That Time I Tried To Run Again

Remember how I used to talk all about running? Miles and miles, day after day. Those were the good ol' days.

Since the Sunburst Half marathon, my knee's being being a bitch. We've talked about this. In fact, since the half, I've hardly run. At all. There was the Firecracker 5-Miler on July 4 and... well, that's it. If you're keeping track, that was 20 days ago. Unacceptable.

Ok, that's not entirely true. Last weekend (7/13), I tried to run again. TRIED being the operative word.

I had such high hopes going into the run. I had all these "my-knee-will-be-magically-fixed-and-this-is-going-to-be-amazing" thoughts going into it. I woke up that morning and was legit EXCITED. The sun was shinning, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I was ready. I laced up and was out the door in minutes. With a huge, goofy grin.

Yeah.

That last about 3 minutes.

I told myself I wouldn't look at my Garmin at ALL. I had no pace predictions or expectations. Honest. I didn't really even have distance expectations. Somewhere between 3-6 miles was what I told the Hubs. (Side note: Remember when I used to tell the Hubs somewhere between 10-13 and ended up doing 15?? Those were the days... ooooh, memories...)

Less than a half mile into the run, my knee started to ACHE. Not a mild ache either. A full blown THIS HURTS PLEASE STOP NOW ache. Don't worry-- I didn't listen. ;)

I kinda knew it was going to hurt. I was OK with it hurting a little. It hurt more than a little. And, it hurt the entire rest of the run. And, the rest of the day. It didn't hurt any more than usual the rest of the day, so I suppose that's good news. But, still... it hurt. In a nagging, this-isn't-good kinda way.

I stayed slow and steady. I stopped once to pee and didn't even look to see my pace thus far or distance. I was PROUD of that. I honestly did NOT care how fast or slow I was going. Spoiler: it was far, faaaar from fast. Even with the pain, I was happy to be out there.

 

I finished the run with 5.5 miles in just over an hour. Yeah, remember when that used to take me under 50 minutes? Woah. How times have changed. It's OK. That whole sun-shinning-no-clouds thing kinda back fired and it got HOT out and I knew I needed to go slower. I ALWAYS have slowed down in the heat. Maybe not THIS much, but I'm cool with it. I also walked part of the last half mile because I felt myself getting warmer and warmer and didn't want to over heat.

Honestly, I am 100% OK with the pace. I don't even remotely care. I'm growing a freaking baby inside my belly. However slow I need to go, I'm cool with.

I am not even close to 100% OK with the pain level I felt during the run. I probably should have stopped. Stubborn, Meagan. <Rest assured, it was JUST my knee that hurt... nothing baby related, I promise!!>

So, I haven't run since. Rest, rest, and more rest.

Sadly, I haven't been foam rolling, though. The way I have to foam roll, with my ever-growing belly, just doesn't feel right. My foam rolling days for the next 21 weeks are over.

Luckily my knee HAS started feeling a little better lately. I've noticed less random spurts of pain (even just when sitting... stupid knee). It's feeling less stiff after long stretches of inactivity. It doesn't ache at all anymore from the elliptical. All good signs. 

All good enough signs to make me want to try again. Soon. This weekend soon. So, try again I will. Again, I won't have ANY ideas about pace or distance. I'll walk if needed. And, I'll even REALLY try to stop if it hurts the same that it did last weekend.

Let's hope Knee-Stop-Being-A-Whiny-A-Hole Operation, Round 2 goes better...  

Don't Make Me Punch Someone

Woah! Didn't mean to fall off the face of the planet there for a few days. Work's been hella busy and blah, blah, excuse, excuse. Life. Happens.

Anyway... nothing much new to report.

Running is still nonexistent which makes me SAD and ANGRY and GRUMPY. Add that to all these wonderful preggo hormones and thank your lucky stars you're not the Hubs the past few weeks. Poor guy.

Anyway, this is how I feel lately:

(source)

Argh! The most frustrating part (for my non logical brain right now) is that everyone I know who finds out I'm pregnant is like "Oh, well you're not running anymore are you??" Because clearly they are my doctor and know that it CAN'T be healthy for a woman to run while pregnant <insert clear sarcasm>. Anyway- I want to yell back at each and every one of them "YES! I AM! And, I'm ROCKING IT!!" but, I can't. And, it's NOT because I'm all preggo. It's this DAMN KNEE. Arrrrrgh. I know, I know. I'm being ridiculous. Again- be glad you're not the Hubs. He has to deal with this crazy 24/7 and can't just "X" out of the Internet window.

Back to the point... of COURSE when I tell people I'm still working out a lot, but not RUNNING right now due to some knee pain, NOT due to being knocked up, they tell me about how bad running is for the knees. Again, because they are a doctor (and a running expert).

(source)

At this point I have to just walk away before getting in a fist fight at 17 weeks pregnant. The Hubs would not be a happy guy if he had to bail me outta jail.

(source)

So, what am I doing about this knee pain, so that I can run again (obviously), which will lead to an all around happier Meagan (thus a happier Hubs) and me not punching anyone in the face because my answer will be able to change to "YES! I AM RUNNING!"?

1. Resting... a lot. In the past 2 1/2 weeks I've only run once (the Firecracker 5 Mile Race) and it was a slower, easy run. But, yes, there was pain. Ugh. I've been sticking to non-running (aka: not nearly as much fun) sweaty activities. The elliptical and I are now BFF's. Spinning is a go-to and even strength has become semi-regular.

Me and the 8-Minute Arms crew are on a first name basis now.

2. Foam rolling. And, foam rolling some more. And more and more and more (you get the point).

Here's the thing about foam rolling right now, though... it's REALLY awkward and uncomfortable. It doesn't HURT (I mean, any more than it's supposed to in that hurts so good kinda way), but it does make my belly feel weird and just... off. As my belly keeps growing, I'm sure it's going to be harder and harder to foam roll so I'm hoping I can stick with it long enough to be magically cured before the belly gets much bigger. Hear that, knee?? You've got a time table here!

3...

Wait.... that's about it.

(source)

Clearly, there's a lot I have not been doing, but probably should. Things like:

1. Icing.

Oh, the good old days of compression gear, icing, and alcohol. What a great combo! Hard to believe this pic is like a year old. Crazy how times have changed!

Anyway... I used to be REALLY good about icing whatever parts hurt, but have been mega slacking on this area. I've iced ONCE in the last 2 1/2 weeks. Not exactly the kind of consistency change or recovery is made of.


2. The strength moves the Athletic Trainer talked to me about the last time my knees were being jerk faces. I haven't done these at all and while I think the foam rolling had a WAY bigger impact on recovery last time, I'm sure these didn't HURT and I need to start doing them. Like, now.


3. Trying to run more often. Ok, this might sound weird... but, I haven't even TRIED to run any more often because I figure if it hurts to walk, it's gonna hurt to run. Well, true (duh). Buuuuut--- if it doesn't make it hurt any WORSE, why not run (while continuing to do all the fix-it tricks, I promise)! I'm not talking anything crazy... but, a quick 3-4 miler or something here or there.


So, I'm going to try to run this weekend. Somewhere in the less than 5 mile range.

It'll look like that except in about a quarter as much clothes.

Hopefully the heat'll cooperate. I anticipate LOTS of walking breaks and sloooow miles and I'm 100% OK with that. I just wanna get out there, see how the knee feels, and remember what it feels like to have that "Weeeeee!!!! I LOVE RUNNING!!!!" feeling.

Wish me luck!

Sunburst Half Marathon - Race Recap

Warning: This isn't going to be some crazy long, here's how I felt at each mile kinda race recap. I've done that for this exact race before.

This was my third year running the Suburst. In fact, it was my 3 year run-aversary. 3 years ago, the Sunburst was my first ever 5K. But, that story's been told. Last year, I ran the half. This year, I was registered for the half, but for some reason, kinda debating between doing the half and the 10K.

Before Saturday, I hadn't run anything over 8-miles at a time since the Kalamazoo Half, which was 3 weeks before. I wasn't, by any definition of the word, training or ready. Even worse, the weather forecast was not looking so hot.

 

Lucky for me, the 10K and Half started within 15 minutes of each other, so I went to bed Friday night with a belly full of carbs (hey-- had to prepare just in case, right?!?!) and decided I'd get up early enough to do either and decide in the morning. Either way, I was just going to RUN FOR FUN (WOAH! What a concept!), not push pace, and just ENJOY the race that made me fall in love with running. It was really quite refreshing to go to be the night before a race NOT worrying. I was 100% chill about the race. I KNEW I wasn't in PR shape, so that wasn't even in the realm of possibility. It was going to be a relaxed, FUN run, regardless of length. Talk about no pressure. I LOVED IT.

Anyway, I woke up Saturday morning and felt great. I was going to do the half! Then, I pulled up my phone's forecast and saw the above and immediately decided to do the 10K.

That's pretty much how the next 20 minutes of getting dressed and eating 1/2 an English muffin with PB went. Back and forth. Half, 10K, Half, 10K. The Hubs was gonna drop me off and pick me up, since the race was SUPER close to our house. He was less than thrilled at the idea of me running ANYTHING in thunderstorms.... but, that kinda helped me decide. I mean, if I was gonna stop mid-race no matter what, why not go big and do the half? If it rained, I'd stop either way. Then, suddenly the forecast changed to only 10% chance of light rain. Just like that. Done. Half it was.

The Hubs dropped me off and less than 10 minutes I was off.

Mile 1: 9:48 (FINALLY! A race I didn't start off too fast for!!!)
Mile 2: 9:42
Mile 3: 9:30
Mile 4: 9:52 (not sure what happened here... apparently I was REALLY enjoying the race!)
Mile 5: 9:45
Mile 6: 9:23

Just like that, the race was half over. I was literally enjoying every second. It was HOT and HUMID... but, my legs felt fresh. I wasn't dying. I was just RUNNING to run. CRAAAAAZY concept. I had a HUGE goofy grin on my face the whole time (except in the pic above where I look like I'm kinda sleeping). This whole race with no pressure thing was AMAZING. I just kept plugging away. One foot in front of the other. Nice and easy.

 

Mile 7: 9:26

Mile 8: 9:40

Mile 9: 9:30

Mile 10: 9:20

Mile 11: 9:19

Mile 12: 9:59 (HUUUUUUGE, beast of a hill)

Mile 13: 9:26

Mile .33 (according to Garmin): 3:27 (forgot to stop the stupid sucker for a while, as always)

 

 

 

Garmin Results--

Total: 13.33 miles, 2:08:XX

Average Pace: 9:37

 

Official Results--

Time: 2:06:52

Place: 589/1392

 

 

Funny story... I finished faster (only by a few seconds, but still) this year than last year, when I WAS training and WAS ready for it. Turns out, taking the pressure off kinda works.

 

I LOVED this race. I had FUN. I enjoyed myself. Sure, it was still running over 13 miles and that was tough and I was tired and everything, but it was different than any race I've done. I ran JUST TO RUN. Confession: I might be hooked. Sure, I love pushing myself to get better and to strive for my best. But, it's also BEYOND words amazing to just run with NO pressure or expectations.

 

 

 

Sadly, my body was little mad at me for the whole lets-run-13-miles-even-though-we're-not-trained thing. Whoops. My knee (the other one, of course) was NOT happy. I gave it 3 solid non-running rest days and LOOOOTS of icing and now it feels better. Not 100% yet, but better. WHOOPS. Lesson learned. Next time, maybe do a FEW longer runs before a half, even if it is a for-fun half. Got it. :)

 

So, that was that. 3 year runaverary, done. And I loved every step.

A little this, a little that

I have been crazy all of the place lately. My mind is moving far faster than my ability to type so this might not make much sense. But, let's just go with it. So, while I snack on these, let's play crazy Meagan catch up.

Why are these SO good and SO bad for you? And why does my boss insist on buying them in BULK for the office? TOO GOOD TO RESIST. Damn you, Amos! 

Anyway... life's been busy! My first day back to work since 12/21 was yesterday. 2 glorious weeks off. Still seemed to short. I've already recaped some of that vacation, but there was lots more. Christmas, for one! I got spoiled with way too many nice gifts. I got lots of running clothes, a RoadID bracelet, a necklace, gift certificates, candy, and more! Two of my favorite gifts (other than the purple jacket I already told you about) were a medal holder from the Hubs (love the running girl and her cute pony tail on the right) and hot pink compression sleeves from the in-laws. Love. I am loved and the luckiest girl in the world.

 

 

Right when we got back from our holiday travel extravaganza, we got Sadie!

She's seriously the cutest dog in the world. We're in LOVE. She and I have already gone on two runs together, too many walks to count, and endless cuddles and kisses! LOVE her. She's SUCH a good dog too! She is already crate and potty trained and has no issues with either. She is SUCH a lover... her favorite thing to do is cuddle up with you on the couch. She'll seriously just lay her head right on our laps and just sit, perfectly content. It's beyond adorable. She's also the QUIETEST dog in the world. Seriously-- she has yet to bark. At all. Not even once. She's whimpered a little-- once when I went for a run without her (broke my heart!) and yesterday when I got home from work and was changing into running clothes before taking her out of her crate. But, even that "whimpering" is SO QUIET. Seriously-- we were a little worried at first.

Yep, we even Googled it. But, I think she's just quiet. She's a lover, not a barker. And, I'm 100% more than OK with that.

 

 

Anyway, like I said- there's been lots of walks and even a few runs with Sadie.

She does pretty good with both... she's a BIG sniffer and would spend the entire walk with her nose to the ground if we let her. She LOVES to run with me. I think 3-4 will be her limit, but I love that I now have an even bigger reason to go for a few quick miles after work. Can't wait to take her on even longer walks when there's not 10000 feet of snow on the ground, too!

 

Speaking of running, there's been some of that. The above 3 miles was from yesterday and that actually pre-the end of the run. We got .33 more in. I thought she was over running and wanted to walk, so I snapped this pic, but she wanted more, so we ended with 3.33. Going back to the weekend I did an 11 mile run, then 2 mile walk (w/ Sadie and the Hubs) to make it 13 miles on the first day of 2013. The running part was at 9:12/mile average pace. For it being as cold and icy as it was, I'm calling that speedy! Then, this morning I did 4 miles solo. I went out saying I'd do 6. Within steps told myself "Ok, F 6. Just do 5." and that quickly became 4. I just wasn't feeling it. My knee hurt. It was cold. My legs felt so heavy. Just OVER it. Oh well. Can't win them all!

The 11 miler had some not-so-great parts too... CHAFFING! On my neck. Who gets it there? I usually get it all over my chest, but that high onto my neck? Never! Bogus. I legit have like NO shirts that cover it. One of my student workers asked me if the 2 marks were hickeys. AWESOME. Then, I got a bloody ankle too. I have no idea how that one came about, but it freaking hurts! It's just in that perfect spot where my shoes keep rubbing against it. Ouch!

So, that's pretty much what I've been up to. Some runs. Lots of puppy love. Work. Went to Spinning on Wednesday morning and even got some elliptical time in. Oh, and I had a doc appointment today about a weird lump behind my ear that popped up. The doc said that didn't look too worrisome, so that's good. We're just keeping an eye on it. While I was there I asked about my knee, since it's been 3 solid months now and it's still being a whiny little bitch. She asked me a million questions, moved it around in every direction imaginable, and then ordered an x-ray.

 

 

Well, the x-ray was all clear and showed no signs of any BONE issues. Basically, she said the same thing the athletic trainer said, so it's back to foam rolling and icing for me. Oh well. At least now I have an adorable puppy to watch me and wag her tail at me while I do it!

 

So, that's that. Back to reality. Vacation's BEYOND amazing... but, reality's not so bad either. :)

Best Hubs Ever and a Fun Weekend

Another fantastic weekend in the books!

The weekend started off with quite possibly the cutest email from the Hubs ever.

Now, to be fair-- we have sent similar emails to each other before. For example, I once sent him an email from the "Wives of America Association" telling him that it was "Husband Weekend!" so we could do whatever he wanted all weekend, which ended up meaning I did the grocery shopping alone, we ate LOTS of pizza, watched LOTS of college sports and movies, went on a long walk and did NO cleaning or errands all weekend. Lucky duck.

But, I digress-- the Hubs started the weekend off with a bang by emailing me a super sweet invitation for a date night for Saturday! We'll get to the actual date in a sec, but I just wanted to start by giving him MAJOR kudos and husbands points for being so sweet to not only PLAN a "date night" but also for emailing me this super sweet invitation. 10 bonus points for the Hubs!

Back to the weekend-- Friday night started off BUSY! I had ONE of my work holiday parties (there are THREE!). The Hubs had to work at an out-of-the-city site for work all day that is about an hour away, so I knew he wouldn't make it in time. Boo! Oh well. I got to party solo! Yummy appetizers, drinks, and fun with co-workers!

By the time the party was done, the Hubs was still caught at work (boo again!), so I went grocery shopping solo. Don't tell the Hubs, but I kinda actually like grocery shopping alone sometimes. No one to rush me and I can walk up and down every aisle! I ALWAYS end up spending more when I go alone though, so for our checkbook, I'm glad we usually go together.

Quick run down of what I got (top left, clockwise-ish): Chobani Greek Yogurt, brie, onion, fresh mozzarella cheese, frozen broccoli, apples, chocolate chips, cuties, shredded parmesan, popcorn kernels, lasagna noodles, low fat ricotta cheese, dish soap, FiberOne granola bars shredded mozzarella cheese, frozen spinach, WW ice cream bars, frozen yoplait Greek yogurt, & asparagus. Full disclosure: there's also a cube of diet pepsi and diet sprite on the bottom. Can you tell we made a veggie lasagna yesterday?

By the time I got home, the Hubs was just getting home too. A quick change into PJs and a bowl of ice cream later and we were curled up on the couch with a RedBox. Sadly, the Redbox I rented (Brave) didn't work, so that was a bust. Oh well.

Saturday I was up early to proctor another exam for some extra cash. Basically, I get paid to sit and watch 17 year olds SWEAT as they take the ACT or SAT. This time, I planned to grade a STACK of papers and do a little blog-reading catch up.

 

 

Again, the morning didn't quite go according to plan. The test had a TON of no-shows and unfortunately, they didn't need my room so after getting all set up I was sent home with a much smaller pay check. Booooo.

But, since I was done with proctoring way earlier than I thought, I had time to get my run in before errands!

11.25 miles in 1:45:54. A 9:14.mile pace! I was pretty happy with that!!

Immediately after getting home I did a quick round of 8-minute Abs and 8-minute Arms.

My knee was acting up more than I'd like and more than it has during the run and it didn't really let up much during the post-run strength work. NOT good. It made me a bit crabby, but after a shower, some icing, and some foam rolling I felt a little better. I admit that I've been kinda slacking on the icing and rolling front the past week or so. The knee felt better so I kinda stopped. DUH MEAGAN. It feels better BECAUSE you've been doing it! Sometimes, I'm not so smart. So, I'm back at it and have confidence it'll be back better soon.
Anyway, after the post-run routine the the Hubs and I went to a local pet shelter's adoption event.

We didn't leave with a dog... but, I think things exciting things may be happening and we may be adding a fur-child to our family soon. Fingers crossed!

After dog-shopping, it was college basketball time for the Hubs and cleaning/bread baking for me.

Recipe found here. It turned out delicious and SO easy to make! Thanks for the suggestion, Kara!

 

 

Before I knew it, the Hubs and I were off for our date night! Ice skating and dinner! 

Ice skating was so fun! I love doing it at least once every winter. It's just so wintery and festive and FUN. When I was little we lived on a lake and when it would freeze I would bring my WalkMan and ice skates out and make up routines to songs. I thought I was SO cool. I'm sure in reality I fell about 10 times per minute and looked like a complete spaz. Ooooh, memories! Anyway- back to reality. We ice skated for about an hour and had a blast.

Ice skating made us work up quite the appetite. I was SO excited for dinner. The Hubs knows I LOVE tapas restaurants. I just love trying lots of different things and tapas is perfect for that! Anyway, so he found a new tapas place about 45 minutes from our house in Goshen, Indiana called Kelly Jae's Cafe. We got there at about 7pm and there was no wait-- good thing too because I was HUNGRY!

  The place was SO cute! The interior had exposed brick walls and white Christmas lights everywhere. SO adorable! 

The Hubs and I pondered the menu for a while.

 

We finally decided on: Stuffed Dates with duck sausage, goat cheese and bacon, Chicken Wontons, Cheese Dip Trio, and Papa's Fritas.

The food was good! It wasn't GREAT, but definitely good. A little pricey for what it was, but still good. The atmosphere was great and we just had a great date night.

We were still a smidge hungry when we left (hey! don't judge!), so we knew exactly where to go on the way home.

Phew! I can't believe I haven't even gotten to Sunday yet!

Sunday was equally eventful!

I started the day off by sleeping in a bit and then setting off for another long run! I had 10 miles in my mind to break 20 for the weekend.

Unfortunately, the weather had other plans. It was cold and windy and raining and just GROSS. I stuck it out for 6 miles before calling the Hubs and asking him to come get me, even though I was only like 1/2 a mile from our house. I was just O-V-E-R it. I was over being wet and cold and the idea of running another 5 minutes home seemed unbearable. Luckily, he happens to be the world's best hubs so he came to get me. I was shocked when I looked at my pace to see I averaged a 9:21/mile pace. I thought I was going WAY slower than that. Crazy!

After finally warming up it was home to prep for my baby sister and her boyfriend to visit so we could have our own little holiday party just the 4 of us.

Good drinks, good food, fun gift, a funny movie (SANNNNTA!!! I KNOOOOW HIM!!!), and the best company. PERFECT night.

So, that was our weekend! PHEW! Now that I'm re-reading all that I feel like I need a weekend to recover from my weekend!

I HATE RUNNING (even when I love running)

Sometimes, running is marvelous. The stars align. The temperature is perfect. There are rainbows and unicorns and glitter and cupcakes. A "quick" pace feels easy. Legs feel fresh. All is right with the world.

Sunday, I had one of these runs. Remember? 12 glorious miles. 12 makes-me-remember-why-I-love-to-run miles. Those runs are great. Perfect. Runner's high inducing.

Not every run is like that.

Some runs BLOW. Simple as that.

Yesterday was one of those runs.

I started the day with Signature Strength, which I already bitched about. What I didn't mention was that despite the TERRIBLY annoying instructor, I actually did get quite a workout in. We did a shit ton (a very scientific measurement, I know) of squats and lunges and TONS of inner and outer thigh work. GREAT for muscles. BAD for later running plans.

Anyway, I also mentioned that my shins were just SO sore after Sunday's glorious run. I haven't had sore shins in a while. I'd forgotten what they feel like. I've been so focused on my little whiny bitch of a right knee, my shins were the last of my concern. Whoops. Never underestimate the possibility that NUMEROUS of your body parts might be  little whiny bitches at the same time.

So, I skipped my normal post morning class 2 mile quick treadmill run because my legs were just trashed from class and my shins were still SO MAD.

I decided I'd be somehow magically healed and good as new by lunch.

I WAS WRONG.

Noon rolled around and I was giddy with excitement to get out there and run with my new shoes.

I laced em up, realized I didn't pack a sports bra (FAIL. BIG, big FAIL. Have you ever tried to run with a regular bra? I should've known it was going to be a disaster.), powered on the Garmin and hit the road. Less than 10 steps in and I was already counting down the distance. Making deals with myself about how far I had to go. Debating stopping right then. HATING the run. Hating RUNNING. My internal convo went a little like this:

-OMG, this sucks.
-How long have I been running?
-.4 miles???? That's it?!?!?! WTF??
-Right foot, left foot. Just focus on 1 step at a time. Ignore the pain.
-Ok, I know you wanted to go 5 miles. Let's just do 1, then turn around. 2 total. Max.
-THIS SUUUUUCKS.
-Why do my shins hurt SO bad?
-Right foot, left foot. Just focus on 1 step at a time. Ignore the pain.
-Does my knee hurt again?
-SHINS... HURT
-How far have I been now?
-Right foot, left foot. Just focus on 1 step at a time. Ignore the pain.
-OMG! AM I REALLY RUNNING A 10:30 MILE??
-And, it's only been .6 miles?!?!?! HOOOOOOW????
-Ok, just 1.5 miles out, then back. Come on. You can do it.
-THIS BLOWS.
-I HATE RUNNING.
-Right foot, left foot. Just focus on 1 step at a time. Ignore the pain.
-Turn around. Just turn around.
-No, don't turn around yet. You'll regret it. Stick it out.
-But, everything hurts!
-SO WHAT? It will make you a stronger runner.
-Ahhhhh!!!! THIS SUUUUUUCKS. Come on!!!
-Right foot, left foot. Just focus on 1 step at a time. Ignore the pain.
-ONLY 2 miles in???
-Ok, definitely turn around. You gave it a good effort.
-Right foot, left foot. Just focus on 1 step at a time. Ignore the pain.
-Deal. 2 miles out, 2 miles back in. 4 miles total. You tried.
-YOU SUCK FOR GIVING UP.
-How long now? Only 2.3 miles??? OMG.
-I HATE RUNNING.

(source)

I think you get the point, no?

I managed to BARELY squeeze 4.2 miles out.

4.2 of my slowest miles in a long time (not including the marathon, of course).

4.2 hard, shitty, painful miles. 4.2 miles where I HATED every step. Where running SUCKED and I just did not want to do it. 4.2 miles where NOTHING positive went through my mind. 4.2 miles where I legit counted down the seconds til I could be done.

But, I did do 4.2 miles.

Did I finish the 5 miles I set out to do? No.

Do I think I made a good choice "toughing it out"? NO. You know that whole "No one ever regrets a workout" phrase?

(source)

Horseshit. I regret that workout. My shins are STILL screaming. Louder than they have in a LOOOONG time. For what? For 4.2 stupid miles? I honestly, honestly think I would have been better off listening to my body and just giving it the break it was asking for.

Moral of the incredibly long, boring story?

1. Some runs just SUCK. Not every run can be great. The shitty runs make us grateful for the amazing runs. Gotta take the good with the bad. One bad run is not indicative of your entire running "career", nor is it a sign you SUCK or anything in between. Breathe. Bad runs happen to everyone, just like good runs do.

 

2. If your body and mind is SCREAMING "NOOOOOO!!!!" (& assuming you're not doing this all the time and that it's not a key training session to a major race)-- LISTEN. No one is superman. Sometimes, just LISTEN to yourself. It knows best. YOU know best. Stop being a pig headed egomaniac and just REST if everything is telling you to. The world will be OK. YOU will be OK.

 

3. It's ok to hate running sometimes. It doesn't mean you REALLY hate running. I LOVE running and yet there are days and runs that make me HATE running. It's ok. The I LOVE RUNNING days will return and they outnumber the RUNNING SUCKS days. Promise.

So, yesterday I hated running. Yesterday running SUCKED and I couldn't wait for the stupid run to be over. The day before I loved running and couldn't stop smiling. Win some, lose some. Something tells me tomorrow will be another sunshine and sprinkles and "I LOVE RUNNING" kinda days. And, I say-- bring it on!

Football, Run, and Foam Rolling

Boo! Can you believe the weekend’s over already??? On the brightside—it’s a 3 day week!!!! Can’t wait! But, before we can get to this coming weekend, let’s chat about this past weekend.

 

It was a WHIRLWIND weekend (again). The Hubs, the in-laws and I headed out Friday night for Champaign, Illinois to see the University of Illinois (my Alma mater) v Purdue (the Hubs and FIL Alma mater) football game Saturday. We stayed with my FIL’s cousin, which was great. We didn’t get in til late Friday, but stayed up for a bit to visit. Then, Saturday we woke up to a HUGE breakfast (blueberry pancakes! My fav!!) and then headed onto campus to tailgate (aka: consume MORE food and alcohol) and then football it up!

 

Sadly, my Illini couldn’t pull out a win. Now, the Hubs had bragging rights all year. BOOOO. Next time!

 

Fun random story: The Hubs and I actually got married on the day these teams played football last year. We didn’t even plan it! I swear! Anyway—we're both HUGE fans of our respective Alma maters. Proof?

Yup-- I had an Illinois garter at the wedding. LOVED it.

 

So anyway-- we agreed that the loser of the game on our wedding would have to sing the winners team fight song at the wedding. Well, it didn’t exactly go down like that… but, when word came out during pre-ceremony pics that my poor Illini lost (again) I did get the pleasure of having all of the Hubs groomsmen (who also went to Purdue) and the Hubs serenade me with the Purdue fight song. Such a loving pre-wedding moment.

Me showing the boys my "gratitude" after they YELLED the Purdue fight song to me.

 

Anyway... back to this weekend... so, we footballed all day Saturday. The Illini didn't come out on top. Boo. We headed back home Saturday night and ended up getting home right around 11:30pm. Not too bad, though clearly WAY past my bedtime.

Sunday we slept in a bit, but were still up by 9am. I decided I wanted to TRY a "long run". I got dressed, powered the Garmin up, and headed out the door, telling the Hubs I was going out for anywhere between 6-10 miles.

 

 A hour and 41 minutes later-- I couldn't stop smiling.

 
11.25 miles. 9:03 average pace-- say WHAAAT?!?!?! ALL negative splits. Without me ever looking at my watch til the LAST mile, where I PUSHED it to get a 8:20is pace! And, most importantly-- PAINFREE. Every step. PAINFREE. Seriously-- you couldn't wipe the smile off my face for the rest of the day.


I honestly would have done more if I had brought some fuel with me. But, I didn't eat breakfast before I left, didn't have any Gu or anything, and KNEW I shouldn't push it anymore, so I called it then. It's runs that Sunday's that makes me wonder why ANYONE ever runs less miles when they can run more? Salty face? Check. Sore legs? Check. Gross, sweaty smell? Check. 11.25 glorious, perfect miles? CHECK.

I did a quick round of 8-minute arms and 8-minute abs when I got home and then spent the rest of Sunday running errands, relaxing, icing, foam rolling. The knee ached for the rest of the day and I woke up this morning with sore shins and the knee still a bit achy, so decided against a run this morning and stuck to Spinning instead. I might try to go out for a few miles after work today... we'll see. Either way, I'm still riding my Sunday long-run runner's high.