Race recap: Triathlon for Hope (subtitle: I tri-ed it and I liked it!)

Whenever a running friend discovers that I swam at the collegiate level, the next question invariably is "Do you do triathlons?"  Well, now I can finally answer "Yes!"  Today I competed in the 5th annual Triathlon for Hope at Alum Creek State Park here in central Ohio.  I was part of a triathlon relay last summer (as the swimmer, of course), and I was immediately taken away by the sheer intensity and beauty of this sport.  I knew then that the question of doing a triathlon was not if, but when.  The biggest thing holding me back was the bike portion.  Road and tri bikes are extremely expensive, and while I can ride a bike, I had never done so for more than a few miles just for fun (and it had been years since I even did that).

After my forced running hiatus due to my calf strain-fracture combination injury back in late March, my sweet friend Carolyn offered me the use of her road bike.  I actually didn't take advantage of her kind offer until just five weeks ago. Since then I've logged an estimated 100-120 miles or so total on the bike, with my longest ride being 24 miles.  I'm definitely a newbie still, but I figured why not go ahead and give a tri a try!  This race really appealed to me, as it's all-women and small--a great first-time event, for sure.

I showed up to the race super-early, as I always do for races... in fact, this was the first of two things that I actually "won"--I was the first competitor in the parking lot!  (Bet you're wondering what the second thing is...well, just keep reading!)  I hadn't picked up my race packet ahead of time, so I wanted to get there early and get that taken care of, as well as figure out the transition area.  The day dawned amazingly beautiful.  We've had so many rainy days here in central Ohio, and I was beyond grateful--as were the other athletes!--that no rain was predicted for today.  We were greeted at the beach by this gorgeous sunrise.

You can't ask for better weather!  Well... maybe a bit warmer.   The air temperature was a cool 59 degrees, and due to all of the rain, the water temperature was only 68 degrees. Typically this would be a no-brainer--just wear a wet suit.  But for such a short race, it was a true quandry, again not just for me, but for the other athletes.  The majority of us went without (me included), as it would barely help in such a short race, and taking it off in transition would take too long.

Back to pre-race, though.  I got myself all set up and checked and re-checked my bike and belongings.  

Extremely proud of my set-up here!

I called my friend Erin to get my nerves calmed a bit. I walked the route from the beach to my bike, and from my bike to the "bike out" exit, memorizing how I would get from one place to the next.  I chatted with those whose bikes were racked around mine, and I was super happy to see a couple of familiar faces from my local running group.  

Connie and me, pre-race!

The time came all too quickly when we were ushered from the transition area to the beach start area, 400 yards away. 

Amazing... all of the strong, beautiful women about to race!

Pre-race sun-kissed selfie!

I started to get a teeny bit a lot bit nervous, as my awesome friends Amy and Jess were supposed to be coming to spectate, and I wanted to give them my phone before the race started.  They showed up just after the national anthem was sang, and I was super-happy for my pre-race hugs. 

I was in the second-to-last wave to start, and anxiously watched the other age groups begin their swims.  When at last it was my turn, I made sure I positioned myself at the front of the pack.  It was a water start, meaning we all waded in out to our waists and started after a short countdown.  

I am somewhere out there... maybe. Jess and Amy weren't sure which wave was mine LOL!

And we were off!  The shock of the cold water took my breath away.  I knew this would happen, but I just couldn't settle into this swim.  I dealt with the pack pretty well for the first 50 meters or so, having an overzealous kicker to my left that bothered me a bit until I got out of her wake.  My biggest concern was I just didn't feel like I could calm down enough to get into a good pattern of breathing and sighting.  

This next part is going to make me sound very conceited.  I don't mean to, though... so, I was not expecting to have to contend with many people at the start of my swim. I am a very strong swimmer, and felt that my training pace with Carrie would be more than sufficient to lead the swim based on last year's results.  When, after about 100 meters, there was still several people around me and (gasp!) even a few people in front of me, I was taken aback, and started to feel a bit down.  I immediately got mad at myself for letting these silly thoughts get into my head, and tried to just focus on my own stroke and the yellow buoys at the end of the swim.  I felt strong, but I couldn't relax.  My heart was racing and I honestly was just wanting the swim to end.  So funny, as this is my strongest leg for sure!  I ended up with a split of 7:19.3 for the quarter-mile swim, which wasn't even good enough for top 10 overall, although it would've been the fastest swim split a year ago.  Just goes to show me that you can't really judge a race by last year's results!  

I remembered my friend Jen's husband's advice about the end of the swim, to keep swimming until my hands were grabbing sand.  So even when people around me were walking, I just kept swimming until I touched sand with my fingers.  I then quickly exited the water and took a few slow breaths as I started an easy jog up the beach into the transition area. Sometimes I get dizzy after a swim, so I was cautious but felt good, even though my heart was still racing a mile a minute.  I was able to quickly find my bike and get prepped for stage 2 of the race.  The transition went swimmingly... in fact, this is the other thing that I "won"... I (along with two other women) had the fastest T1 transition times (1:19.5) for the race!  Pretty proud of this, especially for my first tri!  I had mentally rehearsed my transition dozens of times so I knew what to do.  

The bike was the best part of the race for me, hands down. From start to finish, I felt good.  I knew I was biking well without having to push the pace too hard.  I passed a few people, and was passed by more than a few people.  I just felt totally at ease.  This will come as no surprise to my running friends: I met a friend on the bike!  After passing another rider and having her pass me back, we started to talk a bit about the race.  I was so excited when I realized she also didn't clip in (use cycling shoes).  A man who was out on a training ride buzzed by us at one point.  "Wow, I thought that was one fast chick!" I yelled back to her.  We took turns complimenting the other riders on the course--both those who passed us and those who we passed.  Most were very kind in their responses, although I feel like the speedier ones who were whizzing by us were a bit taken aback by our praise.  Again, for me this part of the race was just plain fun. I didn't even mind the huge hill at the end--not too much at least!  It's helped that I've biked this course six or seven times now, so I'm very familiar with it.  My split for the bike stage was 43:49.0, which is about 17 mph--a bit faster than I've ever rode before.  Pretty happy with that!  I was in the top 25 for the bike.  As a few friends have mentioned to me, this isn't too shabby for someone who literally just started to ride, is on a borrowed bike, and doesn't clip in. This is definitely the stage where I have the most room for improvement time-wise, but I loved every part of it anyway.

Getting ready to dismount...

...and almost falling LOL!

The results didn't record a time for T2, but I think was pretty speedy here too, as all I had to do is rack my bike and put my helmet on the ground, as I was already wearing my running shoes.  I headed out of the transition area and felt pretty good. I downed a cup of water as I hadn't taken the time to drink on the ride. 

Grinning for Amy and Jess... and yelling that my butt hurt from the bike!

Within about two-tenths of a mile, I realized that this was going to be a tough run for me.  My calf felt tight.  Super tight.  Tight... like I felt it was going to just pop again.  Not good.  I decided the best thing to do was to simply relax and run.  I knew that pushing the pace could result in another injury, so I did something I've never done in a race: I held back.  I did it out of fear, but also out of preservation.  I knew that if my calf did tear again, I'd be limping the rest of the race.  So I breathed and I prayed.  I prayed a lot!  I asked God to please let my calf not cramp up.  I bargained with Him, promising I'd take off a week, two weeks from running... just to please let me make it through this race!  At times I'd try to go a bit faster, and I immediately would feel the pressure in my leg and pull back again.  It just wasn't my day to run fast, and I needed to realize this.  

I was so happy to see my friend Erin at the half-mile mark of the race.  I knew she was going to try to make it to the race after the class she taught, but I hadn't seen her yet and wasn't sure if she'd found a way to get to the race.  I smiled my best for her, despite the way I was feeling. 

 It was honestly the longest two-mile run of my life.  I was so happy to see the one-mile turn-around at the top of the dam, and even happier to run by Erin again with a half-mile to go. 

 It was very difficult to not push myself for the final stretch of the race.  When I felt a runner passing me with only a few yards to go, I wanted to scream, "I am faster than this!  I just can't risk my stupid calf exploding!" 

I was ever so grateful to see the finish arch and my smiling friends Amy and Jess there to give me hugs again.  My run split was 17:27.8, good enough for 6th overall among all of the runners.  This is a pace (8:43/mile) at which I am able to run quite comfortably during training with my friends, though, so I know I have so much more in me.  

My final overall time for the triathlon was a 1:09:18.  I ended up in 8th place overall out of 150 triathletes, and 4th in my age group.  I was actually only five seconds away from the 2nd place finisher in my age group, who won the AG award (since the top finisher in my AG was 2nd overall).  The woman who whizzed by me at the finish was actually 3rd place in my age group--she beat me by two seconds.  I can't help but play the "what if" game... as in, what if my calf hadn't given me fits... but I know this is a silly game and doesn't help me become stronger mentally or physically.  So I'll just say that I am pleased with the results of my first-ever triathlon. I can't help but want to sign up for another one immediately!  I know what I need to do though, and that isn't to race... it's to rest this dumb calf and continue with my PT exercises to strengthen my glutes.  There is, however, an open-water swim competition in a couple of weeks, and I am probably going to enter this, as I feel it is one area I really can improve on (being comfortable swimming in a big group).  I am going to continue to swim and bike and hopefully get back to running again in a couple of weeks--I've gotta make the most of the final six weeks of summer break!

Race, race, race-ity race!

15 weeks. It's been 15 weeks, or almost 4 months, since I last donned a bib to race.  I've gone longer, yes, but with not getting to race my spring full, and not doing a 5K on the 4th of July as I typically do, for some reason it feels like it's been ages. 

Well, this Saturday that will change!  I won't be wearing a bib, though--rather, a "multi-sport timing band" and body markings.  It's triathlon time, my friends!  Seeing as this is my first tri, I don't have the nervousness that a big race usually brings on.  I honestly have no clue what to expect.  I mean, I know the distances, and I have done the course.  But all bets are off on race day when I'll be swimming, biking and running alongside 200 other women at the Triathlon for Hope. It's a mini-sprint, which just means that it's shorter than a typical sprint tri.  The distances are 0.25-mile swim, 12-mile bike, and 2-mile run.  The swim is just a short lap up the beach at Alum Creek, where I've been doing my open water training swims. 

Sunrise swim--even better than a sunrise run!

 I've been lucky to get there several times over the past couple of weeks.  I love meeting my friend Carrie there; I've known her since we were 9 or 10 years old through age group swimming.  It's great to swim with someone at my pace, as typically most triathletes are weaker in the swim. 

Carrie and me after an early morning swim at Alum

I've done the 12-mile bike loop about five times now (twice yesterday with Carrie!), so I'm pretty comfortable with the route.  It has a nice 5 mile flat stretch in the middle, and a not-so-nice quarter-mile long "grade 6" (whatever that means) hill at mile 10.5.  Yesterday Carrie showed me the run route.  It's actually going to be my first semi-trail race, as the first and last half-mile is on a gravel path. 

It's ironic as I consider myself a seasoned runner, but the run part is what is worrying me the most.  I've kept quiet about this on Facebook, but last Sunday with a just a half-mile left in my 12-mile long run, I strained my left calf muscle.  Yes, the LEFT one, the "good leg".  I felt a twinge deep inside and then a little snap in my soleus muscle on my inner calf.  I knew what it was immediately, and stopped Paige and Andrea. We walked (well, I half-hobbled) up the hill back to the parking lot, all the while with me lamenting about my awful luck.  Lamenting is putting it mildly.  The "f" word was used profusely.  I just don't get it... I barely am recovered from my last strain and now another one???  The annoying thing is that there was no lead-up to this.  There are two things I could possibly pinpoint as signs:  one, my left calf is always really tight after I ride; and two, I'd been feeling "off" in my runs (it would take me forever to warm up, and my easier pace just didn't feel as easy as it used to).  However, while it did take me awhile to feel good during my run last Sunday, my calf was not giving me any trouble at all... which is why the pop I felt was so surprising, and of course upsetting.  

I wasn't planning on going to go to my sports med doctor (why pay a $20 co-pay when you know what is wrong with you and how to treat it?), but decided that if I saw him, he likely would recommend physical therapy.  I needed to see someone who could tell me the reason behind all of these injuries (five in 12 months, as my friend Erin pointed out), and I knew a PT would be the best person to analyze my body and help figure things out.  So, into MaxSports I went last Tuesday, and out I went after 25 minutes with my diagnosis (as expected, an acute calf strain, likely grade 1, which means least severe) and a script for physical therapy.  I was evaluated by a PT at MaxSports Westerville on Wednesday, and met with the resident "runner" PT on Thursday.  My friend Lynn who is a PT as well met with me on Wednesday evening and did a thorough evaluation of how my body is moving and using the different muscles.  The final verdict was agreed upon: I have a weak butt.  That's the short version of the story, but basically, I am not using my glutes when I am running or doing strength work (like squats).  My calves are taking on all of the work, hence the reason why they continue to get injured.  The plan is to do strengthening exercises to activate these never-used muscles, and in doing so, they will start to take over when I am running.  I've been doing these religiously twice a day, and I'm hoping they are doing their job.

Not yet, but hopefully soon!

Meanwhile, I have been taking it very easy with my existing injury.  I took off two days from everything, and then just did some swimming and biking over the past week.  I did run an easy mile after our long ride yesterday, and I felt okay... just okay.  My calf is always tight after I ride, so it was hard to say how the injured leg was doing, but it was at least run-able.  I plan on one more short, easy run this week before my triathlon, and of course swimming and biking.  I know I can muscle through the two-mile run at the end of the tri.  After the race, I will reevaluate things and see where I am at and how I feel. Joe and I have a quick two-day getaway planned next Sunday/Monday, so that will force me to at least rest a bit. 

I can't say I'm not upset about the way things have turned out.  I can't say I didn't hope to run a marathon this fall. Because I did.  I really did.  I knew I could build up to the miles that I needed... the question was, would I have the speed to BQ?  Now I'll never know, because I'm throwing in the towel.  It needs to be thrown in, it does... but it doesn't make it any easier.  If my triathlon goes well, I may schedule another (hopefully longer) one before the end of the summer.  And I'm tentatively thinking of running a half in November with my cousin, pacing her to her PR (which should be a relatively easy pace for me).  But as far as running races goes... I think I'm out til spring, and that hurts.  I am back in the stages of grief again, where I waffle daily between anger and depression.  Swimming and biking just don't give me the same endorphin rush as running does, so while I'm lucky I can do these things, it isn't helping with my frame of mind. 

My thoughts when people say "At least you can swim and bike..."

I honestly didn't mean for this blog entry to turn into a pity party, but I suppose it did.  I am sure that by the time Saturday rolls around I will be ready to push through and enjoy my first tri!  No true goals other than to make it through without mishap (no bike problems, goggle issues, or calf injury, please!).  Race recap will follow :)

Summertime training

The top perk of being a teacher = summer vacation.  Man, do I love summer!  I'm just about the laziest endurance athlete you've ever met.  I do my workouts super-early in the morning before my mind is even awake so that I have no chance to procrastinate about doing them later on.  The rest of the day, I prefer to do pretty much nothing if given the chance.  Truthfully, I usually end up doing some laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc. but most of my days are pretty low-key.  My kids don't have a ton of scheduled activities in the summer.  Charlotte is on the swim team, which involves practice every weekday morning and meets on Wednesday nights, but none of the other kiddos have any big commitments.  

Charlotte at one of her meets.  Seeing her swim makes my heart super-happy!

Oh, Joey has soccer camp 1-2 nights a week, but it's spread out through the summer and it's no big deal if we don't make it.  So the first couple of weeks of summer vacation were filled with Safety City for the twins and Vacation Bible School for the older two, but now we've settled into our chillaxed summer, where the days run together.  We are such a go-go-go family during the school year that I think we all need the summer to be unscheduled.

My summertime training schedule, on the other hand, is very heavy!  Now that I've taken on the task of training for my first triathlon, I am doing double-workouts several days a week in order to fit in all three sports.  I would never be able to do this kind of training during the school year, so I'm very grateful that as a teacher I can fit it in.  Not only do I need to do the workouts for tri training, but also I know all of the cross-training is only helping my running.

Here is what my schedule has shaped up to look like:

Monday: bike. I can fit in anywhere from 13-18 miles on Mondays before hubby has to leave for work.  I do this solo, and typically ride a big loop around Westerville or do an out-and-back on the Westerville/Genoa bike path.  I take this ride slower, just working on feeling comfortable and working out the kinks from my Sunday long run.  I also typically do BodyPump at DK Fitness on Monday evenings.  I'm sooooo happy to be back to doing Pump again!  I always feel a bit sore for the day or two after a class, which is proof to me that my muscles are continuing to get stronger.

Tuesday: run & swim.  I start out with an early 5-mile run.  I like to keep this run on the easier side.  My favorite Tuesday partners are my MIT girls; they are great at making my legs slow down a bit.  I always love our runs together!  

Look at Steph Harless rocking the 36-week preggo belly at a recent run!

After I run, I usually head over to the rec center for about 45 minutes in the pool.  I try to get some hard yards in, since this is a shorter workout and the run is easy.

Wednesday: bike & run.  Shorter bike ride this day (around 8-10 miles), so I push the pace a bit more on this ride.  I follow it up with a 4-5 mile run at the "late" hour of 7 AM. I've ran with Allison for the past two Wednesday runs, and we are both bad at keeping the pace easy, but I love our runs together so much!  

For me, I've found that when I run immediately after I bike, I have trouble keeping my pace in the 9's.  It's weird; my legs feel super heavy but they can't run slow!  My chiropractor (who I see each Wednesday) is a triathlete and told me this is very common.  

Thursday: rest day.  I reserve Thursdays for doing nothing. I am working very hard to stay true to the rest day!

Friday: run & strength class.  I meet a few friends to run about 4 comfy-paced miles super-early before our 5:30 AM strength class.  The class is specifically designed for runners to improve on strength and explosiveness.  It's put on by Marie Miller, who is the personal trainer who also leads the core class that I love on Sunday mornings.  I signed up to do the class for 12 weeks (basically, my entire summer vacation). I've found the hardest part so far to be the plyometric exercises--anything involving jumping!  

Saturday: swim & bike.  I did my first "open water swim followed by bike" brick a couple of weeks ago with some fellow triathletes at Alum Creek (45 min swim plus 18 miles on the bike).  So much fun!  I'm planning on doing the same thing most weekends if possible.   

Sunday: long run.  I'm working to increase my weekly miles by increasing my long run.  I did 10 miles last weekend and plan on 12 this weekend, and then I'll do a drop-back week where my miles will go down.  I want to get my weekly miles up to the 30-mile range before I add any true speed work back in.  I miss core class on Sundays, but since I am taking up Saturday mornings with brick workouts, I can't ask too much of my hubby as far as time away, so core class has been one area where I've slacked off.

Sunday Run-day... love running with both of these ladies!

So that is how my weeks are shaping up.  Obviously, there are times when things change.  Last week it was pouring on Wednesday morning, so my bike ride became an easy 4 miles.  The beach was closed on Saturday due to high water so I headed to the pool for a workout.  I'm flexible, for the most part :)

The other thing that's changed is my triathlon goal.  I decided that August 2nd was too long to wait, so I registered for a mini sprint tri at Alum Creek on July 11th--just over 2 weeks from now!  I was especially attracted to this race as it is an all-female triathlon.  It is very short (0.25 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 2 mile run).  The race will probably take me around 1 hour and 15-20 minutes to complete.  I am super excited to begin my foray into triathlons with this race. I have a few friends doing it as well, and likely will have a few friends there cheering as well.  I still may do the race on August 2nd, depending on how my first race goes and also what's going on with my running.  For now, I have some studying to do... I need to figure out transitions and a ton of other tri-specific stuff! Good thing YouTube is so helpful, and of course I have the time... again, yay for summer!!!

Year 3 is in the books! A "10 Things" list to celebrate!

Happy run-iversary to me, happy run-iversary to me...

Three years ago today, I laced up my brand-spanking-new pair of Asics that I'd spent a cool $50 on at Kohl's and headed out for Week 1, Day 1 of Couch-to-5K (this was a 5 minute warm-up walk, then 60 seconds of running alternating with 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes).  I felt so awesome to actually be out and DOING something!  True to form for me, just six weeks later I was sidelined with my first running injury, a stress fracture in my left fibula.  I restarted the program at week 1, day 1 in early September after letting the fracture fully heal, but I will always consider June 15th my official "run-iversary," the day I decided to give this running thing a try.  Obviously, the rest is history when it comes to me and running.  I've ran in five 5K's, one 4-miler, one quarter-marathon, seven half-marathons (including the one when I blacked out and collapsed at mile 11--a DNF but I count it nonetheless), two 15-mile races, and two full marathons.  

I could spend this blog entry talking about many things--what running means to me, the friends I've made, the races I've ran.  Instead, I came up with a fun idea--10 things that most people do not know about me as a runner.  So, drum roll please...

10 Things You May (or May Not!) Know 

about Runner-Marcie!

1) I simply must have gum in my mouth when I'm running.  I started chewing gum about a year ago, when a few friends chided me for carrying water during a 5K race.  "You don't need to do that!" they said.  "It's only just over 20 minutes, you'll be fine!"  My handheld Nathan bottle was my security blanket, though.  When I tried to run without it, I would find my mouth to be incredibly dry.  To alleviate this, I tried running with gum one day, and now I feel extremely weird (and suffer from an awful dry mouth!) if I run without gum.  If you're interested, my gum of choice is Orbit sweet mint :)

I do not blow bubbles, however :)

2) My most favorite piece of running equipment is my pink FlipBelt.  Not my Garmin watch, not my shoes, not my BondiBands (headbands).  I bought my FlipBelt shortly after I started running as a way to carry my ginormous Samsung Galaxy phone.  I love that it holds my phone, my gels, Biofreeze packets, extra gum (see #1), chapstick, etc.  It is comfy and doesn't ever bother me.  I wear it around my hips and it seriously is super comfy.  I let my friend Jess borrow it for her most recent race and I missed it so much for the week that she had it!  I now use it on my bike rides too :)

3) My first race after finishing the Couch-to-5K program was the Hot Chocolate 5K in November 2012.  My best friend Elizabeth and I ran this race together.  I started out too fast and died, and she blew by me at the finish and promptly retired her racing shoes.  I always tell people that you can go in two directions once you run a race--you can be one and done, or you can continue racing and perhaps follow the path to half marathons and full marathons.  My chosen path is pretty obvious ;)

Elizabeth and me, post-race!

4) I actually ran in a race once before the Hot Chocolate 5K.  When I was in the 8th grade at St. Paul, the Catholic diocese of Columbus had a middle school cross-country race.  None of the schools had a team or anything, so it was really just anyone who felt like running could show up and run in the 2-mile event.  I was a swimmer and a soccer player, and I enjoyed running when we would do it during P.E. class, so I figured, why not?  I still have the 3rd-place overall female medal that I won.  

5) I am on an eternal quest to find the perfect shoe for me.  I started out with Saucony ProGrid.  My right foot would fall asleep on my runs, so it was recommended that I try the Mizuno Wave Inspire 9, as the toe box is wider.  The problem never truly went away for good, and when Mizuno released its newest version last year, I was not a fan and had to find a new shoe. I turned to the Brooks Adrenaline.  I do like my Brooks, but I know that my Cinderella shoe is somewhere out there.  The shoe that will feel like I'm walking (running) on air when I put it on.  

6) I'm a Balega lover.  Balegas are one of several different brands of running socks. I've ran in a few other types, and I will use them if I'm in a pinch, but I always smile when I slide on my Balegas.  Specifically, I adore the Hidden Dry low-cut socks.  They are super-thin and I barely feel like I have socks on when I'm wearing them.  I will say that in the winter, I love my thicker Feetures socks, or if it's REALLY cold, my Smartwool socks.  

7) I'm a stalker of sorts.  When I meet a new runner (either online, in person on a training run, or at a race), I check them out on Athlinks, which is a time compilation website where the races that a person has done are listed (it's pretty inclusive, although not every race seems to show up).  I honestly just do this so I can see if the person is possibly a good training partner for me.  If our race times match up, then maybe we can meet for a run.  I love meeting up with people for runs, and I'm always on the lookout for a new running friend.  My friends find it hilarious that I stalk others... I don't apologize for it; it's just me!

8) I used to be an evening runner!  This will come as a shock to most of my running partners, as 90% of our runs start between 4:30-5:00 AM.  When I first started running, I would do my runs at around 7:30 PM, after dinner was finished but before the twins would go down for the night.  I only became a morning runner during my second year of running when I started to meet other crazy mamas who like to get their runs out of the way.  Now, I can't even imagine running in the evenings!

An all-too-familiar sight for me

9) I do a pre-running dynamic stretching routine before every single run.  I wake up about 10 minutes before I actually need to wake up and do this routine (called the Myrtl routine) in my family room.  It opens up my hips and gets my body ready to run.  I started doing it last summer at the recommendation of my friend Erin to help with my IT band issues, and I've never stopped. 

10) I'm doing the Market-to-Market relay this fall!  I've been reading more about the Ragnar relays, and while those are overwhelming to me, Market-to-Market is more low-key as it only takes place over one day and the mileage is much lower.  So excited to join six of my favorite running friends on September 5 for this fun race!

Blogging friends, I encourage you to do a "10 Things" list as well; this was fun to come up with.  I tried hard to think of things that even my closest running friends may not know about me--not easy!

A new goal

I am sure that a few of you read the title of my blog and got anxious (maybe my cousin Katie? LOL).  No, I have most certainly not given up on my goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. But I've decided that a new goal is in order.

Let me backtrack a bit.  My return to running began on May 18, when I was finally permitted to actually start "running" again (I put that in quotes because the pace I was permitted to run at is actually slower than my walking pace).  Over the past 3 weeks, I have been following the return-to-running plan that my doctor gave me almost perfectly.  A few of the earlier runs were faster than they should've been, but when you're trying to run 3+ minutes per mile slower than your normal comfy pace, it can be difficult!  I'm pretty darn proud of myself with how well I've done with this.  To be honest, I am just so very grateful every single time I lace up my shoes that the pace or miles just don't matter right now.

I am currently on step 9 of the program, which is 50 minutes at my "usual" pace--this is tomorrow's workout. Step 8 was 40 minutes at this pace--my first time running at my comfy pace in 10+ weeks!  It felt amazing to not have to really control myself, to just let my legs do their thing.  I got to do the first workout of step 8 with my LC girls--the women I trained with at 4:30 AM almost every single Wednesday morning this past fall/winter/spring. I was so very excited to be running with them again!

Steph, Erin, Megan, Lori, Becky and me with our yummy post-run treats!

Donuts and chocolate milk of course were called for. It was a true celebration!  (Oh, it was also National Running Day--maybe that was why I got the donuts LOL)  I got to have donuts again on Friday--it was National Donut Day, after all!  I definitely could get used to running for donuts ;)

Ellen, Jon, and Tamara--we had a few others who had to leave early!

OK so back to the  new goal. As I have mentioned, I swam and rode the bike at the gym during the non-running period of my recovery from my injury.  A couple of days ago I was invited to join some triathletes at Alum Creek for an open water training swim.  As soon as I got into the cool 65-degree water, I remembered how much I loved open water swimming last summer when I first tried it out.  I have described it to friends as what it'd be like for a runner who'd spent their entire life on a treadmill and then finally gotten to run outside.  After years and years of repeatedly swimming back and forth in a chlorinated indoor pool, to be able to be outside and have no pace clock, no black line to stare at, no walls to flip on, no coach whistling at you to go faster... the feeling is indescribable. 

A couple of weeks ago my friend Carolyn (one of the sweet women I met during my first full last year) offered to lend me her spiffy road bike, as she had no plans on using it this summer and knew that I was itching to try out a good bike.  I took her up on her offer instantly, but haven't been able to actually hop in the saddle due to the busy end-of-the-school-year.  I also had to get air in the tires and get the seat adjusted. I finally got the chance to do these things today, and promptly took the bike out for a quick ride on the paths of Westerville. I've obviously rode a bike many times before, but a reallllly nice, expensive bike?  Nope, not till today.  All I can say is WOW.  As my friend Lynn said, riding a bike that awesome almost feels like you're cheating, it makes the ride so easy.  I totally loved this short 6 miler. 

I made the decision during my ride today that a triathlon is going to happen, and it's going to happen this summer.  I've decided on a race on August 2 that will take place at Alum Creek.  The only choice I have to make now is do I race a sprint tri or an Olympic-distance tri?  The difference: The sprint is 750 meters of swimming (basically a half-mile), a 20K bike (just over 12 miles) and a 5K run (3.1 miles). The Olympic distance is a 1500 meter swim (about a mile), a 40K bike (around 25 miles), and a 10K run (6.2 miles).  The only thing that throws me off of the Olympic distance is the bike portion. I need to get in some more training rides at higher distances before I actually commit to riding 25 miles in a race! 

So that's my new goal: to compete in a triathlon.  Aside from the fact that I really really really enjoy swimming (and maybe biking too!), I am also hoping that having a non-running goal will keep me from pushing myself too hard in my return.  I can't wait to start logging in more open water miles and learning how to ride the roads in preparation for my first race!

The longest seven weeks of my life

49. A perfect square number. The math geek in me loves numbers like 49, numbers that are significant in some way.  I love 13 for this reason (it's my favorite prime number, as I was born on the 13th!).

49 will always mean something more to me now, though.  49 is the number of days that I went without running, due to a probable stress fracture in my right tibia.  I was diagnosed on May 4th after a VERY LONG PROCESS involving a denial--and eventual approval--of coverage of an MRI of my leg by my insurance company.  The MRI finally took place on May 1, a full month after I went down during that fateful run.  While Dr. Bright (my sports med doctor at MaxSports) didn't actually see a fracture, the images indicated that one likely had occurred and I was in the progress of healing.

I kind of feel like a recovering alcoholic when I discuss this with non-running friends. In a way, running is an addiction for me.  I honestly have no idea how I have made it through the past seven weeks.   The last time I blogged, I had recently come to terms with the fact that I would not be able to run the marathon that I'd planned on April 26.  This was no easy decision to make, as my heart wanted so badly to have the chance to show what I knew I could do.  Fortunately, my brain was smart enough to take charge and make the right choice.  

Actually, I'm pretty damn proud of how smart I have been over the past seven weeks.  I won't say I never tried running at all.  I ran a lap around my backyard around three weeks into my recovery.  At Glass City, I ran around 15-20 yards with my friend Kim at mile 20 of her marathon during my adventures as Marcie the Cheerleader (who biked around the city!).  Both times that I attempted to run resulted in pain, but I listened and immediately stopped what I was doing.  Oh, and on day 45, there was a brief altercation between two students at my school.  I was the closest teacher, so I ran around 20 yards to the scene to intervene.  This didn't hurt at all, which is how I knew I was oh-so-close to running again.  But did I immediately start to run again after this incident?  No... I waited for the green light from my doctor.  See how smart I've become? :)

Meanwhile, what did I do instead of running for seven weeks???  Well, I was able to swim 1-2 times a week.  Wish I could have done it more often, but unfortunately the pool isn't open early enough for me to go before work, so I had to resort to swimming in the evening hours or on weekends, and with the kids' activities, there typically wasn't time to get there.  I hit the gym 2-3 times a week as well.  I started out just biking, and with my doctor's permission, after 5 weeks I added in the elliptical as well.  I met friends to walk a few times as well during the final week of my hiatus from running.  After a 30 minute walk with Lori and then a 60 minute walk with Andrea (on separate days of course), both of which were pain-free, I could practically TASTE running again.

On Monday, May 18th, I returned to Dr. Bright.  I had an inkling of what he would be having me do to start my return to running, as a few of my friends have had stress fractures and are patients of his, and I also have been googling return-to-running plans.  I came prepared with this plan, which was highlighted in a great blog that I found during my search process.  However, when Dr. Bright showed me the plan he wanted me to follow, I did a few quick mental computations and realized that his plan would have me back to my former running self sooner.  I didn't even take the plan I had found out of my purse!  

So, here is the plan that I am following.  

Dr. Bright deleted steps 1 and 2 as they involved all walking and I already had done that prior to my appointment.  So, that night I met Jen, Lori and Christine for a 10 minute walk, 10 minutes of running at a 14 minute per mile pace, and 10 more minutes of walking.  

Joined by sweet babies!

 It was sprinkling a bit, and very humid, but there wasn't anything that would be stopping me from this first "run" back!  We managed to keep our running pace just under 13 minutes per mile, and everything was perfect, including the beautiful deer we caught sight of right next to the trail.

I am very happy to report that I have flown through steps 3 and 4, as I was permitted to do them on consecutive days.  My first workout for step 5 is tomorrow. I hate to look too far in the future, but if all goes well, my first run at my "comfy pace" of 9:00/mile will be on June 3, which happens to be National Running Day!  My favorite Wednesday gals will all be running, and I simply cannot wait to rejoin them.  And if things continue to go well, I will finish Dr. Bright's plan on June 14th and will begin to build up my miles again.  In the meantime, I am extremely grateful for friends who are willing to slow down a bit to join me on these early steps, as well as the chance to run with other friends for who these early steps represent their own personal "comfy pace"!  My "running social calendar" has quickly filled up, and I am overjoyed, to say the least.  A friend commented that it must be so hard, running a pace that is so much slower than my typical pace. Honestly, it isn't!  I am loving the fact that I AM RUNNING AGAIN.  You can see the elation on my face in this picture with my sweet cousin Katie, with whom I simply love to run with.

My theme song right now is Rachel Platten's "Fight Song".  These lyrics speak to me, telling me that I still have a lot of fight left in me.  I have a long road ahead, but I'm up for it!

That being said, I am not quite ready to make plans for any future races... there is too much that needs to happen before I add back in speed (make it through steps 5-10, first and foremost!).  Of course, my mind has wandered ahead to when I might be able to don a bib again, but I won't talk about that for a couple of months. For now, I shall enjoy every single time I am out on the pavement.  This break has made me appreciative for the simple act of running, more than I could ever imagine! 

When reality sets in

It's hard to believe that just 19 days ago, I was on top of the world.  I had just ran what most would agree was the race of my life at the Shamrock Half Marathon.  I truly felt was on the cusp of qualifying for the Boston Marathon.  All I needed to do a few more long runs and then taper off for my goal race, the Glass City Marathon on April 26.  And literally instantly, everything fell to pieces... and now I'm out.

As we all know, hindsight is 20-20.  I can pinpoint several reasons as to why things may or may have have turned out the way that they have.

• I ran the half marathon super-duper hard.  I am not one to back down during a race.  That's just not me.  But perhaps, just perhaps, pushing my body to a 1:40 half wasn't the best thing for my upcoming full.  That being said... I would not trade that race for anything.  Not even a BQ at Glass City.  That half marathon was a pivotal race for me, and it was more than just a race... it was a weekend that I'll never forget.  Now that I can't race my marathon, I'm grateful beyond words for this race; it makes all of the frigid miles that I ran this winter feel like they were worth something.
• I only took one day off from running after my half marathon.  Had this been my "final race" of the season, my big goal race, I would have likely taken off a good 5-7 days following the race.  Instead, my mind was focused on my marathon, so I figured I could rest one day and get right back at it.  In retrospect, given how hard I pushed myself at the race, perhaps I should have taken a few more days off.  
• I felt "off" all week during the week after the half.  I attributed this to post-race letdown and just general fatigue. My body felt fine, really... just tired.  When I ran, I made sure that the miles were kept at an easy pace.  However, my body just didn't seem to be bouncing back like how I thought it would.  Easy didn't feel as easy as it should.  My 15 miler the Sunday before my injury occurred was just so-so.  9+-minute miles felt harder than they typically do.
• On Monday night (the day before the injury occurred), my right knee was bugging me.  Nothing awful; it just felt kind of funny when I did squats and lunges. I honestly didn't think anything of it.  When I started my run on Tuesday morning (the day the injury occurred), I didn't feel any knee pain at all.  In fact, I felt no pain at all during that run for the first 42 minutes.  It was only in the 43rd minute that I started to actually wonder what was wrong. It wasn't just fatigue anymore that I was feeling... my right leg felt like it literally wasn't going to be able to move for much longer.  And that's exactly what happened.  At mile 5.4 (just over 44 minutes into the run), my leg essentially gave out on me.  I am thankful I was with my running girls.  Dani stayed with me while Amy, Jess, Meggie and Allison ran the final 1.6 miles back to our starting spot and got a car. Because not only couldn't I run, I could barely even hobble a few steps.  

This injury has truly thrown me for a loop.  I was hurt before the Columbus Marathon (likely a muscle strain/tear), and was able to rest for 5 days and return to running.  I had my IT band issues last summer, and through rest, icing and rolling, was able to get that under control as well without too much interruption in my training.  I immediately went to my sports med doctor on Tuesday (the day I was injured). I saw a different doctor than I usually see; his diagnosis was tendonitis of my posterior tibialis muscle.  He recommended rest for a few days and said I'd be good to run 10 miles on Saturday (instead of my planned 20 miler).  I was happy with his words, but not very confident that he was correct.  I mean, I couldn't even walk!  My friend Chris dropped off some crutches for me to use, and they definitely helped keeping the weight off my leg.  

When I was still unable to really walk at all on Wednesday afternoon, I decided to seek a second opinion. I saw a doctor at Orthopedic One on Friday morning, and he said it was most likely a posterior tibialis muscle strain (not tendonitis as was previously said) and recommended that I start physical therapy.  I started PT at Orthopedic One the next day and was feeling good about things after my first appointment.  My therapist seemed to know what would get me back on the road quickly.  I also scheduled an appointment with a local chiropractor (Dr. Alexander) who works with several of my running friends.  I saw him for the first time this past Monday, and again my confidence was increased by the appointment.  Everyone who I was working with was very positive, and made me feel that I could be running again soon--even racing in the marathon on the 26th.

On Monday at PT I had dry needling done on my leg.  This is a procedure where blunt needles are inserted into trigger points (spots on the muscle that are sore or tender).  The actual needling doesn't hurt, but wow, was my leg sore for a good 24 hours afterward!  I also got to try out the AlterG treadmill.  This is an anti-gravity treadmill where you can designate what percentage of your weight you want to run with.  I walked and then ran for a total of 12 minutes at 75% of my body weight.  Unfortunately, I didn't feel great; my PT noticed I was limping, especially toward the end.

At my first chiropractor appointment, I found out that I have a moderate hip alignment issue, meaning one leg is actually longer than the other (10 mm).  It's not a coincidence that it's my right leg--the one that's *always* injured.  At my second appointment I found out that I also have spondylolisthesis, which is where the lowest vertebrae (L5) slips past the sacral bone.  Dr. Alexander has designed a treatment plan to get things in alignment, so I will continue to see him regularly.

It's now Thursday, and it's been 9 days since I went down during that fateful run.  I have had three PT sessions and two sessions with my chiropractor (who I see again tomorrow).  Today's PT session didn't go so well. I ran on the AlterG treadmill again, and had more pain this time, especially after I was done.  Even with only 50% of my body weight, things still felt "off".  I realized as I attempted to run 10-minute miles at 50% weight that Glass City was simply not going to happen.  I need both legs to be 100% to attempt this BQ, and if they aren't... then there's no point in me racing.  I've ran a marathon... this was going to be for a specific time, not just to finish.  I've realized that 100% is just not reasonable, not if I can hardly walk right now.  I'm back to limping badly again and feeling very down about everything.  I know what I need to do, and that is accept things and move on.  

My course of action: I am going to continue seeing my chiropractor and move forward with healing in that realm.  I feel like he is spot-on with what is going on with my body, especially given all of the issues I've had with my right leg over the past two years.  I am going to take several days off of going to PT and swimming and doing my strengthening and everything else,  and just let this calf rest. I'm also going back to my original doctor at MaxSports (Dr. Bright) on Monday to see if I can get a definitive answer about what's going on.  I am still confused as to exactly what is wrong with my calf.  If this is a strain, then it shouldn't be getting worse, which I feel at times it is.  I'm not sure if he can tell me anything more than anyone else has, but I trust him more than any other doctor, as he knows me and my history. 

Moving forward, I am looking at possibly running Grandma's Marathon in June, or the Erie Marathon in September.  Both are wonderful, fast, flat courses and would allow me to qualify for Boston for 2016.  Meanwhile, I will work on getting healthy and strong again so that I can realize my dreams.