Ogden Marathon 2011 - Embrace the Suck

I did it. I finished. And it was a great day. Not a PR day, but it felt just as good.

Finish time: 4:56:07. I'm a really happy girl.

It really started the night before with dinner and carb loading with Ashley and her crew. We met at a little restaurant and after we had waited about 20 minutes of the hour wait we decided to get take out instead. I ate a really yummy turkey, bacon, and avocado sandwich. The bread was to die for and I already plan on going back there sometime soon.

Brittany, girlfriend to Ash's brother, Ashley's mom, Ashley, me, and Heather

I got 4 hours of sleep but slept a good 8 the night before that so I wasn't too worried. I had a bath, shaved my legs, took my time getting dressed and ate a waffle with peanut butter and jelly. I usually don't eat before a long run but this was 3:30 a.m. and we were running at 7:00. I figured I was going to need something. I got all my gear and headed out the door. But not before finding a sweet note from my hubby.

I picked up Mel and we met her running group at 4:30 to get our bus ride to the start line. Heaven knows why we had to be there that early because we waited 1 hour and 20 minutes for the start. The field where we waited had fires but was a big muddy mess. It was pretty cold. I did get to use the long line of porta potties twice before the start. My feet were freezing though. Mel kindly let me wrap them in her sweatshirt for a while. I wore my gorilla feet and they just don't keep you that warm while you're standing still or are wet.

The race finally got started and we were off! I felt like it took me a while to get warmed up and comfortable but after the first mile I felt good. I didn't feel like I was pushing the pace and just felt good. I ran into Brittany from dinner the night before and we ran together for quite a while. I didn't listen to music until we parted ways at mile 17 or so. I just listened to the race atmosphere and everyone's conversations. People are interesting. The scenery was beautiful as well. I could kick myself for not taking a few photos along the way because we passed old barns set in fields of bright green dotted with yellow flowers against the backdrops of tall, snow-crested mountains. The opposite side of the road was the reservoir, a nice biking trail, and fields of horses that were curious about what was going on. The spectators were awesome, the volunteers amazing. I was drinking in the experience and loving every minute of it.

I felt so good. Like really, really good. And I did until about mile 19 or so when I entered the second canyon. Things were starting to get a little tight and started to suck a bit. It felt like a long run. From miles 19 to 23 I smiled. Things were to that sucking phase and I was going to embrace it and love it. I reminded myself that if I was hurting it was because I was alive. Alive and running a marathon. I used my mantras a little more and focussed on good form. I stopped and stretched a few times. My hip flexors were what was starting to bug me a little. My calves were getting tight and my feet were starting to ache. Just tired though, no pain.

Mile 23

Just before mile 23 I got out of the canyon and there was Heather cheering for me. It was a really good mental boost and I knew that there were only 3 miles left. Those last 3 miles were sucktaculous. I took that little boost that Heather gave me and ran those last 3 miles really well. I hurt, but I had a smile on my face and felt good. Really, really good. I knew I wasn't going to PR but didn't care. It was a great day.

One more block!

Heather and I. She was my support crew. During more than just this one marathon.

Heather, me and Jodi (she ran the half and stuck around to cheer me on!)

Ashley and me. This girl is amazing!

This race was a big experiment. Experimenting with shoes. Experimenting with form. Experimenting with mental exercises. Experimenting with fueling. Experimenting with carrying a water bottle for 26.2 miles. And I'm so pleased to say that all that experimenting went well.

I had a Hammer gel right before the race started and then at miles 5, 10, 15, and 20 as Angie Bee suggested. I also used Nuun in my water bottle. I liked being able to drink whenever I wanted and gu whenever without waiting for an aid station. I also think I got more fluid in me than I normally do. I refilled 3 times. I practiced in training and I think all those push ups made it so that my shoulders didn't even get sore. I worried about that and switched hands every couple of miles. I had no stomach issues whatsoever which is a first. I think I have that part figured out for me. I also took my peppermint/ginger oil before the race thanks to MissZippy and I think that's another reason why my stomach did so well. Plus when I weighted myself as I got in the shower, I weighed the same as the morning. I hydrated well and was pleased about that.

I had a tinge of calf cramping but came upon an aid station that had bananas. I ate one and made an effort to drink a little more and didn't have any other problems.

One thing I do need to work on is proper running form while going downhill. That's hard to do and I find that I take it slower than I normally would. I just can't cruise down like I used to be able to do in normal running shoes. That being said, my quads are not sore at all. The last two times I've run this marathon I've had to go down the stairs backwards for 3 days. I think my new running style has something to do with this.

Mentally, this was my best marathon. I was happy the whole time. I never went to a dark place in my mind. I smiled the whole way. I used my finger rubbing technique whenever I felt tightness or felt tired. I thought about each child in my church group that I have charge over. I thought about Janae. I thought about Nora. I thought about all of you that support me. Miles 7-17 were dedicated to Heather. She knows why. Paying it forward, baby. Miles 18-23 were for Mike. I embraced the suck for you. Miles 23-26 were for myself and my family. I needed to know that I could finish, and finish strong and finish happy. My poor husband has really been there for me when I've struggled. He's worried about my health. Sometimes more my mental health. He's always been my best cheerleader. He couldn't be to this finish line. It was the first time. He was taking care of running the kids around. And it was hard for him not to be there. And my kids think I'm pretty awesome for simply doing it.

"It was a great day to be alive."

I took a walk last night when things started getting stiff. Today was a much better day. I'm walking pretty normally. My list of things that hurt are: my calves, but not unless I flex, my hip flexors, the tops of both feet are tender right above the big toe, and my achilles tendon on the right side is tight. Not too shabby and nothing feels injured. Just sore. I'll be icing and rolling and trying to decide whether or not I'll be doing this again in less than 3 weeks time.

Thanks so much to all of your for your thoughtful comments, e-mails, and texts. Running a marathon really shows you that you are loved. It's one of the things I love the most about running.

Taper Madness... I think not.

Usually during the final week of the dreaded taper I am going crazy. I have cleaned my house from top to bottom, done yard work, planned everything to the last detail and have basically driven everyone around me crazy. It's a little like nesting in those last few days of pregnancy. This go around is different. Sunday gave me the first taste of nerves. You know that butterfly excitement feeling you get that is also accompanied by that pit in your stomach that is associated with a feeling of dread? You know, that one? Well it hit me when I realized that my quads were sore. Very sore. As in after a hard 1/2 marathon downhill sore. Even tonight I can touch my quads and they hurt. Add that to my calves which also took a beating during that trail run and you can see why that pit arrived in the bottom of my stomach. But you know, this time around that pit only lasted Sunday. Amid the training that has not gone as planned, running through yet another stupid injury, and now soreness before I even run the dang marathon, I finally just let go of everything. No more pit in my stomach for me. I've given in. Que sara, sara. Whatever will be will be. So I've had a couple of naps this week. I've watched a chic flic with Heather during the day while the kids were at school. I've eaten more chocolate than I should have. And I got a massage on Tuesday. One hour solely on my calves and feet. It was torturous heaven, if that makes sense. Good hurt. This taper thing, hey it isn't so bad after all.

I thought I had planned what I was going to wear Saturday, but I wore some old capris this morning and wondered why I wasn't wearing them on Saturday. And I still don't know what I'm going to wear on my feet. I could wear my Evo's. But I've only worn them up to 16 miles. And my Sahara desert feet sweat in them. I could wear my gorilla feet (Gist brand five fingers) but that's what I wore on my 20 miler when my toe started hurting. My doc says the shoes didn't cause it, but they have me leery. So I've got about 32 hours to figure that out. I have my shirt picked out at least. And I read through my last Ogden report and remembered that I wished I had brought gloves. So I will this year. And the weather looks decent. 65 degrees and sunny.

Now more than ever I've decided to make my mantra for the last few miles (or many many miles) of this marathon be "embrace the suck". Mike from Canada has been a follower since the beginning. Like 3 years or so. He's seen it all through my short little running stint. And he's offered words of encouragement and wisdom along the way. I was pretty excited because he and I were running marathons on the same day. Until he rolled his ankle this week and is out. Go over and send him some good vibes. I'll be thinking about the suck factor for him, for Heather my running partner, for Janae and for anyone else who doesn't get the privilege of running a marathon this week. Not that everyone one wants to. But for those who do and can't, it sucks. And embracing the suck isn't always easy or what we planned on doing.

Some may call us runners crazy, and they might be right. But it's like we know this little secret that can't be explained through words. Telling someone how running feels doesn't work. It's something so individualized and something that gets planted so deep inside you that it's hard to put into words. I guess that's why this blogging/running community is so great. You don't have to try and explain the madness because everyone just gets it.

As Mike would say, "it's a great day to be alive." Now go out there and act like it!

Just so you know...

1. I love my regular doctor. I may have made it sound like I didn't in my last post but that simply is not the case. We just don't agree on this barefooting thing and I don't want to fight about it because I've already made up my mind on the whole thing. My doctor is one of a kind. He does house calls. He's come over on weekends, late nights, you name it. He is so willing to do anything to make us better. He genuinely cares about us. Plus he has an awesome garden and brings me fresh produce all summer long. We're good friends, we double date, he lives around the corner and his wife is also a really good friend. My kids all love him too. He brings them treats when he visits and makes sure that he's never the one to give shots. He is awesome and we are so lucky to have him in our lives. So now that we're clear on that one...

2. Push ups: I completed the 6 week program last week. It was hard. I'm sure I'll be going back to it after the marathon's over. The last set on Friday went something like this: 26, 26, 33, 33, 26, 26, 22, 22, 53. And that 53 was HARD. I was supposed to be able to do 60 but just couldn't squeak it out. I'm planning on doing my test for 100 in a row tomorrow. It should be far enough away from the marathon to affect me. It should be interesting!

3. I am feeling so unprepared for the marathon. My 20 miler was 7 weeks ago with an 18 miler 5 weeks ago. As a result I did a split run on Monday to try to simulate fatigue. I know I shouldn't wear my body out this close but needed a little mental training. After running that 5K last Saturday and then another 5 that night at tempo pace, I ran Monday morning 5.5 miles at a hard tempo pace. Then I was going for an 8-10 miler that evening. When I started my legs felt so stiff. My calves were so stiff it hurt to just walk. I considered turning back at mile 2. But I kept going because I had previously decided that I was out there for mental training. Embracing the suck as Mike says. So that was my mantra the whole run. I kept telling myself that this was really sucking. Everything was sore and hurting. But I stuck a fake smile on my face and embraced the suck. I turned on some good music and that fake smile turned into a real one. I was liking the hurt. I was really embracing and loving the suck. By mile 5 everything had loosened up a bit and though it still hurt, it wasn't torture anymore. The last 2 were hard but I just kept thinking about how the last part of the marathon was going to hurt and this was training for that. So although it wasn't a 20 mile run, those 10.5 miles were very hard and it hurt like a 20 miler and it was really good mental training. I was able to practice my own mantras and crazy finger touching techniques and I felt better prepared after that run. I needed that little mental boost.

4. I completed my last long run on Saturday and have begun the real taper week along with the obsessive weather checking for Saturday. Right now it says a high of 65 degrees and showers. I'm sure it will change 5 more times before the real day but if it ends up being that, I can handle it. The last two times I've run this marathon, the finish line was around 90 degrees. It's hard to train all winter and then go right to summer weather.

5. Toe update: Today is not so good. I didn't get retaped last week because of time constraints and after my Saturday trail run it is not doing good. There is no top of foot pain though and I'm getting taped tonight. And I'll be taped for the marathon so I'll just have to see what happens.

Lastly: some pictures of my gorgeous and hard trail run on Saturday. 8 of the hardest miles I've ever done. I ran a new trail that had some serious uphills and downhills that I wasn't really prepared for. My quads are still very sore today. I'll be rolling and resting and rolling all week long. I know. I'm so smart to do that right before the marathon.

Monday: 5.5 mile run in gorilla feet, push ups week 6, 10.5 mile run in Evo's

Wednesday: push ups week 6, fully body weights, 5 mile run (4 miles barefoot, 1 mile in gorilla feet)

Thursday: 5 mile run in VFF's

Friday: 2 mile run barefoot, push ups week 6, yoga

Saturday: 8 mile trail run in Evo's

Good News and a Barefoot 5K

*First I need to say thanks to everyone for your support, prayers, and thoughtfulness. I've really felt the love and once again am thankful for my support system full of friends and people I've never met yet are friends just the same!

*I decided last Tuesday to go see someone about my foot. This has not been an easy decision for a few really stupid prideful reasons. My regular doc knows about my barefoot and minimalist running and thinks I'm crazy. He thinks I'm trading my knee and hip injuries for stress fractures in my feet. So I really didn't want to confirm what he thought. I REALLY believe that this is the best option for me and it's not something that I'm going to be talked out of. I'm also really stubborn if you didn't already gather that. The chiropractor that I go to doesn't know much about it and is skeptical. I found a doctor of orthopedics who is a barefoot running advocate. He also works in an office with a podiatrist and an orthopedic surgeon. He actually lives in my city but works about 40 minutes away. I made my appointment and then started to feel better. I considered canceling but knew that if I did a long run I'd be right back in the same place so I kept it.

*Wednesday my foot was feeling o.k. and I worried that I might not be able to tell him exactly where it hurt. So being the smart person that I am I went for a run to bring it all up. I didn't go until night. I was barefoot. I figured I'd just go until my skin or my foot said to go back. I went out to that smooth piece of asphalt west of town and by the time I got there the sun was going down, the temperature was perfect, and I was feeling SO good. My foot had loosened up and everything felt good. What I really wanted to do was raise my arms up in the air and let out a big WAAAA WHOOOOOO! But there are still houses out there and I didn't want to scare anyone. But the feeling was awesome and oh how I wanted that to last! I got home after 5 miles that ended in complete darkness. People always ask me about stepping on glass. My response is that I just watch where I'm going and step over or go around things I don't want to step on. So here I was in the dark with only the occasional car headlights to light up the road. I was worried about stepping on something that I couldn't see but had good luck. Even the little pebbles didn't bother me as much as normal in the dark. Weird. Bottom line: best barefoot run to date. Everything was just working. And not much top of the foot pain afterwards.

*Thursday and my doctor's appointment. He had me bring my shoes and my training log. He spent an hour with me. He watched me run. He had me stand on one leg with my eyes closed. He said I had excellent balance. I told him I practiced that one at home. He measure my flexibility in my calves and ankles. He manipulated my feet all over. He compared the two and was so thorough. We had a good chat about barefoot running. Bottom line: he said that he didn't even suspect a stress fracture. My big toe and the toe next to it have been overextended so that during the liftoff phase of running my toe stays on the ground longer than it should and puts extra stress on my arch. The top of the foot pain that I feel after the run is a result of that extra stress that being put on my foot. He believes I can still run the marathon. He taped my arch up a little to help give support for that big toe. He wanted me to walk around on it that day and then give running a try on Friday. He said he'd then tape me again Saturday before my run if it helped. There are other ways to tape it but this was the easiest and quickest fix. He also said that my transition to barefoot running was good and that he didn't believe that it or my shoes caused this injury. He said it's not an acute injury but that it's one that happens over a lot of time. It can be as simple as the slope of the road that caused it. We're going to try to get me through the marathon and then work on a permanent fix.

*The taping was awesome. My foot felt better just walking around. Friday I went for a nice 5 mile run in the afternoon. It was a good run and I pushed it a little and things were good. I was pretty excited about the progress and the lack of pain after the run. I still could feel it during the run, but it never got any worse and the after effects were not there like they have been.

*Saturday my plan was to run 8 in the morning and then 8 in the afternoon. That was a fail. But it worked out o.k. I decided to participate in a charity 5K for a little 10 year old that has an inoperable brain tumor. I am good friends with his family and wanted to support them. As I was getting ready to go to the run, I debated what to wear on my feet. I brought both pairs of my shoes and my socks. I wanted to run it barefoot but was nervous. It was in another city. I didn't know what the roads were like. I didn't know the course at all. And to be honest, although I run barefoot around town, I've never done it in a big group and was slightly nervous. But after I registered and found two of my friends I made the decision to just do it. I scanned the masses of people and saw a sea of shoes. No minimalist shoes to be seen. And before I knew it we were off. There was a mix of road friendliness. Nothing really run to run on, but nothing too bad either. There was a huge 1/2 mile hill that sucked. I dry heaved a little before slowing down to walk for a minute. I jumped on the sidewalk after a particularly bad section of chipped asphalt but finished it strong. My time was 28:36 I think. They just called out your times as you crossed and I'm not sure on the seconds. I was pretty danged excited. I did get to talk to a guy and his daughter along the way. He had pointed me out to his daughter and we struck up a conversation. He has been working his way down to a minimalist shoe and was in a zero drop shoe from K Swiss. I'm assuming they're like Newton's. And after the race I found a guy who was barefoot. We went over to talk to him and found out that he ran in his Vibrams. It was fun to talk to a few people about it and I got a positive response from everyone. I'm sure it will not be my last barefoot race.

* My family came into town and I got to see my new niece and go out to dinner with everyone. This put my next run at 9:30 at night. I only went 5 miles but it was good. Not the long run I had planned, but oh well. Not much has gone as planned lately. And that's o.k. I'm learning to be flexible and being able to just roll with the punches. Maybe this is part of what I'm supposed to be learning from all this!

Ready to run!

Julie, Jodi, and me

After the race

Julie, Jodi, and me

Last week's workouts:

Push up challenge week 5

Monday: push ups, full body weights, 20 mile bike ride

Wednesday: push ups, full body weights, 5 mile run barefoot

Friday: push ups, 5.25 mile run in gorilla feet

Saturday: 5K race (barefoot), 5 mile run in Evo's

The tightrope walk

It's a fine line that we all run. It's a constant challenge to find a way to balance our lives. There's family, work, school, service in church, service in the community, extra activities, your kid's extra activities, and exercise. We try to create balance in our thoughts. Not obsessing about one particular thing. Putting proper priorities first. And then there's the fine line between soreness pain and injury pain. Knowing when we can push and when we need to back off. Lately I've felt like I'm on a tightrope. The line seems very thin. And so far I've been able to keep my balance up there. But with the marathon just a few weeks away I've been in panic mode a little bit more around here. Trying to figure out how to get back into things without re injury.

Last week was shaping up to be very nice. My foot was feeling good. Running actually helped loosen everything up and I felt better after running than I did before. I even had a couple of days where I was completely pain free. It was great. I had hope. I was pretty sure that I could run that marathon, slowly, but still finish. My week was also really busy and I had something going on every single night so that I didn't attend my cycling class or visit the swimming pool.

I did get to meet up with these sweet ladies though!

Heather, Ashley, Janae, and me

The weather sucked so I didn't bike outside either. I just ran. Well, and lifted weights and did the push up challenge. But probably not the smartest thing to do just coming off an injury. I was good until I had a little soreness after Friday's run.

Saturday was a scheduled 20 miler. I already knew I wasn't going to attempt that. It's that tightrope act again where I was trying to balance coming off an injury and still "train" for the marathon. I had planned to do an 8-10 miler and then try for a longer run broken in two the week after and then just do a 2 week taper.

It was a good run. It was a hard run. I chose to do it mostly uphill and ran the mountain by our house and around until I had gone up the canyon and got a ride home.

It was beautiful.

The sun kept coming out from behind the clouds and then back behind. So my gloves kept coming off and going back on.

The pain in my foot had moved upwards and felt different. It never got any worse, but didn't feel like it got loose like before. It wasn't until Sunday night that I was fully paying attention to it and realizing that it felt pretty bad. Different than before and it has me worried. I am not limping. I can not press down on a certain spot and have it hurt. It just hurts to walk on it. I am again taking it easy and will see what happens, but that marathon seems further out of reach. It was a long shot anyway. But that isn't making this any easier. I feel like I'm slipping off that tightrope. It's a fine line. And sometimes you just have to take it one day at a time.

last week:

Week 4 push up challenge

Monday: 3 mile run (1.5 miles barefoot), full body weights, week 4 push ups

Wednesday: 4.5 mile run in socks, full body weights, week 4 push ups

Friday: 5 mile run in socks, week 4 push ups

Saturday: 9 mile run (7 miles trail) in Evo's

I am injured therefore I am insane.

If you've had an injury before, you understand what a neurotic mess you turn into. And if you've haven't, I hate you.

First:

*you analyze every training run previous to the injury down to the shoes, speed, and incline.

This is not something you want to repeat therefore finding the root cause is essential in making sure it doesn't happen again. Then, calling yourself an idiot for not seeing it previous is helpful in this process.

*you make immediate plans to keep your cardiovascular shape intact for the glorious day when you can run again. This means you are willing to stuff yourself into a swimming suit, subject yourself to inhumane amounts of chlorine, and shave yourself all over even when it's not summer. It also means you will sit on a hard, triangle shaped torture devise for miles upon miles clipped in and strapped to a fast moving two wheeled contraption while the panic of being hit by a passing car is surpassed by the drive to get your heart pumping and legs moving.

*you start to wonder whether "other activities" are cardiovascular and therefore have additional value. You husband tells you they are. You consider wearing a heart rate monitor and setting your interval timer but decide that would ultimately ruin the mood.

*If you are a woman you worry about your pant size expanding in the weeks that you will go without running. Swimming, weights, and biking do not equal the happiness that running provides and therefore do not burn as many calories.

*You are on an emotional roller coaster that consists of the grieving stages. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Only it doesn't end with acceptance. It just continues to circle around and around. Your family and spouse will suffer right along with you. They may consider institutionalization.

*And finally, when your pain is gone and you are ready to move on... the fear of repeat pain and injury is right around the corner, waiting. Like some horrible creature lurking in the darkness, ready to pounce on you again and laugh at you in some cruel fashion.

*Surely you have something to add to my list, right?

The past few weeks might have been slightly better than I've described, but only just on the outside. On the inside, in the deep recesses of my mind, I have been insane. During the week, I have been able to remain very positive. I am excited to do other activities and keep my cardio up and the push up challenge has been fun and hard. I am excited at the improvements I am seeing. I have found ways to push myself in the pool and on the bike. But it's just not the same as running.

Thursday I woke up and gingerly stepped out of bed. I was surprised to find that I had zero pain. It was glorious. I wanted to dance around the house. But I was cautious. I had only a few twinges of pain that whole day. I had hopes of running on Saturday. It also happened to be the day that my best friend and running partner, Heather found out that she has a stress fracture in her foot. She's been in pain for 8 weeks now. She did get an x-ray earlier that didn't show it. She then was told that it was tendonitis only to have it worked on for 4 weeks and have little improvement. So this was a big blow. She has 3 weeks in a boot and on crutches and then probably another 3 weeks just in the boot. And if that isn't bad enough, her other foot hurts too, but doesn't show a stress fracture, yet. I was really getting ready to go get my foot x-rayed too, just to make sure. And then I had a really good day. Until I went to spinning and it hurt afterwards. Friday was o.k. Slight pain again.

And then Saturday came. I am alway so positive through the week until Saturday comes. I think I figured out why. For the last 2 years I have woken up on Saturday morning and have gone on a long run. Sometimes it's the earliest I wake up all week long. Usually no one else in my house is awake. I run and recharge and when I come home, everyone has done their chores (thanks to my husband) and the rest of the day is just waiting. Now, I eat breakfast and wander around the house wondering what I'm going to do with my day. Sure I could do laundry or clean...but really? So after moping around all day long, my husband MADE me go on a run. I cried. I told him I didn't want to hurt myself further. I cried about not knowing what to do, worrying that it's a stress fracture, it not showing up on an x-ray, and just not knowing what it is or who to go to. He told me to go get dressed and to go on a just a little run to test things out. That way I would know for sure what to do. I did and then had the dilemma of what to wear on my feet. My husband thinks it's the monkey feet causing the problem. He thinks that our feet are not meant to be spread apart like that. And he might be right. So I decided that I would be the lightest and most careful just in my bare feet. It would keep me from going too far. And as crazy as it seems, the harder the surface and the less you have on your feet, the softer you will land. So I took off with my Evo's in hand and went really slow. It was amazing. The slight pain in my foot went away after a little bit and everything loosened up. I've been so worried about my feet getting all soft from that stupid pool, but they actually felt pretty good.

One of my favorite parts about running barefoot is feeling all the different textures and temperatures. I like running through shady parts and feeling the difference from the warm asphalt to the cooler parts. I like the sidewalks and smooth asphalt and pebbly roads and hate, hate, hate the chipped asphalt. I only wore my shoes to cross a busy street and enjoyed the rest of the run barefoot. I did 5 miles and though it was slow, it was like medicine to my soul. It felt easy and relaxed. My foot felt better when I was done than when I set out. My foot did hurt again the next day a little, but not bad. And the last two days have been even better.

Now I have to figure out how to get back into running without hurting myself again and I need to make decisions on upcoming marathons. I still have a road ahead of me and I'm not sure I'm better. I still have a little bit of pain. But at least the neurotic part of my brain was cleared out for a few minutes. And if you ask my husband, I really needed it.

We had spring break this weekend and everyone was home. It was wonderful. I'm so behind on your lives, but I'm going to get caught up now!

Monday: week 3 push ups, 60 minutes pool running

Tuesday: 60 minute spin class

Wednesday: week 3 push ups, upper body weights and abs, 60 minutes pool running

Thursday: 60 minute spin class

Friday: week 3 push ups, upper body weights and abs

Saturday: 5 mile barefoot run

A New Perspective

I've tried to be really positive about my injury. And yes, I'm actually calling it an injury. I haven't even wanted to do that for reasons I'll discuss later. But when Saturday came and it was officially two weeks since I had ran, and it still hurt, any progress that I had made was gone from my mind. And I just focussed on the pain that remained there. I had a really bad attitude. I didn't want to go to the pool. I didn't want to wait until the day was half over to get my exercising done. (Our pool doesn't open until one on Saturdays. Don't even get me started on that one!) It was raining and I didn't feel like riding my bike in the rain even though I really could have. It was warmish. I really just wanted to run. I talked with my workout buddy, Heather and she thought she might go on a walk and maybe even a short run. I really wanted to do the same but knew that I'd regret it later. So I sulked. It stopped raining and my husband said he'd ride his bike with me. So we did a 7 mile loop and though I had planned to go back out, I was done. I sulked some more. There were even a few tears.

I texted with a good friend (you know who you are) and had her talk me out of running on my hurt foot. I promised her and myself that I would not run until I have no pain plus one day. Then I went and saw a movie with my daughter that changed my whole day. And there were more tears. Soul Surfer is a true story about a 16 year old girl who lives in Hawaii. She was born to surf. It was her whole life. She had a fantastic future ahead of her. And then there was a shark attack that took her arm. Her recovery and what she continued to do with her life after the attack is simply inspiring. There's one part in the movie where her religious leader is teaching the youth through an object lesson. She shows them pictures of things magnified and has them try to identify them. She then points out that it's hard to see things clearly when you're too close. Sometimes you need a new perspective. And that's what I came away out of that movie theater with. Some perspective. And it came during my 26 mile bike ride that I did as soon as I got home.

The whole thing that started my freak out session was seeing a countdown until the Ogden Marathon. It said 35 days. If you take into account a good taper period, there's only a few weeks of real training left. And though I've had some really great training runs, I don't feel ready. And I really don't want to run through pain and cause further damage. I've done that before and hope that I've learned my lesson. The thought of NOT running that marathon is devastating to me. For so many reasons. But it all boils down to pride. I have something to prove, if to no one but myself, and not being able to do it seems like a failure, yet again.

But with my new perspective and the big picture, it's not all about the marathon. Simple running is what I love. Yes, I love the challenge of the marathon. I love seeing improvement in myself and my abilities. And I love the life lessons I learn each time I run a marathon. But it's not the only thing I love about running. In fact it's just a tiny portion of why I run. And I get caught up in the little things and they can ruin it for the big picture. I love having my body be in motion. I love the feel of movement against something. It feels like progress. Whether it's the treadmill or a hill or my favorite dirt road. Movement frees my mind and allows me to think clearly. Sometimes it's about nothing at all, which I love. I love that no one is asking me to do something for them. There's no, "mom! I need..." While I LOVE being a mom, I also love my time when I'm out in nature, free for an hour from responsibility. Free to be myself. I love running with friends and letting the miles erase worries of the day. It's therapy. I love running by myself. I feel like an athlete when I run and I've never considered myself an athlete at any other time in my life. And running barefoot has only enhanced that love. I love feeling what's beneath my feet. It's pure joy.

For now, my foot feels better than it ever has. This weekend was a turning point. I'll still be good and wait until there's no pain plus a day. But there is some hope there. If this injury ends up ruining my marathon plans for this year...I will be disappointed. I won't lie. But it won't be the end of the world. I will have time to run in the future. I have years and years. And I'm going to follow my heart and see where it leads.

Push up challenge week 2!

Monday: full body weights, 65 minutes pool running

Wednesday: 16 mile bike ride outside with trailer, full body weights

Thursday: 60 min spin class

Friday: upper body weights, abs

Saturday: 35 mile bike ride

Winners!

According to Random.Org the winners are:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

61 32 98 

Timestamp: 2011-04-18 13:26:52 UTC

#61 Hungry Runner Girl- You win the shirt!

#32 Karl- You win the Garmin!

#98 Lexi- You win the Spibelt!

Congrats to the winners! E-mail me your information and I'll get them sent right out!

Thanks to everyone who entered! I'm still going through your blogs and loving every minute of it! And I really loved what each and every person said about why they loved running and blogging. I could really relate to all your reasons for both. This running/blogging community is so supportive. I'm always touched when someone I've never met is willing to give me advice, encourage me, or just tell me I've done a great job. It's a really unique thing in this world today and I love it! It shows me the good side of humanity and gives me hope. Who knew that simple words could do so much?

An Update of Sorts

I guess this will be an updating post. Kind of boring. Oh well. I've stuck in a poor quality home video at the end that will make up for it.

First: I am completely BLOWN AWAY by the response to the giveaway. Utterly. It has been so much fun to me to read what you all love about running and blogging. I have read each and every one and can relate to every single one. I have been reading your blogs but it is taking me a while. I am so excited to find some new blogs to read and friends to make. Blogging is such a great outlet for our enthusiasm for this sport that we don't want to bug our "normal" friends with. The running community never ceases to amaze me. I'm excited to draw a few winners and just wish I had more to go around!

Second: a foot update. It feels a little better each day. I can stretch out my toes without the tightness or the pain that I had before so I know it's getting better. It just seems slow. The pain moves from my toes to the top of my foot and back to my toes. But there are times in the day that I forget all about it and it doesn't hurt at all. In fact I've kind of slacked on the icing thing and I should be better about that. I'm sure it helps. I've been waiting for the pain to be gone completely before I run again.

I think I've been pretty positive about this whole thing. I've tried to distract myself with other things but it's almost to the point where I'm starting to get worried. My first marathon of the season is 5 weeks away. I will admit that panic might set in the next week if it doesn't completely go away.

Third: and related to the stinking foot: I am so done with pool running. The only reason I've been able to do so much is because my running partner, Heather went with me for all but one of the times. And even though it was torture, it was bearable with her there. We talked and caught up like the good old days out on the road. However, it really messes with my shower schedule, evening routines, and life in general. I really hope I don't have to go back again on Saturday but I might have to. YUCK.

It was warm enough this week to get my bike out. Blue Betty and I went for a nice 16 miler. It would have been even nicer but I had to pull the 5 year old in the trailer. Needless to say after my spin class the next day my legs were feeling it! The only consolation I have is that it was good for my legs. And they need it right now!

Week 2 of the push up challenge is complete. It's funny how when you look ahead at things they seem like they'll be too much. Like marathon training for instance. You look at those 20 mile runs and everything in between and it seems so hard. But taking them one day at a time makes them do able. It's the same with this challenge. I look ahead to the coming weeks or even days and start thinking I'll never be able to do it. But just one day at a time and sometimes just one set at a time and I'm able to do it. Bring on week 3!

I have myself a little weight training buddy. My 5 year old little boy watches me quite frequently do my exercises and asks to participate. But the last two weeks have had him joining me for almost the entire time. It all started with Megan's lung/squat routine that I did last week a couple of days. As I was doing the sets of walking lunges and squats, he was watching me. And when I did the squat he busted out laughing. He said that he could see my buns and when I had to do 8-10 of them in a row he was on the floor rolling. At least my form was probably good if my rear end was sticking out! So then this week when he wanted to participate, I got a good look at what I must have looked like in his eyes. And it was my turn to laugh. I apologize for the poor quality. My phone is having trouble uploading so I e-mailed it to myself and it didn't come over as good.

Sidenote: my 5 year old son ran more miles than I did this week. sigh.

Giveaway!

Without being too gushy and telling you all how much your positive comments mean to me and how runners really are the most kind and generous people and how much I enjoy being a part of your lives in a weird but not creepy internet sort of way... I want to give back to you and do a giveaway. I don't have any sweet hook ups with cool companies. But I have skills people. O.k. maybe not even skills, but maybe someone can benefit from my mistaken purchases.

This is my Garmin that I have used probably 20 times total in the last 3 years. It has all the cords and even the heart rate monitor. It has the CD for the computer but I do not know where the instruction manual is. You will have to find it online or have a good friend who knows how to use it. I have just found that I get myself all worked up while using it and it's just not for me. I know someone will love it though. It's spring cleaning time!

This is a spibelt that has been used once. I just didn't like it although I know there are a lot of you out there that really do. I found an iFitness one that I like more and can't see myself ever using this one again. Here again, I know someone will enjoy it and use it. It's just been sitting in my cupboard for a while.

Finally, this is my homespun crafty shirt. I made one a year ago when we were thinking of team names for the Wastach Back Ragnar Relay. Our name was Lips, Hips, and Asphalt but we were having a hard time coming up with costumes. So I thought maybe we should change our name to Bake, Eat, Run, Repeat. We could wear wooden spoons in our hair and wear aprons and serve cupcakes at all the exchanges. We stuck with our original name and loved it. But I had made up this shirt to see what we could have professionally made. Since then, I've worn it around town and I love it. I will make one for you in the colors you like and shirt size or your choice. Keep in mind that this is not really made for running in though.

To enter:

***Leave me a comment about what you love the most about running and blogging. Also tell me which one you'd like to win. I'll be drawing 3 winners. I'd love it if you follow me, but just so that I can make new friends and check out more blogs. Don't feel obligated to follow me unless you like reading my mindless dribble.

***Extra entry if you post this giveaway on your blog! Leave me a comment saying that you've done so!

Will end on Sunday April 17th and I'll announce the winners on Monday.

Strong and Healthy Feet

At some point I'll be able to say that I have strong and healthy feet. The pain is leaving but it seems like it's just a slow process. It's actually feeling really good compared to last week, so good that sometimes I forget that it's even there. And the old me would have taken them out for a test run but the new me is going to wait until the pain is completely gone. At least that's what I'm saying today. The sun is out and that always makes it hard to stay inside. Especially when I want to be working on my barefooting. All the progress that I seemed to make last month with my feet is gone. The pool has just destroyed my feet. I hope I won't have to do it much longer.

Back to strong and healthy feet. There are several exercises that I used a lot in the beginning to strengthen my feet. And I think it really helped. But I had gotten over confident and quit doing them regularly. So I'm back to being a good girl and Julia asked if I would share some of the exercises that I do. Keep in mind that these are good for any runner and not just barefoot runners. And go check out Julia's giveaway while you're at it. She's a super strong runner and although she's just recovering from a stress fracture, she is doing amazing! She'll be at the Utah Valley Marathon with me and I can't wait to see her in person again!

My photographer is my 5 year old boy. Be patient with me. These aren't the best!

My chiropractor taught me this exercise years ago when I was dealing with IT band problems. It is deceptively simple yet pretty hard to do. All you do is stand on one foot, like a stork. You will feel all the little muscles in your feet and legs immediately engage and start to work to stabilize your foot and keep you from toppling over.

When you can do that easily for 30 seconds, do the same thing with your eyes closed. It's much harder.

When you can do that for 30 seconds, stand on something unstable like a big fluffy pillow. I use my sand filled medicine ball. Again, once you can do it for 30 seconds, try it with your eyes closed. I like to mess around and try ballet poses or yoga poses while doing it. Just be safe and do it where you won't get hurt when you fall. It's a great thing to do while doing dishes or blow drying your hair. But it can be done anywhere. Like when you're standing in line or watching your kids play soccer. One more tip, it's best done barefoot so that all those muscles can work.

The next one I found in Runner's World a couple of months ago under a preventing injuries article. This one was specific for plantar fasciitis. While putting equal pressure on your toes and heel, lift your arch. Imagine a string pulling it up and hold it for a couple of seconds, release, and then repeat.

Lift only your big toe and push the other toes to the ground.

Do the opposite and push your big toe to the ground while lifting all the other toes.

Spread your toes out as far apart from each other as you can get.

I'm not super good at this one. But interestingly, my 2nd toe on my left (gimpy) side was frozen and wouldn't move until I physically moved it with my fingers. I discovered this 3 weeks ago. I think that's it's been part of my problem. I can now move it without extra help.

Try tapping your toes individually on the ground like you were playing the piano. I still can't do this one with all of my toes.

The last one is really fun. Try picking up objects and moving them with your toes. Like marbles or sticks or your kid's toys. Anything that causes your toes to grasp things will help with strength.

If your feet are strong, it will translate upwards to the rest of your legs. Your feet are what stabilizes your whole body! Make them strong!

When you are done, stretching the toes and feet feels really good. I have a wooden foot roller that I roll the bottoms of my foot with, although like many of you suggested a tennis ball or golf ball would work well too! I have also heard of a frozen water bottle.

I have also loved my mailman as of late. He brought me a couple of new barefooting shirts from Krista. I love them because I don't feel nearly so self conscious in my bare feet running through town as long as I have on one of her shirts "telling" them that I didn't forget my shoes, I'm just a barefoot runner.

He brought me my shirt from EMZ. Go check her out and donate if you can, to her cause. She'll be running for 24 hours on a treadmill for her charity. She is a machine. She is awesome.

I also won some blister care stuff from Candice's blog and I can't wait to use it. And Lauren sent me a USB with a ton of great new music that's kind of like the traveling pants and is headed to Boston next. And just yesterday I won some music and a circuit timer and jump rope from Megan. I'm so excited! I can't say how much I love the running blogging community. I've met such great supportive people. People who get me and my insanity. Friends that I love. O.k. I'm done being all mushy but I am a girl after all!

Monday: full body weights, 45 minutes pool running

Tuesday: 60 minute spin class

Wednesday: full body weights, 60 minutes pool running

Friday: full body weights

Saturday: 120 minutes of pool running

While I'm Not Running...

I'm still not calling myself injured. It's just a little setback. Or a little break from running because my toes hurt. It's back to just pain in my toes and I'm working really hard on stretching my calves and my feet. I'm icing and heating and stretching and strengthening and hoping. And if I don't call it the "I" word then maybe I'll get better super fast.

Anyways.... while I'm not running on the roads (just the pool for me), I decided that I needed something else to occupy my time and brain power. My house is clean and laundry has never been so caught up. So after reading about the 100 push up challenge from my sister in law JaNae and Jess over at Blond Ponytail, I decided that this would be the perfect distraction for me. It sounds impossible and I like that! Go here to get the plan for yourself. I do push ups regularly, two sets of 20, but never really do them to my max. And while I didn't do the initial test, I just started from the highest level beginning point. I've completed week one and it hasn't been too bad. And the timing will be perfect. By the time I finish this program, there will only be one week before the Ogden Marathon. And how cool will it be to say that I did 100 push ups consecutively? Very.

Megan over at Muncher Cruncher also posted a lunge squat pyramid routine that I did on Wednesday and today. Talk about hard. When I reached number 8 I thought to myself that there was no way I was going to be able to finish it. But I did. And I did a second set. I did it holding a 10 lb. weight in front of me and I did not do the jump squats due to my foot, but it was a killer anyway.

If you are looking for a good challenge, either of these are good! Who's in?

I'm also working on a project while I have extra time for a giveaway! Look for that next week!

Then and now

Last year in anticipation of the Salt Lake City Marathon I wrote this post on monster month.

I've been dreading and worrying about this month ever since I typed up our marathon training schedule into a calendar. Monster marathon month. On paper it looked intimidating. Especially the 10 x 800M Yasso's that we were scheduled to do after the 20 miler. They were tough, but I did it. Actually, doing it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I need to remember to just take things one day at a time. You'd have thought running would have taught me that lesson by now. Anyway, this is what monster month looked like for me:

132 total miles.

of that 36 were speed work miles,

64 were long run miles,

8 miles ended up being a tempo run to make sure I wasn't injured,

and the rest would be recovery miles or junk miles.

I went to 3 spinning classes, did my kick boxing video 4 times, lifted weights 5 times, and lost 0 pounds. On the up side, I only woke up during the middle of the night hungry once and that was after the 20 mile run.

I doubt I will have another month like this the rest of this year. But I guess you never know.

The good news is that I'm feeling good. Really, really good. I'm more excited for the marathon than nervous. And that may be a first. I guess in a little more than 2 weeks I'll find out!

It was a lot of fun looking back at the month and what I had accomplished. Then I got a comment from Marathon Man that said this, "I doubt I will have another month like this the rest of this year." Why not?! You can do it again. The second time will be that much easier. So, when exactly is the marathon? May 15th??" That comment really got me thinking. In fact, I replied to him that I was only running one marathon that year and that I just wasn't made to run high mileage weeks. I remember thinking to myself that I'd never be able to run more than 3 or 4 days a week and 100 miles a month MAX without getting injured and that I was pushing the limits of what my body could do. But that comment stayed in the back of my mind. And it wasn't too long after he made that comment that he passed away suddenly. It was a somber moment. I hadn't followed him for long at all, but he had made an impact on me. Through a simple comment. It's amazing to me how someone can touch your life in such an unexpected way.

Fast forward to November of that same year. I had discovered barefoot running and minimalist running and by the week of Thanksgiving had given up my normal shoes and switched over completely. November's totals were 125.5 miles and December's were 159 miles. I was truly in shock. I wasn't even training for anything. I was just out there having fun. I thought of his comment again and knew that if he could see those totals, he would smile and tell me, "I told you so!"

It's funny how time changes things. Truly, it's the only thing you can depend on. From running to just life in general. I may not have a high mileage month this month, but I know that I will again this year and many more to come.

I love how I can get caught in a time warp looking at pictures of my kids from years ago and remembering how things were.

Here's a few of my favorite then and now pictures.

My two little girls then...

My two girls now. They're still the best of friends.

Then... Our engagement photos.

Us now-ish.

Then...my first baby when he was about 15 months old. And yes, I've had short hair for most of my life.

My baby when he turned 15. sigh.

Our kitchen before....

during...we moved a window, redid the electrical, plumbing, and everything! I'm pretty proud to say that I installed and wired the recessed lighting myself.

Today! My husband built our cabinets in our garage. Seriously, the guy can do anything he puts his mind to.

Baby number four with his curly hair then...

My baby boy now looking so grown up. sniff.

Our kids at Disneyland in 2006...

Our kids at Disneyland in 2010. Can't you see how happy the teenager is to be in Toon Town?

I may have gotten carried away with the pictures but it's so fun to see what changes with time.

Now you must do a post of your own then and now pictures!