Recap & Revamp (Aka a bit long whiney blog post :))

My goodness, I feel like every time I get one step forward this year, I then get knocked completely on my behind! 

Case in point:

To combat the pain I've been having in my right knee, I started seeing a personal trainer at the beginning of April. We are focusing on my hips, glutes, and core, as those areas seem to cause most of my instability, bad form, and other issues which lead to extra stress on my lower legs and joints. I felt like we were making some progress by the end of April, but the knee pain wasn't going away. They sent me to see the muscle activation specialist on April 29th and that is when it all went down hill. 

She apparently tweaked something in my lower back which caused a muscle spasm which irritated a nerve and made my right leg and arm go numb/tingly for a few days. Pretty scary and ended up in a few visits to the doctor and taking anti-inflammatory medication with steroids which made me sick for a week. 

That was one really frustrating week and I was looking forward to getting back into the groove the following week. Unfortunately over the weekend I rolled my foot and got a minor sprain. I ran on it Monday/Tuesday and had GREAT runs but lots of pain and definitely made it worse. I took 5 days off and was hoping to again, get back into the groove this week.

Monday and Tuesday I had good indoor runs and a good session with the personal trainer, even tho I’m still frustrated with that as most of the things he asks me to do don’t seem to be helping. I have 2 sessions left with him this month and then I’m going to just be done… enough money spent and although I’ve learned a lot, I don’t feel like any of my issues have improved or been fixed so I’ll try something new.

But I digress… so Monday/Tuesday were ok, then I had a horrible run on Wednesday. Couldn’t figure out what was wrong and then realized, o joy, female issues. I was miserably sick at work that day and took yesterday as a rest day. Went for a jog with  Lukas this morning and after 1 good mile, my knee started hurting so I just walked another 1.2 to finish our lap around the reservoir.

On top of that unexplained knee pain, my left shin has really been bothering me lately. I haven't been using my VFFs to run, so I can't blame them this year. I stretch, foam roll, use my calf sleeves, tape my shins, tape my arches, take time off... nothing makes them happy. So yea... let's throw that onto the list lol. 

I feel like I just can’t get a break and it frustrates me to no end. But then I think of all those awesome athletes who have had accidents and come back stronger and even learn to run again with artificial limbs… and I know I need to shut up and get over it, my issues are pretty minor in comparison for sure. But hey, this is my blog… so I’ll whine a little… but try not to let it get me down in the long run.

The only good thing that has come from basically 5 cruddy months of not much running is that I’ve spent a lot of time on the treadmill and have gotten faster. 2 miles on pavement makes my knee hurt but the treadmill doesn’t, so we have learned to tolerate each other.

This week I set a new treadmill PR at 8:30/mile on Monday. Then on Tuesday I knocked that down to 8:26/mile. Felt pretty awesome! I can run 9 – 9.30 min miles outside without having to super push/sprint and I really feel, if I could get over this knee pain, that I can get my half marathon time down quite a bit from last year. There is just that minor issue of only being able to run 2 miles before the pain sets in… bah.

So there is the recap, whining, and a PR to lighten it up at the end. Now comes the revamp… what am I going to do about it?

2 more sessions with the trainer, hoping to get some more exercises to do at home so I can build on what I’ve learned from him. He has been great, but just 1x a week isn’t going to make miracles happen so I need to keep building on that.

I may  join the gym by our house because I definitely see now that strength training is something I should have started 2 years when we started running, if I wanted running to be a longterm activity for me. Although it doesn’t have any cool classes and I definitely get enough cardio time in on my lunch break at work, the gym by us does have good weight equipment and lots of free weights so hopefully I can convince myself to do that 3x’s a week and really focus on building up my core/hips/glutes and getting stronger.

I really don’t know what else I can do for my knee. I swear it isn’t IT Band issues because it doesn’t act like ITBS has for me in the past… so I’m really at a loss. Doctor has no clue, physical therapist has no clue, and personal trainer has no clue. They all say the same: Stretch, roll, strength train – so I guess I’ll keep focusing on that for the rest of the month and see where I end up. 

Anyway... if I can run 2-3 miles without pain, I'm going to stick to that on top of strength training. I really miss long runs of 5-10 miles but maybe with luck and lots of work I'll get there again this year and who knows... maybe my goal of a half or full marathon in Rehoboth again this year in December will be attainable!

Think positive right? :-p

Phunt 50k (25 k & 11k options) (belated post)

(oops... just realized I forgot to publish this post a couple months ago! :))
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This past Saturday Lukas and I ran the Phunt trail race with friends of ours from work. The Trail Dawgs, a local trail running group in our area, put on this awesome FREE trail race every year - aided by volunteers and donations (food and water from the runners participating). There is also a food drive for the PA and DE food banks and any monetary donations go to charity too ~ very cool.

The main Phunt is a 50k ~ 2 loops in the Fair Hill State Natural Area in northeastern Maryland. There is a 25k option ~ one loop, and a 11k option - 5miles of the first loop and then a 2 mile cut over back to the finish/starting line.

Originally we signed up for the 25k but I had some IT Band issues during our half marathon in December so we dropped down to the 11k option. We were also super lazy for 3 weeks and didn’t start running again until last week - oops!

I've never run the trails in Fair Hill before and if I had, I probably would have given up my spot to someone else this time around. We were warned that they were hard and hilly but I had no idea what I was getting myself into! Combine my lack of preparation, knee pain from my IT Band around mile 2, and tons and tons of hills that just seemed to go up up up up and I was struggling… more than struggling, I was just WALKING lol.

In my defense… here is the elevation graph – it is a beast, espec. after not training hills at all since September! It isn't much of a defense, we were almost the last people done with the 11k lol but o well... we still made it!!

By "we" I refer to myself, my nice co-worker who was kind enough to stay with me, and her boyfriend - who waited for us a few times throughout the course to make sure we made it ok.

Where was Lukas you ask? ... Running the 25k!! Again... refer again to our lack of preparation and the elevation graph above... yep, he still successfully completed the 25k ~ longest he has ever run and espec. crazy long considering it was a hilly trail run! So proud of him!

I finished in 1:52... shameful, I know. Lukas finished in around 3:25 ... fantastic based on the circumstances and really for me, that would have been a fantastic pace I probably could not have hit with training even! (Slow me = super slow on trails = crawling up hill :))

A wake-up call ~ aka goodbye 2013 goals!

Well... all of my 2013 goals have gone down in a blaze of glory... or shall we call it "IT Band induced pain" ~ ugh. The last 5k of our December half had me in quite a bit of IT band pain on the side of my knee, so much that I was limping afterward and was super grateful for the free massage just so I could handle the 2 hour car ride home. We were pretty lazy for the rest of December which was good to rest but I didn't take that time to strengthen and stretch at all, so I still had IT band pain issues when we did the trail run in January. We tried training up for a full marathon in May but after having major issues on a 6 miler in Feb, it is now to the point that I can only run about 2-3 miles outside before the pain starts.

I am being smart about it and not pushing it ~ I gave up my marathon goal and am coming to terms with the fact that the 1/2 marathon trail option isn't going to happen either. Honestly I just want to be able to run pain-free sometime again in the near future, I don't care about races right now, I just want to get better.

To help with that, I am going to start going to see a personal trainer once a week. I definitely have muscle imbalance problems which has caused most of the issues I've had in the past 2 years and I just need to focus on strengthening up and getting rid of those problems. My weak core, glutes, and hips are sabotaging all my hard work and I'm tired of getting knocked back down by some new pain/injury/etc.

I've been pretty good the past few weeks tho and instead of being a big whiny baby, I've been using the elliptical and running a few miles on the treadmill at work. I've been able to work on speed and endurance a bit which is nice, and am keeping myself from gaining lots of extra winter weight which is good too. Also is nice to have a break in my work day even if I only get to work out 25 minutes ... better than sitting at my desk that whole extra lunch hour!

So........ more to come on the PT situation in the future. Today is my first session after work, we'll see how it goes!

The good thing about goals is they can be changed or put on hold... no freaking out, just focusing on positive things like getting stronger and running longer in the near future!

A few more running goals, just for fun ;-)

Disclaimer: I tend to obsess A LOT about running plans and goals when I'm not running and I haven't gone running since December 8th... 19 days...so yea, I'm obsessing a bit haha.

Anyway... I did think of a few fun new running goals for 2013 this week:

1. Run 1000 miles (yes, I'm singing the song in my head as I type this!)

2. Over the top goal: Run 1500 miles!!
... not going to let myself count elliptical miles nor walking the dog. Just running - treadmill, track or trail - if I'm TRYING to run then it counts :)

3. 20 mile/week challenge - I want to see how many consecutive weeks I can run 20 miles or more.

Theoretically if I run 20 miles a week for the entire year, I will hit goal #1 - so we'll see how this goes. According to my marathon training plan, I should hit 20+ miles 18 out of 21 weeks between Jan and end of May ... so that is a pretty good way to keep myself on track for the first 5 months. I'll keep you updated ;-)

Anyone reading this have any good or funny goals they are striving for in 2013? Please share!! :)

2013 ~ Goal Review ~ 30 by 30 recap

30 Before 30 Bucket List - Progress Check:

Exercise Goals

1. Run a 5-k in 30 minutes or less - Already achieved this on the treadmill, still hoping for an outside PR of 30 or less tho!

2. Run a 10-k in 60 minutes or less

3. Run a half marathon in 2.5 hours or less

       Rehoboth Beach Seashore Half Marathon - 12/8/2012 - 2:26:40

4. Run a marathon in 5 hours or less

5. Meet my goal weight by 29th Birthday and stick to it for a year – unless I am preggers

         Don't worry about the # but focus on getting fitter and eating healthier!

Travel Goals

6. Go see another Broadway show with Lukas in NYC
       Wicked in DC

7. Go to French-speaking Canada

8. Go to Boston/Salem

9. Hike part of the Appalachian Trail

10. Beach vacation with Lukas
      5th Anniversary in Ocean City, MD - overnight at the beach, kayaking, swimming - good times :)

Crafting Goals

11. Free motion quilt a lap sized quilt

12. Learn to do needle turned applique

13. Finish a queen sized quilt for our bed
      Pinky has been deemed a bed quilt - she is queensized and beautiful :)

14. Sew a skirt
       Maxi skirt at Sewing Summit

15. Sew a shirt or dress

Misc. Creative Goals

16. Re-learn basic cords and notation on my guitar

17. Start Mandolin/Banjo lessons (still undecided which)
      Probably not going to happen due to time and $ constraints but still funny to see it was a goal ;-)

18. Take a dance class with Lukas

19. Learn to cook more recipes/meals
      Chili, Calzones, Enchillada Casserole, Corn chowder - good start so far!

20. Bake a YUMMY cheesecake – with a spring form pan (oooo fancy! ;-))
       Oreo cheesecake cupcakes in a cupcake pan, way better than springform ;-)

Personal Habits to establish/achieve
Totally failing here - need to work on this in 2013!

21. Read the BOM/Pearl of Great Price/Doctrine and Covenants beginning to end again

 July 28 2012 – July 28, 2013

22. Establish a habit of dedicated prayed morning and night – not a hurried “before I shower/fall asleep” prayer

23. Make Family Home Evening a priority with Lukas

24. Read scriptures once a day with Lukas

25. Attend the temple regularly

Other

26. Move out of our 1 bedroom apartment

27. Learn to control my personal budget

28. Practice my French by speaking/reading/writing

29. Try something random/new/exciting!

30. Have an AWESOME birthday party :)

Outside of those above goals - some big family/personal goals for 2013 in general:

1. Run our first marathon - we had 2 great 1/2 marathons in 2012 and our sights are set on Memorial Day weekend 2013 for our first full! Stay tuned!

2. Start saving more - we are hoping to eventually grow our family (scary!!) and also want to eventually buy a house ~ prob. not feasible in 2013 but still good to start saving more for both!


I like having goals - gives me something to focus on and work towards. If I don't meet them all it is no big deal - just fun to see what my goals were the year before and see what, if anything, I achieved :)

Happy 33 to Lukas and a fun 1/2 marathon to boot :)

Last week was Lukas' birthday ~ he turned 33 on Thursday! His parents were able to schedule their annual USA trip to be able to be here to celebrate with him which was wonderful. We had so much going on - I think he had a great week of celebrating with people who love him :)

On Thursday we spent a liesurely morning at home and then went out for a late lunch to the Cheesecake Factory. Lukas is in love with their strawberry lemonade - as you can tell by this picture.

Good food, good company, and plety to drink made this a memorable birthday meal for him :)

Afterward we headed up to Longwood Gardens for a nice festive stroll checking out the lights and Christmas displays. There were lots of beautiful trees and flowers and the grounds were stunning with the light and fountain displays. Here are some of the highlights:

Us with Luke's mom

Luke's parents

Pink Poinsettas... who knew?! Love them!

Poinsetta tree

Fountain show to Christmas music

My favorite Christmas tree

Christmas dinner party ~ Longwood style :)

A couple years ago they had a music room where someone played on the piano and everyone sang Christmas carols. Luke was really looking forward to that part of the evening but alas, it was not scheduled on the day we went so that was a little disappointing. All in all tho, it was a lovely day celebrating the birth of my favorite person in the whole wide world :)

Friday we headed down to Rehoboth Beach ~ it was a little chilly for a swim in December but I decided to run in the freezing water up to my calves anyway. I can't resist the pull of the ocean... atleast at this beach where I've never seen a shark or jelly fish or any other creepy thing haha. We had a good time checking out the outlets and going to dinner with his parents and then relaxed at the hotel to prepare for our big morning.

Saturday Lukas and I ran the Rehoboth Seashore Half Marathon - our goal was 2:30 and we finished in 2:26:40. I'm very happy with the time ~ it was in the mid 50s and humid and my IT bands decided they hated me around mile 9 so we did pretty awesome all things considered. It was also a lot of fun to run somewhere new in a much bigger crowd this time - 2000 people between the 1/2 and full!

Pre-race in hotel room

Walking up to the starting line behind the huge crowd

Giving one last kick for the last .1 of the race

Heading into the home stretch (those are my pink socks sticking out behind Lukas haha)

Finished - alive and well - whooooo hoooo!! :)

The official race pictures are not up yet, I may have more to share when those are posted. It was fun having Lukas' parents waiting for us and cheering at the end - having fans helps you push on to the finish line instead of falling into a pile on the ground just before you get there lol. They had a good experience checking out the race atmosphere and cheering us on too which was nice.

The race was well organized and the course was fantastic. Water stations every 2 miles approx., beautiful route through downtown Rehoboth by all the big expensive beach houses and then on into Cape Henlopen State Park on a nice flat path that was just beautiful and inspiring to run on for 3/4 of the race. I absolutely want to come back and run this one next year - 1/2 or full marathon option!

I was pretty sick for the rest of the day ~ like someone please kill me type of sick ~ so that wasn't too fun. Fortunately Luke was fine so he drove us all 2 hours back home and they hung out without me while I tried to not keel over. Not a nice way to end our last day with his folks but sometimes that is just how the cookie crumbles :-/

It was a long fun-filled week and now everything is back to business as usual and Luke's parents are safe and sound at home in snowy Germany. Winter is still holding off here, glad we didn't have a white weekend but maybe we'll get lucky enough for a white Christmas afterall!

We are taking an easy recovery week so far. My IT bands are calming down a bit and Luke's hamstring is loosening up a bit so we might go for an easy 5k before work tomorrow. No plans or major training until an 11k on the trails in January and then marathon training begins!

... The New Jersey Libery Run on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend is our next target. We'll have 20 weeks after the 11k to get ready for that beast. I'm nervous, Luke is excited, and either way we are both on board this crazy new rollercoaster... wish us luck!

**This race supports charities for Hurricane Sandy victims and other clean-up projects along the Jersey Shore. As that is where Luke has been serving the past few Saturdays as a volunteer with the Mormon Helping Hands organization through church, we thought that would be a meaningful race to participate in and a good cause for our race fees to be donated to. **

Lazy Thanksgiving & Race Countdown

What a wonderful thing 4 day weekends are! Thursday morning we woke up and went on a 7 mile trail jog to try out a new path.

It was a bit frustrating because:
1. we got super lost within the first mile
2. I had to walk a lot more than usual because I'm just not used to trail running

...but all in all we had a good time. We were hoping to do 10 miles but it took us so long to do 7 due to the above but o well, it was still a good work out and this path is a new challenge for me to eventually conquer! The path is around 6.4- 6.9 miles (the website has conflicting info so I'm not sure how long it really is)  which is a great training loop for a trail or road full marathon. It isn't super difficult but not 100% flat either so it is a small challenge as well as easier on my joints.

After our jog we got ready and headed down to my mom's for Thanksgiving lunch/dinner. My dad wasn't able to come out this year which was sad but it was nice to see my mom and spend some time with her. We ate lots of yummy food prepared by her and hung out in the basement watching tv/movies afterward. I spent the night and we had girls' craft day on Friday until Lukas came back for dinner and to pick me up. It was a great couple of days with my mom and a lovely holiday.

It was nice still having the weekend free after that to get some stuff done at home. I cleaned up a bit and put up our christmas decorations ~ not a ton of decorations since our apt. is already cluttered but it looks a little festive now at least. I also got my sewing room  a bit more organized/cleaned-up for when Lukas' parents come next week since that is also our guest room. Relaxed/lazed about the rest of the weekend which was nice.

Although we got that 7 mile run in on Thursday, last week was a major fail for training because that was the only day we went jogging! I should have gone on Saturday but Lukas was up in New Jersey for a service project to help people whose homes were damaged during the hurricane ~ and it was super cold and windy so I just had no motivation to go, especially by myself. This week is a taper week but we basically had one last week too which makes me nervous. I want to try to get another 7 mile run in this coming Saturday so I feel a little more prepared for the race next week ~ and I also need to get 3-4 days of shorter runs in too because I haven't been doing that lately and I NEED that practice to do well on the longer runs. Lazy lazy lazy ;-)

Both of us are getting headcolds tho so we stayed in our nice warm bed this morning ~ I think that is smart tho, not lazy this time. I might try to run on the treadmill during my lunch break or go for a quick jog after work if I can convince myself to go out in the cold. I'm sure Lukas will be fine for the race since he is stronger and faster than I am anyway and I'm not going to push him if he isn't feeling well. Hopefully we are both prepared enough and will have fun and a good finish ~ I can't believe it is less than 2 weeks away now!

Sharing the course map just because I like to include pictures and am obsessing over this race ;-) It will probably be cold and windy since we are down by the ocean but it looks like a nice run anyway: