Capital City Marathon

This is me at the start of my 5 mile race today. The weather was great. This is the 2nd race I've been in ever in my life! It was sooo much fun. Through most of the course the residents of the homes we were passing were out in their yards cheering us on. Some of them had music playing and signs and pom poms. Boy I never thought it would make a difference, but it sure did. It was an amazing feeling having so many people I didn't even know cheering me on. Telling me I was doing a great job. Unbelievable. I really can't even describe the feeling.

My leg was taped up nicely by my coach Anna. It still hurt, but not as much as last week. I took it easy again this past week, so it wasn't too bad.It's pretty darn sore now tho! Here are a few more pics.

ok, so the pics are at the top of the page. I haven't figured out how to get them where I want them on the page. Every time I add one it goes to the top. If there's anyone out there who know how to change this let me know!

The first pic is of me after I was finished. The second one is me crossing the finish line and the third one is me on the last stretch right before the finish line.

All in all, it was a great day and I had a blast. I can't wait for the Seattle Rock n Roll 1/2 I'm doing in June! Woo Hoo

till next time.......Rally On!

takin it easy

This week I've been taking it easy again. Walking and icing my leg. Sunday I have a 5 mile run in the Capital City run in Olympia. My leg is slowly feeling better. Today I actually ran alot in my 35 minutes on my treadmill. It still hurts but not all the time now. I've still been icing it as much as I can during the day and I'm still taking the ibuprofen on a regular basis. I think I might be able to get back on track next week. We shall see!
till next time..... Rally On!

team run

So I went in for my team run in Olympia today. What a beautiful day. Sunny and the temp was perfect. Coach Anna was kind enough to tape my left shin for me so I could try to do my run. Both coaches told me to take it easy and only do what felt good. I ended up doing the entire 8 miles and I did it in around 1 hour and 55 minutes. Not too bad. My shin actually felt OK. It reminded me that it was sore, but not so bad that I couldn't do 5/3 splits. Altho I was much slower pace on most of my run splits, I still did the entire mileage. Coach Jason said that from here on out that was the most important now. The mileage. We need to get the mileage on our feet and legs!
But, my shin is telling me "I'M STILL SORE"!!! I've been icing it off and on all day and taking plenty of ibuprofen. I was instructed to only run one day this coming week. On Sunday I will be competing in the Capital city in Olympia, since I'm doing the half at Seattle in June, I will be doing the 5 mile in Olympia on Sunday as part of my training.
till next time.... Rally On!

not bad

So today I walked on my treadmill for 45 minutes and did a little over 3 miles. Not to bad. My shin didn't bother me at all. I actually felt so good I wanted to try running, but I will wait until Saturday at my team training run. Icing my leg is definitely helping. It hasn't hurt to go up or down stairs for 2 days now.
I have to constantly remind myself of how far I've come with my training. I get frustrated sometimes; thinking I should just be able to take off running and run as long and as fast as I want. You know, like when we were kids. I have slowly come to realize it takes a lot of training and practice practice practice. I also have to remember all the damage I did to my lungs by smoking for 27 years. They need to heal; it's only been 2 1/2 years.
So I will be slow, but I will finish. It doesn't matter to me how long it takes, but one day I will actually run a 1/2 marathon. This time, since it's my first one, I should cut myself some slack and just feel lucky. Lucky because I CAN get out of bed every day and RUN or WALK wherever I want to go. Not everyone is able to do that. And I have raised $1,160.00 for children's cancer research. Not too shabby for my first try!
Till next time........Rally On!

a little better today

My left shin is getting better. I've been following my coaches advice and I'm not running. I walked today; however I had an early appointment and was only able to get 30 minutes in, but I did 2.15 miles in 30 minutes. I have a decent walk pace, it's just natural. I have been icing it as often as I can. It didn't hurt to walk down the stairs today, but I'm not sure I'm ready to run yet. I will be walking tomorrow. I think our time is 45 minutes, but I might do more since I'm walking and not running. If time permits I would like to get at least 4 miles in tomorrow.

I saw a neurologists today. When I had my MRI done they said I should see him since I wasn't in any pain, but did have the tingling numbing sensation in my right toes, foot, ankle, and calve. But since I've been taking Ibuprofen every 4-6 hours, it's almost gone. The doc said it should continue to get better and if for some reason it got worse or I started having pain then there is a surgery they can do to take care of the swollen tissue. I just think it is going to take time for the nerve to heal.

till next time......Rally On!

no running this week

So, I have to take a minute and send a Thank You to the "little birdie" who mentioned to our Coach Anna that I was having some issues with my left shin. She emailed me yesterday with some great advice and helpful hints. One of which was a stern No Running this week command! Also, I need to ice my shin 3-4 times a day if possible. I have to say that I think I have been too hard on myself. After reading her email yesterday I had to have a little talk with myself. I told myself to remember how far I've come since I started this journey. At the beginning of February, I had never gone a distance further than 3 miles before; ever......walking or running. Now I'm doing 4-6 miles on a regular basis 3-4 times a week; running/walking splits. And I have completed a 10K! So I need to remind myself of these accomplishments when ever I am feeling discouraged with my process. I still have plenty of training time left. I will walk this week instead of run.
Yesterday I did my 55 minute strength training DVD. My leg bothered me some, but not too bad.
Today I walked on my treadmill for 45 minutes and did a 25 minute yoga DVD. So far, I have to say my leg hasn't hurt at all. Yesterday it bothered me off and on all day, especially going downstairs. I'll have to wait and see, but so far so good.
If feels SO GOOD to not be in constant pain! Right now I feel like I can do anything!
But I will remember my coaches advice and take it easy this week so that in the end, I will have a healthy, strong body to do my 1/2 marathon in June!
Once again, thank you little birdie, I do appreciate you so much!
till next time.....Rally On!

pain pain go away!

so I did my run yesterday. well, actually it was more of a walk. My left shin is getting worse, not better. Not sure what to do about it. I did my 6 miles yesterday in 86 minutes instead of 70. I guess that's not too bad, considering I walked more than I ran. Hopefully my leg will quit hurting or I might just end up having to walk the half marathon. I guess that wouldn't be the end of the world, but I really want to run/walk, not walk/walk!
We'll see how next week goes. Our training runs during the week are getting a bit longer, so it will be interesting to see how my body reacts to it
till next time.... Rally On!