Total Distance So Far: 141.5 miles
So, the track we'd been going to for the monday faster-run sessions is being re-surfaced now for the rest of the summer. We have been looking for a new track permanently, but in the mean time we met up at Lincoln HS's track (right smack in downtown Portland... I didn't even know there was a highschool there!). It's a nice track, and when we arrived we were informed that we didn't ACTUALLY have permission to be there, so we were supposed to not appear to be an organized running team. The only other occupants of the area was a cheerleading squad painstakingly practicing lifts and throws of their smaller members. It was kinda interesting to watch actually.
It was a nice sunny late-afternoon, and Lincoln HS is not under the looming presence of a large hill like Duniway Track, so my Garmin satellite reception was much more ideal. It is a bit of a shame that the football field the track runs around is actually turf. It made the entire sport field radiate more heat. I think grass goes a long way to cool an area down in direct sunlight. Note to self: plants are good to fight against global warming.
We have ditched the hill ascents for now, and have gone back to the faster laps. I'm still following the "beginner runner" option due to my injuries.
Here are my stats:
Warm-up...
DISTANCE: 1.09 miles TIME: 10:23 minutes PACE: 9:34 minute mile
Laps...
(1) DISTANCE: 0.24 miles TIME: 1:39 minutes PACE: 6:57 minute mile
(2) DISTANCE: 0.24 miles TIME: 1:46 minutes PACE: 7:34 minute mile
(3) DISTANCE: 0.24 miles TIME: 1:54 minutes PACE: 7:45 minute mile
(4) DISTANCE: 0.24 miles TIME: 1:51 minutes PACE: 7:41 minute mile
Cool-down...
DISTANCE: 0.93 miles TIME: 12:20 minutes PACE: 13:19 minute mile
I once again opted to walk the remainder of my cool-down due to my foot situation.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
stupid knee
Total Distance So Far: 138.5 miles
My legs and feet were in pretty bad shape following that 12 miles. They were VERY sore, regardless of me icing them, and using topical anti-inflamatory/analgesic cream, etc. I did no further training all week besides my indoor soccer double-header on Tuesday evening (won 1 game, lost 1 game). Go Team Brown Dog! ahem.
Friday I went to the fitness center at work to perhaps work on an elliptical trainer for 30-35 minutes or so (any earlier in the week and my feet were too much in pain to even consider standing for very long, let alone exercising on them), but when I arrived both of the elliptical trainers were being used, and I had no idea how long I'd have to wait to use them... so I just left.
Finally on Saturday our next group run rolls around. Once again Val and I carpool to OMSI at 7:20am. We are supposed to go 10 miles. I was thinking, sure, if I can do 12 I can do 10! Right? Wrong. I was noticing even before we stepped off in the mid-60 degree, misty morning that my bad knee was feeling a little suspect. I massaged it a little, and decided to try my best anyway.
The course took us along the esplanade, over the Steele bridge, up towards NW 23rd, and beyond that up Thurston all the way to the gate to Leif Erickson Dr in Forest Park (where we started our first 6 mile run). It is a SERIOUS uphill to that point. And then down hill again back to about 19th and Raleigh. Then south on 18th to Everette, then east to the waterfront park... and then finally over the Hawthorne bridge back to OMSI.
Things were going swimmingly up till we were doing the uphill to Forest Park. Then, out of the blue at 4.56 miles my runners knee froze my knee up again. Val slowed down and walked with me (dealing with a pulled muscle herself, so she wasn't feeling great). We walked to the gate, turned around, walked back down the hill to the aid station. About 1.5 miles total. There were still 4 more miles to go to get back to OMSI though. I really didn't think it was a good idea for me to walk it (plus walking that would take over an hour). The aid station lady started making phone calls to try to get me a ride back.
Val left with the run/walkers (run 3 minutes, walk 1, repeat) to finish the course cause she didn't feel done yet. I hung around at the aid station snacking on jelly beans until my ride showed up.
It was disappointing, but I'm not surprised my body wasn't done "resting" yet after the 12 mile run the weekend before. I stayed off my feet the rest of the day, and iced my knee a couple of times. By Sunday my knee felt fine. Heck, all of me felt fine (ok, feet still a little injurred, but that's normal for me anymore). I felt better Sunday morning than I did Friday morning, so I've decided to focus on the next group run instead of dwelling on the last one. Whether it was the colder/humid weather inflaming scar tissue in my knee, or my still-healing sport injuries, or the fact that I got smacked in my bad knee by a warp-speed soccer ball on Tuesday, who knows?
All I know is that my stupid knee isn't cooperating right now.
My legs and feet were in pretty bad shape following that 12 miles. They were VERY sore, regardless of me icing them, and using topical anti-inflamatory/analgesic cream, etc. I did no further training all week besides my indoor soccer double-header on Tuesday evening (won 1 game, lost 1 game). Go Team Brown Dog! ahem.
Friday I went to the fitness center at work to perhaps work on an elliptical trainer for 30-35 minutes or so (any earlier in the week and my feet were too much in pain to even consider standing for very long, let alone exercising on them), but when I arrived both of the elliptical trainers were being used, and I had no idea how long I'd have to wait to use them... so I just left.
Finally on Saturday our next group run rolls around. Once again Val and I carpool to OMSI at 7:20am. We are supposed to go 10 miles. I was thinking, sure, if I can do 12 I can do 10! Right? Wrong. I was noticing even before we stepped off in the mid-60 degree, misty morning that my bad knee was feeling a little suspect. I massaged it a little, and decided to try my best anyway.
The course took us along the esplanade, over the Steele bridge, up towards NW 23rd, and beyond that up Thurston all the way to the gate to Leif Erickson Dr in Forest Park (where we started our first 6 mile run). It is a SERIOUS uphill to that point. And then down hill again back to about 19th and Raleigh. Then south on 18th to Everette, then east to the waterfront park... and then finally over the Hawthorne bridge back to OMSI.
Things were going swimmingly up till we were doing the uphill to Forest Park. Then, out of the blue at 4.56 miles my runners knee froze my knee up again. Val slowed down and walked with me (dealing with a pulled muscle herself, so she wasn't feeling great). We walked to the gate, turned around, walked back down the hill to the aid station. About 1.5 miles total. There were still 4 more miles to go to get back to OMSI though. I really didn't think it was a good idea for me to walk it (plus walking that would take over an hour). The aid station lady started making phone calls to try to get me a ride back.
Val left with the run/walkers (run 3 minutes, walk 1, repeat) to finish the course cause she didn't feel done yet. I hung around at the aid station snacking on jelly beans until my ride showed up.
It was disappointing, but I'm not surprised my body wasn't done "resting" yet after the 12 mile run the weekend before. I stayed off my feet the rest of the day, and iced my knee a couple of times. By Sunday my knee felt fine. Heck, all of me felt fine (ok, feet still a little injurred, but that's normal for me anymore). I felt better Sunday morning than I did Friday morning, so I've decided to focus on the next group run instead of dwelling on the last one. Whether it was the colder/humid weather inflaming scar tissue in my knee, or my still-healing sport injuries, or the fact that I got smacked in my bad knee by a warp-speed soccer ball on Tuesday, who knows?
All I know is that my stupid knee isn't cooperating right now.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Gabriel
Following our 12 mile run, we had our honored teammate breakfast at the Buffalo Gap.
It was a bit of a cruel joke, but our "reserved room" for our buffet breakfast was the second floor. If you have ever ran beyond 6 miles before in your life, you'd know that stairs are the most evil thing to traverse after running. You just don't have the leg control, and every stair hurts.
After my 2 and a half hour run, and the liberation of a handful more of gummy bears from the aid station, I hopped in my car and drove the 2 blocks to the restaurant.. and pulled my way up the stairs using the banister.
There up top we were asked to put on name tags "Hello, my name is..." and then we were allowed to get a plate of food. The food REALLY hit the spot. Assorted fruits, fried potatoes, and scrambled eggs with melted cheese. There were also assorted mini-muffins to choose from, but I'm not much of a "bread" person.
I sat at a table occupied by one lady, and shortly after I got my seat, the other 2 empty seats at our table were claimed. I ended up sitting with 3 experienced marathon runners, who had great stories about the various events they've competed in. I learned about the Disney World marathon, and the Honolulu Marathon. Really interesting.
Eventually (when I was mostly done with my plate of food) we started the proceedings, where 2 honored teammates were invited to share their stories. The first honored teammate (I'm sorry, I no longer remember his name. Perhaps he's the Nike Women's Marathon honored teammate?) got up and talked about how we, the TNT runners, were the real heroes to go through the pain and effort of training for endurance events to raise money and awareness for their cause. It was inspirational, and made me feel good about what we were doing.
When he was done, Gabriel's family went up.
Gabriel's mom Tami did all the talking, and Gabriel angelically and shyly stood by while his mom told their story.
There were a couple moments when Tami was describing the hard times, and she was on the verge of tears: when they relied on all their neighbors and friends to help them get through the days. The type of blood cancer that Gabriel has requires 4 years of treatment (including several rounds of chemo), and at this point Gabriel is about halfway through. It's been rough this far, but they aren't out of the woods yet.
And, I guess there is A LOT to know about the cancer. The hospital gives you a large binder on your way out the door after the first hospital stay with information on the condition/treatments/etc, and you have to read and know this information. Tami said this is where organizations like LLS are invaluable. LLS provides something like 87 informational classes and provide a support community for patients and their families, not to mention assisting families in need with medical costs.
Tami said that she could just about be an RN right now from amount she knows about blood cancers at the moment. She has to read Gabriel's charts and stay ontop of his various levels of everything. SHE has to know what's normal for Gabriel. It clearly has been a terrifying experience for Gabriel's entire family, and as his mom told us about it she absently clung to Gabriel, periodically petting his head. He patiently stood by and listened as we all took in his story.
It really was moving to hear Gabriel's story. His shyness in addressing the room of 50+ strangers all individually interested, and partially emotionally invested in his well-being was also really endearing. But, shy as he may have been, he indulged me in a photo of the two of us...
Yeah, alright. My headshot in that photo isn't the best but Gabriel sure looks good, so I cropped myself out. But look at the nametag, you can see it's me!
After this photo, it was time for me to go home and take a well-deserved hot shower. I went down the stairs carefully, in a procession of other unhappy runners also trying to reach the ground floor... one step at a time. It seemed hauntingly appropriate.
It was a bit of a cruel joke, but our "reserved room" for our buffet breakfast was the second floor. If you have ever ran beyond 6 miles before in your life, you'd know that stairs are the most evil thing to traverse after running. You just don't have the leg control, and every stair hurts.
After my 2 and a half hour run, and the liberation of a handful more of gummy bears from the aid station, I hopped in my car and drove the 2 blocks to the restaurant.. and pulled my way up the stairs using the banister.
There up top we were asked to put on name tags "Hello, my name is..." and then we were allowed to get a plate of food. The food REALLY hit the spot. Assorted fruits, fried potatoes, and scrambled eggs with melted cheese. There were also assorted mini-muffins to choose from, but I'm not much of a "bread" person.
I sat at a table occupied by one lady, and shortly after I got my seat, the other 2 empty seats at our table were claimed. I ended up sitting with 3 experienced marathon runners, who had great stories about the various events they've competed in. I learned about the Disney World marathon, and the Honolulu Marathon. Really interesting.
Eventually (when I was mostly done with my plate of food) we started the proceedings, where 2 honored teammates were invited to share their stories. The first honored teammate (I'm sorry, I no longer remember his name. Perhaps he's the Nike Women's Marathon honored teammate?) got up and talked about how we, the TNT runners, were the real heroes to go through the pain and effort of training for endurance events to raise money and awareness for their cause. It was inspirational, and made me feel good about what we were doing.
When he was done, Gabriel's family went up.
Gabriel's mom Tami did all the talking, and Gabriel angelically and shyly stood by while his mom told their story.
There were a couple moments when Tami was describing the hard times, and she was on the verge of tears: when they relied on all their neighbors and friends to help them get through the days. The type of blood cancer that Gabriel has requires 4 years of treatment (including several rounds of chemo), and at this point Gabriel is about halfway through. It's been rough this far, but they aren't out of the woods yet.
And, I guess there is A LOT to know about the cancer. The hospital gives you a large binder on your way out the door after the first hospital stay with information on the condition/treatments/etc, and you have to read and know this information. Tami said this is where organizations like LLS are invaluable. LLS provides something like 87 informational classes and provide a support community for patients and their families, not to mention assisting families in need with medical costs.
Tami said that she could just about be an RN right now from amount she knows about blood cancers at the moment. She has to read Gabriel's charts and stay ontop of his various levels of everything. SHE has to know what's normal for Gabriel. It clearly has been a terrifying experience for Gabriel's entire family, and as his mom told us about it she absently clung to Gabriel, periodically petting his head. He patiently stood by and listened as we all took in his story.
It really was moving to hear Gabriel's story. His shyness in addressing the room of 50+ strangers all individually interested, and partially emotionally invested in his well-being was also really endearing. But, shy as he may have been, he indulged me in a photo of the two of us...
Yeah, alright. My headshot in that photo isn't the best but Gabriel sure looks good, so I cropped myself out. But look at the nametag, you can see it's me!
After this photo, it was time for me to go home and take a well-deserved hot shower. I went down the stairs carefully, in a procession of other unhappy runners also trying to reach the ground floor... one step at a time. It seemed hauntingly appropriate.
doctors, slings, and accomplishment
Total Distance So Far: 133.9 miles
I've got a back log of information to lay out... so sorry for the long blog. Let's get started.
On Monday, July 16 I went to the track session, and continued to do the hill ascents with a lap around the track before trucking up the hill each time... walking downhill, no rest between laps. Since I am still nursing a sport injury from over-use, I did 4 laps again instead of the 6 my teammates were doing.
Stats:
Warm-up...
DISTANCE: 1.26 miles TIME: 10:38 minutes PACE: 8:26 minute/mile
Laps...
(1) DISTANCE: 0.45 miles TIME: 4:11 minutes PACE: 9:22
(2) DISTANCE: 0.46 miles TIME: 4:17 minutes PACE: 9:20
(3) DISTANCE: 0.51 miles TIME: 4:17 minutes PACE: 8:25
(4) DISTANCE: 0.45 miles TIME: 4:11 minutes PACE: 9:22
Cool-down...
DISTANCE: 0.77 miles TIME: 10:01 minutes PACE: 13:02
It was a pretty humid day, and I was sweating buckets. I opted to walk the second 5 minutes of my cool-down, which accounts for the slow pace.
***********************
Wednesday I went to see the orthopedic specialist. I was given a large padded plastic contraption to strap to my foot every night when I sleep to stretch my foot at a greater than 90 degree angle. The doc also told me to pick up a pair of good insoles from a sporting good store (he recommended Spenco Polysorbs).
The doctor emphasized my need to stretch my achilles tendon out regularly. That the lack of flexibility on the back of my leg was what caused this condition. I have to admit, I am pretty stiff and inflexible right now. Currently if I stand straight-legged and try to touch the floor, I'm about 3 inches shy of reaching the ground. This is the least flexible I think I've ever been.
The doctor also suggested I do low and no impact activities whenever I can. Replacing the timed run with the same time on an elliptical, stuff like that. I'll see what I can do.
When he first came in and suggested "no running for 2 months" that's when I originally panicked, and realized I needed to take all his suggestions very seriously.
***********************
Due to an extremely busy work schedule and a suggestion to take about 2-3 weeks off of training atleast from the Doctor, I didn't do any of my training for the remainder of the week. I did, however, email coach joe the information from the doctor. I was asking for training schedule recommendations. Joe got back to me and said all the week-day training stuff can be substituted for other things with low to no impact, but he'd still like me to participate in the group runs every saturday. Those were the most important thing and there was no substitute for them.
I was hesitant, but planned on participating.
In the mean time I started wearing the nighttime sling. I quickly learned it's actually more like a medieval torture device. The position it holds your foot in is neither natural nor comfortable. Inevitably I wake up in the middle of the night with my foot in pain, and rip the sling off. The foot, nonetheless, seems to be getting better. My morning symptoms have really reduced. It's amazing the difference the sling is making! I'm guessing one night in the future I'll be able to wear the sling all night long, but right now it's not happening.
Oh yes, and I got the polysorb insoles. The fancy ones for $35. They seem to really help too. I'm optimistic finally!
***********************
Saturday July 21
We met up at Willamette Park for the TNT group run at 7:30am. We're running 12 miles. (btw, Val did her 12 miles on Friday and didn't come to this run). The weather was overcast and humid, around 70 degrees or so.
The course was north from the park along the Willamette Greenway Trail to the Hawthorne Bridge. Over the bridge, and then south on the Springwater Corridor to the Sellwood bridge. Over that bridge and then north on the Greenway Trail again back to the park. At this point we'll have gone 8.3 miles. After that is a 2 mile out and back north again along the Greenway Trail to complete the 12 miles. Only, the course laid out was actually more like 13.3 miles. A half-marathon!
I also have to mention, this course is BEAUTIFUL! The scenery of the Willamette River is quite wonderful, and I was very much enjoying the wild flowers, the great blue herons, and the charmingly situated houses you can see along this course.
I intentionally decided to go slow as molasses so that I could increase my chances of making it through the run. I also opted to spend 30 seconds or less at the aid stations, just long enough to down 8oz of Gleukos sports drink and grab a handful of gummi bears. I didn't want to let my body cool down too much (another theory of mine as to why my previous 2 weekends failed).
It WAS NOT easy. Every step past 6 miles meant that I had healed significantly since last week. Hell, every step past 8 miles was a new record for me. I honestly thought I was doomed at about 9 miles when my GOOD knee started to have problems. Going over the Sellwood bridge was interesting. It's alot steeper than I realized. So coming down off of it there was a decent slope. I was babying my bad left leg, so was absorbing all my downward momentum with my right leg. Approx 1 mile later the right knee started aching... so I'm pretty sure it was my careless use of my good leg to help me down off the bridge. I should have just walked down the bridge in hindsight. blah.
At 9 miles my right knee was hurting and starting to stiffen up... to the point I was wondering if I should just call it good, but I REALLY wanted to go the full 12, so I did something weird. I started running a different way. To me, with slightly numbed legs and sore muscles, it felt like I was leaning forward, keeping my legs straight and kinda behind me, and wiggling my hips up and down in a shimmy... and somehow I was propelled forward! And... it didn't hurt. And... I couldn't seem to do this any slower than a 12 minute mile pace. I was forced to take these teeny tiny steps, and I realized I probably looked like those experienced marathon women that I've noticed at practice who run with tiny steps and not bending their knees much.
So, when I thought at 9 miles I might have to give up, I started running this different way, and I was just propelled the final 3 miles at a faster speed than I even crossed the Sellwood bridge at!! It was amazing.
and... I DID IT!!!
I had my garmin, so as soon as it read 12 miles, I stopped running and started walking.
Mind you, my right knee just stayed very unhappy the rest of the day. But it feels much better today. I think it'll heal. I just need to be careful on downhills.
Stats...
DISTANCE: 12.09 miles TIME: 2:23:00 minutes PACE: 11:50 minute/mile
After the run we had our honored teammate brunch, but I'll blog about that in a seperate blog.
Anyways, looks like I'm back on track! Yay!
I've got a back log of information to lay out... so sorry for the long blog. Let's get started.
On Monday, July 16 I went to the track session, and continued to do the hill ascents with a lap around the track before trucking up the hill each time... walking downhill, no rest between laps. Since I am still nursing a sport injury from over-use, I did 4 laps again instead of the 6 my teammates were doing.
Stats:
Warm-up...
DISTANCE: 1.26 miles TIME: 10:38 minutes PACE: 8:26 minute/mile
Laps...
(1) DISTANCE: 0.45 miles TIME: 4:11 minutes PACE: 9:22
(2) DISTANCE: 0.46 miles TIME: 4:17 minutes PACE: 9:20
(3) DISTANCE: 0.51 miles TIME: 4:17 minutes PACE: 8:25
(4) DISTANCE: 0.45 miles TIME: 4:11 minutes PACE: 9:22
Cool-down...
DISTANCE: 0.77 miles TIME: 10:01 minutes PACE: 13:02
It was a pretty humid day, and I was sweating buckets. I opted to walk the second 5 minutes of my cool-down, which accounts for the slow pace.
***********************
Wednesday I went to see the orthopedic specialist. I was given a large padded plastic contraption to strap to my foot every night when I sleep to stretch my foot at a greater than 90 degree angle. The doc also told me to pick up a pair of good insoles from a sporting good store (he recommended Spenco Polysorbs).
The doctor emphasized my need to stretch my achilles tendon out regularly. That the lack of flexibility on the back of my leg was what caused this condition. I have to admit, I am pretty stiff and inflexible right now. Currently if I stand straight-legged and try to touch the floor, I'm about 3 inches shy of reaching the ground. This is the least flexible I think I've ever been.
The doctor also suggested I do low and no impact activities whenever I can. Replacing the timed run with the same time on an elliptical, stuff like that. I'll see what I can do.
When he first came in and suggested "no running for 2 months" that's when I originally panicked, and realized I needed to take all his suggestions very seriously.
***********************
Due to an extremely busy work schedule and a suggestion to take about 2-3 weeks off of training atleast from the Doctor, I didn't do any of my training for the remainder of the week. I did, however, email coach joe the information from the doctor. I was asking for training schedule recommendations. Joe got back to me and said all the week-day training stuff can be substituted for other things with low to no impact, but he'd still like me to participate in the group runs every saturday. Those were the most important thing and there was no substitute for them.
I was hesitant, but planned on participating.
In the mean time I started wearing the nighttime sling. I quickly learned it's actually more like a medieval torture device. The position it holds your foot in is neither natural nor comfortable. Inevitably I wake up in the middle of the night with my foot in pain, and rip the sling off. The foot, nonetheless, seems to be getting better. My morning symptoms have really reduced. It's amazing the difference the sling is making! I'm guessing one night in the future I'll be able to wear the sling all night long, but right now it's not happening.
Oh yes, and I got the polysorb insoles. The fancy ones for $35. They seem to really help too. I'm optimistic finally!
***********************
Saturday July 21
We met up at Willamette Park for the TNT group run at 7:30am. We're running 12 miles. (btw, Val did her 12 miles on Friday and didn't come to this run). The weather was overcast and humid, around 70 degrees or so.
The course was north from the park along the Willamette Greenway Trail to the Hawthorne Bridge. Over the bridge, and then south on the Springwater Corridor to the Sellwood bridge. Over that bridge and then north on the Greenway Trail again back to the park. At this point we'll have gone 8.3 miles. After that is a 2 mile out and back north again along the Greenway Trail to complete the 12 miles. Only, the course laid out was actually more like 13.3 miles. A half-marathon!
I also have to mention, this course is BEAUTIFUL! The scenery of the Willamette River is quite wonderful, and I was very much enjoying the wild flowers, the great blue herons, and the charmingly situated houses you can see along this course.
I intentionally decided to go slow as molasses so that I could increase my chances of making it through the run. I also opted to spend 30 seconds or less at the aid stations, just long enough to down 8oz of Gleukos sports drink and grab a handful of gummi bears. I didn't want to let my body cool down too much (another theory of mine as to why my previous 2 weekends failed).
It WAS NOT easy. Every step past 6 miles meant that I had healed significantly since last week. Hell, every step past 8 miles was a new record for me. I honestly thought I was doomed at about 9 miles when my GOOD knee started to have problems. Going over the Sellwood bridge was interesting. It's alot steeper than I realized. So coming down off of it there was a decent slope. I was babying my bad left leg, so was absorbing all my downward momentum with my right leg. Approx 1 mile later the right knee started aching... so I'm pretty sure it was my careless use of my good leg to help me down off the bridge. I should have just walked down the bridge in hindsight. blah.
At 9 miles my right knee was hurting and starting to stiffen up... to the point I was wondering if I should just call it good, but I REALLY wanted to go the full 12, so I did something weird. I started running a different way. To me, with slightly numbed legs and sore muscles, it felt like I was leaning forward, keeping my legs straight and kinda behind me, and wiggling my hips up and down in a shimmy... and somehow I was propelled forward! And... it didn't hurt. And... I couldn't seem to do this any slower than a 12 minute mile pace. I was forced to take these teeny tiny steps, and I realized I probably looked like those experienced marathon women that I've noticed at practice who run with tiny steps and not bending their knees much.
So, when I thought at 9 miles I might have to give up, I started running this different way, and I was just propelled the final 3 miles at a faster speed than I even crossed the Sellwood bridge at!! It was amazing.
and... I DID IT!!!
I had my garmin, so as soon as it read 12 miles, I stopped running and started walking.
Mind you, my right knee just stayed very unhappy the rest of the day. But it feels much better today. I think it'll heal. I just need to be careful on downhills.
Stats...
DISTANCE: 12.09 miles TIME: 2:23:00 minutes PACE: 11:50 minute/mile
After the run we had our honored teammate brunch, but I'll blog about that in a seperate blog.
Anyways, looks like I'm back on track! Yay!
Sunday, July 15, 2007
sad run
Total Distance So Far: 118.0 miles
Saturday morning we had an 8 mile run scheduled starting at OMSI and wandering into the NW 23rd area and back to OMSI.
Val and I met up there, and started our run strong... all the way up to the Steele Bridge. We got to it just the same time the bridge was being raised to let a barge through. We opted to wait around for 15 minutes for the bridge instead of going up and over the Steele Bridge like a lot of the other TNT runners. Eventually the bridge was lowered again, and we continued on our way.
We had a little trouble with some of the directions, I kept forgetting to look at the streets, so, for instance, we turned on 19th instead of 15th to go from Thurman to Raleigh, and we went up to NW 24th St before turning right instead of turning on 23rd. We were giggling about it, as were the other runners who were actually following the directions correctly and we kept popping back up on the correct course. All in all I think the distance was the same since NW portland is pretty much on a standard grid.
We turned around at Thurman and NW 28th back the way we came, and did MUCH better at following the directions on the way back.... however at approximately 6 miles into the run, my knee painfully froze up on me again, and my run was effectively finished for me. Sad. Val walked back to OMSI with me. She was doing this 5.5 mile extreme scurry race (race over rough terrain, across streams, etc) on Mt Hood today and wanted to save her energy for that, so she didn't mind not doing the full 8 miles.
The good (I hope) news is, I FINALLY have my first orthopedic specialist appointment scheduled for Wednesday this week (it's taken over a month to get it), so HOPEFULLY things are just going to get better with my foot/knee from here. I'm super intimidated by my running injury now, cause if I can't even go 8 miles, there is NO WAY I'll be able to do the next group run (12 miles), let alone 26.2 miles in Oct.
sad. frustrated. disappointed in myself right now.
I think the worst part was when my knee seized up yesterday morning, I wasn't even breathing hard. I wasn't exhausted, I wasn't done running yet.
stupid knee.
Saturday morning we had an 8 mile run scheduled starting at OMSI and wandering into the NW 23rd area and back to OMSI.
Val and I met up there, and started our run strong... all the way up to the Steele Bridge. We got to it just the same time the bridge was being raised to let a barge through. We opted to wait around for 15 minutes for the bridge instead of going up and over the Steele Bridge like a lot of the other TNT runners. Eventually the bridge was lowered again, and we continued on our way.
We had a little trouble with some of the directions, I kept forgetting to look at the streets, so, for instance, we turned on 19th instead of 15th to go from Thurman to Raleigh, and we went up to NW 24th St before turning right instead of turning on 23rd. We were giggling about it, as were the other runners who were actually following the directions correctly and we kept popping back up on the correct course. All in all I think the distance was the same since NW portland is pretty much on a standard grid.
We turned around at Thurman and NW 28th back the way we came, and did MUCH better at following the directions on the way back.... however at approximately 6 miles into the run, my knee painfully froze up on me again, and my run was effectively finished for me. Sad. Val walked back to OMSI with me. She was doing this 5.5 mile extreme scurry race (race over rough terrain, across streams, etc) on Mt Hood today and wanted to save her energy for that, so she didn't mind not doing the full 8 miles.
The good (I hope) news is, I FINALLY have my first orthopedic specialist appointment scheduled for Wednesday this week (it's taken over a month to get it), so HOPEFULLY things are just going to get better with my foot/knee from here. I'm super intimidated by my running injury now, cause if I can't even go 8 miles, there is NO WAY I'll be able to do the next group run (12 miles), let alone 26.2 miles in Oct.
sad. frustrated. disappointed in myself right now.
I think the worst part was when my knee seized up yesterday morning, I wasn't even breathing hard. I wasn't exhausted, I wasn't done running yet.
stupid knee.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
independent running
Total Distance So Far: 112.0 miles
So, as you probably noticed, I've not blogged since June 28. The reason is because I was happily vacationing for the whole Independence Day week on Whidbey Island.
Needless to say, it was a doggy haven on the water. BEAUTIFUL weather all week long too.
I attempted to stay ontop of my training also...
The day I got there, Sat June 30, I did the 6 mile long run.
See? There I am running with my mom's whippet, Michiko.
Stats...
DISTANCE: 6 miles TIME: 59:44 minutes PACE: 9:59 minute/mile
My mom agreed to play the role of a mobile aid station for me, driving by at 30 minutes with my water bottle. It worked out great! The funny bit about this run was when I was happily chugging along, when out of nowhere a miniature dachsund came charging at me. Not knowing how serious the little dog was, I leapt over the little dog and looked back, the dog was still after me, so I sprinted away from it. Man that was alot of work after running 4 miles.
**************
On Monday, July 2 I did hill ascents up a grassy slope here at Fort Casey
I did 8 nonstop laps of hard runs up the slope and jogging back down the slope. Ofcourse I also did a 10 minute warmup run to the fort from our rental house, and a 10 minute run back home again.
Stats...
warm-up
DISTANCE: 0.91 miles TIME: 10:04 minutes PACE: 11:02 minute/miles
laps
1) DISTANCE: 0.11 miles TIME: 0:50 minutes PACE: 7:45 minute/miles
2) DISTANCE: 0.11 miles TIME: 0:52 minutes PACE: 8:18 minute/miles
3) DISTANCE: 0.11 miles TIME: 0:56 minutes PACE: 8:57 minute/miles
4) DISTANCE: 0.11 miles TIME: 0:56 minutes PACE: 8:57 minute/miles
5) DISTANCE: 0.11 miles TIME: 0:59 minutes PACE: 8:55 minute/miles
6) DISTANCE: 0.11 miles TIME: 0:59 minutes PACE: 8:55 minute/miles
7) DISTANCE: 0.11 miles TIME: 0:57 minutes PACE: 9:05 minute/miles
8) DISTANCE: 0.11 miles TIME: 1:00 minutes PACE: 9:40 minute/miles
cool-down
DISTANCE: 0.98 miles TIME: 10:03 minutes PACE: 10:15 minute/miles
**************
Happy Independence Day!!
Stats...
DISTANCE: 3.52 miles TIME: 35:02 minutes PACE: 10:01 minute/miles
**************
Saturday, July 7 was a little disappointing for me. I was supposed to do a 10 mile run... and had determined the day before that the lake our rental house was next to was circumvented by a ~5.5 mile road. I was going to circle the lake twice, and walk back to the house in a cool down over the final mile after I hit the 10 mile mark... once again my mom was going to play the mobile aid station and drive by every 30 minutes to allow me a drink of water.
Unfortunately, after a strong start (first 5 miles I was going faster than a 10 minute mile pace and feeling great), at approx 7.2 miles I found my knee suddenly and painfully stiffening up on me, just like on that 6 mile run about a month ago.
I tried walking it out, and then running again, which allowed me to run about 20 more feet before the knee seized up again. I continued the run/walking for about .5 more miles before the mobile aid station came by again... and I admitted if I kept it up I'd be doing more harm than good. I gave up at about 7.8 miles and climbed into the car.
So sad.
Stats...
DISTANCE: 7.8 miles TIME: 1:25:15 PACE: 10:46 minute/miles
After the run, we packed up and headed home.
**************
Sunday, July 8 my mom helped me run another garage sale with the remaining items I still had in my garage, and we did really really well!! About twice as well as my first (rained out) garage sale. THANKS MOM!
**************
Monday, July 9 track session again. We were doing slightly different hill ascents. It involved a lap around the track, and then a hard run up the hill, and then a walk downhill to begin the next lap. Coach Joe was telling me to take it a little easy due to my inability to run 10 miles the previous weekend. I only had to do 4 laps of this course instead of the 6 my fellow inexperienced marathon runners were doing.
Stats...
warm-up
DISTANCE: 1 mile TIME: 10 minutes PACE: 10:00 minute/mile
laps
DISTANCE: 1.83 miles TIME: 18:54 minutes PACE: 10:22 minute/miles
cool-down
DISTANCE: 1 mile TIME: 10 minutes PACE: 10:00 minute/mile
**************
Wednesday, July 11 another 35 minute run. I have to mention my plantar fasciitis plagued foot was KILLING me this morning. I decided to run anyway. I tried to take it easy though.
Stats...
DISTANCE: 3.29 miles TIME: 35:04 minutes PACE: 10:40 minute/miles
AND... that's all folks! We're all caught up! I was supposed to do a 30 minute run today, but I'm going to attempt that tomorrow night instead to give my foot a little more time off to heal.
So, as you probably noticed, I've not blogged since June 28. The reason is because I was happily vacationing for the whole Independence Day week on Whidbey Island.
Needless to say, it was a doggy haven on the water. BEAUTIFUL weather all week long too.
I attempted to stay ontop of my training also...
The day I got there, Sat June 30, I did the 6 mile long run.
See? There I am running with my mom's whippet, Michiko.
Stats...
DISTANCE: 6 miles TIME: 59:44 minutes PACE: 9:59 minute/mile
My mom agreed to play the role of a mobile aid station for me, driving by at 30 minutes with my water bottle. It worked out great! The funny bit about this run was when I was happily chugging along, when out of nowhere a miniature dachsund came charging at me. Not knowing how serious the little dog was, I leapt over the little dog and looked back, the dog was still after me, so I sprinted away from it. Man that was alot of work after running 4 miles.
**************
On Monday, July 2 I did hill ascents up a grassy slope here at Fort Casey
I did 8 nonstop laps of hard runs up the slope and jogging back down the slope. Ofcourse I also did a 10 minute warmup run to the fort from our rental house, and a 10 minute run back home again.
Stats...
warm-up
DISTANCE: 0.91 miles TIME: 10:04 minutes PACE: 11:02 minute/miles
laps
1) DISTANCE: 0.11 miles TIME: 0:50 minutes PACE: 7:45 minute/miles
2) DISTANCE: 0.11 miles TIME: 0:52 minutes PACE: 8:18 minute/miles
3) DISTANCE: 0.11 miles TIME: 0:56 minutes PACE: 8:57 minute/miles
4) DISTANCE: 0.11 miles TIME: 0:56 minutes PACE: 8:57 minute/miles
5) DISTANCE: 0.11 miles TIME: 0:59 minutes PACE: 8:55 minute/miles
6) DISTANCE: 0.11 miles TIME: 0:59 minutes PACE: 8:55 minute/miles
7) DISTANCE: 0.11 miles TIME: 0:57 minutes PACE: 9:05 minute/miles
8) DISTANCE: 0.11 miles TIME: 1:00 minutes PACE: 9:40 minute/miles
cool-down
DISTANCE: 0.98 miles TIME: 10:03 minutes PACE: 10:15 minute/miles
**************
Happy Independence Day!!
Wednesday, July 4 was a 35 minute run. It was getting a little late in the day, but I was planning on running late cause it was a really warm day. The only thing I didn't count on was the wind picking up. I simply did a 17:30 minute run away from the house, and then turned around and headed back. The return run was directly into the wind... it was pretty intense.
Stats...
DISTANCE: 3.52 miles TIME: 35:02 minutes PACE: 10:01 minute/miles
**************
Saturday, July 7 was a little disappointing for me. I was supposed to do a 10 mile run... and had determined the day before that the lake our rental house was next to was circumvented by a ~5.5 mile road. I was going to circle the lake twice, and walk back to the house in a cool down over the final mile after I hit the 10 mile mark... once again my mom was going to play the mobile aid station and drive by every 30 minutes to allow me a drink of water.
Unfortunately, after a strong start (first 5 miles I was going faster than a 10 minute mile pace and feeling great), at approx 7.2 miles I found my knee suddenly and painfully stiffening up on me, just like on that 6 mile run about a month ago.
I tried walking it out, and then running again, which allowed me to run about 20 more feet before the knee seized up again. I continued the run/walking for about .5 more miles before the mobile aid station came by again... and I admitted if I kept it up I'd be doing more harm than good. I gave up at about 7.8 miles and climbed into the car.
So sad.
Stats...
DISTANCE: 7.8 miles TIME: 1:25:15 PACE: 10:46 minute/miles
After the run, we packed up and headed home.
**************
Sunday, July 8 my mom helped me run another garage sale with the remaining items I still had in my garage, and we did really really well!! About twice as well as my first (rained out) garage sale. THANKS MOM!
**************
Monday, July 9 track session again. We were doing slightly different hill ascents. It involved a lap around the track, and then a hard run up the hill, and then a walk downhill to begin the next lap. Coach Joe was telling me to take it a little easy due to my inability to run 10 miles the previous weekend. I only had to do 4 laps of this course instead of the 6 my fellow inexperienced marathon runners were doing.
Stats...
warm-up
DISTANCE: 1 mile TIME: 10 minutes PACE: 10:00 minute/mile
laps
DISTANCE: 1.83 miles TIME: 18:54 minutes PACE: 10:22 minute/miles
cool-down
DISTANCE: 1 mile TIME: 10 minutes PACE: 10:00 minute/mile
**************
Wednesday, July 11 another 35 minute run. I have to mention my plantar fasciitis plagued foot was KILLING me this morning. I decided to run anyway. I tried to take it easy though.
Stats...
DISTANCE: 3.29 miles TIME: 35:04 minutes PACE: 10:40 minute/miles
AND... that's all folks! We're all caught up! I was supposed to do a 30 minute run today, but I'm going to attempt that tomorrow night instead to give my foot a little more time off to heal.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
