Runs with Glitter takes Tampa

Last week I got to spend some time in Tampa for work, and Mark got to go with me!  I had the privilege of doing some running in the Gulf, and otherwise ate all of the food.

My Comeback Tour

Thanks for indulging my pity party last week.  I'm at a work conference this week, so I will update you next week on how things are going.  Until then, here's my upcoming races!

*****
I've made some veiled references here on the blog about training for a half marathon.  Well, actually, it's THREE half marathons!

Space Coast Half Marathon - Cocoa Beach, FL, November 30, 2014

I registered for this one while I was still in a boot.  I've always wanted to run it, and the 3-year challenge seemed like a good reason.  This seems like a good choice because its flat and has a 7 hour course limit.  No matter how my training went, I can finish this one.  Training started Sept. 1, so I'll be back to let you know how that went.

Louisiana Quarter Marathon - Baton Rouge, LA, January 17, 2015

I've heard great things about the Half and Full in Baton Rouge.  This year they added a Quarter Marathon, and we're going to try to use this to get a good qualifying time for later Disney races.

Gasparilla Half Marathon - Tampa, FL, February 22, 2015

Another one with a generous course limit and a great medal.  I can't decide if this or Space Coast will be my A race.  I'm leaning toward this one.

Tinkerbell Half Marathon - Disneyland, CA, May 10, 2015

And so it begins -- my journey to the Disney Coast to Coast medal!  We'll complete the challenge in November at the Wine and Dine half.  We're lucky enough to have friends in California that we want to visit this spring, so this fits right in and makes the trip at least somewhat affordable.  I seriously can't wait to do this race!

Training for Space Coast starts this week, and the races are spaced out at almost perfect 12 week intervals, so I'm basically in training from September to May.  I plan to take the first 12 pretty easy and make the training tougher for each of the other races.  Wish me luck and to keep injury free (hahahaha)!

Join me in my pity party

Today's post was supposed to be a glorious rundown of my upcoming races, starting with a half in November, for which training started on Monday.  Except training didn't start for me.  At my chiro appointment last Thursday, Dr. Justin put me on complete rest for the entire Labor Day weekend.  I rolled.  I stretched.  I iced.  I wore compression socks.  And I watched Mark go out the door to run without me.

Things looked better yesterday, but I'm still not allowed to run, or even walk.  I can get on the elliptical, but I don't think I can very well train for a half entirely on an elliptical machine.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that by this weekend I'll at least be allowed to walk, but even with that I'll be a couple of weeks behind.  Combine this with the fact I haven't run longer than 3.5 miles since last November and things don't look promising.  I'm also not entirely certain that the shin problems won't come back once I start running again.  Because it's tied to issues with my spinal fusion, I feel like this is going to be a never-ending injury cycle.

Fortunately the half I have chosen for November has a generous course time, so I could walk the entire 13.1 if necessary, but of course that's not what I want to do.  If things continue to heal at this rate, I anticipate another 2-3 weeks of no running, putting me with about 8-9 weeks to actually train. I'm pretty much at a loss as to how to proceed with a training plan from here.  Do any of you have any experience with a situation like this?  Any advice?

Big Sigh

I'm back on the sidelines again. 

 Dr. Justin is working wonders with my hip and shin, and I've made two new best friends.

But now that my hip is happy the pain and tension has just moved on to my foot.  I'm tied to the bike this week, or, dear Lord, pool running.

You'll hear more about this next week, but I'm about to start training for a half marathon.  Training starts September 1.  That's right - in 4 days.  Dr. Justin is having me start of training right: with a walk/power walk combo!  That's right folks, I'm going to train to run 13.1 miles by walking and walking faster!

I know, he's the expert, but I really miss running, and this isn't the way to build my confidence for this race.

I know it could be a lot worse.  I've been there too.  But I'd love to run pain free and not broken, just for one training cycle.  Pretty please?

Going to the Voodoo Doctor

I've never had any use for chiropractors.  I'm sorry to offend anyone, but as somebody who has stainless steel for a spine, I just never saw what they could do for me.  But being sidelined with #stupidshinsplint, I'm desperate.

I heard about a great sports chiro through the grapevine, and once I saw he had worked magic with the LSU football team, I figured it couldn't be all bad. Since I have great insurance, I made an appointment.

I learned some new and interesting things from Dr. Justin.

1.  Newtons are evil shoes that 99% likely caused my metatarsal break.

2.  My spine curves a whole lot more than I would like it to, considering how it resembles the Eiffel Tour in structure.

3. Evidently I had a stress fracture in my left tibia last fall that healed on its own.  Probably while I healed my other broken bone.

4.  My hips are more uneven than I had even suspected.  My right hip is a good inch higher than my left, so of course I'm having shin splints.  The bone in my left hip is also degenerating AND I have a bone spur.  How do I even get out of bed in the mornings??

On the upside, after one visit with Dr. Justin and his magic hands, my shin splint is nearly gone, and my left hip is happier.  I think after all these years it doesn't understand how not to be tense and in knots, so it feels kinda funny.

Needless to say, I'm not running for right now.  At least so far the good doctor hasn't recommended I give up running completely and resign myself to pool activities for the rest of my life, so that is a positive.

As sick as I am of being injured and hurting all the time, I'm more concerned now for my long-term prognosis.  Funny, until last week I was plodding along just fine, bothered by pain and discomfort but not letting it affect my attitude or activity level.  One look at my xrays and now I'm worried about carrying my purse while I walk, much less distance running.  Sometimes ignorance is bliss.  I guess until my left leg just gives out completely I'll continue on, though.

How NOT to run a race: Crime Prevention 5K

I registered for the Crime Prevention 5K because:
A. It was an evening race, and we usually run after work
B. A very flat course
C.  The start line is outside my office window

What I didn't realize was:
1.  It's still August in Mobile, so HUMIDITY - duh!
2.  When I got to the start line I would've run all of 5 miles in the preceding week and a half.  #stupidshinsplint

So I taped up my shin and knew I wouldn't get under that elusive 40 minutes, and frankly, hoped I wouldn't have to drop out.  This ended up being a bigger local 5K, with almost 300 entries, not including the 2 baby stollers and 2 dogs.  Between the crowd and stress about my leg holding up, I totally lost composure at the start and with it, my game plan to stay calm and cool and use this as a supported training run.  I had at least programmed my Garmin for 5 minute run/1:30 minute walk to hopefully keep my shin at least placated.

When the gun went off, instead of starting slow and controlling my pace, I reverted back to race panic mode and took off like lightening had just hit.  I thought I'd lost Mark for good.  On the up side, I didn't feel any pain.

Mile 1:  13:26

For some people, that isn't a fast pace, but I know for me, it's not sustainable for 3.1 miles.  I haven't run more than 3.5 miles at a time since November, and at my best, a 14:00 mi is good for me.  Mark caught up to me, and I tried to pace myself off of people I thought looked to be about my pace.  But the damage was already done.  I had a hard time catching my breath and had to walk extra.

Mile 2: 14:59

Mile 2 was pretty much a suckfest.  I walked way more than I wanted to, and got really down on myself.  When I did run it was only for about 3 minutes at a time.  My legs felt wiped out already. I made the fatal mistake of not taking a handheld with Nuun.  The race was well supported with water, but I'm used to drinking Nuun in addition to taking a salt tab.  The effects of the salt tab faded pretty quickly, and by 2.5 my fingers were swollen like sausages.

Mile 3: 15:10

I asked Mark to help pace me during the last mile.  I still wasn't running full intervals, and I was feeling nauseous from the humidity.  At least there was a breeze that kept us a bit cooler.

Mile 3.2 (yes, this course was long.  Get it right, Productions by Little Red Hen!): 12:27

So obviously my legs had more left in them than I thought.

Official (Gun) time: 45:51
Garmin time: 45:42
263/280
Age: 11/13
Females: 106/114

As bad as I felt about my effort, Strava let me know that for the actual first 3.1 miles I ran, this was my second fastest 5K.  That really made me feel better since I see some improvement over my first 5K 2 years ago.  I learned once again I need to work on my hydration and make a real effort to hold back in the first mile.  I also need to get better at my mental game and digging in deep when it hurts.  I keep learning these same things over and over.  I just need more practice.

And yes, I did pay for the effort in my shin the next day.

The July Rundown

In July:

Hot temps = no races here on the Gulf coast, so July was filled with trying not to lose my mind running tiny loops around my neighborhood.  40 miles worth of tiny loops.

I rejoined Weight Watchers, and that is going pretty well.  More on that later.

And July finished with no running.  Boo.  I've got to get the shin splint in my left leg healed up or at least calmed down by the time I start training for my half in September.  Boo.  I'm making friends with the Stick and lots of ice.