No miles until January

Well, my hip/IT band issue just won't go away.  After another doctor visit and a trip to the physical therapist, I've been told not to run until probably January.  At the moment, they won't let me even swim - just yoga and easy walks.  I'm fairly addicted to working out and I love that I can make my end-of-the-day headache go away with a little time on the treadmill - so this could be tough.  Hopefully they'll let me start swimming next week, but for now I'm going to be good. 

I'll keep you posted - but I strongly advise against getting bursitis!  It hurts and it won't go away quickly!

Survived!

Well, I made it!  It wasn't easy, but I managed to survive this weekend's 26.2!  I shaved almost an hour off of my time from last year - 52 minutes to be exact!  I can only imagine what I could have done if I hadn't been injured.  Luckily, it's not nagging at me enough to train for another marathon.  I won't say that I'm permanently retired, but another race won't be happening anytime soon.  I'm far more sore today than I was last year. 

I need to give a special shout out to Eric for being so great this weekend!  I really don't know what I would have done without him!  The text message alerts for the race were delayed, so it proved impossible to find me on the course on Sunday.  In what was nothing short of a miracle, we found each other at the finish.  He was so good about taking care of me and tried so hard to find me on the course - I could not appreciate him more.  We had a great, great weekend in DC.  We were able to meet up with several of my friends - Megan from Galesburg, Rachel from FSU and Maria from Atlanta - so it was a busy one too!  It was great seeing everyone!

I'll post pictures soon.  I need to get my hands on Eric's camera tonight and then I'll get them posted.  Have a great Tuesday!

Could this week be any longer?

This week is DRAGGING waiting for race day to get here.  Yesterday, I got my steroid injection and my leg seems to feel better.  I have some pain in the front of my leg that I'll be icing like crazy this week.  I'll be breaking out the foam roller repeatedly too.  I'd appreciate any and all prayers that I'm able to run on Sunday!

If you're interested in following along on race day, you can receive text message or e-mail updates signing up at:  http://live.activeresult.com/msg/MSG-signup.tcl?event_id=32

Just a small warning, during the Chicago Marathon this year, the tracking seemed to work for three of the people I followed, but not two of them.  Don't be freaked out if you stop getting updates.  I'll try to update the blog before the race and let you guys know what the final decision on running is!  Stay tuned!

Six days to go!

There are six days until race day and I haven't run more than five miles since October 5th.  Yikes!  I'm really hoping to get in a (painful) five miles today.  The meds from the doctor seem to be helping, but don't get rid of the pain completely.  I'm pretty determined today, so I'm hoping that will get me through!  It's also BEAUTIFUL outside, so that should give me a push too.  The doctor is going to do the injections tomorrow, so I won't be able to workout for two days after that.

I'm so ready to get to DC!  A couple of weeks ago, my sweet boyfriend, Eric, surprised me and told me he'd be coming along too.  That will make the weekend even better!  The race website has a suggested spectator map that will help him to hopefully see me at 5 or 6 places along the course. That should keep my mind off my leg a little bit too - I'll be on the lookout for him throughout the race.

The things I do to run....

So, as I mentioned in my last post, my IT band has not been my friend lately.  Monday, I was able to get about 3 miles in on the treadmill and then had to stop.  After that, I decided it was time to see a doctor.  So I went today and my diagnosis of a strained IT band was confirmed - so that's good.  The bad news is that there really isn't anything they can do to fix it.  The doctor said I probably won't injure it anymore, it just probably won't be healed for the race.  He gave me some serious anti-inflammatory meds and wants to do a steroid injection next Tuesday.  I'm not much of a needle fan, but at least this will get me to the race. 

I'm retiring after this for quite some time.  Half-marathons, fine.  Full - no way!

A little breather

It's been a week since I've run.  I can't remember the last time that happened.  My IT band was killing me - to the point where it hurt to walk - so I decided I needed a break.  Tonight, I'm hoping for 4 good miles on the treadmill.  Hopefully there will be 10 miles in my future this weekend.  I had the most painful massage of my life today - so I hope it pays off.

I'm having trouble getting anything done and just want to plan my weekend in DC!  I'm so distracted!

Bring on the taper

It's finally here!  After 16 weeks of training and killing my poor legs, it's time to taper!  This time around, I decided to run two 20 mile long runs.  The first one was great.  The second one was fairly brutal.  My mile splits were right where I wanted them - but my legs were in some serious pain.  Even today - two days later - I'm still pretty sore.  I'm looking forward to getting in the pool later today and then probably the steam room at the gym to work them out a little bit. The combo of training and then sitting on planes every three or four days is just too much. 

Less than three weeks until marathon day!  I'm getting very excited for a few days in DC and to visit friends from FSU, Galesburg and Atlanta!  Until then - I'm trying to take it easy and get lots of sleep.  I have one more trip for work this week, and then I'm sticking close to home for a couple of weeks (in theory anyway).

The best marathon training advice I can give

Make sure you train north of the Mason-Dixon line.  You'll thank me....

The Perfect Marathon Tank

I've been on the hunt for some time for the perfect running tank.  What makes the perfect running tank, you ask?  Well, here's my criteria:

1.  Pockets:  When I run I need to be able to carry my energy gels (sometimes up to 4 of them depending on the distance), Aquaphor (to use as chap stick or if something starts to chafe) and usually my car key. 
2.  Fitted, but not too fitted:  Let's be honest, I'm not the most toned individual out there.
3.  Holds its shape:  I don't want a shirt that's going to bounce around everywhere - especially if there are things in the pockets.
4.  Breathable:  I sweat, what can I say?

Over the last year, I've ordered several tanks - and returned several tanks.  For the Chicago marathon, I had a tank from Road Runner Sports, but I wrote my name on it for the race, so I look like a dork wearing it while I train.  They don't make that tank anymore, so I had to branch out. 

Well, I've finally found it.  If you're a runner and need the perfect marathon top, look no further.  Nike's Distance Long Airborne Tank is the best top I've found!  Seriously, buy it.  The other reviewers seem to love it too!

Me? Gluten Free?

I haven't blogged about this little topic much - mostly to spare y'all the details! However, yesterday I had a little breakthrough and I needed to share it.

During this year's training, my stomach has been a NIGHTMARE. It's usually okay for shorter runs, but anything over 10 miles can be bad. I honestly wasn't sure I was going to be able to finish my 18 miler. Well, after several discussions - and quite honestly several months of denial - I'm starting to think gluten may be the issue. I'm fairly certain I don't have celiac disease (and the test is very invasive, so I'm okay with not knowing), but have more of an intolerance.

Well, yesterday I decided to eliminate gluten from my pre-run diet. Eggs didn't sound very appetizing at 6 a.m. and I certainly didn't want to be cooking that ridiculously early, but I thought I'd try it out. Wouldn't you know - I WAS FINE!! It just might be that an english muffin was my enemy.

I'm definitely going to start trying to reduce my gluten from here on out. After yesterday, I think I'm going to feel so much better during training. I think I would feel a lot better in general if I went gluten free completely, but I don't want to throw that at my body before the marathon - so I think I'm going to commit to that in November (pre-Thanksgiving). I can't even tell you how thrilled I was yesterday to not have to make a pit stop or feel like the pain in my stomach was too much to handle during my run.

On another note - my shoes were great! Who knew that this whole time I just needed a wide shoe?! Thank you, Running Company!

Best Running Store in Indy!

Ok, I can't say I'm expert on the topic, but I'm pretty sure I've become a loyal customer of the best running store in Indianapolis! I actually wrote a Google review today because I was so impressed! If you're a seasoned runner or looking to get started - a trip to The Running Company is totally worth it. Luckily for me, the Broad Ripple location is very close - but there are several locations around town. Let me tell you my story...

Since my long distance running habit kicked back up again in in 2006, I've had this crazy blister that keeps popping up on the arch of my left foot. I've tried EVERYTHING to get rid of it - new socks, shoes, moleskin, bandaids, Body Glide - nothing worked. A little over a year ago, I was introduced to the Brooks Defyance and it was a dream come true! I made it 26.2 miles in Chicago without a single blister. Well, last fall Brooks made "cosmetic changes" to the shoe and now have the Defyance 2. Well, something in these changes has made the blister come back. Gross.

The big problem is that the crazy blister doesn't show up until I'm running 8 or 9+ miles - making it pretty impossible to predict if a shoe is going to be an issue. In comes The Running Company!

They have the most stellar return policy possible - wear them for two weeks and if they don't fit, we'll take them back for a refund or exchange (and you can wear them anywhere - not just on a treadmill like a lot of stores require). If you wear them up to four weeks, they'll still exchange them. How awesome is that??!! Last week, I purchased a new pair of Asics Landreth. Well, the blister popped up around mile 9 last weekend. So, I took them back - a bit worn and not looking perfect - and they honored their policy. I was so impressed! I walked out with another pair of Landreths - but this time we're going with a wide shoe - hoping the issue is that my foot is swelling the further I run and that's why this problem keeps happening. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this works - but if not, I know I can still take them back. It's a great, great feeling.

Half marathon #5!

This weekend I ran my fifth half marathon - the Chicago Half Marathon. It was a great race, although very warm. I think my days of running in Chicago are over - at least until they get more trees/shade.

I'm excited to report that I shaved almost 18 minutes off of my half marathon time from last March! I was shooting for a 2:10 finish, and was 6 seconds off. I'm not totally convinced the course was a exactly 13.1 miles (I started my GPS watch a little late and it still said 13.16 when I cross the finish), so I'm going to count it as a success!

Wash your hands and don't cough on me

The swine flu is officially my enemy. If you followed my blog last year during training, you may recall that I got very sick about two weeks before my last marathon. I'm determined to not repeat that fate again this year. Every little tickle in my throat or need to blow my nose has me running for the Vitamin C and Airborne like you would not believe.

Keeping this in mind, this weekend could be interesting. My sweet friend and former roommate, Rachel, has recently come down with h1n1. Unfortunately, there are several of us that are supposed to meet up in Chicago this weekend for a half marathon, Rach included. Well, does anyone know how long swine flu is contagious?! Rachel seems to be feeling better and just might make the trip - but do the immune suppressed long distance runners (exercising more than 90 minutes does a number on ya!) need to stay away? The google jury seems to be out on this one.

Bring on the Purell!

Woah, Indy

Well kids, it's official, I have a life again. Perhaps too much. For the first time since my move to Indy I double booked myself - for a Tri Delta dinner with my Valpo girls and a State Fair outing. Ooops! Luckily, my Fair buddy did the same thing. Regardless, it's nice to feel like I've found my niche here, even if it's a little overwhelming. Last week was packed, this week's the same and next week I'm on the road for a bit and then in town for a conference with several clients in town.

On the training front, I've hit the point where my body officially hates me. There was an ice bath over the weekend and my hamstrings felt terrible. Is it possible for them to snap? I'm pretty sure they were close. I'm stretching them daily now and hoping for some relief!

A Blog Post That Should Not Be Missed

I'm a bit of an uninspired blogger these days, but my pal Meghan has a killer post today. Pop on over there.

As a Seminole fans, we probably shouldn't make fun of this. The Noles may not have cheesy pictures like the Hokies, but we're easily the lamest "theme" fans on the planet. The black out games from the last couple of years have been less than stellar. So poor, in fact, that they're attempting a white out this year instead. While cool, FSU folks just can't seem to get it together. It should go better than the black out, however. Why? Because the opponent for the white out game is South Florida - whose colors happen to be white and green and whose fans have purchased an insane amount of tickets to the game. I'm on to you, FSU.

"People who don't smoke are no fun"

Yes, these were the wise words uttered to me by the large, long-haired man this evening on the Panera Bread patio. What do you say in response to that? "I'm a non-smoker and I think I'm pretty cool"?

Apparently some women had come out to the patio and decided not to sit there because he was smoking. I have to admit that I saw him smoking when I went to the patio, but I camped out so I was not downwind of the smoke. I just smiled and nodded at him. Weird. I did find a fantastic patio to work from though! I love to have new places to take my laptop so I'm not cooped up all day.

In other news, I'm missing my 10-year high school reunion this weekend. I'm a little sad, but it's probably for the best. Most of my close friends aren't going and I feel like I've been out of town a lot, so I'm going to stick a little closer to home. I'll be running 12 miles on Saturday too, which I prefer to do with my running group, and 4 hours in the car after that would be a bit brutal. I am going to pop over to Cincinnati for Saturday evening to visit one of my very favorite people, Stephanie. Steph is quite prego and the doctor recently commented to her that her waterbreaking might be a little "messier" than it is for others. Therefore, wisely, Steph has decided to stay home as much as possible and is a little stir-crazy (I have been this week too). I'm excited to hang out with Steph and her husband Jim. I'm sure there will be lots of laughs, but hopefully no baby! Have fun, Class of '99, I'm sure I'll hear some very fun stories!

Thank you, Indiana

It's official - I'm LOVING marathon training!! This is not a phrase I would have ever uttered a year ago, but I'm actually looking forward to running every day. I'm pretty sure 85% of this attitude is due to the weather. It's been so nice out and the temperatures haven't been overly brutal like they were in Georgia. Yesterday, it was 58 degrees when I started running. 58 degrees!

The other 15% of liking the training is confidence. I've been able to improve my speed a ton over the last year and just feel so much more prepared than I did before. I'm actually getting excited about this race! Hopefully a little speed and adding some miles this time around won't end up in an injury - but I really feel great.

Yesterday's long run was 10 miles. I've been running with a local running group the last few weeks, which is also a nice change of pace from last year. It's so great to have someone else take care of my water stops, etc. I seem to have found a running partner, Kelly, in the group who's training for Chicago (hopefully my stories about the nasty heat last year won't defeat her!). She keeps me on pace and it's really nice to have someone to chat with along the way.

Worst day to work from home. Ever.

After 3.5 years of working from home, I have to say that today is shaping up to be the worst. I cannot sit here in silence, so I rely on my friends at CNN to at least provide some background noise. Today it's MJ - all day long. I don't really care to watch/listen to a funeral on a random Tuesday. I need to find a good podcast!

Did anyone watch?

Yesterday while I was cleaning and trying to unsuccessfully unpack the last few boxes in my new place, I had on the USA Network. The 40-Year-Old Virgin was on and Steve Correll cracks me up more than any other comedian - so I kept it on in the background.

Well, they kept promoting the movie that would follow - Borat. Really? Borat? How do you possibly tone down Borat enough to show it USA? I changed the channel because one (shameful) viewing of that movie was plenty, but I'm really curious. Did anyone see it? Was it like 45 minutes long?

Marathon training started yesterday! I had a GREAT 8 mile run and was on pace for where I wanted to be (and a far faster pace than training last year). The next two weeks I'm balancing the marathon and triathlon training, which will be interesting. Today I'm shooting for a 30 minute swim and a 60 minute bike ride.

Chase takes diva to a new level

Several of you have had the privilege of meeting my crazy little eight pound cat, Chase. Chase was abandoned in Hurricane Katrina at about four weeks old and she came to live with me about two weeks after that. Her adoption papers are from the Humane Society of the United States, which I think is totally bizarre.

Going through a traumatic experience at such a young age has made Chase feel a little bit entitled. She's never really known boundaries and feels that everything I own (or eat) is hers to explore. Yes, I should have done a better job training her and probably should have pulled the squirt bottle out on her a time or two more, but she's just so darn cute! I'm pretty sure I could never have a puppy if this is how I am with Chase.

Well, today, Chase took things to a whole new level. Chase loves treats and since she doesn't ever seem to put on weight, I don't feel bad about giving them to her in excess. Earlier I put a few of them on the floor for her and she decided she didn't want them (I wondered what was wrong - this is weird). I left them in the kitchen for her until she was ready. Several hours later and she hadn't touched them. I pointed them out to her (she pays attention, I swear) and she still didn't want anything to do with them. So I picked them up to throw them away. Before they went in the trash, I tossed a couple of the floor again just to see what she would do. She devoured them. Seriously? Is my cat snotty enough that she'll only eat treats that she sees are actually thrown to her? Uggggg......

Her other new discovery is clean laundry. It's entirely possible that I've never folded my clothes when they were fresh out of the dryer before (I'm a busy girl), but Monday she decided to sleep all day on the clean clothes I had just folded on my bed. To make matters worse, she invited Teensie, our guest cat (Teensie's mama is currently in Ireland), to join in on the nap. At least they're cute!