Mohawk Hudson Half Marathon goals.

It is time to lay it down.

Here we are, two days until race day for the Mohawk Hudson Half Marathon. Two days . . . yikes!

I've been thinking about the race a lot and, of course, one of the biggest things I've been considering is my race goal. I've gone back and forth about my goals (I just want to finish! OK, I want to finish strong! Make that finish under 2 hours. No, just finish with a smile on my face, no pressure!) and now it is time to lay it down, to put it out there.

I want to have an awesome race.

First and foremost. As recently as the end of June, I couldn't run. At all. And, now? Now I'm back at it. I've had a good training cycle, including (yay!) a new 5K PR. But, I've also had some bumps in the running road.

The biggest bump has been getting Lyme disease -- again! -- in September. It has screwed me up but I've been determined not to let it stop my training and general living. Living being pretty important and all. Yes, training is not quite as important but, to me, it kinda is. So, I've kept at it.

And I ran that 5K race to a PR while I was ill so . . . well, so, shouldn't that mean I can run an awesome race on Sunday?

You betcha!

Awesome race, here I come! My time goals are, as always, three-tiered and they look like this:

C goal: 1:52 or better. I ran 1:53 for a 13.1 mile training run two weeks ago so I should be able to achieve this, no problem.

B goal: Beat my More/Fitness Half Marathon time of 1:48:46. 

A goal: My "if the stars align and shine their magical light down upon me" goal is to set a new PR, 1:46:58 or better. Grand goal, I know, but a girl's gotta dream!

Now, I'm off to hydrate, rest and dream. Oh, and figure out what the heck to wear on Sunday. Such runner problems . . . 

Thanks for stopping by -- have a great weekeend!

 

Ups and downs of sugar-free living.

I'm well into my third week of sugar-free (flour-free, most-white-stuff-free) living and as I look back over my second week, I see that this process has not been without its ups and downs.

Among the downs . . .

• Faliled attempts to make "paleo" bread, like the pathetic inedible eggy coconut mess that I made last night
• Post-run calf cramps 
• Pizza cravings
• Potato chip cravings
• Well, pretty much any sugary/starchy/cheesy craving!

And among the ups . . 

• Starting to get the pantry and fridge stocked with the right foods
• No headaches (WOO!)
• Regaining my energy
• Figuring out how to fuel for my runs

Downs and ups. 

What I would like right now is some kind of awesome flourless, sugar-free bread. Does that exist? Dunno. If you know of one, hook a happy runner up and leave a comment about it!

Have a great week, everyone!

My new favorite.

Watch out, friends. I've fallen in love with almond milk. (And regular ol' almonds. And coconut. But I'll have to share my love for those another day.)

For real, I love the stuff. I've always been a fan of almonds and now I've taken it to a whole new level.

Since I can no longer make my smoothies using my beloved yogurt, I've switched to almond milk. This:

Unsweetened vanilla. It is so good. 

From a yogurt-based smoothie to an almond milk-based one -- sounds like it wouldn't be the same, right? Right. It isn't. It is better. To me, it is just so much better. I didn't think it would be and yet it is. My smoothies are lighter since they aren't weighed down by dairy anymore. 

Now I'm working on getting the family switched over to almond milk so I can stop buying cow's milk (which, admittedly, I am against). Owen is already on-board and using almond milk in his morning cereal. I'm working on the kids!

They've enjoyed their almond milk smoothies so far, so that is a start. Slowly but surely, I'll try to win them over!

(Interested in trying Silk Almond Milk? You can download a coupon from their web site. And, by the way: No, I wasn't asked to review this almond milk. I just love it. And had to share my love!)

Today's smoothie

1 green-tipped banana

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 cup almond milk (unsweetened)

1/2 cup water

1 tbs chia seeds

Blend it up! And enjoy.

I'm experimenting with new recipes and new ingredients. Some have worked better than others but it is kind of fun trying to find new ways to do things. I'll be sure to share some of the better recipes that I come across and make!

Have you switched from cow's milk to almond (or coconut or other) milk? 

How did it work for you? 

Have a great weekend, everyone!

~ Felice

Sugar-free me.

I knew it was coming, this day when I'd go from scarfing down the jelly beans to turning my back on those delicious, colorful little treats -- along with their sugary relatives -- all together.

I've gone sugar free.

Not by choice. Although, yes, I've read plenty about the benefits of a sugar-free life. I just never thought I could do it so I never did. Sure, I've gone through phases when I've cut down but I never wanted to give up sugar completely. It just wasn't something I wanted to do -- I enjoy treats in moderation so why give them all up?

Well, for my health. And not for some loose "I want to be healthier" reason. Nope. My doctor has prescribed a strict no sugar diet as one part of a new treatment plan. See, about 18 months ago I was diagnosed with Lyme disease, treated, and then left with some terrible nerve damage/pain and fatigue. Last winter, was the height of it: The pain in my neck, back, left arm and left leg was almost unbearable and there were days when I couldn't even pick up my then 1 year old son.

I worked with a wonderful Lyme specialist who treated some underlying viruses, a cause of the fatigue, and who was helping me with the nerve pain.

Then she left to start her own practice, too far away for me to continue to see her.

I was crushed. She'd been great and had really helped me to start to feel better. So, I moved on and went to see a different doctor at the same practice. Not a Lyme specialist -- and it showed. We got nowhere other than to some painful tests that resulted in a lot of nothing.

It was time to bite the bullet and go to see the main doctor at the practice, who is a well-regarded Lyme specialist. The problem? He doesn't take insurance.

Ouch.

I went last week. He's awesome. And I left with a treatment plan that includes new medications, lots of supplements, and a sugar-free me.

And by sugar, I mean the obvious -- no cake, cookies, candy, ice cream, etc. -- but also the not-so-obvious. No bread. No potatoes. No rice. No pasta.

A lot of nothing.

Green salads with apple cider vinegar? I'm on it. Chicken and, well, some chicken? Sure thing!

But I don't care. I'm doing it. If it will make a difference I'll gladly say good-bye to my beloved English muffins. And peanut butter pandemonium ice cream. And those jelly beans* that I do so love.

The plan for right now is to do this for 30 days and then check in with my doctor and re-evaluate the plan. I have my fingers crossed that it works -- and my toes crossed that I can stick to the plan!

Have you ever gone sugar free (or are you now)? Got any tips?

Have a great day!

~ Felice




*In all honesty, I haven't had jelly beans in the house in months. So, really, cutting those out wasn't so tough.

About the ankle.

As you may recall from my race report, I twisted my ankle around mile 5 of the half marathon. Since then, my ankle has swollen up and become a bit discolored. I've been resting and icing and compressing and elevating. Classic RICE going on here in Happy Runner-ville.

It seems to be working. Today, my ankle is noticeably less swollen. Yay!

My plan was to test out the ankle on an easy 3 mile run today. That's not happening. I went in for a nerve conduction velocity test and an EMG this morning and, wow, is my leg ever sore. The NCV test involves getting shocks on various places -- for me, it was mostly my left leg, and some on my right leg, low back and left arm. The lovely shocks were followed by electromyography -- EMG. That's when they stick needles into your muscles to test their response to nerve stimulation. Or something like that.

It hurt. The doctor said it wouldn't -- said, in fact, that it would feel like a "little, tiny zap of static electricity." Um, no. That was a lie. The whole thing was uncomfortable and the needles hurt. Now, my left leg still hurts so I'm bagging the test run.

Tomorrow is a new day and I believe that one more day of rest can only do me good.

So, where I thought I'd be able to report about my return to running, I'm reporting about my continued rest. Such is life.

Fingers crossed that I'll return to the run tomorrow.

Have a good day!

~ Felice

PS: Don't miss my giveaway HERE!

And then I took a break.

 . . . from just about everything, except some great girlfriends and FUN.

That's right. Last weekend I left my husband and two boys and headed north to Lake Placid with nine of my wonderful friends. We had a blast! Words cannot describe the fun. For real.

We ate. We drank. We laughed. We danced. A lot.

Seems the only thing we didn't do much of was sleep. But who needs sleep when you're having that much fun? Not us, apparently.

This was us, Saturday night when we hit the town:

Someone -- not us -- had a huge limo.
We thought we were pretty hilarious posing in front of it.

 

Everyone has to have a "caught by the paparazzi" shot, no?

All of us!
Bridget, Monique, Lisa, Stacey, Kara, Karyn, the bartender (!), Gina, Janis, me, Jen

It was . . . worth it. Worth everything. To get a away with good people and have fun moment after fun moment is one of the best things ever. This weekend was the first time I'd ever been away from Niall for any extended amount of time and I admit I was nervous. But, he had stopped nursing on Tuesday and had done well with Owen putting him to bed on Wednesday and Thursday so I had hope that everything would be fine.

And, of course, it was. My guys had a good weekend together without me. That's important, too. Boys need long periods of time with their dads -- without mom butting-in all the time. Ha!

Oh, and, yes. If you're wondering, I did run. Saturday morning Bridget and I went out for a nice little run around town and Mirror Lake. It was beautiful and the smell of pine trees was invigorating. This happy runner can't possibly go out of town and not run! Just doesn't happen.

*     *     *

On another note . . . thank you all so much for your comments on my Lyme-ish post. I really appreciate all of your kind words. I tried to really put that whole situation out of my mind while I was away and I mostly succeeded. Sure, all of my symptoms are bugging the heck out of me now but, again, the weekend of fun was worth it all.

I hope you all had a great weekend, too. Giveaway tomorrow -- check back!

~ Felice

Where I am.

I've written a little about my Lyme disease, with which I was diagnosed in August, treated with a course of antibiotics for 3 weeks, and which flared up about 3 weeks ago, shortly after my treatment ended.

And I've also written about how I am not letting the Lyme stop me, how I am running on and not accepting this stupid disease.

What I have not written about is the roller coaster ride that has been my medical treatment. It has been one huge pain in the butt, extremely frustrating and disappointing, and proof that you're really on your own when it comes to your health.

In a nutshell, after my symptoms came back in September, I was retested for Lyme and told I don't have it. In fact, my doctor sent my two Lyme tests to the county epidemiologist who reported back that not only did I not have Lyme, I never had Lyme.

Really? So, why was I told I had a positive test at the time -- by both my doctor AND the very same epidemiologist? And why was I given 3 weeks of doxycycline (an antibiotic that made me feel totally crappy)?

Well, according to the epidemiologist, she never told me I had Lyme. That's funny to me, considering how she called me, told me she received a copy of my positive Lyme test, and then asked me a series of questions about my symptoms, where I live, if I was bitten by a tick, how long I think I'd had Lyme, whether or not I'd had a bulls-eye rash, etc., etc. But, apparently, she never did this.

Interesting, huh?

In the meantime, since August, I've been tested for tons of different things -- rheumatoid arthritis, vitamin B12 deficiency, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, etc., etc. I've had an EKG, echocardiogram, x-rays, lots of bloodwork.

They can't find anything wrong.

And yet, my symptoms -- all of which correspond to Lyme disease -- persist.

Yup, frustrating. And that's where I am. In the middle of frustration but able to see a little flicker of light at the end of the tunnel: Next week I have an appointment to see a doctor specializes in the treatment of people who have Lyme and similar problems. I really hope I get some answers.

I honestly would rather not have Lyme. But if I do, I'd like to be properly treated. And if I truly don't have it, I'd like to know what is wrong and what can be done to fix it. That's all.

So, it's been on my mind, that's for sure. I haven't been able to post as much as usual so I have tons of review and giveaways that I'm behind on. And I haven't been able to get around to other blogs as much as I'd like to. Just the way things are right now.

OK, that's that. Thanks for stopping by and for continuing to read my little blog! I'll be back to my regular self in no time. I'm sure of it!

~ Felice

Rejection!

My little guy's birthday has come and gone. He's no longer "almost 1." He's a full-fledged 1 year-old!

We had a party with some of our terrific friends and family, and then my SIL from Mississippi and her family came up for a visit. We rarely get to see them so it was a real treat. While they were here, we toured a working farm about 45 minutes south of where I live. Horses, cows, acres of vegetables -- it was pretty cool.

We even rode in the back of a pickup truck:

That's me and the little birthday boy riding in the truck!

I got in a run on Saturday and one on Monday and since they both felt pretty good, I'm hoping I'm back. I don't want to bore everyone with my Lyme disease tribulations so I'll just say this: I am no longer accepting my symptoms. Instead, I am channeling my inner Marshall Ulrich who, while running across country and facing a debilitating foot injury decided not to accept the foot pain. As he writes in his book Running on Empty:

The morning after my MRI in Colorado, I sat on the edge of the bed and looked at my fat foot, so swollen it felt alien to me . . .

Turning to Heather, I disowned my foot. Instead of embracing the pain, I rejected it completely.

'This foot doesn't belong to me anymore. It doesn't fit in with who I am, what I'm trying to do, or where I'm going. This is not my foot.'

That's my deal. My symptoms don't fit in with who I am or what I am trying to do. I will continue to take supplements and do the right thing but I will reject the pain completely. So, there.

*     *     *

In the midst of partying and running and pickup truck riding, I also had that little Go Band giveaway going on. And, yuppers, I picked a winner.

Congratulations, Mackenzie from Wealth is Health!  Email me (felicehalf at yahoo dot com) with your address so I can send you your Go Band! You'll LOVE it, I am sure!

I know it is already Wednesday but I hope everyone had a great weekend. I'm in post-party, post-house guests catch up mode! Watch out . . . 


~ Felice