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.