Saturday, February 27, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Is This a Test?
Because if it is I must be failing miserably!
So I ran all winter long, snow, ice, frigid temperatures, wind and the whole deal. I slogged through miles and miles both outdoors and on the treadmill just hoping that one day I'd be able to complete a race in a decent time.
I tried in Myrtle Beach. But they cancelled the race, so although I ran it was kind of a hollow victory. I was glad I'd already registered to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon on March 7th, because at least that gave me something to keep working for and look foward to. (Plus, bonus, I get a trip to FLORIDA!)
Back in Myrtle Beach I finally had that moment. It was about mile 7. Well, somewhere between miles 7 & 11 when I just felt on fire. It was amazing. I could feel my body working, doing the job it's supposed to do, all the parts working together to keep propelling me forward. My head was clear, my eyes were focused and I felt awesome. I remember thinking as I ran past all the people chilling out on Ocean Blvd. that this must be why people keep running. I won't call it a runner's high, but it was awesome. I felt powerful and quick and although I'd been running so long I was clearly sweating and red-faced, I felt beautiful and strong. It was truly incredible. I wanted to keep running forever. That's the moment I really made up my mind to be a runner for life.
And then came that moment in the last mile. That moment I felt pain in my knee and down my calf. I kept pushing, moving forward, sure I could finish. And of course I did. And I haven't been able to walk correctly since. I've been to two different doctors. I've heard several different possible explanations for the burning pain in my knee. Right now it could be tendonitis or stress fractures.
But I was certain it would get better. Ice, elevate, rest, I was doing everything right. I haven't run since MB. But it's just not improving. And today the dream came crashing down. The doctor gave me a choice actually. Don't run for a month and give it time to properly heal. OR run in 10 days and run the risk of further injury and not running anymore ever. I'll be honest with you, I was crying when I chose the former option. So no race at Disney World next weekend. No tiara on my head or crown shaped finisher's medal. No feeling of victory that I actually, finally accomplished a race. We'll still go to Disney that weekend, afterall, the tickets have already been purchased and Gideon and Lily are entered in the kid's races. But I'll feel a pang seeing all the other runners. Knowing that should be me.
Dr. said today that I could still bike and swim and do other activities that aren't putting so much pressure directly on that joint. But no running for a month. With any luck I'll be back in time for the SLC Marathon April 17th. But that time who knows if I'll be able to run at all given that I'll be out of shape.
So is this a test? And if so why am I being tested and what am I supposed to learn? That I'm not supposed to be a runner? I refuse to buy into the B.S. dumped on me by some people in my life who are now insisting that "we told you all along running is bad for you." I want to run if only to get back to that place internally that I finally accessed along Ocean Blvd. in Myrtle Beach. That place where I felt truly strong, beautiful and powerful, even if it was only for a few miles.
So I ran all winter long, snow, ice, frigid temperatures, wind and the whole deal. I slogged through miles and miles both outdoors and on the treadmill just hoping that one day I'd be able to complete a race in a decent time.
I tried in Myrtle Beach. But they cancelled the race, so although I ran it was kind of a hollow victory. I was glad I'd already registered to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon on March 7th, because at least that gave me something to keep working for and look foward to. (Plus, bonus, I get a trip to FLORIDA!)
Back in Myrtle Beach I finally had that moment. It was about mile 7. Well, somewhere between miles 7 & 11 when I just felt on fire. It was amazing. I could feel my body working, doing the job it's supposed to do, all the parts working together to keep propelling me forward. My head was clear, my eyes were focused and I felt awesome. I remember thinking as I ran past all the people chilling out on Ocean Blvd. that this must be why people keep running. I won't call it a runner's high, but it was awesome. I felt powerful and quick and although I'd been running so long I was clearly sweating and red-faced, I felt beautiful and strong. It was truly incredible. I wanted to keep running forever. That's the moment I really made up my mind to be a runner for life.
And then came that moment in the last mile. That moment I felt pain in my knee and down my calf. I kept pushing, moving forward, sure I could finish. And of course I did. And I haven't been able to walk correctly since. I've been to two different doctors. I've heard several different possible explanations for the burning pain in my knee. Right now it could be tendonitis or stress fractures.
But I was certain it would get better. Ice, elevate, rest, I was doing everything right. I haven't run since MB. But it's just not improving. And today the dream came crashing down. The doctor gave me a choice actually. Don't run for a month and give it time to properly heal. OR run in 10 days and run the risk of further injury and not running anymore ever. I'll be honest with you, I was crying when I chose the former option. So no race at Disney World next weekend. No tiara on my head or crown shaped finisher's medal. No feeling of victory that I actually, finally accomplished a race. We'll still go to Disney that weekend, afterall, the tickets have already been purchased and Gideon and Lily are entered in the kid's races. But I'll feel a pang seeing all the other runners. Knowing that should be me.
Dr. said today that I could still bike and swim and do other activities that aren't putting so much pressure directly on that joint. But no running for a month. With any luck I'll be back in time for the SLC Marathon April 17th. But that time who knows if I'll be able to run at all given that I'll be out of shape.
So is this a test? And if so why am I being tested and what am I supposed to learn? That I'm not supposed to be a runner? I refuse to buy into the B.S. dumped on me by some people in my life who are now insisting that "we told you all along running is bad for you." I want to run if only to get back to that place internally that I finally accessed along Ocean Blvd. in Myrtle Beach. That place where I felt truly strong, beautiful and powerful, even if it was only for a few miles.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
At Least they had an indoor pool!
Yeah we didn't use the outdoor pools or lazy river, although they do look like a lot of fun.
We stuck to the heated indoor pool & spa. It was heated enough that it felt great. And the water felt better on my bum leg than anything else!
Adam is apparently not as much fish as the rest of this gang!
Adrianna was getting around pretty well on her own (with a little help from floaties of course!)
Grandma & Emily
P-Dog in a duck!
That's Jonas & a little girl I didn't know.
Lydia didn't venture too far off the steps without adult help, but she was pretty fearless with someone to help her!
And Gideon is still part fish. He loved being in the water, stayed there until we were all prunes & screamed when he had to get out.
I know I look awful. I can't help it. I'd just run 13 miles & had a bum leg.
The spa was amazing.
We stuck to the heated indoor pool & spa. It was heated enough that it felt great. And the water felt better on my bum leg than anything else!
Adam is apparently not as much fish as the rest of this gang!
Adrianna was getting around pretty well on her own (with a little help from floaties of course!)
Grandma & Emily
P-Dog in a duck!
That's Jonas & a little girl I didn't know.
Lydia didn't venture too far off the steps without adult help, but she was pretty fearless with someone to help her!
And Gideon is still part fish. He loved being in the water, stayed there until we were all prunes & screamed when he had to get out.
I know I look awful. I can't help it. I'd just run 13 miles & had a bum leg.
The spa was amazing.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
We Did It Anyway!
So the Myrtle Beach City Council may have decided to cancel the marathon, but that didn't stop hundreds and hundreds of runners from hitting the streets & doing it anyway. All day long there were people running all over town. Our group decided we were going to do it anyway as well. But we didn't go out at 6:30 am. We figured if they weren't giving us our medals, we might as well wait for it to warm up a little before beginning.
Our group consisted of Me, Lindsey, Amelia, Heather, Wendy, Mollie & Jason. (Jason is my brother-in-law, he's married to my sister, Shiloh. Heather, Amelia & Mollie are his sisters, Lindsey is Heather's friend & Wendy is Jason's aunt.) Wendy, Mollie & Jason were signed up for the full marathon while the rest of us were signed up for the half. Jason's dad, Mike, was also signed up for the half, but he didn't make out with us.
As you can tell by our attire, I was the only one who had been training in cold weather. The rest of them live in North & South Carolina so it was frigid for them. Jason was proudly showing off his new cold gear tights!
Packing Jason's butt. Ummm...I mean fanny pack.
This is when we found out that they were going to give us our medals anyway. (I mean really what were they going to do with 10,000 race medals?)
A little pre-run fun!
Our Support Team! That's Grant, Cindy Sue (mom) & Travis, of course. Grant is Mollie's husband and he spent the entire day driving his van around, parking every 2-3 miles along our route so that we could get water, power bars & other necessities since the race water stations weren't in operation. Grant was seriously our superman! We couldn't have done it without him!
We started right around 11:00am, it was already 40 degrees so the snow was melting fast.
Travis's job was to drive while mom stuck her head and camera out the window like a dog & took pictures.
We managed to stick together pretty well for about the first 3 miles. After that it was each runner for themselves. But we expected that to happen. It's vital to run a comfortable pace for you because you'll run out of gas if you go too fast & you risk injury if you go too slowly. So we all found a good pace and stuck with it.
I ran the first 5 miles faster than I've ever done it before. It felt fantastic. I loved being at sea level. Plus it was warming up and felt absolutely amazing. By mile 7 I really found my groove and somehow managed to pull ahead of everyone. At our 9 mile water stop I was heading out by the time everyone else started to arrive. At mile 11 I was really feeling amazing. I was killing it! I waited at the stop for about 2 minutes while I walked and had my water, but I was so far ahead no one else even showed up by the time I took off.
It was at about 12.5 that my right leg started cramping. I've never cramped up before on a long run, but it didn't feel so bad that I felt like I should stop, so I just kept powering through. By the time I met up with my family I'd actually run about 13.3 instead of 13.1 & I knew I was going to be aching! But when I stopped my watch, I had run it in 2 hours 57 minutes and 2 seconds. And I didn't stop my watch at water stops or anything, so that was a pretty accurate time. I was really impressed with myself because I only walked while I was drinking my water. I didn't walk at all along the route. The bad news is, I've pulled a calf muscle, so for the rest of yesterday and all of today I can't walk! Seriously it hurts so bad to put weight on it that my 85 year old grandmother is moving faster than I am.
I don't know how far behind me Amelia finished. I visited with my mom & sister for a few minutes, and then I got in the car with my husband and son and we went in search of my medal while Cindy Sue & Cami waited for the others.
Heather was shortly behind Amelia & boy was she happy to be done. As it turns out, they didn't wait for Lindsey because she ended up going with Mike & Dru (Jason's parents.)
And yes, I got my medal! As I limped over the guy he said, "I can tell you ran today!" But he just smiled and gave me a medal! I was barely able to walk & looked very scary, but still felt great!
That night the 30 of us (which included 15 children ages 9 & under) had a big celebration dinner in one of the hotel suites.
This is me snuggling 3 week old Ransom. Travis says I look really old in this picture. I think I just look like I've run 13 miles and haven't put on any make-up.
My sisters Cami & Shiloh decided we needed trophies since we didn't get an official medal ceremony at the race! Nothing says "Way to Go!" Like a tin foil man on a greasy pizza box!
Yes, we all survived! And I for one, plan on doing it again. This time for real!
Our group consisted of Me, Lindsey, Amelia, Heather, Wendy, Mollie & Jason. (Jason is my brother-in-law, he's married to my sister, Shiloh. Heather, Amelia & Mollie are his sisters, Lindsey is Heather's friend & Wendy is Jason's aunt.) Wendy, Mollie & Jason were signed up for the full marathon while the rest of us were signed up for the half. Jason's dad, Mike, was also signed up for the half, but he didn't make out with us.
As you can tell by our attire, I was the only one who had been training in cold weather. The rest of them live in North & South Carolina so it was frigid for them. Jason was proudly showing off his new cold gear tights!
Packing Jason's butt. Ummm...I mean fanny pack.
This is when we found out that they were going to give us our medals anyway. (I mean really what were they going to do with 10,000 race medals?)
A little pre-run fun!
Our Support Team! That's Grant, Cindy Sue (mom) & Travis, of course. Grant is Mollie's husband and he spent the entire day driving his van around, parking every 2-3 miles along our route so that we could get water, power bars & other necessities since the race water stations weren't in operation. Grant was seriously our superman! We couldn't have done it without him!
We started right around 11:00am, it was already 40 degrees so the snow was melting fast.
Travis's job was to drive while mom stuck her head and camera out the window like a dog & took pictures.
We managed to stick together pretty well for about the first 3 miles. After that it was each runner for themselves. But we expected that to happen. It's vital to run a comfortable pace for you because you'll run out of gas if you go too fast & you risk injury if you go too slowly. So we all found a good pace and stuck with it.
I ran the first 5 miles faster than I've ever done it before. It felt fantastic. I loved being at sea level. Plus it was warming up and felt absolutely amazing. By mile 7 I really found my groove and somehow managed to pull ahead of everyone. At our 9 mile water stop I was heading out by the time everyone else started to arrive. At mile 11 I was really feeling amazing. I was killing it! I waited at the stop for about 2 minutes while I walked and had my water, but I was so far ahead no one else even showed up by the time I took off.
It was at about 12.5 that my right leg started cramping. I've never cramped up before on a long run, but it didn't feel so bad that I felt like I should stop, so I just kept powering through. By the time I met up with my family I'd actually run about 13.3 instead of 13.1 & I knew I was going to be aching! But when I stopped my watch, I had run it in 2 hours 57 minutes and 2 seconds. And I didn't stop my watch at water stops or anything, so that was a pretty accurate time. I was really impressed with myself because I only walked while I was drinking my water. I didn't walk at all along the route. The bad news is, I've pulled a calf muscle, so for the rest of yesterday and all of today I can't walk! Seriously it hurts so bad to put weight on it that my 85 year old grandmother is moving faster than I am.
I don't know how far behind me Amelia finished. I visited with my mom & sister for a few minutes, and then I got in the car with my husband and son and we went in search of my medal while Cindy Sue & Cami waited for the others.
Heather was shortly behind Amelia & boy was she happy to be done. As it turns out, they didn't wait for Lindsey because she ended up going with Mike & Dru (Jason's parents.)
And yes, I got my medal! As I limped over the guy he said, "I can tell you ran today!" But he just smiled and gave me a medal! I was barely able to walk & looked very scary, but still felt great!
That night the 30 of us (which included 15 children ages 9 & under) had a big celebration dinner in one of the hotel suites.
This is me snuggling 3 week old Ransom. Travis says I look really old in this picture. I think I just look like I've run 13 miles and haven't put on any make-up.
My sisters Cami & Shiloh decided we needed trophies since we didn't get an official medal ceremony at the race! Nothing says "Way to Go!" Like a tin foil man on a greasy pizza box!
Yes, we all survived! And I for one, plan on doing it again. This time for real!Friday, February 12, 2010
You're Kidding me, Right!?!?!?!?!?
Seriously, this can't be happening. It's 11:30pm. I should be in bed sleeping, getting ready for a 6:30am start time. But I got an email this afternoon that the start time had been pushed to 7:00 due to inclement weather.
And then about 10:30 news came through that they'd cancelled it. I want to cry! I've worked so hard! I ran 13 miles last Saturday! I'm ready! And now they're cancelling it for 1-3 inches of snow. Snow, by the way, which is supposed to stop falling before the thing even begins and the sun is supposed to be out by 9:00am! The lows tonight are only 31! (Granted I chose this race for my first half marathon because I knew that the average temperature in Myrtle Beach in February is 65 & I figured it would be a good one to start with. So yes, this is truly a freak snow storm. But still it's just a little snow people. Suck it up!)
I've run my guts out the last 3 months! I've run in temperatures below 0, in winds of 30 & 40mph. I've run through knee deep snow, slid over miles and miles of ice, forced myself through what seemed like endless speedwork in the depressing solitude of my in-laws basement. I flew 2000 miles with a toddler, drug my husband away from work, finding out somewhere between Dallas & Charlotte that he has to go back to Guam next week. (They wanted him to leave the 18th, but we don't even get back until the 17th, so he convinced them to wait until the 20th.) And now it's all for what?
I mean sure I get to see my family and I've so been enjoying that. That part I love. But I'm still disappointed. I worked so hard to get here, I built this entire trip around this race. I was ready. It hurts. It really does. Now I'm stuck in a hotel room for two days in a city that is completely shut down. We can't even do anything cool like play miniature golf because all of that stuff is shut down because of the snow! UGH! I'm going to go eat cookies and cry now. It's all I can think to do.
And then about 10:30 news came through that they'd cancelled it. I want to cry! I've worked so hard! I ran 13 miles last Saturday! I'm ready! And now they're cancelling it for 1-3 inches of snow. Snow, by the way, which is supposed to stop falling before the thing even begins and the sun is supposed to be out by 9:00am! The lows tonight are only 31! (Granted I chose this race for my first half marathon because I knew that the average temperature in Myrtle Beach in February is 65 & I figured it would be a good one to start with. So yes, this is truly a freak snow storm. But still it's just a little snow people. Suck it up!)
I've run my guts out the last 3 months! I've run in temperatures below 0, in winds of 30 & 40mph. I've run through knee deep snow, slid over miles and miles of ice, forced myself through what seemed like endless speedwork in the depressing solitude of my in-laws basement. I flew 2000 miles with a toddler, drug my husband away from work, finding out somewhere between Dallas & Charlotte that he has to go back to Guam next week. (They wanted him to leave the 18th, but we don't even get back until the 17th, so he convinced them to wait until the 20th.) And now it's all for what?
I mean sure I get to see my family and I've so been enjoying that. That part I love. But I'm still disappointed. I worked so hard to get here, I built this entire trip around this race. I was ready. It hurts. It really does. Now I'm stuck in a hotel room for two days in a city that is completely shut down. We can't even do anything cool like play miniature golf because all of that stuff is shut down because of the snow! UGH! I'm going to go eat cookies and cry now. It's all I can think to do.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Have you met Chi Chi yet?
Gideon has and boy did he LOVE her! (BTW we had a little incident in the car involving a sippy cup that ended in a carseat full of apple juice. So while we were at Jesse's we threw his clothes in the dryer for a few moments.)
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