A little motivation….

So there is a nice camaraderie happening at work right now!  It started with Lizzy and I, then Robin!  Now two more ladies that are starting up with running!  Could I be more proud to have helped motivate this?  Heck, NO!!!!  I think it is great to hear Lizzy tell me about her 4+ miles, Robin doing 6 miles and now Andrea joining in!  I get to start out slowly after this Friday with Pfitzinger’s 7 week plan, so I will be running with my girls again!  I am one happy lady!!!!  So, to help keep us all on track (meaning everyone reading this), here is some motivation to keep us going!

Last but not least….

…this is what I need to remember on those days when I just want to eat a whole pound of chocolate!

The Highs and Lows!

So Thursday my girls and I headed out for a nice, cold run in the snow!  It was about 24 degrees (or maybe a bit colder) and we were excited because it started snowing just as we were walking outside…

We did the regular trail run and got to our one mile marker as carefully as possible since there were some big icy patches on the trail.  There was some hopping and skipping in order to avoid falling on our butts!  When we started out loop around the pond, we were surprised to see people skating!  I did not realize the ice was thick enough for that, and quite honestly, I don’t think it was!  I didn’t have my iPhone with me for a picture of that!

When we got to our killer hill, we went at it full on!  We ran the whole thing and made it to the top with pride (and screaming lungs)!  There was someone burning wood or something, so right at the peak of the hill it was like breathing in front of a wood stove…ah well, we just ran right through it!  The only negative part of the run (because there is never a negative when I get to run with these gals) was that my legs were hurting pretty bad.  They probably don’t want to read this because I must have said it a million times while we were running!  The old lady legs were screaming, that is for sure!  At least Gavin was cheering for me when I was done!

Friday started off as an exciting day because I knew I was going to finally see the podiatrist about the constant pains and aches I have been experiencing over the past year.  The reason for going was to see about getting custom orthotics and solve those pesky pains once and for all!

Right away I was sent for x-rays of my left ankle (the one that had the sprained peroneal tendon).  I was feeling pretty good about the whole visit and was only anxious about the possibility that I would need orthotics that would be uncomfortable in my shoes.

When Dr.Duffy came in, we joked about me being an East Coaster from Canada and him being from New york…I guess he could tell right away.  He pegged me as a stubborn runner with control issues.  NO idea where he would get that idea!  He told me that the ankle x-ray came back okay.  I had to walk around a bit, jog in the hall, push on his hands with my feet and then he rolled the ankles around and pressed on the outer ankle bones.  All seemed well…hooray!

That is when sh!t started going badly!  He pressed on my calves a bit and then pressed on my shins (about 4 inches up from the ankle)…I yelped and pulled my legs away.  I basically yelled at him, “Yeah, don’t do that!”  He shook his head and told me that it was a very bad sign.  Long story short- all that is there is  skin and bone, and it is not my skin that hurts.  He sent me for more x-rays, this time of my lower legs.

That is probably really hard to make out.  The bottom of my bones are clear and crisp lines at the outside edge of the bone, which is how they should look.  Up in the center, the edges are very foggy, cloudy and not clear.  The edges are not defined at all, this means new bone is laying down and that it has been stress fractured.  It is already trying to heal itself, which means I have had these stress fractures for a while. Normally you would see nothing on an x-ray to determine a stress fracture (that would take a bone scan); however, mine is already trying to heal so the new bone laying down shows up.  This problem is on both tibias and both fibulas…yikes!  At least my calves look super defined!  So what does this mean?

I am sidelined from the Paris Half Marathon.  I was told that I had to stop running for about 3 weeks.  From then I have to see how my bones feel…literally.  If I push on my shins and they hurt, I cannot run.  Any twinge of pain, I cannot run.  Any limp or nursing with my strides, I cannot run.  He said I could aim for the Edinburgh Half Marathon in April, but that math doesn’t add up unless you include re-injury into the equation.  I need to take this slow, especially since I have been running on these bones for a lot longer than I should have!  I will take my time off, get a stationary bike from the neighbor, go to the parent room at the base gym 2x a week after work and do yoga/pilates 2x a week.  When I start back to running I am going to follow the Pfitzinger ‘return to running after a stress fracture’ 7 week training plan. I think it will be good for me to stick to a structured plan, so I don’t get ahead of myself.  After talking with my running mentor, Lisa, I decided that for now the only goal I am setting is to heal.  From there I will look at how I am doing and then see about some shorter races to get me back in the game!  It is time to truly ‘suck it up’ and remember it is better to have found out what is wrong and get to healing, than to have kept going and possibly snapped my tibia!  Chin up, young person!

Any words of wisdom, or motivational quotes for a control freak who was just told not to run the two races she has been training her ass off for???

Just some motivation for a Thursday morning!!

Just wanted to send out some positivity and ‘”go get ‘em” vibes for today!  It has been a great week despite my house of sickies (as per usual)!  I really had a super fantastic afternoon yesterday, despite locking my keys in my car and having to wake up my husband from night shift sleeping to come unlock the jeep!  I got to run with my CLA girls (we really need a name for our new little running group) and they did AMAZING!!!

We talked about how our running helps us relieve stress, gain confidence and just feel GOOD about ourselves and the things we are able to do….especially things we didn’t think we could do!  We have planned on running a 5K race together!  I am going to check some out and I am going to work on a little surprise for them!!!!  On Monday Robin and I went together since Lizzy’s  little gal had ballet!  We did quick intervals and it was COLD, so I was glad we still went out despite the two of us not feeling well!

Then, yesterday the three of us got to go (after my crazy, lock my keys in the car, delay) and I was just blown away!!!  They went on ahead of me so I could catch up and Lizzy did her longest interval to date!!!  She just kept going!  Then we went to the pond and this is a half mile loop…Lizzy did the full loop.  She just kept saying, “A little further” and made it clear around!!!  Another long interval!  Robin and Lizzy just kept going, laughing, chatting, and forgetting how much better they were doing!  This was great because they were enjoying rather than dreading!!!! 

When we got to ‘the hill’ Lizzy, Robin and I busted ass!  We ran and only stopped for one little walking interval!  I made them start running WAY earlier than I normally would have in order to see how far up the hill they would make it….uh, yeah…..TO THE END!!!!!!!  This hill is no joke and they just dug deep and finished!!!  We then ran just a little bit farther so they could hit…..wait for it……the 3 mile mark!!!  YES!!!!!  They ran 3 miles with barely any walking intervals, a huge hill, speed work, AND an average pace of 10:02/mile! To say I am proud is an understatement!  I have NEVER been a guide to someone starting out with running, and this helps me so much!  It makes me re-learn the things that help me as I train for Paris and it helps me remember to have patience with myself!!  In the words of Lizzy, “we were pretty bad ass”…and I would have to agree!!

Share some love and props for my girls if you will….add a comment below and I know it would be greatly appreciated!!!!  Another little note of excitement….

Bondi Band give-away winner is announced tomorrow (TGIF)!!! 

Happy Thursday, Everyone!!!!

What am I loving right now????

A lot of things!!!  One year ago today I started my blog and this running journey!  Happy Anniversary to me!!!!!This has been a great week for me, especially since the weekend was basically a party between the bathroom and I!  The week (aka: Tuesday) started off with me winning a blog give-away over at Run Eat Repeat…if you have not seen this blog, you are MISSING OUT!  Monica is hilarious because she thinks like me   She had a give away for a month supply of C3 (a drink packet that should help ward off stress…um, hello…could this has gone to a more needing person???).  The prize also includes a $75 Spa Finder Gift Card!  Sweet!  The rest of the week (aka: yesterday and today) have also been fantastic…

Click on the picture for a link to their site!!!

Tuesday I woke up in a great mood, which obviously improved even more when I saw I won out of 199 people!!  I packed up my running gear for an after work run, had a yummy lunch packed up and I was on my way to start my new position as the Pre-K teacher at my school..WOO HOO!!!!  It was a great day and I was loving that I got to meet all of these new friends that I would be able to mold and teach for the next two terms!  

After work I had an even more exciting surprise!  I am loving that the other Pre-K teacher, Lizzy (who has given me permission to talk smack about her) decided to run with me.  This is exciting for me because she ‘doesn’t run’ and felt comfortable enough to let me guide her along and keep her going!  Lizzy is where I was EXACTLY one year ago (well, she is actually better than I was), and it is exciting to me that I can be her buddy on the trails and watch her increase mileage and pride!  I will be updating on her progress as we both grow in our running!  PLEASE, send some comments to this post with motivation, tips, running philosophies and trash talk for her to read…she is an unfiltered, sassy Mama just like me (which is why I love being around her)!!  We ran yesterday with some intervals for 1.5 miles and then I came home and busted out 4 miles on my treadmill!

Today I am loving that my husband (who worked night shift) was up all morning and came to work in order to deliver my new Brooks Adrenaline 11’s that finally arrived!!!!  Along with that was a Tall, Non-Fat, Sugar Free Mocha Frappuccino (with whipped cream that I scooped off).  I am LOVING my new sneakers!!!!  I have to work them in (ie: wear band-aids for a few runs), but they felt amazing…I could have run a long time and was having no pain!  I even got to 7:34/mi on one of  my sprints!

I am loving that Lizzy and Katie (the teacher I am replacing, who is amazingly fantastic) ran today with us as we did some tempo and intervals.  Lizzy was able to go longer, faster and harder…plus I made her run sprints up the gigantic hill at the end of the trail (insert evil, yet motivating, laugh)!  Katie and I did sprint splits and Lizzy busted ASS!!!!  She ended up running 2 miles total with an average pace of 10:45/mile….told you she was better than me when I started!  Which brings me to something else I am LOVING today….a post about me on my fellow WOOT member’s blog!!!  She blogged about me for my 1 year anniversary of running (love you, Sarah)!!  This Mother Runner just finished her first Marathon in Hawaii….hello, amazing!!!!!  She is bad ass and really trains unbelievably hard…seriously, go check her out!!!!!

Lastly, I am loving that I have such confidence in my training after really worrying myself this past weekend.  I knew I needed to turn it around…seriously, can I honestly rationalize getting angry at myself for being sick???  I have made up for it this week with nothing but pep talks, self-motivation, and of course reminding myself I am super awesome and can always make someone else smile and run (with me) even when I am feeling like garbage…WINNING! This week I ran, I patted myself on the back, I bragged (self-love, people) and I raised myself up to the bar I know I can set (meaning: set the bar high, because I know I will knock that sucker down)!  Self Love is better than any other feeling or external motivation you could receive!  Without it you are just a piece of negativity floating around waiting to be kicked…not how I want to spend my time!  So thank you all for the past YEAR of blogging, motivation, running, support, spastic post reading and for giving me those words of love that I have turned into SELF love! 

I AM LOVING YOU GUYS FOR KEEPING ME FROM GIVING UP AND FOR MAKING ME FEEL LIKE A BAD ASS MOTHER……….RUNNER! 

To show appreciation and support, Bondi Band is going to give you a FREE band…come by tomorrow for details….(oh, the suspense)!