Victory Party and Recovery

Meanwhile, back at the hotel.....







By this time, I was stiff and sore and starving. I ate something and was *dying* for a hot shower. However, Julie (my mentor and roomie) had other plans for me and my aching legs. Ice bath first. She said it would do wonders for my soreness. So she filled the hotel wastebasket with ice, told me to run a cold bath, pour in the ice and GET IN. EEEEE-YOOWWWWW! My goal was 10 minutes but I only made it 7 minutes before I was literally shivering and could hear the ice clinking around in the tub.

(I am really grateful for Julie and everything she did, not just during our training, but also the night before and the afternoon after the race. She really helped me out and took care of me. She's done several marathons and her experience was greatly needed and appreciated. Thanks Julie!)

The original plan was to meet in the lobby at 5 pm to head to the Victory Party. We had gotten back to the hotel at 3 pm maybe, something like that, and I told George and Dennese there was no way I would be able to make it by 5 pm. I could hardly walk for goodness sakes. But after my hot shower (Which followed the ice bath and was one of the greatest showers of my life.) and a little rest, I was up for the party.

OK, so we actually took a cab to the party. It was only a few blocks to the trolley stop and just several more to the Convention Center, but our dogs were really barking. So cab it was. The Victory Party was fun - everybody was proudly wearing their medals and limping around in flip-flops. There was some great music and later people actually danced. I have no idea how they were shaking their groove thing. It was all I could do to make it to the buffet table. The food was good and we all just ate like we hadn't eaten in six months. I was STARVING. They had big screens and were showing pictures taken throughout the weekend. It was a fun way to celebrate our accomplishment.

I heard from Jodi and Connie that my preacher had announced to the entire congregation that night before his sermon that I had completed a marathon for the Leukemia Society for Dad. I also got word that I had received 2 additional donations. Thanks to Glenda P. and Jennifer S. for making a donation to my fundraising efforts!

But soon, we were all ready to call it a night. We decided to take the trolley back. While we were waiting for the trolley, a Burlington Northern Railroad train came by. Jessica said "Oh that's where Jacob's dad works." Well, that was one of Dad's accounts but I knew it was a big place so it was doubtful that he would know my dad. Then I found out his dad worked in MAINTENANCE and PURCHASING. Jacob called his dad and he TOTALLY KNEW DAD!!! How about that!?!?! It just seemed like the perfect little end to my amazing day. After waiting *forevever*, we ended up limping all the way back to the hotel.

I had brought various forms of pain-relief and aid. They were all utilized and greatly enjoyed. With a hotel room reeking of Icy Hot, I crashed in my soft cozy bed, watched Password, and then conked out. Sweet dreams of my awesome day.

Happy Monday!

I continue to feel great and am *so excited* about that. I'm still just a teeny bit stiff. But it's that good "I exercised and I'm sore" feeling. I've been waiting for that! I guess finally my body has just caught up to everything and I've figured out exactly how far I can push myself and still live to tell about it. It's such a difference from my recovery after the half. I was DEAD for several days. And just hurt like the dickens. But, I've run that distance (and then some) again twice. So maybe my body isn't protesting it like it did the first time. Progress. Saturday's miles were almost a half marathon and a 5k. Who on earth would have ever thought that I would run 16 miles. Ever. In a day. At one time. WOO HOO!!!

I did pilates this morning and that felt good. Lots of s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g. Nice.

I read in the Galloway marathon book a lot about walk breaks. We have been utlizing that strategy with the walk/run intervals since the beginning of the training. I kind of thought it was more like a "oh I can only run this far and need a break" kind of thing. But there really is a physical reason to do this. According to the running guru, walk breaks vary the use of your muscles so they keep their 'bounce' as they conserve resources. By walking early on in the race, you avoid using up your resources early. Alternating the exertion level and the way you use your running muscles gives them a chance to recover before they accumulate fatigue. So it reduces the damage to the muscle and, in turn, leads to a quicker recovery after the long run. By alternating running and walking muscles, you distribute the workload among a variety of muscles. To receive maximum benefit from the walk break, you must start them early (even during the first mile) before you feel fatigue. If you wait until you feel the need for a walk break, you've already reduced your potential performance. Walk breaks "earn you a discount" early in the run from the pounding on legs and feet. He even says that serious marathoners have made drastic improvements in their time by taking walk breaks early and often. It's better to take a 1 minutes break every 5 minutes than a 5 minute break every 25 minutes. It leads to quicker and more effective recovery.

That's all probably more than you wanted to know....but it's my blog so I can write about whatever I want to! But the use of walk breaks was something that definitely helped me recover from Saturday's sixteen miler. Learning about the reason for the walk breaks is just more learning and education on training and running. And that's a piece of my marathon training pie. Which I am sharing with you, my faithful readers! I really thought this whole 'run a marathon thing' was just go out there and run 26.2 miles. Hardly. For something so simple, it sure has a lot of pieces to it.

Happy Monday everybody! Hope you have a good day!

You've come a long way baby!

My 'biggest baby' turns 11 today...hard to believe. Happy Birthday Jordan!

On the ITB front, I am still noticing some slight pain. Nothing compared to last week. So there is improvement there. I read a bit about it over the weekend. I felt slightly justified to find that this problem affects ALL runners, not just newbies. (The shin splints most often hits newer runners.) And, like any overuse injury, the best way to allow this to heal is REST. Obviously the time off this weekend helped. I had contemplated giving it a shot this morning - with maybe a little walking. But thought one more day would do me good. We'll see how tomorrow goes. In the meantime more stretching and foam rolling. Advil and ice. In case you are wondering, this stretch is one of the best ones for the IT Band. Cross your good leg over your bad leg, then lean toward your good side. You can feel the stretch all the way up your thigh into your hip. I've been doing it a lot. Thought I'd better share a picture of it so everybody knows why I've been tilting. I'm not singing I'm a Little Teapot.....

T-I-G-E-R-S!!!

Today is the day. The Tigers are playing for the National Championship. I'm starting to get a stomach ache. I'll be puking by 8pm.... GO TIGERS! There are some great articles today. I continue to be amused by the national reporters who are "just" discovering the Tigers. Since there are only two teams remaining, the press has less to look at, so they are looking at us. A local CA reporter said "It's as if the entire world is starting to realize what Memphians have known all along." That's right!!! Tiger. Basketball. Enough said. GO TIGERS!!!

Yes, I was supposed to run 3 miles this morning. No, I didn't do it. I didn't even walk. I was still having some soreness in my knee. So I did my pilates dvd to just stretch. I'm feeling much better now. No guilt this morning. I listened to my body and did what I needed to do. Man it takes me awhile to recover from these long runs. *BUT*, I feel loads better today after 15 than I did after the half marathon. Glad for that. That's got to be some kind of overall improvement.

The good news is that even though my knee is hurting, it's my 'good' knee. So now, my 'good' knee is now my 'bad' knee. That means that the brace that I put on my 'bad' knee worked. So now, my 'bad' knee is now my 'good' knee. Follow that? I was trying to explain this to Anne & George this morning and it got very confusing. Long and short is that I am picking up another brace and I'll just wear two. Because obviously it worked. Good.

I was talking to Jodi last night about how I just wanted to run and then ache. Rather than run and then hurt. You know that 'good ache'. The "oh I excercised ache". Not the "oh I can't even walk hurt". He said that (1) I've never done this amount of running and activity before. And now, in 2 1/2 months, I've run over 130 miles. and (2) The pain I'm experiencing now in the 'new bad' knee is FIXABLE. It's not like my earlier shin splints which just had to work itself out. So maybe soon, I'll be able to run and then just be sore and ache. Funny that I'm *wanting* to ache and be sore.

It's a good day. Everybody is buzzing with Tiger Fever! GO TIGERS!!!

Good Morning Tiger Fans!

Waking up this morning and it's a good day to be a TIGER!!! I'm still just beyond excited. And the game (AGAIN) wasn't even close. It's been fun to read the national sportswriters' comments about our team. They are "so surprised" by their performance. Some headlines today:

• Tiger Beat


• Mem's the Word


• The Memphis Machine Rolls On
  
• UC-YA Later

I'm glad Kansas beat UNC too (Sorry Mr. Rafferty's man. You can take that stinking shirt off now. ) I don't care for that Hansbrough kid. Kansas looked good last night. But we can take 'em. Tomorrow promises to be a great game. My stomach will be upset the whole day. I actually have Kansas and Memphis in the final in one of my brackets. With the mighty Tigers winning, of course.

I just realized this morning that the Tigers won by FIFTEEN points. And my long run yesterday was FIFTEEN miles. If this run thing somehow correlates to the score, we're in trouble. I am scheduled to run just three miles tomorrow. I can't handle a close game like that.

Feeling a bit stiff this morning, but as I keep moving around, that will be ok. I'll do some stretches today for sure.

Looks like it will be a sunny day today - finally.

GO TIGERS!!!

Having a ball

Really, really, *really* almost slept in this morning. What's wrong with me?!?! I never used to reset the alarm or even consider it. But these days, that thought it popping in my head more and more. This morning I convinced myself to get up and I'm glad I did. I feel good and now am not struggling with the guilt.

I did the 'lower body workout' dvd on my stability ball. It was quite nice. Good stretches - nothing too strenuous. It just felt real good. I've done some exercising on the ball before. Since the ball is unstable, you have to maintain your balance while you continue to do the moves. So, all this combined really strengthens the abs, lower back, etc. - the whole 'core' thing. Which, I have learned, makes for a stronger runner.

This morning, I'm actually not even hurting. Some soreness in my thighs - but that's from just running. May be the first time I've been "just sore" from running - and that feels ok. My calves feel better this morning than they have in weeks. Just a small amount of pain, but nothing at all compared to what I've been experiencing. Am I turning a corner here on my injury?

Jodi and I wondered why we weren't totally wiped out yesterday like we were last weekend. (He ran his 8 miles when I got home). I know it was 2 miles shorter, but neither of us felt anything like we did last Saturday. Don't get me wrong, I was ready to crawl in the bed by 9pm last night, but really didn't have to struggle with the whole recovery thing yesterday afternoon.

(Jodi did yesterday's run in Germantown on part of the Half Marathon course. He's checking out some of the hills. There is a *HUGE* one on Kimbrough. I chose yesterday to go to Shelby Farms. I never considered putting in the miles on the treadmill (what progress for me!) I thought about running here in the neighborhood, but decided Shelby Farms may be better for me. That is a little bit of a comfort zone for me for long runs. I like being able to just run on a trail that is a bit ambiguous on distance rather than run on a street that is more definitive. Seems so much farther to me if there are street names associated with it.)

So, my week is off to a good start. I feel better this morning overall than I have in several weeks. I will have to adjust my training schedule a bit since my long run was yesterday. I also don't want to push it too much this week since I am apparently making progress. And I would really like to do well Sunday in the 1/2.

I feel good today!

Progress made:

Fundraising total is now $2,486! That's well over half way, but I still have a way to go toward my goal of $4,000.

Ran 8 miles this weekend by myself and lived to tell about it.

Not hurting (too much) this morning.

Lesson learned:

It was hard to take it a bit slower the last few weeks, but it paid off. Learn to listen to my body - and to other people.

Need to work on:

Slowly work back into my short runs during the week.

Continue to fundraise to meet my goal. (Hope you'll consider helping me out!)

Double digit day!

Yep! I did it! Ten miles. TEN MILES!!!!! I was real anxious this morning about it - about attempting it. I was talking to Jodi before I left "Should I stick with the walkers? Should I not even try? Should I run? Should I just walk and not even try to run? I don't know what to do!!!!!" He said - in his calm way - "You can't have a plan. Just go do it and it will work out. Goodbye Turtle." So I did it. I just did it and it all worked out.

It was, hands down, the prettiest day we've had in all of our training. Sunny and 'warm' (mid-40's)

Miles 1-3.5
We took off and I immediately fell to the back of the pack. I'm used to that, so it's ok. George hung back with me because he had to take it easy today since he's running the Little Rock Marathon tomorrow. (Yeah, an easy 10 miles today before 26 tomorrow....)

Leg felt moderately ok. There was some ouchiness. But nothing that made me scream and turn around. I walked. And I ran. And I walked. And I ran.

Not only did my feet run, but my mouth did too. At about mile 3, I realized that I had been talking non-stop. Poor George. He'll wear his iPod next week...

Soon, we were on the path along Germantown Road and the Shell station (aka Pit Stop) was in view. Julie the Mentor had left a cooler of water, Gatorade and goo at the little path heading off the road. So I dig in to find some water. When I looked up, Jodi and the kids were pulling in to the lot! I was so surprised and excited to see them!! What timing that was too! We chatted just a bit. They watched me suck down the Gu (strawberry banana - decent and tolerable) then said bye while we trotted across the street to use the potty at the Shell station. Seeing them was a boost that beats any Gu any day! How sweet was that?!?!

Miles 3.5-6.5
Back out and down the road. This time we headed DOWN Germantown Road (major traffic) and I said that now I was one of the idiots that I see running down the Germantown Road. Good grief. There's a cut through in front of a little strip shopping center that takes us down the path to the trail. This little trail was really pretty. There were bridges and a little wishing well and benches. Just a real nice area.

Somewhere along this path, we meet Julie, Nicole & Wes (the other Rock 'n Rollers). They are headed back. About this time, my toes start hurting really bad too. I stopped once to rub them and it helped a little bit, but didn't totally fix the problem. (I'm wondering if this area may flare up as we increase the distance. I had some foot surgery about 20 years ago on that same spot. Oh well. Can't borrow trouble.)

We hit the magic 5 mile mark and turned around. I'm feeling ok. Seemed like my legs would hurt a little and then quit. It was definitely manageable. Especially since I was just stopping to walk whenever they flared up. So, back up the path and back to Germantown Road. It was at this point that Jodi and the kids drive by again (they had been to Sonic) and he says to me across 6 lanes of traffic with his police radio as they drive by"Pick 'em up and put 'em down Mama!".

George veered over to pit at the Shell again and I went back down the awaiting cooler. I saw Jodi and the kids waiting too. There were three 'serious runners' hanging there also. I saw the guy talk to Jodi and then everybody started cheering "C'mon Angie!!!" Yea for me! Jodi said that the guy asked if they should do the wave and he said "No, Angie HATES the wave." One quick bottle of water and good bye to my #1 fan club and we're off again.

Miles 6.5-10.0
This is where I kind of quit talking. This is where my shins weren't hurting so bad. Or maybe I didn't notice it because my feet were hurting. And my knee. And my hips. Oowwie! But I trudged on. Running and walking and walking and running. The last two miles were tough. Man, everything was just hurting.

Once we got to the lake, there was a lot of activity. There was a three-legged dog coming toward me with his owner who was pushing a stroller. I decided that if the three-legged dog passed me, I would end my marathon quest then and there. But the dog ended up stopping and I pressed on.

George had gone on ahead a bit and Julie, Nicole and her husband Jim were waiting at the finish point. They all cheered for me. That was super sweet because I think they finished at least thirty minutes ahead of me - maybe more. And they waited just for me. (Thanks guys!). I was EXCITED!!! I DID IT!!! Ten miles. Total time was 2:30. So, even coming off the DL I still managed a consistent and 'normal' pace. I am really proud of how I did today and pleasantly surprised!

I told you that Jodi is following the training schedule too. So when I got home, he headed out for his ten miles. The afternoon was slow moving for both of us. He is fighting some bad blisters on his feet and I was so sore I could hardly move. But we recovered while we watched the Tigers chalk up another win. GO TIGERS!!

The encouragement I got today was so great. From my wonderful family. From my Coach. From my Team in Training. And from some total strangers. It felt so good. It's what got me through the ten miles.

"Slow and Steady continued on and on. She never, ever quit until she came to the finish line. The animals who were watching cheered loudly for Tortoise."

Progress made:
I ran TEN MILES today!!!
My fundraising total is now $2366!

Lesson learned:
I can't have a plan. I should "just go do it and it will work out."

Walk this way

Before we get started, join me this morning in raising your coffee cup to salute the Vanderbilt Commodores who knocked off the #1 Tennessee Volunteers last night. Woo-hoo! We were all Vandy fans yesterday weren't we?! The Tigers take on Tulsa tonight and Southern Miss Saturday. So, I hope UT enjoyed their BRIEF stay at the top (Rocky NOT Top - ha ha), because next Monday, we should be back on top of the polls. Then there are two games remaining. Pundits have us at 30-1 at the end of the season and a #1 seed in the tourny. March Madness is looming and I'm excited!!! GO TIGERS!!!!!





This morning, I walked a nice little mile on my treadmill. Just one... Every once in a while, I broke out in a slight trot. Nothing major. There was some tightness and just a slight touch of ouch. A little discomfort remains, but nothing like it has been. So, I would say I'm on the mend. I'm not going to be able to just jump out there and pick up where I left off. Hard to think that two weeks ago I was running 7 miles and now I can barely squeak out one mile walking. But, shin splints can be summed up in four words: too much, too soon. So I'll just have to SLOWLY get ramped up again.

Julie the Mentor sent me an email last night and summed it up like this: "definitely better to take it easy now and still be able to finish the season than to be sidelined for a longer period of time...(and if it takes a little longer, there are still more seasons - we ain't goin' nowhere til there's a CURE!)..." (Thanks Julie!) I'm still viewing this as a detour not a derailment. Plus, if it comes down to walking the whole stinkin' 26.2 miles, I'll do that. My goals for this quest were to raise money and awareness for the Leukemia Society, honor and remember my Daddy, and finish the marathon in an upright, vertical position. I am convinced I can do all of those things.

I've also been keeping an eye on Darren McFadden (my favorite former Arkansas Razorback) who is knocking everybody's socks off at the NFL combines this week. He's expected to be a top 5 NFL draft pick in April.

And, in case you were wondering, my favorite American Idol guy is that cute little David Archuleta. I love how he is just so surprised and embarrassed by the applause and cheers he gets. He's a cutie and a darn good singer.

Desperado

Add to my latest treatment method.... Castor Oil. No, NOT drinking it. Just rubbing it on my legs. Mom read about the healing powers of castor oil from Dr. Gott. She tried it on a painful arthritic joint yesterday morning and got some pretty good relief. So I figured, what the heck. Got nothing to lose. So we rubbed it all on my legs. Jodi walked in to Mom's house and there we are going to town with a bottle of castor oil and a cotton ball. He just rolled his eyes.

He said when he got home last night, the entire house still reeked of Icy Hot.

Poor Jodi.....

I will try *anything* to get this problemo taken care of. I am seeing some improvement this morning and I'm very thankful for that. I just want this whole injury thing to be a small detour rather than a derailment. Because I REALLY want to participate and complete the marathon.

I did some Pilates this morning. Whew -- that abs dvd is very tough.

On another note, Jordan spent Sunday afternoon at Trenton's playing with his new Wii. Last night, there were about 20 pictures of the Wii printed out and taped all over our house with the plea "We need a Wii". Nothing like a little advertising to get your message out there.....

And finally, I'm looking forward to watching Vanderbilt HOPEFULLY beat UT tonight, so we can take back what is rightfully ours.... THE NUMBER ONE RANKING!! GO TIGERS!!!!

The Bionic Woman

LOVED that show when I was a kid. Jaime Sommers and Steve Austin. The perfect bionic couple. Lindsay Wagner was so pretty. And Lee Majors was beyond handsome. Connie even had the Bionic Woman doll - her rubber skin rolled up to show her bionics.






Well, The Bionic Woman doesn't have anything on me. Check this out.
I finally acknowledged that my shin/calf pain was a bit more than "oh my calves hurt because I've been running". There was a specific place that hurt pretty bad to the touch. So, I went down to see Nanette in PT and she said it was probably an "itis of the peroneous something or other" which basically means inflammation of the leg muscle. So she gets this patch thing that uses a small electronic current to put cortisone directly into the sore spot on my leg. I am to wear it for three hours and then take it off. It even has a little green light which will turn red when my time is up.

She wants me to rest tomorrow and get another patch. Run on Thursday. Rest Friday (which was already scheduled) and get another patch. Then do my long run on Saturday.

I'm very thankful that this is just some inflammation and not any kind of a stress fracture. I google too much.....But I think I had ignored it long enough and then realized that this could lead to something a lot worse that could end my marathon running career before it ever got going. (insert laugh here)

Jaime Sommer's bionics gave her amplified hearing, a greatly strengthened right arm, and enhanced legs, enabling her to run faster than a speeding car. I can't wait to see how I turn out after my electronic patch.