Gimme a B!

On Friday, I posted my goals for the Runnin' of the Green 4-mile race. I wanted to run a solid, fast-ish pace. But, I was also a little nervous because I am trying to crawl back from injury. Plus, I'm training for that half marathon and had 8 miles on my schedule for Saturday and decided to run 3 of them before the race.

So I wasn't totally sure what to expect from the race!

Kara, Bridget and me before the race.

I met up with Bridget and Kara to run 2 miles. Then Bridget  and I went out for 1 more mile to give us the full 3 before the race started. My cousins Kate and Josh and Kate's boyfriend, Felix, were also running the race. I was happy to find them before the race and we chatted for a bit before lining up.

When the gun went off, I just ran. I was pushing myself, for sure, but I was also letting myself fall into a good race pace. About a half mile or so into the race, Felix ran up to me and we ran together for maybe 3/4 of a mile or so. It was good to run with him -- but I knew he had a faster goal in mind than I did so I told him to run on because I didn't want to hold him back.

He ran off and I settled into a good pace. I went through the 2-mile mark at 15:32 and felt really strong. Sure, my hip and hamstring were complaining a bit, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I had worried it would be. Phew!

For some reason, I had a lot of pep in the third mile. I started passing people right and left and ended up running that mile in 7:18. Huh.

I then held on to the end. I could tell I'd started at a good pace for me because I was not dying at the end! Such an oddity for me -- I'm usually falling apart at the end of races! Feeling strong is a much better way to go.

That's me running to the finish!

I finished in 30:36 gun time, 30:26 net. You know what's cool about that? My second half was 28 seconds faster than my first. Woo hoo!

And . . . that time was a solid B from my race goals. I'd set the B goal of running 31:56 or better (just under 8 min miles) and my 30:26 was just that.

Yes, I fully admit that at 3 miles I was doing the math to see if I could push myself and run under 30 minutes. But, you know what? I'm glad I didn't. While I would have liked to finish closer to last year's time (29:37), I didn't want to make my injury worse. I wanted to run a strong, smart race, not a foolish one!

Felix ended up with a super time, running 29:23! Josh ran 34:16 and Kate ran 44:30; Bridget ran 35:44 and Kara ran 43:16. Yay!

After the race, Bridget and I stuck to our plan and ran an additional mile to get us to 8 for the day. After that, I went home and prepped for a fun St. Patrick's Day party at our neighbors' house. Overall, quite the fun day!

Race stats:

Official (net) time: 30:26 
Pace: 7:37/mile
Gun time: 30:36

First half split (2-miles): 15:32
Second half split: 15:04

Overall place: 155 out of 652
Overall female: 42 out of 383
Age group (female, 40-49): 16

Now, I'm itching for that next race. I only have the half marathon on my schedule for this spring but, jeez . . . I think I might have to add another!! We'll see.

Well, thanks for stopping by -- have a great week, everyone!

February recap.

Yup, that's right. I'm just writing my February recap on March 10th. Slacker, slacker . . .

But, see, that's the way this month has gone. It has been up and down -- just like February. The biggest downer has been that I am still (still!) dealing with my injured left leg. It is my whole hip/butt/upper thigh/hamstring area and it just plain rots. I have been fine for a while but for the past month, it has been flaring up again.

Not cool. Not cool at all.

After all, I have a 4 mile race this Saturday, a half marathon in May and a full marathon in October. I can't have a nagging injury that forces me to not run!

So, I'm dealing with it. Reduced mileage. Rest. Chiropractor. PT. Ice. Rehab exercises. Just about everything.

Fingers crossed that it all works!

As a result of my wonky leg, my February mileage was low. Here's what it looked like:

February stats:

Running (miles): 51.4
Racing: none
Cross-training (sessions): lots!

One of the highlights of the month was our trip to DC for a family wedding. I ran around and took in the sights:

And then got cleaned up for the fun wedding:

 

When we got back from DC, the boys had a full week of from school for winter break and we filled our time with lots of play and getting to see some friends and family we don't normally see. After break, it was back to normal and I was back to the chiropractor and trying to keep my running on track!

Slowly and un-surely, I think that might happen.


And now, back to March! Enjoy your week, everyone. Thanks for stopping by!

 

Officially in.

It is official. I am racing in October:

Just like that.

I knew I couldn't pull off running the full marathon this fall, after being off running for so long this summer. But I've been running well for the past three weeks and feeling like I could manage the half marathon.

So after logging three long-ish runs (6, 7, 6.5) I sent in my request. The day I did, I ran even longer and felt even better.

(Check out my post-run pic -- we'd just finished up 10 miles. My longest run since April!!)

Bridget, me, Elisa. Happy and sweaty after our early morning 10 miles!

Was the strong long run a sign? Perhaps. But I wasn't sure my request would be accepted because the half marathon sold out so quickly. 

And then the email appeared in my inbox this morning.

I'm in.
I'm running the half marathon.
I'm excited!
Yay, yay, YAY!!!

Now, I have to get busy putting together a two-month training plan. I'm on it!

Have a great week, everyone!

Long and faster.

At long last, my running is starting to return to normal.

I ran 59.7 miles in July, which is a HUGE bump up from the measly 7 I ran in June. Over the course of those 59.7 miles, I've slowly begun to feel like I'm overcoming my hip injury. I'm running longer, including a 7 mile run last weekend, and my weekly mileage is creeping up -- to 20 miles last week!

I'm also running faster. For most of my first month back to running I've been going at a slow pace. I had to walk up hills for the first two weeks (doctor's orders!) and I was also a bit afraid to push it. Slow is the way to go when coming back from an injury.

But then, I started to feel better. And I developed an itch to go faster. So, on Thursday, I did some speed work. I met my friend Bridget to run at the track and after we warmed up a bit we ran a fast half mile. Then we split up and she ran some sprints and I timed my mile.

Surprisingly, I ran my mile in 6:44.

And I wasn't even gasping for breath! Instead, I felt pretty good. I felt like I was running a steady, strong, fast pace. I almost -- dare I say it -- felt like I could have gone faster.

What a great feeling! Great feeling any time, I suppose, but especially so when returning from an injury. Two months ago I thought I was washed up. Now, I'm full of hope.

I'm back.

Well, on my way back. But that's more or less the same thing, in my book!

Now, I need to focus on continuing to build my mileage while continuing to heal my hip. Switching to the half marathon in October is looking more and more likely . . .

Have a great week, everyone!

Really running.

No fake stuff here. Last week I was really running -- stretching my mileage to include a 6-miler with friends.

It was terrific.

Check out the post-run smiles:

Karyn, Bridget and me after my 6 mile run -- my longest run since April!

It was so good to be back out running along the Hudson River. And 6 miles? Hey, that's no joke when you've been nursing an injury since the spring. The best part is that those 6 miles were pain free. Brilliant!

I only managed three runs for the week but they were quality runs. (Quality runs! Man, it feels good to write that . . .)

So far, this return-to-running thing is going well. I'm still icing and taking extra rest. I'm also seeing a chiropractor twice a week and I've been researching and talking to this chiropractor about having the Graston Technique done on my hip/thigh/hamstring. I think it could be very beneficial to me. I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, I'm still grappling with my marathon/no marathon decision. I looked into the deferment policy a little more and I can fairly easily defer my registration to next year. I can also try to switch to the half marathon. With that additional option that I didn't know I had, I'm feeling more undecided than ever!

Well, that's not true. I've decided I am not running the marathon this October. I'll either defer completely to 2014 or try to switch to the half.

Decisions, decisions . . .

Since I've taken the marathon out of the equation, I do have a little more time to make my decision. So, I figure I'll procrastinate on that one for a little while!

I have four runs in mind for this week, including another 6 or maybe even 7 miles on Saturday. Woo hoo!

Have a great week, everyone. Thanks for stopping by!

Double digits.

Last week I ran 12.8 miles.

It doesn't sound like a lot. Until, that is, you consider that I ran a whopping 18 miles in the month of May and (count 'em!) 7 miles in June.

So, 12.8 in one week? Outstanding.

Even more outstanding is the fact that they felt pretty good. Sure, I still run every step with the overwhelming fear that I am going to re-tear one of my hip muscles. And, no, my hip does not feel 100%. I know I'm not totally healed.

But I'm running. And that, my friends, is a win, whether I'm 100% or not.

12.8 miles. Those miles have made me wonder. You know, I'm registered for the Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon in October. Can I run it? Two weeks ago, I'd written it off. Now? Well, now, I'm not sure. I'm mostly convinced that trying to train for it is a bad idea and a sure set-up for another, potentially worse, injury. And, believe me, I don't want to go back on the disabled list. No, no, no.

And yet . . . I'm not 100% ready to write off the marathon.

I'll see what this week brings -- Sunday marks 12 weeks until the marathon. If I'm going to try for it, I have to start training then. This week will let me know if I should go for it or not.

Until then, I'm taking it one run at a time.

 

Crawling back.

You've heard it before but I'm going to say it again anyway: Running injuries suck.

For real.

First, they hurt. Then they force you to take time off from running. And then, once you're free to start running again, they flare just enough to let you know that they're still around and so you scale back on your grand return-to-running plans.

I've been "back" since the end of June. But, not really. I had three decent runs and then one that forced me to stop running immediately, and was followed by another week of full-on rest.

Last Friday, I tried running again, just a mile. No problems. So I went for 2.5 miles on Sunday. Again, no problems. On Tuesday, I went crazy and ran a little over 3 miles and -- woo hoo! -- no problems.

I'm hopeful -- very hopeful -- that I'm truly on my way back. Granted, it all feels like a frustrating crawl and I still can't tackle anything resembling a hill, but progress is progress.

Tomorrow, I plan to run again. Fingers crossed that it goes well!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Running. One, two, three.

After seven loooooong weeks off from running, I was allowed to test my hip last Friday. My doctor had told me to avoid any and all hills for the first few weeks back to running so I knew I needed a super flat area to run. I also knew I was nervous and worried about my first post-injury run. I needed to run someplace where I could stop quickly if I needed to.

So, I turned to my trusty treadmill for my first run.

Not ideal, in many ways, but totally perfect in others.

I walked a half mile. Then, I sped up (a bit) and ran for a minute. Felt fine. I walked for a minute and then promised myself I would run a half mile, no more, no matter how good I felt.

And that is what I did. I ran a joyful, pain-free half mile. Then, I walked another half mile. All was good. Until I hopped off the treadmill and, yeah, my hip felt a little sore. I iced it on and off all night and again the next day and, fortunately, I felt pretty good!

On Sunday, I ran again. This time, I walked a half mile, ran for two miles, and then walked a half mile. Super duper!! I felt like I was really running. Yes, it was a slow run. And, yes, it was a short run. But, no, I did not have pain!

Until a little while later, when I felt the hip again. So, back to icing, back to loading up on the vitamin c.

And then, yesterday. I walked for a quarter mile and then ran . . . until I started to feel pain, when I promptly stopped running. And promptly began to curse my apparently-not-yet-fully-healed muscles.

I am now re-resting. No run today, which was planned, and no run again until I no longer feel this pain. Am I bummed? Sure, a little. But, this is just where I am right now. The most important thing I can do is be patient.

Honestly, though, it does rot a little to go from thinking I'm healing and on my way back, to being forced back into rest mode.

Wah, wah . . .

In other news, my computer konked out on me last week, which accounts a bit for my absense from blogging. Soon enough, though, I hope to be back among the computerized.

Running and computing -- I see both in my future. When exactly, I don't know!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

The weirdness of not running.

Today is Day 41 of No Running. That's one day shy of 6 weeks without a run. Just hanging out, resting and obsessing about my bum hip.

One would think, if one were to think about such things, that a hip would heal after resting for 41 days. One might further think that said hip would feel wonderfully ready to run and that the body attached to that hip would be raring to go. For a run, that is.

One would be wrong.

You see, there is a weirdness to this whole not running thing. Rest, when entered into voluntarily (as an important part of a training program) and/or with the promise of something good at the end (like a baby after not running while pregnant), is manageable and almost always rejuvenating. It doesn't mess with your head the way injury rest does mostly, I imagine, because it is controlled. When you decide to do something -- in this case, rest -- you control it, it doesn't control you.

True. Very true.
Thanks, ilovetorun.org!

Injury rest is a total control freak.

Injury rest doesn't let the runner decide when to get back to running. That decision lies solely with the injured body part. If the injured body part isn't healed in a week, a month, two months . . . well, honey, you can forget about running.

And that lack of control is more or less the crux of the weirdness of not running.

I can't stand it. I can't stand thinking about my hip and whether or not it is healing on schedule. I can't stand feeling like I am missing out. I can't stand worrying that I might not be able to run the marathon in October because, after all, I am still not able to run.

I'm pretty good about shaking those thoughts out of my head and accepting that right now I can't run but I will be back, stronger than ever.

What ifs, however, have been known to creep in to my otherwise tough mind. What if I still have pain next week? What if this swelling that refuses to go away is something bad? What if the doctor was rushed when he saw me, misread the MRI and was wrong in his diagnosis -- and I'm doomed to never run again?

I reason with myself: Then you'll rest for another week. Then you'll find a new treatment and deal with the swelling and it will go away. Then you'll hunt down that crazy triathlete doctor of yours and kick him in the shin.

Yeah, see, more weirdness.

Not running is weird and I can't wait to stop being such a weirdo. With any luck I'll be a little less weird in one week. One week to test run day -- I'm counting down the days!!

Have a great weekend, everyone. I'll be resting (as usual).

Recovery mistakes.

Yeah, I've made a few.

When I was first injured, I rested. Classic RICE. I also used the foam roller, massaged my hip with a tennis ball, popped Advil and, I admit, did some lower body exercises. For two weeks, that's what I did and for two weeks, my hip didn't get any better.

Then, I met with my doctor, got the results of my MRI and learned that I was, inadvertently, making my injury worse.

Sure, I wasn't running. But the foam rolling and tennis ball massaging were hurting my poor torn muscles. While those two actions are great treatments for tight muscles, they aren't good for torn muscles. They are, according to my doctor, bad. B.A.D. Bad.

And, the Advil. Yeah, also B.A.D. Bad. I thought that since Advil is an anti-inflammatory pain reliever, it would be a good thing to take. Wrong. Since part of my problem is the hematoma, I need to avoid anything that will thin my blood, which is what ibuprofen does. So, for the same reason you aren't supposed to take ibuprofen before surgery, I shouldn't be taking it now. At least, according to my doctor.

Then there is the issue of the lower body exercise. Well, what can I say? I wasn't running! I thought that was good enough but it turns out it wasn't. No more squats and what-nots for me. For the next few weeks, that is.

As of Tuesday, I've been full-on resting as prescribed. And you know what? My hip is starting to feel better! It is probably mostly mental at this point but, I swear, it doesn't feel nearly as bad as it did a week ago. Hooray for progress!

And hooray for learning from my mistakes and no longer making them.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Happy runner, interrupted.

I met with my doctor today to go over my MRI. 

The good news: No fracture. 

The bad news: Two tears and hematoma. 

My gluteus minimus and tensor fascia latae are torn. The hematoma is just from the internal bleeding (from those tears). The doctor said he could aspirate the hematoma but recommended letting it resolve on its own. Otherwise, the treatment is just rest.

Rest for 4 more weeks. As in, no running. No. Running. For. Four. More. Weeks.

I'm to ice the area and rest. Avoid stairs and hills. If I don't have pain, I can walk (wooo!) and I can try out biking, if I'm so inclined. Honestly, I'm not all that inclined given that a) I don't own a bike and b) I'm about as spastic a bike rider as they get.

But, I might be tempted after another week or two of inactivity. We'll see. 

In the meantime, I'll do my best not to mope.

Yup.

If this blog gets too mopey, feel free to give me a virtual kick in the shin. What can it hurt? I can't run anyway.

Wah, wah.

Impatience is not a virtue.

I have been very good about resting my lame hip for the past 2+ weeks. Very good.

So on Sunday, when I went out for a walk, I thought I might live life on the edge just a little and run a few steps. To try out the hip. See if the rest is doing anything at all.

Apparently, my impatience was a bad idea.

After about a half mile walk, I ran maybe 5 steps. That's it. Five lousy steps. The pain was quick, searing and unbearable. I had to stop immediately and limp home.

Crushed.

It was not a good idea. I know this -- in hindsight. At the time, though, it didn't seem like such a bad idea. In fact, it seemed totally fine. Go for a walk. Run just a little bit to test things out. Walk as necessary.

I go back to the doctor tomorrow. Obviously, I'll be resting until then when he'll tell me . . . what? To be patient? Probably. He'll probably tell me to be patient. To rest. Let it heal.

Yeah. I'll get back to work on that patience thing! 

Have a good week, everyone -- 

Rest, rest, and more rest.

Day 13 of no running. Boo! Hiss!

My hip still feels off. It is still swollen. I've been to the doctor and had x-rays and an MRI. On Tuesday, I go back and, until then, I'm not supposed to run. At that point, I will have been resting for over two weeks.

Gah!

I keep telling myself that this time off is important. Obviously, since I'm injured, I can't run. But more than that, this time off is giving the un-injured parts of my body a rest as well. It has also been a chance for me to do some more concentrated cross-training. I'm a little limited in what I can do, so I've been focusing on weight workouts that don't stress my hip. Strong upper body, here I come!

I believe -- I have to believe -- that this forced rest is positive. After my hip heals and I return to running, I'll be back feeling stronger and refreshed from the rest. As I think back over the past few years, I see that I've basically been training with little-to-no-rest since two weeks after my son was born, two-and-a-half years ago.

Sure, I've had weeks of reduced running but I haven't truly taken a running break. An injury was bound to happen, I suppose.

So, here I am now. Injured. But looking at it as forced rest. A necessary evil.

It had better yield good results!

Have a good weekend, everyone. Thanks for reading.

The crazy runner.

So, here we are. Day 10 of no running. Ten days. No running.

Ten. Days. Of. No. Running.

Ten days of thinking non-stop about my ridiculous hip injury and how it means no running for the foreseeable future. 

In other words, ten days of me going crazy.

Yes, I admit it. I've gone straight-up crazy. Straight-up injured-runner crazy, that is. And injured-runner crazy is a very, well, special, kind of crazy.

Truth.

Injured-runner crazy makes one hyper-aware of all the glorious running that one is missing. And in that hyper-awareness is the knowledge that the rest of the world is still out there, running.

And, believe me. Everyone is running. 

Really. They are. Everyone, everywhere. Even non-runners are running. Couch potatoes are halfway to 5K and over-the-moon happy about it. Everyone is running. And injured-runner craziness tells me that they are not just running, but they are having the Best. Freaking. Times. Of. Their. Lives. They are practically frolicking. 

Everyone is running frolicking-good runs.

And long. Oh, those runners are out there running for miles and miles and miles. With glee. Glee! Everyone, everywhere is running the Longest. Runs. Of. Their. Lives. With so much freaking glee!

And no pain. 

Those runners? Running their joyful/long/fast/what-have-you runs? Yeah, they are doing it without pain. Without a single ounce of pain. They are running super-human speeds and distances known heretofore only to Dean Karnazes and they are doing it all with glee and no pain!

EVERYONE IS RUNNING!

Except for me.

And therein lies the craziness. 

I can't run. And all I see all around me is runners, running. I want to be them. I want to be out there gleefully running 18 hilly miles at 10K pace while pushing a 35lb kid in a stroller -- or whatever the heck those fit, uninjured runners are up to today. I want to be doing it. I don't want to be resting. Or icing. Or compressing. Or elevating. And I certainly don't want to be waiting for an MRI. And then waiting for the follow-up.

But I am. I am doing all of those things I don't want to do, which means I am not running.

And it is driving me crazy.

I know it is for the best and I know whining about it is about as unattractive as it gets. I can't help it. 

Because, you see, I've gone straight-up injured-runner crazy. Please bear with me. I'm sure I won't be this brand of crazy forever. 

At some point my hip will heal and I will run again. And the crazy runner will give way to the happy runner once again. At least I hope so!

Keep your fingers crossed . . . 

Running, with a side of rice.

I had big plans for Saturday. Big plans.

I was meeting my friend, Amanda, for her first run since November. November! She is signed up for the Mohawk-Hudson half marathon in October and the NYC marathon in November. So, Saturday, we -- along with our friend, Bridget -- were heading out for her first run.

It was perfect running weather. I left my house early to run the 3.5 miles to our meeting spot. About 1.5 miles into the run, Bridget passed me in her car. She slowed down, we chatted and I ended up hopping in with her and driving the rest of the way to meet Amanda. 

We were early so we set out to run a mile. A few steps into the run, I felt something weird in my hip.

Pain. Weird pain. Burning, searing, weird pain.

I kept going because that's what happens when you're out for a run on a perfect Saturday morning with friends. The pain, unfortunately, kept going too. About a quarter mile from where we were meeting Amanda, I told Bridget I needed to walk.

I kept my cool but really, inside, this was totally me:

Yup.

Bridget and I met Amanda and after hugs all around, we set out for our run. Fortunately, since Amanda is just getting back to running, she was game for a little run/walk. It was the only thing I could handle and even that didn't feel so good.

I didn't think much about my hip because I was so happy that Amanda was back to running and Bridget and I had about a million questions for her so we chatted and before we knew it, we'd run/walked 2 miles.

It was wonderful. I was really proud of Amanda for getting back out there!

Bridget, me, Amanda

It is tough to start back up with running after a long layoff, especially one that has been filled with personal ups and downs. But, Amanda is doing it. Way to go, Amanda!!!

Since the run I've been hunkered down in RICE City. Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation. Although, honestly, other than to stand it is a little awkward to try to elevated the hip. And the compression thing is tough, too. So, I'm resting and icing. I guess I'm in RI City. 

Anyway, my hip is still sore and that really rots. I didn't run on Sunday, even though I had plans for a local 5K, and I'm taking today and the rest of the week off. If I feel solid by Wednesday, I'll test the hip out on Friday. Yes, that's right, I'll wait an extra day. 

At least that's what I say now . . . 

No, I will. I really will. I need this hip to be fine. No injuries, please!

And now, I'm off to ice the hip. Healing vibes, anyone? I'll take them. And, while you're at it, if you have some good luck vibes to spare, send some Amanda's way as she rediscovers her running self.

Thanks! Have a great week.

Runners, grab your tennis balls!

In my post last Thursday, I mentioned that I sit on a tennis ball to help prevent and treat injuries. A few of you asked what in the world I was talking about and I realized that I should have gone into more detail so that a) you all wouldn't think I was one bizarre mama and b) you could enjoy the same (often painful) treatment!

The tennis ball thing is a self-massage technique (trigger point massage) that helps to break up the knots in your muscles that can cause pulling and injuries. I tend to get knots and related tightness in my right hip and butt and these can lead to pulling and soreness around my knee. When I feel any tightness creeping into my hip, I break out my tennis ball.

Here's what I do:

I sit on the floor with my legs extended, leaning on my right side (side of pain). Then, I place the tennis ball under my right hip, around the area where I'm experiencing the pain. I roll around until I feel the most painful area and then stop and allow my body to sink onto the tennis ball. This hurts! I try to stay on the painful area for as long as possible, but often have to release the area and move to another one before the pain has completely subsided. And it does subside. When you find a painful area to release, it will be painful at first and then the pain will gradually reduce. I usually have a few knots that need to be released and so I'll roll around for a bit, looking much like a wacko but knowing I'm saving myself from future injuries.

After I use the tennis ball, I stretch my legs and often give them a gentle rub-down with the foam roller.

Now, I am far from a doctor or specialist of any sort but I have read a bit on trigger points and lower body ailments common to runners and this technique is one that is often recommended. It works for me. I don't know all the science behind knots and trigger points and all that but I do know that since I started doing this I have had far fewer ITB and knee problems. And I'm all for that!

Good luck!

~ Felice

PS: It's National Running Day today. Get on out there!