So, yeah.

Ummm.. my hip is fine. Hopefully by next season I will be over my injury paranoia.

Really all that happened is that I pushed my speed last weekend and got sore in a place I didn't expect. I might have lengthened my stride quite a bit because both hip flexors were complaining this week. However, even with my regular workouts this week, including a treadmill 5K this morning, it's been a little bit better every day. Today I have hardly felt a thing.

My plan is just to run my race at whatever pace feels comfortable. I just really want to enjoy myself. And if that means I am last to finish, so be it!

I picked up my packet. The windbreaker and hat are really nice, and I also bought a "Will Run for Chocolate" sweatshirt for $20. Couldn't resist... and besides, the $20 is actually kind of a steal.

Wish me luck on Sunday! I can't wait.

Injury rears its ugly head. AGAIN.

I did a nice 5 miler with my friends from the racing team last Wednesday. We decided to keep meeting through the winter, using our own version of the workout schedule. Since continuing through the winter makes us feel hard core, we dubbed ourselves the Wednesday Warriors.

Friday I did 5K on the treadmill, as per usual.

I had originally intended to only do 5 miles or so this weekend, along with a bike ride. But because both weather and ridiculous bike rental rates mixed the bike ride idea, I decided to go for ten miles again. I got pretty tired near the end, and decided to quit once I knew I was near my race distance of 9.3 miles. When I got home, I mapped my route and discovered I had done about 9.67 miles at a 9:40 pace. No wonder I was tired, right?

I felt fine the rest of that day and most of the day Sunday, but then Sunday night my right hip started to hurt. Not constantly, and not really in response to movement or weight bearing, but every once and a while it would start to ache deep down in the joint, then it would fade in 10 minutes or so.

This made me so mad I could hardly function. It was not limiting my mobility, nor was the pain all that bad. But the location of it made me think it might be a bone thing rather than a muscle thing, meaning I should really not run on it. I couldn't believe another injury was going to mess up my last race of the season.

I got up Monday and there was no pain, so I did a 5K outside. Unfortunately, my hip bothered me the rest of the day. Same kind of pain, and not in response to any particular movement.

Today, I haven't felt anything but a few twinges that may have just been psychological. I'm still not sure if yesterday's issues were due to my run that morning, or just lingering from before that.

I haven't decided exactly what I am going to do. I really, really want to run my race.

I'm so annoyed with myself and just life in general. I just HAD to go for that last ten miler.

If I don't have any pain tomorrow, I'll probably go running with the racing team people tomorrow evening. If it flares after that, I might have to sit the chocolate race out.

Almost done with long runs!

I set out last Saturday with the intention of running about 8.5 miles. I didn't know exactly how far I had to go to get to that mileage, so I decided to go by time -- I ran 50 minutes out and 50 minutes back. It was a really nice day!

When I got back, I went to gmap-pedometer.com to see if I could figure out how far I went, and I discovered that they had added the lakefront path to their maps! Very exciting. And even better, I estimated that I actually ran about 9.5 miles in 1 hour 40 minutes, a pace of about 10:20 per mile! Very speedy. I think running on the treadmill might be helping my speed because it's getting my body used to a ten-minute mile again.

Volunteering at the marathon last Sunday was wicked cold. It was in the low thirties for most of the day. That was good for the runners, but bad for those of us standing still for 6 hours holding chilled liquids. But, I survived, and I had a lot of fun. My left hand was a bit frostbitten but otherwise I was no worse for wear.

Last Monday I ran 5K on the treadmill, remembering to change the incline this time.

Wednesday I went for a short run with my friends who were recovering from the marathon. Then we had a beer. Best speed workout ever. :-)

Friday I did another treadmill 5K.

Saturday I got up and looked at the weather and radar. The radar was pretty clear, and the forecast said there was about a 15% chance of rain all morning. So, I figured it might sprinkle a bit, but it would be fine if I wore a hat to keep it off my face.

So, I started running, shooting for 10 miles. And for my 5 miles out, it was really nice. Then, exactly as I was turning around, at the furthest possible point from home, know what happened?

You think it started raining, didn't you?

Oh no. It didn't start raining. IT STARTED HAILING.

It was small hail, but it still was a "what the..?" kind of moment. But, I didn't have my train card or any cash, so I had little choice but to keep running.

Five minutes later the hail stopped. But then it started to rain.

With about 4 miles to go, I was running on the part of the path that is directly next the lake. The waves were crashing up onto the concrete and I was running into the wind. The water was starting to sink through my shoes. I should have been miserable. But you know what I was thinking?

"Hot damn, I feel alive!"

It was actually a lot of fun running through the rain! I felt like I was doing personal battle with Mother Nature and winning.

With about a mile and a half to go, it stopped raining, and then I felt kind of uncomfortable because I was wet and cold. But I finished my ten miles in just under 1 hour 40 -- a ten-minute mile pace!

All in all, not such a bad day for me.

Today I did another treadmill 5K -- totally uninteresting. But at least I had a good story to tell.

I'm planning on running about 5 miles next Saturday, plus a bike ride, as a taper for the Hot Chocolate 15K. Then the following Sunday is the race. Then no more long runs til the spring!

getting colder...

Well, I've started wearing long pants and sometimes even long sleeves on my runs. I think it's officially fall.

I forgot my watch when I went to speed work last week, so I have no idea whether I succeeded at the 200m cut downs. I ran four sets though, when the coach only suggested three, so I felt ambitious. Most of the rest of the team is tapering for the marathon, and there's really no reason for me to do that.

I did 5K on the treadmill on Friday at a 10-minute mile. I forgot to change the incline, though, so it didn't really mimic running outside. Oh well.

I ran 8 miles on the lakefront path on Saturday morning. I felt pretty good doing it, too. I didn't get tired until the last mile. I think my pace was somewhere between a 10- and 11-minute mile.

Then I ran 5K outside on Sunday (I didn't want to have to run Monday morning because my mom was staying with me Sunday night). I went around the parks again -- it's a nice route. Eventually I might experiment with running through the parks, but I might have to get a GPS for that because otherwise it would be hard to know how far I was going.

I went to speed work last night. We did a mile repeat, then a 1000m repeat, then an 800m repeat. It's supposed to be a really good workout for preparing for the marathon Sunday. My friends left after that, but I did 3 more easy laps to get my mileage for the night up to 5 miles. I'm a control freak like that.

Tomorrow I need to do another 5K, then Saturday I'm shooting for 8.5 miles. Then Sunday I am volunteering at the marathon, which entails being on my feet for almost 8 hours and becoming completely covered in Gatorade. Yet I'm really looking forward to it.

Let's see if I can remember it all...

Well, I got behind again, but here's my best recollection of my running in the last two weeks or so...

I woke up Monday the 14th feeling nauseous, probably from dehydration, so I skipped my run. Instead, I did a 5K on Tuesday morning. (No clue how fast I did it, but it was nothing memorable.)

That Wednesday's speed workout was a fun one. It was 400 m relays. We worked with a partner, and one person ran one lap, then took a recovery as the partner ran a lap. It made it go by really fast.

Then I got up Thursday and did my last 5K on my regular Lincoln Park route. I felt no nostalgia at all.

I moved on Saturday (woo hoo!), so I did not do a long run. But I went on Sunday, and ran 7 miles on the south part of the lakefront trail, close to my new digs. It was very pretty! Next summer is going to be really nice. I ran at just barely under a 12-minute mile.

I used my new fitness room for the first time last Monday, and ran 30 minutes at a 10-minute mile. The room was not crowded, so I should not have trouble getting a machine when I want one. That's good news for the winter.

Wednesday's speed workout was NOT fun. It was mile repeats, which are never fun to begin with, but this time they involved running up and over a giant hill four times per mile. I hated every second of it, except for seeing a beautiful sunset during my cool down run back to the train.

I got up on Thursday and ran 3 miles outside, basically doing a lap around Millennium Park and Grant Park. Again, very pretty, and should be more so in the summer when there is more light.

I went home for a wedding this weekend, and I did not have time for a long run. But, I ran 3.7 miles by myself on Saturday and 2.9 miles with my mom on Sunday, which is only a mile short of what a long run would have been. Both were at about an 11-minute mile.

Yesterday I did a 5K on the treadmill at a 10-minute mile. Tomorrow's speed workout is 200 meter cutdowns (doing each repeat a bit faster than the last). (I never actually succeed at that.)

Four and a half weeks til my last race of the season. Should be a good one.

Another week down...

Wednesday's speed workout was nuts. Things are really gearing up, as most of the people on the team are in the final preparations for the marathon. We did "200 meter sandwiches." We had to sprint 200 m, jog 15 seconds, bound for 15 seconds, jog for 15 seconds, sprint 200 m, jog 15, bound 15, jog 15, sprint 200 m. Then do a recovery. Repeat 3-4 times.

I was tired when I left that one....

Friday I did a 5K in the morning, and Saturday I did a 7-miler at about a 10:45 mile pace. Tomorrow is another 5K day, then I'm back at speed work Wednesday.

I'm not sure I will get in a long run this weekend since I am moving (eeeeeee I'm so excited!), but I think even if I skip a week, I am still in good shape for the Hot Chocolate 15K on November 1.

No shin pain in several weeks. Some pain in my thighs, though. I think it is mostly soreness, but I should be careful not to push too hard at speed work. If I get another injury this year, I think I will scream. Like, for days. Stopping only to breathe.

Well, that was happy. Haha. Still loving the weather! Routing for no snow til after my last race. As it snowed for my first one this year, I feel it should wait for my last one to be over. (You hear that, Grandma Rich? I'm counting on you!)

My Grandma Rich was always in charge of the weather. :-)

Still going....

I'm still keeping up my regular training schedule! Last Monday I ran a before-work 5K, then on Wednesday I went to speed work. We did 200 m repeats, and I REALLY pushed myself. On the plus side, I did all 14 of my repeats in 56 seconds or less. (OK, OK, the last one was actually 56.08 seconds. But the rest were under 56!) So, that's less than an 8-minute mile pace. Granted, I could not have kept up that speed any longer than 200 m (about an eighth of a mile), but still. I'm pretty proud.

However, I was hella sore for DAYS. Actually, I'm still a little sore. But it was worth it.

Friday I did another before-work 5K, and Saturday I did a 6-miler at about an 11-minute pace. I think I could have gone faster if I hadn't still had screaming thighs from speed training.

Today I did another 5K, and I should return to speed work on Wednesday, barring any weather issues. No updated schedule yet, so I don't know what the workout will be.

Less than 2 weeks until I move! I'm excited to start using the in-building weight room on my non-running days. (Though I bet after I find out how hard it is, the excitement wanes. Haha.)

I'm still not as fast as I was last year or before my first injury, but I running pain free and enjoying myself, so I'm not too torn up about it. I have one more race this year -- a 15K. I'm not sure yet what my goal will be next season. This is the first year that I'll have a treadmill to use through the winter, and who knows how that will affect my aspirations by spring.

Loving the weather. Fall is the best time to run.

Wow, did I ever get behind on this....

So, it's been almost 3 weeks since I updated. Oops. I've been busy, but I've also been running!

I returned to speed training once a couple of weeks ago. It was sort of embarrassing how slow I was, but still good to be back. The next two weeks were rained out though. Weather for Wednesday looks clear so far, so I'll probably go back then for 200 m repeats. (Hey, I'll take anything that's not mile repeats.)

Otherwise, I'm back into my pattern of 5K Monday, speedwork Wednesday, 5K Friday, and long run Saturday. So far I've only upped my long run to 5.5 miles, but I'm increasing by about a half mile a week from now until the Hot Chocolate 15K on November 1.

I'm running pain-free these days, and I've been able to complete a couple of 5Ks in under 30 minutes. I haven't done that in almost 6 months, so I'm happy.

Just a little push...

I went for a 5K this afternoon, and pushed my pace a little for the first time in quite a while. I was able to finish a 5K at a consistent 10:20 pace. Not exactly a PR, but faster than I have run in quite some time, so I'm happy with it.

A couple of twinges in my shins, but nothing bad. Still, I'm longing for the day I run completely pain-free.

Coming off the high.

Well, it's been a week since the race now. I didn't run for four days after the race. I had several reasons for this: I was sore, I was still cautious about my injuries, and I was on vacation. I did go for a 4-mile run with my mom on Thursday, and that went reasonably well, though I wasn't pushing at all. I went for a 5K today, and actually had to walk a little ways, but I'm choosing to blame that on the heat.

In the interest of remaining injury free for the rest of the season, I am going to take it very easy for a while. This week, I'm planning to run Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, with each of those just being 5Ks except for Wednesday, when I hope to go back to speed work. I plan to just take each week as it comes and not try to start long runs again until September. I'll gradually work my way up again starting in September, with my new goal being to finish the Hot Chocolate 15K on November 1 without walking.

In the interest of savoring my half-marathon finish just a little bit longer, here are a few memorable things from the race:

1. Twice along the route, I saw a man with a sign that said, "Mortuary ahead. Look alive." It made me laugh both times.

2. Somewhere between the 10 and 11 mile markers, a woman just ahead of me yelled, "11!! Where are you 11?!" I must admit I was feeling the same way at that point.

3. 2.2 mile from the finish, there were two girls standing on the sideline chanting, "Two point two to beer! Two point two to beer!" Classic.

4. Somewhere around mile 4, a girl on the sideline yelled out to one of the runners, "Yay! You're still running!"

I'll update if I remember any more.

Success!!!

Well, I did it. I finished my half marathon this morning, and it was AWESOME. My official time was 2:30:54, only 54 seconds slower than my original, pre-injury goal. That's pretty darn amazing seeing as even earlier this week, I was considering sitting it out.

I can't say that I felt as good through this race as I did during the Soldier Field 10. I didn't have that "I could run forever" feeling that I did then. I took 2 five-minute walk breaks and a couple of other shorter walk breaks, but I ran almost the whole way. I was tired at the end, but still had a bit in me to sprint for the finish, and that felt good. Besides, there's a different kind of satisfaction in finishing something that was hard. I'm really proud of what I did today.

Only some minor pains along the way, and only very minor pains now, which is also a very good thing.

During my injury struggles, I came to accept that perhaps my body just isn't built for distance running. So, this may be the only half marathon I ever run. But even if it is, I don't care. Because today, I totally rocked the Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon.

Soldier Field results!

So, remember how I was SO excited about my Soldier Field finish, and then my chip didn't work? And remember how I sent an inquiry and then never spoke of it again? Well, that's because I never heard anything back.

But on a whim today, I went on athlinks.com to look at my race results, and the Soldier Field time was there! They put me on the finisher's list with a time of 1:50:27, which was my gun time. So, that put me at an 11:02 pace, two seconds higher than my original goal! But that's ok, because I know it took me at least 10 minutes to cross the start line. I suppose using my gun time was the best they could fairly do. I'm just so happy to have a time at all!

Haven't tried to walk much yet today, so I'm not sure how my legs are doing.

I looked at the "spectators guide" for the race tomorrow, at it says my corral will not cross the start line until almost 7am. Boooo.

But still, 24 hours from now I'll be an hour into the race.

The difference between runners and non-runners....

As I was leaving work today, my manager, a non-runner, stopped me. She gave me a hug and said, "Run like the wind!"

I walked further down the hall, passing my coworker Ben, who had seen this exchange and is runner -- a triathlete, actually. He half-smiled at me with a look that was a bit rueful, and said, "Just survive."

:-) My manager meant well and I love her for it. But Ben? He understands, and I love him for that, too.

Just a tiny bit of foot pain today, and more than a tiny bit of shin pain. But I'm hoping that one more day of rest will make me feel ready. I picked up my packet today and the shirts are sweet!

I've done the math, and I figure to finish within the time limits, I only have to run 8 of the 13 miles. I can do that, and perhaps a bit more. All I want is to cross that finish line.

It'll all be over 36 hours from now. Then I'm on vacation!

I can't wait.

Oh, come ON!!!

Not an eloquent title, I know, but here's what happened today. I'm running along, reflecting on how nice it is that I feel no pain in my shins at all, and saying to myself that although I have occasional pain in my foot it is definitely manageable. Then I run by some baseball diamonds, and THWAP! A softball hits me in the calf.

Really, what else is there to say except, "Oh, come ON!"

I did have to stop and rub it out a little, but thankfully it seems to have left no lingering damage.

Rogue softballs aside, the run did not go like I planned. I struggled to make it to 4 miles, then had to take a walk break. I think the heat had a lot to do with this, as I was dumb enough to not start running until almost 10am. But still, it was a huge shake to my confidence, and as I walked I thought to myself that I just could NOT let my last long run before the race be one that shakes my confidence. If I was going to cross that start line next week, I needed to feel like I was going to cross the finish line, too.

So, I walked a half mile and then started running again. I made it another four miles, then walked another half mile. I was then at the 9-mile mark, where I had planned to stop. But again. I needed to know I could do the race. So I started to run again.

I ran another 2 and half miles, then walked another half, and then ran the last mile to take me to 13.1. (My first 4 miles were really more like 4.1, maybe even 4.25.)

I finished. I had to walk 1.5 of the 13.1, but I finished, and well below the 3.5 hour time limit of the race. Even with the walking, 13.1 miles took me 2:42:49.

It took me a while to recover, but I feel pretty good now. I have no pain at all in my shins or hips. At the moment my foot is aching a little but overall does not seem any worse off than yesterday. It actually feels better now than it did last night, though that may be because I have been off my feet for the better part of the afternoon and evening. Still, it didn't hurt to walk home after that run, and it didn't hurt to walk to the grocery store and back a few hours later. It hurts on occasion when I run, but not consistently, and the pain doesn't crescendo. I have thought hard about this, and I really believe it will be ok for me to run next weekend.

So, that's what I'm going to do. Rest this week, doing only a few baby runs, wear supportive shoes, and go for it. I can do this. The forces of the universe seem to be conspiring against me lately. But it's like my friend Shannon said: "Those forces of the universe don't know who they are dealing with." 8 days til race day. No stopping me now.

I must say that even though the total distance I ran is less than I did last week, and it wasn't even consecutive, I am more proud of what I accomplished today than of any other running feat I have managed. I was really struggling today. But I finished anyway. I did what I had to do to finish. And I did it sensibly and safely. Good for me.

Bring it, universe. I'm ready.

Crossing my fingers (but not my toes....)

Three more shorter runs under my belt. The first two went pretty well. But last night, I started having some pain in my left foot, across the top of my big toe. The pain is worst when I lift my big toe, and I feel it with every step, particularly when I run, though also when I walk. It appears that I have either some tendonitis or a midtarsal fault (bones pinching together because of a collapsing arch).

The pain is actually stronger than anything I have felt in my shins (though not as bad as that first day I injured my hip). However, it's not really bad enough to slow my running or make me limp. At least it wasn't for the 3 miles I ran this morning.

I'm hoping that it will feel better in the morning, and that even if it doesn't, it doesn't start feeling worse as I run my scheduled 9 miles tomorrow.

As you can probably guess, I am incredibly frustrated right now. My shins feel good (relatively speaking, at least), my hip feels fine, and NOW I HAVE FOOT PAIN!

I'm four runs away from the half. Four runs, 9 days. And there's still a chance I might not get to do it.

But I'm choosing to say hopeful.

Please body.... please... just hold out a little while longer....

(I literally have tears in my eyes.)

I want this really bad.

One dozen.

Yesterday morning, I ran twelve miles. Twelve fliggin floggin miles. Can you believe it?

And it went pretty well. I was tired at the end, but I finished without stopping. And my pace was somewhere between a 12:00 and 12:30 mile, depending on exactly how far I went. It was a bit over twelve miles, actually.

My right shin is aching today a bit more than I had hoped. It's far, far from excruciating -- the pain is really quite mild. But it's persistent. And that worries me a little.

Still, I ran 12 miles and walked a lot this weekend, and though I have some pain, I am not limping and my mobility is not inhibited. So unless disaster strikes, I will be giving my long-awaited half marathon a shot, two weeks from today.

C'mon legs. Hold out two more weeks, then I promise you a good long rest....

Update

OK, it's been a long time. Here is a brief play by play of what has happened since I last wrote.

1. I ran 7 miles, and it was fine.

2. I did a 5K on concrete, and it was definitely not fine. I got a sharper pain in my left shin.

3. I went to the doctor. She said it was a muscle thing, not a stress fracture, but I remained unconvinced.

4. I tried to run again the following weekend. It didn't go well. I ran a total of 3 miles, not even consecutively, before I gave up and took the train home. At this point I had written off the half marathon.

5. I spent 2 weeks doing no workouts except free weights and some shin rehab exercises/stretches.

6. After two weeks, I tried running. It went well. I made it 9 miles. I was sore, but the injuries didn't bother me much.

7. I did 3 5Ks during that week. No big problems.

8. I ran 10.5 miles yesterday. Some soreness, some shin pain, but only afterward, not during the run.

9. I might, just might, be able to run the half after all, even if it involves some walking.

Wish me luck!

Information is power?

Well, let me start out by admitting an act of stupidity: I chose to wear flip flops yesterday, and I greatly regretted it. I walked around with zero support for my feet, and my shins paid the price. I had the left one wrapped in the evening.

But, I wore tennis shoes today, and things were much better. Tonight, I walked a mile to the lakefront, ran five miles, and walked back.

So far, no shin pain. Some aching in my upper legs, but I think that's just my body readjusting to running. What's more, I did the 5 miles in 53:52 -- less than an 11 minute pace. I'm pleased with that.

I did some more research today, too. I've been really frustrated because every site seems to say the same thing about shin splints: They are caused by overuse or excessive running on hard surfaces, and all you can really do is ice them and rest. All that is true, I'm sure, but not very helpful. But today, I found a really helpful site that explains what exactly occurs physically when you get a shin splint. Basically, tight calf muscles cause shin muscles to work harder, putting strain on them. And this site also gave a great, detailed list of stretches to do before and after running to help loosen calf muscles. This helps to prevent further irritation of existing shin splits and also helps to prevent developing new ones.

So, I stretched extensively both before and after running today. It seems to have helped.

And as an added bonus, this site I read also described another pain I have been feeling -- a dull ache in the middle of my calf. That, apparently, is a symptom of an overused soleus muscle, the muscle that connects the two heads of the large calf muscle. This pain is usually relieved by the same stretches as shin splints.

So, I think I may be on a good road. I understand my issues better now, and I am also more sure that I do not have any stress fractures.

My hopes for being ready for the half marathon are renewed. Just gotta keep running smart and stretching.

Nothing showy, but I'll take it.

Well, after feeling so confident last Wednesday, for some reason, I felt worse Thursday and Friday. I don't know why. I was discouraged again.

But, on Friday I drove home to Michigan and ended up up having a chat with my cousin who is less than a year from her doctorate in physical therapy. Without a tuning fork (I know, interesting tool, right?), she wasn't able to rule out a stress fracture. But, she did say that the fact that I was having similar pain in both legs suggested it was not stress fractures. She suggested that when I run, I wrap my shins in plastic wrap. It works like an ace bandage for support, but additionally keeps the muscles warmer to increase circulation.

I was willing to try anything, so the next day, I saran-wrapped my legs and ran three slow miles on my mom's treadmill. It went pretty well. No pain during, and only a bit afterward, and icing really helped that. I was able to walk all over the mall afterward with little trouble, and on Sunday all I had was a little residual stiffness.

Today, I ran four miles on the lakefront trail, at a very slow pace but without wraps. So far, I have no pain in either leg. I think I'll be sore tomorrow, but that's to be expected after a full week off. It was nothing spectacular, but I'll take it.

I'm planning on running 3 or 4 miles again on Wednesday and Friday, then doing a long run on Sunday.

I have seven more weekends until the half marathon. If I can do 6 miles this weekend, then increase by one mile each week, I'll be up to 12 by the race. That feels doable, provided I continue to heal.

Hope springs eternal. It won't be easy, but I think I can do this.

Panic rises, panic recedes.

Well, unfortunately, what I thought were minor shin splits started to hurt like hell on Friday afternoon. I took Thursday off, then ran 5K easy on Friday morning because nothing hurt. But later, my left shin started to hurt while walking.

Saturday morning, even though I REAALLLY wanted to do my long run, I resisted, and I am really glad that I did. I did some walking on Saturday, and every step hurt. That evening, I went to Walgreens and bought an Ace bandage, and I kept my whole lower leg wrapped for the next two days. That's how much it was bothering me.

I read up a lot on my symptoms, and for a day or two I was on the verge of tears because I was convinced I had a stress fracture in my left tibia. And according to everything I read, returning to marathon or half marathon training can take over 6 months after a stress fracture. Goodbye, race.

But, I'm happy to report that I'm relatively certain at this point that it is not a stress fracture for the following reasons:
1. Jumping up and down on my left foot doesn't cause any sharp pains. Sort of a dull ache, but jumping on the other foot does that too.
2. Icing and taking anti-inflamatories has helped tremendously. I haven't had the leg wrapped at all in the last two days, and walking no longer hurts.
3. I also have similar, though less severe, pains in my other leg, and I find it really hard to believe that I fractured both tibia. Plus, shin splints often show up in both legs.

I was actually feeling good enough today to be tempted to go to speed work tonight. But, I resisted again, which I think was the right thing to do. Though I feel almost no pain now, I can still feel the bumps on my shins. As of right now, I'm planning on giving it two more days and then maybe attempting a run on Saturday, letting how I feel determine the length.

I went from being in a very comfortable place in my training to being in a rather precarious place. I have 8 and a half weeks to the half, which will give me enough time to be ready as long as my recovery doesn't last too long.

I'm not certain I will be ready. These things can take a long time to heal. But gosh darnit, if I am not ready, it will NOT be because I did something stupid. I'm resisting for at least two more days!

Think healing thoughts. Taking so much time off has been hard for me, because I still so clearly remember how hard it was to come back after the psoas thing. Plus, I have irrational fears about gaining back the weight I lost and blah blah blah. But instead of dwelling, I've been trying to enjoy the break, and I also have tried to up my calcium and protein.

It's always something...

After the race, I took Sunday and Monday off. But I actually ran twice yesterday -- a 5K in the morning, and a 4-mile run in the evening. The evening run was part of "chick's night" at Fleet Feet, which also involved some awesome free food and a seminar on compression wear. It was interesting -- I think I am going to buy some compression capris.

Tonight I went to speed training, and none of my friends were there. I thought I might find this lonely, but it was actually sort of peaceful to just stop and go as I was ready. It was repeat miles as in-outs in 400s, which means you are supposed to do one lap a little faster, then the second a little slower, etc. I never really understood how I could possibly have enough awareness of my pace to slow it by only a few seconds. But Coach Leach said something different tonight -- he said the first lap shouldn't feel slower, it should just feel more relaxed. Suddenly, I understood in-outs! Funny how the right words can make everything clear.

I ran three repeat miles in 8:44, 8:48, and 8:54, respectively. So all under 9 minutes! I was pleased.

Unfortunately, earlier today I felt just the hint of a shin splint in my left leg. I chose to go to speed work anyway, since I had to really try to irritate it to even feel anything. Now, I don't think I made that one worse, but I feel just a hint of a shin splint in my right leg, as well. (sigh) I can barely feel them in terms of pain, but when I feel my shins, the telltale bumps are there under the skin. Figures. I finally am to a point with my hips that they aren't bothering me, and I get some f-ing shin splits.

But, looking on the bright side, at least it happened after the big race and not before. And, at least they are very mild. I'll be taking tomorrow off for sure, and possibly Friday too, just to try to keep the shin splits from getting worse. If I have to, I will also push my long run from Saturday to Sunday, or shorten it, or even skip it altogether if it comes to that.

In race news, I am currently registered for the Rock and Roll Half Marathon on August 2 and the Hot Chocolate 15K on November 1. Other races I am considering are the Fleet Feet Women's Festival on July 19, the Bucktown 5K on October 4, and the Race to Taste on June 29.

10 Mile Glory

Well, folks, I did it.

Today was the 10-miler, and I honestly could not have asked for a better race. The weather was perfect, and I felt GREAT. I felt no pain at all! Once, around 7.5 miles or so, I started to feel a little fatigued, but it passed, and a little after the 8-mile mark I felt one twang in my left hip that promptly went away. I honestly felt like I could have run forever.

I ran my first 5 miles at almost exactly a 10:20 pace, which was faster than I was expecting! I crossed the halfway point about 5 seconds over a 10:20 pace, and since I felt good, I kicked it up a notch just to try to get back on a 10:20 pace. Then, I crossed mile 6 at almost exactly an hour! I had increased my speed enough to be at a 10-minute pace! And I was still feeling great.

So, in Energizer Katie style, I just kept going. As I entered the final mile, I was still feeling amazing and couldn't stop smiling. When I entered the Soldier Field, I started cheering right out loud and took off sprinting with my hands in the air! I was completely ecstatic when I crossed the finish line. I was so excited, in fact, that I forgot to stop my watch! When I finally did (I'm guessing 15 or 20 seconds later), my watch read 1:39:51. It took a second for me to process this, but suddenly I realized I had just run a 10-mile race at a hair's breath under a 10-minute pace. Truly, truly amazing and WAY faster than even my most ambitious of goals.

And though I am sore, I am not injured. Honestly, I'm barely sore. A hot shower took care of most of the soreness I felt immediately after the race.

The only damper on this whole thing is that my timing chip did not work. My cat bit it as I was lacing it to my shoe this morning, and I think she destroyed the microcircuitry. So, I had the best race of my life, by far -- and there is absolutely no record of me completing it. That really bums me out.

But, I do have my watch time, which I know is an overestimate. And even assuming that -- assuming that I finished in exactly 1:39:51 -- here would be my stats:
4836th out of 7366 overall,
2210th out of 3397 females, and
744th out of 1222 in my age group.
Roughly two-thirds of the way down the list in all cases, which is really not a bad showing.

I won't lie. The lack of an official time really took the wind out of my sails, and when I think about it too much, it is still upsetting. Why couldn't it be for one of my mediocre races that this happened? (Snowstorm, 6-hour flight delay, bad chip -- I'm starting to think my race schedule is cursed!)

But, here's another truth. I will NEVER forget the way I felt during this race -- like I was unstoppable. Like I could run forever. Like my injury had never happened. And I will NEVER forget the way I felt when I crossed the finish line -- like I had conquered the world. And I will NEVER forget the way I felt the moment my brain processed the fact that my pace had averaged under a 10-minute mile. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. It feels overdramatic to say that, but it's true. It was a moment of pure, unfettered joy as I basked in the glory of my finish.

And I will not let the lack of an official time take that away from me. I know I was there, and I know what I accomplished.

I am The Energizer Katie, HEAR ME ROAR!

Return to Speed Training

Well, tonight I went to speed training after a 4-week hiatus. It was fun, actually. I'm always surprised how much I like speed work. It's hard, but it comes in small bursts that are over fast.

We only did 3 x 1000 m tonight, because most of us are on a taper week leading up to the big 10 mile race on Saturday. Add in the drills, warm-up, and cool down though, and it's almost 5 miles. Plus my 1000 m repeats were at about 5:15, which is WAY under a 9-minute mile pace. Not bad.

Planning on cross training tomorrow, doing an easy 2 miles on Friday, and kicking the race's ass on Saturday. I can't wait.

Double digits!

Today, I ran 10 miles.

TODAY I RAN 10 MILES!

I'm making sure to say it a lot of times, to myself and to anyone who will listen, because 10 miles is a huge accomplishment! I'm so proud of myself for getting here, and in time for the race next week.

I did the 10 miles in 1:47:30, which is a 10:45 pace right down to the second. If I can repeat that next week, and finish my first 10-mile race at under an 11-minute pace, I will be elated. But really, I will be happy just to finish.

I was a little bit worried during my last half-mile or so, because my left hip muscles were hurting. But I kept going for a couple of reasons: 1. It didn't hurt nearly as much as when I got the injury, 2. The pain didn't seem to be related to going up curbs the way it did when I got the injury, and of course, 3. I'm stubborn.

When I got to 10 miles, it didn't hurt to walk or climb the stairs, and by the time I was out of the shower, I didn't feel any pain any more. Yay! I walked over 3 miles today and I felt fine the whole time. When I sat for more than a half-hour, I was stiff and a bit sore when I got up, but not in a bothersome way. Just enough to remind me what I had accomplished.

I ran 10 miles today, and I am amazed at how good I feel.

Tomorrow, I am taking the day off. Monday I'll do an easy 5K and Wednesday I'll go to speed training, but Friday I am resting. Because Saturday is race day!

If anyone is in town, it'd be awesome if you'd come and see me cross the finish line. For most races, no one I know is there when I finish, and this race is going to be HUGE for me. 10 miles is a gigantic accomplishment on its own, but for me, it also represents a very difficult comeback from my first major injury. It would mean a lot to me to have someone there. You get to come into Soldier Field for free and sit in the stands. Plus you'll see me on the jumbotron!

I ran 10 miles today. 10 miles! It feels good.

New kicks

Well, I went out and bought new running shoes over the weekend, and it seems to have made a difference. I ran 5K hard on Monday and didn't feel a thing, during or after. Then yesterday I wore my old shoes to do my aerobics and weights, and I regretted it, because I hurt afterward.

Today I did weights and aerobics in the morning and speed work (drills and three repeat miles) after work, all in my new shoes. I have a few aches and pains, but nothing worrisome. What's odd is my left hip hurts, not my right.

The lakefront path was pretty wet, and I got my glowing white shoes dirty. It felt kind of good.

Tomorrow: aerobics and weights in the AM
Friday: easy 5K
Saturday or Sunday: 10-mile run

Ten days to the Soldier Field 10. And I'll be ready.

Full circle?

Well, I did 9 miles this morning, and I must say that I felt pretty good doing it! No major pain, only brief and minor episodes of worry that passed quickly. Afterward, my psoas was very sore, but it calmed down to only minorly sore by the time I was out of the shower. Both hips have been sore since, but not enough to make it hurt to walk or to make me uncomfortable while sitting, which is actually better than I can say for most days over the last month!

I ran the 9 miles in 1:35:57 -- so I'm calling it an even 1 hour and 36 minutes. That's a 10:40 pace, which I find quite respectable! Granted, before my injury I was able to do these long distances at almost a 10-minute mile, but that was then, and look where it got me! I'm happy with the 10:40, especially since it was pretty steady throughout.

I even felt like -- if I had to -- I could have done one more mile and made it 10. Truthfully, if I didn't have to be to work, I might have gone ahead and done it. But, it's better that I didn't. No reason to push! I'll go for 10 miles next weekend, and that will make me plenty ready to do the race one week later.

This race will represent a huge comeback for me. There was a rather long period when I honestly didn't think I was going to be able to come back fast enough from the injury. But, my patience and persistence seems to have paid off.

Feeling good today

Well, I woke up this morning with no pain, and I went for a 5K with almost no pain. Anything I've felt today has been the same old psoas soreness, mostly noticable only when I lift my knee or squat down. I wish I didn't feel anything, but I'm in good spirits about it because I figure the devil I know is better than all the random pains I've had lately.

Geared up and actually a little excited for my 9 miles tomorrow. I'm just going to go at an easy, comfortable pace and let it take me how long it takes me. A slow run without pain is WAY better than a slightly faster one that hurts for days. I have definitely learned that lesson over and over lately.

Now if only I didn't have to go to work after I finish... boo for working Saturday.

Caught up

Well, the rain had stopped when I got up this morning, so I did my easy 2 miles and I am now caught up.

Also, turns out that the speed workout was officially canceled last night, so I'm guilt-free as well.

The achy stiffness seems to be gone from my right hip today. However, my psoas and the muscle just below it hurts -- it hurt enough to wake me up twice last night. I'm not sure what to think of that.

Veering but not lost....

Well, I'm slightly off track again but it's not really my fault. It was thunderstorming this evening, and while speed work was not officially called off, I chose not to go. I would have been soaked before I even got there, and the intersquad 5K was not going to be particularly helpful to me anyway.

Luckily, I planned ahead. I knew the thunderstorms were coming, so this morning I ran a 5K instead of doing my regular weight training. I really tried to push my speed to mimic what a race would be like. I finished in 29:18. That's like 30 seconds faster than yesterday, which is good. But it's a far cry from my PR, and even a far cry from my Ravenswood time last weekend. So I wasn't thrilled, but I did it pain free, so that was a good thing.

The 5K was still about a 2-mile easy run short of what I would do at speed work (because of the warm up and cool down). So, I had hoped to do that this evening if the rain broke. But it's still raining, so that's not happening. Instead, I did double weight training and aerobics -- one for the one I skipped this morning to do the 5K, and one for tomorrow morning. So hopefully the rain will let up in time for me to do a 2-mile easy run tomorrow morning. Then I will be caught up.

My injury continues to frustrate me. It does not usually hurt when I run, especially if I stick to 5Ks. But long periods of sitting cause my whole hip region to ache when I start moving again. The specific muscles that hurt vary from day to day and hour to hour, but it seems like something always hurts.

I'm really looking forward to the Soldier Field 10-miler. It's going to be a huge hurdle, but once I am past it, I will be able to relax a little, because I'll have two months to add just 3.1 miles to my long runs.

On track...

Well, for the last few weeks I have laid out a training plan and then had to break it due to injury woes or illness, but so far this week I am on track.

I went for a 5K this morning. I finished in 29:46, and had to push to do so. I think I'm becoming accustomed to my distance pace because 5Ks under 30 minutes are a lot more difficult than they used to be! That's ok, though.

Even though I felt like I could keep going to 8K if I slowed down a little, I decided not to. I felt no pain at all, and I wanted (for once!) to be able to say I had a pain-free run. I also decided I wanted to enjoy having a little extra time this morning rather than rushing around.

I've found that short bouts of running or other exercise actually makes my muscles feel better -- loosens them up, I guess -- but then if I go too long I get sore again. Just something to note.

Tomorrow at speed training is supposed to be an intersquad 5K. I haven't decided if I'm going or not. Most of the people on the team finish 5Ks in 17 or so minutes, and even the friends I sort of keep up with can finish in 24. My personal record is just under 28 minutes, and I have no hope of getting that tomorrow. So, I'm not sure my being there is going to be useful to anyone. If I don't go, I'll probably go to the lakefront path and either do the 400s I missed last week or to Diversey Harbor and do a Fartlek run.

The Week Ahead

The ups and downs continue. On Sunday I went on a 5-mile historic run through Hyde Park that included 12 stops significant to the World's Fair in 1893. It was a lot of fun and the weather was perfect, but I struggled more that I would like. My legs were pretty tired from my long run the day before and my hip hurt occasionally.

But, I'm facing forward. Here's my plan for this week:

Monday: I took today off from running due to fatigue and some soreness. I did weight training and aerobics, plus walked about 2.5 miles to and from a meeting.

Tuesday: I have a dentist appointment in the morning, and therefore some extra time. So, I'm going running in the morning. I'll either do 5K or 8K, depending on how the hip feels.

Wednesday: Weight training in the morning, and speed workout in the evening.

Thursday: Off from running. Walk 2.5 miles to and from food pantry, also do AM weight training.

Friday: AM weight training, PM 5K easy run.

Saturday: Long run, shooting for 9 miles.

Wish me luck -- my 9-mile run 5 weeks ago was when I first injured my psoas.

Not to go all Eminem on you...

8 miles today. Again, it might have been stupid to push it that far, but I felt ok throughout the run, and as long I feel ok I think it's important to try to get myself ready for the 10-miler in three weeks.

The 8 miles took me 1:21:46 -- about a 10:13 pace and not bad at all. I had some hip twinges that worried me a little, but not as many as on my 7-mile run from last week. Although I am sore now, I would not say that I am injured. At least not any more so than I was when I started out today.

Overall, I'm happy with today's run. I still wish I didn't ache so much in general -- but I hurt less than I have been lately, and the good weather also reminded me why I like running so much.

Slow and Steady (and maybe a little stupid...)

Well, because of the race on Sunday and the debacle with my flight, I didn't do a long run this weekend. So, I decided to try one today. I set out for 7 miles, telling myself I would stop if anything started to hurt.

I went very slow and comfortable. Disgustingly so, really -- the 7 miles took me over an hour and 15 minutes, so I was going at about an 11-minute mile. I was ok with that, though, because I felt like I could just keep going forever, even when I got to the 7-mile mark.

Well, maybe that is not the complete truth. While I mostly felt like I could keep going forever, I did have some injury fears throughout the run. What's really strange is that through most of the miles, it was my left hip muscles that worried me. Now that I'm done, it's back to the same old right psoas being sore. So, who knows.

Was it stupid of me to go the whole 7 miles? Maybe. But as of right now, I don't regret it or feel I did any damage that I will feel by tomorrow.

I must say that I am really tired of worrying and I really miss my pre-injury runs, when I spent my running time thinking about other things.

I'm thinking of buying new shoes this weekend. While I recognize that injury recovery takes time, I'm feeling a lot of other aches and pains that I never used to feel, and I wonder if my shoes being worn out is contributing to that. My shoes will be a year old in June, and I was going to wait til then to buy new ones, but I figure why not find out of old shoes are the source of some of my problems.

As I seem to be having a hard time forming coherent sentences, I am going to end this now. 7 miles, yay. Lots of soreness, boo.

Seriously?

Well, it's been quite the 24-hour period leading up to now, but I have good things to report.

I did go running once while I as in DC, and it was great. I did a 5K in about 29:30, though it was with a lot of stopping for lights because I thought it best to stay on main streets. I waved to the Obamas as I ran by the White House. No sightings, though. Not even Bo, who I was secretly hoping would be playing in the front yard.

By noon yesterday, I was well on my way to the airport. My flight took off at about 3:30, a half hour later than scheduled. We we put in an holding pattern when we reached O'Hare because of thunderstorms, and eventually had to land in Indianapolis due to lack of fuel. Then we sat on a runway for THREE AND A HALF HOURS, at which point they canceled the flight. I had to get off, wait through a long line, and rebook. Luckily, I was able to get out on the last flight to Chicago and didn't have to stay overnight in Indy. Unluckily, we didn't land at O'Hare until almost 11pm, and I didn't get home until midnight.

So, when I woke up at 6 this morning on 5 and a half hours of sleep, I didn't have very high hopes for a good race time. But, it wasn't raining, which was a good thing, and I went to the race.

I surprised myself by clocking a 28:20 -- 48 seconds faster than my time at this race last year, and faster than my third 5K last season. Amazing considering my lack of sleep, sporadic training, and recent injury.

Speaking of the psoas, I didn't feel it at all during or after my run in DC, though the long walks sightseeing did bother it a bit. It felt a bit sore this morning, I think just from the extra long periods of sitting in cramped spaces yesterday. But it didn't even occur to me to check on it after the race this morning. I wasn't even thinking about it. So I must not have felt a thing. Now when I do the knee lift, I do feel a tiny something, but nothing I would even notice if I wasn't paying attention.

All in all, a good result out of a crazy week. Time to start focusing on getting my mileage back up for the ten miler in four weeks.

Slight Cheat

Well, I decided that I didn't want to get up at 4:30 tomorrow to run before leaving for the airport, so I went for a 5K tonight instead. That's not cheating, right?

I finished in 29:40, which is not anything to write home about, but satisfactory. And, for the second day in a row, no soreness! That makes me really happy.

I can't say everything feels 100%. I still feel a slight pinch in my hips from time to time, and my knees hurt a little. But some of that is probably the normal aches and pains of running. For my first year of running, I read all these articles that called running a pushing sport, and I didn't really get it. Now that I'm going longer distances and doing some honest-to-goodness training, I understand.

I picked up my race packet today, and the shirts are really nice! Same logo as last year, but in a really nice green color.

I wish there was a race that included running pants or shorts or tights, though. That's what I really need.

Self Speed Substitute

In an effort to make up for the speed workout I will miss on Wednesday, today I ran 8K, but with a twist! For the first 5K, I alternated pushing my pace and relaxing it. Fast, slow, fast, slow, fast. Then for the last 3K I just ran at a normal pace.

I finished the first 5K in 28:40ish and the whole 8K in 47:55. Pretty darn good. And I feel good now that I'm cooled down, too. Almost no soreness in the psoas, at least so far, though I may be sore elsewhere!

Overall, I'm feeling much more like myself while I run and not struggling as much. So yay for that.

My training's a little screwy this week due to my trip to DC, but I'm planning to run 5K on Wednesday before I leave for the airport and run 5K on Friday morning while I am in DC (I'm going to run from the hotel to the White House, wave to Barack, and run back!). Then I'll be back Saturday afternoon, and I have a 5K race Sunday morning. If I feel up to it after the race, I might run home to make the total for the day between 6 and 7 miles.

Wish me luck! I don't really have a goal for the race, but breaking 30 minutes is always something to shoot for.

Amazing how that works when you do it right...

Well, I took the day off Friday, but went running today. I was feeling no pain at all when I started, and decided to shoot for 10K. I stayed wary of any pain I felt while running, and had to stop and ask myself a lot whether the small pains were normal or not. It's such a frustrating thing.

The good news is that I felt more like The Energizer Katie today than I have since before my injury. I didn't have that dragging, I-can-barely-make-it feeling I've been having since I started running again. I was able to go the full 10K without feeling tired or drained.

However, despite the fact that a piece of me really wanted to keep going, I did feel it would be unsafe to do so. By the end of the 10K, my psoas was quite sore again. Not enough to cause me pain while I was walking or even running, but the pain was pretty strong when I lifted my knee. Considering I wasn't feeling anything when I started, I saw that as a bad sign and quit at 10K.

When I got home, I iced the psoas for 15 minutes, and happily, that made the pain go away entirely in the space of an hour. Seems that icing thing really works when you do it properly. Imagine that.

So overall, not really a bad day. 10K (6.2 miles) is the farthest I've gone since being injured, and I feel completely recovered from it now.

The discouraging thing about this, though, is that my pace was very slow. I finished the 10K in 1:03:46, which is a 10:16 per mile pace. I'd like to say that I took it slow for safety's sake, but I honestly couldn't have pushed it any faster.

My focus this season is distance, not speed, so I'm trying not to let this get me down, but I haven't had any trouble with keeping up a 10-minute mile in a long time. I'm hoping I just had a tough day, and trying to focus on the positives, of which there are many!

Satisfied (I think)

Well, it seems that I tend to speak a bit too soon lately. When I left this morning, I was not feeling sore at all. But, as I walked to the train, I had some pain in my right knee. As that faded, a new pain developed in my right hip -- the same one I injured, but in a much different place, on the outside.

The hip pain continued all day, whenever I walked, so I wondered if I should run. But, it seemed that the long strides I take when I walk were causing the pain, and my shorter running strides did not. So, I went for an easy 5K, and I felt pretty good. And when I was done, there was no more pain in my hip. It was almost as if a certain muscle needed to be stretched or something.

Now, about 3 hours later, I'm still not feeling any pain, anywhere, which is great. My muscles are very tired though, so tomorrow I am taking a much desired, well justified day off.

The morning will tell the true tale, but right now I am feeling satisfied with my recovery and progress. Let's hope that this time, I'm not speaking too soon.

Yay.

Not sore this morning, even after doing my aerobics stuff!

Almost feeling normal.

Yay.

In and out....

Well, I was feeling fine to go to speed training -- tired, but not sore. The workout was a continuous 3-mile run in 200 m in-outs. Basically, 12 laps around an outdoor track going your 5K pace plus 20 seconds per mile on the first half of each lap, and your 5K pace plus about 10 seconds per mile on the second half.

I was the slowest person there again by a noticable margin, and I must admit it was discouraging to watch the friend I used to keep pace with pull farther and farther ahead (and to see the fasties finish when I had yet to finish mile 2). But, I finished the 3 miles in 27:52 -- under a 9:20 pace, which is right where I was supposed to be. Granted, there's no way I could have gone any faster than that, but still. I really have to remember that even if I'm slow compared to my teammates, I'm going pretty fast for me.

No noticeable pain. I'm tired and sore, but not hurting, really. However, I still don't feel quite right. At random times during the day and night, my hip will start to ache. Running or not running doesn't seem to matter, and it never happens if I am focused on something else, which suggests it might be partly in my head. I find this sort of worrisome, but I'm trying to be patient.

I hope soon, I just start feeling normal again.

(sigh)

I'm pretty sore this morning. Not sure what to think of that just yet. Hoping to be ok for speed work this evening.

... really?!

Ok, so... please note the following:

Today, I felt almost nothing in my psoas. Maybe every fifth time I raised my knee, I felt a twinge, but that was it.

So, after work, I went for a run, not sure if I would do 5K or 8K.

When I got to 5K, I was tired, because it was just as hard as yesterday. But I wasn't hurting. So, I said to myself, "Katie, today was hard regardless of if you stop here of keep going. But if you keep going, tomorrow might be a little easier." So, I kept going and finished an 8K.

I forgot my stopwatch, but I did look at the time on my phone when I started and ended. I finished the 8K somewhere between 48 and 49 minutes.

Additionally, I am certain I spent at least a full minute waiting at stop lights, and likely closer to two minutes.

Do you know what this means?

I just finished an 8K in less than 48 minutes -- faster than I ran the Shamrock Shuffle.

Granted, today's weather conditions were stellar and the Shuffle's were horrid. And, finishing the Shuffle was not hard for me, whereas today's 8K kicked my butt.

But still, I am really happy about this. Maybe the climb back to where I was will not be as slow as I thought.

Also, the psoas is a little more sore than before the run -- I feel it every time I lift my knee, but NOTHING anywhere close to worrisome.

I'm so relieved I can barely stand it.

The Uphill Climb Begins

Well, I had a bad day yesterday, physically and emotionally. I took Thursday through Sunday off from running, and Saturday and Sunday off completely (no aerobics or upper body, either). And, inexplicably, I was in more pain yesterday than I have been since the injury happened. I found this really disheartening, and finally all my pent up frustration came out and I cried for a while. I was really worried that I was never going to recover in time to be ready for the 10 miler or the half marathon.

Today, though, is 100 times better. I had very little pain when I woke up this morning, even after I did my stepper exercises. When I got home from work, I felt almost nothing, even when I lifted my knee. So, I went for a 5K run. Now I am back, and happily, I still feel almost nothing when I lift my knee. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high, because there have been really good days followed by really bad ones. But this feels like progress.

The bad news is that my 5K run felt WAY harder than a 5K has felt in a long time. I really struggled. It was bound to happen. It was wishful thinking to hope that taking two weeks with almost no running wouldn't make my return to running hard. (But I did wishfully think it, nonetheless.) These two weeks probably set me back four weeks worth of training.

But, if the pain continues to subside in my psoas, I'm starting to regain some confidence that I'll be ready for the half, and maybe even the 10 miler if I'm lucky. I'm not looking forward to the struggle, but I made this uphill climb once, and I can do it again.

So-so psoas

Well, the good news is on two fronts. First, I went to speed training on Wednesday, and had no pain at all while I as running. I know, I know, I wasn't supposed to go, but at the last second, our coach decided that he was going to introduce a new workout, and I really didn't want to miss the instruction. In the end, the run felt great, and I was glad I went. And afterward, my hip didn't really hurt any more than it did before I went. It still hurt to lift my knee, but nothing like when I first got hurt.

The other piece of good news is that I'm pretty convinced at this point that I don't have a stress fracture. For one, running does not seem to make the pain any better or worse. Also, the worst pain is in the morning when I get up, when my muscles are tight. And when I wrote to the injury screener to give her an update, she said it sounded more and more like the psoas. So, muscle problem is better than a stress fracture.

However, the recovery is going much slower than I hoped. I've only run twice this week, and the muscle feels the same as it did a week ago. I think it's going to be a long time before I feel normal again.

I'm going to try to start running semi-regularly again next week, being super conscious of how I feel. If rest isn't helping, I may as well try at least some easy training.

Keep thinking good thoughts for me.

Injury Screening

Well, things are progressing as well as I have a right to hope. I woke up this morning with no pain at all, even when I lifted my knee to a 90-degree angle (what has been hurting the most). As I went throughout the day climbing stairs and whatnot, I felt twinges a couple of times, but nothing that I even would have thought twice about if it weren't for the injury.

So, I decided to jog the couple miles to the store for the injury screening tonight. I was a little afraid of what I would feel, but I figured if it still hurt a lot to run at an easy pace, that I was something I should be able to tell the injury screener.

I went very slow, probably at an 11 minute pace or less. By the time I got there, I was still only feeling tiny twinges, and only when I lifted my knee up.

When I described the pain to the screener, she grimaced and said it sounded like a stress fracture. (Ugh.) But then after she moved me around and put pressure on things and whatnot, she was less convinced, and said it may be a strain of one of my groin muscles (the psoas). It's the muscle responsible for lifting the leg, which would make sense because on my run on Monday, it hurt the most when I was running up curbs.

She gave me some exercises to do to strengthen my glutes, which apparently will make me less dependent on the psoas. She wasn't completely convinced it wasn't a stress fracture, though, so she told me to contact her in a week or two if it didn't stop hurting by then.

She also said I should pay attention to when my foot struck the ground, and try to focus on striking underneath my body and pushing backward with my glutes. Right now, I apparently I focus more on pulling my leg up and tend to strike in front of my body, which is why so my psoas are overworked. More glute, less psoas. Easier said than done, but at least it's something to work on.

(Go ahead and laugh at how many times I've said groin and glutes. I know you're dying to do so.)

I asked if I should rest more from running, and she said that she never tells people not to run. She just tells them to be smart. Translation: you can run as long as it doesn't hurt. She said that basically, the less I run now, the faster it should get better, which is really nothing I didn't already know.

I did the same slow jog on the way back home, and I'm still feeling pretty good. It hurts a little more than it did when I got to the store, but not much, and still only when I lift my knee really high.

I think the smartest plan for me this week would be to take tomorrow off (I'm not really going to have time anyway), and then try another easy run on Wednesday. I hate to skip another speed workout, but those entail a lot of hard running and I think I'd be pushing my luck. I won't have time to run Thursday or Friday, either, so my next chance will be Saturday. Hopefully, I'll be feeling really good by then.

So, everyone root for the psoas and not a stress fracture.

Also, note to self: actually do the prescribed glute exercises. (Again, ugh.)

Highs and Lows

Let's start with the positive. On Monday, I went out and ran a whopping 9.3 miles! Looking at my schedule and the weather, it seemed like I wasn't going to have another chance for a long run this week, and I was feeling great on Monday. So I did it. And I didn't really struggle much! Actually, when I got to the end of the 15K, I considered going a bit farther to make it 10 miles. But then I thought, why not save another victory for another day? I was really on a high as I was cooling down.

But, unfortunately, after I made it up to my apartment, I found myself in some major pain. My right groin muscle hurt so bad that I could barely limp from my couch to the refrigerator. I was seriously freaked out. Forget not being able to run -- I am completely dependent on walking to get around, and I climb at least 6 flights of stairs a day. Any limits on my mobility felt really scary.

Thankfully, the next morning the muscles were still sore but I could move. That was yesterday, and today it is even better. I'm hoping that if I take the rest of the week off, I will be ok next week.

I learned my lesson. No need to push too hard too fast. I've got 4 months before the half marathon, and almost 2 before the 10 miler. When I start up again, no need to push as hard as I've been pushing.

I must confess that I hate taking time off. It's killing me to not be at speed training right now. I know I'm doing the smart thing, but some irrational part of me thinks all my hard work is being lost right now. I'm trying to enjoy the break and tell myself that months of dedicated training won't suddenly disappear over the next few days.

I also scheduled a free injury screening for next Monday, so if it still is bothering by then, I'll get some professional advice.

(sigh) This really killed my high, but I'm still proud of the nine miles and still proud of doing the Shamrock Shuffle. To end on a high note, let me just say that I got the link to my Shuffle photos today, and they were awesome. I just dropped $20 on a copy of one because it was just too good to pass up.

Worst. Race conditions. Ever.

Well, folks, I must admit that when I got up this morning and saw near blizzard conditions outside, I considered not going to the Shuffle. But in the end, I thought about how hard I'd been working for it, and I went.

Now that it's over, I'm glad I went, but I have to say it was absolutely miserable. The snow was coming down hard, and it was wet and heavy. It all turned to slush when it hit the ground. My feet were sopping wet before I even got to the race site, and they were completely numb as I stood in the start corral. Because I was in the second wave, I had to stand in the corral for almost 30 minutes before I even got to start running.

I thought it would get better when I took off, but I soon realized that thousands of feet striking the ground was going to cause a lot of splashing. Freezing water and ice splashed over my shoes and up my legs. We went over 6 bridges on the route, and several of them were made of a kind of wire mesh, which did not allow for much traction. And the wind was not pretty either.

But, I finished. And I finished in pretty good time! My watch time was 48:20, which is usually accurate within 5 seconds. My goal was 48 minutes, and a piece of me is disappointed I didn't quite get it, but given the conditions, I'm giving myself a break.

A race for the books, folks. Good for me for going. Enjoy the picture -- I thought it would communicate the misery better than words could.

Ready to Shuffle!

I did my last training run for the Shamrock Shuffle this morning. An 8K, with a time of 47:02. Not as fast as Tuesday, but still really good. I think I can safely set a goal of 48 flat for the race, with a "Holy cow, that'd be sweet!" goal of 47.

I ran in 30-degree weather this morning and it was not so bad, so no matter what the race conditions, I'm determined to have a good time. Right now, they're saying it should be about 40 degrees by race time. With some snow on the ground. Ew.

I get to pick up my race packet and racing team uniform today! Yay!

Speed much?

Another good showing at speed training tonight. It was three sets of 3 by 200 m, 3 times up and down the Grant statue hill, and 1 by 200 m, plus the warm up run and speed drills. My friend Kim did the three sets (which totals a distance of over 3 and a half miles) in about 35 minutes, and I was not far behind her. That's speedy, especially considering the hills involved!

Plus, I found out Kim is from Grand Rapids, and planning to run the River Bank Run there in May. My aunt also invited me to run that, so maybe I'll make the trip!

Day off from running tomorrow, woo hoo!

Run between the raindrops? Ha.

I think I may have crossed another threshold into true runner-dom today. It was raining, and I ran my 8K anyway.

It really wasn't as bad as I expected. The wind was worse than the rain.

The good news is I completed my 8K in 45:52! That's under a 9:15 pace and totally unheard of for me. There are several things I think could have contributed to this:
1. I run better in the afternoon than I ever did in the morning. I used to do all my runs in the morning, but now that I run longer than 30 minutes, I've had to train in the afternoon instead.
2. The stopping and starting I have to do at stoplights could be beneficial. I always get annoyed when I have to stop, feeling like it throws me off my rhythm. But perhaps I am actually renewed each time I have to stop and let my heart rate slow for 30 seconds or so. Or maybe I accidentally shave seconds off my time as I start and stop my watch.
3. I ran faster because of the rain. (I doubt this one.)
4. Speed training has already started to work. This seems sketchy because I have only gone twice, but it's possible.

Regardless, I'm happy and feel like I deserve a treat. Sadly (happily?), I have nothing in the apartment and don't want to go out to get anything. I guess the method of not buying anything to keep around really works.

Speed training tomorrow. I hope it doesn't rain!

Off to a Running Start

Hello, readers! (Assuming there are any out there!) My enthusiasm for running has increased lately, and I have more and more thoughts bouncing around in my mind about it. So, I decided to start this blog as a record of my training, progress, and race schedule for this season. It may not be interesting for anyone but me, but I hope that it will become a useful tool.

For this first post, all I really want to say is that I ran eight miles yesterday, which is a personal best for me. And I did it in a little over 1 hour and 17 minutes. That's just under a 9:30 pace. I'm really happy about this and feeling like I am well on my way to reaching my ultimate goal for this year: to complete the Rock N Roll Half Marathon in Chicago on August 2.

I'm officially entered in four races so far:
March 29: Shamrock Shuffle 8K
April 26: Ravenswood Run 5K
May 23: Soldier Field 10 Miler
August 2: Chicago Rock N Roll Half Marathon

I'm sure there will be others. I always welcome support on the course or at the finish line if anyone is interested in coming out!

This week, my focus is on preparing for the Shamrock Shuffle next Sunday. Here's the plan:
Sunday: run 5K (which I have already done, yay!)
Monday: rest from running, do AM weight training
Tuesday: run 8K to get a feel for my expected finish time
Wednesday: speed training with Coach Leach and the FF Racing Team (4 x 200 m, plus hills)
Thursday: rest from running, do AM weight training
Friday: run 8K
Saturday: rest
Sunday: RACE DAY!

Wish me luck!