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!