lindsayrunning

It's been two and a bit months since my half marathon on my injured foot and if there is one thing that I've learned its that recovery is a pain in the butt.

I finished physio and took an additional month off of running, just to be sure that I was recovery and spent plenty of time at the gym, becoming BFFs with the elliptical machine (and it's built in TV screen) and getting my sweat on a couple times a week in spin class but now I'm finally back running, and am registered to do two 5k's towards the end of the summer.

Which brings me to my current frustration. I'm slow.

I'm building back up slowly and it's incredibly difficult not to just throw myself back into it at full gear. I want to run far and fast and I want to do it now. But in the back of my mind (or maybe in the middle) I know that I can't or I'll end up right back where I was: in pain and on the metaphorical bench. So I plod along, with people passing me by and my four legged companion pulling on the leash, urging me to go faster.

At least I know that I'm not in terrible shape from all the cross training because I feel strong and when I'm ready, I'll be zipping along again at my slightly faster pace.

I just wish it was sooner rather than later.

Today I ran the second slowest half marathon of my life and I couldn't be happier.

I finished the Toronto Women's Half Marathon in 2:44, well off my best of 1:48, but I was tough. If Dumbledore were to give me an award, I would like to think that he would credit my moral fiber.

If my Twitter feed is correct, I mysteriously injured my foot on April 12. Still not sure what I did. It was an off day with not running and I stood up from my desk at work and BAM. Messed up peroneal tendon. Badly. Been in physio since then and haven't run in a month and a half, except for 1km last week to test it out and it felt terrible so I stopped, opting for an extra week rest instead of trying to build up mileage. And as stupid as that sounds, I think it was a good idea. My physiotherapist knew that it was my plan to run whether or not my foot was better, so she did her best to prep me. Lots of ultrasound, icing, ART, electropads and strengthening exercises. The main reason that I ran it at all instead of just skipping it all together was because I had raised money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation and I felt guilty taking the donations and not even attempting the run. So I ran.

I was reading a post online last week talking about women's only races and what the differences/advantages are. I only noticed two main differences from other events.

1. Waiting for the portapotty, the women in line were letting the runners who were in earlier waves of the half go ahead of them in line.
2. Women don't run through puddles. They will line up and run single file to avoid getting their feet wet.

My foot held up for the first 4km before I started to feel the first twinge, and I was able to make it to 12km before I had to take my first walk break (which I promptly tweeted about). It wasn't going great, but I was having fun. Unlike everyone else I saw, I was bounding through the puddles. I was singing to my iPod. I waved at the hot, shirtless firemen, who I saw at three different times while they manned a water station. And then I hit the 18km mark and I'm fairly certain that the last 3km took me 30 minutes. I was doing the old man shuffle and things were not going well but I survived. Chocolate station at 19km was lovely, but all I wanted to do was to be done. I had been doing a lot of cross training, but my quads were burning and my injured foot was killing me, because it's tough to train for running by doing anything besides running.

Finally crossed the finish line (after seeing my mom, fiance, and dog a couple hundred metres before) and I have never been so glad to stop running before in my life. Grabbed my post race grub, met up with my cheerleaders and went home, only to find more aches and pains. My back kills when I sit down and my hip flexors are angry at me. I have to assume that it wasn't just the lack of training but more from my body compensating to keep my foot from hurting and running differently from normal.

But I'm proud. I could have quit, but I didn't. I was tough and I had fun. Am I a little disappointed with my time? Of course, but there wasn't anything that I could have done able that, aside from getting in a time machine and not getting injured. I finished, and right now, I feel pretty damn proud about it. $820 raised for Heart and Stroke and yes, I'm pretty sore, but I'm hoping that money will go to good use.

So now what? Back to physio, back to the gym, and letting my foot heal up. I'm hoping to run the 5km in the same series at the end of August so this foot has to get better so I can rock it. :)

First off, I'd like to admit that I suck at my New Years Resolution of keeping this blog updated. I sucked big time. But I have been running, lots. I've got my fundraiser set up for the Heart and Stroke Foundation for my half marathon with $400 raised so far. Training has been going well - my 17.5km run on Saturday was wonderful and the weather was fantastic. I have another problem now.

As runners, we get aches and pains now and again. Some are minor, like sore muscles and others are more severe like stress fractures and ligament tears. I've experienced both of these over the years and it's made me realise something.

Either because of it or because I'm just a little high strung, I've become a little bit of a hypochondriac about it.

Right now, my right foot hurts.

The red is wear my ouchie is.

I'm not quite sure how it happened, because it started to hurt yesterday afternoon and I haven't run since Sunday morning, but all I know is that it hurts and I'm freaking out a bit. If I hurt myself, I'd rather it be in a blaze of glory (like putting a hole in a wall falling off a treadmill or getting taken down by my dog chasing a squirrel - both of which I've done, BTW) and not some stupid mystery injury that I'm beginning to think I got from sitting at my desk at work. Workers comp is clearly required.

I have a half marathon in a month and a half and really can't afford to be injured. I've booked an appointment into physio but can't get in until next week due to my work schedule and my physios schedules not meshing nicely. What if my foot is broken?

I know its probably not, but I overreact sometimes, ok?

In all likelihood, my foot will have healed itself before I can get into physio and I'll be happily running my little heart soon enough, but I have to wonder...

Am I the only one who freaks out like this?

Oh the blizzard outside is frightful,
But running is so delightful.
So many kilometers to run,
through the snow, through the snow, through the snow.

I don't think that song writing is in my future, but there is something that I love about running in the snow. It wasn't cold and the flakes were huge and it brings a little bit of childishness back into a boring adult life. Catching snowflakes on my tongue. Tossing snowballs at the dog. Squealing as snow falls off a tree branch and goes down my neck -- seriously, that was cold.

6.5km tonight. Not very fast. In fact, it was really freaking slow. After my run, did 40 minutes of Wii Yoga. By the way, Biggest Loser Challenge? Kicking my butt. There was a series of pushups yesterday that made me collapse in exhaustion. And my arms feel quite jello-y today. Was very glad the program threw yoga at me today, because if I had seen pushups on the screen, there is a chance that I would have cried.

I've always enjoyed watching The Biggest Loser on TV. I love seeing the accomplishments and transformations in these people's lives. Those who lose hundreds of pounds and in turn improve and extend their lives because of it. It's inspiring.

After Christmas, with my HMV gift certificate in hand, I went in search of a game for my Wii for strength training and conditioning as I'm cheap and don't want to shell out the dough for a gym membership. After much deliberation, I walked out the door with The Biggest Loser Wii Challenge in my hand. I'm not a big girl, but I liked the idea that the workouts could adjust to my needs as necessary and it had lots of variation to the routines. I also liked how that you could do it without the Wii Balance Board if required because I sometimes forget to charge the batteries and don't want to get to use that as an excuse.

I definitely made the right decision.

Every day this week I have been cursing Jillian Michaels to the deepest pits of hell. I swear at her when she makes me do push ups. I stick my tongue out when she tells me to do tire runs. I yell at her even when it is Bob on the screen, because in my mind, it's still her yelling at me and making my body hurt.

But it hurts in a good way. I can feel my muscles getting stronger beneath the burn. I have no idea if my weight is going to change when I do a weigh in on Tuesday, but frankly, I don't care. Because I'm going to have buns of steel :)

Resolutions
1. Run more than 30 km every week.
2. Run faster than 6min km in every race.
3. Update this blog more frequently, because frankly, I suck.

Races
April 2, 2011 - Harry's Run Off 8km
May 31, 2011 - Toronto Women's Half Marathon
July, 2011 - Acura Distillary 5km
August 27, 2011 - Toronto Women's 10km
October 29, 2011 - Toronto Women's 5km

Injuries happen. They happen in day to day life. They happen in accidents. And they certainly happen while running. Shin splints, sore muscles, tears, rolled ankles - anything can happen. And yesterday it happened to me. But I'm not quite sure where I hurt, I'm more just aware that I do hurt.

It's all my dog's fault.

We were out for our afternoon 6km - 4.4km to the dog park, a play with other dogs, and then 1.6km home. She's a pretty good running partner and if I do say so myself, the cutest thing ever, but she does have a weakness. She's too socialized. She needs to say hello to everyone and everything. And this is how I hurt myself.

About three and a half km into our run, there was a puppy crossing the road ahead of us with its person. No, not only a puppy. A Wheaton puppy, one of Cooper's favourite breeds on the planet. And she needed to go see it. Now. Normally, this isn't a problem. She runs in front of me (I can't decide if its an innate husky pulling trait or an innate shepherd guarding trait, but I can't seem to break it from her, no matter how many treats and clickers are involved) and although it isn't the favoured heel position, I am able to see better if she's going to start pulling after something. A pull of the leash and a firm "NO. LEAVE IT." generally works, though she will stare at whatever she's looking at longingly. Unfortunately, this puppy crossed our line of sight at the same time as we were running through some muddy grass. I pulled the leash and skidded at the same time, throwing off my center of balance.

And then proceed to skid and slide for 20 meters. There were a couple moments when I thought that I was going to make a spectacular recovery and the judges would have given me an 8.4 for being shaky on the dismount but nailing the landing. No, what I did was slide until I simply ran out of momentum and landed softly on my bum. And then proceeded to be licked by Cooper and her new Wheaton friend. The other owner was concerned and asked if I was all right - I of course said that I was fine, but the moment that I started running again, I could feel little twinges in places that there had been no twinges before - my right quad, my left hamstring, my core and the rest of the run was significantly slower.

Now I'm sore all over. My bum is fine but my muscles ache way more than what is normal for my daily run and I know that its completely from my attempt to stabilize and not fall down. I'm certain that I would hurt less if I had just wiped out completely.

Things I learned:
1. Mud is slippery
2. Puppy kisses cure all as do couch cuddles when you finally get home

After a couple of weeks with running with a leashed four legged companion, it is amazing how fast you can run by yourself.

As good as the dog is when we run (and how excited she gets when she knows we're going) being able to use both arms fully and not be concerned about a sudden jolt when a squirrel is spotted and Needs To Be Chased Into The Woods is magnificent.

Last night I ran 7km in the park and though I felt slow, I was surprisingly a lot faster than I expected, which is always nice. Saw a young guy walking down the path with no shoes on, which was rather odd.

Running around 7pm was nice. The humidity had died down and the afternoon crowd had all gone home. I'll miss it when I go out today at 3:30. It's hot at 3:30.

The weather fooled me yesterday.

I got home from work and was surprised at how cool it felt - like it was only 25 degrees in comparison to last weeks 37. So at 3:30pm I tied up my shoes, grabbed the dog and headed out.

Except 3 minutes in, I was drenched in sweat. Drenched like I could have drowned a small child in my sweat. There was apparently surprise!humidity. And that sucks.

The pooch and I toughed out 5km in the deceptively hot afternoon and though it was a very slow trot at the end we survived - lots of water for both, lots of swimming in rivers for her and then we both went home and had a nap. Yay nap!

A little over a month ago, I ran a very slow 5km. Yesterday I ran one that was still slow, but 2.5 minutes faster than the one I ran before. Only 10 minutes slower than my PB! Yay me!

Now I am counting down to the dreaded 10km.

I'd like to be under an hour and I think I'm on my way to being able to reach that goal. I've been running. I've been doing yoga. This morning I went for my first swim in eons - and might I say OMG my arms are tired.

Tonight I'll go for a run, depending on the humidity I might bring the dog. And I'll slowly and sure improve my fitness. And I'll get faster :)

Today I ran with a new running partner for the first time. We were both a little nervous about it but excited at the same time.

I ran with my dog. Cooper is my 11 and a half month old shepherd/husky mix and today was her first run. Of course that isn't quite true. Cooper is a dog park aficionado, stellar at the sports of chase and wrestling (though somewhat lacking in the noble art of fetch), and is young and fit. Today was just her first time running on leash with me.

In the first 100 meters I though at least three times that this was possibly a terrible idea and that she wasn't ready for it, despite being told by the vet that she was physically a-ok to start slowly. There was zig zagging, leashes in mouths and bounding. And then it stopped. She trotted along nicely beside me. She'd look up at me with a smile in her eyes and I'd give her a pat on the head and she would look ahead again, set on the run. I ran on the sidewalk and she in the grass until we got to the parks. In the woods she did run ahead a little bit, but didn't really pull. We stopped to walk quite a few times because I was certain that I was going to give her walk breaks, just as any newbie would do (my plan was to run 2 minutes, walk 1), but she put her leash in her mouth and pulled. Looked up at me and with the voice only a husky can make said "WOOOOOOOOOOO". She wanted to RUN. We stuck to the plan, but she couldn't figure out why we were walking ;)

We ran to the dog park where she got to go for a swim and play with her regular doggy friends. I knew that I hadn't worn her out too badly when there was an epic game of chase going on.

Half an hour of playing in the park later, it was time to go. She went for another swim and we started the run home in the trails. This time there are a couple of disagreements because I wanted to run on the path and she wanted to chase a squirrel that went 'that way', but we stayed on course. I could tell she was beginning to run out of gas about 700m from home so we walked the rest of the way.

I'm so proud of my new running friend on her first time out.

Good girl, Cooper.

I'm away for work and had a lovely 40 minutes run. I have no idea how far I went, but it was nice and sunny, albit a little on the warm side but seeing as it was 2:30pm and I didn't melt, I think this is probably a good thing. I found a nice and pretty trail along the river and it was just men and the gravel. And the guy fishing on the river bed.

Today I ran to get away.

I love my job. I really do. I get to contribute. I get to travel. I meet some amazing athletes and coaches. I know that not many people are excited to get to go to work everyday, but I do, and I know I'm one of the lucky few. But sometimes having the ability to just leave for an hour to rejuvenate and just have an hour of "me" and not having to think about anyone else is a gold mine.

IPod on shuffle, and I head out and I love every second. And because I run, I come back better than ever.

A tea in the morning and a run a night. That is all it takes to keep me happy.

Yes, it really is that simple.

Daily Total
Time: 41:03

Sometimes life just gets in the way of going for a run.

Today I had the time, but that time was filled with other things: doing laundry, getting clothes together for goodwill, going grocery shopping, dishes, and so forth. So I did the best thing that I could think of.

I did 30 minutes on the Wii Fit.

True, it was not optimal. Running for 30 minutes would have been better for me in the long run, but I needed to fit it into my schedule and doing it this way I was able to do multiple things at once. And I have to admit that I am rather proud of my score on the Single Leg Twist exercise, which was magnificent, especially considering I had a 50 pound dog trying to jump on me.

Tomorrow my run will happen. Just a simple 30 minute one, but I'm looking forward to it :)

I am fortunate enough to live in a large city yet live on the edge of a large park, full of trails to run through and explore. There is a brook running through it and it is one of the places that you can escape from city living.

There is one draw back. I have to go down to run in the park. Which means on the way home, it means I have to run uphill. And no matter what way I go and which route I take, includes an insane run up hill to get to the top.

But hills make you strong. They make you tough. The burn in your quads and your glutes? That is your body telling you how bad ass you are for running up that hill and showing that hill who is boss.

And at the end of the race, it isn't speed that gets you through, its guts.

Daily Total
Time - 43:18 min
Distance Run - ?

I have a strange tradition.

I love running, but I have always had a problem with motivation. I like to sit at home and eat chocolate instead of going for my run, because my couch is comfy and chocolate is yummy.

Anyway, whenever I feel exceptionally slothlike, I enter myself into a race that I am in no way prepared to run fast in. And I do terrible.

For some reason, I find this failure incredibly motivating.

This morning I ran a local women's only 5km. And though I haven't looked at official results, I think I added approximately 11 minutes to by best 5km time.

But I had fun. I had a rocking playlist. I race the last 600 metres with an 8 year old in her first race. I beat my nemesis, a person I picked at random after the turn around, Chick In The Red Shirt.

And it completely reenergized me to train so that my next race will be faster.

Finished the 5km strong, high fived the little girl, and kept jogging another two km to meet up with my boyfriend and dog frolicking in the dog park, who were thrilled to see me, regardless if I ran fast or not :)

Daily Total
Time - unknown
Distance Run - 7 km

I suffer from having an over protective significant other. He is genuinely concerned that something is going to happen to me when I'm out on my run, particularly at night. His concern is sweet and as we do live in a rather large city, his worrying could be valid if I was running through dark alleys at 11pm.

Except tonight it made me laugh. Because it was 7:30, the sun was shining and I was going to a family oriented park that is always filled with runners and cyclists. The three most dangerous things I saw were:

1. A 8 week old Australian Shepherd rolling in the grass
2. A grandmother sitting on a park bench people watching, cane in hand
3. A family of 8 playing volleyball

Quite the abundance of evil, obviously.

But it does raise the question, how do you stay safe on a run? To make the boyfriend feel better, I had my cell phone shoved in the back of my bra, but it something had happened I would be completely unable to reach it and dial and escape from attackers all at the same time. I had headphones on, a big no-no if I want to be aware of my surroundings. I told him where I was going, but I wasn't specific. I have a runner ID tag on my shoe, but at the same time, my account is expired. I work out of town a lot and am always running in new places - so in that case I let my co-workers know more precisely where I am going and how long I'm going to be gone for. Maybe this should be practiced more thoroughly at home, but I can't shake the feeling that since I'm not going far, nothing could possibly happen.

Even pretend ignorance can be bliss.

Daily Total
Time - 32:02 min
Distance Run - 5 km

Leaving for my run this morning, The Weather Network told me that it was 14C out and partially sunny. What it failed to mention was the lung crushing, breath sucking, buckets of sweat inducing humidity. After approximately 8 seconds it felt like I had been shoved into an oven. Which in case you were wondering, is bad.

I did my best to ignore it. I wore my hat. I stuck to the shadows. I ran down dirt paths surrounded by trees and streams. And it wasn't so bad. Though I think that I still lost ten pounds in sweat...

Another thing I did today was that I was running for time, not for distance. My plan was 6km, but I scrapped that in the conditions and decided to run for 35 minutes instead, and whatever ground I cover was what I covered. I don't think I made it to 6, but at the same time I don't think I was off by that much - I'll have to check on the map later.

I finished at the park and was never so glad to see my water bottle waiting for me, all cool and tempting. Best drink ever. Should I have taken water with me? Yes, but lesson learned.

And that lesson is, don't trust The Weather Network - go check it outside for myself :)

Daily Total
Time - 35:12 min
Distance Run - ~5.5km

Today I ran and it was special.

It wasn't long or fast or out of the ordinary. No exciting people were seen. No stories to regal people with afterwards. The most exciting thing that happened was that I tripped over a grass covered stake and wiped out on someones lawn, only to quickly get up and look around to see if anyone saw my clumsy move. But it was early and no one saw - unless there were some people sneakily laughing from behind their curtains.

But why was this run special? It was special because I was running and running should always be special. It was just me, my running shoes and my ipod blasting the Glee soundtracks at me. I smiled at other runners that I passed on the trails and in the park, to get a smile, a nod or wave in return. We were part of our own club, the group of Saturday morning runners.

I started at home and ended at the dog park to be greeted by my waiting boyfriend and dog, who galloped over to see me like she hadn't seen me in days and not just half an hour. And to answer the boyfriend's question of 'how was your run?', let me tell you, it was special.

Today I ran.

Daily Total
Time - 30 min
Distance Run - ~5km

Slow and steady is frustrating.

My body is ouchie

Aches and Pains

Running in a winter wonderland...

OMG, MY MUSCLES - aka The Biggest Loser Wii Game kicks my butt

2011 Resolutions

I have a boo boo

Free as a bird

Summer, why must you torture me?

5km race 2.0

Running Partners

Running to get away from it all

Sometimes you just do other things

Always the Uphill Battle

The Time That Shall Not Be Named

It's The Safety Dance

Feeling Hot Hot Hot

Today I ran

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August 2011

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