all the pretty races

For the last few years, I’ve packed my schedule with races.  Whether it was spring (one or two in the winter) or fall, I attempted to fill it with as many as I could afford.  All with the thought/plan to “REALLY train this time around” and make those PR’s happen.

this is how I feel about a PR…

This wasn’t the case.  And with each race there were a few more aches and pains because all too many times I didn’t quite prepare as much as I should have.

I decided to be slightly more realistic this year.  I did sign up for a mid-winter race and realized this was dumb and didn’t end up doing it.  Aside from that delusional moment, I did fairly well.  I signed up for the 5k/10k back to back in June with a 1/2 marathon the following weekend.

I trashed my knee (my poor patella) with some serious slanted sidewalk during that 5k/10k.  This race is HARD.  There is a reason the quote is “The Thrill, The Will, The Hill”.  The hill is a freakin’ beast.  I climbed it once during the 10k, a 2nd time to get to the 5k start and then a 3rd time because I decided parking near the start was a better idea than near the finish line.  Must learn for next time!

this race kicks my trash – every time.

The 1/2 was a great time as I was able to escape “up North” –  Michandger speak anytime you head to the Northern part of Michigan.  It was in stunningly beautiful Charlevoix (go there – it’s listed as one of the most beautiful places to visit).  The race is really fun, has some sweet swag, an awesome medal and the course is nice.  I was worried about my knee but it wasn’t terribly bothersome.  Because of my lack of training, my goal was to hit under the 3 hr mark.  I did just this – yay!  Not to mention, I got to go with a great friend for a mini-break.

the front has the MI symbol on it and then on the back in the lower corner is Charlevoix piece. I did it.

this medal is awesome! the bridge pieces go up and down!

After this, it was onto France and then immediately back to work.  This is also when I dabbled/half decided to sign up for the marathon.  At this point, I had plans to sign up for two 1/2 marathons to help with marathon training along with my favorite 5k/10k Peacock Strut combo.

Despite signing up for the Peacock Strut and picking up my shirt, I woke up the next day with no desire to run.  I skipped it.  I still don’t regret it.  I also didn’t end up signing up for the 1/2 marathons and instead went to NY to visit my brother where I ran the Bronx 5k – a much better and more fun decision!

me and my little bro running the Bronx 5k!

Suddenly October rolled around (I have no concept of time right now) and I ran three races – whoa!  The first was an impromptu 5 miler in Indiana with one of my great gal pals.  It was a very small, local race, which I always enjoy.  My knee was painful and stiff.  I couldn’t run the whole time (I added in some walk breaks).  It definitely made me nervous as the marathon was looming.  M and I stuck together and without her I would’ve walked a lot more.  Once again, I need to up my mental game.

Next up, the Detroit Marathon – have I mentioned this?!

Lastly, the weekend following the marathon was the Campus Classic here on campus.  I wasn’t sure I was going to do it, since you know, I could barely walk.  The Campus Classic is the first race I ever did.  I’ve told the story a couple of times here and I’ve never missed a race since.  I knew I wouldn’t be able to run it, which was a bummer but against my better judgement, I walked it.  The first mile was in the 17 min mile range.  I was being careful of my knee.  After I heard the time, I decided to screw my knee and the aftermath, I wanted to be done – faster.  I started focusing on catching people.  The second mile was in the 16 min pace and the last was a 15 min pace.  I was quite pleased with the negative splits, although the not so nice voice in my head provided some disparaging remarks regarding my overall time.  My friend used her real life voice to knock some sense into me.  Another race in the books!

probably my final campus classic

I don’t see the local Turkey Trot in my future.  I’m not sure if I’ve missed one since I started running though… if it does happen it will be another walking race.  I need to keep reminding myself that recovery is front and center.  Remind me of this if I start any crazy talk pretty please!

One last thing!  My medal for the 2,015 miles in 2015 came in the mail the other day – a lovely piece of hardware!

the lighting sucks in my apt – there are some cute mountains in there, too!

my “moronic” muscle

Last Friday, I took some annual leave.  During a meeting with my boss the day before, I talked about my stress level.  I realize now I mentioned that “my health is not great” twice due to all of the stress as of late.  She kindly encouraged me to take the day.  I said I had a lot to do.  A couple of hours later, I recognized the gift and put in for the day.  It was a fabulous idea.

My second PT appt was bright and early Friday morning and I considered canceling it since I didn’t have to get up early anymore.  Nevertheless, recovery, right?  I got out of bed and made the appt.  Daren – PT friend, asked me how the muscle memory exercises were going.  I told him, I couldn’t believe these simple movements made my muscles sore!  I also said I couldn’t figure out where my patella was.  He had a plastic model and I was confusing tendon with patella, it made much more sense.  I had no idea the patella was so small!

We went through some exercises – a mix of stability and active ones.  I rode the bike for 6 whole mins, but that was the only cardio.  Even though I could feel my knee, it didn’t really hurt per say.  More irritated, I think.  I was definitely surprised when going through these strength exercises I broke out in a sweat.  They were tough!  During one of the exercise, Daren asked if I was feeling any pain.  Nope.  He then provided music to my ears, “I really think you just abused it by doing too much when your knee/muscles weren’t ready”.  Good news indeed!

it’s probably too early to hug him, right?

I know I said I was happy to be a lazy bones and I really am. That said, I’ve worked hard to lose almost 20lbs in the last year and I don’t want that to by the wayside. Sure, feeling crummy stomach-wise is helping with the decrease in eating but somehow, this doesn’t seem very healthy. In fact, it sounds eating disorder-ish, which is definitely NOT what I am looking for.  I told this to PT friend.  He said he understood – both about getting back into the habit of lying around and wanting to be active.  Next week we are going to evaluate and try the elliptical, which is going to be a riot since I can’t catch the rhythm of said machine and foresee failure.  I asked about swimming and looks likely as an option for next week.

I did ask about one of those electrode machines that contract the muscles for you.  I don’t know why but I really want one.  He said I could buy one myself, to which I asked if I needed one for recovery.  He said I didn’t since those machines are used to contract muscles that can’t do it on their own.  He said my muscles can, “they are just moronic right now”.  HA!  This cracked me up, my thigh muscle is a moron.  It’s perfect.

icing the poor moron

PT update – over and out!

guilty-ish

I always feel guilty after writing a post that doesn’t have some sort of happiness infused.  At least I’m sticking with my Catholic roots!

Here are a few updates:

1. I had my first PT appt yesterday for my knee.  Basically, I messed it up good and plenty!  He said some medical words to describe the problem and I swore I was going to remember them but I don’t.  I’m pretty sure it was part of my knee is rubbing on my tibia.  In my head this explanation feels off since it doesn’t seem possible although I never took an anatomy class.  I might be remembering incorrectly.  Whatever, it isn’t great.  Upside – actual orders to be a lazy bones!  I do have some exercises to do.  I asked him if these were strengthening exercises but apparently I’m not there yet and these are merely exercises to remind my muscles how to work.  Great scott – even my muscles can’t remember to remember.

I have another PT appt this week and then three next week.  I am very committed to recovery and it is quite clear that my big muscles (quads? the ones on the top of my thighs) are weak as hell.  When I mentioned this he readily agreed.  I need to put the brace back on, do the memorization exercises and no activity <– the lazy part.  I have a feeling the sit on your ass orders will go by the way side sooner rather than later so I’m going to give up feeling guilty about doing just that.

2. Sunday I moaned and groaned about my stomach.  I’m still at that stage.  I am also grateful I can afford to eat what my body can handle.  For instance, there aren’t a lot of fruits and veggies (or many other things) my stomach can tolerate.  Blueberries are a major winner.  They are currently $10 per 18oz at Costco – yowza!  I bought two.  Also, the gluten-free bread is $8.00 per loaf (Costco), the ham is $8.00 per pound and a half or so (Costco) and then the “granola” bars I can eat are $5.00 a box.  I am wildly lucky I can give my stomach the royal treatment, even if it is acting like an ungrateful punk.

I only almost vomited once yesterday! Improvement!

3. The weather is wacky.  Last week, one of my big programs consisted of cooking a variety of sausage (including my FAVORITE hot dogs ever!) on grills (outside) and serving them to students over 200 of them.  It was really cold, rainy and it snowed earlier in the day.  This week?  Close to 70* the entire week.  I want Nov. to feel like Nov.  Not to mention, this kind of weather freaks me out!  Oh and I strongly recommend getting hot dogs from a real life butcher shop.  It makes such a major difference in taste!

4. I went to do laundry on Sunday – I was fiercely determined and even walked down to the w/d room.  Alas, someone was already using both machines.  I set a timer to make myself get up an hour later to check said laundry machines to see if they were empty but by the time the alarm went off, my motivation was gone.  Tonight is the night friends – I can feel it.  Laundry will be accomplished.

5. I finally pulled my popcorn popper out from under the sink.  It’s one of those ‘stir crazy’ poppers and I remember having to have it.  Considering I’ve been downing Skinny Pop like mad, I figured I should save a few bucks and make it myself.  And put the popper to good use.  I bought some sunflower oil like Skinny Pop uses and hit it.  Yum!

ok, so I do miss the ease and taste of some skinny pop

6. Get this: I was RIGHT!  Word of advice, make friends with a doctor, a nurse or a pharmacist.  No, this isn’t license to stalk someone but I’m pretty darn lucky to know a couple of pharmacists.  How does this relate to my being right?  Because my pharmacist friend, we were fellow “Panty Raiders” on a Ragnar Relay and a blogger (I really dig her and her blog!), read my post the other day and my ice eating IS a sign of anemia!  Look at me all sleuthing and stuff!  She also made a recommendation of a brand of iron to get.  So today, I’ll be starting to combat this low iron business.

This is riveting stuff, isn’t it?  Happy Tuesday!

bride of frankenstein walking here

I was struggling to walk after the race and the med tent was not close to the finish line.  I finally found it and I iced my knees for a few mins.  After changing in my hotel’s (nasty, nasty, nasty) public restroom I got on the road.  My knee was HURTING.  Why do knees have to bend and then unbend?!  It even hurt to move my foot from the gas pedal to the break.

I still didn’t regret this fancy piece of frosting

oh so pretty! and a bit blurry…

Sunday night, my knee was trashed.  I decided to make a doctor’s appt for the next day even if I was jumping the gun.  I felt silly considering I ran a marathon – of course my body would hurt.  But even I knew this was mighty different from my other aches and pains.  I saw a P.A. first and I told her the story.  She said she would have pushed through the pain and finished as well!  Ha!  A kindred spirit!  I’ve noticed P.A.’s are much nicer than doctors.  I prefer them.  The doc came in and wiggled/bent/almost made me cry moved my knee around.  I had a ton of inflammation under the knee cap.  She said some kind of name for it but I forgot to remember.  They had me change into a pair of giant shorts so she could better evaluate my knee and with my stripped compression socks and booties, I was looking HOT!  Oh and I was offered a wheelchair twice as they watched me (try to) walk.

yes, don’t be shy, of course I will give you fashion advice!

The plan for x-rays fell through as the tech was at lunch, so I was instructed to go to the sports med clinic (down the hall) where they set me up with a knee brace.  My knee felt less wobbly – a positive, and I was scheduled for my first PT appt this pas Wednesday, but work got in the way.  The PT guy was great and he said my knee was too swollen to start prior.  (They were very kind to add me to their schedule this upcoming Monday morning.)  Since the brace helped as much as it did though, I thought I would be okay to walk to my next meeting and then across campus.

I am delusional.

No running for 5-10 days – PT guy’s orders.  Heck, even walking has been rough.  So, I’m looking forward to PT.  I’ve known for a while that certain muscles in my legs aren’t very strong but I thought running would take care of this.  PT guy told me he is going to teach me some strength exercises and some stretches.  I think it says I’m supposed to go for 6 weeks.  Thankfully, the brace and PT are all completely covered by insurance and it’s on campus.  Lucky me!  Let the healing begin!  I also promised my brother I wouldn’t run for a bit.

I know I will come back a stronger runner.  I want to learn to better care for my knees, since the other one is kind of pissed it had to carry the weight during the marathon.  Seriously, it’s acting like a petulant child.  I’m going to teach my dad these exercises as well since his knees need some TLC, too.  I was icing quite a bit the first week and a half… now I need to rejoin that party.  Smarty pants, right here!  Although, walking like the Bride of Frankenstein is right on time for Halloweenie!

okay, I’m not this mobile at all but I like to think I’ve got a bit of this sass!

my detroit 26.2 recap… I cried triumphant tears.

Settle in… Are you ready for this?  I crossed the finish line.  I completed my 4th marathon.

Let’s get down to business.  I took Friday off from work to mentally prep for the weekend ahead and to rest my legs.  Saturday morning I woke up with a wicked headache.  I mean, the start of a migraine and it freaked me out since I had a drive ahead of me.  Then I also started to get really nauseated.  I’m certain it was all stress related so I tried to nip the headache away along with the tummy troubles and I managed to only be behind by about an hour or so.  The drive to Detroit was also weighing on my mind as drivers there and along the way take no mercy.  The speed limit is 70, I drive 75, maybe 78 and I get passed like I’m going 50.  Scary.

I arrived safely and found the expo easily enough (thank you GPS!).  Parking was a whopping $10 in the garage but finding parking on the street would be silly.  My trepidation grew as I climbed the stairs to the expo and then it greeted me with open arms!  Bib pick up was first and I immediately considered mine a good omen.  It was blue, my favorite color and my age was part of my bib number.  I then purchased the following sweatshirt:

the magic sweatshirt

This is important as it plays a role in my finishing this race.

The expo was larger and it dawned on me how big this race was.  Also, I realized this was my first non-specialty race – I’ve only done the Nike Women’s marathon, the Disney full and then the Dopey.  I don’t know why, but this felt different.  A bunch of places were selling these throw away gloves because it was going to be 35* at the start.  I caved.

My right knee has been hurting me since June (well, off and on for some time before this actually) when I ran the duo 5k/10k on the slanted sidewalk.  There was a sports PT person there and I had him tape up my knee – my pesky patella. It felt better (driving over had aggravated it) and stabilized.

pretty tape always saves the day

My hotel room sucked.  I learned the shower head didn’t work, so a bit of sponge bath was needed in the morning.  It wasn’t all the way clean and there was shenanigans the whole night through from other guests.  It was only a mile away from the race start though so I pushed those concerns aside.  Since I gave up gluten I can’t figure out a good pre-race meal and I chose this:

umm… yes, this is a cheese covered omelette…

Bad idea.  Why didn’t I just put a lead ball in my gut and call it good?!

Race morning.  I woke up on time, got dressed in my splendid new compression tights, thanked my good sense to purchase the gloves and finally got out the door.  I packed up my car and started along.  I was slightly nervous about walking through downtown Detroit in the dark but I quickly found a fellow runner to walk with.  We got to wait inside the conference center until it was time to hit the starting line.  First of all, it started snowing a bit, which just made me laugh.  I looked around me and I didn’t see any other blue bibs – just the orange international 1/2 marathon ones.  Was I in the wrong line?!  I was in one of the last wave of runners so maybe this was part of it?  I still asked three different people and remained confused for a good chunk of the race. My anxiety was a bit high anyway since the cut-off was 6 and 1/2 hours and my lack of training gave me reason to believe I was in danger of not making this.

I tried to memorize these cut off times. I also sent my friend a “WTF am I doing text”.

Go time.  I started out at my manageable pace.  When we hit the bridge to Canada, the Ambassador Bridge, the sun was peaking through the clouds and I couldn’t believe I was really doing this!  The bridge is long and up hill for the first part.  I walked it.  Then ran down the other side – yay! I love downhills!  We ran through Canada for a few miles and then we crossed back onto U.S. soil through the underwater tunnel.  Everyone talks about how bad this part was but I didn’t mind it – I was warm (I was cold the entire race).  When we came out of the tunnel we ran through customs and then they had a sign welcoming us back to the U.S.  They were announcing some names as they crossed and I was one of them!  “Welcome back Amy German”!  It was neat.  It was a beautiful, albeit chilly fall day and the hilly course was great.  I love the international aspect!

By this time, my knee was seriously bothering me.  I think it started around mile 6 or 8 – I can’t remember now.  My strategy for the race was to run/walk it and this was working well for me.  I even had a couple of negative splits.  The marathoners split from the 1/2 folks as the 1/2-ers were crossing their finish line (slightly cruel to us who were only half way finished) and I considered crossing this finish line because my knee was hurting.  A smarter runner probably would’ve quit but I knew I would ALWAYS wonder if I could’ve made it to the end.  So I kept running.  The miles ticked on and my knee got worse.  I would run for as long as I could and then when it started to give out, I would walk for a bit.  The first steps back into running were beastly but they eased as I kept going and the cycle repeated itself.

An awesome member of the crowd built a pretend brick wall to run through around mile 18.  I loved it.  Another 1/2 marathon (the U.S. only route, the other 1/2 was international) started soon after I got through the 1/2 way point, so they would go screaming past me at certain points.  Umm – rude, haha.  They had 18 water stops as we weren’t supposed to carry liquids across the border.  I did a great job of hydrating the days before the race and during.  I fueled decently – my 1/2 of a ham sandwich in the morning was brilliant idea!

The last 5k I was basically throwing my bad leg/knee ahead of me as I ran and even walking painful.  Right at this moment, someone along side of the course said, “Amy!  You’re DOING IT!”.  I teared up at this point.  It’s really hard to run and cry so I pulled myself together.  When the finish line came into view, I started crying again and of course as I crossed.  My official time was 6:02.  My Nike app said I completed all 26.2 at 5:58, which I like better!

My heart didn’t swell with pride after my first marathon.  It didn’t after my second either – that one kind of crushed my soul.  Dopey did because of the major undertaking.  The Detroit 26.2?  It gave me the same overwhelming sense of accomplishment as Dopey.  I really wasn’t sure I could finish.  Everyday for three weeks I considered dropping out of the race.  I shouldn’t have finished – my last long run was back in the beginning of Sept and it was 11 miles.  The fact that I could barely walk after didn’t matter.  This race made me feel strong and reminded me of my fierce fighting spirit.  Grit and determination (support/cheers from family and friends, compression tights, extra strength tylenol and that newly purchased sweatshirt I wanted to wear with pride) got me through this race.  So many freakin’ emotions were going through my mind, I’m not even sure I can adequately express them.  I made it.

I think the medal weighs almost a pound

And I didn’t get swept by the people zamboni – WIN!

dumb and dumber

Note:  I wrote this three months ago but it’s the start of some of what I failed to post

You know, it’s a good thing my blog is small-time or else I would be sued for all of the song lyrics and movie references I use for my titles.  Oh well… this title completely fits my running life at the moment.

This past weekend (June 20th) I ran the Kalamazoo Klassic.  It was the 37th anniversary of this race and the motto is, “the thrill, the will, the hill”.  And they are not lying about the hill, but more on this momentarily.  Last week I signed up for it since I have a 1/2 this coming weekend, I wanted to make sure I could at least run some mileage over 6.  Yep, I am well trained for this bad boy.  Anyway, I signed up for the 10k followed by the 5k.

this is really good representation of my training

The starting line is about a 5 minute drive from my apt.  I got up there about 6:50 am for the 7:30 am start and parked.  As I was driving up there my stomach made some unfortunate gurgling sounds.  I searched my car for some antacids but alas, none were found.  I hightailed it back to my apt, dosed up on meds and then zoomed back to the race.  I didn’t need to fret so much as I had plenty of time to hang out at the start and watch a small gathering of people come together.  It didn’t take me long to calculate my last place finish.  Not to mention they had pace cards set up and they only went up to 9 min miles – gah?!

Thankfully, the running crowd grew and the 11 and 12 min group leaders came into view.  The race started right on time and the weather was pretty cool with nice and thick humidity!  The race is two loops of the course with the second round hitting the FREAKIN’ GIANT AND LONG hill.  Crepes.  Even my friend who has trained much more than I did was blown away by it.  I remembered it from the last time but not quite the pain!  Anyway, even walking up the hill had me winded.  The rest of the course is pretty hilly as well so it’s not an easy 10k.  They were stocked on water stops though, which is always nice and the volunteers were great.  I came into the finish line, tired, my quad displeased with me and not too much time before the next race.  And the announcer pronounced my last name correctly!  Bonus!

The 5k started a little further down the ruthless hill so these runners/walkers got a little taste of it as well.  Since my buns had already been kicked by said hill, I walked a bit at the start before I started running.  I was tired.  I ran (with some walk breaks) the 5k and tried to stay in the moment rather than thinking of the rolling hills in front of me and my impending doom 1/2 marathon.  My pace finally picked back up the last mile and about 1/2 way through it my knee started hurting good and plenty.  I had to walk a bit to calm it down and still, my knee was cursing me.

I have two thoughts on this: 1) I haven’t trained enough for this distance so of course my body is going to riot.  2) One aspect of this course I really don’t like is it runs along some really slanted road.  My right leg HATES these slanted roads with a passion and as much as I tried to find some even ground, I could tell this was playing a factor.  3) My right quad is not strong enough to support my knee.  I don’t know why my left quad is stronger but my right one always hurts more after these races.  You better believe I iced when I got home.  The whole rest of the day my knee was whining and yesterday it was sort of “eh”.

this is what my mind tells my body during running and races

My stomach made it through the races.  Between the 10k and 5k, I grabbed a small banana but wasn’t able to finish it.  I went straight for some coffee after finishing the 5k (I parked at the top of the giant hill – close to the starting line because I’m sick in the head so I walked up the hill for the THIRD time).  There isn’t much to eat at finishing lines for me, since it’s a gluten-fest.  I got a chocolate milk but that was it.  I got home, showered and then started making breakfast.  This is important because by this time, I was starving and at the same time feeling nauseated/light-headed.  I made a baked potato with an egg and sausage crumbles.  I wasn’t able to finish as my stomach was so angry.  In fact, I felt horrible the whole rest of the day.  Considering this is my longest run since this past October, it was the first time testing my stomach and the results were less than desired.

Anyway, the dumb part was signing up for these back to back races.  It’s a crazy cheap deal – $35 for both and I wanted to make sure I could run some sort of distance.  But an injured knee is not what I want going into this weekend.  The dumber part is not freakin’ training enough for these races.  Seriously, what is my problem?!  I found running to be really discouraging these last couple of months so I would skip planned long runs and walk more during my running.  I was fairly apathetic.  I also haven’t added any strength training – for the love of Pete, Amy, do some damn squats!

me refusing to listen to my body

I’ll make it through the 1/2.  I’m going to work on slowing my pace from the start – I didn’t monitor it this weekend and I felt it.  And accepting my inevitable struggle and enjoy the scenery and swag (seriously, it’s some good stuff).  I’m going to cradle my knee in Rocktape and keep my fingers crossed.

no real point post

After last week’s running everyday deal, I’ve taken the last few days off.  In retrospect, running everyday might not have been the best plan since it took three days for my ankle to even start to feel better.  Lesson learned.

I love denial

That being said, I now need to jump back out there before it becomes even more daunting.  You know when you just know it’s going to hurt?!  But what better day to feel the pain that we runners know well then National Running Day!

I’m fairly certain this will be my first time running on National Running Day.  Strange.

Last night I made an interesting salad.  I threw together what veggies I had on hand and tuna fish.  This included some lettuce, red and yellow bell peppers, mushrooms, olives (I’ve been obsessed lately), sweet pickles, peas and then the tuna.  I proceeded to top this with some Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey BBQ sauce.  Again, it was a one of those combinations where the first bite was kind of “I’m not sure I’m going to eat this” to the last bite that was, “hey this was pretty tasty!”.  I was surprised by how full I was when I was finished and I believe the only part truly missing was an avocado.  Miss you.

this was basically how my salad came together – whatever I could find…

Other than making quirky food combos, not moving much and spending entirely too much time trying to find a dress for my brother’s wedding (along with other clothing options for Paris), I’ve been lazy.  This past weekend I was so tired that on Sunday, I slept until 9:21 am, took a little over an hour nap and was still in bed and asleep by 11 pm.  I did finally vacuum on Monday but my laundry is still crying uncle.  The good thing about not doing laundry is it forces me to get creative with my clothing options.  It also is telling when I put something on and refuse to wear it because of how much I hate it.  This automatically goes into the “give away” pile as opposed to how I used to simply put it back in my drawer.  Another adult decision!

I don’t have any clue what the purpose is of this post.  My salad?  My non-movement?  My plans to run tonight?  I’ll leave you with a picture of medal I won for the only time I placed in my age group ever.  I came in third and if memory serves (which it does) I legit SQUEALED with joy!  So much happiness!

in all it’s glory!

i’m neurotic about my feet

When I first started running, I didn’t give much mind to my feet.  I was happy they got me from point A to point B and that was it.  My first 5k and all of the training leading up to it, I wore some really broken down shoes that weren’t meant for street running (maybe trail running?  but I really don’t think so) and they were OLD.  As in years old.

After that first 5k, I liked the running gig and decided it was time to have REAL running shoes.  I proceeded to search Kalamazoo over, looking for shoes I deemed appropriate for my new runner status.  I went everywhere – well, everywhere except my local running store.  Because I can be a dumb bunny.  After multiple purchases and returns (I’m pretty sure there are stores in my area that no longer want me to walk through their doors because of my returning issues), I went to Gazelle, my local running store.  It was a great experience and it increased my “I’m a runner!” feeling.

Even after this magical experience, I didn’t give much mind to my feet – or really, injuries in general.  I didn’t develop my first injury until 1/2 marathon training when I decided stretching was stupid.  Still, my feet were good to go.  Until the Headless Horseman 10 Miler.

happy cat lady runner – this was before I knew how much it was going to suck

This was an inaugural semi-local race that sounded darn cool.  The course was through a golf course, at night and you got a nifty little plaque.  I dug it and managed to trick convince two other runner friends to do it.  It was Halloweenie time so we kind of dressed up and were on our way!  The race sucked on so many levels.  I had a 1/2 a week or two before and then didn’t run much so the Monday of this week I decided I needed to squeeze in a 10 mile training run.  Unbeknownst to me, the route I chose had a ton of slanted sidewalk and I’d been slacking on overall training so this was a silly thing to do.

From that point forward, I’ve had troubles with my right foot.  I’m fairly certain my arch fell on that ill-fated training run as this is what all of the interwebs said.  It’s been problematic for the last 5 years or so?  I don’t know, it feels like forever.  It’s also what led to my ankle issues in this foot.  My neurosis officially set in after the headless horseman run.

Now, I’ve gone through a variety of different shoe styles to try to help it.  I’ve purchased all kinds of braces and arch bands.  My love for Tom’s probably didn’t help as the summer before last, this was all I wore.  I BARELY ever wear heels anymore as I know these aren’t good for my runner feet/ankles.  Any off feelings worry me and I immediately jump to some kind of worse case scenario.

Since all of this, I’ve done few smart things: 1) I went with the special inserts.  As much as these initially pained me (literally) they have been a huge help.  My arch feels so much better and my ankle is hanging in there. 2) I’ve been stretching my ankles and rolling a tennis ball under my feet after running.  I hate stretching – no real reason, I just do.  3) I buy lots of Sketchers.  They have extra support and I’ve been able to find some cute ones to wear to work.  They are more comfy than typical flats and make my feet happier.

aaaaa – my eyes! I don’t hate, I just can’t handle it!

My soon to be sister-in-law LOVES high heels.  We talked about it recently and she said there are times when she can no longer feel her toes – even when not wearing heels.  The other day, I was walking behind a woman with those crazy heel-platform things and it was like watching a newborn calf try to walk.  Part of me wishes I could return to my high heel days.  But alas, this is not in the cards.  Not terribly high platforms do work well for me, so I can still be dressy but that’s it.  I’m neurotic about my feet.

You?  Do you love high heels?

Are you neurotic about your feet?

positive happenings

Thankfully, my post on Monday doesn’t reflect my entire week – only certain parts of it.  But this is normal, especially this time of the year with work.  We are gearing up for our “end of the year” and there are days where it doesn’t let up.

However, there have been some really high points!  So I will detail those here:

1.  I ran/walked 102 miles in March.  Considering my back has been a jerk face, I’m really proud of this.  Being in New Orleans helped a ton because, get this, we walked 54 miles during that time!  Holy red beans and rice!

2.  I helped/went with my buddy who bought a new car.  Very exciting indeed.  It’s nice to go with someone who is spending money because I can get the same retail therapy benefits without spending my own money.  Kind of handy.  And I was the first passenger – I felt all special.

3.  Still plowing through LOST.  I’m seriously invested and last night came close to ugly crying through an episode.  Digging this show – nice work J.J. Abrams.  Although, I will admit to wanting to write him letters asking him WHY on many issues.  That might  be stocking though…

good advice with regards to this show

4.  My shoe inserts came!  Tonight I will get to use them for the first time.  I have high hopes/expectations for these.  Probably too high but this is my personality.  Also, a good back-cracking appointment with Dr. Chiro.

5.  I didn’t go into detail just yet about my great tarot card reading experience in New Orleans – post coming soon.  I also got a candle from her a few days prior to the reading.  She asked me a couple of questions and then picked it out for me.  As the candle burns there are charms in the wax and they represent a certain something – whatever comes to your mind first.  My first charm came up – it was very fitting.  Seriously, I was over-analyzing and I said to myself, “I just need a sign” and boom!  I got one.

6.  I need a new battery for my Misfit Shine.  This means I’ve used the heck out of it!  Yay me.

7.  Back on the gluten-free train after my vaca.  Monday I was in the throes of a lack of gluten detox and it was ROUGH.  I seriously had the dumb.  And the grumps.  I’m feeling better though, emotionally and physically.  Friday and Saturday I could feel some of the depression increasing and while I’m still trying to rid myself of a “heavy” emotional state (it’s the only way I can think of to explain it), I’m doing better.  I’m looking forward to feeling lighter in a few days.

8.  I got the sweetest giftie from my grandma in the mail – a super endearing note and a small puzzle piece charm with the words “I am loved” on it.  It was perfect timing – another sign I needed.

9.  I had a nice mini interval run on the tready on Tuesday and I’m planning a longer one tonight.  I’m going to sweat out this gluten and the negativity I’ve been wallowing in today.

10.  I also have some amazing friends.

My brain tends to notice/remember the adverse happenings and I’m working on changing this.  I know much of it is habitual.  I started this post groaning about the parts of the week that DIDN’T go well.  Then I hit delete.  Smart move.

Do you have a habit of noticing the negative first?

salmon, peanuts and a cupcake

I’m still on the DL with regards to anything active.  I am trying to walk around as much as possible during the day.  My job isn’t exactly activity central so it varies between 1-2 miles a day.  At least it’s something?  I am noticing a decline in my mood (crabby-cakes to the max) and suddenly it seems my hips are bigger than they were yesterday.  I swear, I’m not delusional.

Due to this, I’ve been working on keeping some of my food in check – at least I was until the other night when I went on a bit of a binge-fest.  First, this kinda yummy cupcake.  It wasn’t fantastic and typically with a treat, if it isn’t really good I don’t finish it because I don’t want to waste the calories.  HOWEVER, I’ve been craving a cupcake since I first gave up gluten (5ish months now) so I was pumped for this.

eh – not really worth it

I ate the whole thing but won’t buy it again.

Then I decided I needed to cut the sweetness with some salty peanuts.  I can’t stop with the peanuts when they are in a giant bag in front of me.  So, I just kept eating them until I was uncomfortably full.  I did have salmon and green beans for dinner so it wasn’t a total loss but a waste of a day of healthy eating.  I know it happens but usually I can counteract it with some extra activity.  Now, I simply feel like a slug.

I did get the results of my foot mapping from Dr. Chiro.  Here are my feets:

Red zones are where I carry all of the pressure when I walk.  Apparently, I’m supposed to have an arch on either side.  Funny enough, I’ve always thought I had LOVELY arches – little did I know they were sabotaging little buggers!  Truthfully, Dr. Chiro was impressed with my inner arch (well, at least this was how I interpreted his comment of “wow – you have really high arches) but then said I had major flat feet on the outside.  Weird is all I have to say about this.  I wouldn’t really give it too much mind, however, I want to fix my blasted right ankle and arch and inserts will really help.  Fingers crossed they will be covered by insurance.

a scan of balanced feet… hmm… mine look sorta different

If not, I’ll fork over the dough because you know, these are my feet (which, funny enough, are connected to the rest of my body – whaa?!).  I kind of want them to stick around and be all youthful like.  I’ve got more miles left in me with regards to running and simply walking around comfortably.  Not to mention, unless I purchase stock in RockTape, it could be time for a different kind of intervention.

I mentioned some salmon above and here is the recipe.

look at this beautiful creation!

It was very tasty!  Cooking fish makes me a bit weary as I imagine tiny parasites are just waiting to be undercooked – I imagine my innards look like some prime real estate.  I had to exclude many of the seasonings and it was still good.  I’ve been eating on this hunk for four days.

Next up, before I found the Udis blueberry muffins, I tried to make one on my own.  I followed the instructions for a single serve but should have cooked it longer than suggested for a more muffin-like texture.  As it was, it was more of a blueberry oatmeal bake.  Still decent but not what I was anticipating/desiring.

that’s some coconut spread on top – not needed as it was good enough on its own.

I’m really excited for my next two culinary adventures.
1.  Jicama fries.  I like the word “jicama” and I like fries.  Could be a match made in heaven.
2.  Cottage Pie.  I read Mommy Isn’t Here Right Now – we ran a Ragnar together and this is how we met.  She follows a paleo diet fairly closely and I’ve seen pictures of her cottage pie a few times.  My mouth waters a bit each time.  Onward to Pinterest!  I found this recipe, which has bacon(!!) in it along with a butternut squash layer on top.  I think it sounds amazing.  I’m going to add a few more veggies to the mix and I’m looking forward to what I hope is some deliciousness.

I’ve also been throwing back the blueberries, purchased some oranges and of course inhaling bananas.  Again, aiming for some balance in my meals.  Last night, I needed to finish up some leftovers so it was a sausage along with the rest of the salmon.  It was a meaty-themed meal.  Although an orange was added later on – I’ve got this balance down to a science.