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.