1 Week of R&R + 2400mg of Ibuprofen per day

So, I don't think I'm exactly outta the game juuuuust yet. I broke down and went to see the nurse practioner about my knee today. She seems to think I may have a minor tear or done some minor cartilage damage when I was skiing. I got some prescription strength I-BU and FNP's orders to stay off of it for a week.

I did manage to get in a 4-mile run with Lana yesterday during lunch. 36:22. No major knee pain after about a quarter of a mile. No major knee pain last night! I woke up at 4am this morning. Tried to go back to sleep for 25 min - couldn't do it. Too much on my mind. So I hopped on my trainer for a 1 hour dvd. What a workout! The question is............ will I obey FNP's orders or will I hit the road and finish out week 4? :-/

"Oh Girls Just Wanna have FU-UUN....."

Friday when I got off work I headed to the boro to meet my aunt Dana! She bought my dinner & we had a great time just chit-chatting! We just almost closed down the Chop House! :-) I made it back home in a state of EXHAUSTION after the 12 mile run that morning. And OUCH! My knee! It hurt me all night and all day on Saturday.

I had to be at work by 8am for that good ol PeopleTools 8.47 patch. I got my backups complete and patched my 4 servers. Everything went smoothly - thank God! Then the test team came in and load tested it all and everything passed with flying colors so I got to leave around 3pm. Came home, took a quick 25 min power nap and started getting ready for a girl's night out in Nashville. I met Erica, Libby, Melinda, Chastity, & Misty and off we went! Charla was already up there so she joined us during our hour and a half wait at Spaghetti Factory. Yummmm.... that cheese bread is sinful. I had a "trolley car" and a "pirates punch." That's the last trolley car I'll ever get - it was nasty. But lemme tell ya - that pirate's got a PUNCH! Mmm... that was good! So after we stuffed our faces we walked to Decades. Danced our BOO-TAYS off. Then to Cadillac Ranch. See pics below.










We made it back home around 3am. Boy am I TIRED today! And my knee??? I'm beginning to think I need to go to the doctor. Something is just not right. It's hurting just as bad as it did on our last day in Tahoe. I am wondering how I'll be able to do this week's training. Maybe I'll wake up in the morning and it will be better? Hopefully. If not, I think I'm gonna bite the bullet and get an appointment.

12 miles in 13 degrees! And only a frozen face!

Well I did it! I actually got up at 4 this morning and met Tim, Lee, & Lana at the rec center. We did NOT tary - no stretching on my part. We wanted it OVER with! I had on my cold gear, a pair of fleece pants and a sweatshirt for my 2nd layer, $80 goosedown/gortex gloves and a $34 wool/fleece hat!

We ran out to Old Stone Fort and did a hill. Tim & Lee are running the Birmingham marathon, which is notorious for hills. We made a loop around the picnic area on the way out and jetted across the street to do a Morton's Lake loop - where there was a steep/semi-short hill that really got my heart STOMPING! At this point my body is pretty warm, believe it or not. My face? A different story. Numb, throbbing, stiff, frozen! So we head down 41 back to the bottom of jail hill and climbed it, of course! We ran all the way out to Walmart, thru the parking lot and made a loop next to the front door. Tim made the comment that if the Garmin would still get signal we coulda made a loop inside walmart. Geez.... it sounded GREAT at the time! Room temp? Anything over 30 sounded HOT and HOT was good! Any other time you can barely pay me to go in Walmart! haha :-) So back over the interstate, and this is where I really started hurting. Right around mile 8.5-9. I was having stomach issues. I was stupid and didn't eat anything but an oreo for dinner last night. And lunch?? Well it was a salad. No wonder the ol tummy is freaked out! I had to play that ILOC game. "Hello pain. How's it goin dude? Well I knew you'd be here and I expected you about right now, actually! You gonna run 3 with me? Maybe you won't stick around too long. Hey just so ya know.... you're attacking my face and I don't even know it because I'm numb!" all the way through town, down jail hill and about 100 yards from the rec parking lot Tim's garmin beeps 12 and we all stop with a 1:43 time which was an 8:35 pace. Ok, that's gotta be my fastest long run to date! These peeps can RUN! I am not sure how I could hang for the whole run except it was so freakin cold I really wanted to be finished ASAP!

So I get home right about the time the sun is coming up and I come in and grab Hattie because at one time during the most frigid run of my life, I did not think I would live to see her ever again! I immediately start peeling off frozen clothes, make sure my coffee is brewed, and run a hot whirlpool bath. I get in... it feels good for about 25 seconds and I really wish the water is hotter because I need to thaw! I sipped gatorade while soaking. I stuck my injured knee on a jet and let it massage it. Got out, dried off, dried the hair (a hairdryer never felt so good!) and jumped BACK in bed under my elec blanket. Next thing I know I'm waking up with terrible stomach cramps and a virus type feeling. I make 3 trips to the bathroom that were not pleasant. :-/ Was it the gatorade on an empty stomach? It almost felt like food poison but there was no food in my belly! I weighed and had lost a few pounds from the time I woke up until then. I felt so weak! I popped 2 saltine crackers and headed to work. Now.... I think I should do the smart thing and eat a healthy lunch!

Gotta work tomorrow - PeopleTools Patch 15 for my production systems! The great thing is.... I DID what I said I'd do again even though it was painful... and now it's time to cut loose for the weekend! TGIF!!!!! And POOF! Week 3 be GONE! I stomped yo butt! :-)

Big things happen on week 3!

This is my official 3rd week of marathon training. So far, I have not slacked! Monday I did a 6 mile treadmill run at 6am at the rec. 55:15. Tuesday night I did a 1 hour training dvd on my trainer and today at lunch I ran with the long-lost sub-4 sista.... Lana! We started at East Middle and did a loop around Tara, then a loop around Macon Manor. I was only going to do 4 today, but I gave into doing 5 for some company. Then we get out there and she wants to talk me into 6. I almost did it and then I said "No... Sorry but I really just still want to do 5!" LOL. We ended up with 5.25 miles and it took us 47 minutes on the dot - 8:57 pace. She seems pretty speedy these days!!! So, tomorrow is a rest day...... and wouldn't you know I've got a long run to do Friday morning. As in - 12 biguns! Ugh... I hope I can hold up for it. I hope my knee will last. It is going to be around 15 degrees I think. I have never attempted a run outside below 20 degrees. Will I get hypothermia?

Yesterday was a great day at work! Something that was long-awaited was FINALLY given to me. Whew!!! It's about time! Things got a little rocky as the day went on.... and other big things started happening in my life and let's just say - it is time to go one way ~~~ or the other. And that's exactly what happened. :-)

Getting better everyday!

We flew back Monday and I didn't actually get home till 10pm. Ugh.... a whole day lost just in travel-time. It is Saturday night - and my suitcase STILL isn't completely unpacked. I have no excuse either. While I was gone my gracious mother cleaned my house, did laundry, bought a lot of the essential staples for a house that I was out of, and basically took care of pretty much everything (mainly Hattie).... even down to a fresh fruit basket on my kitchen bar! I feel like I left one resort and came home to another!

My knee is getting better everyday. While I was in Tahoe I was convinced it was really blown out. Every step was excruciating. So Monday was rest, Tuesday rest, Wednesday rest and Thursday morning I got up at 6am and rode my trainer for an hour before work. Then Thursday night I might K at the rec and he swam 1000 meters while I, for the first time since Saturday, ran 3 miles on the treadmill. Friday was rest. This afternoon I got brave and ran another 6 miles on the treadmill. It's just too cold for my liking right now - the high temp is like.... 32 degrees. I am hoping that by Monday I'll be back to my regular planned training schedule. I have a 12 mile run on there for next weekend. Let's hope my knee continues to heal and I meet my goal!!!! I actually did have a doctor's appointment yesterday, which I cancelled. I really believe it is going to take rest and Aleve. Plus I had major issues to tend to at work and didn't feel like I should miss.

Last night Jamie came down from the boro and we had dinner at Boskey's and then headed to Tullahoma. We had a pretty good redneckin time! K, G and I went back to Boskey's for dinner tonight!!! Yummm!!! We watched "Wedding DAZE." I do NOT recommend that movie. It is one of the dumbest movies I've ever seen.

I think my schedule for this week goes sumthin like this... 6, 4, 1 hour trainer video, 12. I'll cross my fingers my right knee stays "soldier" strong and I'm back on the plan without too terribly much lost!

Havin fun in Tahoe... besides a knee injury :-(

We've had a blast so far! However, I must admit....this resort is too advanced for me. There is no given route where you can take all easy to moderate slopes. There are either steep blues or black diamonds no matter which lift you take. I am not at that level. I like to enjoy my experience instead of shaking and fearing for my life the entire time. Even riding the lifts is scary enough! I have yet to get on a lift where my legs didn't pulse from weakness! 80% of all the people out here are smart enough to have a helmet on. There's a lot of back country skiing - not as many defined slopes. I twisted my knee pretty bad on Friday during a crash. I remember thinking "OMG.... my knee is shot!" But I got up & kept going. I didn't think too much about it. It was sore a little yesterday.... nothing to keep me from hitting the slopes again though! I only had 1 wipe-out yesterday.... and it really didn't hurt - I dont think? Last night before K & I went to eat, I bent down in front of our fridge to grab something and I feel excruciating knee pain - same knee I twisted. I get up and think I can't make it down the hall!!!! Last night was not a good night... I didnt get much sleep at all because the darn thing was throbbing, pounding, thumping, SCREAMING all night! We got eat breakfast. I pop some aleve and getting up from the breakfast table was a chore. Ugh-oh....I just may be outta commision for the slopes today. SAY IT AINT SO!!!! This is our last freakin day here! K heads on out to the slopes and I stay in and ice the knee hoping the aleve and ice will give me enough relief that I can at least come down the mountain one last time. It is now 1:23 here.... and I'm no better. While it's not thumping and throbbing, putting any amount of weight on the leg and trying to bend it or take a step hurts pretty bad. I concede. :-/ I'm bored. I'm watching everyone else out of our window gliding through on skis and snowboards and I'm in this room with my leg elevated. How am I going to run? How am I going to train for CMM????? I'm hoping it's a minor sprain that will heal fast.

On a lighter note, congrats to LANA on a long-awaited sub 4 hour marathon at RNR Phoenix!!! I am so proud for her!!! What an awesome run she had! 3:56, avg pace was 9:01!!! Great job!!!!!

Lake Tahoe Pics

From Ten Miles to Tahoe...

So, T-minus 14 hours & K & I will be heading to the airport for a Lake Tahoe ski vacation! I am very excited. I haven't ski'd in over 3 years and I have a feeling it is going to be like starting all over on the bunny slopes. I am not going to enroll in ski school or anything, but I am concerned about my CSBA skills :-) We are staying at a ski-in/ski-out resort with an ice skating rink, bars, restaurants, mountain bike shop, apparel shops, spa and massage services, an outdoor and indoor heated pool (including lap swimming).... and the list goes on!

Yesterday I started analyzing my marathon plan. I started getting realistic about how my marathon plan was going to coordinate with my ski trip. I remembered how sore I always am after just 1 day of skiing. My plan calls for a 10 mile run on Saturday. Hmmmm.... after skiing all day on Friday - what's the odds I'll be able to move enough to even pick up my running shoes on Saturday.... much less do a 10 miler in an unfamiliar area???? Odds are not good. So, determined that I will follow my plan & not start slacking on week 1, I get up and do the 10 miler this morning at 6am. My main goal was to make this as comfortable as possible until at least mile 8 no matter what the pace, time, etc.... I needed this for self-confidence. My first 5 miles averaged between 9:15 and 9:30 miles. I dont EVEN care! I just want to make it & I know I'm gonna need all I can get after mile 8. I managed to accomplish that. I felt fairly comfortable until about mile 9. At mile 9 my achillies felt tight; however, who can't suffer through 1 mile? So I finished with a 1:31:15 - 9:07 pace. Good enough for me! Like I said, pace meant nothing to me today. I am still shocked that I pushed through the 10 miles. Now I have the luxury of 2 days rest and vacation! I've gotta do a 4 miler at some point before the week ends. I hope to fit that into my ski package!

Stay tuned for Lake Tahoe pics..... and maybe even some videos!

Goodluck to Lana this weekend at RNR Phoenix!!!

Week 1 - 8:30 pace where art thou?

16 weeks away from CMM! Wow, I am having a hard time visualizing my body making it 26.2 miles. Sunday was a rest day. It's a good thing - I stood on my feet in little pointy boots TOOO long Sat night in N'ville. So, yesterday was a 6 mile run. Believe it or not - I got to enjoy this in 70 degrees on Jan 7! No joke! OMG... it was blissful! It was awesome running in shorts and a tank in January! I kind of had a hard time though. Legs felt like they weighed 50lb each, heartrate was high, and attitude was struggling! I ran from East Middle to King's Ridge, to Country Club and made an extra loop through another couple of neighborhoods for 6 miles in 53:55 for an 8:59 pace. And I was shocked I did a sub-9 min run!!! I woulda settled for a 10 min pace!!! I noticed some tightness all through my calves, shins and achilles mainly. Last night I did about a 10 min stretching routine which alleviated it immediately. I am really lazy about stretching. But I dont think I should be anymore!!!!

This morning my plan says to ride my trainer for an hour. Alarm goes off at 5:50... and I'm not feeling it. Snooze..... 9 minutes later..... BLAH BLAH BLAH (some loud music) Hmmm... SNOOOOOZE!!! I finally start coming to my senses and realize I have a choice to make. I can lay there and stay snuggled up to my precious little Hattie-girl..... or I can jump up and cross-train like my plan suggests. I finally decide to go ahead and ride the trainer. Boy did I ride it! I worked up the best sweat yet! This time I did the whole thing in a harder gear. 1 hour mountain bike interval dvd, brewed up some drip. While the drip was festering I threw down right there in the kitchen floor and did 3 sets of pushups. I jumped in the shower, headed to work....... and man did I feel like a million bucks!!!

I love it when I DO what I say I'm going to do. I love to conquer the evil one and get in a great workout and get my day started right!

Tonight I'm packing for Lake Tahoe, and cleaning my house to have things in order for the best dog-sitter in the world - my wonderful mother :-) Hattie sure is lucky to have someone who loves her watching after things.

Looks like I've got a 10 mile run on the schedule for my long run this week. Ouch. I hope I prove myself wrong and bust it out!!! Cause my last two runs haven't felt too hot.

8 MILES from Suds N Duds!

Today I woke up at 7am..... let the dog out, let the dog back in. And we both went back to sleep. I once again succeeded at not officially getting up until after 10am. Ahhh.... I miss those days! Well, my goal for today was to clean my bathrooms, take the comforter for my bed and wash it in a triple load washer at the laundromat, run 8 miles & go out on the town in Nash-vegas with the girls!!!

So far, I am 3 for 4! I cleaned both bathrooms, slapped on my cold gear and running shoes, loaded my comforter up and off to Suds N Duds we go!!!! I pop that puppy into a triple load washer along with $3.25 and a little detergent, walk out the door and there I am.... on my 8 mile run! I got out there and thought "maybe I just need to do 7.... that would still be good" But I ended up guilting myself into pushing onto 8. I HURT on the way back - for the last 3 miles really. My last 1/2 mile was up hill.... I honestly thought my bowels were going to explode all over the sidewalk. My whole lower body was aching, my stomach was cramping & I felt like death! It really was not a very enjoyable run. I guess that is to be expected though!!! Maybe it will at least make me appreciate the less painful runs. The outside of my calves are SOOO sore and tight from trail running on Thursday. Total Run time: 1:09 Pace: 8:37. Sure, I'll take it. I wonder if I need to slow down a bit to try and make these runs not so painful? I have 10 on my schedule for next weekend. I think I'll take it easy.... else I may not make it!!!

So, I can't stop here! I've got to finish this day with 100%! Gotta go get ready to head to Nashville. Pictures to follow.... :-)

ILOC inspires me

Ok, so I've been doing fairly well lately just because I've been doing all the workouts I plan to do.... even when I'd really rather be doing something else or doing nothing at all. I am going on and doing it knowing I'll be glad. So I rewarded myself yesterday. I bought a book called "The Non-runner's Marathon Trainer." While I hesitated on making the purchase (I hesitate with every purchase no matter how big or how small) because I really do not consider myself a "non-runner." Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I've been running pretty steadily for almost 4 years. Anyways, I went on and bought it and it's got some good content. While there are some sections I'm not all that interested in following (such as Run Without a Watch) there is still lots of things worth reading. The author talks about an ILOC. ILOC stands for Internal Locus of Control. This is basically something most of us have to train ourselves to inhabit. It means creating your own reality. For instance it's like you have been granted all the materials you need to build a brand new beautiful mansion for a house. You can choose to build a small shack without much to look at, or you can take what you were given and build a dream-home. Your destiny is up to you. While we may not be able to control some of the circumstances we are faced with, we can control how we react. So basically when you are training for a marathon, he recommends you adopt the ILOC state of mind. When you are on a long training run, know what to expect. When you start to hurt, welcome it. No pain, no gain. "Hello pain. I've been waiting for you. I knew you'd be here! Come and run with me!!" I totally believe in this ILOC theory. I've used it many times myself, whether on mile 12 of a half marathon or a steep climb on mile 53 of a metric.... trust me.... IT WORKS!

So, I had a really happy new year and an even better New Year's Day. I cooked for K and my parents. We had cubed steak, mashed potatos, fried okra, black eyed peas (my mom brought), and rolls. Wednesday morning I woke up and rode my trainer from 6am to 7am doing the mountain bike training dvd. Today it was time for another run. I decided last night I'd beat Mr Weather man and do a trail run instead of running on the road in 18 degrees. So at lunch, I headed out to the mountain bike trails and did a 5 mile run! Haven't trail run in almost a year - very tough. This trail is not a very smooth one.... I almost bit the dust 3 times. It was much warmer in the woods. My face was frozen but other than that... I was comfortable. 5 miles in 48:28 for a 9:41 pace. It was a nice change and there's something about being out in the woods. I always feel like little red riding hood or something. :-) Tomorrow is a rest day and TGIF!