Ilio What???

Iliotibial Band Syndrome--sounds kind of nasty doesn't it?? Basically, the connective tissue that runs from my hip to my knee is a little tight. Monday, I went to see Wayne for the official diagnosis. I brought my shoes along because I wanted him to evaluate my gait. I thought I was a supinator; i.e. run more on the outsides of feet. Turns out I'm closer to normal.

Heather even had us doing extra stretches for the ITB during Wednesday night yoga class, which was most helpful. :)

I ran 5 miles comfortably Tuesday & on Thursday. It feels nice to have a couple of good runs after Saturday's break down. Seems 20 miles on Saturday got the best of some of us. It's definitely taught me to be better prepared & to not take ANYTHING for granted!

Thanks everyone for your words of encouragement! See ya Saturday at Fleet Feet . :)

I Knew I Was In Trouble When . . .

I fought the urge to lie down on the grass. That was the first time that's ever happened. Now, I usually do have some pain/discomfort when I run; it either passes or I can push through it. As someone so accurately put it, it felt like someone was stabbing me in the right knee, thigh & hip with an ice pick. I kept thinking, "Run like Pre, run like Pre. . ." (he advocated running through pain) but that wasn't helping. I stopped periodically to stretch the offending part, that didn't work either. Some of you asked me if I was OK, I lied & said I was fine. I just didn't want to quit. :( Quitting would mean I was a failure. Finally, when Scotty, Anna & Matt happened by I could swallow my pride. I didn't want to keep going & cause serious injury & not go to Chicago at all. :(

What went wrong?? I didn't stretch before I took off. Plus, I hadn't done any training runs this week. I didn't properly pace myself--have to start slowly to have enough energy for a good finish. Running like Pre isn't always a good thing. But, there were some things I did right--I was better hydrated for this run; I carb-loaded the day before; & I had a good breakfast. I had extra water with me & had Clif Blocks.

I am going to be ready for 22 miles. I am not going to make the same mistakes. WE ARE MARATHONERS!!!!!!\o/

You Mean That's A Muscle???

My body has changed since January. My thighs & calves are trimmer & more muscular, understandably so; but my arms are too! The gut still needs work--that requires more "pushaways" from the dinner table. Oddly enough, I have an extra "love handle" just above my butt. Yesterday, in our 4:00 yoga class, Heather had us doing a stretch she said builds the muscle that would make our butts look like "goldfish bowls". Turns out I wasn't the only one with a "butt love handle." And what a relief when she told us it's a muscle!

To those of you who aren't at all interested in taking yoga: Y'all really need to come to these classes. It's not all about burning incense & deep breathing. Yoga is generally known as being beneficial for improving flexibility, but many of these poses provide good strengthening. Some of the poses brought tears to my eyes and my legs felt like jello afterwards, but that means I'm getting stronger. I want to be strong. :)

Happy Training Everyone!

One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer

I don't drink as much as I used to but with days like this. . .

I had to run some errands from work, one of which was renewing a bulk mail permit. I went to the local office, JUST AS THE LETTER SPECIFIED. I know the counter workers there; one in particular can be a little whiney when she doesn't want to do something outside her perceived scope of her job. So, it was NO surprise when she acted true to form. I reminded her of the address at the bottom of the letter & she said that didn't matter; the downtown office handles that. Not wanting to argue anymore, I left & went downtown. Long story short, the downtown office told me I needed to head back to the local office, which I did and after MUCH whining SHE ACTUALLY DID IT!!! Wonder of wonders!!!!!!

One of my duties includes paying the bills for the organization. Vendor checks are always due on Fridays, but I'm SO good I have them ready on Thursdays. Once checks leave my office, it's "out of sight, out of mind." So, I was clueless when people began calling looking for their checks. I call around, trying to track them down & NO ONE seems to know where they are! Now I'm wondering if I mailed them by accident which means going BACK to the post office--one of the LAST places I'd rather be. "Z" sent me an email saying Bev had picked them up earlier that day. I emailed her back & said good because I was wondering if I was losing what little mind I had left. She thought that was funny. At least I made someone happy. :D

The clock strikes 5 and I'm out the door. I live 10 mins away so there are no traffic jams to deal with & a very short commute. When I park the truck, I noticed a massive tree limb had fallen on our carport, twisting the metal like an aluminum can, which was lying on a truck which thankfully doesn't run, but Will's motorcycle was lying on its side. The tree belonged to the house next door to us. When Will contacted the owner, his attitude was basically "Sucks to be you." He told us OUR insurance coverage should take care of it. What th'???????

Really looking forward to tomorrow's run. I know many of you don't like running in Clinton, but I like it because it's sort of home for me. :) I've been too busy to hydrate today, so I'm gonna drink up (water only).

PEACE OUT!!!!!!

Let Them Eat Cake. . .

I like cake! Lots & lots of cake! I even like fruitcake. I have been craving cake for a while, so, yesterday I baked a white cake with cream cheese frosting. It's sitting in the fridge, only 2 slices consumed. Unfortunately, I'm going to be the only one eating it because Will doesn't share my fondness for cake.

It's just too durn out out therrre! I haven't been running since temps hit triple digits. Thought about getting up at 5 am to run on the "Y"'s treadmills; somehow I can't seem to get myself up on weekdays *yawn*.

Oh, thanks to all who prayed for my sister. She is home with my folks :) . I know my nephew is very glad to have his mom with him, too. My folks will celebrate 40 yrs of marriage this Thursday & my mom also turns 60 the same day. Haven't quite figured what to do for them, yet.

I'll be at "extreme Yoga" tomorrow. Stay hydrated & Happy Training! :)

Killer Yoga, Hydrating Belts, Aches & Pains

I went to the Wednesday night yoga class. Now, it wasn't my first yoga class, I was a regular at the "Y" classes for a while. But, this one's definitely more intense! For the life of me, I could NOT pull myself up on the palms of my hands and arch my butt in the air to save my life (the elevated push-up)! Can you say zip, zilch, nada upper body strength??? I never leaned THAT pose at the "Y". Must have started after I stopped going to class. . . now my abs & shoulders are sore! At least I'm standing taller. :)

Last night, I went on the hunt for a hydrating belt; unfortunately, Fleet Feet was already closed. I couldn't find one at Academy, so I headed to Sports & Co and found one in pink & gray. Yeah, that's gonna go nicely with our orange shirts we're wearing in Chi-town; but it does kind of match my shoes. I put a packet ofClif Blocks in the zipper pocket & I half-filled the H2O bottle & put it in the freezer. I am ready for Saturday!

Apparently, I had a blister on the ball of my left foot; the skin is starting to peel away and my right Achilles tendon is starting to ache again. I have abrasions on my torso from the heart monitor (forgot to use Bodyglide) & one on my left shoulder from my sports bra. I was thinking back to the "bloody nipples" talk--hope NEVER to experience that!

Hydrate or Die. . .They Weren't Kidding!

I managed to do the 18 miles very close to 5 hours. I was OK until about 10 miles. My knees seemed to "lock up" and every step was painful & I was starting to feel lightheaded.

When I got home, I did my usual routine: housework, bath, breakfast & nap. But, I didn't sleep well and my legs were stiff, plus I was starting to feel sick. However, we attended the "Butt Judging", which was a lot of fun (& GREAT food!). Thanks, Cathy & Charlie for hosting! :)

I didn't even feel well enough on Sunday to go to yoga; thankfully, today, I'm all better & even did a short run! Here's what I learned (even though Mark mentioned this already):

1. You tend to get hungry on longer runs. I was thinking of pancakes, hamburgers, looking at an empty Twinkie wrapper on the side of the road, hoping I'd find one (& I don't even like Twinkies). So, I'm going to have to carry gels, sport beans or some type of energy bar with me. The yogurt & wheat germ with a handful of blueberries I had for breakfast (no matter HOW super these foods are) wasn't enough.

2. Hydrate during the week. Unfortunately, Friday was a chaotic workday & I barely got a chance to eat lunch. I didn't drink any extra water that day at all. Won't do that again.

3. I made the mistake of drinking a small amount of White Zinfindel & thought I was going to pass out! Perhaps, I should not have mentioned this at all, but it was a sure sign that something was wrong. The Sprite went down much easier.

I will get one of those nifty hydrating belts. Happy Training Everyone! :)