Chug-along-chica!

My left hip was really tight last night when I finished my run, so I slept on a heating pad (on low) all night.  In the morning it was SO much worse!  Dang it, should've done ice instead.  I tried to go for my run, and I seriously made it about 8 steps before I almost cried out.  It's a sharp pain right over the ball of the hip joint.  It has gotten progressively better throughout the day but not nearly good enough for running.  I am walking pretty strangely, favoring my right foot a lot and now my foot is hurting too.   Bleh.  

Hip still sore esp. in the morning, but feeling better by the evening.  Tomorrow we leave for St. George.  YEA!

I jogged 2 miles with beloved hubby.  He forced me to wear shoes just because we were in St. George and didn't know what the heck was on the ground in the area.  Hip was okay.  I felt it just a little. 

We went to the blogger party in the park.  I got to see Jody in person!  That was exciting.  Also met the Wild Bull in the flesh for the first time.  Is he from a foreign country?  I thought I heard an accent.  Always good to see Christi, Mik'L, Josse, Kim and Tom, and Brent and Sylvia.  Class acts, every one.  I got to meet Dustin's wife, Sunny, and Monaflash's wife, Allison.  Running widows unite!  Michelle Lowry looked so dang athletic.  She is skinnier than last year for sure.  The other Michelle was there too--what a sight for sore eyes!  She had her adorable new puppy with her, "Libby."  (That is the SECOND friend of mine who has a dog with my name, btw.  Luckily they are both cute dogs.  Nobody go name a big ol' nasty mutt after me, 'K?)  I got to meet the famous Kellies, too.  I mean Kelli and Kellie.  Both sweet chicas.  JeffMC was there with Kimia. He looked like he was itching to get running.   In between bites of raw garlic and avocado on bread, Sasha did a dramatic impression of a drunk Russian singing and passing out.  (It is very fortunate that Sasha became an anti-alcohol Mormon athlete--he would have made a terrible drunk Russian.  Fate is kind.)  People were pretty subdued at the party.  Next year we need some music or something!  Or Marion.  Marion could have revved it up, I think.  ;)  I missed Sarah.

James and I went to the pasta party at the convention center.  I can't believe how much spaghetti I ate!  You know how husbands sometimes gain sympathy weight when their wives are pregnant?  That was me...trying to give James more glycogen by quaffing mountains of over-cooked noodles for him.   That's the first time I've had non-whole wheat pasta in a long time.  Slimy but satisfying.

I spent quite a bit of time in the evening painting a ginormous banner to hold for the bloggers as they run by.   I'll show you a picture tomorrow.  Good luck bloggers!

2 miles on the treadmill after traveling home from a grueling, soggy, St. George Marathon!  hips feeling better.

Congrats to all the fine runners who finished the SGM this year!  This was a marathon to remember.  I regret I had but one voice to loose while screaming crazy-go-nuts at mile 24.  And for the love of feet!  So sorry to all the first time marathoners, who persevered beautifully.  It will only get better from here.

You never expect to almost freeze to death in St. George--especially in early October!  But you should have seen, dear reader...you just should have SEEN the masses of soaked, miserable, blue-lipped bloggers at the finish of the St. George Marathon this year.  The have absolutely no fat!  There is absolutely no insulation!  I wished over and over to have some warm blankets to distribute.  My kingdom for some warm blankets!  I was quite concerned over both Kory Wheatley and Sasha, especially--shivering like they were about to have some convulsions.  Lucky for them, there were both popsicles AND  ice cream sandwiches on which to refuel.  Honestly, some marathons!  But of all the marathoners, the one I was the most concerned about was my dear hubby, James W.  He trains in Mesa, in super hot conditions.  His body has adjusted to shed heat.  His lips were so blue, I honestly thought (HOPED) he had just finished sucking on a blue popsicle.  But it was not so.  So of course, I did the most logical thing and freaked out.  

We tried to get his stuff from the clothes drop, but the numbers on the bags had all washed off, and they couldn't find his.  So, again, I did the most logical thing and wrapped him in some trash bags, and my coat.

Well, nobody has ever claimed that running marathons is a dignified sport.

My little seven year-old was my buddy for half of this.  Tomorrow I will be back at full distance, after carefully watching the ol' hip for a few days.  All systems are go!

I finally read the thing about avoiding injury on the discussion forum & I'm feeling inspired.  I think I've been doing a lot of stupid things, and I am going to do my best to break the habit!

1.5 With my oldest boy.  He ran so well today! 14:27.  Isn't being a parent amazing?  I really am happier when he does well than if I do well myself.  Now to extend that kind of love to everyone...

1 mile with my 5 year-old at an exceedingly maidenly pace.

1.5 miles on the treadmill at an ungodly hour in the morning. 

4 miles for today.  I am having a good running week.  The weather is turning BEEEEEYOOOTIFUL in the morning.  Perfect running weather.  Couldn't ask for anything better.  A sweet little running buddy whom I love, nice weather, energy and health to run, and a whole, long, fall-winter-spring season ahead of me to look forward to. 

With my 3 year-old, if you can believe it.

3 miles alone at 10 pace, 1.5 with my 7 year-old at 11 pace.

This is my friend D'Net.  She is a piano-teaching goddess.  Last night we went out for some girl time.

Lettuce wraps ala Cheesecake factory...trying to find stuff without white flour or white sugar.

Creativity gone awry.  I can't be trusted with purple cabbage...especially when I've been drinking (water with lemon, of course).

I did NOT eat the bread sticks.

But we put them to good use.  Isn't she cute?

4 miles, and it was COLD this morning.  We went straight from being 70 in the morning to being 45.  This makes me worry for my dear friends in Utah.  Where did fall go?

I have something very special to share with you today.

This is Shae.  She is the best friend I've ever had.  We were inseparable as teenagers.   I called Shae a couple months before I turned 30 (freaking out about it) and left a message to tell her that I felt like I was turning into a fossil right before my own eyes.   She she responded with a message notifying me that she had registered us both for a race, Pat's Run (4.2 miles) and to start training.  So I did--1 mile 3 times a week.  (I was so awesomely prepared for my race that I was able to run sub 13:00 min. miles for the whole race--I was pretty stoked.)  2 months later I met Sasha and Sarah Pachev.

   This is Shae holding her very first baby, Ava, a much anticipated and precious little girl.

Ava birth was a miracle.  Doctors all said that Ava would not survive labor--her little body was not built for life in this world.

We are all so very grateful that they were mistaken.  Ava was a fighter.  She survived the birth process and lived for 15 hours.

 Thank you, Ava!  Thank you for fighting so your mother and father could hear your little voice and your hold you in this life.

I do not believe that it is the length of time we spend on the earth that changes it--it is the love we bring to it.  Ava's mission is complete.  I love you Shae.  I love you Dan.  I love you Ava.

This month I run for Ava.

4 miles on the treadmill.  I got up really early, got dressed in my warm running clothes, took 2 steps in the pitch darkness, turned around and hopped on the treadmill.  I am being a ninny these days about running alone in the dark.

Thanks so much for the kind comments on yesterday's blog.  I know it is sad to see, but I think it is important to honor her little life in whatever way we can.   I thought a lot about her on my run today.    I want to be a fighter, too--not just always taking the easy way. 

Today I taught my last day of Tuesday preschool (it's a co-op) until February!  That means Tuesdays will go back to being an almost normal workload day.  Yea! 

1.5 with my 7 year-old son.  New PR for him: 14:21.  He is really showing improvement, and it is all thanks to effective bribing.  He gets a smoothie if he runs sub-10 pace at least once a week.

2.5 tonight outside.  Man, it was GORGEOUS.  Perfect temps, nice fresh scent, and no traffic.  Love it.

Guess what I did today?  IREGISTEREDFORTHERAGNARRELAYDOWN HERE:THEDELSOLRELAYANDIAMSOEXCITEDIABSOLUTELYALMOSTCANT CONTAINITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

If it goes well I will register for the St. George Marathon this year.

1.5 with my little boy and 2 on the treadmill.  I'm feeling pretty proud that I have been getting up super early for all my runs this week.

Can I ask you guys something?  Remember how my little guy (3) had that high fever last week?  Well, he has a fever AGAIN.  No other symptoms.  Just really groggy, sleeping alot.  No coughing, running nose or anything.  It got up to 102.8.  No one else in the house has had any fever or any other symptoms.  I took him to the pediatrician and she said his ears and throat were NOT infected--no other signs of infection, and that it is probably just allergies.  What?  Do allergies cause high fevers?  I've never heard of that before.  Have you?

Did you see the mileage...I mean, did you SEE the mileage?   This is the rebirth of the long run for me, and what a glorious birth it was.  I met up with Camille and her cute little friend Bethany to run this morning.  I was skeptical.   I don't usually run more than 4 miles in a day, and usually I break that up into 2 runs, so I almost never run more than 2.5 miles.  Can you believe it?  I FEEL GREAT!  I did it, and we did NOT fade one bit.   10:07 on average, with just a tiny bit of a negative split.  NO sick feeling in my stomach, NO chaffing, no refueling, no water, and still NO whining.  Well, minimal whining...I got a little bit of a blister from wearing shoes for the first time in a jillion years.  

Camille, thanks so much for running with me!  What a great run.  It felt shorter than the 2.5 I usually run alone.   You and Bethany are fun! 

 We are hoping to do this again--yea!  Running buddies are the key to happiness.  I totally have that runner's high feeling right now and can't wait for the rest of my day.  Happy Saturday to you all!

***Later*** Oof, I am a little bit tired & stiff.  Methinks I shall be sore tomorrow.

Well, I've felt better...I truly have.  Was this because of my long run on Sat.?  I don't know.  I have a stiff neck.  I woke up with it on Sunday.   And one of my feet exploded, sort of.  It felt fine Sat., it felt okay on Sunday, and today it exploded.   THIS is what comes of running in dadgum shoes!!!  High heels on Sunday do not help, either.  Question: why can't they make dressy shoes that are cute and yet have no heels?  It's like they decide that if someone is buying flats, they must not care about looks anyway.  So they throw the ugly stick at you.

Anyhow, I am icing my foot and limping around.  What are you up to?

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In other news, it has come to my attention that I have the weirdest readers on the planet.   No, not YOU, dear reader...it is all those OTHER weird readers I am talking about.  According to the quantcast demographic thingy at the top of this blog, the AVERAGE reader of my blog is:

1.)  Male (how could this possibly be true, when 90% of the comments are made by chicas?)

2.)  Between the ages of 12-17 years-old.  Hmph.  I can hardly even think of any guys on the blog in that demographic range that speak to me.

3.)  Have children...that's a little frightening.

4.)  Make a lot of money (McDonald's must have updated it's pay scale...)

5.)  Have college degrees.

So, they are amazingly intelligent, promiscuous, overpaid teenagers.  Hmmm.   Don't be shy, now, leave a comment and prove your existence if this describes YOU. 

So would you like to know what the doctor said about my "exploded" foot?  Ankle sprain.  Nothing exciting, but definitely annoying.  2 weeks at least of NO running.  After that, start with walking and gradually build up to running 2 miles.  "Be super careful--this could drag on for months if you aren't careful.  Your chances of re-injuring this are really high."

I did it on Monday, on my run with my little boy.  It has nothing to do with the wonderful, awesome run last Saturday.  I rolled my ankle, felt nothing unusual, finished the run feeling fine, and then it started to bug...then it started to ache, then it started to hurt, then it started to REALLY hurt.  THEN I had to walk to get my son home from school because they CLOSED my dang road for resurfacing and I COULD NOT use my car.  I thought I was gonna die.  I kept thinking, "The pioneers walked all the way across the country, for goodness sakes, and they didn't die.  I won't die from walking 1.2 miles...." And then I thought, "actually, many of the pioneers DID die.  I am a goner."  And the rest of the walk was just "ow. ow. ow. ow. ow..."

In the spectrum of bad things that can happen in a life (on a scale of 1-10) spraining your ankle has to be about a .35, possibly as high as .5.  Not much.  Nevertheless, I am very much put out. 

I miss running.  I miss blogging, too.  Last night I had a Fast Running Blog dream.  Everybody from the blog was going for a 20 mile run together.  Everyone was there, Kim and Tom, Sarah and Sasha, Lucia, Camille, Monaflash etc. etc.  But I got sent back after half a mile and everyone else went without me.  I was very distressed about it.  Geez!

So I'm waiting for this mildly sprained ankle to heal enough to go for a short jog.  It doesn't bother me very much unless I've been on my feet too long.  Then it aches.   I bet I could probably run a mile on it now with minimal pain, but I think it would ache afterward, and probably take longer to heal.  So I wait...but not idly!  I am trying to focus on improving my sleep habits and eat healthier.

Ooooh!  I've started eating a "goddess salad" every morning for breakfast.  It's basically 2 cups of fresh spinach, several sliced strawberries, some chopped nuts, and a honey vinegarette dressing.  It is yummy, and I feel so dang healthy for eating it!  Then about 2 hours later, I have "second breakfast,"  oatmeal.  (Yes, I am on the Hobbit eating schedule.  Elevensies next...)

Anyway, though I feel like a goober posting when I'm not running, I think I'm going to do it anyway.  Sorry.