So much of this is mental

Wanted to share my motivational poster with you. I've got it on the inside of my bathroom linen closet. I made it back in December. I originally had it by my treadmill, but moved it when I officially broke up with him. (Altho we've still been known to occasionally hang out.) Anyway, it may be silly, but it works for me. It's just lots of inspirational phrases, a picture of Daddy, and a course map. On Saturdays after the long runs, I look at the marathon route to see how far I went.

Today was a scheduled off day, but I got up at lovely 4am and did the lower body stability ball DVD. Aren't you impressed? It felt good and I'm glad I did it.

What happened to my feet?

Thought I would share a picture of my feet for you this morning.

Hit the treadmill since it was chilly outside. It was just a tough one this morning. My feet felt so heavy. I only got in 1.5 miles. Pitiful. I used the rest of my time to do some exercises on the ball and some upper body stuff with small handweights. I don't feel sore and am still not hurting or anything (hooray! small victory there!) But my feet were just dead today.

The marathon's post-race concert headliner was announced yesterday. Pat Benatar and her guitar playin' husband. Heartbreaker, Love is a Battlefield, Treat Me Right, You Better Run, Shadows of the Night. All those good rockin' 80's songs. The venue is a 13,000 outdoor concert arena on the former practice field of the San Diego Chargers. Could be a fun night. If I'm still alive. And can walk. I need to check into wheelchair accessibility....

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!

Sweet Sixteen

So 18 turned into 16. But the 16 was good.

I decided to get to Shelby Farms earlier since it was going to take me awhile to get my miles in and I would also be running by myself anyway. Why wait 'til 7? I got a good parking place on the outside lot so I could use my car as the refreshment stop. Regardless of the trail I would be on, that spot would be a good central place. So I put my water by my tire and some gels on top of my tire so everything would be easy to get to on the go without unlocking my car, etc. There was already some activity at the Visitor Center because it was the March of Dimes March for Babies.

The lake was very quiet that early; I passed only one other person. The temps were pleasant and the sun was coming up so it was very nice. Lots of geese on and around the lake. One goose kind of charged at me at one point. Shoo! I also saw some little baby geese too. They were cute. I headed to Chickasaw Trail and saw Nicole. Quick chat with her about what was going on and off I went.

I quickly found out that my Nike iPod was NOT callibrated. So I was going to have to wing it in terms of mileage. I know what the miles are for the trails, plus, I am pretty consistent with my time. I ended up using Mr. Right Brain during the runs to add and readd my mileage.

My original plan was to run to the Shell station after that, but when I was ready to head that way, Farm Road was bumper to bumper with people coming in for the walk. There is very limited pedestrian space there (and I *hate* getting down that road to Walnut Grove - it is so tight) so I nixed that and stayed within the Farm.

Back around the lake and up the gravel road. I made it about a mile up the gravel road and then remembered it was *very* hilly. Decided the big hills may not be good friends to the IT band, so I turned back. I was already gambling a bit since Chickasaw has some hills too, so I thought that may be enough. Back to the lake.

A bit of inspiration for me then. A younger woman was approaching me and she must have noticed my TNT shirt (or the pure exhaustion on my face - I was probably 9 miles into it at this point) and she said "Good job! You're doing it!! You're doing it!!". Love that. I can't tell you what a difference it makes to have somebody say things like that when you are DYING. Definitely some added encouragement there. So thanks to Miss Purple Shorts. (George says during the big races, there are people all along the road cheering - and that just carries you to the finish. Am hoping this will be the case in San Diego too.)

It was looking like the walk was about to start, so I hit the Chickasaw again to get ahead of them. Toward the end of the trail, a few runners started passing me. This trend continued when I got to the lake. They were probably thinking "Slow poke turtle." I was thinking "I've already run 13 miles mister." Their walk route was apparently one lap of the Chicasaw Trail and one lap around the lake.

My last two laps of the lake were full of the March of Dimes runners/walkers. The March of Dimes walk did have some benefits for me since there were extra porta-potties all around. I also visited their water stations a few times. (I felt a little bad about that at first, but then thought it may be ok since I didn't take any of their food and I had actually made a donation to a family at church who had a team, so maybe that made it better.) During my very last lap around the lake, I was right in the middle of all the walkers and the trail was very crowded. Poor timing there, but no other choice. I did my best to kind of run through them. But by then, I was walking quite a bit more anyway. All that activity and the people gave me some new things to look at and some needed distractions.

There were lots of babies there and teams wearing t-shirts honoring and remembering premie babies who had been lost. More inspiration as I was thinking a lot about my own two healthy kids. Thankful for that.

I finally just called it quits after 16.25 miles. I know I only had 2 more miles to go, but I just ran out of everything. Time, trail, willpower, energy. Yes, Mr. Left Brain won out there. But all in all I felt really, really good yesterday. Mr. Right Brain did a good job for 16 miles. The run felt good. And afterwards, I was not really wiped out, not sore or anything. I stretched and iced and rolled. (I have one spot on the side of my stomach where apparently the gels I put in the inside pocket of my shorts rubbed pretty bad. A major ouchy there. But if that's the worse blister and chafing that I ever get, I'll take it.) I felt very good all afternoon. Even went to Morgan's volleyball tourny. At 7pm, I totally ran out of gas and just got so tired - I was in bed by 8pm. Today, I am just a little bit stiff and tight, but nothing is hurting. YEA!!! I think the key to all that was my water, the gels and my walk breaks (I read some more about walk breaks in the Galloway book. I'll share that later.) All in all, it was a good run - before, during, and after. I feel great!

There are only four more long runs. 14, 20, 12 & 8. One of those is a little intimidating. The other are very doable.

I'm devastated

Jodi is watching a show about pigs. "Modern Marvel: The Pig". (Yes, another exciting Friday night at the Whitfield house.) They just said some pigs can run a 7 minute mile. Their speed is a product of their breeding. Pigs are bred to have a higher percentage of lean meat to fat. You're telling me a PIG runs faster than me? Oink.

Talk to me Mr. Right Brain!

I callibrated my new Nike iPod sensor on the treadmill this morning. The battery died on the old one. You don't replace the battery, or the whole kit, just the little shoe sensor thing. Easy enough. Except you have to recallibrate it. Hope I'm on target this time. It was a bit of a challenge with the first one.

I am thinking I'll do all of my running alone tomorrow so I need a pretty accurate way of marking my distance. Since I am usually running with Julie or George, I let them track distance on their Garmin. Anyway, I need to make sure how far I'm running, rather than just hitting the ol' trail... In case you forgot, I'm scheduled for 18 tomorrow!

A coworker loaned me some running books including "Marathon: You Can Do It!" by Jeff Galloway. He is considered a major running guru. There is some really good stuff in the book. I was reading last night about motivation and the whole 'mind game' of running. That's so true - a huge part of running is mental. I wanted to share some highlights from Chapter 7: The Source of Motivation.

The left brain = logic. This side of your brain is the center of logic. The left brain loves logic, details, facts, words. One of the main missions of the left brain is to steer you away from discomfort. Any form of stress or perceived stress will stimulate messages telling you to "slow down" or "stop". Since we rely on the left brain for logical guidance, we listen to these messages. We do have to pay attention to real dangers (like health things), but usually the left brain overreacts, warning us long before we are in real danger. Motivation training desensitizes us to such messages and the left brain's nagging.

The right brain = intuition. The creative and intuitive center is in the right side of the brain. Mr. Right Brain loves feelings, imagination, symbols. This side loves life and holds creative solutions to problems, challenges and obstacles. By doing things like walk breaks, mantras and motivations, and blood sugar/energy boosting (gels), you can cut down on stress, reducing the messages from the left brain.

Here's a neat test I found to see which side of the brain you use. Which way is the dancer spinning? If you can only see her spinning one direction, try this. I was definitely a left brainer here, but if I tried real hard (after seeing the 'answer') I could go back and make her spin the other way. Let me know what you saw her doing.

I am a *major* Left Brainer. This is great for Angie The Non-Runner, Obsessive Compulsive, Type A, Perfectionist, Crossword Puzzle Addict. This is a problemo for Angie Who Wants To Be A Runner, Who Got Chest Pains During Christmas One Year When She Tried To Be A Type B, Whose Spice Cabinet Is Alphabetized, Who Thinks Index Cards Are The Greatest Invention In the World, Who Thinks It's All Gotta' Be Perfect and Logical. So what does this have to do with running? When I run, I basically need to tell the left brain to put a lid on it. That's the side that is telling me "You need to quit. You can't go any farther. You are not a runner. Why are you doing this? This is crazy. Your legs hurt. You're thirsty. You're so tired. What were you thinking? Stop running right now." Mr. Left Brain needs to just nip it. Shut. Up. The right side is the one that needs to be speaking up. And make it loud. He needs to be saying "I'm a runner. I am strong. I can do this. I feel great. Daddy is with me. He is proud of me. I am in no pain. I will finish." Mr. Right Brain needs to be loud and clear tomorrow. I'm going to be paying real close attention to him.

Good luck to the Country Music Marathoners who are in Nashville for tomorrow's marathon!! Sending special speedy fast vibes to my coworker Kelly who is running in memory of her dad. I am hopeful the weather will hold out for them. Go Kelly Go!!!

It's better

OK, feeling better this morning. Maybe a little twinge, but all seems to be much better. I'll see how the day goes and perhaps try to get some miles in tonight. I know I need to get a little running in before Saturday's big one. But I also know I need to face Saturday pain free.

Happy Birthday to Connie. She turned the big 4-0 yesterday! Welcome aboard!

I'm only $549 from my goal of raising $4,000. It's not too late to make a donation to sponsor my 26.2 mile run for leukemia research. Hope you'll consider that today, if you haven't already. Click on the link to the right "How can you help?" and that will take you to my fundraising site. Thanks to everybody who has donated so far. You all are amazing! I've been so touched and humbled by your donations and your words of encouragement. I am so grateful for your support.

T -37 days and counting until the marathon!!

Houston we have a problem...

My stupid IT band has flared up today. Where did that come from? My knee feels so tight and it just HURTS. Real hard to even walk tonight. I'm so peeved. I was feeling so good this week and then this just pops up. I was supposed to run tomorrow but I don't see that happening. I'm bummed tonight....

Happy Earth Day

I hit the street this morning at 4:00 am and it was 70 degrees! Wowie! (Tom, I felt a little guilty about typing that until I checked your New Hampshire weather and found out you should hit the 70s today too. So I don't feel so bad.....) It was really super nice out there. Shorts, t-shirt and sweat. Haven't had that combination during a 4 am run in a long time. It was *great*!

Speaking of great....so was my little 2 miler! It felt good. A few short walk breaks, no pain or tightness of any sort. Just a good run. Some stretches and rolling when I got back inside. I feel really good today and I have since Saturday. Maybe I've turned a big corner here. I think so. Yea!

Happy Earth Day! When I went out later to get the paper, there were two of these in our yard. Guess they were celebrating Earth Day.



Got an email from Julie last night: This weekend, we will be heading out for a "breezy, easy" 18 miler. Our rockin' coach George will update us on the route once he gets back...Just checking in with you to make plans now. Stretch all week, do whatever strength training exercises you need to do, get your runs in this week (but without overdoing to cause injury), stay hydrated (don't wait 'til Friday), get sleep, and eat pasta Friday night. This Saturday is a great time to try out the gear/clothes you want to wear for June 1 (minus the TNT jersey). Find out now what rubs you the wrong way while you still have time to heal. Get used to using Body Glide if you think you may need it. I will get some bottled Accelerade for those of us brave enough to try before race day.

As we think about the long distance ahead, reflect back on what brought you here individually. Why LLS/Team in Training? Why now? What impact has Leukemia or Lymphoma had on your life? Take that energy/drive/impact and channel it this Saturday. You are all champions for getting this far...just a few short steps to go...."Whatever you think you can or think you can't, you're right" ~ Henry Ford. Visualize yourself crossing the finish line in a few short weeks...You are almost there!!


There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about my daddy. I miss him beyond all words. But especially when I'm out there on the long runs, those are times that I really think about him. I know that he's there with me cheering me on and helping me go that extra little bit. He is the whole reason I am doing this. I think a lot about exactly what he would say to me. Will my running this marathon bring my dad back? Unfortunately not. Will the money that we are raising find a cure? Well, it's money for research that is just one step closer to finding one. And maybe there is just that feeling of having to do SOMETHING. Something to make a difference. A good friend told me a few weeks ago (after I learned of yet another person who lost their fight to leukemia): "ONE DAY there will be a cure....and you will be part of the result. Maybe you won't know it....but you WILL have been a part of it." And I guess that's what it's all about.

I'm getting very excited about June 1. There are only 6 more weeks. Only 5 more long runs. FIVE MORE LONG RUNS! Wow. Hard to belive. I believe they shake down like this: 18, 14, 20, 12, 8. And then....THE ROCK 'N ROLL MARATHON!! 26.2 miles!!

OK, I've said enough. Everybody have a good one!

The Boston Marathon

These folks are serious runners. The men's winner finished in 2:07:46. That is 26.2 miles. In the relatively same time it took me to crawl my 8 miles. These people are fast. Beyond fast. They are just downright speedy. The women's race was apparently very exciting. It was the closest women's finish in race history with the Ethiopian beating the Russian by 2 seconds. Winning time was 2:25:25. They are the best of the best. Wow.


There were over 25,000 runners.


Enjoyed keeping up with George & Debby's progress online. They both finished with very respectable times. Yea for them!!! I'm just so totally impressed.


It's kind of exciting watching these elite runners do their thing. I'll never be one of those people; nor do I aspire to be. But watching this today sure has made me excited about my marathon challenge!! Only 6 more weeks!!!

Feelin' great!

Used this morning to do 30 minutes of stretches and exercises. Yesterday my IT band - in both knees - tried to flare up, but I immediately rolled and stretched and hopefully sent that issue packing for awhile. I was a bit stiff yesterday - especially if I sat still for any length of time. But it felt good. NO PAIN!!! This morning feels great too. These last 3 days are the first in a long time that I have felt good, no pains, no aches. I feel really good. YEA!!

My plan is to run Tuesday and Thursday this week. We are scheduled for 18 miles on Saturday. WOW! I hope I can use this week to really get ready for that. Would love to feel this good every day this week and face Saturday morning strong and ready.

Good luck to George and Debby (a friend from church) who are running the Boston Marathon today. Go! Go!! GO!!!

What a gorgeous weekend we had and it looks to be another beautiful day today. Hope you can enjoy the sunshine. From one of my favorite U2 songs..."It's a beautiful day. Don't let it get away." Have a good one everybody!

A very good day!

Today was a very good day! I arrived at Shelby Farms with the attitude of "I'll just do what I can do."

Jessica, Julie & I were the only RNR's that were there today. (Today was the last run for the Country Music Marathoners. They race on Saturday!! Go Team!) I told Julie & Jessica to go on and not hang back with me today since I wasn't sure how long I would last. It didn't take very long at all for them to pull away from me. So I ran by myself. And it was just fine. I trotted along to the Shell and only stopped one time. Julie had left the cooler for us and had filled it with water and fresh orange slices. How yummy. They really hit the spot and gave me some added energy.

The original plan was to go beyond the Shell to the 6 mile mark and head back. I went ahead and turned back at the Shell so, in case my knee did give out, I would be that much closer to my car. But, my knee held on so I took the long way around the lake. My plan was to go around the lake 2 or 3 times to push it to the 12 miles. After one lap around, I was starting to question how much longer I could go, so I called it quits. That was probably 8 miles total. I decided to cut it short while I felt good, rather than push it until I felt crummy.

I really felt good afterwards and have continued to feel pretty good most of the afternoon. It was the first time, after a long run, that I have not felt like just dying in the bed for three hours. I did have 3 gels during the run, so maybe that was beneficial. I never thought while I was running, that I just needed to stop. I walked, counting the refreshment break, four times. Wow! That's pretty good for an 8-mile trot. It is really working for me to slow my pace down just a little bit (yes, hard to believe I can go even S...L...O...W...E...R than slow). I am able to go much longer distances without having to stop. I think that is also keeping me from feeling totally wiped out during or after. It's a good thing.

I was diggin' my tunes today. Music that kept me going was some Bon Jovi, The Police, John Mellencamp, Huey Lewis, and 10,000 Maniacs.

Today I wore my hydration belt because I wanted to try some Accelerade during the run. I'm not a fan of any of that "ade" stuff, but thought I should try it. And, Accelerade is the brand they will serve in San Diego, so that's what I need to train with. It wasn't bad. Just don't know if it made any difference. I think the gels played a larger role in my success today. I need to use more of them throughout the run, especially at the end. I'm also going to just stick with water.

I remain very consistent in my pace. My entire 8 miles was 2:01. Comes in to just a teeny bit shy of perfect 15 minute mile....Slow and steady!

Am having a little pain in my left knee tonight. The left was the bad, that became the good, which is now apparently the bad again. My right knee feels great. I have rolled on ol' Foamy several times this afternoon and will hit it a few more times before bed. I have grown fond of the 'hurts so good' pain he inflicts on me.

This message was waiting for us on the path heading to the lake. Our whole team (RNR, CMM & MIM) has raised $118,166 so far! I think that's great! That is money toward a cure!!! My current total is $3,451. THANK YOU!!! I am just $549 from my goal. YIPEE!!

It was just a very good day. The weather was beautiful, my run was "perfect", and I feel great.

Easier said than done

Friday. The day before Saturday. The day of the LONG RUN. Why do I get myself so worked up about the long runs? For one thing, I haven't really run in two weeks. That's a long time. Then I just roll it all around my head over and over....What if I can't finish? What if it takes me forever? What if my knee starts hurting? What if....What if.....What if.... I HAVE to stop doing that.

The LONG RUN. I read this little description this week which sums it up nicely. "Going long" is a hallowed weekend tradition that is despised and loved, feared and revered, bragged and complained about. Amen to all that.

We're scheduled for 12 miles tomorrow. Easy enough, right? I've done that distance. Twice. I asked Nanette this morning if I should attempt to run until I couldn't or plan to just run a shorter distance. She said to play it by ear, run until I need to stop and avoid all hills. OK, I can do that. Route tomorrow is Visitor's Center to Shell Station up Germantown Parkway to Greenbelt (If it's not still flooded. More rain expected today.) until we hit 6 miles and then back. Easy. Straight. Flat. Doable.

Julie is leading our group tomorrow, because George in Boston to run the Boston Marathon on Monday! Good luck to him. Run George Run!!!

Tonight I will charge up my iPod, maybe add some new songs (that playlist is a good one, but man, I've been listening to it FOREVER), and use the foam roller to get my muscles loosened up real good. And I will RELAX.....or try to.....

Have a good weekend everybody!

A funny for the day

I'm afraid this is going to be too small to read, but I think it's too funny not to share.


AT THE MOLE CONVENTION


Mole #3: Gentlemen, we're meeting in my hotel room because there are some crocs in the hotel trying to eat us. How they got word we were staying at this hotel, I don't know.


Mole #1: Perhaps we have a mole.


Mole #1: I've waited ten years to use that joke.

We have movement

It wasn't much. It really wasn't much at all. But it was something. I put in a little over 1/2 a mile this morning on the treadmill. Alternated walking and running. And as anxious as I was to get up there and start, I was almost nervous to try it. What if it started hurting again? What if I couldn't even walk without pain? But I did it. Just half a mile. It's almost pitiful isn't it? Most of it felt ok, but, toward the end, I could tell the ol' knee had had enough. So I stopped. Half a mile isn't ANYTHING compared to what I need to be doing. But it's more than I've done in almost 2 weeks. So I'll take it. It's progress. Improvement. Forward movement. It all adds up right?

On the inside of my Stride gum package

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes....

So Derrick Rose is leaving. And Coach Cal is staying. And Chris Douglas-Roberts isn't talking. And today at 2pm, we find out if Tyreke Evans is coming. As the world turns for the Tigers...

My knee is significantly better. I did about 30 minutes of stretching this morning. Felt good. I was going to attempt some kind of movement, but felt a teeny bit of twinging so I didn't. I am starting to see the light at the end of the ITB injury tunnel. I am walking around with practically no pain. Finally. I'm glad. I really want to get back with my training and my feeble attempt at running. The whole ITB pain has been a bit brutal. And quite pesky. It has just taken longer to get through it than I expected. But it is also apparently a fairly common running woe. I think I have made a wise decision about taking this time off to let it clear up. Again, one small detour is better than a major derailment. The extra rest has been nice. Having the WHOLE day on Saturday last weekend was just divine. But I also am WANTING to walk or run. I miss the exercise. Anyway, I do believe I'm approaching the end of this detour. In the meantime, you know the drill, more NSAIDS, stretches, ice, and the beloved foam roller.

Let's talk a little bit about that foam roller. I love to hate that thing. But it is pretty effective. You basically roll your body weight along the roller. It allows the tightened knots and irritated tissue and muscle to loosen up. Almost like a self-massage of sorts. In fact, this concept is called "self-myofascial release technique". And let me tell you -- in the beginning, when you find that sore spot and roll on it....OUCHYMAMA!!! Major ooowwwwie! But the more you roll on that sore, tight spot the better it feels. So, I've been rolling around the bathroom floor with the ol' foam roller. I've been using it also on other places - my calves, hamstrings, back, etc. And sometimes, it actually feels good. It's a good way to keep your muscles loosened up. And from what I've read online, there are lots of runners that use it on a regular basis. I saw somebody one Saturday morning at Shelby Farms rolling on one in the parking lot before her run. It's a pretty useful little thing. OK, it's not so little. But it's useful. And cheaper than a $75 massage.

Day 10 -- but who's counting....

IT Band still hurts. It is definitely better. It's just not completely gone. And from what I've read, this is not something you should attempt run through. And this flare-up does take a bit of time to heal. It's a pesky little thing. I was going to do some pilates this morning, but stayed up way too late last night and just couldn't face the alarm clock at 4:00 am...

I just need to do SOMETHING. I don't want to lose what little bit of momentum I had going. I hope to attempt at least some walking tomorrow. We'll see how it goes. I refuse to become discouraged by this.



At least my boyfriend is back in the lineup after missing six games. He went 2 for5 yesterday.

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.....

New day...New week

The good news is that I am walking today with only a twinge of pain. Almost no (noticeable) limp. So, I feel I am on the road to better knees. I have iced and stretched and used the foam roller all weekend. The rest yesterday did me good. I even took at nap. Yes, a nap. In the middle of the day. In. The. Bed.

Thanks to Tom who sent me the info on this cool show on PBS. "NOVA: Marathon Challenge" . A brief description on the show: How do you run 26.2 miles if you have trouble making it around theblock? With good coaching, discipline, and lots of group support, asNOVA shows when it follows 13 normally sedentary people through atraining regimen designed to prepare them for an ultimate test of stamina and endurance..."MarathonChallenge" takes viewers on a unique adventure inside the human body,tracking the physiological changes that exercise can bring about.

The show is scheduled to run a few times locally next week, but you can watch the segments on line. I did that yesterday and really enjoyed it. I can totally relate to these people. They, however, are training for 40 weeks (vs. my 20). And, they are running the Boston Marathon which they say is one of the toughest courses around. Anyway, if you are interested, I recommend taking a look at it. (They actually have it broken down in chapters that are about 10 minutes each so you could watch as time permits.)

I am anxious to see what the week brings for me in terms of running...walking....just moving!

A detour and a slight rerouting prevents a derailment

I gave in today and saw Nanette the PT about my continued knee pain. I told her I had self-diagnosed myself with the IT band ouchy thing and I had been doing stretches, ice, NSAIDS, etc. but needed to make sure I was on track. She wanted to take a look to see if I was doing the right stretches.

You should be doing this. Check.
And this. Check.
And this. Check.
And get a foam roller and use that every day. Check.

So, I am doing everything I needed to do. Glad about that. She put another one of those cortisone patches on my knee. Remember those? She suggested getting a few more next week.

I'm laying off tomorrow. I know that if I can't walk down the hall without discomfort, then I do not need to be running 16 miles all over Shelby Farms. Or even 1 mile for that matter. So, rest it is. I'm ok with that. Because I know that I've got to back off when I'm hurting. I have got to listen to my body. There's just some pain you can't push through, nor should you. I've learned that.

George if you're reading this, you should probably quit at this point. Nanette also suggested that I alter my training plan a little bit. I can't run 5's and 9's during the week and then take on a long run on the weekend. My body just can't keep up. And it shouldn't take an entire week to recover from the weekend's long run. All I really want to do is run and have fun doing it. It shouldn't hurt all the time. Nanette said the main goal from this point forward is to help my body recover and stay healthy. She assured me I was on track and could remain on track even with this detour and rerouting.

Now don't get me wrong, George is a great coach. He is patient (Wow is he patient. He has probably wished more than once that he never talked me into doing this marathon thing....) and he is encouraging and I think he's proud of his peeps. He totally knows his stuff. He's a REAL. RUNNER. For Pete's sake, he's running the Boston Marathon next weekend. Again. And he's already qualified to run it in 2009 too. If you will remember, he says things like "a nice little 15-miler" and "I like hills". He's run 23 some-odd marathons in just 4 years. He. Is. A. Runner. And I'm not. And I'm not trying to say he's totally killing me with this training schedule. Well, maybe that IS what I'm trying to say.

The long and the short of it is, I am going to have to slightly rewrite my training plan to accommodate my body. If I don't, I don't think I will be able to hold up. I didn't enter this challenge as a runner. I didn't enter this challenge to become a runner. I remind all of my faithful readers what my goals are for the marathon: (1) to raise money and awareness for the Leukemia Society, (2) to honor and remember my Daddy, (3) to finish in a vertical position. And at this point, I am on track to do all those things.

Random thoughts

This is what's on my mind today...


My knee still hurts.
But only when I move it.
At this point I could not run on Saturday.
I just have to play it by ear.
I learned that lesson with the shin splints.
The massage yesterday felt good and helped somewhat.
He said every muscle in my body was tight. Achilles, calves, hamstring,
neck, etc.
You get the picture.
Happy Anniversary Connie & Ty.
We're supposed to get some very bad storms today.
It's very windy.
Gusts expected to be over 50 mph.
NBAdraft.com has mock draft. #26 goes to Grizzlies.
Guess who it is? Mario Chalmers. Irony.
I am $849 away from my goal.
It's not too late to give!
Every gift is appreciated - large or small.
Thanks to you all for your support and encouragement.
51 days until the Marathon!

She ROCKS!

An email from Connie this morning....I couldn't have said it better myself.

TO: Angie
FROM: Connie
SUBJECT: I've become you...


Fed up with ugly posts about my Tigers...signed up and posted one of my own...


Some of you guys really make me sad. The Tigers blew it, no doubt, and I am totally heart broken about that. But there is more to this than basketball. Some of these boys come from some pretty rough backgrounds. They really needed something good to happen in their lives where they could say "We worked hard, look what we accomplished." Instead of supporting them and their hard work, people are doggin' them all over the place. Are they "thugs", as some have stated?...well, if you define "thug" as a college kid who makes a stupid, immature decision, yeah, I guess they are...but then again most of us would fall into that category, wouldn't we?? We can't all be Hansbroughs, born into wealth and solid family situations. Heck, some adults still do stupid, immature stuff (like post ugly things about a bunch of KIDS on a sports message board).

Cal has done a wonderful job with these boys being both coach and father figure to them. My heart breaks for them because they played their hearts out, but lost it in the end. Kansas was awesome, the game was awesome!! But it was a tough loss and really hard to swallow. It is hard to live with "if only"s. They will never forget that, and some of you will never let them forget it.

I love my Tigers and am so proud of them.

Y'all lighten up. There is a lot more to this than just losing a game....

The morning after the day before

No real news to share. I took today as a rest day. Felt bad last night. I'm trying not to give in to this yucky head cold. And, my knee is still bothering me from the IT band issue. I'll shoot for some movement tomorrow, rest Friday and then hit the long run (16 miles I think - need to check schedule) on Saturday. I'm getting a massage this afternoon to try to get this IT band loosened up.

The day of mourning is officially over, but Tiger pain slightly remains. But pride is winning that one. Gotta' move on....It will be interesting to see who stays and who goes. Would be nice to keep 'em all just one more year. GO TIGERS!

I leave you today with this little cartoon. I can relate. Hope everyone has a good day!

Everything hurts

It's hard to run with a sore IT band. And a broken heart. I am sad beyond words today. What a heartbreaker it was last night. I can hardly bear to read any of the news today as I just don't want to hear it. Nor do I want to relive it. It was just awful. Sad. Sad. Sad. They left it all on the court for sure. Just need to focus on the great year the Tigers had - what a great ride it was. They are a special team that's for sure. The whole city seems deflated today. As sad as we are, think of the heartbreak it is for those boys - that's what makes me really sad. Regardless of last night's loss, this Memphis team is the first team in NCAA history to achieve 38 wins in a season. That's nothing to sneeze at. It was a great year. What a great team they are! I'm so proud of them. Go Tigers!!!


The ad at the top of this post is one that I ran in today's Commercial Appeal. Isn't it fabulous? I'm pleased with the way it turned out. (Yea for my design guys at Combustion - you rock!) In case you can't read the fine print, it says "Campbell Clinic is proud to be the official sports medicine physicians for the University of Memphis. We are honored to treat the Tigers and we congratulate them on a great year." Just a shameless plug here for good ol' Campbell Clinic.

As exhausted as I was this morning, I got up at the regularly scheduled 4am. It's supposed to rain in the morning, so I took advantage of the pleasant 65 degrees today and headed outside. My knee is still making his unhappiness known, so I just walked most of my miles. A few attempts at running, but that did not go over well with the old knee. So I walked. After about 2 miles, my knee was *not* happy at all, so I headed home for some ice and stretches. It's bothering me a bit today, but it will be better soon I'm sure. The goal remains "continuous movement" - which I accomplished.

On top of the Tigers loss, my boyfriend Derek Jeter has a strained left quad and came out of yesterday's game. Hope he doesn't go on the DL.

Tomorrow is another day...

Uber Sad...

Uber Stoked

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!!!

What a game!

WOO-HOO-HOOOOOOOO!!!!

GO TIGERS!!!!

Fifteen Miles - WOW!

FIFTEEN MILES!!! And I did it! And actually, except for the first 2 and the last 2, it really wasn't that bad.

The weather was nice. The sun never really came out, altho it sure wanted to. And it wasn't raining. Temps were pleasant. Cool at times, especially around the lake, but it felt nice.

I was cramping up in the beginning of the run. But eventually it all worked out. I bought a knee brace last night at Dick's and it seemed to do the trick with the bad knee. No pain at all other than the initial cramping. The first 7 miles or so I ran a 6/2 interval. It was ok. Made it to the Shell station which is halfway. Yea for that. Water and gel break. Someone was driving down Germantown Road and said "Go Team!" out the car window. (I had my TNT shirt on). Nice encouragement there.

Then the next 5 miles I just slowed my pace down a bit and only had to stop two times. Wow. Can you believe that? That really worked for me. I just trotted along and enjoyed the scenery and listened to my tunes. And it was really ok. And to think I went that whole way only stopping twice. OK, I really stopped three times, but the last time, it was to pet a dog, so that really doesn't count....It was a retired racing greyhound named Link. (He was kind of orange and black stripey looking - good Tiger karma there.) I told his owner I wasn't very greyhoundy today and he said "Let Link be your inspiration." Nice.

Made it back to the parking lot and the other RNRs were there. They were done. I had 3 more miles to go. Then some of the CMMs showed up. They were also done. They had just completed 20 miles. Whatever.... The little pitstop was very much needed, but it also gave my knees time to stiffen up. It was quite a bit harder to get rolling again for those last 3 miles. My 'good' knee was screaming, so I switched the brace to that knee.

The Multiple Sclerosis Walk was kicking off just as we headed to the last 3 miles on the Chickasaw Trail. That was their route too, so we planned to go the opposite way to meet them on the path rather than go along with them in the same direction. But first we had to wait for the National Anthem. "...and the home of the brave." Off we go.

At about mile 13, an elderly lady was coming toward me. She must have felt real sorry for me (can't imagine what I looked like) because she clapped and said "Good job. Go! You're doing great." I got teary with that encouragement.

Then we started seeing all the walkers coming toward us. All that people watching definitely helped pass the time and distance. I was thinking that all these people are walking to support a cure for this debilitating disease. And, even though I was truding along, I was trudging along. I can run (or whatever you want to call it.) - and I'm thankful for that.

Lots of Tiger shirts at the Farm today. I greeted them all with a breathless "Go Tigers!".

Almost finished, I'm whining. George said we had less than 1/4 of a mile to go and if I wasn't in complete agony, to push through it and finish. OK....

I made it back to the Visitor's Center and there were 3 CMM coaches there. They cheered. I got a little teary. I had done it. FIFTEEN MILES. I am beyond certain that I was the very last person to come in. But I really did not care. Some very encouraging words from them which was appreciated. I made some comment about "In case you didn't know it, I'm not a runner." and one girl said "Oh, but you *are* a runner. Look what you just did." More crying.

George ran along with me today. Most of the time, he would run ahead and then come back to get me. He probably put in 42 miles with all the 'up and back'. He's actually supposed to be 'tapering' because he's running the Boston Marathon in a few weeks. (Tapering is when you start decreasing your mileage as you approach race day.) So, thanks George for hanging with me and for running way more than you needed to.

I did the entire 15 miles in 3:54:46 which calculates to a 15:40 pace. Again, slow but steady.

Some tight knees this afternoon, but I really don't feel that bad. Kind of surprising. I'm sure I'll be dying tomorrow. But I don't feel as bad right now as I did after the half marathon. Yea for that.

Overall, I am very pleased with what I did today. I like the way I slowed my pace a bit so I didn't have to stop as much. That really worked. It was a good day. There was a lot of encouragement today from people I know and people I don't even know. Some emotional thoughts went on in my head this morning. But it was a very very good day!

Mom and Connie and her crew are coming over shortly to have dinner and watch the game. I'm very excited! Some interesting articles today about the Tigers. I think Cal is amazing and very intelligent. I can't wait to see the Tigers whip up on the UCLA Bruins. (We went to dinner at Rafferty's last night and there was a guy wearing a North Carolina jersey. I pointed to my Tiger shirt and shook my head and hollered at him across the restaurant 'What's wrong with you?!' Jodi told me to cut it out. Jordan said "Oooh Mom, you scared him." You bet I did! GO TIGERS!!!!!)

We are about an hour and a half away from tip off. I'm totally psyched! GO TIGERS!!!

And now a message from Coach George

Good Afternoon RNR's:

OK, tomorrow is one of those "step up" weeks, with a total of 15 miles. We will break it down into manageable bite size pieces. Start at the Visitor Center at 7 am. One loop of the Chickasaw Trail, then around the lake, out toward the Agricenter and end at the Shell Station. Replenish and rest rooms, then back - around the lake, another Chickasaw Trail loop, and end at the Visitor Center. I hear that the Germantown Greenway is closed due to flooding, so we will stay on higher ground and make the Chickasaw circuit to get the miles to add up.

At one point, I considered the hills around Walnut Grove Lake as an alternate, but extreme pressure from one of your compatriots gave me the opportunity to rethink this plan. Without naming names, thank
A _ _ _ E ...

Hope to see all of you there.

Looks like the weatherman is going to cooperate fully, with temps and skies perfect for a nice 15 miler!

Tiger Fever

So much for sleeping in on my rest day. I've been awake since about 3:30 am when the storms rolled in....AGAIN..... Good grief. I'm starting to feel like a duck. Quack. No end in sight today. But Ron Childers assured me yesterday "It’s going to be dry Sat AM but chilly. Temps will be in the upper forties to near fifty."

I am contemplating finding a knee brace to try tomorrow. I'm wondering if some support will keep the IT band from flaring up. My knee is my main concern for tomorrow's 15 mile run. I think I can handle the distance. I know I can trudge along. But I want my knee to hold out. I am a bit afraid of the recovery too. Only because I know how *awful* those first few days were after the half marathon. And this is 2 miles farther....UGH. I need to keep those thoughts out of my head. I am DETERMINED to go the distance tomorrow. I WANT TO DO THIS. I'm just going to break it down into small pieces like George said. I can do that.

Oh...speaking of GOING THE DISTANCE!!! GO TIGERS!!!! I'm getting very excited and nervous about the game. Tomorrow is 40 minutes of YEAH BABEEEE!!! GO TIGERS!!

Random thoughts

Weather was touch and go this morning, so I stayed inside and hit the treadmill. Put in about 2.5 miles and alternated running, walking and stretching. It felt ok. I am pleased with today's performance.

I'm hoping, hoping, hoping that my knee won't give me fits this Saturday. I made it about 7 miles last week when my knee decided to just quit participating. It just HURT. And there was no way I could run through that. (That was after my iPod died too. So there I was, kneeless and tuneless. It was awful.) I'm just going to keep stretching and taking the Rx and hope it will hold out for the wonderful fifteen miler.

Another thing that I hope holds out for Saturday is the RAIN. Ugh. We've had so much rain this week. I have some new ideas for my backyard. Maybe this:



Or this:




Three days until the Tiger game. One small bump in the road with the suspension of (my favorite player) Andre Allen, who apparently made some bad choices. I hate that. What was he thinking?!? But we won't let this be a distraction or loss of mojo (a quote from Connie!). The Tigers will be just fine. And continue to DOMINATE and do their thing. All the way to the National Championship. THIS IS THEIR YEAR!!!!! I also like the choice of photos that the Commercial Appeal has put on their home page with this story. My marketing dollars well spent! GO TIGERS!!!!!

Actual conversation via email

Angie: Wolf River Trails are closed until the flooding subsides. The Wolf River is rising and parts of the nature area are underwater. Is -- WAS -- this part of Saturday's run? Where exactly will we be having this little party anyway?


George: Looks like we need to reroute. I know there are some nice hills around Walnut Grove Lake subdivision. And I checked the schedule - silly me thought it was a 14 miler. Nope. 15. Lucky one and all.

Angie: No hills. "Nice" and "hills" can't be in the same sentence. DISTANCE or HILLS. Pick one. I'm trying not to get freaked out at 15.


George: Then break it down into smaller bits. 3+3+3+3+3. Or 5+5+5. But remember, what goes up (hills) must come down (hills). Hence the "nice" part.


Angie: OK... 1+1+1+1+1.....Are we stopping for lunch?


George: As long as we finish by 5:07 pm.

Good intentions

Not a great run this morning. I got in about 1.5 miles and then my legs started tightening up and my knee was feeling a bit weird. So, I headed home and stretched for 30 minutes. I really think it's because it is first thing in the morning and just hard for my legs to get moving immediately. I do stretch them out before (and during) my run. But sometimes, they are just not cooperative. I refuse to get bummed out about this morning's attempt.

Temp was 45 altho it felt quite a bit colder. Wind was a challenge too. I had put on some layers and even dug out my winter running hat. Weird since I ran Monday in shorts and a t-shirt.

Saw a police officer driving through the neighborhood. Just a little friendly early morning patrol. Guess he didn't mistake me for a home invader since he kept driving.

Interesting fact about this weekend's Final Four:

Pick a shade, any shade. Carolina blue, or Kansas blue? UCLA blue, or Memphis blue? (Relax, Tiger fans: At least nobody will be wearing orange.)

GO TIGERS!

And, it's baseball time. Yesterday was opening day (actually delayed a day for rain) for the Yankees and my boyfriend Derek Jeter. He went 1 for 4. Glad the season has started and he'll be making regular appearances again on ESPN. I heart him.

One step at a time

Since it wasn't raining, I got up this morning and ran 15 miles. OK, OK - April Fool's!! That may be the extent of my pranks today. We'll have to see what transpires.....My kids are *very* into this day of tricks. I'm sure it will involve Cooper's whoopie cushion and Jordan pretending to throw up at some point. Best of luck to the jokers today. Maybe Mark Twain summed it up best: "April 1st: This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other three-hundred and sixty-four."

Today is a rest day for me. I'm glad since I was awake quite a bit during last night's storms and Jodi's cell phone kept going off. I have learned to love that extra hour of sleep.

On the race front, I submitted all my paperwork to the Leukemia Society for the marathon. It's becoming more and more official. Two months from *today* is the marathon!

Our long runs are getting just that: LONGER. We are scheduled for 15 miles this Saturday. Yes, you heard me. FIFTEEN MILES. Oh dear. I could really get freaked out by this if I let myself. But I'm not. I can't. I will just press on this week with my small runs and continue to stretch a lot. And then face Saturday when it comes. And I'll do it. One. Step. At. A. Time. That's all I can do. I can't look at the whole big picture when it comes to this. It has to be one step at a time.

Looking back at this whole journey, I would have never dreamed I would have even made it this far. I remember the night in January when I signed up, a coach told me me that once we started doing these long runs, I would look back on the shorter ones and say "JUST three miles" or "ONLY five miles". I remember thinking she was a NUT. But it is true. I think back to that first group run on January 26 when we ran (just) three miles. And what a challenge I thought it was. And how excited I was when I finished. I never thought I would be able to even do that. I've run over 114 miles since then. Including a HALF MARATHON! Sooooo, I can look at the challenge I have ahead of me for this Saturday (and the next....and the next.....) and just do it. It's 15 miles. I read that one mile equals about 2,000 steps. Maybe I should say I have to run 30,000 steps on Saturday. It may sound a little bit better. Regardless if it's 15 miles or 30,000 steps, it all happens just one step at a time.