Coming Back From Injury and Getting Back to Business

The first snow fall of the year came about this weekend.  I must say that I am not too thrilled about it.  Five weeks ago today, I injured my ankle tearing some ligaments and have yet to run since.  Each day that goes by there is not a doubt in my mind that my ankle is progressing.  However, the loss of the last few weeks has led to there being no more nice days to go running in this year.  I feel I have ran my last outdoor run for the season already.  Running in the cold?  It is just not for me.  Not at all.

The past five weeks have become been full of much self reflection.  Finishing the marathon was such a great feeling.  All the training and work that had been done over the past few years finally paid off when I crossed that finish line.  Barely a full week later I end up injuring myself and lose all ability to run.  It has been very hard to keep myself physically on track.  My eating has become really sparratic as I have been finding without running, I can't take in the same amount of calories.

Going to the gym has also been a bear.  I have been going very often between three and four times each week.  Up to last week I would take my walking boot off and wrap up my ankle tight in a brace allowing my to bike and do some basic abs.  I have gotten rid of the boot this week but am still only doing the same basic workouts with some upper body lifting here or there.  Without running, working out has become very difficult to get through.  It takes a bunch of mental effort to stay and do a certain workout.

Not to mention this weekend was Thanksgiving.  Just to show the dangers of the evening, this is my making of pumpkin pie...


Over the weeks, I have tried to say get back to working out properly and eating well.  It has been difficult.  Well no more!  Tomorrow is my new start and I am trying to bring everything back that kept me going before.  So here I am blogging again!

It is currently after midnight on a school night when I just cant seem to fall asleep.  Class is only a few hours away but I have been mulling over this new workout schedule.  After talking to my friend Brok, I have a new workout schedule to follow each day.  The exercises are mostly for muscle toning with no running.  To the end of the workouts, I have added 20 minute cool downs and one hour cardio sessions on the weekends.  Currently, these are going to be biking, but my hope is that within the month to change a few of the days to running.

Here is the link to my new routine

Also on the page are my new calorie intake numbers.  I used to use My Fitness Pal all the time leading up to the marathon.  I am going to get back to it.  The one goal that I would like to accomplish currently is to get my body fat percentage to single digits (9.9% is acceptable).  The week I ran the  Baltimore Marathon, my BFP was 14.8%.  If I had to guess, my current number is maybe 1-1.5% higher.  Through the loss of some fat and an addition of lean muscle, I hope to achieve this.  Tomorrow I am going to get my BFP from the gym when I go so I have a starting point.

The Cleveland Marathon is on my mind still... my arch nemesis.

As I sit here, I started to count up weeks.  In order to run the Cleveland Marathon, I am going to give myself 15 weeks of training.  Counting backwards from May 19th, I have assumed my start date will be February 3rd, the first full week in the month.

This means that starting tomorrow, I am going to give myself nine weeks on this new schedule.  I hope that the tenth week will be a time where I can rest in preparation for the new heavy running training.  I have my new schedule, my new eating habits are about to be wonderful and in check, and tomorrow is a new day.  The next month will be a great closing to a wonderfully progressive year with a strong December.  Beginning the new year in January with the second half of this new schedule will help me show myself where I want to be headed physically throughout the year.

Stay tuned for my new updates on route to a fitter self (9.9% in 9 weeks? maybe so!) and my tackling of the Cleveland Marathon once and for all.

Stay classy Cleveland, Ohio!

Baltimore Marathon Recap

Sorry about the long delay, I was waiting for some pictures to add to the blogpost... but it has arrived!  My recap of the Baltimore Marathon!  I just want to start by saying 'I did it! AND I beat my goal time!'

For the past couple years I have been preparing to complete my first marathon.  Through good times and bad times, I pushed through.  To throw a cliche out there, the third time is the charm.  Two years ago I didn't even make it to the Cleveland Marathon starting line due to injury.  This past year I gave out at mile 23 in the Cleveland Marathon.  For the third try, after months of great training, I completed the Baltimore Marathon in 3:28:12!

This was by far the hardest thing I have ever done.  I found out that I can train all that is necessary but without the mental desire to push through to the end, I would not have completed.  The pre-race fiasco was a little over the top.  I arrived with Judy in downtown Baltimore at 7:30 for the 8:00 am race only to find that it was a mess.  All the parking lots were full, traffic, and the people directing traffic had no idea where to send people to park.  By 7:45, we parked in a random lot and rushed over to the course. 

It was a cold day but that is just my opinion, the temperature was around 45-55 all day.  For the first few miles I ran with the 3:30 pace group.  It was going well from the start and I ended up finding myself around mile 4 pulling away from the pace group.  Up until mile 17, I continued to knock out 7:20-7:30 mile times.  At the half mark I was at 1:40.  This was good and bad, the bad was that the half marathon was on a staggered start and was set to begin at 9:45... 5 minutes after I ran past the start line again (the course was in a figure 8 in a way).

 

Baltimore is a very, very, rolling hills course.  The beginning and end are nearly strait up hill.  Everyone I talked to had said to be sure to save myself for mile 19... mile 19... over and over it came up. Well... mile 19 is when it got to be really hard.  I started to fell it and slow down slightly going up all the hills.  By mile 21-22, the course loops around a lake and it is quite flat... but after that it is again up hill and then downhill for the final couple miles. 

Again at mile 22 I had to walk for a few seconds.  My body was hurting, I was tired and I didn't know if I could go on.  It wasn't 10 seconds after I walked that someone tapped me on the shoulder and said 'Lets go, you're almost there'.  I took that to heart and at least pushed the next half mile to the water stop.  This is where the race got hard, all mental.  I walked the entire mile 22ish water stop.  By the end of the stop I told myself I have to push on no matter how slow, but run.  A half mile down the road I saw my Aunt Julia waiting and cheering me on!  It was a good boost.

At mile 23, I came across someone struggling too.  I started to talk to him and he asked if this was my first marathon.  I told him I tried the Cleveland in May, but only made it to mile 23.  I had just crossed to the farthest I had been and was still pushing forward.  I tried to get him to run with me to the end, but around 100 yards later, he had to stop.  I pushed on, still running at a high 8 minute pace. 

There are few accomplishments in life that I feel truly happy about but this is one of them.  Months of training started to come back to my mind as I pushed forward in the race.  I kept saying to just get to the next mile marker: 24, then 25.  I realized I was going to make it! 

For the last mile, I had a great time.  I started to think back to when I was 285.  Back to when Ronjon and I would meet at the rec center and run in my final semester of college.  Losing 30 lbs by the end of the semester.  Continuing to run and lose weight.  Running my first race, a 5k in the middle of winter and finishing in 22:12.  Going to Israel and running on the shores of the Mediterranean at sunrise early in the morning.  Running 3 different 10k races in Israel (all some how at the same time but learning to prepare correctly).  DNF at the Cleveland Marathon... Losing 100 lbs total... and then soon to cross the finish line at the Baltimore Marathon.

The course was very lackluster.  Supposidly we ran through the zoo, but it was quick and only a couple birds were shown.  There was a few miles with different themes but I never saw them.  The people made the race great, tons of fans all throughout the course.  This was really evident at the end.  The final mile was packed full of people cheering.  I was wearing my Cleveland Marathon shirt and was pushed along by constant cheers for Cleveland! 

After mile 26, the race turns into Camden Yards.  All the cheering goes away and for just over 100 yards, you run in near silence (or maybe I just tuned everything out).  It was great as there were onyl a few people around me and I could really reflect on my accomplishment.  I crossed the finish line in 3:28:12.  Fist pumping across the line (and my arm cramped).


Too tired to smile

I want to also thank Judy for coming out!  Getting a kiss for motivation throughout different spots in the course was very helpful.  Having a fan cheering was great! I love you Judy!



I am already planning on signing up for the Cleveland Marathon in May and am hoping to train to BQ.  I think I can do it!  In addition I am trying to figure out what to train for over the winter months in a gym.  I would like to run an early race in Feb/Mar and PR.  Whether it is a 16:30 5k, 36:00 10, or 1:30 half is up to debate currently.

This past weekend, I didn't take it easy and ended up pushing my body too far post race.  I really hurt my ankle and am out of running for a few weeks at least.  I can use this time to recuperate but am already missing working out. 


Thanks for all the support everyone!

Well... all that is left...

It is a cold and blistery day in my opinion here in Cleveland.  I have completed everything I can in preparation for the Baltimore Marathon.  All that is left at this point is to get to the starting line and then to the finish line.  All week I have been very upbeat and confident about completing this marathon.  I woke up today a little groggy and have been very nervous and thinking about it all day.  This is now my third attempt at a marathon and I can't get out of my head the results of the first two.  I know I will have a great run tomorrow but getting to there will be difficult.

The Baltimore Marathon pacers make this marathon seem like a blast.  They have been very nice and helpful on facebook and have posted this video about the race:

They seem like a really great bunch and I can't wait to go running with them.

I am all packed and about to drive out to Baltimore.  I should have a lot more to say the day before the big race but I cant really bring myself to words quite yet.

Wish me luck!

Less Than A Week To Go

Oh Cleveland, this is the time of year that I am not a proud resident of this area.  It has been a cold and blistery few days and it has 'somewhat' impeded on my running.  Granted I only missed one run this week and it was a taper run, I think I will be fine.  I plan on running once on maybe Monday and once on Wednesday, both real short runs just to keep my head in the game.  For the most part, I wanted to come here and reflect a little bit on the current situation.

To start on a positive note, I am very excited for this marathon.  I believe that with the Cleveland Marathon back in May, I was just not ready for it on any level.  Heading to Oklahoma for a wedding mixed in with an injury threw off my training for four of the final six weeks.  When the marathon finally came around, I was just not physically nor mentally prepared for it.  The biggest memory I have from that day was running and even as soon as mile 8 wondering to myself 'Why am I even doing this?'

However, for the Baltimore Marathon, I feel I am heading in a completely different direction.  I completed two long runs of 21 miles in preparation and feel that in my current state I have the ability to wake up and say 'why not run 21 miles today?' and just do it.  I am excited for the marathon too.  Recently I broke the 100 lb weight mark while training for this marathon as I reached 185 lbs.  It has been quite a journey but I have reached a mile stone that I feel is the biggest motivator I have for crossing that finish line next Saturday.  I know I previously said I wanted to be 175 by race day, but that was a little ambitious.  I am at a point where weight loss is EXTREMELY difficult and maybe even unneeded.  After the marathon, I plan on spending the winter putting on some light muscle and working towards winning a 5k (made a new PR of 18:00 a couple weeks ago too!)

I am heading into this final week of 'training' however there is very little actual training to be done.  The more I think about it, the more I realize that it truly is a process to run a marathon.  Over four months previous to the actual run, training begins.  There are ups and downs, but all come together to be part of such a growing process and realization of what someone with a little determination can truly accomplish.

Regardless of how the run unfolds on Saturday, I am very happy with the progress I have made over the last couple years.  I have changed myself and my lifestyle and hope to continue heading in the right direction.  Saturday just turns into another milestone and marker down my path.  Where will I end up?  Maybe running a sub 17 minute 5k?  Maybe qualifying for Baltimore?  At this point, I feel I have the ability to push myself to accomplish anything I want to, even before running the marathon.  This is not to be an 'ego' situation, but more so that through the training and hard work there is a realization that the road to get somewhere is 99% of the battle.

The Last Hard Day of Work

This past week was an up and down time of training.  After running 21 miles a couple weeks ago, my body was in no mood to continue running again.  This came into true fruition after I ran only two times last week, both five mile runs.   However, I was preparing for a 5k on Saturday which went really well.

A quick race recap:
The day was cold and it was raining all evening the night before causing the trail to be very slipper and full of leaves.  It seemed like it was going to be a slow race and I would just give it my best.  With my lack of warming up as usual, I walked...shivering... to the starting line.  At the very last second I decided not to go with my headphones and handed them off.

With the start of the race we had to make a 180 turn which caused a big slow down in addition to every turn needing to be taken slowly for fear of falling.  I started out in second after 100 yards and was quickly passed by a teen running in 5 fingers.  This is basically how the race progressed till the end.  I was around 50 meters from second the entire time while the guy in first really took off. 

I was hoping to finish around 19:00 to improve on my last 5k time.  I came around the final turn realizing that I had a chance to break 18:00!  However I was unable to do so but still finished in 18:01!  I received a trophy for finishing 3rd overall!  So many new PR's and records and just a great time!

After the 5k and frisbee Sunday, I had very little interest in running the 21 I was supposed to over the weekend.  I had thought to myself that with the last 21 I ran, I could get away with skipping this one.  I decided to research it on Monday after my class before I went on a basic run and came across a good quote about the final long run. 'This is the last day you will have to work hard until marathon day'.  Taking this to heart, I tied on my shoes and left to run 21 miles.

The first half was okay, a little over marathon pace coming in a 1:26 (2 minutes above).  The second half I really pushed myself and just kept on saying 'last day to work hard'.  I finished the second half in 1:20 (4 minutes before pace).  I felt great! Tired! and Great!

I feel that I am heading into the marathon now as prepared as I could ever be.  Basically through the soreness and all I am at a point where I could just say, 'you know, why dont I run 21 miles today?' and just go do it!

Less than 3 weeks to the marathon, pushing forward.  Its all downhill from here.

Five Goals To Marathon Day

One thing I have prided myself on for some time has been my goal oriented self.  I carry around a goal sheet in my wallet for the past few years of long term goals I have wanted to accomplish.  Out of the 10, I am very proud and happy to say I have 3ish to go (ish... maybe will explain at a later point).  In preparation for the Baltimore Marathon in just over 30 days, I have thought about what it means to me and what I want to accomplish.

With this, I came up with five goals I want to accomplish by the end of the Baltimore Marathon.  Again with my same goal regulations of they have to be tangibly attainable goals, not 'moral' goals.

1. Eat well for 30 days up to the marathon.

Yea, yea, some days I eat well... but honestly most days I tend to drift the other way.  All the running I do helps maintain my weight though which is good and I am happy to say I am yet to put on weight.  I read a fair amount into how eating well allows better running and overall fitness.  I want to be as fit as I can come marathon day and so leading up to the marathon I will take care of my body food wise for 30 days real well.

2. Race day weight of 175
This is the loftiest goal out of the five.  It means losing around 10 lbs which I believe is possible.  Especially with eating well and taking care of myself for 30 days I think it is going to happen.  It will be super hard but if it wasn't hard, what would be the point?  Having a lighter race day weight will also make it easier to run and again, I want to be in super duper shape.  It is possible!

3. Run one 5k race previous to the marathon
I haven't had a chance to run any of the races I planned to heading up to the marathon.  I really enjoy the races and miss them.  In an attempt to really work on this one, I am already signed up for the Shaker Nature Center 5k on the 24th I believe, next Saturday.  If all goes well, I want to break 20 minutes again... maybe even 19:00.

4. Do 30 strait pushpins
If there is one thing I lack at, it is upper body strength.  Since I started my run training, I have really lacked in the muscle toning.  If every day I work on some abs and push-ups, I think no problem I can hit 30 push-ups in a row after 30 days.  I can also work on some new exercises for my app development... more on that in the future...

5. Finish the Baltimore Marathon
I was originally thinking finish the marathon sub 3:30... but that was my goal for the Cleveland Marathon and I know how that ended up... I will start with just the ideal of finishing a marathon, and I WILL.

Anyone else really goal oriented?  Any goals they want to share?

45 Days and Counting

Today marked 45 days and counting until the Baltimore Marathon.  This was quite the eventful week for me too in regards to that.  For the second strait week, I had a very good week of running.  I ran 44 total miles and my 7 mile time was one of my best ever (I almost beat it today, but slowed up between miles 3-4).  Even my long run of 17 miles was ran below my marathon goal pace.

This all led me to officially signing up for the Baltimore Marathon.  This past week I registered, sent in my shirt size and am gearing up to go.  I would like to thank my mom for taking care of the registration as my birthday gift.  I look forward to using it to finish my first marathon.

School has started this week causing life to need a little balancing.  With all the classes I am taking and all the driving (out to Orrville, OH twice a week), it is going to take me a few days to figure out a new routine.  I didn't run the first two days this week but was resting Monday and just didn't find the time or energy to do it yesterday.  Today I pushed out my 7 miles and think I may need to start running mid day.  Going to have to start bearing with the heat! Haha, just kidding, its CLEVELAND!  The mid day temps are already not bad at all.

As I am here eating my hearty salad for lunch, I figure with 45 days to go, 'Lets see what I can do'.  I have already beyond surprised myself at my new fitness and running ability/passion.  I wonder with 45 days of being super good with eating and running, what pre-race fitness level could I attain?  Judy has been strong with me while kicking sugar to the road for 30 days and that is half way through.  This wont be too hard to add to it?  Will it?

Sign Me Up!

I had a really good training week this past week.  It was quite hard to push through at a point but made it through.  A quick recap of the work:
Monday - 3 miles
Tuesday - 1 mile warm up, 3x 1 mile runs, 1 mile cool down
Wednesday - Off
Thursday - 7 miles
Friday - 10.5 miles
Saturday - 15.5 miles
Total -41 miles

With such a good week, I am going to start running with a watch again to really work towards the marathon. I even ran today and made my 3 miles in 19:20 which was pretty good.  The biggest part of all this is that now I will be signing up for the marathon.  Baltimore Marathon, here I come!

Baltimore Marathon Running Festival 2012

Before I sign up for the marathon, I have started to look through their charity pages.  I have never tried to run for a charity before and am interested in learning more about it.  The one that really caught my eye was the Best Buddies charity that worked on inclusion in schools and professional positions.  I sent them an email and am waiting to hear back on more information.

Best Buddies Maryland Charity

I am going to poke around a few blogs too and ask some fellow runners if they have ran for charities in the past and why they chose who they did.

Stay classy Cleveland, OH

Is it really a success?

So this past week, I finally hit my goal of breaking 100 lbs in weight loss.  I weighed in at 183 Wednesday morning and from my original base of 285 that is 102 lbs overall so far.  The whole time since then though it has not been such a 'joyous occasion' as I was expecting it to be.  It is very great in my mind that I am at an acceptable weight that is healthy, lowers my chances of diseases, I worry less about diabetes and other issues.  Overall healthy.

What comes to mind though that I cant get out of my head is everyone keeps on saying nice things to me about how well I have done losing weight, but what about before?  People don't go walking around saying to fit people, nice job, looking good, way to get it done.  Maybe they do for workout partners.  I high five Donny after a hard workout, mentally wish people good luck in the gym when I see someone struggling, and so on.

The biggest issue is that do I really deserve people saying great job for the weight loss?  It is more so because now I am at a healthy weight, but what did I do before?  How horribly was I disrespecting myself as a person before to even get to 285 in the first place?  People who don't have to go through this already respect their bodies in a way that wont cause a weight loss.  I think it is great that people work hard to lose weight and it is difficult, but it comes down to what was I doing to myself to let this happen in the first place.

I dont mean to be disrespectful but I do get disgusted going to fast food restaurants and seeing the people there eating.  There is a sense that I get looking around and thinking to myself what I used to do to myself and the results of it.  Now I am healthier but the USA and the world needs to start learning to respect themselves.  I keep thinking to myself when I get a craving 'I need to eat tomorrow too, why not wait to eat this extra food until then.'  The theory is there is always tomorrow, no need to gorge anymore today.

Its not about if, but when it will happen...

There are times when I think to myself that I have gotten over all my injuries.  I think my body is finally realizing the ability it has and is strong enough to push through after the weight loss and changing of lifestyles and running styles.  However, I think the new thought is not if something will happen anymore but when.  I have worked hard the last 2.5 weeks in my beginning preparations for the Baltimore Marathon.   This past Wednesday during my ultimate frisbee game (which we won!), I rolled my ankle.

Rolled might be an awkward way of putting it.  When it happened there wasn't pain, I just heard a pop or snap.  It hurt though when I tried to continue to run and kept on rolling lightly... just became plenty weak.  I took myself out of the game after a few points but played the final point.  We were tied and won like 16-15 or something like that, by one.

The point I am getting to is that injuries happen and I am realizing slowly that when they happen, it is about doing what is right and healing correctly.  I do not have swelling and no pain when I walk, but it hurts and easily bends and is painful then.  I am still icing, resting and getting it back.

There was a time before when I would think I am strong enough to work through it and continue to run through the pain... then I was out for 6 months.

I am waiting until Monday to start running again to give myself the opportunity to heal as much as possible.  I do not believe missing half a week will affect me too much in my overall training.  Things like this just happen and I am learning it is not about getting frustrated with it but just roll with the punches and just do what is possible.

Almost There and New Running Partner

So as promised, I did my Monday weigh in today.  I weighed 186!  I have 1 more lb to go until I reach my 100 lb mark.  For the next two weeks (the final two weeks in my 30 good days) I will be working hard to lose some more weight so I can stabilize at and below 185.  There is still some fat to lose and I am planning on taking the winter months after the marathon to really work on fitness and cut back on the running then.

On a more running oriented note, this past week I started running with a new partner... NPR.  I will admit that I believe I am addicted to NPR.  I listen to it all the time and if you are around me, the words 'so I was listening to NPR and...' come out plenty of times throughout the day.  My friend Doug who I met in Israel mentioned before that he ran to pod-casts or books on tape.  I decided to run to NPR this past Saturday during my long run.  Great idea!

I ended up listening to the news for the first twenty minutes and then Car Talk came on for the last hour of the run.  It was funny, intriguing and great.  Something that I dont always need to pay attention to but to pop in and out of was great.  I really enjoyed it and even ran to NPR for my 3 mile run today with Cody.

Cody is coming along well.  We ran again today for 3.25 miles.  It was a pretty slow pace after the first half but he is slowly going to get better and better!  He seems to enjoy it so we will keep on working.  He seems to get really worked up while running and tends to bark and other dark meanly or other passerby'ers (I am making up words... yes) occasionally.  It is something I am trying to reel in but will do some research on this week to see what others say.

Week three is in progress!  Stay classy Cleveland, Ohio!

14 Good Days

I am almost there... I hope.  Today was the end of two strait good weeks.  I have eaten well and I also have completed the first two weeks of the training for the Baltimore Marathon.

Here is a quick recap of the training from this past week:
Monday: Day off, I really needed it
Tuesday: 5 Miles
Wednesday: Summer League Frisbee
Thursday: 5 Miles
Friday: 7 Miles
Saturday: 10.5 Miles
Sunday: Bike 13 miles, yoga, and FUPA

I have been running much better and think I will start running with a watch very shortly.  Soon enough I suppose.

On another note, I will update another post tomorrow with my two week weigh in.  I usually weigh myself on Monday mornings and have spent this evening getting ready for it.  I hope to be at 189 but will take anything 191 and below.

On a final note, I feel as though I had a few good post ideas and can't really think of them right now.  When I update my weight tomorrow I will make a full post of it.

Until tomorrow, stay classy Cleveland, Ohio.

Week 1 Recap and More!

Just a quick recap of my training this week.  It was good to run with Cody on Monday and hopefully he will slowly get better conditioned so we can run faster.  I dont doubt he will get there.  Good day with sprints and had to mentally push for something I havent really done before.  All in all a good week and didn't really have a day off due to frisbee.

Monday - 3 miles w/ Cody
Tuesday - 1 mile warm up, 8x 400m, 1 mile cool down
Wednesday - off/Summer League
Thursday - 5 mile run
Friday - 5 mile rund
Saturday - 10.5 mile run
Sunday - Cross: 30 minute bike ride, yoga, and FUPA frisbee

Week two here I come!

On a more important note.  I have completed the first seven days of the be well challenge.  A month ago, I bought a sea salt Godiva chocolate bar.  It is my favorite type of chocolate and it seems to be the hardest to find.  I haven't seen this Godiva before and hope it is good.

 I have been saving it to have after a good week.  I will have one serving of it at the end of these next few good weeks.  By how the servings work, it will only last the first three weeks. I hope that if everything works well, I will be 185 by the final week and plan on baking something special for it.

I even saved calories in today's count for the chocolate!

Stay classy Cleveland, Ohio!

Best Part of Starting a New Training Schedule....

In my opinion, the best part of beginning a new training schedule is getting to buy new shoes!  Yea yea yea.... I am a guy and when it comes down to shopping in general I usually couldn't care less.  Regular shoes? eh...  Clothes? eh...  Running shoes? COUNT ME IN!

With my lack of a digital camera, I will look for it somewhere in this house sooner or later because it is around, I had to get a picture of the new shoes from online.  Newton Distance!  I actually bought a pair of shoes at the beginning of the week that were blue but they just squeezed down on the top of my feet too much and I had to exchange them back.  Second Sole is always really good at helping you find the perfect shoe for you.

It was the only color they had but at least people will see me coming from miles away!

On the topic of starting anew, as I stated earlier I am going to work on 30 good days of eating and being well.  It is now Saturday and I know the day isn't over yet, but each day this week from Monday - now I completed all my training (my body definitely is starting to feel it) along with I stayed below my calorie intake.  I have been using My Fitness Pal to see calories.  I have a daily 'max' of calories to intake and I usually try to stay under it between 500-1000 calories.  I have done quite well so far and day six is almost in the books.  I don't want to jinx anything but it seems I have a good chance of hitting 185 when all is set and done in 25 more days or so.

Stay tuned tomorrow for my weekly wrap up and weekly favorite quote!

Stay classy Cleveland Ohio.

Keeping an Honest Report

It has come up many and many times... the desire to eat and be well for 30 strait days.  I am going to finally take advantage of take advantage of this blog to physically benefit me.  Not only for the next 30 days will I be beginning my marathon training for Baltimore (began today), but I will also let the entire world know that I mean business this time when I say 30 days of being well.

At the end of each day I will create a post detailing my calorie intake and how well I did along with my training progress.  I use My Fitness Pal to help me with my calorie counting here or there.  It is time though to be serious about it all.

Also Judy will be arriving in around 22 days so it will give me a good start for her when she arrives and we can celebrate the 30 days ending together! (Shout out obviously).

Stay tuned tomorrow for post 1/30.

Second Wind/Second Attempt!

It has happened, I have gone crazy.  For those who do not know, I tried to run the Cleveland Marathon this past May and after doing something odd to my knee and an intense heat I was not expecting, I had to withdraw at mile 23.  Forever more, I will remember lying on the side of the road at the water station waiting for my mom to come pick me up just thoroughly exhausted.  I will probably throw a few more race recaps here or there throughout the next few months about what went wrong and what I will fix from the marathon.

In terms of quotes, the first thing I told my mom when I was picked up was 'it is just too damn long'.  Throughout the race I lost sight of why I was running and I can say with complete honesty that running that marathon was the single hardest thing I have ever tried to do.

Well... I have gone crazy and decided to try it again.

The Baltimore Marathon, a race I have read many good things about over time has surfaced as a race I will try to work towards running.  I have completed my training plan and after the first month (the end of July due to a rate increase), if I am still going well, I will sign up.

See my Baltimore Marathon training schedule here.

I mixed up my plan a little this time and the two main changes which I will comment on are the 3 mi every Monday and all the speed training.  The Mondays are so I can run with my dog Cody every Monday no matter what and maybe done the road he can run some of the 5 mile runs with me too.  Also, I figure I would like to work on some speed that will also aid me in increasing my 5k and 10k times and the interval training will do just that.  I ran a 5k a couple weeks ago finishing in 10th overall and 3rd in my age group at 19:30 (without my normal running shoes on a trail course).  Maybe I will break 19:00 in a coming race.

More to come! Especially now that I will have a computer that I can get into Google with and post through.

Beginning my marathon today to the finish line in October.

Race Day

Just like that, it is race day.

As Barney Stinson would say, "Let me tell you how to run a marathon.  Step 1: You start running.  There is no step two."

Race starts at7 am, playlist is all set, clothes are all on, shoes about to be tied.

Today is going to be a good day!

Track me if you want!  http://www.clevelandmarathon.com/Live_Runner_Tracking/

The Marathon is a Go!!

Well well well.... here we are on Wednesday May 9th.  It has been an up and down roller coaster ride towards this marathon that is less than 11 days away.  As most of you know, I hurt my foot a little over four or five weeks ago and it almost put a damper on my marathon plans.  Last year I was taken out of the marathon by hurting my hip and instead of healing it I tried to run through it and ultimately ran into issues for the next six months!  Not this time around!

There was a point a few weeks ago when I had to come to terms with not running the Cleveland Marathon again as my foot wasn't healing up as well as it should.  I was on an emotional roller coaster and it seemed like I was just jinxed to run.  Four weeks into the injury I went to my Dr. and he said not to get my hopes down, 'things happen' as he put it, and I would be back to running soon enough.  Well later that week I began running again....

I wasn't sure if I would be able to get back to the distances necessary still to run the marathon.  I was struggling and sore with 10-12 miles but all that changed this week.  This past Sunday I ran 21 miles!  I was so exhausted and out of it the rest of the day but I made it!  I needed that little miracle to get  me to run the Cleveland Marathon and it is a go!

I ran today again for the first time since Sunday and felt like a ton of bricks still in my legs but ran really hard and averaged 7:25 miles for my 7 miles.  I do not believe I will be able to run in 3:30 like I was hoping before as my 21 miles were at 8:45 pace instead of sub 8 but that is totally okay with me.  If I cross that finish line I will be ecstatic.  Hopefully under 4 hours though :-)

I am glad to be running the Cleveland Marathon in just over a week but I need to get ready!

To do list for the marathon:
1. Get new running socks (Thanks mom for the gift certificate!)
2. Prepare my running play list (look for a new post about this before race day)
3. Find the classiest clothes I can run in to look sharp.  Running is style obviously.
4. Pick up my race packet next week!
5. Oh yea and finish finals this week... hopefully more good news on this front shortly too!
6-10. I am probably forgetting some things so these are to be filled in.

The Good, Well... Getting Better Update

Well, here we are, a new week down the road.  I have had this foot injury now for over two full weeks with no running through it all.  Last week, the pain subsided enough to walk around but only a couple days ago, the pain completely went away.  My orthopedist gave me a boot to walk around in which helped but can be very uncomfortable.  However, I had not gone back to running.

With this week, I was hoping to return to running.  Having already missed a 20 mile run, this week would give me a 12 mile run on Sunday and then 20 next week.  I have been pain free for a day or two completely and was hoping to go running this morning.  Woke up and got up to go, shoes on and everything.  For starters it was bitterly cold outside and I felt like just staying inside and had multiple ideals of just giving up.  I am not a morning runner, this much I have basically already known... especially when it is cold.

Well... I got to the starting point second guessing myself and the foot over and over.  After around 30 feet of running I stopped.  I wasn't sure if my foot was hurt or not.  It felt like I was feeling the injury with the steps and was going to act up if I continued to run.  Maybe just some soreness.  However, I decided not to risk it and came home sadly.

The entire walk back I was thinking, maybe I am scared to run?  It has been over 2 weeks since running and my body may be a little not used to it anymore which could be a factor... especially mentally.  At this point, maybe I will try running on it later in the day down the week, but for now, I think it is best to not go on it.

I have injured myself over and over.  This foot injury was one of the most painful I have had so far...  I am not sure if I am at that point of fear for running now.  I get that little sinking feeling in my stomach when I try to get myself psyched to run around.  It has just been a bumpy ride and it is one of those, 'what will the next injury be?'  Instead of the 'get out and enjoy the run!'  I just dont know anymore.  

I am getting to that point in the training where if I miss much more, the marathon will be difficult.  I feel that if I atleast am able to get a running base back under me I will be okay for the marathon, but that means running by next week at the latest or I may be out.

Its a Rollercoaster Ride

Okay, it has been a few weeks since my last post and I want to apologize for that.  The past few weeks has been really up and down.  I will start with a little recap of the situation to get to where I currently am.


For spring break this year I went to California for the first time and saw Judy!  It was a great trip and I had brought my shoes with me to run.  That week however, was a rough week in terms of motivating me to run.  I ended up barely running Tuesday, and Wednesday flew out and arrived that evening in California.  Thursday I went to Disneyland for the first time and did not run.  Friday I ran in Granada Hills and almost face planted into the pavement.  Probably would have been a 'take me to the hospital now' type of fall, but somehow, and I mean somehow I barely stayed up.  I ran 16 miles on Sunday and was really happy about that. (I am missing a run in here or something I believe).

After returning it was real hard to start running again and I only ran twice that week.  My long run on Sunday was only 3 miles before I gave in.  I wasn't going to let that happen again.  It was a huge snag in the road for me and was an eye opener in terms of what I need to do for the marathon.  After that, I put my butt in gear (somewhat) and went for a good week after that.  I hit all my runs and ended up running 43 miles last week!  The most I have done in a week.  I even woke up at 5 15 am to run along the river in Tulsa, OK (where I was for a wedding) and ran 17 miles. 

With all this good turn of fortune came a real bad turn.  I ran eight miles on Saturday on the treadmill because I hate the cold and did it real fast too.  However, I also became aware later that day that my foot was 'cracking' and hurt a little on the outside.  I still ran all 17 miles on Sunday but ended up going to the ER to get my foot checked out when I couldn't walk without each step having horrible pains.  Turns out I was running on a badly sprained foot.  Luckily no stress fracture.  However, I could barely walk until yesterday when it still hurts but at least I am not limping. I hope to not be out of running for longer than two weeks or I will then need to put some serious thought to running the marathon.

I missed last years marathon with an injury and I hope to not miss this years again.  I am pretty sick and tired of having all of these snags and just wish that I could not be so injury prone.  I know I don't have the body of a runner but I hope to have one some day... that isn't going to happen if I keep getting hurt.

I guess what would marathon training for me be without getting an injury?

Wind and Winning!

Living in Cleveland at times can be extremely rough... weather wise.  Since coming back to Cleveland from Israel, it has been a cold, snowy, wintry mess.  I know what most people are thinking, 'It has been a nice mild winter this year!  It was even in the 60's in Jan/Feb.'  Well that just isn't good enough!  I miss running on the beach but today was a good booster.  I was able to run outside in the 68F that it was today.

It was a good run overall running a total of 7 miles.  The first three were ran in 20:10 which was a great time!  However, with Cleveland comes wind!  I remember reading one of INSPIRUNNING's blog posts about the least windy places in the USA.  Well, I totally agree!  Running up the hills of the Cleveland HEIGHTS/Shaker HEIGHTS was difficult, but not as bad as the Jerusalem hills I endured.

The final four miles were ran in 32:20 which was a good finish, however I could have done much better.  As my only second non-treadmill run in the past 5-6 weeks, it was a good sign of what is to come.  If I keep pushing, I don't think that anything can stand in my way!

Onto the 'Winning' portion of my post!  It has always been difficult for me for the past year + to lose the final little bit of weight I wanted to.  Since returning home, I may have let myself go on the eating front.  Even though I had been working out hard and daily, my base weight for some reason creeped back up to 203.  After seeing that on the scale for a few days strait and always saying I was going to take control, I finally did something about it.

At the end of last week, I signed up for MyFitnessPal.com  Here is where I have been keeping track of my eating.  I have done real real real real real well at reeling in my diet and keeping track of every morsel of food that I ingest.  The good news is that after starting off strong, I am back below 200 to where I came back from Israel (and spent the better portion of last year at) to 198.  According to the website, I can be at my goal of 185 by the second week of April.

I miss the feeling of hoping on the scale and seeing the new weight that I achieved. I remember seeing on my Facebook all my posts about each new weight I got.  Well it is time for that again!  I am on target to get there and get there strong!

 I am not sure how possible it is, but between the running, yoga, weight lifting, swimming, daily abs, and dieting, I have been saying I want to have a six pack by the marathon.  I don't think that is possible with the amount of toning/skin loss to achieve from the weight loss,but it is something I am going to strive for.  Even if it means I get it during the summer and swim suit season :)


On a side note, I am wondering where is a good place in Cleveland to run distance outdoors?  For my Sunday long runs, I'd rather run through parks than through city blocks.

Never give up! Never surrender!

My Top 10

I was recently reading a fellow bloggers post about her top 10 reasons for running.  This made me think in the back of my head what are my top 10 reasons for running?  I ran a good 12 miles on Sunday and since then it has been rough.  Today's 3 mile run was such a struggle and I don't know why.  With the difficultly of school work and training mixed together, I feel it is a good time to really sit down a think:

What is it that makes me enjoy running? (No Particular Order)

1. Running Against Myself
When running, especially when I am not a competitive runner going for gold medals and all that, I feel that I am not really in a race with anyone else.  Everyone, including me, has a PR for different distances.  I am not here to race against others, just to see if I can improve myself and push myself harder.

2. Improving My Past Times
I started out in middle school remembering running a timed mile.  It was a five lap mile and I finished four laps in nearly 13 minutes, granted I was really trying hard, and never finished the last lap.  In college, I ran a mile in 6:40 when I was large.  Now I ran a mile in 5:58 and could probably go faster if I push.  It is great to see how far I have come and know there is much more I can go too.

3. Me Time
The moment I put on my headphones is the moment nothing else matters.  I wont answer a phone call, think about school,worry about anything, except my run.  It is the time of day where I can relax, in a way, and just... run.  Yoga has been great for this too.

4. Overall Fitness
Yes, a few of these seem to be running together, but my overall fitness has been great.  Running has aided me in losing over 90 lbs.  I feel I am shifting away from a weight loss mindset even though I want to lose more, but into a more fitness/put muscle on my body.  It is hard to know where I began and how far I have come, but I do know that I am better than I used to be.

5. Seeing Others Run Too
I used to drive by people running, especially bigger people, and think pffft good luck...  Now I see someone running and I really wish them a 'Kol L'Chavod' (good for you in Hebrew).  I know personally now how hard it is to get outside and run and then to stick with it for times and times again.  If they have the power to do it, then I will give them my respect and hope that they can push through to the end.

6. The T-Shirts
There are some people who think, 'Another race t-shirt? What am I going to do with this?'  I enjoy getting a new shirt!  It is a memory of where I have been.  I have three from Israel, one from Baltimore and one from Cleveland.  Can't wait for more... one day it will make quite the quilt of where I have been and what I have accomplished.

7. Following Others Success
I really enjoy reading about other runners.  There are people who sit at the computer and play games.  I prefer to sit down and read other blogs or especially Active.com articles.  It makes me think in depth about what exactly it is I am doing and how I can improve.  Also how well others are doing and the tricks or walls they run into also.

8. Calves
Okay... so those of you who know me real well... I have a weird little quirk about myself.  I look at my calves...often.  Sometimes I will think they look good, most of the time I think they look fat.  Either way over the course of a day I will constantly, nonchalantly, glance at my calves from the front and just wonder for a second.

9. Goals
It has always meant a lot to me to lose weight and has been on my goal sheet.  It feels really good to know that thanks to running I have been able to cross off two long awaited goals from my goal sheet including weight loss and mile time.  I cant wait to achieve my next set of goals which include marathon completions and faster mile times.

10. Me Time
I know I already state this but I want to stress this point.  While in Israel, one of my friends asked me whether I prefer to run with someone or run alone.  My answer was I will always run with someone but nothing compares to running alone.  You get to set your own pace and then it is only you and you alone.  This is a great time to reflect or even just give your mind a break.  It feels good and especially on the longer runs, some people say they get bored and couldn't run far... I think they are thinking about it all wrong.  As I say, I can't run to techno loud crazy music, I need to run to a rhythmic, methodic type of music that makes me really feel the flow of the day.

Even after writing out these ten points, I feel there are plenty more reasons why I enjoy running.   This helped me feel better though about running and hopefully tomorrow, the new day, will bring a better turn of events and running mentality.

What keeps you running?

The Slacker

Okay I was not a slacker when it came down to training, just when it came down to finding time for the blog this past week. I am sorry!  Well mostly sorry to say the least.  It has been over a week since my last blog post and I slacked off on it heavily.  I would say it is about that time where the reality of the entire situation is starting to slowly come together.  Not to say I am not going to be running the marathon, but all the work necessary for school and the necessary time to run mixed in with having fun too.  However, now I am starting to get everything under control again and would like to use this post to give a little recap of where I am at currently.  

Upon my return to the States, I treated myself to a few new goodies!  The first of which was a new pair of running shoes.  I have a pair of Nike Free 2 that I wear for shorter runs and used for my running in Israel.  However, it was time to get a new pair of shoes that will become my marathon shoes, what my Sauchony's were supposed to be last year.  I went back to Second Soul in Lyndhurst to purchase a new pair and yet again, all I have to say about them is good things.  The guy there helped me try on a few pairs of shoes and give me a few pointers.  In the end I walked out happily with a new pair of Brooks running shoes.  The guy was even nice enough to give me a 15% discount.  On a side note, they have a very interesting sounding marathon training program that I was thinking of doing, but in the end as much as running can be a fun social event, I need to push myself to do this and know I can do it.  Personal preference.  

In accordance with my physical therapist from last year, I am now taking yoga (discussed in a previous post).  The JCC offers classes and they even offer use of Yoga mats.  Just thinking about using the mats and how clean they must NOT be, I treated myself to a lovely stroll through my favorite store, Target!  I ended up purchasing a new green yoga mat that has been great so far!  Even a little carrying strap to help me lug it around.  

 

As you can also see in the picture there is a medal!  I competed in the JCC Indoor Triathlon last Sunday.  I ended up running 10 miles Saturday and played 3 games of frisbee Saturday night.  On a lightly pulled (but wrapped and okay enough) groin and just tired out of my mind, I ended up winning my age group!  I even ran the farthest in my heat (1 lap of indoor track (130m) off of the fastest runner) and second in my heats biking after not sitting on a bike in 2 years.  All in all was a real fun time and cant wait to do it again next year!

 

I am still getting settled in my new training plan but making good progress.  On a more somber note, it seems that there is a wedding in Oklahoma I am going to the same weekend as the Toepath Half Marathon.  Seems I will not be running that but will be on the lookout for other races.

Stay tuned for a fun update later this week!  Thanks for reading!

The Rhythm of Running

There are many times when I am asked what type of music I listen to while running.  So many people I know when they work out or when they run need to be listening to this 'angry', really up beat techno-ish type of music.  I personally feel, that atleast for distance running, listening to this type of music is the opposite of the mentality that someone should have while running.  When I run, I enjoy listening to music that really gets me into the beat, into the rhythm, the Rhythm of Running.

In every playlist I have created for listening to while running, there are a few songs that keep on showing up that are prime examples of what I mean for the type of music to listen to while running.  If there was a best example, I would say Death Cab for Cutie and their song I Will Possess Your Heart.  This is one of those songs that just has a great rhythm to it in the beginning and just keeps on going.

There are even other more extravagantly slow songs I enjoy like The Rolling Stones and their song You Can't Always Get What You Want.  Come on, this is a song that is all about dedication.  "You cant always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need."  What is more inspirational than that?  One of my favorite songs of all time.

There are some more 'upbeat' type of songs I enjoy while running, but still within reason.  The last few songs that I will individually highlight here are Augustana's Boston and by my favorite band Nine Days 257 Weeks, and lastly Counting Crows with Mr Jones.  All in all, I just need a song with a good rhythm to it, I could go on and on forever about the huge list of songs I think are amazing to listen to while running.  I will do one better though!

Music defines who I am I feel at times.  I enjoy jamming out in my car and singing at the top of my lungs.  I also feel it sets the mood, especially even in races.  For example, when I was in Israel, LMFAO came on before the Tel Aviv 10k with their song Every Day I'm Shuffling.  Well, I tend to remix that in my mind to Every Day I'm Struggling... and struggle I did during that race.  Before the Jerusalem 10k though, all they played was Katy Perry.  I was dancing around and singing and enjoying it so much... to date, my best ran race.

So the reason I am writing this blog post is because while running the Cleveland Marathon this coming May, I am allowed to listen to music while I am running.  Last year, I started to think of a 'Super List' of songs that I would love to listen to while running the Marathon.  Most of my lists are around 2ish hours.  With my goal to run a marathon in sub 3:30, I would like to create a 4 hour list of the best of the best songs. 

1. Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Possess Your Heart
2. Counting Crows - Mr JOnes
3. Nine Days - 257 Weeks
4. Augustana - Boston
5. Rolling Stones - You Cant Always Get What You Want
6. 311 - Beyond the Great Sky
7. Oasis - All Around the World

What songs do you enjoy listening to while running?  I am open for all suggestions too!

Stay tuned for song list update posts!

Running Home To Yoga

Well... it finally happened.  The trip of a life time came to a close and I have returned home to cold, snowy, and windy Cleveland.  Okay, that is not entirely true as it nearly hit 60F today!  I seem to have brought back some of Israel with me.  After spending 23.5 hours traveling yesterday, I came home and collapsed after going out to dinner.  Might as well give the full travel run down:

Wake up at 5:30 am
- 45 minute bus ride from housing to train station
- 2 hour train from station to airport
- 11 hour 40 minute flight from TLV to Newark
- 1 hour 30 minute flight from Newark to Cleveland! 

I landed at 8 pm local time and after sleeping for a night in an actual sized bed (yay no more small twin bed), I woke up early to go to my first class.  I am starting the rest of my life today!  It was an interesting class, Physics, that made me realize I will be capable of doing real well if I try hard enough, which I will.  It turns out that in the class, there is a lady who ran the Chicago Marathon recently.  However, she when I asked her about the Cleveland Marathon, she said she wasnt working towards it and tried to run two marathons since Chicago, only to not be able to finish the races.

So onto my new training!  I officially start my 15 week path to the Marathon this coming Monday, but in preparation, I am just working on some good fitness and preparing my body still for the beginning.  One thing I did last year which I mention often is all I did was run, run, run.  In my attempt to change that, I am going to be taking Yoga on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  I started that this week as I went to a 75 minute yoga class this evening.

Yoga... what can I say about Yoga?!  That it is wonderful, leaves you feeling regenerated, happy, and ready for whatever challenges are thrown your way.  Last year, with all my injuries, my physical therapist suggested I go to Yoga.  He only suggested I do it maybe once a week, but would be good to learn the basics.  I am going to take his thoughts to heart and actually go often!  Nearly two years ago, I went to take a class at Cleveland Yoga and enjoyed it beyond anything!  However, I never have been back to a class and now that I am back in Cleveland and signed up to the JCC, they offer free classes and it is about time I take advantage of them.

I went to Target (my favorite store in the world) and bought a new mat today and some new Clif bars.  With the ability to use my mat for the first time, I really enjoyed class.  I really built up a sweat as Yoga makes you work, but gave my muscles a good stretch.  I hope to not get injured as I will continue to do yoga on Thursday this week and twice every week to come.  This mixed with cross training of swimming on Monday, and weight lifting Monday/Wednesday I am hoping will give me a good mixture of building to a good core.

After my yoga, I got on the treadmill to just get into running in the USA.  Okay, this is when I finally realized that I am a bit jet lagged.  I ran only 2.5 miles in 17:03.  It was a little fast, especially when my marathon goal time is 3:30 (8 minute miles), but it felt good to get a good sweat in.  Tomorrow I am going to go swimming, all in preparation for the JCC Indoor Triathlon next Sunday.  Not anything serious, but why not have a little fun to jump start my training?

I am getting excited to begin training for the Cleveland Marathon fully next week!  They even sent me a HUGE shoulder strap bag for carrying shoes and items to the gym.  I think they are just trying to temp me into buying a shirt... it may be working. 

Glad to be home and getting excited!

Injuries And The Need To Rest

Recently, I signed up to receive the Runners World quote of the day through my email.  Some of the quotes have been really interesting and some seem to just be a little ‘out there’ in my mind.  However, there was one quote I received this week that really stuck out in my head based on my past year of running and training for the 2011Clevelland Marathon.  The quote is by Ryan Hall and is as follows:

“I constantly remind myself that resting takes confidence. Anyone can train like a mad man but to embrace rest and to allow all the hard training to come out takes mental strength.”

As stated in my inaugural post to my blog, last year was a rough year full of injury after injury.  I was hoping to run the 2011 Cleveland Marathon and was training hard towards it; however I was not fortunate enough to make it all the way through my training.  In my multitude of reading I have done into running and running injuries, I found that 45-65% of runners will get injured in some way each year.  The degree of severity varies for each runner and each injury but I also came across this very telling quote from a Runners World article too.

‘“It's easy to get injured; anyone can do it. Just run too much. "I firmly believe that every runner has an injury threshold," says physical therapist and biomechanist Irene Davis, Ph.D., from the University of Delaware's Running Injury Clinic. "Your threshold could be at 10 miles a week, or 100, but once you exceed it, you get injured." Various studies have identified injury-thresholds at 11, 25, and 40 miles per week. Your threshold is waiting for you to discover it.’

If there is one thing I have been constantly told about running injuries is that if you hurt something and take care of it the proper way quick enough and not try to run through your injuries, you will heal quicker and better.  Last year, I did not do this at all and ran into a few long term injuries.  The first of which was my hip (IT Band).  I do not believe I got this injury from runner per say, but the running did not aid in its healing.  I used to work in restaurants in a kitchen and would be on my feet for 12-14 straight hours each day.  At Lola (the last place I worked), during my marathon training, I remember at the end of a day mopping the floor and feeling a tweak in my hip, standing upright and saying out loud ‘I think I just really hurt my hip’. 

Instead of taking a couple days off of running and being able to heal my hip up completely, I kept on running and had serious pain in my hip.  For a few days I would limp around work in pain and every 2-3 days when I could feasibly run again, I did and reinjured myself.  This went on for nearly six weeks until one faithful day I was running my 14 mile run outdoors for the training and felt my hip pop three times very painfully.  It was the most inspiring run I have ever had to date as my run encompassed the trails of so many shorter runs I had been on to see how far I had come in my training and weight loss.  Yet, I knew it was enough and had to stop.  The next day I called a physical therapist and began PT for the next eight weeks

Needless to say, I did not follow the theory of trying to rest and heal myself completely and ultimately turned something that I could have come back from in a week or two into something that took me out for months.

After around three months I was back to running, but yet again I injured myself on my first run slipping on some leaves and cutting my entire right leg.  It is still scarred today over a year later and wasn’t able to run for just over a couple weeks.  At this time, I had already transferred my Cleveland Marathon registration to next year (2012) and had signed up for the matching 10k in 2011 (ultimately dropped this race due to the runners knee).  Once I was back though, I ‘ran into’ into my next injury of runners’ knee while running a real fast 5k on a treadmill.  I ended up running a 5k race in Baltimore later that week but ended up going back to physical therapy and ended my running for the next two plus months until I arrived in Israel. 

It was very difficult for me to not run for so long as I tried to heal myself for Israel, but I embraced the rest and arrived in Israel ready to run!  I ran for the first six weeks very happily and well and injury free.  I remember during one run saying to Doug who I was running with that it feels so good for the first time in a while to run without any pain.  This wouldn’t last that long as I would be tested, and tested quickly. 

Around one week before the Tel Aviv 10k, I pulled my groin and was in bad pain while walking and taking stairs.  I tried to rest it and felt a week later I was good enough to run the Tel Aviv night run, however I couldn’t be more wrong and hobbled nearly in tears the entire walk home after finishing the race in 45:12 including walking a few minutes and slowing down heavily due to the pain.  I knew what I had to do though and that was REST!

I embraced fully the idea of resting to heal and took care of it the right way, icing injuries, resting, compressing, and strengthening.  Currently I am injury free again and looking forward to running back in Cleveland in preparation for the marathon!

In my training plan this year, I worked in in a more proper fashion of making sure I have a full day of rest in each week and will be sure to follow through on it.  Also, there is a cross training day to keep up the work but on different muscles.  The last injury prevention added in is that I will do weight training to help strengthen and prevent future injuries.  I plan to follow my training schedule and not overdo it trying to do more than I am capable of. 

Lastly, I plan to rest and properly heal any injury I get if one arises.  I know what it is like to be removed from running for a length of time and it is unbearable.  I don’t want that to happen again.  I am looking forward to my training this year and all the experiences and new lessons it will bring with it.  There is one week left in Israel and the excitement to start training for the marathon is soon to boil over!  I am ready!

On a small side note, all this experience with Physical Therapists has at least helped me decide what it is I want to do with my life.  I am returning to school to work towards getting into Graduate School for a Doctors of Physical Therapy.   

(This is the article I was referencing, good article on injury prevention: 10 Laws of Injury Prevention)

The beginning... again!

This year is a new year, it is now 2012.  When thinking back on the last two years, it seems that they were two completely different years.  Two years ago, I decided it was time to kick my self in the behind and start to get into shape.  With the end of college looming and only one semester to go, I started going to the gym in February 2010 to run and work out to get into better shape for Ultimate Frisbee.  Little did I know the type of effect it would have on my future.  By the end of the year I had lost 70 lbs and weighed only 215.  Not only that but I had become addicted to running and had my mind set on running the Cleveland Marathon, even to the point of signing up in January 2011.

However, 2011 was not as good to me.  I began to run farther, faster and harder but it came at a price.  By March I had dropped below 200 lbs for the first time in who knows how long and weighed only 195 (where I currently stand too).  The downside was I had hurt my hip in my running and did not heal it properly.  By the end of March I had to give in on running and drop out of the Marathon to start physical therapy.  After months of this including a second PT stint for runners knee, I was okay to begin running by the beginning of September.

From September until the end of January, I have been in Israel enjoying the trip of my life.  It has been quite the experience from meeting the most amazing people to seeing beautiful sights and hearing influential speakers.  While here, I have been able to run again and have been quite happy.  I ran three different 10k races and have been under the "Israel 45 Curse" as I have ran each race in roughly 45 minutes for various reasons.  I wanted to break 40 minutes but in my being unable to accomplish this, I have learned  how to prepare for races on many levels.  From injuries to eating habits, all will aid me in my return home.

2012 is a new year and is already on the right track!  Injury free, healed up completely, and looking forward to running!

Though I dropped out of last years Cleveland Marathon, I was able to transfer that registration over to this year.  Now that I have been fully registered again, I have been working on creating my training plan.  I return home at the beginning of February and have decided I will give myself a week back home before fully running.  I will use this time to continue regular runs and overall fitness training, just as I have been doing in Israel.

As of now this is what I have come up with for my marathon training.  I did a lot of research and want to be able to cross train at least one day and rest at least one day too.

Current Training Schedule:

Week	Week Ending	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1	Feb 6 - 12	Cross	3 mi	5 mi	3 mi	Rest	5 mi p	10 mi
2	Feb 13 -19	Cross	3 mi	6 mi	3 mi	Rest	6 mi p	11 mi
3	Feb 20 - 26	Cross	3 mi	6 mi	3 mi	Rest	6 mi r	12 mi
4	Feb 27 - 4	Cross	3 mi	6 mi	3 mi	Rest	6 mi p	10 mi
5	Mar 5 - 11	Cross	4 mi	5 mi	4 mi	Rest	7 mi p	14 mi
6	Mar 12 - 18	Cross	4 mi	7 mi	4 mi	Rest	7 mi r	16 mi
7	Mar 19 - 25	Cross	4 mi	7 mi	4 mi	Rest	8 mi r	17 mi
8	Mar 26 - 1	Cross	4 mi	5 mi	4 mi	Rest	Rest	Towpath Half
9	Apr 2 - 8	Cross	5 mi	8 mi	4 mi	Rest	8 mi p	18 mi
10	Apr 9 - 15	Cross	5 mi	8 mi	5 mi	Rest	5 mi p	20 mi
11	Apr 16 - 22	Cross	5 mi	5 mi	5 mi	Rest	8 mi r	12 mi
12	Apr 23 - 29	Cross	5 mi	8 mi	5 mi	Rest	5 mi p	20 mi
13	Apr 30 - 6	Cross	5 mi	6 mi	5 mi	Rest	4 mi p	12 mi
14	May 7 - 13	Cross	4 mi	5 mi	4 mi	Rest	3 mi r	8 mi
15	May 13 - 20	Cross	3 mi	4 mi	Rest	Rest	2 mi r	Marathon

On Cross Training days I am hoping to go swimming.  Along with this, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when my runs are shorter, I am going to do weight training to make sure I dont get injured.  Also, one day a week I will be taking a yoga class.  I am going to be the new face of the JCC with how much time I will be spending there!  Last year all I seemed to do was run run run and never followed my plan correctly and ended up running into injury.  This year I will be doing it right and right from the start.

My time is going to be full as I am returning back to school to hopefully get a degree in Physical Therapy.   Currently, as my background has been in Food Service and Business Management, I need to complete over a year's worth of prerequisites before applying to grad school.  It is a new passion I found in me after the past experiences I have had and figured it out in Israel.  I am going to miss it here but am really excited and cant wait to begin my next steps in life.

Thanks for reading my inaugural post!  I will keep updating throughout my journey to my first marathon (second time around).   Feel free to comment or share any insight you might have to help me along.  I am an avid reader of Active.com and RunnersWorld.Com and really enjoy the random little tidbits I read about.