Shin Splints :(

I have been suffering so badly with shin splints again lately. I actually cried in pain after running just a mile in the gym at work this week. I'm desperately trying to figure out what is going wrong. The distances I am running are so much shorter than they were. I had managed to complete 3 5Ks all in under 30 minutes in one week in the gym and had been focused on building my sprinting abilities. Maybe I am just pushing too hard too soon? The only other thing I can think is that I have been wearing my stability shoes for the new Monday aerobics which requires a lot of ankle-twisting. I know that it really hurts while I'm in class. I'm going to have to rest them completely and switch to the elyptical for a while which I really hate:(

Jamaica

I was really proud of myself that I managed a 30 minute run in the gym on a broken treadmill in Jamaica. This won't even nearly make up for the ridiculous number of calories that I have been eating and drinking here though. There is rum on tap in the room for goodness sake...

Gasparilla 5K

Gasparilla is the biggest race weekend in Tampa and about 15 people from work signed up. I had actually managed to run my first 5K on the treadmill in under 30 minutes just over a week before the race after switching my foot strike to the front instead of the heel. I read online that this may have been part of what has been causing the shin splints. After telling everyone at work how well I'd done, I had a confidence crisis and then didn't seem to be able to run at all. The day before the race we all went to the convention center downtown for the Expo and to buy long-sleeved running tops since a cold front had come through. I spent the whole afternoon telling everyone about my asthma as a child and how cold it is in England and that's probably why I never ran there etc. so that no one would expect me to actually show the next day. Dierdre (who has completed the Chicago marathon) told me that: "excuses are tools of incompetence - use them and you will amount to nothing." I got my act together (and hat and gloves) and we ran the race the following morning.
There were over 9,000 runners that day and it rained which made it even more of an amazing experience for me. The route was Bayshore, the same as my first (and disastrous) 5K. The people, the music, the rain and the fact that I found it so much easier to run along Bayshore this time made it such a special race for me. My time was 31:31 which I was really pleased with. Mike however hated being stuck in the pack and didn't enjoy it at all :(.

 

New Orleans

I had such a great time in New Orleans. It was such an energizing environment. After a sightseeing tour of the city I ran 4 miles in just under 40 minutes (a personal record) in the gym at the hotel. It was an amazing experience just looking out at the city at night and running. Such a high!

Fit2Run

Went to Fit2Run at International Mall to try and make some progress with the terrible shin splints that seem to kick in after every race. I got some shin splint guards (which really seem to help the pain after the fact) and some stability shoes. After a week of not being able to get along with them at all and having numbness in my feet, I took them back and switched out for another pair which you can do if you join their club. The new Acsis shoes seem to be much better. I love the store and bought some really nice running clothes and I've finally broken 31 minutes on the treadmill!

Hiking in the Woods

I used to avoid family activities that involved a lot of walking and thought that hiking in particular was awful. Going to Paris on vacation and walking all day to see the sights was so much more fun now that my legs are so much stronger. We went hiking today and ended up getting lost in the woods for about 2-3 hrs. I was fed up by the end of it but only because we were lost - my legs and feet were just fine!

Long Run at the Ranch 5K

This 5K was to raise money for the local high school and was conveniently right by our house. I presumed that the other runners would be teachers and parents but when we arrived we were a bit discouraged to see the high school track team warming up. Just so you know - their idea of 'warming up' is actually doing a 5K:). Anyway, after we had single-handedly increased the average age by about a decade, we were pleased to meet Darren and his friends and see Emily and David. I was very nervous but actually had a great run! Mike even won a trophy for coming 3rd in his category (23:14) and I improved my October time by almost 8 mins! (31:51). This was our first 5K together which made it really special too...

Running Goals for 2010

My running goals for 2010 are...

* Finish a 5K in under 30 mins
* Do a 10K
* Exercise at least three times a week and add some variety to my work outs

I can do this :)

Christmas Day 2009

It's getting so much better now. I am sticking to the treadmill most of the time since I'm afraid of getting bad legs again. I did run the block though which feel like a warm up now:) I can't believe when I started this I couldn't run further than the bottom of the street! I can run a 5K now fairly comfortably without stopping to walk and have been running 4 miles most of the time. I have even run continuously for 5 miles a few times and actually ran for 10K twice without stopping in 1 hr and 5 mins. 5K feels like such a short run so I braved the outdoors again, measured the distance and it was fine. No major shin splints really. On Christmas Day, Mike, Gail and I all ran 5K and had a really healthy lunch. It felt so great - what a perfect end to such an amazing year! 

My First 5K!

I actually did it! I completed the Tampa Police Memorial 5K (with Emily) on Bayshore in 39:35! I had to stop and walk a few times and it was so hot - over 80 degrees. I have to be honest though - I really hated it and fantasized about faking an injury the whole way:(. For most of the race I just looked at all of the other runners as living proof of what I couldn't do and resolved to end my running career immediately. Some of my previous theories were disproved today. Turns out that some fat people can run and some young and/or thin people cannot run. I was right that I can't really run very well though. You can see from my face how miserable I was as I came over the line. I actually dry-heaved (luckily my stomach was empty) as I came in. Far from pretty...

The next day my legs felt terrible and I had my first experience with the dreaded shin splints. After a day of rest I thought I'd take a 2 mile run outside to try and shake off the bad experience. The shin splints were brutal and after only a mile or so, I gave up and walked home with a few tears...

Mike's Big Race!

Mike raised over $1600 today at his 5K for Susan Komen's 'Race for the Cure' in celebration of Steph! Here's an 'after' pic...he barely broke a sweat and was all done in just over 24 mins...! I was so proud of him as we waited for him to arrive at the finish line and felt really inspired to make sure that I do a 5K myself soon!

5K Races

I have decided to do a 5K. I need to set a goal and I am running about 2 miles on the treadmill each time now. I am terrified to do a proper 'race' but Darren at work has been giving me great advice and encouragement. He has sent me all of the links to the running sites so that I can see when and where the races are and who at work is doing which ones. I have also actually experienced the 'runner's high' that I have heard about and honestly thought was non-existent! My current fave ipod running song is 'Can You Feel It?' I am running about 2-3 times a week now and really enjoying it!

Building the habit...

I've made some great progress over the last month or so. I went to Boston for a conference and Mike and Maddy came too. On one of the days there, I actually got up first thing in the morning to work out at the hotel gym (I've never seen the inside of a hotel gym before, let alone before 7 in the morning). I was totally shocked that there were 16 people in there - who knew! I have been trying to run the block by my house (it's about 0.8 of a mile) and so far have been able to increase my distance from the end of the street to about half way before I need to stop. I'm still not really 'running' when I'm in the gym but I am forcing myself to stay on the elyptical for 20 minutes solidly. It is boring though...The weights class at work every Monday is helping and at least I'm talking to runners about running. We met Scott and the kids in Cape Cod and he gave me some really critical advice: "If you hate it - you are running too fast." So, I have slowed right down and that is really helping. When Gail came to visit we ran together at the hotel in Orlando and at LA Fitness and I can see I'm getting better each and every time! Thank you Scott - you are a great mentor!

LA Fitness Opens!

We are so lucky to have such a great gym open just down the street. We have signed up for family membership and the daycare - I have absolutely no excuses now!

Getting Started...

I have managed to avoid serious exercise for most of my life. As a child, we didn't really do physical exercise as a family. While that may not have been as important in the days when food wasn't as processed as it is today and obesity wasn't a life-threatening epidemic, it's a different world today. I want Madison to grow up in a family where health and fitness are a way of life. And I want to become as fit and strong as I possibly can for me. I'm just too old not to pay attention to my physical well-being any longer without there being consequences!
So why running??? Aside from the fact that there are obvious health/weight benefits, I know so many people that actually love to run, Mike being one of them. For someone who has hated it every time they've tried - I find the fact that people love running a complete mystery. Also, I have never been able to run. I have always believed that I am too unfit/can't breathe properly/too heavy/too old etc. Could I ever actually enjoy running?! Another reason to try running is that it would be so great to share a passion with Mike and I can't see him scrapbooking or doing flamenco-dancing any time soon:). I really believe that a great relationship is not so much about gazing into each others' eyes but about looking outside of yourselves, together, in the same direction. I'm very lucky to have that in my marriage.
So this blog is dedicated to Maddy - I hope you will build great health habits and live a long and healthy life (and I really hope you'll never smoke:)) and I hope that you will actually enjoy exercise. It is also for anyone who is looking to overcome a mental and/or physical challenge or simply try something new. I also dedicate this blog to you Mike - I'm so glad to have you by my side (or actually about 5 minutes ahead) to help me on my running journey - I love you!
There's a thing in weight watchers called 'anchoring.' Basically, you use a physical object to remind yourself of something that you have been able to conquer in the past. You use your 'anchor' to restore your self confidence that you can also conquer weight loss when you are struggling to believe in yourself. One of the reasons I have decided to blog my running journey is to help me to overcome my mental running roadblocks. When I hear those (frequent) inside voices that say "I can't do this" I can log in to my running blog and remind myself that I already have:)...