Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

I don't know if any of you have looked at your calendars lately, but if you haven't noticed, race day is just 4 weeks away... 4 WEEKS!

With the exception of a few missed days, I've done surprisingly well at sticking to my training schedule.  When I mentally prepare for my long runs, I am less worried about getting through the run itself, but more so with how I know I'm going to feel afterward.

Two weeks ago I did 9 miles and when I was done I was physically drained.  Stamina wise (heart and lungs), I felt like I had more in me, but physically, my body was out for the count for the remainder of the day.  During the run, at about mile 8, the arch in my left foot and my hamstrings were screaming at me! I pushed through the pain, and when I got home I iced the you-know-what out of my legs! By morning, they were fine and I had my energy back.

Fast forward to 5 days ago... I did 8 miles at the track with two of my girlfriends and I felt like complete mess.  I had blisters on my feet, not from my amazing Nike Free's (best shoes EVER), but from my work shoes (yes, I'm the teacher who wears heels to school--I can't help myself).  I think the blisters were causing me to run funny, because all of a sudden I started to get a pain in my left knee that I haven't experienced since I began running.  I wanted to give up at mile 7, but Carly helped push me to the end.  Thanks, Car! Anyway, after my run, my left hip flexor was hurting so badly that I could hardly walk.  No joke, I was gimping around the house all day.  I iced it any time I was stationary, and lucky for me, the pain was gone in time for me to go to work the next day.

Sunday was a 10 mile training day; my longest 'long run' so far.  I knew that if I could do 9 with relative ease (as easy as one could claim running 9 miles to be...), that I was sure to be able to handle 10. After all, what's one more mile, right?  HA!

...HA...HA...HA...

If I thought my 8 day on Thursday was rough, boy was I in for a surprise on Sunday.  I was a disaster! I still had blisters, and just like 2 weeks prior, the arch in my left foot was hurting again.  Also, just like 5 days prior, my left knee was still hurting.  This time, though, it was so bad I was actually wincing in pain! But... because I hate feeling like a failure, I pushed through the pain.  I made faces and grunted and groaned through it all, but I finished my 10.  And to top it off, I was at the gym.  I'm too afraid to run alone where I live, and the college track is closed on Sunday's; so there I was, flying my freak flag at the gym! (And you all thought I cared about what people thought about me...)

During my water and Gu Energy Gel (which I can't stand, btw) break, I texted Carly to get advice on what to do about my knee.  Aside from icing (which I almost always do), and stretching (something I was guilty of skipping until recently), she told me that I needed to stretch my tibialis anterior (the muscle on the outside of your shin) and to foam roll my legs after each run.  So, I foam rolled my whole body when I was done and had no pain in my legs for the remainder of the day!  I was even less tired than I was after my run on Thursday-imagine that!

The arch of my foot is still hurting; however, which upon researching I'm getting the impression that it's connected to the knee pain and tibialis anterior muscle.  Coincidence?  I think not.  Yesterday was a 'rest' day, so I didn't run, but I did do The 99 Workout (I subbed the 11 minute run at the end for a set of 11's).  Today after work I have to run 3 miles, so we'll see if that stretching and foam rolling paid off based on how my knee is feeling... I'll keep you posted.

Lessons to take away from today's post: 

1. Don't predetermine the outcome of future runs based on previous ones.  No two runs are the same--they are all different. 

2. I might look like a crazy person, but "at least I'm doing it" (name that TV show/character)!

3. GU Energy Gels are gross.
4. Nike Free's are amazing (and I need a new pair). 

5. Get a foam roller or utilize the ones at the gym. 

6. "Pain is nothing compared to what it feels like to quit." ~Danyale George

I hope you all had a fun, relaxing, healthy Labor Day!

-Amanda

Music to my ears!

For the last week or so I've been really debating my next running shoe. I have had minor pain in my left knee and I'm not sure if it's from my shoes or lack of muscle. Before training for the half, I wasn't very active. I would lift weights, walk on the treadmill uphill, and/or do the elliptical, but nothing close to running more than a mile or so.

Luckily, my pals at Sierra Running Company were able to help me out. I explained my situation and my concern for the knee pain so early in the game. Plus, I was hoping I wouldn't have to give up my oh-so-pretty running shoes. (Insert blog title here) Since I have a so-called neutral foot (they watched me walk) and there is only a little pain in my left knee, and not both, the kind gal encouraged me to keep using Nike Free +'s. Obviously, if the pain gets worse, doesn't go away, or moves to both knees then I'll need to part ways with my shoes.

In the mean time I will be focusing on strengthening the muscles around my knee using these knee exercises. I'm going to focus on both my quads and hami's to hopefully get rid of the pain. I figure it can't hurt and if any of you are in the same situation, I hope this helps! I'll keep y'all posted... happy pain free running!

Danielle

Migraine Shmigraine

This week I started a new training program that has me running Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday with my long run on Sunday. I'm excited that I've increased my mileage per week and instead of running 3 days a week, I'm now running 4 (I've been waiting for this).

Yesterday I ran 2 miles. I went into it thinking it was going to be the easiest 2 miles of my life and boy was I wrong. My legs were tired and evidently, I left my motivation at home. However, I still powered through and finished in a time that actually surprised me.

Waking up, I knew I had to run 3 miles today and I was ready for it. Until a migraine slowly started to surface. When a migraine hits it usually leaves me in bed, in a dark room, on the verge of throwing up. It can be pretty miserable. Despite my throbbing head, I was determined to finish the mileage. And that's just what I did!

During the first mile and a half I was cursing my migraine up and down, praying that it would go away. Then I started thinking about the Lady Gaga song "Born This Way" and how awesome it would be to be in that music video. Would I wear some crazy outfit just like Gaga? I bet I would. It would include lace, skanky shorts, and possibly a headdress type thing. No meat this time. Maybe even after the video she'd ask me to tour with her as a back up dancer.

Migraine gone. Thank you Jesus!

Danielle