What I've Been Up To

On Monday I started Couch to 5K again.  It went pretty well.  On the plate for week 1 is 60 seconds running, 90 seconds of walking, for 20 minutes.  When I started back running a couple of weeks ago, I started with running 30 seconds and walking 1 minute, and I felt like I still had a lot in my legs, so moving up to 60 seconds running hasn't been so bad.  Before my injury I was wogging at anywhere from a 2:1 down to a 1:1 ratio.  This time I want to be able to run longer running segments, which will automatically increase my pace.  I don't want to ever have to spend a race looking over my shoulder for sweepers.  I want to relax and have fun at races, especially Disney ones.

At the recommendation of my PT and my husband, I got fitted for new shoes.

Oddly enough, they put me back into a stability shoe.  I'm going to run in these for a few weeks before I give any kind of judgement publicly.  On the downside, now I have 3 pairs of sad, lonely Newton Gravity's.  Anybody interested in a 2013 pair in Watermelon, size 7, with only 5 miles on them??

Mark and I have re-organized our weight program, so we are lifting more weight and more regularly.  I feel like part of the reason my foot broke was due to tightness in my arch and calf, so I'm trying to strengthen my core as much as I can before I start training for any distance, to take the pressure off my calves.  My hips and back don't seem to be hurting as much, but I'm not pulling double digit miles either.

And in non-running related news, this weekend Mark and I got to go see Sir Elton John, live and in person!  We rarely have good concerts in this neck of the woods, so we jumped on the tickets as soon as they went on Ticketmaster.  Our seats were in the nosebleed section way to the side of the stage, but they were still awesome seats.  Look, here's  crappy iphone proof! Elton's the sparkly fella behind the piano.

Race Bucket List

Since I'm starting to get back on my feet, I'm starting to think about races.  It was really tough a couple of weeks ago to see all the social media surrounding Disney World Marathon Weekend, knowing I had to give up on the 10K.  So I've been dreaming of what I want to do once I can.  In an ideal world, someday I'll do these races.

In no particular order:

Key West Half: Mark and I loved our visit to Key West a few years ago.  And who doesn't want a medal that doubles as a wine stopper!

Space Coast Half: I've always had a love of space, so to get to run in the shadow of where the shuttle used to be would be so exciting.  Spoiler alert:  the 2014 medal is just too good to pass up.  Mark and I registered.  I signed up before I was released to run.  Maybe not the smartest thing in the world.

Kentucky Derby Half:  Because I've always wanted to go to the Derby.  Running through Churchill Downs in a Derby hat is almost as good.

Disney Princess Half:  Although I'm a little disappointed in the medal for 2014.  Maybe 2015 will be better.

Disneyland Tinkerbell Half: My big dream is to run the Coast to Coast challenge, and I like the looks of the Tink course.  And they've moved the race to Mother's Day weekend.  2015 is starting to look optimistic...

Disneyland Half: Totally because of the ginormous D medal!

Rock n' Roll Las Vegas:  Vegas is one of Mark's and my favorite cities.  We honeymooned there.  I know this race has had some organizational problems in the past, but I'd risk it to run down the Strip at night.

Gasparilla Half: Because all of my race decisions are determined by the bling.  And I like flat courses.

Mississippi Blues Half: I've just heard this is a great race.  And I have friends in Jackson, so no hotel costs!

Oh yeah, and I want to become a Half Fanatic.

So what's on your race bucket list?  Any fantastic races I'm missing out on?  Post it here!

I Can Run, I Can Run, I Can Run!

I haven't been so giddy and excited since Christmas!  I thought this day would never come. Last week my foot was feeling tons better and I asked my PT (again) if I could start running.  She wanted me to bring my shoes to my next appointment (yesterday) so she could evaluate my form and stride, but also that I could start to run a little in the mean time if I felt up to it.  I didn't leave the office and immediately run 6 miles, but it was pretty close to that.

I waited until the next day and started on my recovery plan.  I'm planning to do as much as I can on softer surfaces, like the indoor track at the Y and the high school outdoor track.  Everything I've read says to start back slow, so I've put together a combination of Jeff Galloway and Couch to 5K plans to get my mileage back up and help improve my endurance at the same time.

Week 1: 25 minutes - run 15 seconds, walk 1-2 minutes x2
Week 2: 30-40 minutes - run 30 seconds, walk 1-2 minutes x 3
Weeks 3-11 - Couch to 5K plan

You can see I'm running for minutes, not miles right now.  I'm focusing on endurance and increasing my running intervals.  Since I don't have any races coming up on the calendar, this should put me in a good place for when I do start to train again.  I'm not gonna lie, though: it's tough not to see those weekly mileage totals where I'd like them to be.  But starting back at C25K was my plan all along, even before my injury.  I didn't have enough base built up to train for the races I did, which left me struggling and disappointed with myself.  I don't want to have to worry whether or not I'll be able to finish when I line up at the start line next time.

What do you think of my training plan?  Have any experience coming back from an injury and want to give me some advice?  Will my Sparkle Skirts help me recover faster?  Leave a comment!

Walking the Biggest Loser 5K #blrwmobile

Yeah, so I can't run right now.  But nobody said I couldn't walk!  When I saw a Biggest Loser race was coming to town, I signed right up, boot and all.  I knew the half marathon was out, but I figured I could hobble my way through a 5K with no time limit.  And the swag was too good to pass up.  A tech shirt, bag, medal, and free race pictures!

The Biggest Loser races encourage both running and walking, which I think is a great way to encourage people at all points in their fitness journey.  When I signed Mark and I up a week after Wine and Dine, I stupidly thought I'd be back running at least a little, and I signed us up for the running category.  Ha ha ha, joke's on me!  Mark had been having some IT band issues since the NOLA Rock n'Roll half the weekend before, so we were all for walking.

The start was pretty confusing because apparently we started in waves, but there was no marked corral and no separation between walkers and runners.  We joined the long line of folks at the start, and ended up being in Corral 3.  I don't know how many corrals there were.

The only time I set eyes on any Biggest Loser former contestants was at the start line.  Although I think Frannie and Gina ran the 5K ahead of me.

Being the weekend before Mardi Gras starts (Mobile is the birthplace of Mardi Gras. Suck it, NOLA.), the race had a Mardi Gras themed.  I wore my purple Sparkle Skirt and Pro Compression socks to be festive.  We met up with a couple of Joe Cain's Merry Widows and I had to take a picture, because how often do you get to chat with those lovely ladies?

The course took us through a couple of historic neighborhoods and through downtown Mobile.  Other than our big oak trees, there wasn't a whole bunch to see along the route.  It was nice and flat, though.

With both of us injured, we totally expected to take at least an hour to finish.  We surprised ourselves by finishing in 54:XX, without really even pushing ourselves.  I thought the race was pretty well run with good race support, and I hope they come back next year and I can participate in RUNNING the half marathon.

#3121: The Results

Saturday was the final day of Round #1 with the 3121 Diet by Dolvett Quince.  So what are the results?

I've lost 6 lbs. and 2% body fat!  As far as the eating part of the diet goes, I'm getting used to eating a little less, but I'm also getting a bit tired of baked chicken.  I've got to find some new recipes!  I haven't kept strictly to the calorie suggestions in the book because I think they are a little low, but I shoot for around 1300 a day net, with 2 higher calorie days a week.  It does seem to be working.

I'm going to go into maintenance mode for a few weeks.  Mardi Gras is about to hit fast and hard, so my, um, carb intake will be increasing.  I'm going to eat very clean when I can, and try to make good food choices when there are events, as well as continuing to exercise.  Mardi Gras is worse for me than the Thanksgiving/Christmas season, so I hope I don't fall off a ledge for the next few weeks.

Doing better than Bob Costas' eye

Poor ol' Bob and his pink eye.

On Monday I started physical therapy.

I've been really looking forward to PT.  My foot seems very weak to me, and my toes are really stiff and painful.  I have a hard time standing or walking for a long period of time.  Plus I want to come out of this having built my strength back and ready to run. As it turns out, I'm already in pretty good shape.  Who knew?

My PT Deanna says that my flexibility and strength are both functionally normal, but that its just not up to my higher, active standard.  She's going to help get me there, which will happen fairly quickly. (God I hope my insurance company doesn't read this blog!) BUT I still won't be able to run for a few more weeks.  My old friend doubt is starting to creep in when I watch other runners.  I start to think "Gosh, how was I ever able to do that?  A half marathon is a really long way!)  But I'm trying really hard to quiet that voice and keep focused on first, my recovery, and second, starting out back at Couch to 5K and taking things very very slow.  It will all come in time.

Volunteering, Not Running

I was supposed to run the Rock n' Roll NOLA this past weekend.  When I first broke my foot I asked Dr. Roca about doing a February half and he just laughed at me.  *Sad Face*.  But Mark and my sister were still gonna run, so I could either:
a. stay home and sulk,
b. go with them and sulk,
c. volunteer

I picked C.  It was my first experience volunteering at a race.  I wanted to sign up to give out medals, but the shift was too long, so I picked starting line.   But first, the expo!

There was lots of shopping at our favorites, and then this happened:

No comment.

My shift started at 5:30 a.m. which was really early.  They were short on volunteers, so there was only one of us per corral to watch bib numbers, hold the rope and the marker sign, and generally make sure people got to the right place.  People, if you can, volunteer at a race!  Volunteers are the ones making sure your day goes smoothly.  And please don't argue with us, we are only doing what we are told.

I ran around once my corral made it to the start and watched Mark and our friend Sarah start the race.

Then I high-tailed it to the finish to watch both of them and my speedy sister finish their races.  Mark had some ITB problems, but still finished a sub-3:00 half.  I was so proud of all of them, and had a terrific time cheering with my signs and cowbell.  Of course, I would've rather been running and had that shiny medal around my neck at the end, but that will happen in time I suppose.