The 11 mile run that nearly killed me

Sunday, December 27 was long run day and I did an 11 mile loop around my normal running grounds (Franklin Park, Arboretum, Jamaica Pond). The run itself wasn't bad, but I crashed afterwards. I suspect that maybe I didn't drink enough water earlier on in the day, but I was so tired and felt sick to my stomach. After several hours in bed, I did feel much better, but wow, I was exhausted. Definitely going to ask my running coach about that one today...

Why do my parent's have to live on Hill Street?!?

I was able to fit in a run Christmas morning (which was great because I didn't feel nearly as bad stuffing my face with all that food later in the day). I did 6.25 mile run around their house, which was supposed to be an easy run, except that my parents road is named "Hill" street for a reason - a Hill that they live right on top of. Holy hill workout! It was good because the marathon course has a lot of hills, but not quite the leisurely Christmas run I was expecting.

Best Christmas Present Ever!

If you've been following my blog, you've seen the ups and downs of my training - the flu, my knee pain. The challenge I've been having is knowing what to do in these situations and since my charity team is a team of 1, I've been feeling lost at times during my training. Thankfully my very generous family fixed this for me by giving me coaching through the Boston Running Center! I'm more than excited. I will have a coach that is going to give me weekly workouts including stretches and strength training exercises to help work on my deficiencies as well as be there to answer any questions I have and help fix problems I encounter. I'm super excited and have my first meeting with him Monday, December 28th.

Let it snow!

So my "long run" was supposed to be on Sunday - the Sunday of the snowstorm. I had every intention of being a real trooper and making it out for all 9 miles, but needless to say that didn't happen. We did take Addie to the arboretum for some XC skiing in the fresh snow, and then after the snow died down, I went out for a short 4 mile run. I do have to say it was a challenge with all the snow on the ground, but I made it through.

I left my long run for Monday and I did make it through all 9 miles that day. It was quite windy, which made it tougher than normal - I did have to power through. But it felt good to finish. My knee bothered me the night and day after the run, but today I woke up feeling pretty good without knee pain. Hooray!

Things on the up & up!

So far this week has been much better. I've decided to try to integrate cross-training more into my routine to lessen the burden on my knees, so I went swimming and to spin class this week. Yesterday I went out for a 5+ mile run and I actually felt great! Very little knee pain which made me quite happy.

I'm hoping things continue to go well tomorrow when I head out to do a nine mile run. Should be interesting - expecting 8-10" of snow tonight. In a strange way I'm looking forward to it because I bet it will be beautiful out and very quiet. We shall see...

Back, but not exactly better

After my last post I did actually test the waters with a short 3 mile run - not such a great idea. I should have listened to the advice online that said if you had any type of chest cold that running wasn't recommended. That run felt pretty bad.

I decided to wait until my chest felt all better and went out for a run today. The run wasn't all bad, but it wasn't all good either. The high points were:

1) Chest felt great and my breathing was 100% fine.

2) Got to try out the running gear that my husband bought me for my birthday. It was great!

The low points were:

1) Got bad side cramp - haven't gotten one of those really since the first week.

2) My knees

3) New shoes I got (to try and help my knees) don't seem to be working out so well. In addition to not really helping my knees, my feet are constantly numb. Very strange feeling while you're running. Think I have to bring them back to marathon sports and try for another pair.

I am thankful that I am no longer sick and overall feeling much better. Tomorrow is another day!

Where have I been???

For those of you visiting regularly, I'm sure you've noticed a lack of blog activity this past week. My last post where I mention starting to feel crummy - well that ended up being an understatement! What I ended up with was a nasty flu/chest congestion that kept me on the couch for three days and out of my running shoes all week. I'm glad it happened early into training, but for every little set back, I can't help but feel like I'm losing so much precious time (even though everyone just keeps telling me the important thing is to get better). I can only imagine what professional athletes must feel when they get injured/sick - it's the pits!

I've still got a bit of a nagging cough, but am feeling much better today. I think tomorrow might just be the day to test the waters again with a short run. Will let everyone know how it goes.

Training day 12 went well, but I'm not feeling so hot today

Yesterday Bill & I went on our scheduled 9 mile run. I felt great for the entire run, like I could have run the whole marathon yesterday, except that my knees started to hurt again about 3/4 of the way through. What a pain! I'm thinking it might be my shoes, although I've only had them since June. However I got them when I was only running 6-10 miles a week and didn't have any problems, so maybe they aren't appropriate - who knows?

Today though I woke up feeling crummy - definitely like I'm getting sick - coughing, tight chest, aching. Between the seemingly impending cold and my achey knees I feel like I can't catch a break these past couple of weeks. I'm thinking it's maybe time to take this week to rest and recoup and start fresh next weekend, although I feel like I'll be going stir-crazy if I can't do something. What to do... any ideas???

Training, day 11

Morning after Thanksgiving and we went on another 3 mile jog. Probably should have run farther after all the junk we ate, but I still wanted to take it easy. I felt really good, although the weather was not cooperating. Rainy, cold, windy - yuck! Since we were on Martha's Vineyard for Thanksgiving, our running routes take us right by the ocean. The scenery is nice but that ocean wind is a killer. There were times I swore we were running in place. We made it though (just as the rain was letting up). Next on the docket - 9 miles tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Training, day 11

Thanksgiving day & my knee felt better. I decided to try a short run - just a slow-paced 3 mile route. I was suppose to run 5 miles but didn't want to push it too hard. I was happy - I felt pretty good. I had a little discomfort coming down one of the hills, but nothing major. It wasn't a lot of running, but it certainly made me feel like I could enjoy a little extra pie, which I certainly did!

A minor setback

One of my fears has happened. After feeling so great after my long run, that evening and the next day my right knee was quite painful. After doing some research online, it appeared that I had a case of Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS), which is apparently a very common injury in runners. I am typically more a "work through the pain" type person, so it's a challenge for me to do what is recommended - ice my knee and rest from running until I feel better. But I'm doing it.

The good news is that it's been two days since my big run and I'm feeling better already. There are a lot of activities that are not off limits, so I can keep active. I swam yesterday and rode my bike today. Here's hoping that this is the only hitch in my training!

Training, day 10

I MADE IT!!! Today I officially ran 8 miles (8.4417 to be exact). I ran it with my turning-to-be-very-trusty running buddies Bill & Alan. This is more than I've ever run before in my life. It was surprisingly not as hard as I anticipated, although Alan picked up the pace at the end again and I tried to keep up with him, but he lost me. We ran a very beautiful route through the Arboretum and around Jamaica Pond. I feel very fortunate to have so many great places to run right around me - it certainly makes training easier. I'm feeling pretty tired right now and a little nervous about how my legs might feel tomorrow, but in all it was a great day. My sister commented once that she had a difficult time finding the "runner's high". I'm not sure that I've felt it in the past, but I did today for sure.

Also, I need to say that I am in love with g-maps pedometer. It's such a great tool for figuring out running routes - sure beats trying to drive around clocking mileage in my car like in the past. Here's a shout out to Bridget Conneely for introducing us to this amazing technology. Thanks Bridge!

Training, day 9

Training day 9 was just a 3 mile run, which, I'm happy to say, felt like a breeze. Maybe all this running is starting to pay off! Bill & I did a "tempo" run where you start off jogging and then increase your pace for a period of time. We did the first mile slower, increased speed the second mile and then increased it even more for the third (with a short cool down at the end). This helps increase your lactate threshold, which is a phrase that comes up all the time in my marathon training book. By the end we actually ran a 7 min. 23 sec. pace, which I was very proud of. Not that I'll be keeping that pace up for the entire 26.2 miles, but it felt great last night.

Now, if I can only make it through the 8 miles ahead of me tomorrow...

Training, day 8

Pretty uneventful day today. I didn't make it to yoga yesterday because Bill needed to use our car in the morning, but I still felt pretty good this morning (despite missing out on the extra stretching). Went to Lowell Woods again so the dog could also run and did 4.5 miles. All in all, a good day.

Training, day 6 & 7

Training day 6 was a cross training day, so we went for a 16 mile bike ride. I haven't ridden my bike in a while so it felt like a long 16 miles. It also dawned on me about 2/3 of the way through that at some point in January I'm going to be expected to run this long. It was a little intimidating, I have to admit.

Training day 7's run called for 3 miles, so I did one of my go-to 3.4 mile routes from my house, around Jamaica Pond, and back. Even though it was a short run, and I love Jamaica Pond, I really didn't feel my best this morning. My pace was decent, but I had some major dead leg and the wind was biting. I guess I've been spoiled by all this unseasonably nice November weather and have yet to toughen up to the cold. Tomorrow is yoga day, so I'm hoping that will help loosen things up in my legs and get me ready for a great run Thursday.

Training, day 5

Today was my first scheduled "long" run. This one was 6 miles - I'm up to 8 miles next weekend. I was fortunate to have company on this run - my husband Bill, our friend Alan and our dog Addie. We went trail running at one of my favorite places, Lowell Woods in Westwood, MA. There is a 1.5 mile loop that we ran 4 times. In all it was a pretty good run, although Alan schooled Bill & I on the last loop. Everyone finished strong though (both human and dog). I'm looking forward now to a well-deserved dinner, a night of relaxing on the couch and a tired dog, who hopefully won't cause any trouble now till tomorrow.

Training, day 4

Today's schedule called only for a 3 mile run. It was a fairly uneventful run and I can check that one off my list.

I did have a realization today that with longer runs in my near future, my ipod running playlist is going to get old soon. Anyone want to share what tunes really get them moving? I tend to like stuff with a strong beat (dance, pop, 80s, etc...) but am open to any and all suggestions. If you have any, please throw them my way...

Training, day 3

Yesterday was an "off" day which meant no running for me. Instead we went on a 4 mile hike through the Nashoba Valley Conservation Area in Acton, MA - very pretty and a great place to take dogs. Today, though, training was back on with a 5 mile run around the Esplanade which I did husband in tow (or should I say he did with me in tow). The Esplanade is still one of my favorite places to run in Boston and at night, with the lights over the river, it's very peaceful. Great way to end the day.

Training, day 2

I was not in the mood to go running today. I think it was a combo of running errands and such all day (and therefore, very tired) as well as the fact that it was only a scheduled 3 mile run, so I almost had myself convinced that it really didn't matter all that much. However, on days like this I like to think of a podcast I heard of Craig Alexander, Ironman Triathlon World Champion, who said that no matter how he is feeling, he always, at a minimum, starts his scheduled training, even if he doesn't finish it. It's very good advice. Just getting up and out the door is 1/2 the battle most days, but once you're moving, everything seems to work out just fine. Today was one of those days for me and I am happy to say I can check this 3 mile run off my training schedule!

Welcome to Melissa's Marathon Blog

How funny is this picture? This was one of the shots taken for my official Animal Rescue League announcement. I chickened out and chose a more conservative "official" picture, but figured I would share this one here. Looks like I'm getting ready for a 26.2 mile sprint!

The Boston Marathon is officially 161 days away, which feels like a long time. For me, I hope this blog will help keep me focused on the goal ahead as well as provide a way to look back at what it took to get to the starting line. And I hope it offers to all of you a way to keep track of my progress.

Thanks again to everyone who contributed to both help the Animal Rescue League of Boston and get me to the starting point of this journey. If you know of any other folks that might like to support this cause, please send them to the ARL Boston Marathon donation page. I hope come April 19, 2010 I will make you & everyone one (human and animal) at the Animal Rescue League all proud!

Let the training begin!

I've officially decided that today, Monday, Nov. 9th, is my first day of official marathon training. I got 1/2 way through Hal Higdon's Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide yesterday, it's a beautiful day, I'm feeling inspired, so today is it. Game on!

My long runs don't start for a little while, so I'm spending the next few weeks slowly increasing my distance. My plan is to follow the novice plan in Hal Higdon's book, since it has worked for so many people.

Went on a very nice 4-mile trail run with my husband and dog around Ponkapoag Pond in the Blue Hills. I did get a bad side stitch about 3/4 of the way through. This has been happening to me lately, and is something I need to figure out how to fix. Suggestions anyone? Otherwise, it was a great run!