Baby steps!!

Today I saw a tiny glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. Resting for over 3 weeks has been really hard for me. I miss running so much. Running is my steam valve, my release, my quiet time. Not running has left me feeling more stressed than usual, less patient than usual, and (as my family will probably gladly report) a bit grumpier than usual. There really is an emotional injury added to the physical injury when you can't run. Today, however, I was able to run 3 x 5 minute intervals on the treadmill with NO PAIN! It was blissful. I wanted to keep going and going, but I curbed myself. Baby steps.

In the meantime, while I continue to rein in my enthusiasm to get back to the sport I love, I read a funny the other day that I wanted to share. It was talking about the well-known injury treatment of RICE. R if for Rest to allow the body time to heal, I for Ice to speed recovery and reduce swelling, C for Compression to further limit swelling, and E for Elevation to aid circulation. The article I read by Dr. Kamal Jabbour said that runners have their own version of RICE: R for Run through the pain, I for lots of Ibuprofen, C for Cortisone injections and E for Emergency room trip. I hope I have learned my lesson about THAT kind of RICE treatment.

I will not push it...I will not push it...I will not push it...baby steps!

Still waiting.

I'm still not running and it's been 3 weeks today. I think I have been able to stay marginally sane during this period, but I will start to lose it if things don't progress a little faster soon! The waiting and resting and icing and stretching and waiting some more is so hard! I'm still planning to do a 5-mile trail race in March, and at this point, I don't know if I could even complete 2 miles without falling over. I need to get back to running and soon! The good news is, today I noticed that I didn't have pain while walking on flat surfaces. This is improvement!

In the meantime, I am having fun leading my CCA kids as Head Coach for their 100 Mile Club challenge. This awesome organization promotes running for fun and fitness, awarding kids with cool incentives for running miles throughout the school year. The program culminates with every student that runs 100 miles over the course of the year receiving a gold medal. It's fun for me to watch the kids get excited about how far they've run and how much further they have to go to get their medal. I guess I'm living vicariously through them...and some of them definitely look like they'll continue to have running in their futures. Helping them keeps my mind elsewhere, and off the waiting that I continue to do!

The Surf City race is coming up next weekend, and while I have countless friends participating, I will be sitting this year out. It was a decision I made quite a while back since the race falls on the weekend of my husband's birthday. Turns out I made a good choice skipping it this time since there's no way I would've been able to train with this injury and probably would've ended up DNF'ing if I'd tried to push myself. (DNF is an acronym for Did Not Finish. This is what appears as your "time" if you don't cross the finish line!) Wishing lots of luck to all my pals who are running it on Superbowl Sunday!

Confession

Today marked the official two week mark for me not running. So, of course, I decided to "test the waters" a little. I went to the gym and walked for 15 minutes on the treadmill. Then I SLOWLY ran for 5 minutes. That felt okay. I walked again for 5 minutes, ran again for 5. Worked my way up to running for 10 minutes and started to feel a twinge, so I stopped right away. I switched to the stair climber, then did some strength training. I'm 'fessing up about running a little, but I'm calling it a victory because so many times in the past, I would've felt the twinge and kept going.

Good news: I'm slowly, stubbornly learning to listen to my body. Bad news: it still hurts to run for very long. Back to crosstraining I go. The stair climber and I are becoming friends.

Okay now I have an important question. A bunch of my running pals are into the compression sock thing. I really love my "armies", but I typically just use them to keep my arms warm in cooler weather until I heat up enough to take them off. Do I need compression for my legs when it's too warm for tights? I admit I like running in tights because I actually do feel like my muscles don't get tired as fast, but if I'm running in capris or shorts are compression socks really going to help? What about hot weather? Don't they get too hot? Obviously, unlike arm warmers, you can't strip these off while you're still moving if they do get too warm. Weigh in, people! I want to know.

Compression socks. Hot or not?

XGames

Tomorrow it will officially be two weeks since I've run. TWO WEEKS!! As difficult as it has been for me to abstain from my favorite form of stress relief/endorphine high/exercise, I have been doing pretty well. (Although my family might say otherwise, as I've been a bit snippy and snarky without my steam release valve!) Crosstraining has always been a very weak spot for me, and I'm having to learn the hard way that it truly is beneficial. Running every single day can definitely contribute to overuse injuries, and alternating with another activity can only make you stronger and more well-rounded.  I've tried to make this search for something else to enjoy into a game; I call it my "XGame." The object?  Try as many new crosstraining things in a week as I can.

So far I have spent my two weeks off doing elliptical, stair climber (the actual stair tread one!), stair master (the not actual stairs one!), stationary bike, swimming laps, water aerobics, Zumba, yoga, walking, and strength training. I have to say, I did not find myself terribly enamored with any of it. I spent my 45 minutes on the elliptical staring at people running on the treadmills. I tried to imagine I was running, too. It didn't work. I was bummed out for the whole workout. It would take way too long for me to recount what I disliked about each and every other workout I tried, but suffice it to say that NOTHING seemed to feed my need for endorphines the way that running does. However, out of everything I tried, I think I liked the stair climber best. This is the machine with actual stairs that go around on a tread, so it really is like climbing stairs. It's the one and only workout that had me dripping in sweat like I do when I run. I just don't feel like I'm getting a good workout if I'm not drenched when it's over! Strength training is something else I didn't totally hate. I find it boring and not nearly as intensely gratifying as a good run, but when I do a lower body workout I imagine my leg muscles getting stronger and making me faster when I am able to run again.

Between laying off the running, trying out new workouts and physical therapy,  I hope that my hamstring is resting and healing and becoming stronger. It better. I'm not going to be able to hold back the running monster much longer...although now I might be willing to swap in some days of climbing the stairs and strength training. Maybe. In the meantime, I still might need to buy this shirt: CAUTION: Injured Runner. May Bite.

What do YOU do for Crosstraining? Have a suggestion for something I should try? Let me know!

Hood to Coast. It's AWESOME.

I mentioned in a previous post that I was going to see the movie "Hood to Coast," a film that documents several teams' experiences running the almost 200 mile relay race that runs from Portland's Mt. Hood down to the coast.

I am suppressing the urge here to type in all caps because I am so excited about how fun and inspiring this movie was! I loved following the people running this amazing relay. There were veterans, elites, casual runners all the way down to people who had NO idea what they were getting into. Young people, old people, ridiculously fit people and ridiculously unfit people. There was Kathy, with 75 marathons under her belt , who had a heart attack during her last attempt to run the relay and came back for another try after triple bypass surgery. In one scene, she brings her cardiologist the elevation and description of the legs she wants to run. He looks at her and says, "I don't know what you're smoking, but you're NOT running leg one." Of course, she does. Then there was Rachel, a casual runner who believes it's better not too train to much and isn't sure what they do for bathroom breaks during a race. She's certain they wouldn't have people running at midnight and then ends up running one of the toughest legs of the race at 1:30 in the morning. When she's done she can't stop saying how awesome it was.

For those unfamiliar with the Hood to Coast Relay, you basically gather a team of 12 runners who each run three legs of the race. The legs vary in difficulty and length and continue all day, all night and into the second day until your team finally reaches the finish line at the beach. After seeing the movie, I TOTALLY WANT TO DO IT! (Sorry. I tried to suppress the urge to scream with adrenaline-filled enthusiasm, but I can't even type quietly about it.) Apparently, it sells out yearly and entry is through a random drawing, so just getting in might be a challenge. It's on the bucket list, though. For sure. And while I have some running down time, it gives me something exciting to dream about. Check out the Hood to Coast and other relays like it. You might want to put one on your bucket list, too!

Time-out.

Well, I finally have a diagnosis for the nagging hip/butt injury I've had for over 6 months now. No, it doesn't appear to be Dead Butt Syndrome, though that might be funnier. I have high hamstring tendonitis. It's likely an overuse injury, and, according to my orthopedist it is probably due in major portion to my aversion to crosstraining. A runner needs to be well-rounded. No matter how often I've heard that crosstraining should be part of every runner's training plan, to me that meant mixing up intervals, speedwork and hills. I never seem to enjoy anything but...running. Now I'm faced with a rehab program that includes yoga, swimming and strength training. I also have a bike sitting in the garage that needs riding, if I can just get up the nerve. Although I'm still glum about not being able to run for at least a couple weeks, I'm hopeful that this forced foray in crosstraining will help me learn to enjoy some things besides running that will ultimate help me become a better runner.

So far, I have done water aerobics (eh...not that exciting), laps in the pool (BORING), yoga (I can't seem to relax or slow down enough) and some lower body and core strength training. The strength training I like. I imagine the muscles getting stronger to help propel me along faster once I get back to running. The rest, I'm hopeful that I will learn to enjoy. Or at least tolerate.

This something that's needed to happen for a long time. I am resolved to make the best of my running time-out, to learn something new, and hopefully come back better, stronger and with the realization that there are things I can do, and SHOULD do, besides run. Even though they are not as much fun.

Frustrated.

I haven't been very prolific with my posts of late. To be honest, I've been a bit down contemplative. Last year, 2010, was an absolutely amazing year for me. I finished my second half marathon at Surf City and set a new PR. I finished my FIRST full marathon in San Diego, and even though it wasn't a great race for me, it was a PR since it was a new distance! I went on to have fanastic half marathons at Nike Women's and again in Los Angeles, then completed a 10K and set a new 5K PR for myself. The year culminated with ANOTHER new half PR in Las Vegas. That's five, count them, FIVE BIG races, two shorter ones, and FOUR PRs set. In short, I busted my rear. Literally. All my hard training paid off for me last year, but as we ease into 2011, all that hard training appears to have taken a toll on me. I am dealing with ever increasing pain in my hip, knee tendonitis that flared at Los Angeles and hasn't gone completely away, and as of Monday of this week, plantar fasciatis that I haven't dealt with in YEARS that seems to be creeping back on me.

Several doctor visits and physical therapy visits later, I am still waiting for someone to tell me exactly WHAT is wrong with my hip. I cut my running mileage in half and had no relief. I started stretching more and cross-training more, and still no relief. I have only one small race on my calendar for 2011 so far because I just don't know when I'll really be "race ready" again. It is frustrating!! The icing on the cake? My 40th birthday is this year. I feel like my body is saying, "Well, sure hope you had fun, because I'm going to fall apart now."

I have faced challenges before and I know that with the Lord's help I can tackle whatever comes my way. Good grief, I wanted to run ONE half marathon before I turned 40. I have run FIVE plus a FULL marathon! There's a bible verse in 1 Thessalonians (5:18) that says "Be thankful in all circumstances..." I have SO much to be thankful for. I need to take the advice I offer so often to others, "suck it up." I'm working on that. Right now I'm reading two great books that I hope will help lift my mood...

















And if those aren't enough, I'm also going to see "Hood To Coast" on 1-11-11. If you want to catch it in your town, go to http://www.hoodtocoastmovie.com/ to find out where it's playing. My hope is that all this helps me get over the discouragement of being injured...THIS TOO SHALL PASS!!