make it, though, because when I got out of bed my shin hurt to even walk. I feel like it's a touchy situation at this stage in the game. There's like 4 weeks until the marathon, and I don't want to screw anything up, but I don't want to lose any of my fitness either. So I decided to rest again Saturday, and it about it drove me crazy. It is unreal how much a 'much needed' missed workout can affect my mental well being. I was down and out all day Saturday. Itching to go run, but upset that my shin was hurting so badly. At one point, I asked J.T. to come home and decided I was going to go on and run anyways. But other things came up, and I never did (you know how it goes - if I don't do it in the morning, it probably won't get done). So this morning (Sunday morning), I jumped out of bed ready to run my 12 miles. I ran all over town and got rained on a couple times, but I was so thankful to be running, I didn't care. It did wonders for my bad mood. I have accomplished 100 times what I normally would, just because I feel so much better today! During the 12 miles, my shin did hurt a couple times off and on, but nothing like before. And my knee got really tight - but nothing unbearable. If these things don't get a whole lot worse, I'll be fine. It looks like it may be something I just have to work with until the marathon is over, and I can give it the rest it needs to heal completely.