Believe to Achieve

8 miles really easy at 6am in the dark cold air.  Love the summer when 6am is nice and light out.  But starting  to get used to the fact that this is the way it is for winter and will get even worse with the time change in a few weeks.  At least for morning runners ;D.   Did about 5 pickups for like .05 miles each so obviously not much.  First mile I was wondering if  I was really going to run 8, I felt so sluggish and I was worried about aggravating my PF symptoms in my right foot.  Still don't know if it is true PF as I have never had it and I have had a lot of back pain lately so could be a disc problem.  Hamstrings still a little tight so when I got to a stop light  I stretched those and other leg muscles and I felt renewed strength.  SHOCKINGLY I did an upper body work out.  Feel great right now but I am sure I will pay for it tomorrow.  I did planks times two-- 90, 30, 30, 60, 30, 30.  (my core was fine it was my arm muscles that were ridiculously weak and shaking espec. front plank after 60 seconds and left plank-- my left arm, I am right handed).  Then I did pushups.  Following the 100 push up model.  Never made it too far before because I would get side tracked with more running.  Will try harder this time.  Did the middle group (since I can do over 6 pushups right now).  That  group had me do 6, 6, 4, 4, 5 with 60 seconds in between.  Not looking forward to increasing the amount on Wednesday with sore arms!  Then I did side raises, biceps (two types), triceps (two types), rows, lay on your back and push up on weights (whatever are those called?)  That's it.  Did enough damage.  I have to say I was pretty down yesterday about my lack of fitness and my sad performance.  Hoping to pull my head out and feel positive about my goal to go sub three someday.    After I kept running today I felt a little more like myself towards the end.  This recovery has been difficult.  And Halloween (my favorite holiday) is not helping.  I want to eat healthy and there is crap everywhere.  I had pumpkin pie for dessert for lunch at work yesterday and it is not even November.  AP today with a 9:36 opening mile-- 8:29 for 8 miles.  Kinks in my legs are slowly evaporating!!  I forget how in the old days when I would only train for about four weeks for a marathon and run a 3:41 that it took me over two weeks to feel good to even run a step.  So I am making progress. 

FIRST OF ALL-- GOOD NEWS. The sock company that had the guarantee no blisters feel really badly for what happened with their socks causing four large blisters in only a few miles into the marathon, so they are sending me a variety of pairs to try.   NICE.

Okay, I  was only go to run eight miles but did a loop instead of an out and back.  That is always dangerous as I tend to go out further and further, so 1.2 miles over.  But it was quite enjoyable in the foilage.  It was actually warm to start out with and then the clouds came blowing in.  That was nice.  Wore my black running skirt.   Felt fine.  Foot acted up past 8 miles, so glad I was stopping.  Ran super easy.  MY ARMS WOULD NOT LET ME EVEN THINK ABOUT GOING FAST.   I could barely move them when I first started out.  Ridiculously sore.  This is why I hate to work out my upper body.  But it does get better and then when I flake for a bit it is too keen in my memory that I don't want to start up again.  This time I will be tougher.  AP for 9.2=  8:28.  First mile @ 9:06.  : D.  Ran past the Mt. Timponogos Temple and ran into a friend I made at the PG rec center during the winter.    It was like seeing an old friend.   We really bonded when we met.  She moved here from Vegas as I remember and she told me how horrible UVM was for her with a 12 minute potty line stop, she came in at 4:45.  I told her she just needed the right pacer-- me.  I would so love to run her in for a four hour marathon.  She said she was done with marathons but I tried to convince her otherwise.  She was on her way into the Temple.  I felt pretty lucky to run into her.  Fun to catch up.    BTW this soreness only makes me want to eat more. 

Ran at 615am in the cold and dark.  BUT I wore my shorts in open rebellion to the wavering weather (with headband warmer and gloves and longsleeves : D).   Was feeling pretty good in the beginning (except the darn PF that I decided is my new "achilles heel" since now my achilles no longer aches during runs, but PF SURE DOES, OUCH!!!).    At just over a mile I ran into some other runners.  Thought they were friends from my old ward that was divided in May so  I turned around to run with them.  Turned out they weren't but it was Jane's sister in law Lisa  and her neighbors, so we ran for over a mile together.  I had easily caught up to them so their pace was well over 9.  My mile with them was 9:23 which   I could tell I was pushing them because half of the group was further behind now.   I didn't mind but I had to be back at my house before 7:30 for my daughter Courtney so I told them I needed to go.  At least they got me off of my comfortable dark time runs around my hood.  I was now off on Canyon road alone but slowly but surely it was getting lighter so I did my usual route over there passing by Kim's house and looping here and there.  Really what I am afraid of are the unleashed dogs that people put out in the mornings thinking noone is out there.  They come charging at you.  Even if there is a fence around them it kind of freaks me out.  AP for 8 miles=  8:22.  PF really achy by the end but still did upper body even though I am still super sore.  Better than yesterday but quite difficult to do the pushups this sore so twice I had to do girl ones.  Did the same workout as Monday for all the arms and planks and pushups.  HURTS SO GOOD, right?  : D.  Pretty hungry now. 

Foot is constantly in pain--- inner heel, not arch. PF or stress fracture. I don't fit the classic signs for PF. It does look slightly swollen, so maybe a torn tendon to the heel? just ridiculous I tell you!! ice feels fine when on but area burns as it thaws and pain just as great after wards. Same with heat. Worked 12 hour shift and it was very hard on my foot and annoying to have the constant pulsating pain esepcially with walking on it. BlAH. work again tomorrow. NO running until I can see if NOT running is the solution---if I see any improvement I will hold tight about seeing a dr. and take more time off my MEDICINE (running).  DANG.  seriously have issues with TIME OFF.  I don't know how any of you handle MED-WITHDRAWALS!!!  AMAZING !!!

another run-less day.  seriously did I dream my summer of running?  it seems so long ago.   worked all day.  it was extremely busy.  no time to sit but go go go.  my foot was throbbing.  i was hoping at one point it would all go away like magic.  still holding out for a miracle.  i so need to run pain free again.  my toe nail on my injured foot, middle toe, fell off three days after the marathon.   there was a little piece of nail left by the cuticle and I used nail clippers to take it off so it wouldn't rub today.  well i cut too close the skin and it bled like crazy then stung like a bugger as it rubbed in my shoes all day at work.  i was not in a good mood about this.  hopefully it will get my mind of my painful foot that a dr at work thinks is a stress fracture of the heel.  he said he has seen this injury a lot.  hmmmm.  not going for the scan yet.  giving it time to magically heel.  but if not...maybe a scan.  blah.   I meant "heal" in that last sentence.  A little play on words i guess.  tomorrow i am off work.  how can i not run on a saturday day off?    kelli is just as insane as i.   don't want to use the word stupid.  we are just addicts ; D. Oh yah, was up early and couldn't fall asleep so I did my upper body workout.  i am on the next step in the 100 push up challenge so i did 8-6-6-8-7 pushups with 90 seconds stretching/resting in between plus weights and planks.  getting stronger up top.  got to find some positives : D.

12.5 miles--- ooops was only going to run 12.  But I ran with my stopwatch and didn't know mileage until  I got back and used the old faithful course tool.  AP 8:36.   I thought I was a 9 AP so that is why I ran close to 1:48 time (1:47:29).  But apparently it was my arms from all the upper body making my effort seem like I wasn't moving.  Legs really got a few kinks in them.  PF?  in right foot let up at times in the run.  Left leg IT from race showed up a bit too.  Still waiting on iron IV.  Insurance doesn't cover as much this year but I have a HSA so I have to price everything out.  But I am eating quite healthily.  My dr. ordered a bunch more lab tests too.  Honestly I don't want to hear about it.  And just move on.  But I guess I have to.  Oh yah, the biggest blister that wrapped around my right big toe and in between it and my second toe is finally peeling off.  It was so huge!! and massively painful in the race.  The one on the top of my foot--from taking off my socks during the marathon for 7 miles--- is still healing.  I think it will still be another week.  It was a pretty DEEP blister.  Lots of layers of scabbing!!! gross.    Oh  the best part of this run is I ran into Kerri and we ran 6 miles together.  I told her all about my wild summer and my big flop.  She was injured for three months so I hadn't seen her.  Now we are going to run all Fall together ; D.