My First Swim

Day 3 of the boot and I'm ready to lose my mind. The thing is heavy, hot and I have to sit on public toilets because I can't squat low enough in this thing. Thank God we have the toilet seat covers at work. Which happen to be called "rest assured." I always thought that was funny. Anyway...

I made it into the pool yesterday. My first official swim workout. I suited up in my flashy pink and black Speedo and pink goggles and felt like a little kid on their first day of school. From reading other blogs, I know there are some rules to follow so I tried to ask the lifeguard about the rules/etiquette before I got in the pool. But the little snoot, who wouldn't even turn her head to talk to me, stared straight ahead and mumbled something about circles. Huh? Circles? Clearly I wasn't going to get any helpful information out of this chick. So I easily decided on the "slow/rehab" lane, hopped in, and started swimming. I got one length of the pool when a nice lady stopped me and explained I was in a lane that was already taken. Yea, I was that confused. Anyway, she explained the lane markers and some other basics and pointed me in the right direction.

At first it was fun being in the pool, doing something different. I've grown up with a pool accessible each summer so I know how to swim. I have no idea if I'm any good at it, but it actually felt really easy to me. I wasn't lagging it, either. I was trying to put a good effort into it and a few times my heart rate got pretty high, higher than it normally does with running. I wasn't able to keep it up there though because I needed my breath so I could keep going.  My upper body didn't tire out but I did feel it in my legs and I had some pain in my Achilles. I switched up my strokes between freestyle and breast stroke and didn't take any breaks. But, to play it safe since I had no idea how my leg or body would feel after it, I called it quits after 50 minutes.

The rest of the day I felt like I hadn't worked out at all. Is this normal after swimming? Or is it just in my head that I didn't get a good workout in? Maybe I need to push harder? I will say though, I woke up a little sore this morning in the legs. Mostly my inner thighs which I think it from the breast stroke. The only other thing that was sore was my face. Yea, my face. I think from breathing and blowing air out hard?? Who knows.

I rode the bike today for an hour and honestly, that sort of sucked. I can't ride hard so it wasn't much of a workout to me. Tomorrow I'm going to lift and I'm sure that will be a ton of fun trying to do leg extensions and hamstring curls with this thing on. Hopefully by next week I'm cleared to do the elliptical.

Has it been a month yet?

Bad News

I've been in denial for weeks about my Achilles. I kept trying to tell myself that the pain was in my head and that it was going to get better. I tried to pretend that the injury really wasn't there and that I wasn't doing any more damage by running on it. I was convinced I was making a big deal out of nothing. Well, I finally came to my senses.

I had an upsetting PT session on Thursday and knew I was being stupid when I couldn't do a simple calf raise without pain. I had not one but two therapists talk to me about how I was pushing it and that not only is the Ultra a bad idea, but I should take time off completely to heal. Hearing them say that was enough for me to bag my 18 mile run on Friday, but I wasn't completely sold on the idea of taking time off completely. On Saturday I hit the gym and then went over to run with the club for what I was hoping was a very easy, pain free 3-4 miles. Before we set off to run I chatted with my podiatrist about how I was feeling, PT, etc and he said exactly what I didn't want to hear. He said the next step to getting this fixed would be to wear a boot for a month and no running.  I started crying right then and there. No running for a month?? No Ultra?? Um, no. I'll lose my freaking mind. Still not convinced I had to go to such extremes, I took off running with the group and made it about 5 steps before the pain set in. I had to stop and headed home hysterical.

I eventually calmed down and realized that this is what I need to do. I thought about how I would feel if I did anymore damage and put myself out of commission for even longer. I would never forgive myself. So as of today, I'm sporting a big black boot. I'm allowed to bike easy and swim so this is going to be a new challenge for me. We just ran to the mall to get me a bathing suit and goggles and I'll be in the pool tomorrow doing laps. I have a little pipe dream to do an Iron Man some day so it's about time I learn to do more than play around in a pool!! There will be no Ultra for me this summer, which really sucks. But if it means I come out of this month healed and strong, I'm ok with that. I have big plans for the Fall and am already looking forward to running in a month.

Oh, this thing is HOT! Goes really nice with the 100 degree weather we have right now.

Three Things Thursday

• I started physical therapy again yesterday. Since my insurance only covers 60 days of treatment per diagnosis per body part per year, I only have until July 5th to get in as much therapy as I can. So I'm going again tonight and will go at least every other day from now till then. Since I've been out of the flat shoes and not running, there's definitely been improvement. But I'm still in a rush to get this sucker fixed up because...
• The Ultra is 3 weeks from tomorrow!!! While I can't believe it's almost here, I'm ready for this training to be over so I can get back to marathon training and racing. But for the first time in months, I'm actually feeling excited about the race. Aside from the pain I've been running through, I've been feeling really strong and I'm ready to knock these 50 miles out! We've been having some really hot days (close to 100 degrees today) so I'm curious to see what race day will be like. There are some rules they enforce based on the temperature and heat index. If the heat index gets to 90-104, all runners have to carry electrolyte replacements (I'm fully expecting this since we've already been in this range out here). If it gets above 105 all runners have to stop at both medical tents along the course to be checked out. If it gets as high as 110, all runners have to walk. I'm really hoping it doesn't reach this level. Not because of the temperature but because it would be miserable to have to walk and be out there even longer.
• I ran for the first time today since Sunday and I felt pretty good. My plan was to try 3 miles and then do the elliptical. I was hesitant to run because I was scared it was going to hurt, but thankfully things felt ok. Not great, but not painful. I could definitely feel the Achilles but it wasn't bad. I was really in the mood to run and my body just wanted to keep going, so I did and ended up with 6 great miles! I have back to back 18 mile runs tomorrow and Saturday. Keeping my fingers crossed that these go well and I can finish without pain.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!! We decided to be spontaneous and head to Atlantic City for an overnight. Going to hit the beach, the beach bar, nice dinner, then some black jack tables. I'm feeling lucky!

F'in Flip Flops

I'm blaming it on the flip flops! Yesterday was supposed to be my last 31 mile run before the Ultra which is only a short 4 weeks away. Well, in the days leading up to Sunday, my Achilles really started bothering me again. Not just the tightness that has been there for the past few weeks but actual pain. I took off Saturday to rest it completely and hoped for the best. Unfortunately, it didn't go so well. I felt incredible and knew I had at least 30 miles in me mentally and physically but the Achilles had other plans. I felt some discomfort right from the get go but thought it would loosen up as I went. For a few miles I thought I might actually make it through the whole run but after mile 12 I knew I shouldn't push it. I could have pushed through the pain but I opted to stop at mile 18. At this point, it wasn't just my Achilles that was hurting, the pain was starting to move up my lower calf. Completely disappointed, I called it a day. I know I made the right decision and know I'm still well prepared to run 50 miles, but I'm devastated that things have taken a turn for the worse.

So, why am I blaming the flip flops?? When this all started (back at the end of April) and the doc asked if my shoes changed, the only thing that was different was that I had lived in flip flops the week prior while we were in Jamaica. I mentioned that and he suggested I wear shoes with a slight heel so my Achilles wasn't always in a stretched state. It actually felt better wearing shoes with a heel so that's exactly what I did. Well since then, I got a new job where I'm sort of hidden in a secure access area and aside from my group; I don't see many people all day. We're a casual group when it comes to footwear and I've been sporting flip flops ALL day EVERY day for about a month now. This is right around when I stopped physical therapy and things were going well. But for the past few weeks, the tightness and discomfort has been getting worse.

So today, after riding the bike, tooling around the house, etc, I threw on my flip flops and headed to work. The walk from my car to my desk, which is about a 5-7 minutes, was terrible!!! Each step hurt more and more and when I got to my desk I emailed Andy with tears coming down my face saying, "I think I'm out for the Ultra."

I've since calmed down and have decided to rest it for most of this week to see how it feels. I put in a lot of time for this race and I'd like to make it to the starting line. If the flip flops were aggravating it, hopefully never wearing them again along with my PT exercises and some rest will fix me up. I'm wearing sandals with a heel now and the pain has completely subsided.

I love wearing flip flops...so this really sucks.

7 Random Things

I was tagged a while ago when the 7 random thingy was going around. Since I don't have too much to talk about, I guess now is a good time to play along.

1) I have more nicknames then I know what to do with. When I was little, we were watching the "Facts of Life - Down Under" and I fell asleep on the floor with a major wedgie. My sisters started calling me "Nezzie Wedgie Aborigine." To this day, my dad and my sister still call me "Nez." While most of my friends call me "Dennis", some call me "Dee Dee" and "Sunny D."  And Andy calls me "Little Coconut" and "Biscuit." Pretty much say anything but Denise and I'll answer.

2) I graduated with honors with a degree in Chemistry. But based on more than one occurrence when someone assumed I was a hairdresser, I'm confident I don't look/act like your typical science geek.

3) I have 7 tattoos. While some might be silly, they each mean something to me and take me back to that time of my life when I got them.

4) I LOVE having my nails painted. I could be in a bad mood and if I paint my nails, I feel better. I recently had a job which involved going into aseptic manufacturing areas (think hair net, booties, white overalls) and I couldn't wear make up, jewelry, nail polish, etc. Thank goodness I have a new job...I'm sporting "Funky Dunky" as I type. 

5) I play with my ears...a lot. It's a nervous habit and it drives Andy insane.

6) I can write backwards just as quickly as I can write normal.  I don't mean just rearranging the word order, I mean where every single letter is backwards so when you hold it up to a mirror it reads correctly. I can do it in cursive, too. My mom taught me this fascinating trick when I used to play hooky from school.

7) One thing that really gets my panties in a bunch is bottle water. I will not drink bottled water unless it's an emergency and there is no other water to be found. It's not the fact that it has stuff added to it, sits on shelves, trucks, etc for who knows how long going stagnant, it's the waste. Come on people, you can drink safer, for free, and save the environment right from your own tap!

Long Run Paces

A few of you have asked what pace I run my back to back long runs at while training for the Ultra. First of all, the point of the back to back long runs is to get time on my feet, to run on tired legs, learn what it's going to feel like on race day. It's not about speed. The other purpose of these runs is to practice my race day strategy  (well, I should be doing that) by doing "5:1". That's 5 minutes of running with a 1 minute walk break...repeat. People practice different run-walk strategies but I like the 5:1. I know someone doing 25:5 and some others who are doing 2 mile run, 2 minute walk. The walk break gives your body a little break from the pounding on the pavement, a chance to eat/drink and also provides a little mental break. Personally, I could not do anymore than 1 minute of walking because it gets hard to run after these little walk breaks when you're miles into it. I don't want to give my body any more time to get used to walking then I have to. The main thing is that you just always keep moving forward.

Last year I was really good about always doing the 5:1's on my long runs. This year, not so much. I really want to run and I hate the walk breaks. So as a compromise, I've been doing a few walk breaks on my first long run of the weekend and then I take them all on my second long run. As for pace, it really comes down to how I'm feeling that day and lately, how freaking hot it is. Here are some example of how things have been going, listed by the first long run then second the next day:

15 mi - ave 9:55 (took all walk breaks because of 31 mile run the next day)
31.5 mi - 10:45 (towards the end for our last few miles when we were running we were in the low to mid 9 min pace)

18 mi - ave 9:50 (with walk breaks taken from mile 10 on)
18.2 mi - ave 10:44 (took all walk breaks)

15 mi - ave 9:25 (with 4 mini (30 seconds) walk breaks)
20 mi - ave 10:30 (took majority of walk breaks but not all)

So as you can see, it's a slow and steady pace. Last year, I ran at least one run during the week with the walk breaks in addition to the weekend long runs and the paces killed me. I came out of this training a slug and felt like I could not generate any speed. Determined to not let that happen again this year, I've been trying to do at least one run during the week at a quicker pace. Last week I ran a 6 miler at 8:20 (which was my marathon pace for Philly) and last night I ran 10 miles averaging a 9:00 minute pace. Still a far cry from my 7:20 climb the ladder pace, but I'll get back there soon enough.

I've been itching to race during this entire training cycle and all the summer 5ks around are killing me. I'm so tempted to do one but with the Achilles being temperamental, I don't want to risk it. I'm going to keep plugging along for the next 4 weeks; recover from the Ultra, then let these legs do what they really want to do...race!!

First Timers!!

Funk is slowly lifting and I think I have a good game plan for how to get me back on track with stuff. I also think making the decision to not hold myself so strictly to the training schedule was the right call. That run on Friday was exactly what I needed. It might not have been the 20 miles that the schedule called for, but it was a fun, relaxing 15 miles, which in my opinion was more beneficial. Saturday I ran 20 miles and aside from some aches and pains, I felt strong and the miles really flew by. I'm keeping this attitude as I head into this week and I'm going to run what I want, when I want and not beat myself up over lost miles. This should be the biggest week of my Ultra training, nearing 80 miles, but I'm not going to worry about whether or not I make it to that number. The only thing definite for this week is my 30-35 mile run on Sunday.

So, yesterday my sister and Andy ran their first 5k!! Michelle recently lost over 30 lbs and during the course of her weight loss journey I some how convinced her to run a 5k. Not sure how Andy got roped into it, but I'm sure he had a few beers in him when he agreed. Anyway, it was a really, REALLY, small race on a REALLY hot day!! It was so small that not only was there not a gun at the start, but there wasn't a horn, or anything else! In fact, we didn't even hear anyone yell "start."

I was itching to race this when I saw how small the field was but it was more important for me to stick with my sister. I ran with my other sister when she did her first 5k, so now it was time to get Michelle across the finish line. Andy has been running a few times a week for months and could have done his own thing, but he wanted us to all stick together. I love that it was more about being a team then anyone outdoing the other.

When we took off running, the temperature was around 80 degrees and it was humid with absolutely no breeze. We ran our first mile at a 9:36 and I was beyond impressed with this! However, it was probably a little too aggressive of a pace in the heat. The heat quickly took its toll with a lot of runners and there were a lot people taking walk breaks. I could tell Mich was struggling a bit between the heat and a groin pull so we played the mailbox game. We would run from one mailbox to the next, and then walk the next set. We kept up this run-walk for the remainder of the race. Mich never once complained and there was never any doubt in my mind that she wouldn't finish. She's an athlete and a tough competitor and she pushed through finishing strong. We all crossed the finish line together in 33:41.

Not too shabby for a first timer! If it wasn't so hot out, I think it could have been a much more enjoyable experience. Thankfully though she didn’t hate it and I feel pretty confident that there will be another one in her future. Same thing goes for Andy. Before this race he told me this was it. But on the way home he said he would do another but that he would stick to 5ks only. Which is fine by me, I'll take what I can get!

Congrats to Andy and Mich for finishing their first 5k, I am so proud of each of you. Not only for finishing but putting in the time and effort to get to the starting line. Running a 5k isn't easy and you did it! And just remember, this is how it all starts…

All smiles before the race...

Our first race together

Andy looking oh so happy afterwards

Thank YOU

I've talked the past few days about how I've been in a funk. Some suggested over training and while that may be playing a part in how I'm feeling, there's actually a lot more going on. I let my head get the best of me and once again, it's in charge. I'll pull through, as always, but it's a draining time both mentally and physically.

Anyway, my back to back 20's have been on my mind all week. It wasn't the distance, that doesn't worry or scare me. It wasn't the time, I can always make time. It's been more about what *I* want to do vs what I'm supposed to do. I'm having a hard time lately finding happiness in not only running but work, friends, family, etc. I want, and need more than ever, running to be my outlet right now. I don't want to run because I have to, I want to run because I want to.

I should have known something was off when I didn't pack up my stuff last night as part of my normal pre long run routine. So when the alarm went off at 5:30am this morning, it didn't surprise me that I turned it off. After I did, I spent the next half hour tossing and turning with guilt but I eventually dozed back off to sleep. When I woke up at 7:30 the thought of driving a half hour to the trail and running 20 miles just didn't sound appealing. I didn't want to run, I didn't want to deal with the hassle, I didn't feel like wasting my whole morning. But I got a comment last night that really stuck with me. Michelle said, "I thought of you on Tuesday as I was running my 16 miles - 'if she can run 30, surely, I can suck it up and push thru this silly little 16.' Thanks for inspiring me!"

That comment brought tears to my eyes and as I was trying to talk myself out of a run this morning, I thought about this comment and how I didn't want to let YOU guys down. So I pulled myself together and decided to head out and just run. No set distance, no set pace, no set route. *I* was making the rules for this run and I would do whatever I wanted. I grabbed a handheld (and thankfully ate a banana) and headed out. About a minute into it, I told myself to go at least 2.5 miles out and assess how I was feeling. Well, at 5 miles I hit up Starbucks for a pit stop and continued on for what would be a great, peaceful, fun 15 miles. I loved just running, not knowing which turn I was taking next, and finding new places to explore. It was so fun!

It wasn't my scheduled 20 miles, but I'm ok with that. I need to learn that it's not always about training. It's about what makes me happy. I got out there today; I enjoyed myself and just happened to knock out 15 miles without thinking twice. I have a 20 miler tomorrow, which I'm going to go pack up for now and a 5K on Sunday with Andy and my sister (both of their first!!). I'm taking these runs lightly, going to have fun and enjoy every step along the way.

Thanks to not only Michelle, but to all of YOU. Your comments keep me going and keep me smiling.

Three Things Thursday

1) I don't match today. I probably should have taken Andy's response more seriously when I asked him if I matched and he said "close enough." I didn't change because of #2 below.

2) I'm not really in a good mood. Been in a funk for a few days now.

3) I don't really have anything to talk about so I'll leave you with my favorite picture of me and my sisters. I'm the one with my arms up in the air, causing trouble as usual.

And here we are at Christmas many years later.

18's and a WINNER!!

After a rough week and feeling like I've been in a slump, I think things are starting to turn around. After dreading my first 18 miler of the weekend and having it go well, I was hopeful that I was on the right track. Well, I won't lie. When I woke up Sunday for my second 18 miler, I found myself again wishing I didn't have to get up and run. Of course I pulled myself out of bed and headed out for what ended up being a great 18.2 miles. It was still really hot and humid but despite the excessive sweating, which resulted in chafing in areas I probably shouldn't talk about, I felt great. I really didn't feel tired until around mile 17 at which point my legs finally started talking to me. Not too bad considering I ran 18 miles the day before.

So after some good weekend runs, I was happy when I woke up today and headed out for a 10 miler without a second thought. The humidity finally lifted and the temperatures took a dive and were in the upper 50's. It was a perfect day for a run! Towards the end my legs were feeling it, but mentally I was back to my old self. Hopefully it stays that way for the next 6 weeks! And just because something has to be off, I think my Achilles has done a little too much over the past few days. It's gone from being "tight" to sore all day and not liking stairs at all. I've been trying to stretch while sitting at my desk and hoping it just needs a good nights sleep.

Before I announce the winner of the Experia Socks giveaway, here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 10 mi
Tues - Cross train/lift (am) / 5 mi (pm)
Wed - 7 mi
Thurs - Cross train/lift
Fri - 20 mi
Sat - 20 mi
Sun - 5k (I'll be running a 5k with my sister and Andy...it's their first one!!)

Ok, and now for the winner...selected by random # generator...Jamie from "Running and Some Sauce on Top." Jamie (aka booger), email me so I can send hook you up with some socks!

Rough Week

Running this week was tough. Not sure if it was because I had a big week last week (70+ miles), the humidity, or a combination of them both. But since Tuesday, I've been dragging on my runs. On Tuesday I did NOT want to run after work. It took all I had to get out there. It was hot as heck, close to 90 degrees, and the sun was shining! I pushed hard and got in a good 7 miles but I was completely wiped out afterwards. Based on how I was feeling I cut my run back to 5 miles on Wednesday (instead of 7) and did some lifting afterwards. Well, cutting it back didn't make much of a difference for my 10 miler on Thursday. I headed out around 5am and before I even left the house, I wasn't up for the run. I was doubting myself and thinking about cutting it short before I even started. Even though the sun wasn't up yet, the humidity was terrible and this just added to the difficulty level. I struggled through the entire run and even had to take two 30 second walk breaks to try to regroup. Hard runs suck but the important thing is that I finished.

Since I haven't taken a day off since May 15th, I decided yesterday had to be an off day and hoped that would help me get through my back to back 18 milers I have this weekend. Well, when I woke up this morning the last thing I wanted to do was run. It really bothered me that I was feeling this way and as I drove to the trail I realized everything I was feeling/thinking are my burn out symptoms. Not really good timing since I still have a month of tough training to get through.  

Thankfully, once I started running this morning I felt great. My legs were ready to go and all the doubts cleared from my mind. The miles flew by and I felt like I could keep going forever. I finished the 18 miles feeling strong and was a soaking wet mess! I hope this was the run I needed to turn things around. I have another 18 miler tomorrow morning with another big week ahead.

I'm off to the pool now for some sun and relaxation. Good luck to all of those racing this weekend!!

There's still time to enter the GIVEAWAY!!

No More Anonymous

One bad apple spoils the bunch! Due to some moronic comments, and one potentially threatening comment (which I have saved) to one of my followers, I'm no longer allowing anonymous comments to my posts. I changed my settings so please email me if you have trouble commenting in the future.


Don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY!!! :-)

GIVEAWAY -- Experia Socks!!

What better way to celebrate National Running Day then to have a GIVEAWAY!! The wonderful Tracy from Thorlos has agreed to give one lucky reader a pair of Experia socks. I don't know about you, but I love me some running socks. You can never have enough! So, if you'd like to win head over to my review page and check out my review of these bad boys. Then leave a comment telling me how you celebrated National Running Day. Yup, it's that easy!

I'll announce the winner on Monday, June 7th. Oh, and I do ask that you be a follower of this blog if you'd like to be entered to win.

Contest isn't open to snarky commenters who think I lie about my workouts.

31 Miler Recap

I woke up at 3:50am on Saturday to pouring rain. Normally that wouldn't be a big deal but I was heading out for my 31 mile run. Not really a run I can push off and just do some other time! This weather was completely unexpected and I could not believe I had to do this. I threw 3 changes of clothes, extra socks and shoes in my bag, body glided the crap out of myself and headed out. Thankfully, by the time we started it was only misting and shortly after that it cleared up completely. In fact, it turned out to be a beautiful day!!

To make sure we practiced fueling for race day, we started off with two out and backs and hit the car after approximately 5 and 14 miles. I wasn't really hungry at this point since I ate a slice of Ezekiel with peanut butter and banana before I left the house but I ate a quarter of peanut butter sandwich before heading back out for another 5 miles. The next 5 miles we did the loop at Valley Forge and if you're not familiar with this loop, it is HILLY!! VERY hilly. The hills took a toll on us after such a high mileage week, with a 15 miler the day before this run, so we decided after that loop to head back out on flatter ground. Before doing so, we swung by the car and I had some Ensure and a few TJ graham cracker cat cookies. We were at mile 19 at this point and still feeling good.

I hit a mental slump around mile 21 where I thought about how nice it would be to head back to the car and go home for a nap. It lasted a good 3 miles or so but eventually it passed like it always does. Rather than head back to the car for food, we decided to do another out and back and make do with some Gu Chomps that we had on hand and a water fountain out on the trail. At mile 24 we headed the opposite direction for our last 7 miles...home stretch!

Around mile 28 a cyclist went by and yelled "hi Denise". At this point we were feeling pretty goofy so I happily waved back and said hi. Then I heard "it's Abby!". Abby was out for nice, leisurely 115 mile bike ride. Yea, I thought my 31 mile run was long! Anyway, it was nice "meeting" you, Abby!!

The last few miles of the run flew by. We were definitely a little loopy at this point, chatting away to ourselves about how bad ass we were for running 31 miles and this and that. And the best part was that we were still smiling and laughing! We ended up running 31.5 miles in just about 5.5 hours. Aside from some tired legs, stinky pits, and a funky stomach, I felt great afterwards. I headed home, took an ice bath and got ready to have company over for dinner.

As for how I felt Sunday...incredible! You never would have known I ran 31.5 miles the day before. I got up, resisted the urge to go for a run, and headed to the gym for 2 hours of cross training and lifting. I finished the week with 70.5 miles and 178.7 for May. I would have been over 200 for May if it wasn't for the first few weeks of no running because of my Achilles. Grrr.

Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 10 mi (done)
Tues - 7 mi
Wed - off (cross train/lift)
Thurs - 10 mi
Fri - 7 mi
Sat - 18 mi
Sun - 18 mi

Oh, I'll be posting a GIVEAWAY this week...stay tuned!