The stars aligned!!

Lately I have had trouble finishing up at work in time to get a good run in after work - so I grew up. And I have been running in the mornings like the rest of the grown-up running world...

But on Monday - a Christmas miracle occurred. My work schedule for the day was almost unbearable to look at - 34 units, and evaluation and an 1 1/2 long meeting (on a normal day I have trouble doing 30 units without an evaluation or a meeting within 8 hours). So, somehow... I made it out of work around 4:30.

Now again. Usually I'll leave work between 4:30 and 5:30 and it takes me about 45 minutes to make it home 13 miles through the traffic... On Monday I was home in 17 minutes and I didn't even drive That fast!
I fed the dogs. Played fetch for a few minutes and still had time to spare before heading over to South City.

Over to South City to enjoy a group run up and down the streets where each house is decorated to the 9s. I had so much fun!! I can't wait to go next year!

Marathon training...

This feeling is so familiar - increase in appetite, sleeping like a rock, lack of focus on those days I miss my run...

I am 3 weeks into an intermediate marathon training program and even though this is my first marathon, the physical and psychological changes are something I have been through many times before. Except this time the soreness isn't in my triceps- it's in my quads and hamstrings.

I swam in college and for a US team after college. In college, we would start the season off light but about 3 or 4 weeks in, we would be doing 2-a-days and 'dry land' training every other day. The increase always took my appetite by storm and I would suddenly be eating 6 times a day and still not able to ever fill up. I thought it was awesome! Guilt free eating!! Then, after college when I joined a South Florida team with Coach David Wright, I realized those college workouts were for sissies. Ten weeks of 10,000 meters a day. Whoa. For those of you who don't know how much that is... It's a lot.
And it wasn't only the appetite that grew. I felt changes in my body I am not I can fully explain in words.

1. I was eating everything - at all moments. I was constantly hungry and would eat at least once an hour for every hour I want in the pool. In the mornings, I would eat bites of sandwich between sets... Bottomless pit.
2. My arms and back were sore - but so was my skin. I felt like the skin on my upper back was being stretched as my muscles were hypertrophic. My shirts were starting to fit funny... (Not to mention my breasts went from a full C to a B... And have never recovered.)
3. I started to count my distances and logging times during practices. I became obsessed with the numbers. I had entire workouts, splits and stroke counts memorized.
4. I never wanted to miss a practice - in fact I never wanted to miss a single lap. It always felt like Cheating. I would do almost anything to make sure I was in the water on time. If I missed out on an entire practice I felt grumpy until the next time I could be swimming.
5. Outside of the water, whenever my body was horizontal - I was asleep. Instantly. It was like magic!!
6. And lastly - all I ever wanted to be doing was swimming. If I was awake - I was thinking about when I would be in the water next.

So now that I am into this running program and have almost doubled my mileage - I feel these symptoms starting to set back in...

And in less than a month I have gone from going "urrghh I should run today...." To "when can I fit another run in? Should I run twice today?"

The challenge I will have with this marathon training will be to find the balance in this and avoid the obsessive mindset.

Wish me luck!!




(Picture taken after a snow shoe run in Hollis Nh)

On Island Time

Well its been almost a month since my last post - whoops.

So I got married.  That was fun!

... in KEY WEST!!!

It was pretty much awesome.  and everything was Perfect.

but, I have been neglecting this blog since a few weeks before the wedding and during my honeymoon (I figured my wife might not be too happy with me "blogging" on our honeymoon?!)

She was nice enough to let me swim, run and bike in the Keys whenever I wanted. That's why I married this woman - she gets me.

So within 20 minutes of arriving in Key West, I had my cap and goggles on and swimming in the freezing cold water.

My new nephew wasn't far behind...

On my second day on the island, I ran 6 miles to the house my family was staying in.  I met my 18 year old brother for "a workout".  After his vacation in the Keys, he had to go back home just in time for basketball tryouts and he wanted to make sure he was still in shape.  So, we did not 1, but 2 different crossfit workouts in a row.  Damn.  I'll point out this was on Wednesday.  I got married on Saturday and still couldn't dance with my arms over my head...

For the rest of the trip and our honeymoon, I stuck mostly to running every other day, enjoying every flat road and long bridge I crossed. Gotta love the keys.

With just a few days left on our honeymoon, Denise and I rented bikes from a doggie named "Porter House" and his owner at 

Overseas Outfitters

and biked over the Old 7 Mile Bridge - but you know me.  Biking the bridge was beautiful but I wanted to run it too. So Denise biked by my side and I ran down and back.  Denise saw 3 "HUGE FISH!!" jumping.  I saw none. hum.

And well, I just Needed their really fun bike shirt.

Anyways, the whole trip went by really fast.

But something started to happen while I was there and actually turned into a memento for me to "enjoy" even when I was bake in St. Louis...

Calf pain.  I know, I know.  I am a physical therapist and still can't seem to diagnosis myself.  

At first I thought the worst.. Blood clot.  Since it started just a few minutes into my first run in Key West - but it was happening on both sides by mile 2.  And got a little better with stretching. Can't be a blood clot.

So then I started to think it was tendonitis- posterior tibial tendonitis to be exact.  But I could not figure out why the heck it was happening all of a sudden, and why was it hurting just a few minutes into my runs?

After some research and logical reasoning - I started calling it a mild compartment syndrome of some sort.  In the keys, my fingers were so swollen I was having trouble wear my new Wedding Rings... so, maybe my calves and ankles were swollen too?

So, it should just go away when I come back to St. Louis right??

well, nope.

I have tried 3 runs and averaged about 4 miles for each with pain in my calves starting about .5 to 1 mile into the run.  It's been kind of a bummer.

The good news is that I have this awesome new bike shirt!!  So, It's been getting some good quality show time all around town and in the park.  Denise even thinks I look like a "real bicyclist" in this jersey.

And since I can't bike in the dark and I can't seem to get out of work M-F before the sun sets... I have started a 2 week trial at Title Boxing Club - Rock Hill.  which has been different and fun.  and enlightening... (note to self: more Ab workouts)

Ok - so there is my update on all my workout adventures.

and now I am tired and have plans for an early morning attempt at running more than 4 miles...

<3