Cleared to Run (on Monday)!

Hooray! I went and saw Dr. Osterman today and he said I could start running on Monday. He made me two new braces, recommended some insoles and sent me on my happy little way. He is the perfect doctor for runners -- no silly lectures and he encourages me to get out and run as quickly as possible. And, he didn't try to make me purchase expensive custom orthotics until I had tried some inserts first.

Yay! I will finally have something running-related to write here. Marine Corps Marathon training started this week, so if I can start running by Monday I should be ok for the October 30 race. I also signed up for the Virginia Happy Trails Women's Half Marathon Trail Run lottery of sorts and should know some time next week if I am in the Sept. 10 race.

I drove into DC today for the appointment...as you can see from my car...I don't drive very much. I drive so little in fact that spiders are creating webs between the driver's side view mirror and the door. Hopefully you can see that from this picture:

That said, I will be getting a lot of driving in this weekend. My baby brother and me (and by baby I mean much bigger than me and 28 years old) are driving to Chicago today to see my mom for the 4th of July weekend. We are hoping to get halfway there tonight. Because for some unknown reason my brother Patrick still doesn't know how to drive a stick shift (even though I've owned one for more than 14 years) we are taking his car...we will be driving in his luxury 2009 Ford Focus that has more miles than my 2007 VW Jetta.

Here's the route we are taking:

I'm about to run out to 7-11 to pick up some snacks...my shopping list is full of nutritious snacks to keep us awake and alert on the long drive:

• Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper
• Funyuns
• Cashews
• Coconut Water
• Peach Rings (peachieos)
• Combos
• Pringles
• Cheese sticks
• 1 Peach (already on my counter)

That should sustain us until we come across our first Cracker Barrel. I recently went to this one near Peoria, Illinois -- yum! I can't wait to have it for dinner tonight ....mmmm hashbrown casserole! I don't think Patty knows he is in for this yet...

MCM or bust!

Yup. I’ve been very poor about updating this blog recently. I really don’t have any legitimate excuses unless new tattoos, repeat episodes of Riptide, or loads of assignments at work count. None of these are that compelling of a reason to shirk writing a couple paragraphs a few times a week. So, just like the imminent official start of training for the Marine Corps Marathon, I will work equally as hard in making certain I’m a more active blogger.

Apologies aside, I’ve begun to reflect why I’m running the MCM again or long distance races in general. The last time I ran it, I did horribly. It was my worst marathon and I totally bonked on the 14th street bridge. I think the obvious reaction for many people would be not to run again or shorten the distances of future races. However, I’ve run more long distance races since then. Why? What’s the point… besides it being cheaper than therapy? For me it is two things: 1) I’m hyper-competitive with myself and 2) I feel stronger after subjecting myself to the pain one encounters when running.

First, I’ve never been competitive in life with other people, but I have developed this urge to do better every time I run a race. I’m not sure why but it has a whole host of positive benefits – “externalities” for you econ geeks. I watch my diet and weight in order not to put on extra pounds that can slow me down. I vary my routine by running hills, trails, and Fartleks. All of these are keeping me more focused on the running, healthier, and happier in general.

Secondly, I subject myself to pain when I run. This shouldn’t be confused with suffering. I never suffer while running. It is a simple pleasure for me in life. It is similar to a cup of tea, a good song on the radio, or hearing my daughter joyously run to the front door before I’ve even had a chance to finish turning the key to enter. The pain felt during a run, for me, serves as a gauge for progress and improvement. Sprinting at the end of the run, profuse sweating in the DC heat, and muscle soreness provide an indication that I’m moving forward and hopefully becoming faster or able to go longer distances. I’m disappointed with myself if I go out and simply go through the motions. I feel I’ve wasted my time and see little benefit from these junk runs. I’d rather waste my time watching episodes of Campus PD, which is also painful to watch. Speaking of which, a new episode begins shortly. Ciao.

A week in Miami

I love the Miami air -- it is so warm and comforting. Unlike DC or Alabama (where I grew up) there is a pretty constant breeze that makes the warmer weather tolerable. But the best part is that the air definitely makes you feel like you are on vacation -- even if I am here working for what will end up being 12 days in a row (7 in Miami). 

Saturday night my company was co-sponsoring an event at a conference down here. 

Check out my fancy new brace out in action:

The doctor said I could wear wedge shoes so I did that night, but have only been wearing flats ever since. My foot only seems to bother me when it swells and it did that night pretty badly. 

Yesterday I walked one lap around the park across the street from my old apartment down here and it was amazing. There is so much going on in the park -- tennis, group yoga classes, basketball, fishing, dogs running, sorbet carts, children playing, and lots of runners. It made me really happy to be able to enjoy the bay view and all the activity! Today I did two laps around the park and shh don't tell, even tried to run for 30 seconds. Just those 30 seconds made my heart race...

 Tonight we had dinner in Coral Gables and had a gorgeous view of
downtown Miami and the ocean.

 

I seriously love it here but the best part of the week may have been the email I got at 6 am Monday morning confirming my upgrade on the flights home on Friday.

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good news all around!! Yesterday, the podiatrist made this super helpful brace for my foot that makes it hurt way less than it did in the boot. AND!!! He said I might be able to run in 2 weeks. Hooray! I probably won't be able to run much but a little bit is better than nothing. Dr. Osterman asked me, "So have you been cycling or swiming" and I was like, "No, I just really like to run and I'm not a member of the gym." Then he was like "Well, who is treating you for your depression?" He must treat a lot of runners and know we don't handle extended periods of rest well. Here are my morning feet -- before they get all swollen -- looking happy in the new compression brace (that has a handy,dandy arrow drawn on to show me where to place it)

After the doctor I went to Baltimore and had some great work meetings and enjoyed lunch at the Inner Harbor. It may be a tourist trap but it is pretty. I also caught up with an old friend I used to work for in graduate school and it was a lot of fun to see her and laugh about the old (and new) days.

When I got on the train back to DC from Baltimore, I got some more good news, met up with some friends for a minute and then went straight to bed after a very good day. I actually didn't want to go to sleep and for the really good day to end.

Tomorrow I'm off to Miami for a work conference and then a week on-site at a client. It should be a fun (though long) week of seeing co-workers, learning new things, helping clients and eating amazing food. I'm staying at the hotel next to my old apartment down there (I had an apartment for three months there during a long-term contract a few years ago). Here's the view from my old place. Those buildings in the back are South Beach where I will be working. Miami is amazing!

Short version of this post: Alison is happy, happy!!

Pain = weight gain

On Friday it will be 3 weeks since my stress fracture first got diagnosed. I was hoping by this time I would be briskly walking and soon on my way to running but that is not the case. I spent 3 full days outside the boot because the boot seemed to be making things worse -- and really was hurting my ankle. But, that time out of the boot has caused the actual stress fracture to hurt worse than it has in three weeks. I'm finally going to the podiatrist tomorrow. I'm not sure if they can do anything for me, and it is unlikely that the fracture will show up on an xray at this point, but I'm not getting better so it is time to be shamed into staying off my foot for a few more weeks. I leave for Miami on Saturday and I really can't handle the idea of another week at a client site in that boot. Ugh.

In other news, I think I found a 50 mile race that isn't trail centric. I'm going to post this and a few other options next week :)


The front runner right now is in New York. My brother and I went on a really fun vacation to the finger lakes a few years ago. It is really gorgeous but I'm a little nervous it will be cold. Also, this would be for 2012. There's no way I can get up to 50 miles by this November (but I will hit the 26.2 for the Marine Corps in October no doubt).

Finally, I have gained 5 pounds in three weeks because my appetite doesn't know I'm not running apparently. This may be the worst part of the stress fracture. That equals like 10,000 calories -- what have I been eating/drinking you ask? EVERYTHING in sight...

"Extreme"

Seeing as how I am all injured and can't post about running, I thought I'd explain why we call ourselves the Shirlington Extreme Running Team. John and I aren't very extreme about anything. Actually, John may be the most risk-averse (grad school word!!) person I know. We both have good, normal jobs and have no real interest in sky diving, snow boarding, skate boarding or drinking mountain dew (the most extreme beverage, obviously).

We also live in a very un-extreme community -- Shirlington. I love the neighborhood because it is quiet, close to DC and the airport, has plenty of places to eat and go to the grocery store and most importantly -- I can run at night here and feel safe. Plenty of people debate with me about my night running, but they haven't been to Fairlington :) Shirlington is known for its cute "downtown" area where all of the neighborhood young families take their dogs and young children. I don't have dogs or children, but I do enjoy getting to play with them on occasion. The only major annoyance in Shirlington (aside from my extremely loud neighbors) is the large strollers on the sidewalk. I could have much larger problems!

Last winter John and I went running in a major snowstorm that basically shut the city down. At the time we were training for the Bel Monte Endurance Run and really couldn't miss too many runs. I found running on the trails and preparing for a race where we had to run through a shallow creek pretty intimidating but getting out on slick surfaces was good practice. So during that challenging and very fun run we told ourselves that we were really extreme for actually getting out in the weather and completing a run.

And that's how our ridiculous name was born as a joke about how un-extreme we (and our neighborhood) are. I don't think John or I consider training for a 50 mile race to be "extreme" but more of a challenge and an opportunity to see if we have the mental and physical ability to do something so daunting.

In other news, I went to a DC United game last night and we sit in the Screaming Eagles section which requires lots of standing up. I sat for a lot of the game so I wouldn't stress my foot and it actually felt better today than it has in over 2 weeks. So, I took advantage and walked slowly for about 25 minutes tonight. It felt ok. Not great or strong but there wasn't a lot of pain so that's progress and makes me happy! I'm icing now and hoping that in another 2 weeks I might be able to run and stop growing fatter.

Weekly Mileage Summary:
Monday - Sunday: 0

:(

I'm two weeks into this stress fracture and am officially sad about it. I really want to get out and run. I had a very long work week in Miami and would love nothing more to burn off that stress and all the amazingly delicious calories I ate there.

I read this depressing stress fracture recovery training schedule and it has me freaked out that I am not going to be able to really run for more than 3 months. Must pull myself away from the google.

:( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

Redemption and a New Appreciation

I promised to post after today’s race and, despite a marathon of elimiDATE episodes showing right now, I’m keeping my word.

First, I want to start off by saying that today’s North Face Endurance Challenge went well. I did much better than last year… by about 25 minutes. For a half marathon time, it wasn’t my best but I am comparing it to road races, which are fairly predictable. The terrain is always the same: asphalt. The out and back course this morning changed from single track trails to fire roads with two big climbs. Plus, there was a heavy rainfall this morning that caused the creek crossings to swell. If I was a Marine in a previous life, I’m sure I would have yelled some two syllable expression while crossing them but, lamentably, that wasn’t the case. Overall, it was a good race and I’m happy I decided to rerun it. I got to gorge post-race with a great group of people too.

Secondly, during the race I was thinking about quite a few things, like thirteen, but there was one thought that stood out. During races themselves, I love to run on my own with very little conversation and loads of focus. However, I really enjoy training and travelling to races with others. Friends offer support, a shared misery, and make the travel to-and-from the race much more enjoyable. Isn’t life more awesome when you’re able to convince others that it will be fun to wake up at 5:30AM, under the cover of darkness, with cats and dogs pouring down while you drive all for the sake of pushing your body to the limit? With that being said, one of my new goals is to convince somebody -- anybody -- to run every race I enter. This introvert’s shell is softening and seeking foolhardy comrades for training and travel. My reading public; you’re on notice.

Pros and Cons of a Stress Fracture

Just in case you ever get a stress fracture, I wanted you to know that there are some upsides to it in addition to the downsides.

Cons

1. One week in and the boot smells horrible. It will get bathed after tomorrow's wine festival where I am sure drunk patrons will spill on their favorite wine pourer's boot.
2. Increased likelihood of weight gain because there isn't a whole lot of activity I can do. :( :( :(
3. Brain will be more jumbled and on-edge than normal since I can't run to clear my thoughts
4. I won't be inspired to download terrible pop music
5. There is nothing on tv during the summer when I have tons of time to watch tv.
6. Driving a stick shift is way more fun than an automatic
7. Having to take the boot on and off is time consuming. And, the velcro makes a lot of noise when I walk.
8. I was in good shape and by the time I can run again will probably be out of shape.

Pros

1. Ability to drink more wine
   
2. Body gets much needed rest
3. Adorable kids want to talk to me when they see my boot
   
4. I finally bought a pair of black chacos I'd been wanting to complement my green ones
5. I've started in on my health insurance deductible for the year
6. I am not starving all the time
7. I have more time to catch up with friends
8. One shower per day instead of two
9. Less laundry because there are no sweaty running clothes or yoga towels to wash

Stir crazy already

So I turned 30 yesterday! I've been saying since I was 22 that life probably gets better after 30 so I'm actually kind of excited about it. That said, I haven't yet had to tell anyone I'm 30...so we will see how I feel after it sinks in...

John was kind enough to trade cars with me yesterday and it is much appreciated. I'm really trying to be proactive about healing this crack. Stress fractures are tricky...unless you do something active and weight-bearing you can almost forget you have one. Every few hours it aches, or has shooting pain or swells, but for the most part it feels ok. I'm limiting my walking but I did make it out with my parents to be tourists yesterday. Check out my new look (with my stepmom in front of an Alabama artist's folk art piece at the American Art Museum and icing my foot):

When I'm not walking too far I try to just wear my Chacos. If you ever get a foot injury I highly recommend these sandals. They keep the foot strapped in, have a solid bottom and are rubbery so they can be easily rinsed off if you have sweaty summer feet. 

When  John came over he told me about how he ran 8 miles that morning and I WAS SO JEALOUS! 6 days off and cabin fever has set in. Luckily, John and Lucy got me a subscription to the Economist (thanks John and Lucy!!) for my birthday so that will help keep me entertained.

I read 6 books in the last month or so and need to head out and pick up some more. Portland had the most amazing book store, Powells, and I wish I could go back. Here's a depressing run down of what I read:

• Executed on a Technicality (David Dow)
• Orange is the New Black (Piper Kerman)
• The Glass Castle (Jeanette Walls)
• The Autobiography of an Execution (David Dow)
• In the Place of Justice (Wilbert Rideau)
• The Big Short (Michael Lewis)

I think I'm going to try and find something less hopeless but I'm currently fascinated by the death penalty and prison so I doubt I will come up with happier reading choices.

I'd love to go cheer John on in his redemption half on Sunday but will be flying to Miami. He's going to do fantastic! My iphone tells me it will cool down by then and be decent running weather.  Looks like even better weather for my wine pouring adventure on Saturday!

I thought DC was supposed to be less hot than Alabama and Atlanta but that doesn't seem to be the case. DC: awful winters, scary drivers and scorching hot summers. The south looks better and better every day :)