So just a little update about my recovery and future running plans...  It felt really good to put the race weekend behind me, it was sad seeing all the updates on Facebook and emails about how the marathon went, but once it was all over I felt like I could put the disappointment behind me and start focusing on my next adventure.  I took about three weeks off completely from running and working out, partly to recover, and partly because it felt really good to do nothing after so many weeks of having such a strict running and cross-training agenda.  I also sent in my paperwork to get a refund for the price I paid for the race ( I would highly recommend paying the $10 for insurance), and I got the full price back.  On father's day weekend we went on a hike, and I ran the last mile with nothing in my leg hurting, so that was reassuring.  I have since gone on a 1 mile speed run and a 3 mile casual run, and my leg has felt fine both times.  I have started doing more stretching and some exercises to specifically target my glutes because one doctor  I listened to said that a runner with a weak butt is going to be way more prone to injuries.  I have also been trying to foam roll a lot more regularly, targeting my glutes, outer legs, lower back and hamstrings.   I have been doing a lot of little at home work-outs that I have gotten off Pinterest, and have been trying to get planks in everyday for a stronger and more toned core.  I do 1 minute regular plank, and then 1 minute on each side.  It is a challenge, but I have noticed great results from them so far!

I am now focusing on the Carlsbad Marathon coming up in January.  This will give me the  rest of the summer to run casually and avoid training in the heat, before hitting another training program in the fall. It will also be a great way to start my 30s.  It will be exciting to do the full Carlsbad Marathon, since I did the half last year.  I can also then decide if I want to do the triple crown again, which would include the marathon, then a half in La Jolla in April and a half in August in San Diego.  It was a great experience to be a part of that last year!

I look forward to easing my way back into running, I have missed it over the past couple of months, and am looking forward to making it a more regular part of my daily life again.  

If you are interested in any of the foam rolling exercises I have been doing, or the 30 day cross-fit challenge I am doing, the links are below.  I will also include the link from my previous post for the glute strengthening and IT Band stretching routine that I have been doing. 

How to Foam Roll Away Lower Back Pain

How to Foam Roll Your Glutes

Advise on how to treat and prevent IT Band Syndrome
(Just scroll down and there are several helpful videos here)

30-Day Crossfit Challenge

(No equipment needed for this)

I'm looking forward to what's to come, I have learned a lot this year and am excited to continue to share my thoughts and experiences as they come!

Illiotibial Band Syndrome

So even though I thought I was at peace with my decision not to run the marathon, I started to second guess myself and decided to go see a sports medicine doctor to see what he thought.  He diagnosed me with IT Band Syndrome which is one of the most common conditions runners encounter.  He was glad that I came in when I did as some people run a long time with the condition before being treated and by that time other areas can also start to get inflamed and/or injured, and the condition, if not treated properly can become chronic.

The doctor also taught me what splinting means which explains the other pain I was feeling in my leg.  Basically because of the pain that the IT Band issue was causing on the outside of my leg, my body was trying to compensate and make itself more comfortable causing my stride to be unnatural which was hurting the inner part of my thigh.

He definitely did not think it would be a good idea for me to run so far so soon, so it helped me to feel better about my decision.  Also because this issue is common there are tons of resources out there for how to treat it with different stretches and exercises that I can do on my own.  He recommended physical therapy, but said I can try it on my own first, it just might take a little bit longer to recover, which is fine because I plan on taking a little break before choosing a new race and starting a new training schedule.

Looking back there have been things I would tweak in my next training.  I want to incorporate bike riding for my cross training to help strengthen the muscles in my legs and to help keep my endurance up.  I also want to utilize my foam roller more regularly, not just waiting until I am already sore.  I want to be better at waking up and going on my runs first thing in the morning, and continue to improve my nutrition.

Here are some links that talk more about IT Band Syndrome that I have found to be helpful and encouraging.

http://www.athletico.com/2012/06/05/it-band-syndrome-the-top-5-causes-and-solutions/
http://www.runnersworld.com/tag/itbs-iliotibial-band-syndrome
http://www.active.com/running/articles/how-to-aggressively-treat-it-band-syndrome
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/iliotibial_band_syndrome/article_em.htm

Now that the race has officially passed, I am ready to move on and am excited to focus on the next chapter!

A bump in the road

After a lot of thought, prayer, and careful deliberation, along with some advice from others, I have decided to not run the marathon on Sunday (my last post went over an injury I have been dealing with)  It has been a tough week, of course I feel extremely disappointed after training and working really hard for the past 5 months, but I know that this is not the end, it's just a little bump in the road towards completing my first marathon.  The following are factors that I took into consideration in deciding what I should do:

• Do I want to risk an even worse injury that could result in a really long recovery period, surgery or anything like that...
• What if I get out there and have to stop in the middle of the race (that would be heart-breaking for me)...
• Am I mentally prepared to go into my first marathon with uncertainty and physical pain right from the start...

My answer to all of these questions were no, and today I was fortunate enough to chat with a physical therapist and explain my symptoms and situation and he gave me the following advice:

"That is a tough one.  Resting right up until race day is fine from a fitness perspective, it will have no negative impact on your performance.  However, the mental mind game that you may have to endure regarding the "can I make it" question can be really really tough.  Also, running 26.2 miles does not usually help any LE injury.  HOWEVER, many times, the pain kind of disappears by about mile 4 of the marathon, and you end up being fine, but that is a big test of faith, and then by the time you get to the finish line, you have forgotten all about it (probably because other things are hurting)  I have seen many runners hobbling the week before a marathon, only to be fine on race day.  I have also seen the opposite, which leads to a drop out at mile (X).  Considering this is your first marathon, I would error on the side of caution and pick another race later.  I worry that you don't have the experience of a few marathons under your belt to know what your leg can handle and what it can't, because some interesting things happen to your legs after mile 20.  I would defer, it hurts me to say that, but we should make the smart decision here.  There is always another marathon....." -Craig Soulders, PT

Last night at dinner, my uncle prayed that I would have clarity and know what decision I should make, and today I can say that I am definitely at peace with my decision, and feel like it is right, but let's face it, it still sucks!!

I continue to be thankful for this experience and I have learned sooooo much that will help me as I continue on this path, I know I will be stronger and even more prepared when the time is right.  I appreciate every one's support and encouragement during the past months, I will be looking forward to choosing a different course in the near future.

goodbyebabylong.tumblr.com

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

At a Stand Still...

Yesterday I had a 5 mile run and from the very first step my left leg was in a lot of pain.  I was hoping that as I ran on and got warmed up the pain would start to feel better as it usually does, but it continued to hurt, I even stopped to walk a couple of times.  I am really concerned that it's not just soreness but that I may have injured something.  I have been icing the two areas that hurt and started taking ibuprofen for inflammation hoping that these two things will help.  I rode a stationary bike this morning for about 30 minutes and it didn't hurt at all during, but afterwards it was still really sore.  I will see how the weekend goes and then possibly go in to talk with a sports doctor to see if it's something I can run through or if I should skip the marathon.

Trying to think about why I might have injured myself and I am thinking that it was because after my 18 mile run which was the farthest I have gone, I didn't allow enough recovery time and my fist run back included 4 miles of hard running, and a couple of days later another run that included speed work, both of which could have caused a slight tear to get bigger, or could have caused a strain.  This whole process continues to be a learning experience.  I am trying not to jump to any conclusions yet as to whether or not I will make it to the marathon.  It is extremely frustrating to think that I may have just trained for the last 5 months and then not be able to run the race.  Time will tell, I will continue to ice and rest and hope for the best, and if this race does not work out I know that it's all just part of the master plan and I will plan on completing one later on in the year.

Preparing for Race Day

So this is it, 11 days until my marathon!  I cannot believe it!  I started training on January 13th but it really does not seem like it has been that long, although I do feel kind of like I used to when I was in school and mentally checking out before it was actually the end.  Sometimes my body seems to be screaming at me to stop.  It has always gotten a long break after my 13.1 mile races, but it has had to push through much more than that over the past months.  As i write this my left leg is elevated with several different pains and sensations that I have been dealing with for the past couple of weeks stemming from my 18 mile mother's day run.  The run itself felt great.  I refueled at 10 miles and was still feeling strong and excited to complete the last 8 which I took mile by mile, step by step.  The last two miles I was so excited that I was almost done, it gave me an extra burst of energy for the end, and when I finished I was sooooo happy!  For the first time in a long time I truly believed that I would be able to complete the whole marathon without a problem.  I completed a good stretch and an ice bath after the run hoping to have a good recovery.  It was later in that day that my legs started to feel a little achy, but I expected it after such a long distance; however I did not expect that those aches would be continuous.  It was probably around mile 15ish that I started getting this weird feeling in the inside of my left arch, at first I thought it was the tongue of my shoe sliding or pulling to the other side, but then I realized that it was something in my arch pulling.  It didn't hurt but just felt odd, and definitely not normal.  It went away after the run and I didn't think much of it until it happened again during my next run.

The next run after 18 miles and a recovery day was really difficult.  I did not realize just how sore my legs were until I started running.  Specifically, my left outer back leg above the knee.  It started to feel better during the run, but has remained with me and it is still sore to walk on.  Additionally the arch of my left foot continues to feel not right.  It's not in pain, but it just feels abnormal.  On a happy note, my toenails have remained pretty unaffected by the running which is an improvement from before when two of my toenails were ready to fall off... (excited they have improved enough to go get a french-tip pedicure after the race!)  I have implemented some foam roller routines to try and help relieve the soreness and I found this page to be really helpful:

FitSugar.com

So enough complaining for one post!  On a different note, I am now in the tapering portion of my training which is awesome because it means less miles, and less intensity in order to allow my legs some recovery time before the marathon.  I was scheduled for 20 miles this past Sunday, but after reading several articles,  I came to the conclusion that the last long run should really be 3-4 weeks prior to the marathon.  This information combined with the fact that my left leg was still really sore on Sunday led me to the decision to do a 10 mile run instead.  I figure it is better to be safe than sorry and injure myself when I'm so close to race day.  The following are links to the articles I read on tapering and preparing for race day that I found to be pretty helpful.

The Marathon Long Run

It's Taper Time

When Should You Run Your Last Long Run?

These next 11 days will be really important to my training, I will want to do enough to stay ready, but not too much to be too worn out for the marathon.  Additionally I will need to really dial in my nutrition and calorie intake, to make sure I am fueling my body with the right nutrients that my body will need to sustain me for the 26.2 miles.  I will continue to do some more research on the best foods for me to be eating during my last week of training and come back to share my findings.  I'm really starting to get butterflies as I type "last week of training"!  LastlyI want to share the video of the course I will be running, it's a pretty cool fast moving view and really gave me some better insight into just how long 26.2 miles is!   It's fun to watch.  I'll be back soon to share my finals thoughts before I set out next Sunday morning to conquer my first marathon!

Less Than 5 Weeks to Go!

I really cannot even wrap my mind around the fact that there are less than 5 weeks left until the marathon.  It's super exciting to see the end of all this training in sight, and it's feeling a lot more real now as it gets so close.  It's also super scary to think about how close it is; I'm already getting butterflies!  I just keep telling myself that in the scheme of things, it's only a few hours worth of time, my body and my mind can and will get through it!!

So there has been a lot going on since I last posted.  Easter Sunday was a 16 mile run, and I decided to drive down to Oceanside after church to run on the bike trail.  From where I park my car it's a little over 7 miles to the end of the trail and you pretty much run right into the Oceanside Harbor, which is a pretty good half-way point view.  I ran by the harbor and some restaurants to reach the 8 mile turn-around point, where I stopped to tighten my shoe laces, eat/swallow a GU, and get a gulp of water.  I was feeling good so far, it was a little bit warmer than I would have liked, but I had been running into the wind which kept me feeling pretty cool.  That changed when I turned around and ran back, there was no air and it had gotten even more warm, but it was still manageable.  I started getting pretty tired about the 12 mile mark where I stopped in some shade to get a drink and turn towards the breeze to get some air.  The last 4 miles were a bit of a struggle as my legs and feet started to ache, but when I got done I felt great, and was really excited to have made it that far for the first time.  I was still intimidated at the thought of having to run 10 more for the race though.  To help quicken up recovery I decided that it was time for my first ice-bath.  I have read that it is very beneficial for runners during marathon training and after talking to a friend who has implemented them into his training, I decided to give it a try.  I went with his advice of sitting in the tub first with no water, then turning on the cold water and getting used to it, then adding the ice and staying in for 12 minutes.  I wrapped my upper body in a towel, set my timer for 12 minutes and it was over before I knew it.  For as bad as an ice-bath sounds (I'm the person who won't go in the pool unless its at least 85) it really was not as hard as I thought it would be, and have since done it again.

I had a great week of training after the 16 miles, and was all ready to tackle 18 miles this past Sunday, when I started my period the night before (boys, you really don't understand how good you have it, not having to deal with this problem).  This time, because it is such a far distance, I decided to postpone the run until Monday morning when I would be feeling better.  Well... I did a lot of things wrong Monday morning including: not waking up early enough to beat the heat, letting too much time pass between when I ate my bagel with peanut butter, and when I left for my run, and being indecisive about where I was going to run.  I was feeling a little bit defeated before I even started which is not good before you are setting out to tackle 18 miles!  Long story short,  I ended up only completing 13 miles, and feeling like a complete failure!  The ups and downs of running really can be extreme; one run you can feel like you are a superstar who can tackle anything and the next you can feel like you completely suck and question your sanity for even thinking you might be able to run a marathon. But, like everything else in life, you can choose to be defeated by a setback, or you can learn from it, and I choose the second option!

The major reason I stopped my run short Monday is because I was starving! I had burned almost 1,500 calories and literally felt empty inside.  My GU's were just not cutting it.  I am definitely worried about this for the marathon distance so I talked to a friend who recommended I try a different gel that has more calories and nutrients that my body needs during such a long distance.  I read a lot of reviews and articles on the following gel and am definitely going to give it a try on my next 18 mile run in a couple of weeks. (any tips or advice on staying fueled up during long distances would be greatly appreciated!)

So last, but not least, I think I may have a small injury on the outer side of my left foot, as it is sore to walk on, especially after I have been sitting for a while, or when I first wake up.  Up until now it has not bothered my at all during my running, but I could feel it slightly on today's run.  I am icing it and hoping it's nothing that will hinder the rest of my training or the marathon (fingers tightly crossed). As always I am thankful for this journey and trying to really appreciate every part of it!

Enjoying the Scenery

So I have noticed that it can sometimes be hard to appreciate the scenery around you while you are in the middle of a long or tough run; sometimes the last thing you are thinking about or even care about  is what is going on around you.  However, I would urge everybody to take some time to look around and really appreciate your surroundings when running, it really can make the run so much more enjoyable, maybe even a little bit relaxing, and definitely something to be thankful for.  When I start to feel tired or start to dread the miles ahead I try to refocus and distract myself with seeing the beauty around me, as corny as that might sound, it really does make it more worthwhile.

I had a great run this past weekend with my best friend who rented a bike so I wouldn't have to run alone.  I was visiting her for a much needed girl's weekend, but knew that I couldn't skip my run on account of being away from home.  I decided to take advantage of my location and we took the short drive down to Venice Beach.  We got on the boardwalk passing by such a diverse group of people (Venice Beach truly is a cultural experience), heading on towards the Santa Monica Pier and the excitement of the roller coasters, restaurants, and beach goers, and ending at the incredibly beautiful and serene beaches of Malibu before turning around and heading back.  The weather was perfect, the sun shining with a little breeze, and the people watching was awesome!  I decided from the beginning that I was going to enjoy the run, take the time to take in and appreciate my surroundings and capture some good pictures.

It's times like these that I am really thankful for the opportunity to be a runner.  I am approaching the 6 week countdown and still have a lot of running left to go, and mental and physical challenges to tackle, but  despite the hardships, I know this process has been a blessing and nothing will compare with crossing that 26.2 mile make at the finish line!