Just Plodding Along

is talk about how awesome trail running is and how you didn't fall cause the next thing that happens is this If this doesn't say hard core trail runner... than it definitely says I am kinda like a toddler and can't stay upright aka a giant face plant into the dirt. Luckily I saved my face. But my hands and legs unfortunately made out hard core with the dirt and rocks. But once I was up and walked for a few minutes and seriously contemplated packing it in I realized that I was perfectly fine. My running buddy was nice enough to be super cool about my inability to stay upright and was totally fine with going back to the car but then I was like welllllll we are already out here and my hands are gonna hurt either way. So we finished the run cause ya know why not. And even though I was covered in dirt and some blood it was actually a really fun run. Towards the end of the run I noticed that something seemed to be lodged in my hand (the hand not covered in scrapes pictured...

I ran three miles yesterday. Okay I ran/walked three miles yesterday. It was hot. I am out of shape. Only been three weeks of no running but oh lordy that run was tougher than I expected. Like it totally sucked. But the good news is my foot no longer hurts and the insoles seem to be working so now the hard work of building back up before my fall marathons begin....... This should be interesting.

...well at least a whole new insole. These cute ladybug and flower insoles are supposed to get me back to running. (Yes I got to pick a design and yes this is the one I went with cause I am an adult and I can do what I want).I have spent the last few days trying to break them in. They are pretty stiff but my foot feels pretty good so hopefully these will do their magic. The insoles meant I got to go out with my training group Sunday morning. No running but I did get a five mile walk in. Not a bad way to start the morning. Got to see all my awesome runners out there killing it on their 10 mile training run.  I never really get tired of this view.  On Saturday night the hubs took me out for dinner and we headed to the Edge of Texas restaurant.....which is on the edge of Texas and in the middle of nowhere (aka the border between New Mexico and Texas). Yay for date night. On the drive back I think I also scouted a new route to run which will be a two state...

When the inevitable running blow out happens it is important for me to have something to fall back on (lets see there was the knee blow out, hip flexor strain, stress fracture, heart issue, tendinitis in various places, to name a few). Cross training helps keep my fitness level from falling to nothing, to get my daily dose of endorphins and because I want to keep stuffing my face like I am running 50 miles a week. Mostly the last one. This time around I decided to actually try to limit even the amount of walking I was doing to let me posterior tibial tendinitis heal as quickly as possible. So I have been hitting the weights hard. Actually it feels like the weights have been hitting me pretty hard. Everything is sore and this has been a reminder of why I find it hard to lift regularly while running a lot. Lifting weights makes it really hard to move the next day. But I am doing my best to stick with it in the hope that I will be able to power through my upcoming runs even though I...

Sooooooooooo Long time no blog.... I don't really have an excuse. I just didn't feel like it one day. And that one day turned into a week and that week somehow freakin turned in to a few months. Time really flies when you are not documenting your every move on your own website or the website you have 'borrowed' from blogspot. Thanks Google. Maybe it was the fact that I now talk about running all day everyday in real life between being the run coach for the local running store and a personal trainer I just didn't feel like talking about it on here. Or maybe I just burnt out on talking about myself....no probably not it. Or maybe I just got lazy....could be it. But then today I kinda missed it. So I decided to start blogging again. Because I realized that my blog, while housing numerous posts about me talking about nothing using super awful grammar, it also houses some pretty awesome memories of trips and races I have done. And in the span of not b...

The last few weeks have been an exercise in frustration when it comes to running. First a pulled or strained hip flexor. Then a tweaked Achilles after the Bataan marathon. Then I got a cold. All in all besides running a half marathon and a marathon there has not been a whole lot of running going on over here. And weirdly after awhile I really didn't mind it. It helps that I was busy doing other things. Family visit fun  Hike to the top of Mt. Cristo Rey That got me thinking that I was probably a bit worn out and over trained from training for the El Paso half and having some times off was probably not a bad thing. I also realized I was keeping a running schedule that wasn't working for me. Too much intensity, too many hard workouts back to back and not enough fun trail running. Since running is part of my job a few times a week I need to get better at scheduling that running in with my training and making sure I am not doing too much. I need to get better at protect...

So Sunday is the El Paso Half that I have been training for for months. My original goal was to PR. Now my goal is to do it. My right leg is still not 100% so my plan is to not wear a watch and just run by feel. If my hip hurts lay off. If I feel good push it. No pressure. There will always be another race. Now this may sound all zen but don't be fooled I have not been totally zen about being injured. My super awesome first world running dilemmas/ stupidity of the past week: 1) Freak when I realize that my 2015 goals is going to be thrown off which means the world will probably end. Never mind that it is only February and there is still time to get it together and plus I was ahead of schedule. WORLD IS ENDING. 2) Tally up all the money I have spent on races thus far for near future and freak out about maybe not being able to do them if I am injured. Then go ahead and throw my name into NYC marathon lottery anyway because that is a long way off and I WILL BE FINE. 3) And ...

So went to the doc to ask about my killer hip/groin pain cause I have a half marathon coming up like tomorrow and would really like to run it but I have been an idiot in the past and run through serious injuries and then ended up really, really hurt so wanted someone else to tell me it was okay to be an idiot and run on it even though it hurts.....you are welcome for this never ending sentence. Basically their best guess is I just have a killer case of adductor tendonitis most likely brought on by running a lot of hills and/or the millions of lunges and squats I have been doing. So that means yes I can run through it but it is gonna hurt. And of course the caveat of if it doesn't get better come back in. General plan is taking it easy and walking until the half this weekend and then we might be taking a few weeks off. Hello pool, hello bike, hello me going insane. But better that than muddling through the next couple of months until my hip falls off or something which is what...

First things first- I have pulled something in my right leg so have not been running for five days now and am slowly but surely going insane. So frustrating. Trying to stretch and take it easy and hope it gets better before the half. Even scheduled the longest massage on earth for later today in an effort to get back 100%. Ain't no one got time for this. Monday:  Track workout. 6 x 800 with an average time of 7:59 per mile. Six seconds faster average than last time. Yeah baby. Total of 6 miles. Lifted legs. Tuesday: Full body lifting, pilates, hilly evening run with group for 6 miles. Wednesday: 8 mile easy run in the morning. 2 miles with my C25k group. Thursday: Full body weights. Walking. Pilates. At some point destroy right leg/ hip flexor but just don't know it yet. Friday: Wake up to a super sore right hip flexor. Walk 4 miles. Partly at the zoo because two of my favorite people came to visit. The fact that they are game to get in the prairie dog exhibit is ...

Right after the Choccolocco 50K I was over running. No interest. And that worked out just fine cause we were moving and I need to get checked out a little more before I run. But now it has been awhile and I want to run again. I mean hello I have two big relays coming up in August. But I am still waiting to go to the doc so no running. Getting a bit frustrating. So instead I have had to stay motivated by reading about all the awesome running everyone else is doing and staying strong by doing lots of yoga, Pilates and body weight exercises. And Max has been taking me on walks around the neighborhood. Now that the treadmill is here I can do a bit more walking since it is in air conditioning so that is nice. Instead of working out I have been looking into fun summer recipes. My new favorite drink involves half and half of  low calories lemonade, club soda, and muddled strawberries and mint. So good! Strawberries and grapes are on sale in my area so I have been buying those up and...

So I have been cross training forever. Okay for about a week. BUT LIKE FOREVER. And I am over it. My typical day looks like: -one to two mile walk with Max -Pilates for an hour or Yoga - Bike or Swim for 30 min to an hour...basically as long as I can stand it (I don't see any sort of triathlon greatness in my future FYI).  Yes this is good for me. Yes it is good for tendinitis. But I super miss running so am gonna whine about it. Max is really enjoying me being injured because he is all about the walking so is happy to help me rehab. He is also all about yoga mats. Every time one is rolled out he runs over to lay on it. Cute....but not super helpful. He has got Shavasana down. But the good news is my tendon is not swollen anymore and feels almost 100% better. I see an easy run coming up in my future. And I say it every single time I get injured. I should do more cross training for overall fitness/ strength. I am totally gonna keep this up.....guess we sha...

Exciting news! I was interviewed by the Lifestyle Accountability Show  about healthy living. To hear what I have to say or if you have ever wondered what I sound like...go check it out ! There are many awesome podcasts interviewing all kinds of healthy living people...including people who actually know what they are talking about so check out the site! In other news I have hurt my foot and have not run since Wednesday..... and it is really starting to make me mad and frustrated. Just freakin feel better foot. I ran 100s of miles to get ready for the marathon. Go out for seven miles and bam this happens. I am not amused. But on the upside it finally motivated me to go get a massage. And it was the best massage of my life!!! If you are in the Columbus area and need a massage go see Marlena . She is at Elements. Trust me you will feel a million times better about life. Instead of running I have been doing pilates, lifting weights and doing yoga so at least I have not thrown in ...

Had a Doctor appointment today and was told today there will be no running for at least four weeks. The doctor said she couldn't stop me from running but if I kept doing what I was doing without addressing the problems I have going I would be at the start line of my marathons hating life and not enjoying them at all. At first I was like But I couldn't hate her even though she was telling me such horrible news because the Doctor spent about two hours with me doing a full evaluation and developing a plan for me back to running and racing as soon as possible. In reality I have a whole lot of runner love for this Doctor. So the plan of action is cross train baby. Ugh cross training is the worse. NOPE, no it is the best because at least I can do that. So today I got myself a month pass to the local gym with a pool and elliptical that also happens to have yoga classes. So I am gonna do a lot of that. I am also going to use my spin bike like it has never been used before. ...

Not running for at least an hour a day really frees up some time.  Some non-running activities that I did this weekend include torturing Max with a four mile walk around town. Just kidding he loved it. He would still be out walking if I could keep up. A trip down to Milwaukee for   My favorite animal in sand, love it.  A really fun festival with hundreds of artists, entrance to the art museum's galleries, live music and food. I learned my tolerance for looking at art has about a two hour time frame and then I just want a snack. I also found what I will be doing on July 27th. Thanks sign in park.  I don't want to offend any of my Chicago peeps but I gotta say when it comes to traffic and cheap parking Milwaukee wins hands down. For around twenty bucks I had an awesome day. Five bucks can't even get me into Chicago.  And just so I don't get to comfortable with this life of leisure and culture I am fostering I have so...