Believe to Achieve

8 @ 7:41 AP at 8:38 am.  I had the MOST FORGETTABLE (but probably won't) SHIFT yesterday.  I didn't sit once until 1330 briefly to finally eat a yam and salad.  Called my mom to tell her hard my shift was on my cell.  It was go go go.  I would have much rather have used my 13.5 hours on my feet running Squaw Peak again.  Who would have thought mom/baby was so busy?  I just happened to get the team, my PCT and I, that was ULTRA- busy.  I must have put in at least 10 miles of "running".  Went to bed at 10pm and woke again at 3am still exhausted with a huge stress headache.  Didn't fall back to sleep until 430 am.  Woke at 7:50am and finally mustered the strength to go running.  Surprisingly, however, my pace is faster than when I stay up all night for a shift when not as busy.  This is the only plus I find right now as my family never saw me for three days as I worked Fri, Sat, Sun.  Splits:  8:31, 7:55, 7:52, 7:44, 7:27, 7:28, 7:18, 7:12.  Hilly route.  Foot ailed by the end in the plantar region.  Off to Lagoon much to my weary body, but its discount week thru IHC so best to go now. 

After 10 hours of standing and walking in flip flops at Lagoon yesterday and the three 12 hour shifts in a row I mistakingly said I would meet Kim, Jane and Kerri at 6am.  Getting home at 1130 PM wiped out I was so wishing I texted.  I don't so I had to show.   My left foot (plantar fascitis I would say, never had this before but its bad, especially on downhills) acted up the entire run.  I was dehydrated so that played a roll.  Eating oreos and wheat thins for lunch and junk food for dinner just isn't going to do me any good.  So I took it easy today on a tough trail run up 1100 north above the canal.  I stayed behind the gals limping as the miles wore on and when it was time for downhill my left foot was clopping loudly and my right was so quiet.  What is that about? I couldn't get it to be quiet and it hurt like the dickens.  I couldn't lift it well without more pain.  Icing it now and will all day.  Just couldn't go fast.  My left hip and lowerback and knee seem to be linked to it.   The foot pain is the worst however.  Adjustment time.   AP 8:43 for 12 hilly miles.

Ran 3 miles with Troy at 9:12 AP.  Nice and easy for my dear husband who, now having finished the basement, is starting to run again.  We left at 9:38am.  Did anyone notice the temperature difference from yesterday?  So hot in comparison.  My sister-in-law said it was 18 degrees warmer at 8am then yesterday.  At least that's what the news said.  I didn't need the news to tell me.  Wowsers, it was hot!! At an easy pace it was comletely tolerable.  I wore my gel cumulus shoes that I thought I hated but they sure felt cloud-like (except the lifting of them with each stride) on the footfall.  Ahhhhh my PF was soooo happy.  Not a bit of pain.  What to do?  I can't wear these cumulus' at the 1/2 this Saturday.  They are way too heavy.  And Hobble is just as the name says--It makes you Hobble from IT or PF a day or two after the race.  I guess PF goes along with PR if I can stand the pain the last few miles.  Decisions, decisions.  Light or heavy?  perhaps two more days away from those (mizuno wave riders) shoes and easy miles will do the trick to last 13 fast miles on Saturday.  I am going for 1:28:45--- a one second PR from last year.  Oh the last part of my run I ran .25 miles easy then 2  x 800 meters in the heat of the day with 400 meter easy run in between.  The sweat felt great coming off me.  The pace felt easy so  I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that they were slow.  Dang.  One at 3:12 the other at 3:10.  I am sure the heat played a big role here.  Cooldown for a bit more to equal just over a 10K distance. 

watched clock ALL night before work this morning (Thursday).  I really should have gone running at 4 am, I was wide-awake.  Worked in the NICU at UVRMC.  First day shift there in over 2 years.  A place I worked for 17 years.  It was if  I never left.  Working with and feeding premies is so second nature to me.  No stress.  Enjoyed the day (minus a few inhalations of intense perfume giving my face a twitch and radiating pain through my eyeball)-- it went away an hour  after the sweet grandma volunteer left).  Any way, no running.  Hope the PF is fading.

6 miles at AP of 8:19.  Slow first mile.  I felt so non-runner like.  I started to take off and creak creak went my pelvic bones and then my knees.  Seriously?  what was that all about?   Switching shoes really screws up my alignment.  I am so "set" in my ways.  I am trying to break free.  Even ran barefoot on my very cool dew-kissed grass after the run.  The PF hurt so bad on my run, even trying both pairs of shoes to make the final decision.  Probably going to be the mizunos with a taping if I learn how to do it by the expert bloggers.  The barefoot running felt great, perhaps due to the coolness but I felt so light and earthy.  Totally me.  Yesterday on my drive back from work I saw a girl barefoot running (she was in running clothes and had an iPod) on State Street by hospital.  I thought how natural her form looked but then I looked at her head-- piercings and green hair.  How natural is that?    PS if I have this pain tomorrow I might be up a creek tomorrow.  I need a quick fix. 

ADDENDUM:  I JUST looked at results.  I would have been FIRST overall master today if I were official by over two minutes!!!  Geez.  The darn race fills up way too fast and no switching of numbers allowed.

EARLIER report: Up at 4am.  Slept 5 hours. Drove up with Kim, Melanie, Kerri and Jane.   So better than last year  except for the 53 minute late start.  However, my PF (plantar fascitis) is not letting up.  It hurt like nothing else and eventually sucked in my calf, inner thigh and outer hip area.  So much that each mile I told myself "you are only a bandit, you can stop at mile, such and such" .  I was so enveloped in my pain that I just couldn't run well.  My right leg had to pull my left leg along.  How I even talked my brain into keeping to the task I never know except I saw my Ragnar Teammate Amber Sandberg the whole time so I tried to keep her in my view.  I passed her at mile 11 rallying her to stay with me, she was not far behind as she came up beside me with .2 miles to go.  Then she and I sprinted towards the finish.  She didn't know I was a bandit. I didn't turn with her but took the final left turn  and went straight rather than make the U-turn to the finish.  If I was registered I would have had much more of a kick.  Prerace I ran a mile warm up and postrace I ran a two mile cooldown running out and back a mile on the course.  By this point my foot couldn't even push off  of the ground without it  twisting on itself.  I iced it in the river with Kim then put on an ace wrap. I am going to a deep tissue massage therapist monday and the chiropracter (they work together).  Pain level 8.  I have absolutely NO muscle soreness or fatigue.  My upper body shows no signs of having exerted myself.  I am pleased with this.  So IF I had another right leg I really feel I could have run close to a 1:26.  Easier said than done.  So I will prove myself next year or at the Halloween Half.   Splits to follow but it is really hurting to sit for long periods.  It seems to be intense sciatica.  The splits were quite evenly paced from fastest a 6:25 to slowest at 7:12.  BTW this time is 24 seconds SLOWER than last year but  I don't feel remotely wiped out.  I feel great besides the pain in my leg.  This is promising.