Listening...

...is about the most important thing a runner can do.

The toughest lesson most of us "I'm invincible and made of steel," type-A, delusional runners struggle to embrace is just that....listening to our bodies.

It's goes something like this:  "my ankle hurts today, oh well, I need to run 5 miles."  "My back hurts today, too bad I'm sure a run will make it feel better."  "I'm hacking up a lung, which must mean I should run 5-6 miles in the freezing cold in order to clear my lungs."

In almost every instance, the exact opposite is really what the runner should have done.  Listening to your body's cues for when things feel good and bad can make you a better, healthier, stronger runner.

I've learned that lesson all too well through my own errors.  In 2010, I injured my SI joint...pretty bad.  After weeks of running through pretty excruciating pain, I went to see my physical therapist.

As the PT for the Navy cross country team, she's used to seeing runners like me, unwilling to listen to what our body says and take the necessary rest.  So, she gave me two choices - (a) I could either rest for a few weeks and heal or (b) I could extend the time it would take to heal, continue running in pain and do some stretch and strengthening work.

Obviously I chose (b).

I continued to run and did the exercises.  Walking and sitting was painful.  Running was only slightly less painful.  I became a stock owner in icy hot.  It took me two years before I could run much more than a half marathon again.

Fast forward to today.  That lesson sucked and I decided to do things a bit differently.

Recently, I took part in an awesome girls weekend at a great friends house.  She scheduled a massage therapist to come over and rub away the stress of life.  I rarely get massages because my back is way to sensitive, but I decided to go for it and focus on shoulders and legs....yet forgot to tell the masseuse to stay clear of the SI joint area.  Whoa is me.

The next day I was running on the treadmill and noticed a twinge in my lower back.  Crap.  Later that day I loaded up in the car and drove to Ohio.  After exiting the car, the twinge was a bit more of a nagging pain.  Double crap.  And the next day it was no better.

But.....this time instead of running through it to keep racking up my miles for the year, I just took the time off.  Was it hard?  Uh, yeah, understatement of the year.  It was snowing most of those days and I LOVE running in the snow.

 That said, the thought of missing out on my plans for this running season, would have been harder.

It only took about a week before my back was feeling better and I didn't really miss a beat.  Am I behind on miles for the year?  Yeah, but with the warmer weather right around the corner, I'll quickly catch back up.  So, learn from my mistakes and corrections.  Listen when your body hurts.  Go harder/farther if its praising the heavens.  Good or bad, just listen.  Happy trails!!!

2015 Miles to Date:  115.41

Observations:  Mentally I had a really tough time looking at my running bag, carrying it with me every day but not using it while I was recovering.  I also felt really darn proud of myself when I did reopen my bag and tie on those shoes again.  I chose the right path, rather than the one that my head was screaming for.  Admittedly though, I became a bit of a cranky beast.
 

Bookworms and setbacks...

The diva didn't have school on Friday.  If you have been around 5-year olds, you know that means you've got to deal with more energy than you have after overdosing on sugar and caffeine.  Since I also had Baby K, I needed to figure out an activity that would not bore the diva, help Baby K take a nap...and perhaps allow me to get in a little exercise.  Solution - power walk to the library!

When we knew we had a second kid on the way, we invested in a Joovy tandem stroller that wasn't massive and bulky.  Though its not as mobile as the bugaboo or even the Joovy jogging stroller, it gets the job done and allows me to move quickly without having to remind the diva every five steps to keep up.

Would you believe we made it all the way to the library..almost two miles...with only a couple "are we there yet?"s?  Yep.  I guess I walked fast enough, though there were a couple more questions on the way home.  The bonus to the whole trip was that the diva played with a couple girls in the kids section and scored her first library card.

Friday evening was a different story.  Though I worked up a nice sweat during the power walk, I still wanted to get in a run Friday night...especially after a day with two kids.  Let's just say, Thursday night's tweaking of the back while lifting reared its ugly head not .05 miles into the run.  Needless to say, given my injury a few years ago, I know when to call it a day.

After a night of rest, though, I got back at it in the gym.  Not with a run, of course, that can be jarring.  I started taking the barre class.  It's a combo ballet, pilates, weights.  Not a classic barre class, but it kicked my butt and I will definitely be feeling this one for a few
days.  Looking forward to it again next week.

So the end of the week didn't produce the miles or effort I wanted, but it still produced.  I'll be taking a few days off to rest the back, but it won't keep me down long.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles: 3.52
Time:  1:01:24 (average pace of 17:27 per mile...not bad walking with two kids)
Location:  Broadneck Peninsula and Greater Annapolis Y
Feeling:  ouch and ahhh

You're my friend...

"...because you worked hard and are sweaty and are going to be fast."  So says the diva at the dinner table tonight when I got home from the gym.  The logic of a five-year old astounds me. 

Where did this come from?  Well, honestly, from me I think.  When I come in from a run, the diva often says "eww, you're wet and sweaty."  I just keep telling her that being sweaty means I'm working hard.  At least something I said seems to be sticking now. What I hope she also is learning is that hard work pays off.

Fun anecdote aside...it was your average night in the gym.  Moderate run, followed by strength training.  I broke up the sets reading Divergent.  With the movie coming out, I feel like I need to read the book first (unrelated editorial...the Mortal Instruments series was really good, but th movie sucked HUGE). 

Tonight I tugged a muscle in my back a little awkwardly.  Luckily, this happened during my last exercise, so I cut it short by a rep in hopes that I wouldn't do more damage.  I'll just rest it a bit so that whatever happened back there will work itself out before my barre class on Saturday.  I'm really looking forward to the class and it would be a bummer if I had a tweaked back muscle keeping me from enjoying it and the benefits it will bring to my running.

Here's to hard work and running injury free.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  3.1
Time:  36:42 (average pace of 11:50...slower but added incline)
Location:  Greater Annapolis Y
Feeling:  tweaked back...don't want to get injured

Round and round the mulberry bush...

Traditional pre-race photo

Or rather, round and round Rosaryville State Park...three times.  That's how I reached my private goal to finish a 50k (31 miles) this year and finally put my back injury behind me for good (it wasn't an official resolution because I just couldn't be certain I was healthy enough to do this distance in one fell swoop).  It's been more than two years - two very long years - since I felt healthy enough to mosey up to the starting line for this distance.  It's been a long journey, but the result was very satisfying.



Mosey up to that starting line I did.  It was a cold, crisp fall morning with promises to be absolutely amazing by the end of ten miles.  The setting was beautiful, with just enough colored fall leaves hanging onto the trees to remind you winter is still a ways off.  The race field was reasonable for a narrow trail - 130ish runners started.  And the race committee was enthusiastic enough to rev up even the most reluctant runner attempting the distance.  What shocked me most, however, during the course briefing (standard for trail runs since there are many, many miles of unmanned areas) was that about half the field were first time ultramarathoners.  How's that for motivating?!?

So off we went.  Loop one was the most congested, obviously, but really with a smaller field, we all got some dance space around us to avoid tripping over each other (there were enough tree roots for that...we didn't need people adding to that mix).  Loop one was swift.  I wanted to settle in at around 12 minutes per mile, which would give me enough speed to hit a decent start without blowing too much energy and allow me the flexibility to slow down to a 14 minute pace in the third loop.  Well, too bad, I hit a 9-10 minute pace and just kept cruising.  The trail was much as I remember during my training run for North Face earlier this year, except that the leaf cover was pretty thick, which masked the trail in many areas.  My legs felt great, my morale was high and all was going well.  Except the roots which had it out for me...especially that one that really just about caused a face plant about 500m from the end of the first loop.

The second loop started getting a little lonely.  I was mostly running by myself at this point.  While I had my ipod and minispeaker in my camelbak ready to provide me endless entertainment, I never turned it on.  Don't ask me why....it would have saved me 75 or more repetitions of "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" (blast the toddler cds in my car) that kept running through my head over and over.  After that, it was the more appropriate "She'll be coming round the mountain."  Next time?  Bust out the ipod and minispeaker...sanity is worth it.

By the third loop, let's admit, I was tired.  The roots were getting the best of me and I had already tripped no less than six times.  Should it have been a surprise then that I did finally face plant at about mile 21?  Oh no...no surprise there.  Luckily it was not as bad as it could have been.  I went down on my knees (now those did hurt for the rest of the race), but there were no external injuries, and since it was on a flat section, I avoided the possibility of breaking something.  It did slow me down though.  I can't complain, however, because I was still hitting my target pace...a little under in many cases.  I was able to keep a 13-14 minute pace between mile 21 and mile 31.  The slow down also gave me a little more time to pay attention to what was around me.  Now, I know I already ran this loop twice, so things shouldn't be any different in appearance, but I swear that image up there - doll head on a stake with a toaster hanging out in the background - was not there during the first two loops.  Prankster?  Forest goblins?  Who knows.  At least it was sunny and daylight hours.  If you came upon that at dusk it could really freak you out.

Throughout the race, I was texting with my husband...mostly while at aid stations to let him know about my progress.  When I was about 4 miles from the finish he texted to let me know I had a visitor waiting at the final water stop, just less than a mile before the finish.  Its motivating.  I want to set a good example for my daughter to let her know that women can achieve whatever goal they want...and that fitness is something you should engage in your whole life.

Finally, 6 hours, 15 minutes and 42 seconds after I started, I crossed the finish line.  Not only was this a personal triumph over injury, it was a huge new Personal Record (PR).  The last time I completed this distance was in 2009.  At that time it took me more than 8 hours to finish the North Face Endurance Challenge 50k.  It felt good crossing that finish line.  Thank you to all the volunteers who gave up their Saturdays to support this event and the Annapolis Striders.  You really do help push runners to meet and exceed new goals by being on the course providing motivation.

My performance ended with the diva placing my finishers medal around my neck and then her providing entertainment to a pavilion full of recovering runners.  While I didn't make it to the finish in time to get any of the post-race food catered by Chevy's (dang those early runners must have been really hungry....the several dozen folks still behind me didn't get any either), I did instead earn every last one of the seasoned curly fries I downed at Arby's on the way home.  I likely won't be running this race next year because Brie wants to do the Richmond Marathon (same weekend...and I will be doing my 50K earlier in the year), but it was a fun one.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  31
Time:  6:15:42 (average pace of 12:07 per mile)
Location:  Rosaryville State Park
Feeling:  Aside from the knees (darn roots), everything else worked amazingly

When it rains, it pours...

Today was A-10 time.  For those not in the Annapolis running know, that means the Annapolis Ten Miler.  It also marks the end of hot, hot, hot and humid August racing...or at least in most usual years.  This year was a bit different, but let me begin with the four day gap in running first.

I haven't hit the pavement since Tuesday, and its now Sunday.  Why, you ask?  Well, Wednesday morning we were out at the Queenstown Outlets when I lifted the diva just exactly the wrong way and tweaked the back.  It hurt scary bad.  I had visions of the SI joint injury flash before my face again and all I could do was pray that it was just a freak pain that would go away with a few days rest.  So, while it was hard not to lace up my shoes, I waited until this morning to give my back as much rest as possible to avoid turning a small thing into another back injury. 

The rest paid off.  I woke up this morning with no back pain..though now we had to contend with the rain.  Really if you want to get technical, we had to contend with thunder, lightning and heavy down pours.  Yep, perfect running weather.

I met up with Brie at her house.  We planned to walk down to the race.  We decided to wait out the major down pour and show up at the last minute.  That wait paid off too, and our walk up to the start at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium was marked only by a slight sprinkle. 

We arrived, quite literally, with only a couple minutes until the start gun went off.  Not bad...usually I wait in the corral for about 15-20 minutes after arriving 45 - 60 minutes early.  I like this.  Anyway, I can't believe the start gun actually went off on time.  After all there was lightning in the sky and most sensible folks don't run when its lightning.  Oh wait, that would assume that those of us who showed up in a thunder storm are sensible people.  Ha! 

From the beginning through about mile 3ish, the rain poured with real intensity.  It was awesome!  Like I said before, this race is usually so hot you want to rip your clothes off.  The rain kept it cool and so much more fun.  Well that and my amazing running partner (sorry, no great pics of us this time because I couldn't bring electronics out into this storm).  We saw and chatted with a number of friends along the way - shout out to Ron Bowman, Lara Mish, Jennifer Bornemann, Heather DeBuse.

As we crossed the bridge onto the Broadneck Peninsula, this was the section I was unsure of in the race plan.  The course had a slight change this year due to some permitting issues.  As a matter of fact, it changed to match up somewhat with Zooma and the Annapolis Half in a way I don't like...or at least that's what I thought going into the race.  As it turned out, the course change wasn't bad.  As with past years, this year we did not need to go through Ferry Farms to make use of the sprinklers the residents so kindly turn on the street to cool down this atrociously hot race.  Nope, mother nature took care of that with on and off sprinkles and rain the duration of the race.  So in the end, the course change wasn't bad.

As we made the turn back toward the finish, Brie's IT band was starting to act up a bit and my hamstrings were getting tight.  At mile 8 I kicked it in to try to stretch them out a bit.  God love Brie for being supportive and not getting upset that I needed to stretch it out a bit.  The end of the race was good...course was slightly long though.  I finished 93 out of 292 in my age group, with Brie just two minutes behind me.  We received our customary cold towels and finisher's premiums, watermelon and other race amenities, but it was the first time I ever remember being cold at the end of the A-10.  I love it!

It's always more fun to run the streets of Annapolis with other adventurous runners and I think this race had them in spades.  Thanks Annapolis Striders for the best A-10 yet!  (In my humble opinion.)  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  10.11 (plus 1.77 mile walk to and from the stadium)
Time:   1:32:51 (average pace of 9:11 per mile...though I believe given the extra ten pounds of water weighing down our shoes and the rainy conditions really gives us a 5-10 minute handicap :) )
Location:  Annapolis
Feeling:  I LOVE IT!!!  Today felt totally awesome!

North Face 2012...

Four years ago I ran my first North Face Endurance Challenge 50k with a great group of friends.  I loved everything about that race - the course, the race organization, the runners.  It was at that point that I decided ultratrail running was a pretty darn cool thing.  The 2010 50K race saw me scratching after 20 miles due to extreme jet lag, stomach cramps and 90 degree temps with something like 90% humidity.  The 2011 race was fun, but due to a back injury the fall before I competed as part of a marathon relay team instead of in one of the major distances.  Fast foward to 2012....almost two years after that back injury I was ready to return to marathon+ distances.  My goal for North Face this year was to complete the marathon distance back pain free...and I can report success on that mark!!!

First off, I have to say I never could have come this far or completed this race without the best running buddy the world over.  I've said it before, but you'll hear me say it over and over again - THANK YOU BRIE!!!  Sure, I like to run alone most days of the week, but that long run is never the same without great conversation and motivation along the way.  I'm also glad to have shared the toughest terrain I've ever raced with one of my best friends.  Holy hell, if you've read about the terrain for North Face you've read that tough mudder has no mud whatsoever compared to what we traversed for 26.2 miles today. 

Let's just say, that storm mother nature opened up on us last night left the trail under about 3-6 inches of sloppy, slippery mud over at least 16 miles of the course.  I am amazed that there were not a great number of injuries throughout the day.  First of all, the mud filled up the tread on shoes leaving us with nothing to grab the trail.  Second, some of the slippery parts were on hills with somewhat steep grades.  Third, the mud was so sticky you had to pull on your ankles to get your shoes out.  It certainly made for some super slow going just to ensure you could stay upright...those shoes may need retiring after this run.

All that said, this was a super great day surrounded by people with real heart.  The course was beautiful (if a little dirtier than ever), the day was beautiful (hello 70 degrees in June!!!), our crew was awesome (uh yeah, there are advantages to having a husband who doesn't like to run such as having someone to bring you clean dry socks at the halfway point...thanks Jay!) and the company couldn't have been better.  Not to mention there was a free beer waiting at the finish line.  I can't think of any other way I would have liked to spend this dazzling Saturday (now it's time to go home and start shipping off the sweat and caked on salt) .  I can't wait for next year's race (which rumor has it may move to March...can we say 50K distance here I come?)!  Until then, happy trails!!!

Also need to send a shout out to the terrific Annapolis trio finishing the 50 miler today - Lara, Gloria and Danielle - you all are crazy, but I love you!!  And also to those fantastic pacers who jumped in to support their runners throughout the race - and chat with Brie and I for a bit during a break - Jen and Missy - you're role is so important to the folks on the trail!!

The most amazing finishers in the marathon
distance at the North Face Endurance Challenge!

Stats -

Miles:  26.2 (my Garmin said it was a little more than a mile longer, but I think the Garmin was confused by the tree cover so I've lopped off the distance to marathon only)

Time:   5:40:08 (average pace of 12:58 per mile...our total time was longer due to aid station stops and chatting with buddies we ran into along the way but my handy dandy Garmin only captures time moving)

Location:  Algonkian Regional Park to Great Falls Park and back, Virginia
Feeling:  Women pay lots of money for mud baths, how can one feel bad after getting it for free!?!

Must never use the newer insoles...

Today I had no intention to run.  While Saturday was a little shorter than I would have like to go, I hit my target miles for the week.  No reason to run Sunday.  That said, I couldn't stop myself.  Here's how it went...

After church, Jay and I went to lunch at SaladWorks with Ryan and then to Home Depot to get a buttload of mulch for the front gardens (they look ragged and overrun by weeds..definitely time to make them company ready).  When we got home, I devoted the next three hours to sweating away pulling weeds, laying new topsoil and planting a few new additions.  Covered in soil and mulch, I thought I might as well engage in one more sweaty activity before hitting the shower.  That's how I ended up hitting the road.

Since I only planned to do a short run at this point, I decided I would throw in the newer insoles I only wore once before they caused me to have back pain when combined with new shoes that also had not been broken in (this was all back in February or March when I bought the two together at Fleet Feet).  My reasoning?  Well, I've broken in the shoes with the Lycos insoles now, so maybe with broken in shoes, the newer Super Feet insoles would be better this time.  Uh, no.  No such luck.  This run hurt, even for a short run.  I'm going to have to give up trying to wear those insoles.  Too bad, they cost a good bit of money and are custom cut for my shoes.

It felt like pulling teeth to finish the run with uncomfortable insoles, but I did it anyway and hit a little more than four and a quarter miles.  Hopefully it ultimately helps in hitting my goals early...that would make it worth the time and pain.  Better luck tomorrow with the Lycos back in safe and sound.  Happt trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  4.3
Time:   37:05 (average pace of 8:37 per mile)
Location:  Broadneck Peninsula
Feeling:  Feet and legs not so good, but I know the cause

 

Hitting 20%...

Tonight after work I had every intention of taking it easy and doing a relatively short 2-3 mile jog. After all, I'm breaking in new shoes (more on this later). However, I just couldn't resist the pull of hitting the 20% mark on my way to logging 1000 miles this year. I said to myself "what's a little bit further when I can pass that milestone today instead of tomorrow?" Well, we'll see what the difference may be.

You may recall a couple weeks ago I was complaining about back pain again. Given my SI joint injury, just a year and a half ago, I was concerned I may have reinjured the joint. That would be disastrous! I'm just now on a really good stretch with no injury and it would really set me back. After several days of running on the new shoes I had, with new inserts, it dawned on me that the pain may have been caused by going too hard too fast in new shoes without properly breaking them in first. I asked my doctor for a referral back to the physical therapist just to be sure, but also switched back to my old shoes for a while. That did the trick. A few days in the old shoes and the pain was completely gone.

So let's fast forward back to today. Today was my first day back in the new New Balance. Granted, I did decide to break in one part at a time, so the new inserts came out and my old inserts went in. At least for a week'ish. Then I may put the new inserts in my old shoes and do the same with those before putting all the new stuff back together. Because the last bout with the shoes caused me such horrible back pain, I figured I would go slow and short. Ha, like I said earlier, I threw that one out the window. So far it doesn't feel too bad, but I guess I'll see if I pay for it tomorrow. When will I learn? Oh well, happy trails!

Stats -
Miles: 4.61
Time: 41:05 (average pace of 8:54 per mile...at least I slowed down a bit)
Location: Lincoln Park and Capitol Hill (need to shake this up)
Feeling: Happy to cross the 20% threshold

Tis the season....

No, I'm not decking any halls and I got rid of that darn prickly holly bush last summer. Perhaps you've guessed? Oh yeah, it's allergy season. How can I tell? I could not get a deep, ful breath in for several miles. The flowers and trees are beautiful, but the pollen does a number on my respiratory system. Time to start carrying around the back-up inhaler for long runs until we get a few good rain storms.

Alrighty, complaining aside, the weather this week has been beautiful for running. Almost hot. It's conducive to working up a really good, cleansing sweat that makes you feel accomplished. This evening was a pretty easy run, though it started out pretty tough. My first two miles through Stanton Park and up toward Lincoln Park felt like I was pulling a weight sled, the wind was blowing so hard. The last couple as I headed back to Capitol Hill and in front of the ever-inspiring domw (do you get tired of me talking about the dome?) presented more calm air to cut through. All in all, though, a pretty decent adventure. Lots of runners out, dogs strolling and good old car horn honking through DC :)

Oh, and I almost forgot, I believe I figured out what has caused the back pain the past several days. Tonight I noticed a rather decent-sized bruise on my right lower back - about 3 inches long and 2 inches high. I've got my annual physical tomorrow morning, so I'll have the doctor check it just to be sure and I'll ask for a referral to the physical therapist to make sure it didn't affect the SI joint again. I've got too much to do this year to be sidelined by injury! Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles: 4.43
Time: 37:54 (average pace of 8:33 per mile)
Location: Capitol Hill, Lincoln Park
Feeling: A little sore and wind blown, but otherwise trudging along

Working through it...

Warning - this post lacks my usual wit and somewhat interesting storytelling...My run tonight was about as inspired as Ron Paul's supporters knowing he wouldn't win a single one of the states in Super Tuesday. But it needed to be done. I've taken the past couple of days off because my back is bothering me. Luckily, this pain is not associated with my back injury, so I can only assume I've slept in a bad position the past few nights. But it really hurts...

Anyway, after giving in to the pain the past couple days, I pushed myself out the door after a long day at work to put in a few miles. I figured 2-3 miles would be good considering the level of pain I was in. Honestly, though, running was the first time it has not hurt since Saturday, so I pushed out 4 miles. I was also overdressed, so it was a good sweaty, cleansing run. I don't know about you, but running clears my head to think about the tough questions, and I've got more than one of those that needs answering now. Hopefully hitting the sidewalks today - and surviving - will pave the way for an even stronger, longer run tomorrow. Until then, happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles: 4.04
Time: 33:41 (average pace of 8:20 per mile)
Location: Capitol Hill and Lincoln Park (need to change my direction of choice while in DC)
Feeling: Better than standing or sitting, or well, anything really.