I've been running and busy - two quick shout outs...

always some kind of foot pain. yee ha

I have had a few successful runs and one HUGE long run fail.

UGH - Saturday my 10 miler got cut to 5 miles because of throbbing blisters on my pinky toes. - at 2 miles they hurt at 3 miles I knew I was in trouble at 4 miles I sucked up the pain enough to at least get to 5. I never had blisters like that - even walking around without shoes on hurt for two days! Apparently, those great sneakers I just bought were just a little too narrow in the toe box :(  I suspected that after the first 2 runs in them but was hoping they just needed to break in. They felt so good just walking around in them and they felt fine for the smaller 3 mile run but not until you really run some miles do you always know how sneaks are gonna work out, I guess.

Luckily, shout out number one: RUNNING WAREHOUSE ROCKS! I called them, apologized that I had run 3 times in them, explained the situation and the friendly customer service agent, Kate, said that while it's not their policy to let you return already worn shoes, she would let me do it and agreed to allow me to get a different pair. No drama, just very pleasant customer service. I was impressed. I was fully ready to accept that I was going to be stuck with a pair of sneakers I'd never wear again.  I will be a customer for life. 

I'm going back to the basic pair that I started running in a year ago. I really liked those the best so I'm sticking with them. 

And shout out number 2: big thank you, thank you to LESLEY at  RACING IT OFF! She's been a great bloggy friend to me for many months now. She even has made plans to run the San Diego RNR marathon so we'll be meeting for my first big run. Fretting over my lost weeks and missed runs, she took my running plan and went week by week, day-by-day for the rest of my training program to custom tailor it for me! =)  How nice is that? And her program looks so much doable for me while still building the miles.  I feel so much mentally "back on track". 

Lesley, you're awesome. Thank you! 

All in all my ankle is doing fine. Strangely, my left hip has been achey after runs (like it used to be when I first started running) but I suspect that it's "growing pains" from hobbling strangely for a few weeks with the injury. It's annoying but I'll live.

How are you all doing?

XO

Jen

The agony of defeat... (and da-ankle)

Still not running, and the ankle is still bothering me a bit.  I'm planning on giving it a 3 mile run this Friday and see how I feel after. I honestly don't care about the pain so much as long as it's not getting furthered injured - but I don't know, does pain automatically mean something is wrong?

I've done the stationary bike a few times but I find that to be the most boring thing on the planet - it makes the treadmill look like a roller coaster ride of thrills in comparison. Holy boring. If my weight loss depended on an exercise bike, I'd be in trouble, but, I'm hanging in there.

I feel how this lady looks.

On a side note about the marathon training. I'm freaking out. I really am. I am SUPER confused with what I should effing be doing to catch up. I was behind in miles because of the winter from hell prior to injury - Now, I feel like I'm no where near where I should be at this point. My plan was to follow the NIKE+ training program to a perfect T and then go to the marathon comfortably knowing that the work was done, the miles run, and have nothing to worry about. I thrive off following "the plan" and knowing that I'm prepared. I feel like I'm heading into a final exam without having read the book.

I have no idea how to approach the next few months - do I just pick up where I left off and come in short or do I try to jump in 3 weeks later and suck up the leap in miles?  I've missed, a few 16 mile long runs at this point and this weeks long run is supposed to be 18 miles!  So what do I do? My longest "long run" has been 14 miles and that HURT…  Do I jump right back in (as if with still nursing a sprained ankle and running18 miles or 8 miles, for that matter, is even possible)  - I think going for 18 miles anytime soon might not happen.  I feel so behind. I really need guidance about if it's even possible to get back on track here. I'm very confused.  Help?

The back up solution is dropping to run the half. I'm not all jazzed about that option but I might have to go that way if I can't figure this out.

XO

Jen

Not running really sucks

UGH. 

It's been less than a week since my last run but it feels like forever.

I am grateful that it's a minor sprain (I can get around) but this not running thing is driving me crazy.

The bitchy voices in my head won't let up: "you did this to yourself," "you're going to slip backwards," "you messed up your training and will never run a marathon," and my favorite - "you are already getting fat again."

Seriously.  And I weighed myself today fully expecting to have gained 10 pounds - braced for it, in fact. I was hoping that the damage might be a little less… like only a five pound gain. Started the pep talk of what I'll have to do to shed the new weight.  Then I got on the scale, I'm the same exact weight as I was prior to the accident. But that's how crazy I  make myself.

I'm dealing though. What can you do? Even though I injured myself in an annoyingly stupid way,  injuries happen to the best of them. Would I be beating myself up any less if I tripped over a rock while running? Slipped on an ice patch from daring myself to run in crappy weather or something? Probably not - though I would feel slightly less embarrassed I guess. 

New BFF

I plan on making friends with an exercise bike tomorrow. Wish I had access to a pool.

I couldn't get to the gym today. I did do a million arm exercises with some weights and ten minutes of abs to feel like I was doing something - but I couldn't break a sweat and barely got my heart rate up, but trying to keep my head in some kind of place of fitness.

What have you done to cope during an injury?

XO

Jen

Sprained ankle - Way to go

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!  I am so f'in upset with myself. I ridiculously sprained my ankle last night.

It was a very un-athletic/non-stotan night of vodka tonics, skinny-jeans and high heels... and I missed a step (where'd that come from?) and fell on my ass - my overpriced cocktail soaking said skinny jeans in the process…

Idiot.

No Firecracker 10K tomorrow.

No nice shoes for the GRAMMYs.

No idea when I'll be able to run again.

I could cry I'm so mad/sad.

I'm RICE'ing today but it's swollen and purple and it hurts. A lot.

Way to go.

idiot

I'm swearing off drinking a lot and hope to be recovered now soon.

XO

Jen

3 hours later….

OK, so now that I'm done berating myself - I am moving on - please leave advice on what I should do to heal faster - also any one have any idea how long I should not run for?

I also will say that post pity party, I'm thankful that I didn't hurt it worse, break it, or break anything else.

Got nothing... running on empty and empty on running

Oh man - it's been a tough few weeks.  Just wanted to update you since I haven't blogged in a few days.

That $%^&@!! toe nail injury really set me back.  It took me a while to get back and just when I thought I was ready to really run again, that foot is weirdly achey all over. The arch, ankle and heel feels strained and my hip is bothering me.  I must've been walking/running on it wrong to compensate for the dumb toenail or something.  All I know is it hurts to walk and I'm afraid to run because I don't want to really damage anything.

UGH!

I'm trying to remain motivated and all this non-running is such bad news for my momentum.

I go see a new foot doc on Thursday, hopefully he'll have some news.

So that's it.  I'm empty.  I'm hoping to get a fill on running again soon.  How are you people all doing??

XO
Jen

day 30 - 115 days to go - baby stepping and baby running

I went back to the gym today with the sole goal of doing the bike.  I even managed to get my own sneakers on today, though it felt pretty uncomfortable on the toe, I was happy to be in them.

I was on the bike and damn it, a good song came on.  I just had to try.

So I got on the treadmill and ran.  Oh it was not a pretty run - it was stiff and funky - I probably looked like a zombie from night of the living dead, kind of dragging my left foot.  And it wasn't fast (like 3.8) AND it certainly wasn't long - only five minutes, due to pain and the fact that I feared the zombie walk could lead to injuring my hip or knee, (such bad form) - BUT- none the less run I did.  Zombie foot drag and all, I enjoyed it and felt a renewed hope that I'll be on my way once again.  

After my five minutes of running, I went back to the bike, rode a couple of miles to burn a few calories and limped  back to my car feeling pretty victorious.  Tomorrow, maybe I'll run for six minutes... 

XO
Jen