A Good Mother's Day

[Harper's Ferry Half-Marathon recap coming soon.  Quick summary: It was bleeping awesome.]

Mother's Day is quickly turning out to be my favorite holiday of the year (thanks Hallmark!)  This is only my second Mother's Day as a mom, but both years have rocked hard, and I'm liking the way this holiday is trending.

The day started with an early morning run in the historic town of Harper's Ferry.

Goooooood Morning, Harper's Ferry!

I ran on some trail for the first time in about a month, and it felt oh so good.  Loved the sound of gravel under my feet, and brief chats with local wildlife

Gooooood Morning, Ms. Deer!

And the scenery around Harper's Ferry is just so beautiful, especially early in the morning.

Gooooooood Morning, Morning!

Don't worry, I am not usually this chipper in the morning.  In fact, I'm not usually chipper at all.  But today I just felt like being EXTRA cheesy.

When I returned from my run, DJ Research and Nugget were already up and ready for breakfast, so we headed down to partake in the complimentary continental breakfast at our hotel.  I thought it was awesome, but I admit that I do have a weakness for free food.  DJ Research was not impressed.  Apparently breakfast gave Nugget a kanak-attack (food coma) because he passed out almost immediately on the car ride home.

Eating breakfast is exhausting.

My in-laws had been in town for a few days, so they stopped by before heading home this evening.  We had a nice picnic at the nearby park and then went for a walk around the lake.  Nugget surprisingly walked almost the entire way, frequently stopping to pick up rocks and sticks and throw them into the nearby brush, which is seriously the most exciting thing in the world to do.

Starting our hike

Thanks to our very active day, Nugget passed out in his crib (he was very happy to be sleeping in his own bed again) by 6:30, and I am now chillin' with the DJ and enjoying some brewskis.

I'm enjoying the Avalanche Amber.
Hoppy beers are not for me.

But before he fell asleep, I asked Nugget for a good night kiss.  He looked at me, then wrapped his arms around my neck and gave me the biggest hug I have ever received from him.  I could feel the strength of his entire little body in that hug.  BEST MOTHER'S DAY GIFT EVER.

Oh, and this gift was also pretty awesome.  Introducing my new running shoes, the Innov-8 F-Lite 230s:

I think they're rather ugly, but they fit well and will be a great to run in as I transition to natural running.  It will be back to basics after my half-marathon this Sunday.  Yup, this summer is all about form.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommas out there.  I hope you had a fantastic day!  You deserve it!

Busy Weekend

I really should be in bed now, or at the very least packing, because tomorrow we leave for Harper's Ferry West Virginia, where DJ Research will be running a half-marathon.  He is super excited, and I'm super excited for him; this will be his first "trail" race.  Granted, I'm sure the trail-purists out there will scoff at this route, but considering all of our races up to this point have been purely road, and the Harper's Ferry Half-Marathon incorporates some trail, I'm going to consider this a trail run for him (although I think he would disagree.  Too bad.  This is my blog. :)

Nugget is super excited too, although he doesn't know it yet.

I've never been to Harper's Ferry, but I have been to West Virginia.  The drive was beautiful but very hilly.  I hope our little putt-putt can make it again.

Running to Recovery 2

DJ Research is pacing behind me, reminding me that I need to go to sleep because we have a big weekend ahead, so I'm going to make this post short and sweet.

I ran 10 miles tonight to assess how my foot would perform on the run, and how it would recover.  I am happy to report that I felt GREAT.  My pace was slower than I had hoped, but baby steps.  I'm just happy that I didn't keel over at mile 5.  Upon returning home, I immediately had my chocolate milk, stretched (I know there are opposing views on this issue, but I gotta say, post-run stretching works for me), jumped on the foam roller (ok, not literally), and then iced and elevated.  Right now my foot feels great.  We'll see what happens in the morning.

I will be doing short runs for the next week--nothing over 5 miles--and also some spinning, in preparation for my half marathon on the 20th.  YES!  I'm so happy I will be able to run this race!! :)

Running to Recovery 1

My foot felt great on Friday, so I decided to go for a little run on Saturday.  The goal was 3 miles, even if my foot hurt (due to tendonitis) because I wanted to see how I recovered after that distance.

I started slow.  And I mean S-L-O-W.  It had been so long since I last run, I actually couldn't remember how to run.  My footstrike was sloppy, and I found myself limping although my foot didn't hurt that much.  But I kept at it, and ran 3.3 miles.  I don't think I ever found my stride during this run.

As soon as I got home, I threw back a glass of chocolate milk, and started stretching.  It was evident from the very beginning that my right leg, particularly my right calf, was super-duper tight.  As was my right hamstring.  Well, whaddya know?  Its my right foot that giving me problems!  Perhaps my injury and tension are related?  Hmm....

After stretching, I spent some time with the foam roller, rolling out those terrible knots in my right calf.  Oh my gosh, SO PAINFUL.  I am whimpering like a little kid the whole time (surprisingly, Nugget did not notice the pain I was in and proceeded to sit on my lap while I was on the foam roller.  His extra weight actually helped, I think).  Once I located the knots, I switched to a tennis ball to really target those areas.  At this point, there were literally tears in my eyes.

I then iced and elevated my ankle, and then put on my compression socks.  Result? No pain AND no tightness.  My foot felt great!

So today I decided to go for a slightly longer run.  The goal was 5 miles.  I once again started slow and was happy to discover that my first few steps were pain free!  I still couldn't remember how to run, so it took a while to find my stride, and at that point I could feel my ankle again.  I was feeling really good (though still running really slow), and pushed to three miles before turning around.  My total mileage for this run was 6.68.  By the end, I felt my gait was back to normal, though I could still feel a little tug in my ankle.

Once home, I followed the same routine: chocolate milk, stretching, foam roller/massage, ice and elevate, though the last two steps were rushed since we were headed out the door for last minute errands.  To compensate, I took two Motrin.  My foot feels great, though it does seem like it wants to tighten up.  I'm going to try another massage session before bed tonight and see how it feels in the morning.

These runs were very encouraging.  I'm going to do one more long run of 8-10 miles this week, and see how my foot feels and recovers.  If all goes well, I will definitely run the Marine Corps Half-Marathon on the 20th.  Fingers crossed!

And because I realize all work and no play makes Jane a dull girl, I leave you with a video of a trend I'm pretty sure I started years ago.  I'm so glad its finally catching on.  

Embrace the Spin

While I'm in recovery, I'm spinning until I feel confident enough to run again (which hopefully will be soon).  I'm not a fan of the bike, but like I've said, its such a great workout, I have to keep at it.

The persistence is paying off.  I am actually starting to like spinning.  And I think that its only going to get better now that I have my...dun-dun-dun...Special Spinning Playlist!

I used to run with music, but have since stopped due to safety concerns.  Sometimes I miss my music.  I think thats one reason I'm appreciating my spin sessions more; I can workout with music again.  To those runners who listen to music responsibly while running, more power to you.  To those runners who blast your music while running in the middle of the road, get out of the road or I'm going to run you over.  With my car.

Here's my Special Spinning Playlist:

I like this musical progression because it inspires a gradual physical progression of riding up steeper and steeper hills. Or at least thats how I ride to it.  By the time I get to We Are Young, I am riding at the most difficult resistance at a very slow pace.  For some reason I have yet to understand, I LOVE that feeling.  I feel like I am pouring heart, soul and guts into the ride at that point.  It takes all my self-control not to roar like a wild animal.  I feel so raw.  And so amazing.

At what point in your workout do you feel the most amazing?  Does music help get you there?

New Breakfast Fave

Eating healthy is an important part of running.  Ok, its an important part of being alive.  Yet I find it so difficult to do.  I'm not a big junk food addict, nor am I big snacker, but I am a total carb glutton.  And I don't really eat my veggies.  Plus in a pinch, I would probably opt for a snickers bar over a handful of almonds.

Baby steps.  I'm changing things where I can, when I can.  I find a new healthy food I  like and I try to incorporate it into my diet consistently before looking for the next healthy snack.  If I try to change too much too quickly, I get frustrated and eat a whole bag of chocolate.

For the past week I've been trying a new yogurt, one that I made up and mix up myself.  Its not difficult nor is it particularly inventive, just something that my body was craving.  So far, I like it.

The recipe is this:

• a few spoonfuls of plain yogurt (I like Chobani)
• a handful of frozen blueberries (also make an awesome snack by themselves)
• a couple squirts of honey
• a pinch of ground flaxseed
• an itty-bitty drop of minced ginger

My measurements are scientific, I know.

Heat the frozen blueberries in the microwave for about two minutes (you want them kinda mushy, or at least I do).  Add honey to taste, and the tiniest little bit of ginger (seriously.  A little bit is too much.  You just want a tiny bit, unless you are a ginger junkie).  Combine the flaxseed and the yogurt.  Add the blueberry-honey-ginger mix.  Enjoy!

For us this is cheaper than buying blueberry yogurt because we use almost all these ingredients for other dishes as well (flaxseed pancakes, yum!).  

What homemade snacks do you enjoy?

Podiatrist vs. Podiatrist

Two weeks ago I promised you a podiatrist story, and I know you have been holding your breath, waiting for it.  Well, wait no more, because not only am I about to deliver my long-promised podiatrist story, but I am also going to tell you a second story about my recent appointment with a new podiatrist!  (I bet you feel like youʻve won the lottery!)

To recap: I hurt my foot on my long run a few Sundays ago, and was hobbling around all week before I finally decided to see a podiatrist that Friday.  In the meantime, I had been icing my foot and keeping it elevated.  On the Wednesday of that week I stumbled upon this video that dealt with a different yet similar foot injury.  Feeling sort of desperate for improvement, I tried massaging my calf in the same way, and what do you know?  My foot felt significantly better!  I was still hobbling, but my range of motion improved dramatically.  Off to the podiatrist I went.

The podiatrist did not look like this, though isnʻt he cute?
Netsuke Podiatrist via nursemyra.wordpress.com

First off, I have to say, she was very nice.  She made me feel comfortable and at ease as soon as she walked into the room.  I told her what was wrong, and that my foot felt a bajillion times better because of the massage, though it was still a little tight.  After inspecting my foot, she said she thinks I may have stressed my peroneal tendons, and based on my research, I had to agree (because, obviously, Dr. Google is my PCP).  Her prescription? Orthotics.

I guess I was kind of expecting her to prescribe orthotics, but I was surprised at how quickly she decided that was the solution.  This was my first foot injury in my adult life.  I donʻt have problems walking, and until this point, I havenʻt had problems running.  Why on earth would I need orthotics?  I did tell her about my minimalist shoes (to which she responded, "Why are you running in those? Because of the trend?"), but rather than suggest a more supportive shoe, she suggested orthotics.  Hm.  I guess thats how podiatrists make money.

Peroneal Tendons.  Foot anatomy is fascinating!
Who knew?  via  docpods.com

I politely declined any offer to fit me for custom orthotics, and left the office.  I was feeling good anyway, and needed to focus on my upcoming race, which I ran well for myself.  My foot did well during the race, but not so well after.  It tightened up again almost immediately, and I was hobbling all week.  Icing, elevating and massage only helped so much.  I was hobbling pretty bad.  It didnʻt hurt as much as it was really, really tight.

I decided to see another podiatrist, one who is affiliated with a local running club.  I told him the whole story, and mentioned the orthotic prescription of the other podiatrist, to which he said, "Stand up.  Ok, sit down."  (Apparently he was checking to see if I had a stable stance.  Since I do, he didnʻt recommend orthotics).  When I told him about my minimalist shoes, he asked, "What are they?" and nodded that he knew which ones I was talking about.  His diagnosis? Peroneal tendonitis.  His prescription?  3 options: 1) rest, 2) physical therapy, 3) take it slow.  When I asked if I could still run my half-marathon in three weeks, he said cross-train and listen to my body.  Run if I feel good.  Donʻt over-train.

He recognized that I ran too hard, too soon in my minimalist shoes, and recommended I take more time to ease into them (like 2 years, as opposed to the 2 months I had been running in them).  He himself runs in minimalist shoes, usually for his shorter, easy runs.  He also recommended I not run in minimalist shoes until my injury is completely healed.

Happy Little Piggies! via squidoo.com

Hallelujah!  I am so happy to find a podiatrist I can work with! (though hopefully I never have to visit him again).  

I am opting for Option #3, and taking it slow.  Today was my first day back in the gym, and though the workout was a little boring, it was still great to be exercising again!  

As for my half-marathon, Iʻm going to do easy runs and lots of cycling, and re-assess myself a few days before the race.  If my foot is still acting up, no race for me.  Iʻll be bummed, but thereʻs so much I want to do over the next few months, its not worth jeopardizing my summer just for this race.

Stay tuned!

Whats the longest its taken you to recover from an injury?  How did you stay active while injured?