Wind me up and watch me go!

That is how I felt today on my run and the words of one of the songs on my playlist. I love this song by Pink called  “Bad Influence”, which is ironic since I think I am increasing becoming an good influence! This song came on at mile 4.5 and although I was feeling pretty good already this gave me a little extra boost.  (At the beginning there is also a great part about drinking martinis that would not help me with my run, but I love it anyway!!!).

So, back to my run… Again, just like earlier in the week I was anticipating this run all week. 6 miles – my longest yet. I was so excited all week. Yesterday I had a rest day so my muscles were nice and rested – all the soreness that accumulated through the week was gone. I ate really well and felt good.

I was going back and forth about when I was going to run. I was originally thinking either Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning. Well, John told me that it was going to rain all weekend and get increasing colder. So, I decided that I better get up Saturday morning and get the run in before the bad weather hit. Well, when I woke up at 6:30 the bad weather was here already. The rain was coming down pretty steadily and it was 52 degrees. I had to get my run in and this was my chance. I had a good breakfast and headed out about 8:30.

I wore layers to help keep my dry and cool. I just got some mew running Clima Cool shirts so I wore one under my rain jacket. I have a nice light weight breathable jacket so I was hoping that I would not get too over heated or clammy. I also have my nice new running capris and they have a thin liner so I was hoping my legs would be ok.

I had a brief walking warm-up – I didn’t want to walk too much and get more wet before the run. I picked it up to a nice steady pace. The plan again called for a 13 min mile pace, but that is just not comfortable. I decided that I was just going to run whatever felt good. For the first mile that was a 12 min pace. My heartrate was good and I felt strong.

Part of the challenge was to dodge the puddles and mini streams throughout the course. About mile 2 I came to a section where there was a deep pool and I had to go around on the grass, which was wet and mushy. My socks got wet. I really was hoping to avoid saturation, especially the first 3 miles. But, it was hard to avoid.

There were a few other people out there walking so I wasn’t entirely alone, but it was pretty nice. The cold weather and rainy weather sure keep people away. As much as I want nice mild conditions I know that will bring out the crowds.

I started getting a little warm in my jacket, but not bad enough to take it off. I unzipped it a bit and took my hood off to get some air circulation. My hat was enough to keep the rain off my face so the hood was overkill anyway.

At mile 5 I felt really good. My toes were starting to tingle a bit, but they didn’t really hurt. I tried something new with my feet. I wore my regular shoes (not the wides I just bought because I didn’t want them to get wet). I also found some gel foot pad for the ball of the foot. I slide them in my shoes under the foot pad where they felt comfortable. Those REALLY helped. I will definitely continue to use them.

As mile 6 approached I was getting excited. I wanted to pick up the pace and I felt good. I just stayed steady. I decided to got for 6.2 – I was already out here and wet so what is another .2? I ended up finishing in 1 hour 15 minutes!

This is so very exciting because my initial goal when I set out on this journey was to finish the Cooper River Bridge Run in 1:15. I still have a month of training to go so I feel absolutely confident that I can to better than that for the race. It is very exciting!

Next I have to find a hill to run up and down so that bridge doesn’t ruin it for me!

Happy Thursday

I like Thursdays. I have worked hard all week and the prospect of a rest day is very near. On Thursday’s I give it my all – like the final leg of the race. I want to finish strong.

Today was no exception. I got up and had a good upper body and ab workout. I was a bit sore from Wednesday’s leg workout so I spent some time stretching. I tried to be on my feet a lot today and walk around because I was bit stiff and I had my 4 mile run to do. I could have eaten a bit more, but I forgot to pack my afternoon snack. As soon as I got home I ate a small snack before heading to the track.

The first mile tonight I was to do at a 13 minute pace. That is really hard – I averaged about a 12:30 pace and felt pretty comfortable after I got my shoes properly tied. I tried out a different pair of socks tonight and my shoes felt too loose so I had to stop a couple of times in the first few minutes to adjust. I can’t stand it when one shoes is tighter than the other.

I finally got into a good rhythym and maintained my pace. At mile 2 I had to speed up to 11 min pace. This is basically the pace I ran for my last 5K. It felt faster tonight. I think during the race it was so exciting and their were other runners around that I could keep up with. Tonight I was able to maintain it fine, I just had to focus on my breathing more.  I concentrated on taking big deep breaths like Beth told me the other night. I never realized how shallow my breathing was before.

Tomorrow is weigh-in day. I have worked out hard this week and stayed in my calorie range. I hope the scale reflects my hardwork again!

All about the running!

This week it is all about the running. Last week I was focused on the weight loss. Don’t get me wrong, I still plan on losing a pound ot two this week, but that is not the focus. My running schedule is the toughest one so far. I am going to ease up on my non-running routine. Usually I try to get in three cardio workouts a day, but I am not going to this week. I want to make sure my legs are ready for the challenge.

Here is the running schedule for this week:

Tomorrow – speed training:
10 min warm-up
4 x 1000 in 6:50 w/400 walk/run in between
1 x 400 in 2:35
4 x 100 in :30 w/100 walk in between
10 min cool down

The 3 x 1000 just about did me in last week. Luckily Brian came to the rescue and increased my interval times slightly (was 6:40, now 6:50! I never thought I would be so far to get 10 extra seconds!)

Wednesday – x-train. Probably the elliptical for 45 min

Thursday -
1 mile @ 13:15 pace
2 miles @ 11:15 pace
1 mile @ 13:15 pace

Saturday -
6 miles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let the fun begin!

5.5 miles – good to go

Today was my long run – the longest distance so far. I was excited to see how I would do. No problem. I was excited to go out despite the temperature here being in the low 40’s and the wind howling. Luckily it was not as windy at Harmon Field. After a 10 min walking warm-up I started out. My designated pace for this run was supposed to be 13 minute mile. I started out a bit fast – about 12:15 but when I got into the groove I slowed it down to 12:30. That pace felt really good so I stayed there. Mile three came before I knew it and I still felt great. My foot was fine and my legs felt like they could go on for miles.

By mile 4 I could start feeling a little pain in my right foot. It wasn’t bad – not like before the shot. It was just annoying at first. My new wide running shoes help a bit because I could move my toes around and that made it feel a little better.

My heartrate stayed about 80% the whole time.  I never got winded and was able to breath nice and steady the entire run.

I felt really good all the way to the end. – my pace eventually slowed a bit over the course of 5.5 miles. My ending pace was 12:45. For the first time on my long runs I wasn’t starring down at my watch counting down the last few tenths of the mile. I felt like I could keep running.  My time was 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Bring on the 6 miles next week!

52

Yep – that is how many pounds I have now officially lost!! YIPPEE!

This week of hard work and counting calories paid off. I dropped 4 pounds and that is what I needed. I wanted to break through the 50 pound mark.

I logged every single calorie I ate this week and it paid off. My daily allotment was 1,386 calories and I made it everyday. I was hungry most of the time but it was worth it to see that scale finally move. As the week went on I got used to it.  I need to eat more fruits and vegetables since they are lower in calories. The good news is that when I logged my weight into Jillian’s website today she did not lower my calorie intake. Usually when I log a loss it gets lowered by 20-30 calories per day.

My workouts were really good this week. I tried to not over-do it like I have been. Since my big running days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays I decided to not do any exercises that involve my legs on those days. I will stick to upper body and ab work. On the other days I can my work-out DVD’s and the elliptical.

I am looking forward to my run this weekend. It will be my longest run – 5.5 miles. I hope it is nice out this weekend.

Two tough workouts!

My morning started by working out with Jilliann in her new DVD  – “No More Trouble Zones”. It was very hard – 6 – 7 minute segments of strength training circuits. I was dripping sweat! The hardest of all was an exercise called “surrender”. I couldn’t find a picture or video and I am not quite ready to video myself doing this exercise! It starts out in a standing position with arms straight over head holding 5 pound dumbells. Next is to bring one leg slightly back into a kneeling position. Then the other leg down into kneeling. Then the first foot up into standing, then the next foot up into standing until you are in the starting position. I could only make it through the first circuit holding the weights. For the second circuit I had to put the weights down. By the end of the second circuit I could barely get up! I did though – very clumsily. This exercise was about 3/4 of the way through an already grueling workout.

Because of this tough workout and knowing what I had in store for me tonight at speed trianing I decided to skip my lunch time elliptical. I wanted to be ready to run.

Tonight’s speed trianing was as follows:

10 min walking warm-up
2 x 400m in 2:30 (I did both of these on time!) w/ 400 walk in between
3 x 1000m in 6:40 (I was slow by about 20 seconds on these each time) w/400 walk in between
10 min cool down

I was really breathing heavy after each interval. My walking breaks are probably too slow. Each week I keep saying I am going to do better on my walking, but it feels so good to walk after running that fast.

Tomorrow morning back to Jillian’s cardio, 45 min on the elliptical at lunch to get my cross training in for the day. Night I will probably just walk on the treadmill to burn a few extra calories.

I am really focusing on my calories this week. I am logging everything I am eating and so far have stayed within my 1386 calories…. I get every single one of those calories in, too! I want to see that scale move more than a pound this week!!!

New Jillian videos

Over the weekend my new videos came and I was so excited. Jillian really knows how to burn some calories. This morning I got up a little earlier so I could get in a 45 min workout with the new video – “Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism”. The cover claims it will help me lose “up to” a five pounds. I am sure hoping for the max. I am tired of losing one pound a week. Hopefully these new videos will help.

The workout is a 5 minute warm-up followed by 7 – 6 minute intervals of different cardio and body strength moves. I was dripping sweat by the end. I ended up burning 500 calories. My heart rate got up between 75-80% so that is good. Every exercise is down twice, but the intervals are short so it doesn’t feel terribly repetitive. I really enjoyed it and will try to do this one 3 days a week this week.

Tomorrow will be the other new DVD: “No More Trouble Zones”. This one involves more weight training circuits. It looks pretty tough.

My new PR

I couldn’t be happier about my race today. I finished the 5K in 33:33 minutes (well, 33:33 on  my Garmin)! I felt good the whole time – my foot never hurt at all.  The race started the first quarter mile or so on a slight up hill then leveled off. There was another slight uphill section at about mile 2.  At mile two I slowed slightly because my heartrate was really got up there. I slowed my paced by about 15 seconds and it helped. By the time I reached the top I was about to pick up the pace again. According to the Garmin I ran right at about a 11:00 pace. Official race time was 33:37. I came in 686th place out of 898).

The weather was pretty gloomy and it started misting before the race then stopped. About mile 2 it started coming down pretty steady – not hard, but I could definitely tell it was raining.  It didn’t bother me at all. I was happy that I decided to run wearing a hat. I do not normally wear one so I was worried about my head getting hot, but I am happy I had it on.

I felt so much more confident than I ever had. There were about 1500 people at the race – between the 5K and the 1.5 fitness walk (my mom, dad and nephew Dylan did the walk).  There were a lot of people running with stollers and I didn’t want to get behind them so I moved myself up closer to the front. I was about a quarter of the way back. In the past I always felt like I should stay in the back. Not any more. It was easier to start the Garmin on time closer to the front because I could see the start line I knew when to start the timer. I must have nailed it because the time on the Garmin matched the finish line clock exactly. (well, I guess the time I actually SAW vs. the time I crossed the line were a few seconds different).

The race event itself was really nice. We got there early to make sure we could find a good parking spot. We walked up to the check-in to get my timing chip and it was well staffed and organized. They had really great music playing the entire time. There were many boths with freebies and food. Earthfare was there with fresh fruit, plenty of water, and Starbucks had free coffee. Afterwards Jersey Mike’s subs was there handing out sandwiches. Dad and Dylan went to the top of the garage and took a picture of the view… me and mom in the bottom right.

I was raining a little before the race and I didn’t want to get too wet. Luckily there was a parking garage right by the check in that was empty and there were a lot of runners in there warming up – just running around in circles, etc. So I joined in and walked and slow jogged around with them for about 15 minutes. After the race I went back there and walked up and down for about 10 minutes to cool down.

It was a great experience and my training is paying off!

Good workout tonight

I had a good run at the track tonight. I had to walk 1 mile at a 14:30 pace, then alternate running at a 11:30 pace with walking for a few intervals then finishing up with another 1 mile walk. I realized that I need to concentrate when trying to run, or walk, a certain pace. It is easy to slow down if I start daydreaming.

Tomorrow is some more walking with short intervals at 11:30 pace.

11:30 is at least what I need to run each mile at in the race to have my best time.

I am really looking forward to the race this weekend.

oh, also, I am not sure the shot in my foot has taken hold. I still had some numbness and discomfort towards the end of my workout. I hope that eventually it does start feeling better – at least by April!

The diagnosis…

I went to the podiatrist today and learned that I have a neuroma. A neuroma (according to Mayoclinic.com) is:

A neuroma is a noncancerous (benign) growth of nerve tissue that can develop in various parts of your body. Morton’s neuroma occurs in a nerve in your foot, often between your third and fourth toes. The condition involves a thickening of the tissue around one of the nerves leading to your toes. Morton’s neuroma causes a sharp, burning pain in the ball of your foot. Your toes also may sting, burn or feel numb.

Also called plantar neuroma or intermetatarsal neuroma, Morton’s neuroma may occur in response to irritation, injury or pressure. Morton’s neuroma may also occur for unknown reasons.

Common treatments for Morton’s neuroma include changing footwear or using arch supports. Sometimes, corticosteroid injections or surgery may be necessary.

The red shaded area in the picture above is exactly where my pain is. It is VERY painful after about an hour of running or walking fast. It is almost like clockwork that the pain starts. That was not good for my upcoming 10K that I am anticipating taking 1 hour and 15 minutes (if everything goes well).

The diagnosis seemed pretty easy (assuming the doctor is correct).  He just did a physical exam of my foot and found the nerve. Apparently that is a common way to find it. Again, the Mayoclinic.com says diagnosis is usually:

Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and examine your foot. Because there’s typically no outward sign of Morton’s neuroma, your doctor will try to find a palpable, tender mass. There may also be a feeling of “clicking” between the bones of your foot. Your doctor may order an X-ray of your foot to rule out other foot problems.

I felt the “clicking” that is described above.

After some discussion he gave me a cortisone shot

Corticosteroid injections. Steroids are medications that reduce inflammation. An injection of a corticosteroid medication in the area of the neuroma may reduce pain. However, overuse of injected steroids can lead to a number of side effects, including weight gain and high blood pressure, so people usually receive only a limited number of injections.

OK, so hopefully he didn’t give me enough that will cause weight gain!!! It was a tiny needle – it didn’t look like a lot! I hardly felt anything at .all

This picture illustrates exactly how I received my injection:

The injection along with proper footwear is supposed to have an 80% success rate in pain reduction. I think my running shoes are pretty good, but I am going to see if they come in “wide” and try them to see if that helps, too.

The shoe I am currently wearing is the Supernova Sequence and I just found that they do come in wide! I will order a pair tomorrow. Hopefully they will be in stock.

The down side of today is now I missed a day of training. I really need to get all my workouts in this week for my weightloss and my race on Saturday. Brian gave me my schedule tonight and it is tailored for me to run my 5K Saturday in under 35 minutes (thank you). I will have to maintain a 11:30 min pace. I am pretty sure I will be able to do it.

So, back to my foot. Right now it feels weird. It is a bit swollen and I have no feeling in my toes. Hopefully that will be gone by tomorrow so I can get back into my workouts!