Merry X-Mas! Lots to Catch up on!

First, I passed! I gave myself a mental test and I passed. A few weeks ago (not last Thursday, but the Thursday before) I said to myself: If I can run three miles without big pain in my right thigh and without panting to a stop, then I can and will do this half marathon with only a few weeks to train.

I did it!!!! With the help of my wonder dog, Robbie, I did it!! He gets in shape much quicker than me and he was running ahead at times. He's no longer squeamish about the ice either-- though I spent some of the run on the snow to give my bones some cushion.

When I realized I was going to make it to 3 miles, I got so excited I decided to put a wee bit more umpf in and got to a complete 5K-- just that .2 made me feel awesome. I knew I would do this half marathon.

Okay, so I got a little too pat-myself-on-the-backish about passing my own test and I didn't run again until the next Wednesday-- oooppsss!!! I went to Tony's Team in Training fundraiser at Rosie O Grady's the next Tuesday to help him raise funds since he is way under his minimum and already even ran the Hawaii full marathon (which I heard had a near monsoon descend on the runners-see Lou? Told you Arizona was the place to run). He raised nearly 400 for Leukemia/Lymphoma society in one night!! Nice!


This photo is near the end of the night—Tony's sister is the one w/ her eyes closed holding up the TNT banner and he is to the far right.


Lou told me he ran the other day at the Y and sweat after just a few miles like he had run in 80 degree weather. I told him how much I love winter running and hate, hate, hate the treadmill even more than running in the summer. I hate that unnatural pounding feeling, I hate the off balance feeling, I hate just staring straight ahead, I hate no wind, I hate no scenery, and most of all, I hate running in place--the boredom of it is enough to make me want to pull out me eyeballs and throw them outside while my disenoracular body numbly keeps running inside in place. No dog, no sparkling snow, no stars, no landmarks. Yuck. Well, Lou knows heat is my cryptonite and he reminded me of something: our race is in Arizona. Ugggh. It could get up to 60 maybe even 65 or 70 and I've been running at night in 20 degree weather. I am going to dehydrate and drain myself to a puddle of nothing in Arizona. He suggested I do at least one run at the Y since they keep it at 70 just to avoid heat shock when I get to the race.

So, that Wed. I went and I ran in three layers w/ sweats and all just to simulate Arizona. I went through my entire water bottle by mile 3 and I wanted to collapse. I hated it as much as I remembered and had to stop and walk at least 4 times. Running is so mental and w/ all that boredom of just staring ahead at a painted white cinder block wall while I ran in place just took the run right out of me. Not even Sisters of Mercy could keep me going, not even "Radar Love"-- nothing. And, like Lou, I was sweating something fierce. I even threw some of the precious water over my head and didnt care if I got electrocuted or slipped on the water and got conveyered through the treadmill to be flattened on the other side.

Oh, just so I don't forget: also no lemonade, not gulps of it anyway, just before a run.

Okay, so all this is to say: I didn't run for two of coach Kyle's long run Saturday's in a row-- missed the 5, missed the 6, and then went to Stony for TNT' longest Sat run: 20 for full and 11 for half.

I planned to do 6, maybe push to 8, then realized, I better just do 10 and so I nearly did! 9.78 miles. I stopped 3 times at the "water cooler" (TNT water, hot cider-- mmm yum--- station) and walked intermittently-- but was happy that I did nearly 10 miles. It was great to see TNT people I have not seen in a while: Coaches Sandy, Kyle, Ken--especially Ken-- I saw him running in Santa gear on my 2nd mile and ran over to give him a hug--it was awesome to see him. I saw someone else later in a tall Santa hat and didn't recognize him. Later found out it was coach Kyle! He ran with for part of my last 3 miles. I laughed at his hat and said I didn't recognize him--he said he wondered about my blank look. Anyhow admitted I hadn't stuck to his schedule. How many today? He asked-- 10 I said. He grinned: "What happened to 8 miles??" I told him I added the 8 for Sat to the 2 for Sunday and got the 10 for Sat.

Sandy asked me how it felt to be running again: AWESOME! I told her. It felt so good. There is just no, no, no therapy in the world like running.

Even better, not once did my hip flexor nor my femur give me deep down pain. Only my lungs this time were giving me a hard time. Sandy says you get it back quick.
Kyle was so awesome to run w/ me the last few miles--even though I was being a renegade and running those last few against his orders. I had to stop some and walk and as we walked he gave me some good advice. Let me know I didn't really have time for a taper. But, reminded me that I had two more weekends till the race weekend: Jan. 13.
So here's the plan we came up with: run 3-4 miles 3x's during the week and my true long run next Sat.: 11 miles.
Sunday: stretch and rest. Monday: 6, Tuesday: 2, Wed. 3, Thursday 6, Friday stretch and rest, Saturday: 8
Week of race: Sunday: 2 and stretch, Monday, 3, Tuesday, 4, wed. 2, Thursday, 2
Friday: drink lots o water on plane, Saturday: lots oh water, Sunday: race.

Okay, so today is Tuesday and I have not run since Sat. for as much as I love running, when I first start up training it's hard to get into the groove of doing it as frequently as I plan. I can see that looking back at my old logs. So, tom: 4 miles, thursday: 6 miles, Friday 2 and stretch. Saturday: 11
I know I am supposed to rest day in between/before long run and should not have let all Sunday, Monday, Tuesday go by w/out a run. But, so be it. This is my plan.

Best news? after a lung punishing 9.78 miles, very little hip flexor or thigh pain even two days later!!! yeah!

I also credit this to my very amazing physical therapist, Lisa, at Beaumont Health Center She really knows her stuff and has done wonders for my leg strength and to keep scar tissue from building around my bone injury.

I can’t wait to complete this race: by my Garmin I should be able to do it and not have to get bussed at the halfway point. Wow—just realized how eerily prophetic my early nightmare was for this marathon: dreamed I started out okay but then had to keep running inside and through all these places with pools! Then eventually get bussed to finish/start and forfeit! I will not let that last happen. I did do the pool rout w/ pool therapy but I will finish the half in 4 hours. Kyle said that’s for walkers—even w/ me running some walking some he said I would make it in that time. Still average a 13 minute pace.
I finished nearly 10 just under 3 hours (which included long stretching stops and slow sips of break time hot cider) so I can definitely get 3 or so more miles in under the 4 hour mark.

Many happy wishes to all this holiday season. I have a heartwarming story about some people I met Christmas eve day gift wrapping at Borders to raise money for TNT--but will tell that in next blog--getting sleepy. Hope everyone found something they wanted today.
Laura

Breath and Will

I thought of Austyn again last night on my run when my breath and will got short--She is amazing-- not just in general because of her maturity and compassion and sense of honor but to go through so much pain and exhaustion and fight it out they way she has and how victiorous she has been against this cancer. One of these blogs, I'm just going to dedicate to the article she wrote, the beautiful/poignant article about what it took her to get ready for her battle and to win against the cancer.

So here's what my coach sent me

This week: Dec. 10- 16
2 days do 2 miles
1 day to 3 miles

weekend (15th/16th)
5 miles one day, stretch and rest the other

Week of the 17th
1 day do 2 miles
2 days do 3 miles
That weekend, 6 miles one day, S&R the other

Week of the 24th
3 days do 3 miles
That weekend, 6 miles one day, 2 miles the other

Week of the 31st
2 days do 3 miles
1 day do 4 miles
That weekend, 8 miles one day, S&R the other

Week of the 7th
1 day do 3 miles
2 days do 4 miles
That weekend, half marathon!

Well, guess what?

Mother Nature had another gift in store for me. Behind prize door number two in mother nature's attempt to thwart my marathon dreams: acute bronchitis. Yum!!!
so after last weeks 2 times at 1.87 miles I had not run until yesterday-- for 2.5 miles.

Everyone from my students to colleagues at work were sick and I was doing my usual not drink from any one's glass not let anyone drink from mine, wash my hands before and after every meal and ever trip to the bathroom, etc. But when what was going around got me, it hit me w/ a sledge hammer. Started w/ typical cold for a week or so-- no biggy so still ran last week-- just sore throat, stuffy nose, sneezing.
Create numerous herbal concoctions, tinctures, steams to battle it off-- Well seemed to get better, at least it left my throat and nose. Woke up one night to sound of my own coughing and never got back to sleep. Even went to the bathroom numerous times thinking I was going to gag. I actually thought I had swallowed one of those spiders "they" say you swallow in your sleep at least once a year and my body was trying to get rid of it.

Ah, no such luck. Got worse and worse, chest tighter, coughing non stop, cough syrup did nothing. Tried to teach w/ almost NO voice-- a difficult task, let me tell you. I Woke up last Saturday and could not only not talk but barely breath. Rushed to the hospital and they put me on some machine w/ a tube in my mouth and oh did it feel better as my bronchial tubes and trachea calmed down. Ahhhh. Breathing is soooo nice. I had felt like I was drowning or choking--it's a desperate feeling.
so they did chest x-ray-- gave me an inhaler and antibiotics and said (drum roll, please) NO PHYSICAL EXERTION FOR A WEEK!!!

Alright, Mother Nature, what are you trying to tell me? You have something against Arizona? Against the happiness running gives me? Think I should go back to ballet? What? What????
Well, here's what I learn-- I really do put a whole ton of stock in my will and what it can do, but I guess chance, fate, happens and can thwart your will. I get that. Okay? Listening Mother Nature? I get it. But please no more. I am going to run this race with my lungs falling out and my fractured leg dragging behind me. So please stop!!!!
Okay anyhow, for the stats:
Monday: barely moved
Tuesday: Same
Wednesday: 2.5 miles w/ Robbie-- it's great we are learning sign language. I had to trick our older dog into the kitchen w/ food and motion w/ my head toward the door and oddly, my precious Rotterman tip toed after me, w/out his usual bark so we could get out the door before Flappy realized we were gone. I feel so cruel but it would be more cruel to drag my very elderly hound dog w/ severe arthritis on a 2 mile run around icy Royal Oak sidewalks and roads. Robbie is much younger and more physically vibrant. He loves our runs and afterwards sits under the stars w/ me as I do yoga and even stands next to me while I do pigeon.

I was on the driveway, splayed out in pigeon at about 9:30 last night and suddenly Robbie started to bark his head off right by my ear-- I shushed him, looked up and saw a large man w/ a rottweiler coming down the sidewalk in front of our house.
I stood up and said "hi" and shushed Robbie again as he looked about ready to tear both dog and owner to shreds (a dog much bigger than him, I might add).
"What were you looking for down there?" he asked.
"Oh, nothing. I was just doing pigeon," I said.
He looked at me like I was a talking turnip.
"I just ran" I said.
He just laughed and kept walking.
stats:
Garmin-- the bugger never turned on--it tricked me into thinking it had turned on, but it didn't-- never got satellite but appeared to by showing me last week's mileage
Distance when I turned it on outside--
well got to my 1.87 point (my house is exactly 1.87 miles on this particular rout) and then ran back to the start of my course cut a bit off and ran back home again-- I estimate this as 2.5
Stops: 2 for dog-- bathroom break and I don't like this collar protest, one for me--stretched against on a tree
Walks-- walked a block after the 1.87
Pace-- slower than fast walkers but I was jogging
Immediate post run feeling-- Not bad, not bad at all. But still did 30 minutes of ice
on hip flexor (that's what ached when I ran)
Okay today, well, today: my thigh hurts deep down-- yes, feels like bone. But, I will go very, very slow and I'm going to keep training. Just take it easy and take coaches running schedule, which is much slower paced and fewere miles than mine own.
If I have to walk part of the half-marathon, so be it. But I will be there an I will finish.
Okay, Mother Nature-- thank you for the lessons in humility. I understand my will is but a part to your plans. But can we please work together? Please?

I ran!!!!!!

Look at all those photos of hanging out like lumps, just sitting-- just depressing lounging. Animals sitting, pets lounging, no motion. I got sick of all my sitting in a lump of non-running bla.
So, I decided to start running again! Physical therapy be damned!

Those last two photos are from a Halloween party this year, around the time I started all this sitting-- I dressed like Athena and brought a very sturdy, long, wooden sword to use as a crutch and spent much of the night sitting and still in pain. Of course, I didn't feel very warrior goddess like, more like Mark, dressed as the infant.

I have come a ways since then and I'm so happy! My Rotterman is so happy! The world feels right again! A few days ago I decided not to even try the half marathon, especially after a particularly hard day of pool running. I thought, if my hip and thigh hurt "running" in the pool with no weight at all on my leg, what the heck am I thinking trying to train for a month and week away half marathon?

Well, I decided to let stubborn rule and made the final decision that I would do this race. I had even emailed my Team in Training contact to tell her I had to bow out. She assured me that I could put the funds I raised toward a future event and was understanding. I thought and I thought and thought how darned unhealthy and just bla in general I have been not running for nearly two months and I just can't stand my non-running self anymore. So here's what I emailed Sarah back again yesterday:


"thanks for touching base. My leg is feeling better, I have been off the crutches and I will leave here soon to go water run.

I've decided I'm going to particpate in this event. Even if that means I have to walk the whole way, I'm going to do it. My main goal was to raise money for victims of blood cancer-- you may not know, but I started w/ TNT because of a student I am very close to who at just 16, despite being very athletic, very healthy, and very spiritual, came down with non-hodgkins lymphoma, which went on to invade her ovaries. This young woman had been on the newspaper I teach/advise for three years and I when I wen to see her for the first time in the hospital, she told me she would not let them remove her ovaries so she could have kids. That meant many rounds of very aggressive chemo. Yet, every time I visited her she beamed and asked all about me, the newspaper students, and my training w/ TNT. She so selfless. I got her a TNT bracelet and she told me on the phone after Bayshore that she never took the bracelet off.
Anyway, she is back in newspaper this year (her treatment was last year) and looks just beautiful. She still has the TNT bracelet and asks me about my training.

In short, I finally realized that if she can be stubborn and let her will get her through this, so can I. I might have to slow walk the darned thing, but I will do it. Yeah, it won't be as glorious as running it, but I have future races. Right now, I still have Austyn in class. She willl graduate this year and after that I'll start running more for my own glory.

so, in short, yes. I'm sticking with this event and I hope to start a little bit of training this week.

I would love to get a training schedule from a coach for starting back after an injury. I have from tom until about Jan. 3 to taper-- that means just 4 weeks to get up to my longest run. I'd like a new schedule--keeping in mind that I have to start really, really, really slow not to hurt myself or make the stress fracture worse.

Thanks again,

Laura
oh. ps, can I drop off my checks directly to the office since it's less than two weeks to deadline?
Thanks"


-----Original Message-----
From: Cowlbeck, Sarah (MI)
To: lauraredm@aol.com
Sent: Mon, 3 Dec 2007 9:41 am
Subject: Status Update

Laura,

I wanted to touch base with you and find out if you had made a decision regarding staying with the winter season or transferring to another. I hope that you are healing up well. I feel so bad that you are going through this!

Sarah

Sarah R. Cowlbeck
Campaign Manager
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Team In Training

So, after officially deciding to do the race, I decided I had to see if I could run it. I haven't been able to get anything from the coach, so here's what I did:
I went to my calander and wrote out my own schedule
This week: Tuesday: 1.5, wed. and yoga 2, thursday 3, Friday bike, Saturday 5, Sunday 2and yoga
Next week. Tuesday: 2, wed. 3 and yoga, thursday 4, Friday elyptical, Saturday 6
Sunday 3 and yoga
Week after: Tuesday: 3, wed. 3 and yoga, thursday 5, Friday: just yoga, Saturday 8
Week after: Tuesday 4, wed. 4 and yoga, thursday 6, Friday: swim, Saturday 10
Week after: Tuesday 4, wed. 4 and yoga, thursday 6, Friday: rest. Saturday 8
Week of race: sunday 3, Tuesday 4, Wed. 2, thursday 2, rest Friday and Saturday
Race: Sunday.

So, I basically tried to go as slow and easy as I could w/ varying days and workouts and some cross training to get up to at least a 10 mile long run before the half.

Here's the stats from Tuesay:
distance: 1.87!!!!! Yeah!! I went over my 1.5
stops: 2 because Robbie's collar came off and I realized i was running much lighter and when I saw collar in my hand and no dog attached I had to go back and get it on him--otherwise, just as I was getting to my house, I realized I just felt warmed up and could have kept running another few miles
Lungs: feel awesome-- hardly out of breath
Hip flexor and thigh: another story. It was mild pain-- more like a pull or ache, esp. in my hip flexor. I made sure to warm up before the run by running/marching in place in my kitchen as my I-pod recharged. Then I did some yoga stretches. Then, when I got back I did a bunch more yoga on my driveway (it was dark out) while my dog tried to sit on me while I was in pigeon. I swear I love that dog but he has no sense of boundaries. I streched my calves good on a nearby powerline pole, I also did downdogs for my calves and thigs as well as lunges and triangle. Pigeon seemed to stretch out and help the most. Oh and I also tried running on as much lawn, park grass, etc as I could for softer landing! I made sure to have my headlamp on to see where the possible leaf covered pitfalls might be.

I went inside and spent at least a half hour icing my thigh and hip flexor. And, I am walking fine today. My hips a bit sore but not too bad!
I feel like I'm just starting to live again.