As of 11/28/09 I am injured AGAIN. This time a high ankle sprain with an additional sprain on the outside of my ankle fracture. I don't expect to run until after the new year and I therefore won't be blogging much. I'll still be reading all your running blogs though.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

A mixed bag of emotions

9:30 am
The past two days have been frustratingly crappy.  I'm so done with crutches.  I mean, my skin has been rubbed raw from them.  It takes me FOREVER to do anything.

I still need to do Christmas shopping, wrap the few presents that I managed to buy on Black Friday, we haven't even put up our tree yet and we normally have two of them, my house is a flippin' disaster and I'm behind on personal finance stuff.  Oh, and I'm supposed to have Christmas at my house this year.  Great.  I can't wait.  Christmas is in 16 days.  I don't know how I will manage to get everything done since I can't even walk.

My frustration is compounded by the fact that I'm very worried about how my ankle sprain is going to affect my running.  I'm worried that what used to be easy will now be hard, will I have constant pain, 13.1 seemed so totally doable and now I'm wondering if it is out of reach.  My 2010 goals are pretty simple without the injury but with, I don't even know anymore.

I'm going to have to start over from ground zero and that pisses me off.  I'm really trying to find meaning in all of this but so far I can't.

I'm normally not very emotional but all this shit combined with some PMS does not make Lisa very happy right now.  I've been fighting tears for the past 2 days.

12:40 pm
A friend's Facebook status:
"Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle and a victory." Ghandi

I suppose my sprained ankle is my struggle.  Looking forward to the victory.

8:00 pm
I had my second doctor appointment today where they took another xray.  A "stress xray" specifically.  My doctor actually was in the xray room with me and manipulated my ankle, pushing my leg in one direction while pulling on my foot in the other.  It actually didn't hurt but due to the stiffness in my ankle, my foot wouldn't go far.

So it turns out that I have a fracture and not a sprained ankle.  It seems to be a slight fracture although my doc didn't use that word.  But given that it didn't show up in the first set of xrays, this appears to be the case.  I may have stretched the ligaments or I may not have.  Hard to tell.  Healing time is 6 weeks or so.

I asked what the pop was that I heard when I stepped on the styrofoam and he said it could have been my bone or the ligaments.  Either way, I have to wear the boot for 6 weeks and stay off it for the time being.  I also need to sleep in the boot.  Ugh, so not looking forward to that.

I asked again about the half marathon I want to do in early June and he thinks I'll be able to run it without a problem, so I guess I can be happy about that.

I've broken my right arm twice and more recently broke my left wrist (yes, I am a klutz), so I'm pretty familar with broken bones and know that once healed and rehabed, things are ok.  I hope that is the case with my ankle as well.

By the way, I texted my sister and told her that I couldn't host Christmas.  This was before I knew about the fracture.  We will be going to her house instead so that is a big burden off my shoulders.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Baby steps

I woke up yesterday morning and decided that I was going to try to walk.  I grabbed my crutches and took very slow tentative steps and was able to put some weight on my leg and walk with the assistance of my crutches.

Sadly, after 8 days of not walking and not using my left leg, my achilles tendon is EXTREMELY tight and I have what feels like a burning sensation on my outer ankle... I assume from a tight muscle that is being stretched.

Walking in my boot is hard because it causes my foot to roll back due to the rounded bottom and stretches my achilles too much.

I've got another doctor appointment on Wednesday where they will do a "stress xray" and I will ask how long I need to wear the boot.  The doc probably told me but I can't remember due to all the info he was throwing at me.

I bought an ankle brace over the weekend but haven't worn it yet.  I'm kind of confused on what I need to be doing in terms of rehab.  Will walking now cause more harm than good?  Should I be stretching and if so how much and to what degree?

I've been thinking a lot about my fitness goals for next year and will be posting about them soon.  I will probably get a head start on some of them before January 1.

Oh, I bought the December issue of Runners World over the weekend.  Hello?  Why haven't I subscribed earlier?  Great read and I look forward to receiving them in the mail.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Merry Christmas to me and other stuff

Well I did it again.  I screwed up one of the Christmas gifts my husband was planning on giving me.

I regularly read the message boards over at Runnersworld.com.  I went there tonight and there was a pop up advertisement for a one year gift subscription to Runners World magazine.

I of course subscribed and completed the subscription info showing my husband as the person giving the subscription.  I told him that he was giving me the subscription and he looked at me and shook his head and told me I was unbelievable.

This isn't the first time I've screwed up a Christmas or birthday gift.  I have a knack for doing that apparently.

Anyway, I  have several fitness magazine subscriptions but none of them are running related.  I figure that if I can't run at least I can read about it lol.

~~~~~

I'm working on a list of goals for 2010.  I don't know how ambitious to be due to my injury; I will likely go the conservative route to be on the safe side.  I've never made actual running goals before so this should be interesting.

~~~~~

My ankle is more swollen than it was the first few days.  I now have swelling on the inside of my ankle.  Bruising is starting to appear and I still cannot walk on it.  I hate having to use crutches because I can't do anything.  Carrying things at work, making lunches, carrying my laptop to the couch, all pretty much impossible.

Crutches SUCK!

That's my Facebook status by the way.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Giving thanks

I am back at work today.  Yeah, getting out of the car was quite the experience.  I parked next to a curb and had troubles getting out.  Just as soon as I get the hang of my crutches I won't need them anymore lol.

We received very sad news over the weekend.  One of my daughter's soccer teammates lost her dad tragically in a boating accident the day after Thanksgiving.  He was only 49 years old and leaves behind his wife and two kids.  So sad.  I can't stop thinking about them and what they must be going through.

It certainly puts everything in perspective for me.  Yeah, I'm mad and disappointed that I can't run for a while but you know what, I'm alive and I will be able to run again.

I'm thankful for my health and the health of my family and friends.  I'm thankful for my legs even though one of them is injured right now.  I'm thankful for all the friends I've made online.

Never take anything for granted because it can be taken from you at any moment.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Injury update

I went to see two doctors today.  One, my primary care physician who concurred that I did have a sprained ankle.  Coincidentally she has one too and was wearing a walking boot.  She referred my to an orthopaedist.  I had an xray at his office where it was determined that I do NOT have a fracture or break, rather I sprained two ligaments in my ankle and have what is called a high ankle sprain.

I am now sporting a walking boot.  I am not able to walk on it yet but hopefully I will be soon.  Can I just say that using crutches is HARD.  I am getting quite the upper body workout.  My shoulders and abs are sore!

I don't expect to run until after the new year.  I'm disappointed but I know that if I don't heal fully I will be off longer.  Been there, done that.  As soon as I am able to walk without pain I plan on taking spin classes again.  I also want to hit the weights and work on my core so no time like the present right?

~~~~

On a different note, I know have a running email address.  I have received a few requests for my email address and I finally created one and it can be found on my profile page.

Thanks to eveyone for the well wishes!  I can't believe I am injured AGAIN :(

Saturday, November 28, 2009

This is me :(

and this is my ankle:














I went running with my niece today and on our way back I stepped on a big leaf.  Underneath the leaf was a chunk of styrofoam and I rolled my ankle.  I heard a pop and went down.

I tore my new running tights and am so pissed off that I won't be able to run for a while.

I went to urgent care but they had no appointments so I got crutches and have an appointment for tomorrow morning.  I don't know if I will go, just depends on how I feel.  There is no bruising so there probably isn't anything they can do for me anyway.

I'm icing and elevating and hoping I heal quickly.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

One Hour

Short version:

6.2 miles in 1:00:37

Official time is 1:01:26

I was able to shave two minutes off my last 10k race less than a month ago.

It's not the sub-60 10k I've been hoping for but it's close enough and I am thrilled.  And I'm going with my Garmin time since it took me a minute or so to cross the start line.

Long version:

I awoke this morning at 4:18 and could not go back to sleep.  I thought about what I would wear and if I should wear shorts over the capris I had already laid out.

I finally got up when my alarm went off, dressed in capris and ate a bowl of oatmeal.  I woke the kids up as late as possible and after they dressed we headed out.  I was worried about parking so we left early and of course we were able to find parking without a problem.

It was COLD.  My car said it was 39 degrees and I was glad I opted to put on my Nike compression shirt undernearth my long sleeve running top.  We put our bibs on and my daughter and I ran to the start line to warm our bodies up while my husband and son walked.

I knew that Aron would be running the 5k and I looked for her but wasn't able to find her.  As the 8:00 10k start time approached we were informed that there would be about a 15 minute delay due to all the people registering.  When I picked up our bibs yesterday I was told that there were about 1200 people running.  Last year there were about 400 but since there was an event management company managing the race this year, they had a lot more registrations.

Turns out about 1600 people ran the race from 23 different states.  I was surprised to hear that given that this is a local race or so I thought.

Bernie from Biggest Loser gave a little speech before the start of the 10k and he ran the 5k.  I'm not sure why he was at this particular race, perhaps he has family in the area.

The 10k eventually started about 8:25.  It was super cold and I was glad I ate oatmeal but was worried that I might need more fuel.  My husband got me a half banana and I ate that and took a sip of his coffee.  I'm not a coffee drinker but it felt good to sip a warm drink.

This wasn't a chip timed race so I started my Garmin as I passed the start line. Since I was towards the back it took about a minute or so to get up to the start line.  I figured that I would rather start farther back and pass people then have others passing me.  It was a little congested with runners pushing baby joggers and slower runners.  It got really congested going over the pedestrian bridge with all the people with baby joggers lined up behind one another.  I was annoyed that it was difficult to pass.  If I had known that I would run such a good race I would've been a little more persistent in passing or perhaps not lined up so far back.

Anyhow I fell into a good pace for a bit running behind 2 older ladies, one wearing a Portland Marathon finishers tshirt.  I thought maybe I would run behind them for the entire race but they either slowed down or I sped up and I eventually passed them.  I just concentrated on running my race at that point.

The trail we ran on is narrow to begin with but it was divided in half in order to allow for the 2 way race traffic so that made things difficult.  There were also some very sharp turns and at one point I had to navigate my way through a bunch of geese poop.  Yuck.  I thought about the barefoot runners that were running the 10k.

Everytime I glanced at my Garmin I was seeing paces in the nines.  That's fast for me but I was feeling good so I went with it.

As I got closer to the end I realized that I might get my sub-60.  But the course narrowed again for the 2 way race traffic and there was a very sharp turnaround.  If it weren't for the congestion and sharp turns I know I would've met my goal.

As I approached the finish line I saw my family and my sister and niece.  I sprinted to the finish and when I stopped my Garmin it read 1:00.  Ugh, so close but I am so happy that I shaved 2 minutes off my time.

All in all I had a great time.  I do hope that next year they have a loop course and not an out and back.  There's one other 10k in December I may contemplate running although it depends on the kids' schedules.  I stilll want my sub-60 10k.

My husband took a pic of me approaching the finish but it's hideous so I'm not posting it so I leave you with one of my family after the race.


Tuesday, November 24, 2009

I'm still here...

It's just been crazy as this time of year generally is.

Running has been kinda so-so. I had a great run Saturday morning. 4 miles in about 40 minutes. I haven't downloaded the stats from my Garmin yet so I don't know exact times or splits but I ran about 10 minute miles for sure.

Sunday's long run never happened. I'm bummed but it is what it is. No running today as I have to take my daughter to an orthodontist appointment right after school and then from there she goes to her last soccer practice. Unless I run in my work clothes, I don't forsee a run happening today. After today, I am off for the rest of this week and I may go for a quick run tomorrow morning before I start getting my house ready to host Thanksgiving.

Thursday is my second 10k. I'm not really sure what to expect from it in terms of time but I'll do my best and see what happens. Turns out my niece and sister are also running the 5k, or so they say. We shall see if they show up. I also found out that one of the moms in my daughter's 4th grade class is also running the 10k. Should be fun and the weather is going to be perfect.

My daughter lost her state cup championship game on Sunday, boo hoo, but we left that game and went directly to her first basketball game where she rocked. She scored 10 of their 18 points to defeat the team that we she really wanted to beat :) Yeah, I'm one of those moms.

If I don't post before, I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! Thanks to all my new followers. Who knew people would be interested in reading my mediocre writing?!?!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Cold ears and warm hands

So this morning was another early morning run and boy was it chilly. I woke up about 10 minutes before my alarm went off and then laid in bed for 1 or 2 minutes after it went off. Got up and the did usual routine, ha I say usual like I do this all the time. Anyway I turned my Garmin on and was sad to see a low battery message. What? I charge it after every run when I download the data to SportTracks so how could it be low? I figured I would give it a try and see how long it lasted.

Beachy and I set out and I could see that the Garmin was having a problem finding a satellite because I got a message asking if I was indoors. With my gloved hand I tried to answer and I think I started the timer. I turned it off and fiddled with it for a few seconds and then said screw it I'm just gonna run. I was able to see that it was 6:02 when I started the timer for the second time.

We ran the same route as last time. It was cold and my ears we feeling it. I pulled my hair into a pony tail and my ears were exposed and I kinda wished I had worn my headband.

I did wear my new white Nike windbreaker and I was happy to have it so that I was more noticable in the morning darkness.

I glanced at my Garmin and noticed that it didn't seem to be keeping time. It was hard to tell since everything seems blurry in the morning and it was dark. Next time I glanced at it, it had turned off. Oh well.

Beachy was pretty good today although he gets his panties in a bunch when he sees other dogs. He wants to go play and sniff but I had none of that... we were there to run! He still gets in my way but I suppose with time he will learn.

Did I say it was cold? I could see my breath and the lawns and cars we passed all had frost on them. My Nike compression top was riding up and was bugging me and after a while I gave up trying to pull it back down. I did feel warm in my sweatshirt and windbreaker and my hands were warm too.

All in all we ran 4 miles in about 40-42 minutes. The clock in the kitchen said 6:42 when we got back but I don't know how off the Garmin and kitchen clock are but nontheless, we ran at a pretty decent pace.

Kerrie I are scheduled for a morning run tomorrow but I think I am going to have to back out. Rain and wind are forecasted and I really don't want to run in it. Sprinkles maybe but wind AND rain, no thanks. Sorry Kerrie.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Baby carrots, wardrobe malfunction and training wheels!

More random thoughts, this time about my run today, so to continue on with the numbered list theme from earlier today:

  1. Baby carrots: The secret to running well. Everytime I eat them I run well. Today's run was another case in point. More on that later.
  2. Wardrobe malfunction: note to self - never wear the yoga pants I wore today for running. They must be too big or something. Walking around in them I wasn't having any problems, but the minute I started running they started falling down and there is no drawstring. I had to continually pull them up. So frustrating. I need more running tights and capris instead of wearing my gym clothes for running.
  3. Training wheels: I kid you not but I almost got taken out by a kid on a bike. Again. This time he was on training wheels. His stupid mother was with him on the wrong side of the trail and never moved the first time I passed them. I get to my turnaround point and on my way back there they are again on the wrong flippin' side of the trail. Again they don't move and she is yacking on her cell phone when the kid starts pedaling without holding on to the handlebars and the bike starts moving toward me just as I pass. What am I, a magnet for little kids on bikes to run in to?
  4. I brought my pepper spray with me. I left it in my car. A lot of good that does. Thank God there were no creepy people on the trail.

4 miles in 40:03, 10:01 average pace.

You see that. Not a 10:30ish average pace but 10:01! And I was feeling good the entire time.

It's the baby carrots I tell you. I always have a good run when I eat them beforehand.

My splits:

Mile 1: 10:06

Mile 2: 9:59

Mile 3: 10:00

Mile 4: 9:57

Question for those of you with Garmins and SportTracks software:

What column should I be looking at when I want to know what my splits were: the split time or split pace column? The splits above are from the split time column but in all honesty the two columns are pretty much the same. What's the difference between the two anyway? I just want to make sure I'm looking at the correct column for this.