1/13/08
Aaaaaaaaaaaand Done!
Not official, but finish time of about 5:30. I'll post details in the next few days!
1/9/08
Packing and checking the weather
Egads! The forecast for Sunday in Orlando has changed AGAIN. The expected high is back up to 75, up from the listed 72 that I saw late last night. But 75 is better than the forecasted 80 that was listed a few days ago. I will be checking again in about 15 minutes (and at 15 minute intervals for pretty much the next 4 days), so there is hope I will see another downswing in the temperature.
I have settled down significantly from the other night. Right now I am just working on logistics - reservations for parking at the airport, reservations for the dog to board, laundry, printing out all my paperwork, and making a packing list. The packing list is tricky. I am not really worried about bringing the right kinds of clothes for the run (assuming the forecast stays about the same) - shorts and a singlet. It's going to be chilly in the AM, but I will just wear a supa-fly trash bag to keep warm before I start.
As embarrassed as I am to admit this, I can't decided what shorts to wear I wore black shorts and a white singlet for the half marathon - BORING! I have two pairs of Nike Tempo shorts that I love, but I am afraid that they might cause some chafe-age. I have my loverly New Balance running skirt that is quite comfortable, but it doesn't have a pocket. Decisions, decisions. I mean, I will need all the help I can get to look cute in race pictures. My pictures from the half were pretty bad, so one of my goals (aside from completing a marathon) is to have some good snapshots.
I have settled down significantly from the other night. Right now I am just working on logistics - reservations for parking at the airport, reservations for the dog to board, laundry, printing out all my paperwork, and making a packing list. The packing list is tricky. I am not really worried about bringing the right kinds of clothes for the run (assuming the forecast stays about the same) - shorts and a singlet. It's going to be chilly in the AM, but I will just wear a supa-fly trash bag to keep warm before I start.
As embarrassed as I am to admit this, I can't decided what shorts to wear I wore black shorts and a white singlet for the half marathon - BORING! I have two pairs of Nike Tempo shorts that I love, but I am afraid that they might cause some chafe-age. I have my loverly New Balance running skirt that is quite comfortable, but it doesn't have a pocket. Decisions, decisions. I mean, I will need all the help I can get to look cute in race pictures. My pictures from the half were pretty bad, so one of my goals (aside from completing a marathon) is to have some good snapshots.
1/7/08
Pre-marathon "I'm freaking out post" #1
I have been supa-dupa calm about the upcoming marathon. People this weekend were like "wow, you are doing a marathon on Sunday. Are you nervous?" And my reply was, "no, not really." In fact, I wasn't nervous, scared, excited, or ANYTHING about it. It was just something on my calendar. A big something, but just the word "marathon!!" written in ball point, and run over by a highlighter.
I just got off the phone with my wicked awesome sister-in-law. She is an employee of Disney and she got us a wicked awesome discount to stay on site for the marathon. Well NOW I am excited (and nervous and scared). Like I hung up the phone and was bouncing off the walls. I pulled out my race information packet, looked at the course map, and muttered, "I'm going to die" to my husband. He said all the right reassuring things to me. What a good man, that Hubs of mine.
**I am also on my second (or third?) glass of wine, so that is my excuse for typing the word "like" as many times as I did in this post
I just got off the phone with my wicked awesome sister-in-law. She is an employee of Disney and she got us a wicked awesome discount to stay on site for the marathon. Well NOW I am excited (and nervous and scared). Like I hung up the phone and was bouncing off the walls. I pulled out my race information packet, looked at the course map, and muttered, "I'm going to die" to my husband. He said all the right reassuring things to me. What a good man, that Hubs of mine.
**I am also on my second (or third?) glass of wine, so that is my excuse for typing the word "like" as many times as I did in this post
1/1/08
Happy New Year
Here's to a happy, healthy 2008!My New Year's Eve was absolutely nothing like the photo to the left. I was asleep by 10:30. I vaguely remember saying "Happy New Year" when the Hubs came to bed at 12:30. I also remember asking about the outcome of the Peach Bowl. EXCUSE ME, The Chick-Fil-A Bowl. I love and adore the Chick-Fil-A chicken biscuit. That, plus a Coke, make up one of the best breakfasts ever. But it's the Peach Bowl.
On the running front, things are going as well as possible. I got a Forerunner 205 for Christmas, and as I suspected, having a new running toy is a great motivator to get out and run. I have been wanting to put it on my dog so that we can find out just how fast he runs when he does what we call "the puppy run" or "the butt tuck run."
For the most part, I am in self-preservation mode - stay healthy enough to still be excited about doing the marathon. I am not going to get the finish time that I was hoping for six weeks ago, but it should still be fun. Twenty-six-point-two of fun!
More to follow soon. I have an exciting day of sitting on the couch watching football planned.
12/21/07
3.34 miles today, in about 40 minutes, and maybe 4 minutes of that was walk/let the dog do his business breaks. I've figured out that around the 2.5 mile mark is when my knee either stops hurting somewhat, or I have just gotten used to the pain and I don't notice it anymore. Everyone has told me about the adrenaline on race day and how that really helps. I am very much looking forward to the adrenaline thing.
On either tomorrow or Sunday I am shooting for 17 or 18 miles (how's that for a rock-solid training schedule). I was supposed to do 22 tomorrow, but that was on the original training plan, and that has just gone out the window. I have no idea how long it will take, but I am going to be uber-diligent (how do I make umlauts to put over the word uber?) about taking it s-l-o-w and taking walking breaks. I'm not thrilled about slowing down, but I think it is the only way.
On either tomorrow or Sunday I am shooting for 17 or 18 miles (how's that for a rock-solid training schedule). I was supposed to do 22 tomorrow, but that was on the original training plan, and that has just gone out the window. I have no idea how long it will take, but I am going to be uber-diligent (how do I make umlauts to put over the word uber?) about taking it s-l-o-w and taking walking breaks. I'm not thrilled about slowing down, but I think it is the only way.
12/18/07
Igleseias of Patellus
I ran 6 whole miles today. Well, actually 5.84 whole miles, but I am rounding up. The knee hurt pretty bad for the first two miles, but then it felt okay - it hurt when I was done, but it wasn't excruciation while I was running. I ran 30 minutes, stopped and stretched for about three minutes, and then headed back home. My time for the return trip was about 31 minutes, so I kept my pace about the same. I was giddy.
Towards the end of my run I was thinking about what to write on my blog about the run today. I started to make up a Patron Saint to thank for my healthier knee. His name was to be "Igleseias of Patellus." WELL, turns out there is already a Patron Saint for stiff joints (Werenfridus, who gets cool points because of his supa-awesome name), and a Patron Saint of Knee Diseases, Roch. Look at his statue, he's showing off his spectacular knee. He must be a busy Saint. Check out the rest of his patronage:
Towards the end of my run I was thinking about what to write on my blog about the run today. I started to make up a Patron Saint to thank for my healthier knee. His name was to be "Igleseias of Patellus." WELL, turns out there is already a Patron Saint for stiff joints (Werenfridus, who gets cool points because of his supa-awesome name), and a Patron Saint of Knee Diseases, Roch. Look at his statue, he's showing off his spectacular knee. He must be a busy Saint. Check out the rest of his patronage:
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bachelors; Barano, Italy; Castropignano, Italy; cholera; Constantinople; diseased cattle; dogs; epidemics; falsely accused people; invalids; Istanbul; knee problems; Labico, Italy; Orsogna, Italy; Patricia, Italy; plague; Pozzi, Italy; relief from pestilence; Rocca Priora, Italy; diocese of Tagbilaran, Philippines; skin diseases; skin rashes; Subic Bay Freeport, Philippines; surgeons; tile makers
12/14/07
A run on gameday
I got in four good miles this morning. It took about 47:00, and that includes about 5ish minutes of walk breaks. I have discovered that if I get a little more bounce out of my right knee, the left knee hurts less on my footstrike. While I love the relief this "technique" brought me, I realize that it can't be good for the right knee to do so much, and it's probably not a reasonable option for a whole 26.2.
In other news, it's gameday! The Mountaineers have made it back to the Championship for the third time in as many years, and as luck would have it, my hometown happens to be the host town for the event. And I will be working the game too. So not only do I get a primo seat in the press box out of the cold, I get paid to be there! The downside to this is that, despite the fact that my crew is closed off in teeny booth, I will still have to display some professionalism and not cheer - technically I am working for the host school, and this is technically a neutral site. I also won't get to do any tailgating, but I might get a chance after my production meeting to bum a beer off of some generous fan in the parking lot.
In other news, it's gameday! The Mountaineers have made it back to the Championship for the third time in as many years, and as luck would have it, my hometown happens to be the host town for the event. And I will be working the game too. So not only do I get a primo seat in the press box out of the cold, I get paid to be there! The downside to this is that, despite the fact that my crew is closed off in teeny booth, I will still have to display some professionalism and not cheer - technically I am working for the host school, and this is technically a neutral site. I also won't get to do any tailgating, but I might get a chance after my production meeting to bum a beer off of some generous fan in the parking lot.
12/12/07
Maybe a little movtivation (and rest) can go a long way
I just got back from a run jog shuffle glorified walk. On second thought, it was more shuffle than walk. But I did it. I did a run/walk ratio of about 8 minutes:3 minutes. The knee hurt pretty much from the get-go, but not like it did two and a half weeks ago. I put the knee strap thing on and that seemed to help a bit. It did start to slide down a few times, so I may invest in a full-on knee sleeve thingy. 27:00, and I covered a whopping 2.3 miles of ground.
I also figured out that I could run and NOT bend my left knee and it doesn't hurt at ALL. That is probably is not the best idea, although the sight of me running and swinging my left leg out to the side on each stride is probably pretty funny. Also, if you try to run like that and you have a 90 pound dog running next to you, you may very well trip yourself and the dog. Twice.
BUT maybe the most encouraging aspects of today's workout are that 1) my knee isn't hurting post-run and 2) By the end of the run, I felt good enough to go a bit longer (although I opted out of that - I don't want to push to much today).
I have been quite down in the dumps about this situation for the last two weeks. Family is slated to be there for the race and I have already put so much into it. I felt like I had come so far in my training and then WHAM, this hit me hard. After my short, painful treadmill time at the Y last week, I had almost decided that I would have to cancel the marathon.
Last week my neighbor and good friend Becky went to see her mom do a half-marathon. Also doing the full marathon that day was a friend of hers who had injured herself about a month out from the race. She went to the doctor and he told her he could fix it then, or she could try to finish the marathon and he would take care of it post-race. Well, she changed up her routine, did a little less running, more ellipticall-ing, and she was able to finish the marathon. She had to take it slow, and walk 7 miles of the course, but she did it.
I know that my injury may be different, but it was a great story for me to hear. It led to many self-pep talks on the run today about how I am doing this for myself (not the people coming to see the race, although I do appreciate their support), that I have done WAY too much to justify giving up at this point, and how much I miss being able to eat whatever I want and not worry about the calories.
I obviously am not going to be able to do my scheduled run of 20 miles on Saturday. And I won't be able to do the 22-miler scheduled for the 22nd. But I am going to make this work somehow. Besides, on race day "did not finish" has to be better than "did not start."
I also figured out that I could run and NOT bend my left knee and it doesn't hurt at ALL. That is probably is not the best idea, although the sight of me running and swinging my left leg out to the side on each stride is probably pretty funny. Also, if you try to run like that and you have a 90 pound dog running next to you, you may very well trip yourself and the dog. Twice.
BUT maybe the most encouraging aspects of today's workout are that 1) my knee isn't hurting post-run and 2) By the end of the run, I felt good enough to go a bit longer (although I opted out of that - I don't want to push to much today).
I have been quite down in the dumps about this situation for the last two weeks. Family is slated to be there for the race and I have already put so much into it. I felt like I had come so far in my training and then WHAM, this hit me hard. After my short, painful treadmill time at the Y last week, I had almost decided that I would have to cancel the marathon.
Last week my neighbor and good friend Becky went to see her mom do a half-marathon. Also doing the full marathon that day was a friend of hers who had injured herself about a month out from the race. She went to the doctor and he told her he could fix it then, or she could try to finish the marathon and he would take care of it post-race. Well, she changed up her routine, did a little less running, more ellipticall-ing, and she was able to finish the marathon. She had to take it slow, and walk 7 miles of the course, but she did it.
I know that my injury may be different, but it was a great story for me to hear. It led to many self-pep talks on the run today about how I am doing this for myself (not the people coming to see the race, although I do appreciate their support), that I have done WAY too much to justify giving up at this point, and how much I miss being able to eat whatever I want and not worry about the calories.
I obviously am not going to be able to do my scheduled run of 20 miles on Saturday. And I won't be able to do the 22-miler scheduled for the 22nd. But I am going to make this work somehow. Besides, on race day "did not finish" has to be better than "did not start."
12/7/07
Home again, home again, jiggity-jog
I don't know what jiggity-jog means, but my dad used to always say that when we returned home from a long trip.
I will more than likely add that long, drawn-out, next-time-with-feeling version of this later, but for now here is the quickie.
Still no running, but the knee does feel much better. I am going to try tomorrow, with some new shoe inserts and a patella support strap thingie.
I have been at my parents' house for the last 5 days helping my dad (Joe Nightengale, Male Nurse, as he referred to himself) take care of my mother. She is at home after having had a knee replacement last Monday. It was a very stressful and emotional trip, and I am now selfishly glad to be 200 miles away, in the comfort of my own home.
I will more than likely add that long, drawn-out, next-time-with-feeling version of this later, but for now here is the quickie.
Still no running, but the knee does feel much better. I am going to try tomorrow, with some new shoe inserts and a patella support strap thingie.
I have been at my parents' house for the last 5 days helping my dad (Joe Nightengale, Male Nurse, as he referred to himself) take care of my mother. She is at home after having had a knee replacement last Monday. It was a very stressful and emotional trip, and I am now selfishly glad to be 200 miles away, in the comfort of my own home.
12/1/07
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