16K is a Killer...

Another week....another long run.  This one was 16k...and my body knows it.  Hurt for the last few km of the run...and am pretty stiff still.  Went slow during the run and had some pretty serious, heart-felt conversations along the way.  Amazing what we're willing to disclose when out running.  It is like a really slow, painful therapy session...

Sure wish I could figure out the pain thing when I'm running though.  Colleen has no pain at all when running - it is amazing.  I have a feeling the fact that I have one hip that sits higher than the other, which makes one leg longer than the other is a big reason for my pain.  Maybe?  Who knows....Hopefully I am able to run our 5.5k EZ run tomorrow.  Then I'm going to have my boy over for a special dinner tomorrow night!  Yay!

Half Way There...

Ok....so I'm behind on my blogging....  Have had some "stuff" going on...  So glad to have had running as a coping mechanism...

Anyway...we're half way there!  Week 6 of our 12-week training plan is DONE DONE DONE!  The long run was 14.5 km and I did it alone...and it was great.  Well, except for the pit bull and husky running after me, circling around me and barking like it wanted to rip my throat out.  Could have done without that...but whatever... (stupid, irresponsible pet owners!).

As of Sunday, we've logged 162.5 official training km.  And the compression tights?  I think they might be pretty great.  I wasn't able to get the full effect because I started with a sore back...but I think that I had less hip/glute pain this time around...and my legs felt GREAT!

I can't imagine being able to get those tiny little things stretched over my less-tiny body in the women's washroom at work, however....so I think the compression tights will remain only for long runs on weekends...when I can get dressed at home and fall over on my bed in the process...not end up falling in the toilet or something...

The next 6-weeks of my training will be dedicated to my friend who has a long road ahead of her too...but just like us, she'll get through it by putting one foot in front of the other.

How Do YOU Spell Relief?

I'm hoping relief is spelled C-O-M-P-R-E-S-S-I-O-N!

As mentioned, I am experiencing pain when I do my long runs... And though some pain is maybe to be expected, this is pain that could very well interfere with my ability to finish a long run (though if I wasn't so stubborn and stopped and stretched for a minute when it started hurting it would help...but whatever...we all have issues).

So, today I got my compression tights in the mail.  Aren't they fancy looking:

Now, if you've never worn compression tights before, lemme tell ya.  Just putting them on is an experience. It is a workout just getting them up....and you've NEVER seen a muffin top like a compression tights muffin top if you don't quite get them pulled up far enough.  Not a pretty sight (be thankful I didn't take a picture of THAT!).

My next run is this week's long run.  14.5k....so it will be time to give the tights a real test.  Fingers crossed please (they cost a bloody fortune and will break my heart if they don't give me some relief!). 

Seven Weeks to Go!

Finished another week of training....week 5!  Like the past several weeks, Tuesday (a relatively short run) sucked majorly...hurt, tired, etc.  Not sure why I struggle through Tuesdays.

Because our spin class (cross training) is on Thursday evenings, we've switched our Wed & Thur training...so now Wed we run a 1.5k warmup, then do a distance (varies each week) at race pace and then a 1.5k cool down.  You'd think that would be a tougher run...but I've quite enjoyed the Wednesday runs. 

Thursday spin classes always rock!  I am pushing myself way harder this fall than I ever did before summer.  Loving it!

Saturday is long run day...this week was 13k.  By the time I start getting close to the double digits in km, I start hurting.  The outside of my hips/glutes and lower back....aching big time :(  So, after some intense research via Google I decided that maybe compression tights might help. So I went to our "cycle and sports" shop here in town - which is the closest we come to a running supply store and asked if they have compression tights.  The oh-so-wise fellow helping me suggested I go to the local drugstore.

WHAT!!??  Is he serious??  He thinks I am asking for THESE:

Ugghh!!  Shows we live in a small town and are in DESPERATE need of a real running/yoga/bike store when the closest we have refers me to the drug store for SUPPORT HOSE!!  Wow.

So, today we took a ride to Invermere....A smaller town...but one that actually has a great store called Crazy Soles.  Unfortunately, despite a phone message that said they were open Sunday's....they were not.  So, we drove an hour and a half each way and I ended up with a 45 calorie DQ Fudge Bar and a bottle of water.  Oh well, it was a fun trip anyway....however, the search for ACTUAL compression tights continues....

And on to week 6 of training! Almost half way there!

Groin, Groin....Gone

Ouch!  So....barely slept last night because my groin hurt every time I moved.  Rolling over or moving from one side to another was a near impossibility...Ugggh...  I am only a third of the way through training...I soooo can NOT have a groin injury at this point.

Pulled out the other shoes that I bought in Spokane and wore them for today's run, am eating better so my body gets what it needs to repair better, loaded up on Ibuprofen and a "value size" tube of Voltaren and spent my lunch hour doing some hip and hamstring stretching to see if it will help. So far today I am feeling MUCH better than yesterday (though yesterday's run WAS longer).  This Saturday is a 13k run....That will be the next test.

However, I keep hearing about the woman who ran the Chicago Marathon last weekend...at 38 weeks pregnant....and gave birth 7 hours after crossing the finish line!??  WTF!  SERIOUSLY???  Who does that!!??  Ok, that puts my achy girl bits in a little better perspective.  Suck it up, Schmidt.... At least you're not carrying another human along with you when you run....a human who is trying to get out no less!  Yikes!  THAT is commitment.

Four Weeks in...

Ok....we've completed four weeks.  We're officially 1/3 of the way there.  It only gets harder from here...YIKES!  My glutes/hips are NOT particularly enjoying the long runs.  Will have to figure something out with those.  Foam roller? Stretching? Strengthening?  I dunno.  Trial and error I guess. The long run for week 4 was 11k.  Still well within my comfort zone after doing 10k long runs all summer.  Though I got the 10k under an hour, I have thrown all thoughts about speed out the window.  It's all about just getting it done at this point.

Yup....one hour, 16 minutes....but that's ok.  What worries me is the fact that my hips, lower back and glutes were quite sore for the last part of the run and I was very stiff and sore after we were done (felt much better after stretching).  Not sure how I'll get through a 19k run!  Yikes!

This upcoming weekend we'll be doing the longest run we've ever done!  13k.  That's one more than Bloomsday, 3 more than a "regular" long run.  And a little scary...  But we'll just do what we can do I guess.  Good thing I'm stubborn :)

Some Yummy Inspiration

Well...Ok. This running thing started as a way to get into better shape. Once I lost a fair amount of weight, I began to look at people's body's and admiring nicely toned arms, flat bellies, muscular legs, etc...and use that as inspiration to continue working.

Today, however, I was handed (actually tweeted) some AMAZING inspiration. This image of a body that looks almost impossible to achieve...and it happens to be the body of my favourite Vancouver Canuck! Yup...It's Ryan Kesler's photo from his ESPN's The Body Issue.

Seriously...how does a human being look like that? There is not an ounce of fat anywhere. It's pure, sculpted, rock-solid perfection (and is also now the desktop wallpaper on my laptop!)

Now, don't get me wrong...as inspiring as this picture is - I don't have any delusions that my body fat will get into the negatives like Kesler's appears to be....but WOW! It's hard to not want to work a little harder at least. (Right after I'm done staring at my new desktop, that is!)

Jogging For Jerry

It's official!  We've launched our website and have begun collecting donations on behalf of Epilepsy Canada. Check out the details!

Fingers crossed that we're able to raise at least the $1000 that is our goal before Vegas.  Training will be so much easier with this goal in mind.  It's no longer about us as individuals.... Our aches and pains we're sure to experience as a result of our training pale in comparison to what Jerry and others with epilepsy endure.

So, bring on the donations!  We'll run hard in return :)

Three Weeks Down....

...and NINE to go!  Yikes!

Last week the thought of 9 more weeks might have been enough to bring me to tears.  Running was HARD again.  Things hurt.  I lost my mo-jo.  I just wasn't into it....at all.  Totally regretted signing up for the half, totally regretted our training plan, kinda regretted I ever started running.

Then I had a good run.  Yup, that is all it takes...  I quit trying to get the fastest time I could and just started running.  And it felt good.  Better than good.  It re-invigorated me.  I am back to enjoying running.  I am actually LOOKING FORWARD TO our longer weekend runs!  11k next Saturday!  Whoo Hoooo!  Bring it on!

Let's hope the next 9 weeks of training keep pumping me up and the lost mo-jo days are behind me.  Temporarily at least.  They'll be back.  Post-race let-down and all that.  In December.  Shouldn't be too hard to re-find my desire to run in December right?  Snow, ice, dark, weeks and months of freezing temperatures ahead.  Oh well....TODAY I had a good run....so, bring it!