Plateful of pain

Just for my records - my starting weights for the following lifts.

Squat = 75lbs
Bench press = 60lbs
Deadlift = 100lbs
Press = 50lbs
Power clean = 45lbs (just trying to get the form right on this one, it's a toughie!)

Incidentally, power cleans are just about the most fun I have ever had in the gym.

After leaving the gym today, I went straight home and tried to cram in my run. My legs felt like lead. I made it just over 2 miles (instead of 5) and limped home. This is just a case of putting too much on my proverbial plate, I think. I won't run right after squats again.

Speaking of too much on my plate, I had an amazing dinner of steak tips and grilled corn and potato salad and Guinness, courtesy of my roommate. He's flying off to San Diego today for a big interview, and I just know he'll get the job, and I'll be so happy for him/so sad for me. This would make the fourth person I know in the past couple weeks who has gotten a really exciting new job in a very different locale.
The times they are a'changin.

Made it through 12 miles today down by the Charles River. Actually, it was probably closer to 14; I was annoyed with myself for taking so many walk breaks that I got off the T at South Station and did a light tempo run the 2 miles to Murphy's Law. The sub-10 minute mile pace shredded my stomach, for some strange reason.
I am slow. I am still just as slow as I was when I started running, and it annoys me. I am still absolutely wasted from today, and from Saturday's weight workout (I finally gathered up the gumption to go into the Big Boy weight room, only to discover, that like many college gyms, it has no squat rack, just a leg press and a punch of bench pressing stuff. It's always arms day at college gyms) and just took a two hour nap. Lame.
Some strange foreign man stopped me near the end of my run to ask me if it was going to rain today. There were already drops intermittently falling from the sky, so I'd wager yes. But he was carrying a large umbrella and I was wearing a flimsy white t-shirt. Who do you think knows more about the weather forecast, strange foreign man, hmmm?

Oddly, my leg stops really hurting too much after a couple miles. For some reason, I have a feeling this might not be a good thing. Last week I bought The Stick, and have been using it with some success, but my left IT band is now sore to the touch from all the pressure.

Went to the doctor yesterday. She gave me a kind of cursory once-over and determined my hip issue was probably IT band related. I'm not sure that's all it is, but she's a doctor and while she might have been distracted by the swine flu epidemic, I will listen to her because she didn't tell me to stop running.

This morning, I got up early and went to the track for intervals. I thought the hardest part about this would be getting up at 6am, but I was so very wrong. I gazed out at the seemingly endless expanse of composite rubber and said incredulously to myself "I have to run around that things in 2:05? You have got to be flipping kidding me."
The schedule said 8x400 but I could only muster 4x400. It was both excruciating and exhilarating, and if my legs had been in better shape I think I might have enjoyed it. The left hip issue is causing me to favor my right leg, leading to intense shin and calf pain. Ugh. I am definitely booking a sports massage at Boston Bodyworker.
I limped home and did the 15 minute yoga for runners video. It helped.

My shoes feel like they're going to break, and my toes are going to scrape pavement, at any second. They're only six months old and I'm not a high mileage gal, at any time of the year, much less in the dead of winter. This isn't normal, but this is my body, and these are my feet, and my new shoes are on their way via UPS. With some fancy shmancy insoles. I'se gots to take care of me.

At the track, I noticed two different groups who appeared to be doing some sort of early-morning bootcamp thing. I think I need to get involved in some sort of group activity. I can only push myself so hard.

I hate resting.

Today I finally go to the doctor about my hip, after almost two months of pain/annoyance/still running on it even though I know it's a bad idea. My doctor will probably tell me to rest it, ice it, not run on it, and I will ignore her. Ignoring sage advice from a medical professional counts more than ignoring advice from WebMD and all your friends, right?
No, I won't really ignore her. But I'm going to keep my fingers crossed and hope "resting" isn't the only answer to this problem. I don't want to rest. The annoying thing about resting is that when I come back to running, it's like starting all over again. Since this quasi-injury, I haven't been able to consistently maintain a sub-10 minute mile pace for any distance. It's frustrating. My goal this summer is to start consistently running 9-minute miles, but it seems like such an unreachable goal at this point. My legs feel like lead.
On the upside, I shouldn't consider this "the summer" just because it's suddenly 90 degrees outside. That's a fluke. I'm getting ahead of myself.
The Run to Remember is in less than a month. Tomorrow, I am going to get up at 6am and run repeats at the track. Yes, I am. I have never done this before but I am going to give it the old college try.
Unless the doctor tells me to rest. In which case, I'll start resting on Thursday.

I am a terrible blogger...and runner

Monday was the 113th running of the Boston Marathon. Growing up, I always thought it was kinda neat, but now that I've started running and more importantly, started reading running blogs, I realize what I big deal it is. This was the first Marathon Monday I've been able to really enjoy, since I took the day off work to go to the Sox game and then spent the rest of the day out with friends watching runners go by, eating crappy appetizer platters, and then watching both the Bruins and the Celtics electrify the city with their respective wins.
We were situated in SRO on the Fenway roofdeck, which was terrible, vantage-wise, but actually quite good to watch the marathon. We got to see the elite race, though from far away, and I honestly can't even fathom how fast these people are going, even when I'm seeing it with my own eyes.
The Sox routed the O's to the tune of 12-1.
I followed the progress of my roommate, his friend, and several other pals via my friend's iPhone. He finished in under 5 hours, more than an hour more than his time last year, but considering he hardly trained, and that is a freaking MARATHON, good on him.
There was a trash can overflowing with empty cups and a spent pair of Asics. I wish I'd had my camera. That was a perfect representation of how a runner sometimes feels after a race.
Last night, there was a mother in a marathon jacket doing pullups on the T with her kids. I want to be her when I grow up.

I haven't been running. I've still been conditioning with some pretty hardcore cardiostrength, but my hip got so bad I could barely walk so I stopped being stupid and stopped running. After taking it easy, it's much better. I can actually walk with only the slightest of limps! I think it's bursitis, and I'm going to the doc next week. She's a triathlete, so hopefully she'll be able to give me some advice. It just occured to me that I might be feeling unbalanced because I've been carrying around the Chicago Manual of Style all semester. That'll all end soon. Hopefully, I'll heal up soon and be able to get back on the road soon.

Big high fives all around to everyone who ran, finished, and volunteered on Monday. I hope to be there someday.

And on the 8th day...

...God created foam rollers.

Hello, blogosphere. Long time, no write. I know I know. All two of you must have wondered where I was. Anyhoo, here's the deal. I got all hurt and depressed again and did the whole "boo, I'm just not mean to be a runner" thing. This time, it's my left hip. I was all cranky and whiny and about to give up, when my roommate introduced me to the wonder that is the foam roller. Now, whatever is wrong with now the entire left side of my body is probabaly a combination of muscle tightness, ligament wonkyness, and teensy stress fractures. Though I am not a doctor. However, when I was rolling it out, I could feel a ridiculous knot the size of Rhode Island. After rolling over it for awhile, I got up, and no more pain!
It still comes and goes, and is particularly bad after a run, but I think if I just keep rolling and stretching, eventually my body will learn to deal. I hope.
For instance, I missed by 9 miles this week, but did 3 yesterday, and was pretty fast if I do say so myself.
But now the hip hurts like the Dickens.
Sigh.
It's an adventure, that's for sure.
I also think I need to get new shoes. It's been about 6 months, and while I know I haven't run 600 miles on them, I also know I tend to start needing new ones at around 200 or so. And I've been wearing them while weightlifting so that probably added to the wear & tear. I think I'm going to go for some new Nikes, but not the Pegasus. I might try the Moto or the Vomero this time.
Peace out.

Dreaming of springtime

Long time, no blog!
Also, kind of long time, no run.
I haven't really managed more than 2 or 3 miles lately. I am hanging my head in shame. I've still been on a pretty decent regular exercise kick, including high-intensity cardio (albeit in short bursts) and lifting/swinging around relatively heavy things.
The other day I switched up my 30 minute kettlebell routine by subbing jumprope for the usual jumping jacks. It way ramped up the intensity, and I much prefer the rope to the jacks, since JJs make my right knee feel funny. I left the gym dripping sweat.
The next day, it wwarmed up over 33 degrees, so I thought a jog around the bay would be a great idea. I started nice and slow, and was clipping along at a good pace, but suddenly around mile 2 my legs just QUIT. Below both knees, my entire shin/calf/ankle/foot area was on fire. The pain seemed to undulate between muscular and skeletal, sometimes numbing random portions of my foot and causing my right leg to literally collapse out from under me. For awhile, I tried to keep running. Stupid, right? I know. Anyway, after I finally came to my senses and stopped running, I limped around the causeway and back home. So much for the six miles I was planning.
I spent the next day and my roomie's New Orleans party limping around the house and drinking medicinal bloody marys. After some thought, I realized it might have been the jumping rope that did me in. That's a lot of pressure to be bouncing off the balls of one's feet for that long.
I did some stretching and backed off on the exercise for a couple days. Today I got back on the treadmill, and felt okay, but the legs still hurt a bit. I'll have to take it one day at a time.
While I know googling ailments is a terrible idea and slippery slope, my symptoms do sound an awful lot like compartment syndrome. I suppose it couldn't hurt to talk to, you know, an actual medical professional (as in no Dr. Internet) about it.

Becaaaaause, I have decided to run another half-marathon in May before running my first marathon in September! That's right, I decided on a marathon.
May - Boston's Run to Remember. I'm going to do this one with my friend Natalie, and am interested to see how training goes with a buddy!
September - The Rochester Marathon! This decision was pretty easy, seeing as right after I was musing on it, two of my old college roomies got in touch with my through the wonder that is Facebook, and one of them lives in Rochester (as does my best friend, our third roomie). The fourth one said that if she can, she'll be there too, and we can all have a reunion on marathon weekend! It would mean so much to me to have them there. So, I'm excited.

Hopefully my legs won't fall off!

Back on the horse

I took it easy for (most) of the week after the half. Wednesday, I tried some speed intervals on the treadmill and made it about 20 minutes before giving up and moving along to some kettlebell squats. Bad idea. I'm just now getting over Tight Biker Shorts of Pain. Anyhoos, I decided to get back on the road last night, as it was becoming painfully obvious that I am one of those "running is cheaper than therapy" folks. I rushed home after class, threw on some leggings (more of the Lindsay Lohan variety than the running tights variety) and a tech shirt and headband and headed off to my regular route. I was waylaid about 4 minutes in by intense side stitching across my entire abdomen, but continued to shuffle along for awhile, and forced myself to go on for about 20 minutes by taking my usual route over the causeway, which is kind of scary at night. I never want to stop when running in the pitch-black and windy over Pleasure Bay. I got to the mainland again and had to stop, limping home by way of Medal of Honor Park. Still, it was enough to take the edge off my life & coffee-induced anxiety. Ahhhhh.
My roommate just ran the NY Marathon and seems to think I can run a marathon too. While he insists that it's all mental, I insist that I don't run on my brain, I run on my feet and at the end of 26.2 miles, I would likely no longer have feet.
Though it can't be too much crazier than going to Grad school, which I'm also contemplating. Speaking of which, I should get back to writing this paper instead of blogging.

Hipper than thou

There is no denying at this point that there is something very wrong with my body. The pain has settled in my right hip, the same pain that I felt last week after not preparing for or stretching after the Tufts Health Plan 10k for Women. It had loosened up after this weekend's hike, but after last night's strugglicious 9 miles, it is back and worse than ever. I don't know what to do. I even did a short yoga routine with plenty of hip openers last night in the kitchen post-run. I can barely walk. The half marathon is in two weeks. I just want to ignore this until it's over and then figure out the next step, whether it be a massage or PT or foam rollering or ANYTHING BUT STOPPING.
The main issue for me is that I don't think I'm going to be able to finish the race. I pushed through the last three miles last night by sheer force of will, singing along to "All These Things That I've Done" through clenched teeth. My cardiovascular fitness is awesome, it's just that by mile 7 or so my legs stop working. My feet don't want to pick up off the ground, pains shoot through my knees, my feet ache, my arches fall. I don't want to entertain the idea that I may not be "built like a runner". My tiny, delicate, high arched feet might be causing these problems, but I don't know. I don't know how to fix it. I'm sick of buying new shoes every month or so, but my beautiful new Asics Nimbus 9s just aren't cutting it - my feet are swimming around in the 7.5 size, though the 7s squished my toes. Maybe I need narrow shoes. I don't know.
I'm witnessing and appreciating the affects a 9 mile run has on my mind and general sense of well-being and I don't want to lose that just because my body is being a party pooper.

The run itself was pretty fantastic. That loop around Pleasure Bay is mighty convenient, because it's about 2-3 miles but feels like nothing. It's so beautiful, even at night, and if I need to squeeze in an emergency long run, I can just loop around it twice and continue down the shore. I didn't stop once, and got up to what I'd probably estimate was a sub-9 minute mile several times. I still can't get over how beautiful Southie is at night. Looking at the city in the distance is kind of like a memory summary of my entire three years here, and then I see exactly how far I've come and how much further I have yet to go. I'm excited.

Faster with family

When I first started running, the idea of running with someone else was kind of scary and just not something I wanted to do. That's why I adjusted my typical "I want to run a 5K" goal to "I want to be able to run the 5K distance but not actually do a race because that would mean running with people". Ironically, changing that goal to better suit my abilities at the time is what gave me the confidence to actually run my first 5k race, and the subsequent five races I've run this year to date.
However, I've still not been one to run with other folks aside from at races. But, my brother has been getting more into running since I started (it's contagious!), and we've talked about doing a short run together for awhile and since I love my new running route in Southie, he came out to visit last night and we did a 3-mile loop.
Pat had to stop after about a mile or so and we walked the rest of it, since he's been plagued with knee pain. (which sounds very much like ITB syndrome, but he refuses to go to the doctor. I have e-mailed all our friends at his work and instructed them to harass them until he makes an appt.)
So we only really managed about a mile run, but hoo boy was that the fastest and most consistent mile I've ever run. My bro is 6'4" with long legs and I am most decidedly not that. His slow jog is my all-out sprint.
This morning I was reading this post, which got me thinking about running with friends. For me, it is not easier at all. It's harder, and that's probably why it's good. It's "Faster With Family".

Minor League Ouch

Welcome, it is time for out weekly installment of Aches & Pains : Whinging About Stuff that Hurts. It's a nice time for a break from all that wacky positive self-talk. Let's dive right in.

-Saturday is my cross training day. I hate cross training, because that usually means I have to go to the gym. I really hate the gym. Last Saturday I used the stationary bike for half an hour. It wasn't much fun, especially because the only thing on TV was that Lifetime movie about Amy Fisher starring Alyssa Milano. I kind of wanted to light myself on fire.
This past Saturday, I decided I didn't want to go to the gym and that I'd be "lazy" and stay home and do a kettlebell circuit for 30 minutes while watching the Red Sox get their arses handed to them. That's basically 30 straight minutes of minor squatting and swinging around 15 solid pounds of iron. Throw in some pushups and lunges and stuff, and you know what you get two days later? That's right, Tight Biker Shorts of Pain. I had a good 4 mile run on Sunday, but that didn't really help the TBSoP sitch. Currently I am hobbling around like an old cowboy. Stretching would probably be a good idea, I should get on that.

-Tuesday on my schedule says "2 miles or cross". So today I strapped on my trusty backpack again and ran to work. Boy, was it a perfect morning for a run. Sunny, cool, breezy. The problem is, I can not run in the morning. That worries me in and of itself, but is a discussion for another time. Anyway, I rolled my L.A. out of bed this morning, threw on my clothes and backpack, had some iced coffee and set off. It was tough. Yes, my 2-mile run is the toughest run of the week. Maybe because I had a backpack on, maybe because of the TBSoP, maybe because I had the wind in my face the ENTIRE WAY, maybe because I kept running past people walking around in their work clothes and wanted them to think I was badass so I ran faster than I should. It. Was. Harrrrd. To add insult to injury, I totally ate pavement right in front of South Station in the middle of the biggest crowd of suits ever. I did my best not to look at any of them and just got up and kept running. Urgh. My palms are all skinned.

-My knees are starting to bother me. I'm a bit oversensitive to pain since I started running, because I've historically had a habit of ignoring stuff until it turns out I have two sprained wrists or pneumonia or whatnot. So every time I have a twinge, the referee in my brain throws a flag on me faster than I can blink. I don't want to develop knee problems. I also don't want to have to buy new shoes every two months, which is what seems to help every time the knees start wimping out.

-Speaking of shoes, mine are too small and they make my toes go numb. I'm okay with this because I'm in the minority and like my shoes to fit small, especially in the forefoot. My feet are tiny, delicate flowers made of bones and stuff and they like to be cradled closely in the confines of high tech mesh and foam and not sliding all around in a "roomy toe box". My Asics are the same size as my street shoes (7) which I believe is somewhat unusual for running shoes. I'll probably go up a half size on my next pair.

-Also my back hurts and I think I'm coming down with a cold. And I have to go to the dentist today. Wah.

Dread the tread.

I have always loathed the treadmill. It is evil, and I historically have partially blamed it for my running quitatude every winter. I have used it as a metaphor for my life when feeling particularly broody and existential. It is boring, it is annoying, and it hurts.
When I decided to really make the commitment to run again (by which I mean more than a mile or two, which was my former max) I took a different approach. I started my training on the treadmill in the winter. Poof, there went one quitting excuse (as this rapidly-flying summer draws to a close, it is remains to be seen how I will approach the winter months. But that is for a later date).
Many years ago when I was a youngster, I was at the gym with my baby bro and he decided to use the treadmill. He was maybe 11 or 12, and wanted to run to get ready for basketball season. Precious. Anyway, he gets on the 'mill and starts it up and starts chugging along. Soon, he realizes his shoe is untied and hops off the machine. He ties it, and hops back on. Without stopping the belt. Needless to say, he gets flung off the belt and against the wall. It was funny enough and nobody was hurt, but when I started treadmilling it up for serious back in January that image kept playing in my head like some sort of wacky Brain YouTube. I was afraid to set the darn thing above a 5mph pace lest I get thrown against the wall.
The last time I got on a treadmill was several months ago, back when it was still cold and I was still on a walk/run plan. So today when I was trying to squeeze in some quick lunchbreak miles, I went back to face my old foe.
Two miles, at a pace of between 6mph & 7mph.
And I didn't fly off.
Take that, treadmill.

Anyway. One more treadmill problem is that it kills my legs. It really really bangs the heck out of my shins. I don't know what it is, I always hear that a treadmill is an easier surface to run on, and I do most of my runs on concrete, but when I'm done with a treadmill workout my lower legs hurt something fierce. They hurt to the touch. Which I'm pretty sure is the very opposite of good.
I'm not sure what to do about that. I think I should keep my treadmill runs to a minimum of 2-3 miles, but in the winter I'm sure there will be some days I won't be able to hack it outdoors. I just won't. I'm being honest here.
The other solution is just, well, go faster. Then it'll all be over sooner. Right?

FINALLY

Managed to have a good run tonight, about five miles. Lately I've been plagued with the dreaded side-stitch again, which is the reason I was never able to run in the first place. I'd found a trick to make it go away, and hadn't had any problems since but for the past week or so it was back with a vengeance and there was nothing I could do about it. It wasn't something I could run through, it was more along the lines of what appendicitis is probably like. I had to shuffle home bent over. So I've just been doing my best to keep hydrated, and that seemed to work.
Months ago when I started running, I joked that the pain just migrated around my body. Once I figured out how to beat the stitch, it was my shins next. Once I got past that, it was my lungs. Then my right shoulder (weird). Every time I got rid of a pain, it'd move somewhere else.
I'll never get over how amazing the view of Boston is at sunset from the Castle Island causeway. It's breathtaking.
OMDSFLKJJSDFLKSJDFLSDKF the race is NEXT SUNDAY!

Race report - FIVE MILES

Oh, hello internet. It's a lovely evening in Southie, and yours truly here just ROCKED A FIVE MILE ROAD RACE. Suck on THAT, New Year's Resolutions.

I am so ridiculously proud of myself it's kind of embarrassing.

My neighborhood is amazing. Walking home from the Expo center with a dopey smile on my face, the sun was setting across the ocean and I heard the slightly off-pitch but still dulcet tones of an aging Sinatra impersonator and all was right with the world. I still had my race number on and oldtimers with their dogs and cigars clapped for me.

While I feel like I'm getting faster, according to most race results I'm sticking at around a ten minute mile (shut up, I never said I was fast). Near the end, my whole body was tingling, my arm was numb, and I felt like I was going to throw up. Then my Amazing DenialBrainBot4000 (usually utilized to convince myself that I'm not in love with people and/or don't need any friends) took over and by the time I reached the finish chute I passed eight people and almost forgot to stop.

Considering all I've had to eat today was half a salad and a handful of trail mix, I'm pretty impressed. Though I know that's not a healthy diet. And I've been so soul-crushingly sad for the past few weeks I could barely put one foot in front of the other, much less train for a race. Or get through a single hour of a single day without crying. (More on that later, because while it pains me to write about it or admit much of what has been going on, it must be done because a life without honesty is just stupid. Life is short, and I'm pretty sure that at the end of it there's nobody handing out cookies for not talking about stuff.)

Anyway I wish my roommate was home because I want to go drink a Guinness. That counts as dinner, right?

FIVE MILES, DUDES. FIVE. That's FOUR MORE THAN ONE, which is what I could barely run six months ago.

The below photos are from around mile 4.5 or so. I love that my face is all puppies and fluffy clouds but inside I'm cursing the day I was born and wishing I could curl up for a nice nap in the middle of Day Boulevard.

New shoes

On a whim, I got a new pair of running shoes on Saturday. My leg pain was getting so bad I was convinced I had compartment syndrome and that there was nothing I could do to fix it and I should stop buying new shoes because they're expensive and maybe I'm just not meant to be a runner and ARRRRRGH. But, I found these lovely Asics Equation 2s at some discount shoe store and the difference from my month-old Rykas is absolutely astounding. I mean, they've created some new problems, namely that my toes now go numb and the collar of the shoe gives me ankle blisters but those problems are all run-through-able so I don't care. For serious though, it's like I'm running on clouds. I ran a nice 4+ loop around Castle Island in the mist and at the end, I felt like I could have kept going. So, take that legs. It's just me and you now, lungs. BRING IT.

On Sunday, I went to the gym. The FitCorp has majorly stocked up on kettlebells since I started there. This is exciting. I can only go there on weekends, but I think I want to at least try to make it for one weekend day every week. Of course, I am not very smart with numbers, and so I think I thought 12kg was a lot closer to 12lbs than it actually is, and ended up squatting & military pressing 2 12kg kettlebells which I think now is closer to 50 lbs? It felt good though. There were some old guys down there who looked at me really funny as I took my shoes off and repeatedly hoisted two cannonballs over my head, and letting out the occasional very ladylike grunt.