Week 10: Run 2

Run 30 minutes

Run stats:
Distance: 2.50 miles
Pace: 12:00/mile

Run Review: Well, we will never run on treadmills again. I hate treadmills!! (and so does J) My lower legs never warmed up. My run never felt "right". And it was sooo boring. I like talking to J during our run; that's one of the best parts! While on the treadmill, there's no way we could talk (way too loud).

Anyway, my shins kinda hurt. Honestly...they've kinda hurt since Monday's run. I've been icing them 3x/day and stretching my calves like crazy! But now they kinda hurt when I'm walking; not a lot, but its definitely there.

So here's the plan. I'm running the 5K tomorrow. It will be fine. I hope. If it doesn't go well, I'm taking at least a week off from running. I'll elliptical or bike for a week. I'm totally bummed as I'm sure that is how it's gonna go. I love running so much now. I don't want to stop. I feel like I just started! But I don't want a stress fracture (or two), because then I would be out for even longer (and I'm sure have worse pain!)

On a brighter note...I'm running a 5K tomorrow! My first 5K! Here are my goals:

1. Primary Goal: Finish (this one I just added due to my "injury")
2. Secondary Goal: Run the whole way (this used to be my "primary" goal)
3. Secret Goal: Finish in close to 30 minutes (this one seems to be less realistic than a week ago...)

Anyway I'll update hopefully tomorrow (well sometime on New Year's Day, we are running at midnight tomorrow). I was unable to post the pictures I promised last night because it took me 5 hours to get home from work last night (yes, 12 whole miles! Portland snow storm :) so I went to bed almost immediately when I got home. My goal for the new year, post some pics!

Week 10: Run 1

Run 30 minutes

Run stats:
Distance: 2.71 miles
Pace: 11:05/mile

Run Review: @#!@&!!!!! That's what I was muttering under my breath pretty much every step of this run, plus the walk home. This was definitely the worst run ever. Was it the distance? I mean 30 minutes of running straight without walking can be intimidating... NOPE! That was the least of my problems.

My shins hurt SOOOO bad. They can typically be a little sore when we start up, but within 2 minutes, everything is usually warmed up. Not this time. They hurt THE WHOLE TIME!! In fact, the pain may have even gotten worse! I was so angry and frustrated. I want to run this 5K on Friday so bad. I ran through the pain, which was probably stupid of me, but I just want to keep running. I'm a PT, I should be telling myself to stop so I don't hurt myself worse, and have to take even more time off!

So what went wrong? Here's a list I made in my head while trying to distract myself from the horrendous pain:

1. Lack of ice for my shins over the weekend.
2. Lack of stretching my calves over several weeks.
3. Five+ hour car ride. We got back about 30 minutes before we went out for the run.
4. Fast food for lunch. We hadn't eaten anything all day, except from the drive-thru.
5. Inadequate water. Does Dr. Pepper count?
6. Christmas Treats.

I took an ice bath after the run because my entire right leg was painful (my hip as well as my shin). This helped to at least numb the pain. The worst part of the bath was getting in. After I was in about 30 seconds, though, the burning from the ice went away. I had to keep my toes out, though. They just can't handle that kind of cold for some reason.

My leg soreness (except my shin pain) is much better today, so the ice bath probably helped that. My shins were still really sore when I woke up. I iced them before I headed into work, and I managed to rub out most of the soreness using soft tissue mobilization techniques (boy were my shins lumpy!) I'm also planning on icing during lunch (with the ice massage technique) and when I get home tonight. I'm also gonna have J massage my calves, so they loosen up a bit (which I think will help my shins, too).

At this point, I'm still gun-ho about running the 5K on Friday. I hope to feel better during my run on Wednesday, so that I don't feel guilty about running my 5K. Regardless, I'll probably take it easy next week, and see if I can't get my shins to calm down a bit. I might also see if we can run on some better surfaces. Maybe concrete wasn't the BEST choice... :(

P.S. On a brighter note, we took some pictures of where we ran last Saturday, so I'll try to put those up while I'm icing my shins tonight!

Week 9: Run 3

Run 14 minutes
Walk 1 minutes
Repeat 2 times
30 minute "run"

Run stats:
Distance: 2.72 miles
Pace: 11:02/mile

Run Review: It was cold, but we felt ok during the run. (Maybe the cold helped?) It was probably about 15-20°, but we still saw three other runners out. Runners are very friendly, which I love. The run itself was also really beautiful. I need to take some pictures while we're here of the path. If it's one thing my blog is thus far lacking, it is pictures! I acknowledge that. My New Years resolution will be for more pictures on my blog. (Easy enough, right?!)

Our 5K is fast approaching...Good news, bad news: We're going snowboarding tomorrow. My brother was so excited about taking us up to the mountain (one of his favorite things to do), and I was excited to try snowboarding for the second time ever...This morning it hit me, "We're running a 5K race on Friday...I hope we don't get too sore from snowboarding!!!" It'll probably be ok, but I know the last time I snowboarded I was completely sore all over my body for several days, and that was 10 years ago. I'm a little older now, which isn't easy on the muscles. Hopefully our running will help rid our bodies of all the lactic acid we build up tomorrow. I think our next run will be on Monday morning, before we leave for home again. Maybe an ice bath will help? Or does being outside on the mountain count as an ice bath of its own?

Update: We didn't end up going snowboarding. We chickened out. Also, my brother was planning a whole day of it...Yeah, we're not that "leet".

Week 9: Run 2

Run 14 minutes
Walk 1 minutes
Repeat 2 times
30 minute "run"

Run stats:
Distance: 2.63 miles
Pace: 11:25/mile

Run Review: In the end, I felt great. I haven't really had a bad running day in a long while (*fingers crossed* don't wanna jinx myself!) After the first five minutes, though, I decided my calf cramp was not, in fact, going away, so we stopped for a minute to stretch it out (which helped immensely). Unfortunately, I didn't think to stop my watch during the run and wasted 1 minute of doing nothing during our run. Hindsight is 20/20 and all that, but I'm not too surprised we didn't make it as far today as we did on Monday. Still a pretty respectable time, if I do say so myself; at least in comparison to our other runs!

It was foggy all day yesterday, which made breathing a little cumbersome, but it turned out alright. It was also kinda of chilly outside (~32-34°) but there weren't any slick spots, fortunately!

I have to work today (12/24 i.e. Christmas Eve), but tomorrow (Christmas Day) J and I will be driving down to Sunriver to spend Christmas with my Dad and Step-Mom. While we're there, we hope to get at least 1 run in. There are many bike paths to choose from, so I'm not worried about where to run. What I do worry about is the quality of the ground (i.e. slickness). I don't need any bruises on my rear; I would like to continue using it for sitting thank you very much! I'll update on how it goes when we get back!

Week 9: Run 1

Run 14 minutes
Walk 1 minutes
Repeat 2 times
30 minute "run"

Run stats:
Distance: 2.71 miles
Pace: 11:05/mile

Run Review: Well, we just went for a run yesterday, so today didn't feel "great" at the beginning, but we warmed up! My calves were pretty crampy the first mile or so, and my shins definitely hurt... :( I was also breathing heavy-er than I had previous to our run yesterday; but we made it. Next week is looking a bit daunting... 30 minutes straight?! Now that's a big jump! Yikes!

P.S. We'll probably be ok...probably.

Week 8: Run 3

Run 13 minutes
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 2 times
30 minute "run"

Run stats:
Distance: 2.63 miles
Pace: 11:25/mile

Run Review: Well, our planned final "Week 8" run was supposed to take place last Friday. Unfortunately, some stressful events occurred last week, which forced my ulcer to become symptomatic. I was bed bound Friday and Saturday, and although I didn't feel 100% this morning, I opted to complete our final run for the week today. And...it was pretty great. I had no abdominal pain throughout the run! Both J and I were feeling our lazy weekend; our breathing wasn't too easy. But we managed to keep an even pace, and ran about the same pace as our last few runs! :)

Week 8: Run 2

Run 13 minutes
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 2 times
30 minute "run"

Run stats:
Distance: 2.63 miles
Pace: 11:25/mile

Run Review: This run was AWESOME! (Mostly because I had the worst day ever, but how great is it that all I wanted to do when I got home was go out for a run? Much healthier than eating a large carton of ice cream, huh?) I felt quicker today. My shins hurt a bit, but not too bad. I was definitely sore after the run. Is it weird that I missed being sore (from my swimming years)?!

Anyway, the weather behaved. I was sure it would pour on us, but hardly any moisture made its way down to us. Go figure!

Week 8: Run 1

Run 13 minutes
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 2 times
30 minute "run"

Run stats:
Distance: 2.72 miles
Pace: 11:02/mile

Run Review: So great! 13 minutes? No problem! I totally picked up the pace at the end too! I didn't have pain during the run, and not too much afterward, either! (Some shin "warmness", but not really pain!) The temperature was a "balmy" 42°. (I had to take off my gloves and jacket!) And it managed not to rain on us. (Always a bonus in the Pacific Northwest!)

I am soooo excited for the 5K coming up December 31st/January 1st! There were definitely moments during the run when I thought to myself, "I would really like to be walking right now..." But I didn't, and I think I can make it through the whole 3.1 miles. Let the countdown begin!

Week 7: Run 3

Run 9 minutes
Walk 1 minutes
Repeat 3 times
30 minute "run"

Run stats:
Distance: 2.64 miles
Pace: 11:22/mile

Run Review: I felt pretty good. I felt like I picked up the pace, too. (J agreed, but that might be because his run didn't feel that great.) I'm a little bit nervous about upping our running time to 13 minutes next week. It just seems like such a big jump from running only 9 minutes at a time, but I'm sure it will be ok!

This week was definitely an adventure weather-wise for us. Rain, sure, we're ready for it. But freezing temperatures? Without the wind-chill of Monday, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it might be. We were able to avoid the treadmill, anyway. Go us! Next week it should be back to regular old rain. (I kinda like running in the rain!)

Week 7: Run 2

Run 9 minutes
Walk 1 minutes
Repeat 3 times
30 minute "run"

Run stats:
Distance: 2.59 miles
Pace: 11:35/mile

Run Review: I felt good! Maybe it helped that it was 26°, and I couldn't feel my extremities. Whatever it was, I had so much fun, and so did J.

Confession: I have a bit of a confession....So you know how my "calves" have been hurting for awhile. Well, I'm pretty sure it's actually "shin splints". Yes, the dreaded Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome. I denied the truth for awhile, but after my shins was "burning" after the run on Monday, I was kind of clued in. I've been ice massaging them for the last 2 days, and stretching my calves like crazy. For today's run, I stretched my calves beforehand (and afterward!), and also taped my arches to prevent overpronation (which I'm not entirely positive I do). This seemed to stave off any pain (although it was really cold out there...).

I really don't want to stop running now. We've just gotten into such a good flow, and I'm afraid we'll never get back into the groove if we stop now. So the plan is to keep plugging along, and keep stretching my calves!!!

Week 7: Run 1

Run 9 minutes
Walk 1 minutes
Repeat 3 times
30 minute "run"

Run stats:
Distance: 2.64 miles
Pace: 11:22/mile

Run Review: How did it feel? Hard to tell, since it was freezing!! It was about 26°, but the wind made it about 15°! Good thing we got J some new winter running clothes! They worked great, and we didn't have to slum it on the treadmill. :)

In other good news, the new sports bra I got is wonderful; what a difference some extra support makes. I'm not "well endowed" by any means, but it still made quite the impression (not literally). Here's a link to my new bra!

Week 6: Run 3

Run 9 minutes
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 2 times
Run additional 8 minutes
30 minute "run"

Run stats:
Distance: 2.64 miles
Pace: 11:22/mile

Run Review: This run was a step up from "ok" but not quite "great". My calves were a little sore, but warmed up quickly. The weather was pretty chilly out, and it doesn't look like its gonna warm up next week. Good thing a local running store was having a sale this weekend, because J was sorely lacking in winter running gear. We fixed that, though! (Yay!)

Next week we step it up again, but we're totally ready! :)

First Run

Well, we've done it. We made a definitive plan. We will be running in Portland's "First Run & Walk" 5K for our very first race! It will be midnight 1/1/10. What a great way to ring in the New Year with our new found love/addiction! We haven't "signed up" yet, but we are definitely doing it! (I'm just waiting to see if we win our entry through a contest I entered :) The race starts just a few blocks from where we live, and should be a nice, gentle way to start our racing "career". I'm so excited! I can't wait! :)

Week 6: Run 2

Run 9 minutes
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 2 times
Run additional 8 minutes
30 minute "run"

Run stats:
Distance: 2.59 miles
Pace: 11:35/mile

Run Review: Finally! I felt good again! No more post-Thanksgiving haze! I went into the run pain-free, which hasn't happened in the last few weeks! Although J didn't say he felt "great", he did say the tape has helped, so I'm happy with that. :) What was the difference for me? I was able to stretch my calves a couple times throughout the day. I also personally think the foam roller has helped keep me looser.

I have some additional news to report, but I'm going to start a new post for that. (I guess I'm a OCD blogger! :) See you soon!