9.6 Miles....

My training called for 9 miles this weekend. I really wanted to go out and prove that I could keep a 15-16 min pace the whole time. This was not the case, I was close...........

First things first. I had told you I would go over part of my getting ready process for running. Here is my multitude of stuff I use/put on before I even get my running clothes on.

Toothpaste: Some of you may be thinking, why is toothpaste in the pic? I have very sensitive teeth and one of the first thing I discovered when I started running was that my teeth hurt really bad. I couldn't figure out why, it was the front of the top row and the back sections of bottom row. When i asked my dentist they said it was probably just the cold air going across my teeth. O_O WHAAAA???  They suggested that I try making sure I brush with my sensodyne right before and bada bing bada boom teeth don't hurt while running anymore. 

Sunscreen & Deodorant: These two are pretty much no brainers, don't want to stink or burn

Her' Chamois Butt'r: (TMI WARNING)  This is what fixes my butt chaffing.  It has a light lavender scent and comes off really easy.

Body Glide: This is another anti chafing product it is much greasier than Chamois Butt'r and kind of a pain to get to come off. It isn't moist like the Chamois Butt'r. I guess I would compare it more to a waxy feel.  But I find I prefer to use this for (another TMI moment) under my sagging tummy. I also put it anywhere a bra straps land.  Yeah once upon a time I said I didn't have any issues with bra chafing..... At about 8 miles it becomes and issue for me. It has even torn my skin open and it took a couple weeks for the scabs to stop ripping back off with every run. 

The next step before I get dress is to tape up! KT tape is truly amazing. I have NO idea how or why it works but it helps. Not a cure all but you can defiantly feel the difference. 

I normally follow taping up with putting on my compression socks. For this last run I tried w/o them and just wore them for recovery but I think I will not go with out them again. 

So now that I am ready for my run we can go over the highs and the lows of my 9.6 miles.  I am still super nervous about my half marathon in just under two weeks. We were able to get a baby sitter for a few hours on Saturday morning so hubby could come with me on my run kind of as my support vehicle. He held my water bottle, rehydrate, food, shot blocks and such.  The beginning of the run was very frustrating and I cried twice..... YEP, count them one, two times.  I found that familiar pain back in my left leg and had to stop and stretch it out a couple times. This cause some major slow downs and limping during miles 2 & 3. I think it was between mile 3 & 4 where the storm found us. It was pouring down rain and gusting head wind causing the rain to come in sideways at our faces. I couldn't believe I was out there not even half way done and I looked like I had gone in the shower in my gear. Shoes were wet, socks were wet, hat & hair were dripping. I didn't get a pic because my phone was in my flip belt in a plastic bag to avoid the wetness, more about the flip belt in another post, but spoiler alert I LOVE IT.  So onward we kept going. I ended up with a 16:10 pace but I had made two bathroom stops and a couple stretching breaks that don't show in that time.  Miles 1, 6, 7, 8, 9 & .06 were all between 15-16 mins, most of them closer to the 15 min pace and one even going into the 14 mins. However miles 2, 3, 4, & 5 were all in the 17 min and that is just to slow. During this time I was telling hubby how if you gave any normal person the opportunity to fail or not fail, they will chose not to fail. The idea of not finishing the Tinkerbell makes me just sick with anxiety.  I sobbed when I got turned around at the Hot Chocolate 15K how on earth will I deal with this when it is something that actually means something to me.  Hubby was such a great support vehicle. He kept with me on his bike even thought I was just trying to do 4 mph and he normally averages around 17 mph on a nice flat trail.  

The run ended further than we had planned 9.6 miles, the plus side of that is I get to put the 15K charm I got for BFF & I before the hot chocolate on my sole sister necklace. This weekend calls for 10 miles but since I basically almost did 10 miles. I am wondering if a slight taper would be a good plan for this weekend.  I am thinking about 6 or 7 miles this weekend to see if I can speed up the earlier miles.  I will have my amazing support vehicle again this weekend and I hopefully it'll be nice enough to practice running in my shorts and skirt that I am running in for the half. 

Well that didn't work....

Yesterday I went to put some get some miles on cement in my new shoes. 99% of all my running so far in these things has been on the treadmill. Thought no big deal, 2 blocks around my house is about a half a mile, I'll go get in at least 2-3 miles.  First mistake was deciding to bring the dog.  Loki loves to run but his pace is like a 7 min mile and I just can't go that fast for very long. So I spent the 2nd block pulling on his leash to get him to slow down and then spent the whole trip around the block doing the same thing. Once we got to the back side of the 2nd block my Garmin auto paused. I thought am I walking so slow that it paused?  It stayed paused for most of that block then it started again as I crossed the street to go the back side of the 2nd block and it paused again for half of that block. I blamed the dog and maybe it was my backward motion with my arms causing it to pause. By now, I am in incredible pain. That searing pain in my shins is back and I want to cry. What is causing this??? Is it the ground?? Did I come out of the gate running to fast??? Or is the fact that I had to basically lean backwards while I ran to keep Loki under control, causing lots of heal striking and my body weight being behind me?  I dropped Loki off at the house and decided to keep going but the pain was so bad.  I got to the back side of the second block again and my Garmin paused again.... It then repeated the same pauses it did last time and I made sure to not be walking to test it out.  By the them I got back home my Garmin had been paused for about 25-30% of my run and so I didn't have an accurate measurement of how far I went. my foot path app says that it is .46 of a mile so that would be .92 of a mile twice around.  I did that 12:54. So maybe could have pulled out a 14 min mile and that was with a good portion of walking.  I stopped after that first 2 loops I was just in so much pain.  I was limping a bit and it took everything not to burst into tears, from frustration, when I walked in the door.  Hubby is certain that it had everything to do with Loki and not me.  Yet I was still crushed. After my 8 miles on the treadmill was done in 2 hrs I was hopeful that things were going in the right direction and I just felt foolish and defeated.

I will do a short run tomorrow and then my training plan calls for a 10K this weekend.  I am contemplating doing my 9 miles instead.  My other training plan would have me tapering next week and I am wondering if I should do my 9 & 10 mile runs then my 10K the weekend before the half.  I've decided that it was probably a combination of why I had so much pain. I wasn't warmed up, I went out to fast & I was leaning backwards instead of forwards.  Praying that my long run this weekend will prove that to be the case as well.

Today was also weigh in day, I maintained which is better than I probably should have done. My points were in the negative. Today is the start of a new week and I know if I just limit myself to the points I am allowed I will succeed in some more weight loss this week. Each pound I lose between now and Disneyland is one less pound I have to carry for 13.1 miles.  In one of my BFF's recent blog post she took pics of how she preps for a race. I've decided that is a good idea and for my long run this weekend I'll be sharing everything I use when I go on a long run. So be on the look out for that post early next week.

You suck!

I meant to write this much early but time has slipped away from me. Last Thursday was my first weigh in after starting to track my points again at weight watchers and I am proud to say I was down 4 lbs!!!! Brining my total weight loss since I signed up about a year ago to 10.8 lbs.   Not where it should or could be but hey it's better than up.  The topic at our meeting was "Attitude Adjustments" It talked about negative self talk and even with that reminder when Saturday came all Hell broke loose. Let me back up a little.

On Wednesday before my 4.5 mile run earlier this week I was having problems with negative thoughts.  Negative thoughts breed more negative thoughts. I found my self very frustrated and worked up about my half marathon. I told hubby I suck and I'm just not fast enough. Seeing how fast other people are and the fact that people tell me that ANYONE can walk a 16 min mile. I can't, my legs can not walk that fast. This makes me feel like I must be horrible at this cause if anyone can just walk it and I struggle to run it maybe I should't be trying to run in the first place. Thursday at my WW meeting they talk about the importance of getting rid of negative thinking. But my self beatings continued.  Saturday came and I got all geared up and ready to run my 8 miles for my training and about had a nervous breakdown.  The thought process that went through my head wasn't just negative it was attacking me.  I couldn't get myself out of it. The thoughts that I can't do this, I suck, I'm so slow, what if this run kills me?  I mean seriously I had gone off the deep end. It felt like each of my feet weighed 100 lbs. I could hardly move. I was crying and practically in a full blown panic attack. And then I gave up. I told hubby I just can't today, I emotionally can't. I went and took a shower and cried. Feeling even more fear wondering what will I do if this happens the day of the half? I can't just quit.

Sunday came and I knew I had to get my run in.  I started pushing out negative thoughts, which at this point feels like a full time job. I got some solid advice from my Mom and Hubby during my beat myself up day on Saturday and that was that realistically I need to realize that because of my weight I'll probably can't be as fast as other people and because of all that extra weight on my body, running will probably always cause some kind of pain. I am 50 lbs from my goal weight and that just barely gets me to a healthy BMI. I really should be more like 65 lbs less.  I think if most people put on an extra 50 lbs in weights and then try running their bodies would feel it, and the pace would be slower. Knowing I've never been shooting to run the half super fast. I reminded myself that my plan was to walk/run this thing with hopefully a 14-15 min pace.  I got my running gear on and got on my treadmill.  I ended up with an average of 14:43 mile pace for the whole 8 miles.  I can't be upset with that.  All I can do is keep pushing myself to go a little faster a little longer and keep going, keep moving forward.

4.5 miles

Another 4.5 miles in my amazing shoes!!  I didn't wear my compression socks and I could feel the difference around the end of mile 2 and had to slow down a bit but If I do say so myself I think I did pretty well.

Mile 1- 14:45
Mile 2- 14:41
Mile 3- 15:09
Mile 4- 15:23
.5 mile- 7:59

Now all of this is still pending that my Garmin is more accurate than my treadmill. My treadmill is older and has never been calibrated since we got it from craigslist. And they are always about .3 to .5 of a mile different.  Since my 7 miles didn't make me that sore, I thought I better push myself a little more and today I did.  My muscles are not the problem it is my endurance that I need to build up.  My BFF and some other friends are doing the "Daffodil Challenge" this weekend. 4-5K's in 4 different cities in 1 day. It sounds like allot of fun but I just can't get past the fact that I don't need practice running 3.1 miles, I need the endurance to go a full 13.1.  The furthest I have ran is 8 miles and the last time I did that it was at a 16:52 pace.  That is not fast enough for the Tinkerbell Half. I NEED to complete the Half.  I am terrified of not completing something again. So, long run before fun. While my friends are having a blast running 5K's I'll be running my 8 miles. My goal is to do it outside  not on my treadmill so I can truly see what my pace is in my new shoes with GPS.  Hopefully it isn't to far off of what it says on my treadmill.

7 Miles in my new shoes!

I am now officially one of those people who can sing the praises of proper running shoes! In every running book I've read they stress the importance of the right running shoes. And talk about the big difference it made.  I was not having this experience and I thought maybe it's just me....

 I had gone to the running store and gotten the recommended shoes. I started thinking maybe it had more to do with my weight.  Running soon started to become depressing because I was starting to think there is just no way to run with out pain. I would be extremely frustrated and feel like I was not making any progress every run. The compression socks and the KT tape help but they are just making it a bit more bearable not making it go away.  Since I've started running I've had searing, stabbing, throbbing pain in at least one of my legs, until my adrenaline would give me my runners high and only then would the pain start to get dull. Just to have the pain return once I stopped, to the point of hardly being able to walk.  Recovering from a run meant lots of pain meds, limping, Dr Apts, icing and stress.

I was accused of being a wuss because: it can't be that bad.  I started to feel bad about my pain and dreading it to the point of anxiety asthma, to the point of wanting to give up. I mean if this pain was never going to go away, how can I keep this up? Full of stress I was talking to my hubby after a run. I could hardly walk and stopped only a mile into the four I was suppose to do. Hubby says you need to go back to the running store and tell them what is going on. I figured there would be no reason to do that, they already gave me the shoes I am suppose to wear.  As I've already touch base on this in my previous blog post I went back to the running store and got new shoes.

My next day off from work I took his advice and went back to my local running store and got my new Brook's. They have taken ALL the shin pain away! With out the shin pain I got faster almost every mile. Again not sure how accurate my watch is on my treadmill, it was .5 a mile off from my treadmill but my treadmill is old and could be wrong.

How's the diet going?

This meme has been making me laugh EVERY time I see it!! I find it so funny! LOL!! Anyways enjoy that little funny this Easter weekend. :-)

So last week I went back to the running store to try out some different shoes because my 16 miles and my shins were on fire and I found myself limping. For the last 6 months I figured it was my lack of training but I decided to try another pair of shoes.  So I went in and explained how the pain in my right leg went away with the but I got new pain in my left leg that is just unbearable. He redid my run analysis and still found me to over pronate to much and said while I can't go away from a stability shoe I can try a less intense one.  I guess there are 1-5 levels in stability shoes, 5 being the firmest. The shoes I currently had were a 3/4 and we decided to try one around a level 2.  I tried on 4 different brands of shoes and I stayed with Brooks. They said because I am staying with them the transition should be easier too.

New shoes Brooks Ravenna 6's

Back on the treadmill

My cold has not been cutting me much slack.  I got a short run in the other day to try them out. Results were lots of arch pain but no shin pain. Today I did a couple more short runs. Doing what I can between the coughing fits. I did a mile on my treadmill and it was a slow one at 18 mins, still no shin pain.  After my coughing fit Loki was dying to go for a walk, I thought well I'm dressed why not head outside.  I decided to throw on my Garmin, I knew it was just going to be a short walk but I was curious at how far we walk.  AlsoI needed to put on my a raincoat cause it was not pretty outside and away we went. I decided to jog for a bit, then run.  No treadmill showing me how fast I was going, no watching my pace because I was paying attention to Loki. Just the thought of keep going and see what the watch says when you're done. As we were about a half block from home my wrist buzzed!  I had gone another mile, awesome!! And it was my fastest mile I've done in a while.  I managed to pull out a 14:25 mile.  My last GPS tracked(have I told you I don't quite trust my Garmin is accurate on my treadmill?) under 15 min mile was in January when BFF & I did our 4 mile training run.  All this pavement pounding and NO SHIN PAIN!!!! I had arch pain but I think that is partly because they are new shoes I am still breaking in. But I can feel my muscles working and getting sore but that is what is suppose to happen. I am really hoping this is a major turning point in my training. Being able to train with out pain just sounds so wonderful. 

A Reminder.....

In the last 3 days the word diabetes keeps on coming up in my space.  Today when I heard it again my friend was telling me she just was diagnosed. All of a sudden I got a strong sense of warning. I felt like it was a reminder.  I thought about how just last July when I got my Blood Test Results and I was so relieved that all my numbers were good and I wasn't pre diabetic, I avoided this test for 3 years and was so worried about the results cause once you're diagnosed with diabetes there is no getting rid of it. You can manage your symptoms but you are still diabetic.  After I got those results I just kind of forgot about it.  My chances of developing Type 2 isn't just high, it is extremely high. Everyone on my Dad's side has it and is on medication for it. According to the CDC the two most common causes of Type 2 Diabetes are obesity and lack of physical activity, it is responsible for 95% of diabetes cases in the United States. The other night hubby and I were talking about our families health histories. Hubby said that his number one worry about me is that I'm going to get diabetes if I don't get control of my weight.  I could hear the concern in his voice and in his eyes I saw the same look I see when he says I wish I could fix it for you.  My husband like most men, is a fixer. He is very mechanical and engineer minded and he likes to fix things. When something in our house needs fixed he calls them his husband things to do. Fixing things makes him feel like a good husband and it drives him crazy when he can't fix things. My diet/weight has always been one of the things he isn't about to fix for me. He knows if that happens he won't be able to fix it. He really does love me so much.

I need to make a proactive choice and make changes NOW!

The end of last week into this week has brought new sickness to my family and I. I got BFF's nasty cold and gave it to my youngest who then had a fever and croup. I've missed 3 training runs. But with most of us starting to feel better and it is the 1st of the month I've made some goals for April.

GOALS FOR APRIL
-Do my devotions every morning
-Take my vitamins every day
-Complete ever day of scheduled training for April
-Track EVERYTHING I eat
-Treat my emotional triggers with prayer, not food
-Lose 8 pounds
-Finish reading 2 books
-Have my pace down to 15 min or faster
-Drink 80 Ounces of water every day