BitchSlowtheEFFdOWN!

Alright-y then!  I think the title says it all for me this week.  So, I'm in rest mode and resting the foot.  Right now and going forward slowing down is my MANTRA!  Somebody last week was telling me I need to slow down in all aspects of my life.  You know who you are!!  I cook chicken like I'm running a race (too fast = too hard), I walk down the street like I'm always in a hurry, and apparently I run too fast & too hard.  This has given me a sore foot and NOW I can't run.  wah wah.   There's a pattern I'm noticing here.  

If you don't know, I am Soooo Bummed about this.  It's all I think about and all I want to do is make it better and "fix" it.  There's no quick fix here.  It's just resting and treating my body well.  

So, I've had trouble w/my feet since I starting doing my training for my first half last year.  My heels and Achilles were really sore after that run.  I have extremely high arches and I underpronate when running.  Without the proper shoes (neutral), I have no cushion/support on the inside of my foot and my foot tends to turn to the outside.  Which is exactly where I'm hurting right now.  The bone that runs on the outside of the foot from the little toe to my ankle.  So, I've been icing for 2 nights, elevating it when I sleep, and today started taking aleve for anti inflammatory.  Yep, this is a freakin' BLAST!  I saw a foot dr today, she didn't tell me anything I didn't already know except not to use the new foam roller I bought yesterday to help stretch out the tendons.  I read online that would help, but she said STOP!  So, now I'll just use it for my hips.  

I'm no Spring Chicken, People and my Body is telling me so!  

I have made it a habit for the last 6 mos to stretch my feet/legs every morning when I get up, before and after my run as well as before I go to bed.  I stretch out my calves to stretch out the muscles near the ankle and down my heel.  I know, it's a lot, but it's what keeps me moving.  I've recently started to do 6 hip stretches every night before bed as well so I don't hurt my hip flexors and stay strong.  

Running the marathon this year has turned into a lot of hard work, paying attention to my body, and making sure I stay healthy.  I love running and I've missed being able to do it the last 2 days, but what I'm putting my body through is a whole other story.  I'm committed to this and if I just start to pay attention, slow down, and    be patient w/myself/body I will make it to the starting line.  I have got to slow down!!!!  

I've taken on an expensive sport.  From the clothes, shoes, prep, food, morning runs and everything I'm doing this year, I will make it there!  It's been a tough couple of days having to grasp this lapse in training I'm going through for the next week or 2, but w/the support of my friends, positive attitude and keeping my head up I'll be ready to get back on the road healthy and ready to go.  It's a real mental challenge right now.

I keep telling myself this is just a minor set back and I still have 15 weeks to go.  I went for a 1 hour foot massage tonight and I can feel the difference already.  I'm sitting w/ice on now, I'll wrap it for the night, elevate and continue w/this regiment until I'm ready to get back out there.  

Oh, and I'm getting new shoes this weekend. I've got almost 300 miles on these and it's recommended to change out every 300-400 miles.  I'm Done with the Nikes and going to try another shoe this time.  Thinking Brooks.  But, this means I can't use my Nike Sport Band so looking into other alternatives.  But, Nike's website is amazing and I'm not looking forward to giving that up.  Thinking about investing in the Nike GPS watch I've been wanting FOREVER.  

So, if you're reading this and you run, I hope you get something out of it.  You can push your body, but you also have to pay attention to it.  I'm learning the hard way.  I thought I had learned before and started all my stretching routines, but I cannot push myself too fast.  I will get there no matter what.  I need to not worry about my time and just focus on finishing.  IT'S A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT!!!!  And, I was never good @ sprinting anyways!!!  

So, that's my week in a nutshell.  I'm planning on the gym tomorrow to get some weights in and light cycling to keep my cardio up.  I'm learning every day from this experience and facing the facts that I'm not as young as I used to be.  

I'm an athlete.  Always have been and there's something in me that makes me want to push myself.  I just need to be smart about it. 

Keep it movin' people and stay strong!!   

kc. 

I Run Marathons! Let's GO!!!!

Well, week one of 16 is Complete!!  Every run of this week I tried thinking of things I want to talk about when I write tonight.  So many things popped up in my mind, after all I ran 25 miles this week!  So tonight after my 3 miles I decided to write about how running has made me feel this week. MOTIVATION!!!

In the last couple of months I've gone through some life changes and I've basically been on an emotional roller coaster.  The week before I started my training was one of the toughest I've had in a long time.  So, I'm glad to say this training couldn't have began (begun?) at a better time.  The endorphins and good vibrations from running this week have put me back into a better state of mind.  I'm proud to say that I have completed week one of the 16 weeks.  I feel good about my accomplishments this week and I'm working towards a goal.  I came to this city to do something different than anyone else, to follow my dreams, and work hard.  It's been no cake walk, but like they say if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.  I've struggled, cried, and done things I never thought I could do.  I'm on my way to one one of those things again with this marathon.  It will be another huge accomplishment in my life and I know I'm pushing my mind and my body to the limit.

The week started on Monday night when I wrote my first blog to journal about this journey.  I mentally prepared for my week and I've had my schedule on my wall since January when Diana first sent it to me.  I was pumped and ready to go.  I set my alarm for Tuesday morning @ 4:15 and I was heading into my first morning workout EVER.  There was no hesitation that morning when I got out of bed.  I knew it was for real when I snapped on my pants and tied up my laces.  I was ready to go!!  Day 1 & 2 were both morning runs @ 4 miles each and I was on the road @ 5am both mornings before the sun was completely up.  Let me tell you, I felt so good after these runs.  My head felt better, my day was better, and my emotions were in check.

Diana and I decided to run on Thursday night @ Nike Town.  They've also got their own 16 wk marathon training, but we've opted to keep to our schedule to a Tee and we ran our 4 miles on Thursday.  I was so impressed w/my run and that I knocked off almost a minute from my pace (not quite, but close).  I couldn't believe it either.  My pace usually hovers between 10.38 & 10.45.  I finished my Thursday run in Central Park with a pace under 10 mins @ 9.53.  CP has mad hills, so seeing this time on my watch I felt so accomplished.

Friday was rest day and rest I did.  I was in bed early knowing that I had to get up early on Saturday morning and do my long Run.  The long run on Saturday morning was 10 miles.  Yep, 10!!  Woke up @ 615 and was out the door by 7a and on my way.  I went the opposite direction of my usual path and fell into Staten Island's Snug Harbor Culture Center.  It's a beautiful park and even more beautiful on a Saturday morning run.  It was so relaxing with waterfalls and a bridal path that made me feel even better about the 10 miles I was conquering for the day.  I felt pretty good through most of the run, but when I hit 7m I started to struggle, legs started vibrating, and my ass started to drag.  I had pumps through the rest of 3 miles, but when you get to the end of 10 miles 3 miles feels like so long ago.  I felt pretty good after this run, but man I felt it.  I knew when I got home I could NOT sit down for the rest of the day and let my legs lock up and get sore.  So, I headed into Manhattan to shop for the day with Maribel and let her drag my ass anywhere she wanted to go just so I could keep it moving after that run.  I ended the day with some sliders and a few beers with my FAVE. All in all, I had a fantastic week of running, work, and motivation.

So, here's my week in a recap
Tuesday 4.2 Miles / Total Time 45.41 / Pace 10.45
Wednesday 4.0 Miles / Total Time 43.40 / Pace 10.54
Thursday 4.9 Miles / Total Time 48.34 / Pace 9.53
Friday Rest
Saturday 10 Miles Total Time 1.53.46 / Pace 11.16
Sunday 3 Miles Total Time 31.05 / 9.59

Speaking of motivation, if you're into reading for the evening, here's a great blog I found this week that speaks to inspiration, taking risks, stepping up, stop talking about it, and doing it.  I recommended it to one of the most important people in my life this week and recommend it for you to read and to get you going for the week!.  http://www.positivelypositive.com/2012/07/18/step-up-and-shine/

 It’s time to show up for your dreams and give absolutely everything you’ve got!!!

Some P. Diddy words of Wisom..  LOCK IN!  LET'S GO! I RUN MARATHONS! LET'S GO!!!!!!! 

Onto Week 2.  Rest Day is Monday and I'm already ready for my morning run on Tuesday.  This week will be 28 miles total  HERE WE GO!!!!!

Keep it movin' people!  Follow those Dreams and push yourself to the TOP!!!!

xoxo

kc

Start2Finish2012

Here we are!  It's Official...I'm in 2012!!!  I start my training tomorrow morning for my FIRST EVER NYC Marathon.  I moved to NYC 7 years ago and had a crazy dream that one day I wanted to run the NYC Marathon.  I don't know what I was thinking.  I was nowhere near ready and I thought...oh Yeah...I'll just run 26.2 miles.....nbd...  WHAT!?!?!?!? That quickly left my skullet and I never thought about it again until about 2 1/2 years ago.

Just a bit of a background.  2 1/2 years ago I finally decided to lose weight through WeightWatchers online.  I loved it, I succeeded, and I lost @ the most 45 lbs.  I have happily kept it off through these 2 years.  Go ME!  However, it has taken tons of hard work, watching what I eat (mostly proportions), and TONS of exercise.  When I started this whole thing I was doing yoga, bike riding, running @ Nike Town in Central park 2 days a week, spinning, gym classes, etc.  I couldn't believe it!!
When I first tried running I could barely run a 1/4 of a mile.  I would look ahead and say.."OKay, I'm going to run to the lamp post."  I have to say, sometimes I could do it, and sometimes I couldn't.   I worked my way up and would tell myself I'm not running less than 2 miles, I'm not running less than 3 miles today, etc.  Now, I run and don't feel accomplished unless I'm running at least 4-5 miles every time I go out.

I had an ex coworker of mine who was a BEAST @ running.  She finally talked me into running a race with her through NYRR.  I trained and my first race was a 10k (6.2miles).  It was called the Splash & Dash.  It was in Central Park in the middle of July.  It was hotnhumid, to say the least.  We ran our 10K and made our way over to the CP Swimming pool to swim for a while.  I remember finishing that first race and feeling so accomplished!  I remember crying along the way and thinking I can't believe I'm doing this!  I felt amazing!  I just had to keep going.  How could I stop now?  So, through that summer and through the rest of the year I continued those races and Yuko started talking to me about qualifying for the the marathon and what I had to do to qualify.  I decided I was going to do it!!  I registered thru NYRR, paid my dues, talked my 2 running buddies (Crazy Diana and BigDaddy) into crazily qualifying w/me and HERE WE ARE!!!  All 3 of us paid our dues, ran our 9 races last year, did our volunteering, and now we are 16 WEEKS away from our goal!!!!!!!  None of us can believe it and we're all getting motivated and ready to start training!!  I don't think any of us are trying to beat a record.  We just want to do our best and make it through the finish line!  We will travel through all 5 boroughs that day.  It will be an experience NONE of us will ever forget.  There will be family, friends, and strangers along the way to keep us going, cheering us on, and dancing our way through!

I'm writing this blog for a few reasons.  (so I don't bore you I'll only list a couple).
Reason #1, I think it will make me feel accountable.  I need to be accountable to you and to myself and feel I am not able to slack on this training and this goal of mine. I want you to ask me about my accomplishment for the day and what I did get movin' that week!  
Reason #2, I see A LOT of my friends on Facebook who run, have recently started to run, and do a ton of exercise/workouts like I try to do.  I want to be motivated by them (as I currently am) and hope I can motivate others to accomplish goals in life, in running, and in health in general.  

So, I'm going stay accountable to you and to myself and commit to this 16 week training program I have outlined for myself. I'm going to commit to updating this blog at least once every week.  This way I can read your stories and cheer you on and you can read my stories and cheer me on!  God knows I'm going to need it.  I need your inspiration through the sweat and tears for the next 4 months!  Stay w/me through this and I know we can all accomplish in 2012 what we have set GOALS for!!!  

Here we go!  I'll be up bright and early tomorrow morning to get my 4 miles in before the day begins.
SEE YOU @ THE FINISH LINE!!!!
LETS GO!!!!!!  (as one of my biggest motivators likes to say)
xoxoxoxo
kc**