An all too familiar pain!

Right now I'm sitting here completely annoyed, frustrated, upset, sad, and just angry.  But the day didn't start out that way.  I was happy and excited about going out for my long run today because the weather was beautiful and I had decided to revisit my old favorite running trail, the Highline Canal.

I headed out for my run and there were so many people out on the trail running, walking, riding their bikes, and it was just nice to be out and about.  I had to do a 1:20 run, so I decided to do an out and back.  I felt great all the way out, but once I turned around at the 40min. mark, I started to feel a little twinge in my right knee.

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Immediately I got paranoid because that is the knee that I had that horrible IT band injury that sidelined me for months!  I decided to slow it down a little and just try not to think about it.  But, unfortunately, the pain started getting worse.  At the 50min. mark, I decided to stop running.  Memories of not being able to run flooded into my mind and I knew that if I kept running I could be right back there.  Stopping, instead of finishing my run, just seemed like the best thing to do.

 I walked the rest of the way to my car almost on the verge of tears.  With only 3 months left until IMAZ this is just NOT something that I need nor want to be dealing with.  I thought I was done with this stupid injury and I don't understand what caused it.  But, I am thinking that it might have been the trail I was running on.  I have not run on that trail since I had my injury this spring.  It is a packed dirt trail that is pretty uneven.  So, maybe running on an uneven surface was the culprit???

All I know is that I really, really do not want to go down the path of PT appointments and not being able to run.  It sucked!  I'm not scheduled to run again until Tuesday, so hopefully my IT band will get its act together and be right again!  If you can, please send positive healing vibes my way!  I can use all I can get! :)

A week in review and other things too

Training:

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Swimming:  I am REALLY loving swimming mid morning after the aqua classes.  Seriously, it has been awesome!  AND, I feel like my stroke is finally coming along to the point where I can now focus on speeding things up a bit.
I went to a swim clinic Wed. night led by Carol Sharpless [HERE] and it was pretty good.  A lot of the stuff I already knew, but she did have some good tips and training ideas that I'm going to start working on.  I may even look into how much she charges for swim coaching lessons.  I'm just really freaked out about the swim for IMAZ, so maybe taking lessons will give me a little bit more confidence?!

Part of Cherry Creek State Park

Biking:  I was able to ride outside once this week, and it was awesome!  It was in the low 60s, and I only had an hour to ride, so I did a big loop around Cherry Creek State Park.  It felt great to be outside again!  The weather has been weird here, snow one day, warm sunshine the next.  So, I cannot wait for the days to warm up for good!  Riding outside is just so much more fun than riding on the trainer.

Running:  There's not much to say about my running.  My IT band is still giving me some problems, but it IS getting better!  Woohoo!  The other day, I rulked (run/walk) for about 45 min., walking for .25M, then running for .50M.  Total, I was able to run 3miles!  I felt like I could have continued, but I just ran out of time.  Exercising just takes so much more time when you have to take walking breaks.  BUT, if having to alternate between running/walking is what it will take to heal my IT band, then that's what I'm going to do.  It just sucks though...plain and simple.  I MISS running, I really do.

Other Things Too:

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 *  So, my husband and I have decided to put our house on the market.  We actually LOVE our house, the neighborhood, and our neighbors.  But, we would just like to be closer to where my husband works and move into a better school district for our boys.  I know you're probably thinking, "but you just did all of those projects?"  Well, part of the reason we did them was for us, but also to make our  house a little more marketable.  After working REALLY hard to get our house ready, it was finally put into the system a couple of days ago.  Now, it's just a matter of trying to keep it clean.  But, with two boys and a dog who likes to poop every 5 minutes, this has not been easy.
It's a little scary for us because right now isn't exactly the best time to be selling a house.  But, it's just something we feel we need to do.  So, it's just a waiting game now.  Wish us luck!!

*  This is a tree in our neighbor's yard.  Do you see the thing way up on the top??  That is our neighborhood Golden Hawk.  Every spring she returns and takes to the sky.  Last year, she had some babies and we don't know if this one is a "baby" or the adult.  But, there are always several flying around.  We love watching these hawks soar through the sky.  They are amazing and HUGE! But, the coolest thing about seeing the  hawk again is that it truly symbolizes the fact that spring is here!! :)





Here is a close up:

My boys doing their "push-ups"

*  The other day, I was playing outside with my boys and we decided to do an obstacle course around the yard.  We would run in a big circle around the yard, jumping over the obstacles (big trucks, a baseball bat, etc..) along the way.  Then, when we got to the picnic table, we did push-ups and step-ups.  The boys had a blast and thought is was so fun!  We may have to do more of these obstacle courses in the future! :)

Step-ups

Jumping over "obstacles"

I hope you all have a great weekend!!  

I know there are a lot of you out there racing this weekend!  I want to wish the best of luck to all of you!  You can do it!!!  

My PT experience

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On Wednesday, I had my first physical therapy session to try and get this whole IT band injury figured out.  I was nervous going in, but also excited about the prospect of gaining some sort of hope that I will be able to run again without pain.
The whole appointment took almost an hour.  I was really surprised that I was in there for that long, but glad that they were taking their time trying to figure things out.  They did a lot of different movements with my ankles, knee, and hip and compared my left to my right, the bad side.  I was AMAZED at how different my right leg acted when put through all of the movements.  Seriously, I had no idea that my right side was so jacked up.

One thing that surprised me was that my right ankle didn't rotate nearly as much as it should have.  The PT asked if I had ever had an ankle injury, which I haven't, because usually he sees the lack of movement from people who have had ankle strains, tears, ect.  He was thinking that if my ankle didn't work properly, allowing my foot to do it's natural pronation thing, then my hip would have to work to overcompensate that problem, maybe causing the IT band injury.

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He continued doing all of these different movements, but then focused on my IT band length (as pictured above).  WOW..what a difference between my two sides.  I had pretty much full range of motion on my left side, but my right was sooo tight.

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  Then, he tested my glute strength on both sides.  Basically he had me lay on my left side and raise my right leg up.  As he pushed down on my leg, the goal was for me to keep my leg up in the air.  However, my right glutes were so weak that it was REALLY hard to keep my leg up.  My left however, did awesome.

My new best friend!

So, as of now, I have 4 exercises, along with foam rolling 3X/day that I have do for homework over the next 3 weeks before my next appointment.  He said in the mean time, that I can continue to RULK (run/walk) as long as I take it easy and don't try to do too much too soon.  So, I'm going to start a walk/run regimin to get my miles in (along with the EFX machine) and just go from there.

The good news is that IMAZ isn't until November.  However, my training officially starts in 3 weeks.  YIKES!  

And, did I mention that I'm supposed to be running the Colfax 1/2 marathon in May?  DOUBLE YIKES!

BUT, I am not going to even think about the what-ifs at this point.  All I can do is hope and pray that my stretching, rest, and PT will be enough to get me back in the game. 

I know there are horrible things happening in the world right now, especially in Japan, and my IT band is nothing compared to what those people are going through.  I feel silly even complaining/whining about it.  But, running is just so much a part of who I am.  Without it I feel kind of lost and it is something that mentally is taking a toll on me.  So, this blog is my way of getting my frustration/stress/fear out so I don't keep it inside and self-destruct, or worse, start taking it out on my boys, which would be horrible!   

I really hope you all have a great weekend! :)

A Rulk

I have created a new word:  Rulk.  What is a rulk?
 Here is my definition:
1.  A mixture of running and walking.  So, instead of saying, I'm going to walk 2 min then run 2 min., you can just say, "I'm going to rulk for 2 minutes."
2.  What happens when you start out running, but end up having to walk.

This was what my car said the temperature was outside today when I decided to head out for a run.

67 degrees in March!  Woohoo!  March is typically our snowiest month, so this was awesome!

I decided to put on my new shoes from Pearl Izumi.  I give you the isoTransitions (review coming soon):

I drove to the Highline Canal, my favorite running trail, and headed out on my run.  It was absolutely beautiful out and it was so nice to be able to run outside again.  I didn't know how my knee would do, but I was hopeful.

I was taking it really easy, feeling good, enjoying the sunshine, when all of a sudden I got a twinge of pain in my knee.  I looked at my Garmin, and this is what I saw:

 I only made it 1.71 miles.  :(    Oh, and my new shoes, which are designed to be worn sockless, started to give me a nice blister on the back of my left heel.  Ugh!  I don't know what I was thinking!!  I should have used bodyglide or something, but I was just so excited to get out I didn't think about it.  Lesson learned!

So, I had a little pity party, said a few words, then decided to make the best of the situation.  Since I couldn't run, I decided I would just walk the rest of the way back to my car and just enjoy the beautiful day.  It is not often that I actually get to SLOW down and just enjoy my surroundings.  

I took my shoes off and walked 1.71miles back to my car.  Although my knee was hurting, I couldn't help but run short sections while I was barefoot.  So, I rulked it.  Yes, there were little pebbles that hurt like hell on the bottoms of my feet, but for the most part, it was AWESOME!

I know I wasn't able to run today, and I was pretty disappointed.  But, I am hopeful that if I keep up with my stretching and foam rolling, this annoying ITB issue will heal.  All I can do is hope.    

A Massage AND a RUN!!

The Massage:

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Several of you recommended I get a massage done to see if it would help with my ITB issues.  When I was training for my HIM and marathons, and having some piriformis issues, I went once a month to get a Sports Massage and it was HEAVEN!  So, I thought I would give it a try.

Well, this morning I finally went to my appointment!  For some reason I was nervous, but also anxious to see if Bethany (my massage therapist) could work some magic.  Let me just say that it was awesome.  She focused a lot on my right side and used just the right pressure.  It hurt, but felt good at the same time.  I left the appointment hopeful that the massage would give me some relief from my ITB pain.

The Run:

I decided to try out a run on the treadmill tonight after we put our boys down for the night.  I was really nervous because I just didn't want to feel that twinge of pain again.  Mentally, I just don't think I could have taken it.
I forced the negative thoughts aside, blasted my favorite running tunes, and just started running.  I decided to run at a nice, easy pace and not push it.
I felt good and I started getting excited.  I ran past the 1.4 mile mark, which is what I made it to last week, and got a huge smile on my face.  Around the 24min. mark I started to feel a little pressure on my knee.  Not a twinge of pain, just some pressure.  I probably could have kept running, but I didn't want to press my luck, so I stopped.
I made it to 24 minutes with NO PAIN!  Woohoo!  I know that isn't a huge amount of time, but considering the fact that I haven't really been able to run for the last 6 weeks, I'll take it! :)
After the run, I did my stretching routine (which I'm planning on posting about later this week) and foam rolled.  It hurt, but not as much as it did after my run last week!  Baby steps...that's what it's all about when dealing with an injury.

Happy and sweaty after my run! :)

 

The Bad and The Good

The Bad:
I know most people start with the good, but I want to end on a positive note, so "the bad" is going first!

*  It has now been 6 weeks since the Rock-N-Roll AZ marathon.  It has been 6 weeks since I injured my ITB on my right leg.  It has been 6 weeks since I ran!

*  Today is a beautiful day here in Denver.  The high is supposed to be in the upper 50s..woohoo!  So, I decided to go out for a run to test my knee.  Plus, I am tired of NOT running!  It is literally driving me insane not being able to run.  I got all geared up and headed to a trail close to my house.  I started running and was amazed by how much running fitness I have lost.  I decided to take it slow and easy.

It felt so good to be outside running again!  I have missed it so much.  I was nervous the entire time, wondering if I would feel that twinge of pain by my knee.  Then, at the 1.4 mile mark, the twinge of pain came and continued to grow.  I stopped running, said some pretty bad cuss words under my breath, and walked back to my car with  my ITB screaming at me the whole way.

Me, sad and scared

 * I got home, did my stretches, foam rolled (OUCH!!), and felt very defeated and scared.  I am sooo worried about what this means for my Ironman training.  I am supposed to officially start my training in 8 weeks!  8 WEEKS and I can't even run 2 miles without pain!  What am I supposed to do?

O-kay, enough of that!
 
The Good:
*  I went swimming naked this morning and it was awesome!  No, not THAT kind of naked, but without any type of timing device, clock, or plan.  I just really wanted to swim without having any workout to follow or times to record.  I got in the water and it felt so good to be back in the pool again.  I tried to really concentrate on my stroke and I think I'm finally getting "the catch!"  Woohoo!  

*  I was contacted by Devon from Outside PR to see if I wanted to try out some new Pearl Izumi gear!  Of course I said yes, and before I knew it, there was a box waiting for me on my doorstep!  Look at all the goodies inside:

* A pair of Streak II shoes
*  An Infinity In-R-Cool long sleeved shirt
*  A pair of the Infinity Split Shorts

Unfortunately, the shoes are too small, so I'm waiting for my new ones to arrive.  When they do, I'll be sure to write up a review for them.

The weather has been beautiful here lately, so I decided to try the shorts and shirt out on my run today.  Even though I was only able to run 1.4 miles, I was still able to get a good feel for the shorts and shirt.  Hopefully soon, I'll be able to try them out on a longer run (fingers crossed!).  

THE SHORTS: (You can read about the shorts from the PI website [HERE]
*  They are a little shorter than I normally wear, but because they have a split seam on the sides, the back is actually a little longer than the front, making them the perfect length.

* The liner is super soft and very comfortable!  I've had shorts where the liner has been blah, but this liner is awesome!  It stayed put and didn't ride up, get bunched up, or anything.  Yay!

*  It has a small back pocket that is perfect for a gel, key, or ID card.

*  Overall, the shorts were really comfortable.  Because of the split seams, they weren't binding.  And, they don't bunch up in the front which is one of my biggest pet peeves with women's running shorts!  I will definitely be wearing these again in the future!

THE SHIRT: You can read about the shirt from the PI website [HERE]
*  First of all, the shirt is really cute and has an awesome design on the back.  And, I love the blue contrast fabric on the sides.

*  When I first felt the shirt, the first thing I noticed was the fabric.  It is really soft, almost like silk, and feels really nice on my skin.

*  When I went for my run, it was in the low 50s and windy.  This shirt kept me cool when I warmed up, but it also provided the perfect layer of warmth from the wind.  I loved it and it will definitely be a staple in my running wardrobe from now on!

*  Note:  These products were sent to me for review purposes, courtesy of Pearl Izumi and Outside PR.  I was not compensated in any other way for the review, and was not obligated to give them a positive review.  All of the reviews are my own based on my personal experiences.   


* I know today was supposed to be a Tasty Tuesday post, but I promise I'll post a recipe tomorrow! :)  

A week in review and other things too

Training:

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* I can finally say that I am almost 100% better!  Woohoo!  I was feeling so good yesterday, that I wrote up a 2month winter maintenance plan that will start on Monday!  As you probably remember, I was supposed to start my winter maintenance plan a month ago.  So, I am excited about finally getting back to some sort of training!

* Swimming: Guess what I found out when I went to the gym yesterday?  They are redoing all of the tile in the showers in our gym and they will be closed until the end of Feb!!  They closed off the access to the pool from the locker rooms, which means that when I go to swim in the morning I have to walk through the main gym in my suit and towel to go to and from the locker room!  Then, I won't even be able to shower afterwards!  I could go to another gym, but the other locations are just not that convenient for me.  Ugh!! What would you do?

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* ITB: My right ITB is still giving me problems.  I really did a number on it from that marathon.  I've been stretching and foam rolling, and I think it's helping.  But, sometimes I'll take a wrong step and POW..the pain returns!  It's been about 3 weeks since the marathon and I really hope it heals soon!

And Other Stuff Too:

Because of the extreme cold temps, my boys had two "cold" days from school.  We were all pretty much going stir crazy in the house, so we decided to venture out to our favorite place, Target.  I decided to get a new movie for the boys and I've heard that "How to Train Your Dragon" was a good one.
We got home, made some popcorn and hot cocoa, and sat down to watch it.  I just have to say that it is one of the best kids' movies that I have seen in a long time!  The messages in the movie are awesome and we all loved it!  If you haven't seen it, I would highly recommend watching it with your kiddos!

*  I am getting pretty tired of the cold temps around here!  I know it's winter, but it's pretty ridiculous!  Luckily, we're getting a "warm" up this week and will be back in the 40s.  Spring come soon!!

* I still have some tri clings left, so if you want one, email me your address and I'll send one out to you!

*  It seemed like the majority of you would like to see some vegetarian/vegan recipes!  Woohoo!  So, starting next week, I'll be introducing "Tasty Tuesday!"

I hope you all have a great weekend! :)

A week in review and other things too

Training:

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* My training can pretty much be summed up by one word: NADA.  The day after the marathon I started to get a little tickle in my throat.  Since I was in AZ I thought it was just allergies.  Oh, how I was wrong.  As soon as we got back to CO, I got sick AGAIN, and am still sick.  It's the same thing I had twice before during my training and I am soooo tired of it!  I just want to be well again. 

So, I haven't been doing anything except yoga.  I know my body is revolting and I need to just rest.  But, it sucks and I really want to get back at it.  Ugh!

But, is it just me or does it seem like everyone is getting this bronchitis/chest cold/gross snot thing this year.  It's crazy that so many of us are sick right now.  I hope we ALL feel better soon!

Some of my TriBella teammates!  

*  I am so excited about this!  I was lucky enough to be chosen to be part of a new all women's tri team in Colorado.  It is called TriBella and it is going to be awesome!  It is in conjunction with a new store that will be opening in Feb. called TriBella Multisport.  You can check it out [HERE], but basically it is going to be a multisport store tailed exclusively for WOMEN!  Woohoo!  It is a totally new concept, and it is much needed...don't you agree girls??
  We had our first get together last week and it was so much fun!  I am really looking forward to actually having women to train with, especially now that I'll be doing lots of LONG bike rides and runs for IMAZ training.

* Speaking of training, check out our new workout room.  Since we had our new carpet installed, we decided to change things up a bit in our basement and dedicate one bedroom to our training!  Woohoo!  Now, my husband and I can ride our trainers at the same time instead of taking turns.  We can even open some windows to get airflow so we don't suffocate!  And, we're going to put a small TV in there so we can watch our spinervals, movies, or whatever show we feel like.  Yay!

This is not a picture of me!  In fact, I can't even get my heels to touch the ground when I do it!  

* I went to yoga for the first time in over a month last week and I about died!  It is amazing how much strength I have lost in my arms and shoulders, and let me tell you, doing downward dogs and cobras over and over again were tough!  I seriously thought my arms were going to fall off!!

* My ITB is still being a bear!  Ugh!!  I started doing a ITB stretching routine twice a day, so hopefully between the stretching, yoga, and rest, it will heal up before I start training!  * Fingers crossed!*

Other things too:
*  This is for all the parents of boys out there.  I swear I have had to throw away 2 pairs of pants over the last couple of weeks because my oldest is constantly getting huge holes in the knee.  They start out as small holes, but by the end of the day it ends up as a massive hole that is too far gone to patch.  It's crazy!!  He's almost 6, so I know he plays hard with his friends at recess and stuff.   My question is, does this happen to all of your boys, or is it because I'm too cheap to buy expensive clothes for my boys.  Usually I get their clothes on the clearance rack at Target, but maybe I need to start spending a little more money??

* For those of you who missed my buildasign.com post, you can check it out [HERE].  If there are some of you still interested in getting your own tri cling, email me your address and I'll send one out to you!
Also, Megan at Buildasign.com has offered all of you a 10% discount if you're feeling creative and want to design something of your own!  You can use the code SWIMBIKERUN at checkout to receive the discount!   Woohoo!

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*  I have noticed on several blogs that I follow, that more and more people are starting to incorporate  more vegetarian dishes into their diets.  I think it's awesome!  I know how intimidating it was for me when I first started eating vegetarian, and although I found recipes that seemed good, I just never knew how they were going to turn out.  So, I was thinking about posting some of my favorite vegetarian recipes on my blog for all of you to try, if you wanted.  I was thinking I could maybe do a post every other week and call it something fun??  I know there are already "Meatless mondays," but maybe I could do "Tasty Tuesday" or incorporate it into my Sunday Sampler posts?  What do you think??  Do you think it's something you might like??  Do you have any awesome name ideas??  Let me know what you think!! :)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!  :)