Mixed Bag

I'm a total mixed bag of emotions lately. When was the last time that I blogged? Didn't look before I started this post, but I think it was a couple of weeks ago. At any rate, what's been going on?


For starters... This finally happened. FINALLY!!!!!

Cheers! Celebrating with sparkling peach faux champagne. 

20 months of graduate school... DONE! I earned an M.A. in General English Studies from Northern Arizona University last Friday. Now I'm eligible to teach more than basic writing at my community college! ENG 102, here I come!

I can't tell you how excited I was (am) to be finished. You think 26.2 miles is long? This felt like the longest marathon ever, and I can't tell you how many times I wanted to QUIT. Doing homework on planes, in hotel bathrooms (while everyone else slept--didn't want to disturb them), on vacations, during classes that I taught (when my class was testing or writing), when my kids were sick next to me on the couch, etc. There was never really a break until now! I am so grateful that I had the support of my husband throughout it all, and I'm happy that the boys got to see their mother graduate from college (again). Education is a lifelong pursuit, and I hope that getting a glimpse of this academic achievement of mine drove that point home to them. 

Or not. Who am I kidding? They were mostly excited by the non-alcoholic beverages we had before the commencement ceremony. 

Other exciting things...

I've been trying to eat clean. Want to know what I just ate for dessert?

Chocolate mousse made with avocado. What the what?

(source)

Believe it or not, it's actually pretty good. I got the recipe from a friend in Baltimore and decided to try it when I got home. Here it is if you're feeling adventurous:

Sheryl Crow’s Decadent Raw Vegan Chocolate Mousse

2 large ripe avocados

1/2 cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup agave nectar, plus more to taste

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 pint fresh raspberries, or whatever berry you have on hand

Method

1. Cut a ripe avocado in half. Use a big knife to grab the pit and turn to remove. Spoon out the meat of the avocado and then blend to break it down a bit.

2. Add in cocoa powder, agave nectar, vanilla extract, and almond extract and blend for 1 to 2 minutes, making sure every part is included.

3. Refrigerate overnight and serve in martini glasses with garnish.

Running...

This Sunday was supposed to be the Pasadena Marathon, but instead, there is no marathon for me and I'm single-momming it while my husband is schmoozing folks in TX for his next (potential) set of orders. ((Sigh)).

On a good note, I did another test run this am, and it was a roaring success. It was exactly the type of run that I was hoping for. I ran 4 pain-free miles at a little under a 9 minute-mile pace. SUCCESS!

Am I jumping for joy?

I'm happy, but I can't say that I'm wildly enthusiastic, to be honest.

Would you be thrilled running in this for the next 4-5 months?

I'm relieved that my injury seems to be clearing up, but at the same time, I'm bummed that I'm entering survival mode for the next several months. Summer running here is awful. As I've lost some fitness, I'm also unsure of my goals and my direction. There's also the consideration of how I ended up injured in the first place. It's apparent to me now more than ever that I really can't afford to neglect my strength training. I truly was enjoying my ever-increasing mileage... What to do for balance though? I'm not sure that I can do both: lots of miles and lots of weights. Over the past 5 weeks, I've been putting in some quality hours at the gym, and I've really enjoyed the weight training and the new strength classes that I've been doing. I'd love to continue to keep up that aspect of my training, but doing both is a huge challenge. It's going to take some time to figure it all out. Not to mention that my boys are out of school in 1 week, which adds a whole new challenge to everything.

So much to think about... There really is never a dull moment in this girl's life!

Not Quite

So my running attempt last Saturday was a big, fat flop.

5 miles.... At the end, a little voice said, "Let's not do that again anytime soon," and I gingerly walked back home and proceeded to ice my back.

Damn.

It served as a reminder that the injury process is a lot like potty training. 1 step forward... 2 steps back.

This week has been another step forward. I'm back on the Alter G and able to do 70% of my body weight with pain level = nuisance. 

The tricky thing with the Alter G, however, is that running 8:50 min/miles sans nearly 40 pounds of body weight (70% of about 130 pounds) actually feels like I'm running 10:00 min/miles. So to try and continue to keep up my cardiovascular fitness, I'm incorporating the ARC Trainer in there as well. That thing kicks my ass. The plan for now is to do 2 days of AG, 1 day ARC Trainer, repeat. I may do some pool running on Sunday. We'll see.

I've also been hitting the weights hard. And core. Here is my new favorite exercise. I like to do it after doing a few minutes of regular planks and/or crunches.

Ouch. 

And no. I can't get to Z yet.

(I do it with both of my knees off the ground.)

Adventures in Injury

What to say since the last time I blogged? Well, for starters, Pasadena is OUT. It's ok. I've made my peace. I decided to let it go, since the whole point of the race was to PR for a better chance at getting into Boston 2013. I could do the half, but there really is no good reason, to be honest. Sure, I'm out $90 for my race fee, but if you factor in the gas, lodging, and food costs of the weekend... I'm actually saving money in the end.

My back is getting better. Slowly but surely. I went out of town last Friday-this Tuesday (for my godson's First Communion and to visit family in Chicago) and took 5 days off. I did do some core/hip/glute exercises a couple of times, but that was it. My back felt rough, and over the weekend, I went through a period where I felt like I had piraformis syndrome. What the hell?!?! At any rate, that dissipated. Today was the first day that I woke up feeling NO PAIN. Yay! Of course, as the day has gone on, my pinch-y/twing-y back sensations have been noticeable but not terrible. It hasn't precluded any of my cross-training. Today, I managed to try out a machine called the ARC Trainer in my gym.

Looks like a more horrible version of an elliptical. But it's not!

This thing was awesome. I mean, don't get me wrong. Machines SUCK! But I got a great workout on this beast. I did an hour of the "Pike's Peak" program, so my ass felt like it was going to spontaneously combust by hour's end (one could only hope... no such luck). I also noticed that it was easier on my knees and that my feet didn't fall asleep like they normally do on an elliptical. Sweet!

You Tube has a great video on the ARC Trainer that explains the physics and such behind this machine. I highly recommend it if you are laid up and would like a break from the monotony of other machines (elliptical, bike, etc), as well as pool running (which I've been doing... in my backyard pool! Yikes! BORING!).

Tomorrow is a test 4-miler to see how everything holds up. I'm hoping that with continued core work/weights and chiro trips ( X 3 per week) that this will be cleared up by the end of the month. Fingers crossed! 

Alter G and Me

I had a couple of bloggers ask me for more information about the Alter G after I mentioned it in my last post, so here goes.

First of all, the Alter G is an anti-gravity treadmill. I first read about it in Runner's World, and I believe the article featured a picture of a very pregnant Kara Goucher using one.

Last summer, I was sidelined by an undiagnosed injury. By undiagnosed, I mean Navy Medicine did not want to spend the money for me to have an MRI and an X-Ray of my right leg showed nothing. Considering my 8 week time frame for recovery, I believe it to have been a tibial stress reaction, something that doesn't show up on an X-Ray.

The story behind Alter G: I set out one Sunday morning in July to do a 14-mile run (after having several days of painful running), took about 7 steps and said, "NOPE." I turned around, walked home and then got into my car to go to the gym to begin elliptical hell. When I walked into the gym, however, it was like:

Complete with music

I could not believe that the semi-crappy Marine Corps base gym had scored not one but TWO Alter Gs.
Apparently one of the Marines on base is a member of the All-Marine Marathon Team, and somehow he got the money allocated for it. SWEET!

And so began 8 (or 7?) solid weeks of 5 days per week on it!

To be completely honest, SUAR has THE BEST POST on it. She actually took pictures of herself and included a video. While I considered doing it for my blog, I felt like a tool asking someone to take my picture at the gym. From what I understand, SUAR was invited to a physical therapy clinic or something to try the Alter G.

This week I spent Tuesday-Friday on the AG. Saturday was pool running. Today, I managed to eek out a grandma-paced 10 miles outside, so I'm optimistic that my Alter G time has ended. I plan on continuing EASY miles until this back issue clears up. As Pasadena is now 28 days away... it doesn't look good. At this point, I'm hoping to downgrade to the half marathon and use it as an easy-paced training run for a possible late summer half marathon. Time will tell.

This Bimbo is in Limbo

Ha to bimbo! I couldn't think of anything else that rhymed.

So anyway, here I am on the injury train. Boo boo!! (I'm on a roll!)

I'm actually in pretty good spirits all things considered. It is what it is, and truth be told, I did it to myself. My coach was going back over my training log and looking for training errors, but honestly, I attribute this to lack of strength/core training. Something was bound to give, and with my weak abs, it was my back.

I know my abs are weak because I got back into the gym this morning for lower body/core work and did some ab exercises that were fairly easy a couple of months ago. Today? Not so much.

What a bonehead move on my part neglecting ab work. Even elites do it.

Well hello there, Kara Goucher! If you're doing weighted sit ups, I sure as hell should be doing them too. (source)

One thing that has kept my spirits high is this GEM.

I love you, Alter G, even though you give me Camel T at 50% of my body weight. Luckily, I'm hanging in there at 70-80% bw these days.

Can you believe that I get M-F 0600-1800 FREE access to this thing?!? Me neither. So I will shut up all whining because I know I am lucky as all get out.

Before you start hatin' though, check this out.

F!

That's really all that I can say about this.

So looks like I take the good with the bad these days. 

Chiropractor X 3 weekly, Alter G, and tons of strength/core with a side of pool running and yoga, here I come!!!

Expect the Unexpected

My title is a bit of a misnomer, as you'll see in a bit.

So it appears that I am facing an injury.

Yesterday, I set out for an easy-paced (9:00P) 22-miler. I felt really good and was actually shooting for 8:59P (Ha! I like seeing 8s as much as possible.). I decided to go on a more adventurous route and run across the Colorado River into California. As I crossed a bridge and crested a hill at mile 11, my lower back started hurting. I was caught a little off guard but thought maybe it was just a kink. You know how all of us distance runners get kinks during runs that seem to eventually work themselves out.

Except this wasn't working itself out.

I stopped to stretch at mile 12. Then I started back up and discovered it wasn't getting better. I began to consider an alternative. Maybe I could shoot for 20 and call it a day. I kept on but started doing the thing where I look down at my Garmin every 2 seconds. I saw my pace slowing. Uh oh. I realized I was in the 9:20s and starting to hurt more. I got to 15.57 and something in my mind said, "STOP." So I did. Then I walked 2 miles to a nearby Chevron and called my husband to come pick me up.

(((sigh)))

While this certainly was unexpected in a sense, in another sense, I've seen it coming.

Signing up for marathons within 4 months of one another was a big leap of faith for me. I did not plan on BQing at Carlsbad, so Pasadena was primarily my A-goal race where I would run sub-3:40. Being the Type-A that I am, once I got that BQ I realized that I wanted to shift to sub-3:35 to help increase my chances of actually getting into the Boston Marathon with the new strict registration process.

While I could maintain the intensity of training for Carlsbad fairly easily, it's been tough to keep hanging on for Pasadena. My runs have been solid and exactly where I want them to be, but the things that I need to be doing off the pavement? Not good.

Things I have NEGLECTED:

• strength/core work-It's been about 5-6 weeks since I've been to the gym... yikes
• sleep-I don't get enough. Period. I really should be getting a solid 7-8 hours per night.
• diet/hydration-My diet has not been that great for a while. I'm in busy mom mode and haven't been feeding myself the *best* quality foods that I should be eating. Also, I live in a constant state of dehydration.
• yoga-Yeah right! Like I have time for that.

Neglecting some of these things has simply come down to how I bit off more than I can chew. Running sub-3:35 has meant an increase in mileage, which has been incredibly hard for me to balance given my family responsibilities, part-time job, and grad school studies. Oh yeah, and then balancing stuff like spring break and this:

Poor guy fell asleep on our back patio yesterday. I swear, I'm wondering if he brought home the Ebola virus from school. 

So here I am, not sure what's going to happen in the next 34 days. The good news is that my back feels better than it did yesterday. Yesterday I was hobbling around like a 90 year-old woman. It is still most definitely unrun-worthy, however. My plans today include a lot of sitting on the couch with the boys, listening to them cough/hack, but selfishly, I will be dragging them to the chiropractor's office so I can start re-hab ASAP. They are ill but not DEATHLY ill, so it's all good. And I know they'll be up for a little good behavior bribery in the form of Starbucks cake pops. 

Oh, and of course today I'm going to be tracking my Boston girls! YAY! 

RUT

It was bound to happen sooner or later, right? 


Well now it's here, and I'm trying to deal with it as best as I can.


I'm in a rut. 

Cheesy stock photo of a smouldering fire. Sort of where I'm at mentally/physcially right now.

It's been rough bouncing back from spring break. It got me out of my routine. I'm sure you've been there. Add two sick kids to the mix and voila. I'm actually sitting here with my youngest two while one is Lego-ing it up (stayed home from school with a fever) and the other is watching Dora--hacking and coughing like he has TB.  I have a headache, need to eat, and need to figure out when I will be able to fit in 11 miles today. I knew I should have done it yesterday, but I wanted a break.

Pasadena is 5 weeks from Sunday. I can do it, I can do it, I can do it. Trying to hold on to my A goal, which is to go under 3:35 so I can register in the 3rd wave for Boston 2013. My coach-twice-has mentioned the possibility of me going under 3:30 with the numbers I've been posting on my runs. While it thrills me, I have to admit... The mental part of the equation isn't quite there yet. Mentally, my mind is programmed right now to see 8:00-8:10 on my Garmin during the marathon. That's what I've been thinking about as the days tick by. Not to mention my thoughts on how it's a late May marathon in inland CA (WARM) and it's once again, like Carlsbad, a bit of a hilly course. So yeah... All things in due time, and I think that a sub-3:30 marathon falls into that category.  

Speaking of the mental hurdles that accompany faster race paces, I read an interesting article earlier this week. It discussed the mental barriers that we often impose on ourselves when we succumb to the intimidation factor of picking up the paces in our race.

Improve Your Race Times By Reconditioning Your Mind

My favorite part of the article was strategy #2 on the last page.

2. Take it step-by-step.

Runners who have an ambitious goal (qualifying for Boston is the most common), but aren’t anywhere near their qualifying time, need to break down their overall progression and perception of their paces into smaller chunks. If you’re a 3:45 marathoner and need to run 3:20 to qualify for Boston, you can’t expect your mind to be comfortable with going from 8:35 pace to 7:38 pace in one giant swoop.

This is a strategy that I have apparently been using all along. Baby steps for me. I ran an 8:21P marathon in January, and I'm comfortable with switching gears to 8:10P for Pasadena. Only an 11 second difference. What's 11 seconds, right?

How do you tackle mental hurdles when you want to get faster?