still a gimp

So, the gimp knees are still gimpy. I ran my 4 miles on Saturday and took yesterday off. The IT band in my right leg is still a bit tight making walking uncomfortable. I hope taking off between runs will enable me to rest enough and still get workouts in. I’m going to attempt 12 miles after work today. Not fun since the Steelers are playing Monday Night Football. I’ll get home just in time to shower before kickoff. I guess I’ll ice my legs through the first quarter and see where I stand the rest of the week.

I can’t believe it’s down to less than 2 weeks! I’m not freaking out because I’m in full-on denial mode. As far as my brain is concerned, I’m going to Chicago for the pizza and to try a Gibson martini at its supposed birthplace, Gibsons Bar and Steakhouse.

YUM...

Fun info.

Runner's World online recently added a Chicago Marathon section to their website. It's pretty cool, and a testament to how big this race is. I can't believe I'll be in the same race as Olympic runners. Obviously, I'm not on their level, but it's cool how runners of all levels will be running the same course.

They also featured an article on tapering yesterday. I like how they also have a "Mental Prep" for each week. Especially with these longer distances, so much is mental. It's funny how antsy I've become already with the decreased mileage. I am taking an extra day off this week because of what I assume is IBS, but it stinks. My legs want to be moving...

Name That Injury!

I'm changing the name of my blog to "Name That Injury!" It seems more fitting since I discover a new pain on what seems to be a daily basis. Today's pain has bothered me since my second 20-miler. I don't think my knee cap was displaced anymore. I think it's my stupid IT band because I'm getting pain in the exact same place (outside of knee and down leg) in my right leg. Yay... I made it a mile on my morning run before I cried "Uncle" and walked/limped home. Yup, a lousy mile later...

I did a little online research because I was curious why I was able to keep running on Saturday after the initial "stabbing" sensation. Web MD says that one of the symptoms of IT band symdrome is "pain that generally disappears as the band is stretched out and becomes more flexible." I guess that makes sense because I was able to run, albeit not well, after a few stretches. The website also says a few of the other IT band syndrome symptoms include:

1. Pain on the outside of the knee or hip. Check!
2. Snapping hip pain as the iliotibial band snaps back and forth over the point of the hip (greater trochanter). Check!
3. Pain that improves with rest. Check!

Ok, so I know that I'm no doctor, but all these seem to point to a big, fat "rest before you can't run the actual marathon, dummy!" Not what I want to hear or do, but I'm going to take today and tomorrow off and see what happens.

As for the rest of the marathon prep, I saved $300 on my Chicago hotel yesterday, so that's awesome! The hotel priced matched Expedia.com's 24-hour sale price. How nice is that??? It's a pretty pimp downtown hotel. Should be fun times!

P.S. Wearing heels when you have this kind of injury is not fun and quite painful. Not sure what I was thinking while getting ready for work this morning...

Let the tapering begin...

I realized that I haven't posted an update on the hip/possible stress fracture issue. It turns out that I don't have a stress fracture because through a little rest, lots of ice and some physical therapy exercises, the pain in my hip is almost nonexistent. Yay! That was a huge concern because it obviously could have signaled the end to all this training, so I am relieved to have that injury behind me.

I ran the second of the two 20 mile runs this past Saturday with a fellow marathoner, Abbey. She's running Baltimore, which happens to be the same weekend as Chicago. I have to say that she is super fast, and I appreciate her toning done her awesome running skills to let me run alongside her. :) We ran North Park which contains a few hills. Nothing huge, but more of a grade increase than I'm used to. Why don't I train more with hills? Because hills suck. I must say that I secretly wondered if I could actually finish 20 miles of consistent ups and downs, but running with her took my mind off of the different terrain (almost).

We finished in almost exactly 3 hours, just like my previous 20 miler. I had a knee issue around mile 14 when we stopped at a fountain to get water and refuel with energy gummies (Love them! Definitely using for the race!). Once we started back up, it felt like someone had stabbed me in the side of my left knee. I literally almost fell over. Abbey thought it had popped out of place and that was my conclusion as well. I did a few stretches and got it into a position where I could run (See, this is where crazy running brain comes into play. It doesn't register that maybe you should just stop...). I didn't stop again until we were done. I limped to the car and made it home. Fortunately, it doesn't seem like it was an actual injury because I felt ok again on Monday (minus the aching and general soreness all over my body).

So, I'm tooting my own horn once again. Another 20 down. The odd thing is that I'm not sure if running 20 miles again has given me more confidence in my abilities or simply scared me to death. Now that I've felt the wall twice, I'm not looking forward to running for an HOUR more. However, for the sake of not abandoning my goals, I'm going to pretend that the other 6.2 miles don't phase me. Wall? What wall?

My longest run for the next three weeks is *only* 12 miles. How exciting is it that I can say *only* when talking about running 12 miles?! I couldn't finish a mile in college... it's just really cool to see how far I've come. :)

Fun running article

In honor of my new iPod, here is an article about my two addictions - music and running.

Running, The Lyric of Love
By Brian D. Sabin

20 miles! Woot!

I ran my first 20 miler this past Sunday, and it felt AWESOME! I got a little cocky around mile 14 and actually had the nerve to think to myself, "Wall? What wall?" Three miles later, I met the wall, and it's one tough mother. It felt like my legs were suddenly tied to lead weights. My sides hurt. I was really thirsty. But I'm proud to say that I persevered and sprinted the last half mile. It was painful. I think both my legs went numb and my toes felt like they had fallen off, but I did it! In about 3 hours! I averaged 9 minute miles, which is faster than I have been running during the week. I guess it's time to step it up!

I tried the energy gummies, and they definitely helped keep me going. As did my iPod shuffle. :) I took an ice bath when I got home, and it really did work miracles. I made sure to stretch lots that afternoon and attended yoga the following day to stretch things out even further. After 20 miles, my 5 mile run last night was a piece of cake! I can feel my legs getting stronger. I feel like I could conquer the world at the moment.

Running investments

Whoever said you just need a pair of running shoes to run is LYING. I went all out to prepare for the first of two 20 mile runs on my training schedule. I bought new shoes to break in before the race and just about every energy bar/gel/gummy/gu available at the running store. I hadn't experimented with those yet and knew that I would need some kind of energy assistance during the race. I also bought one of those water bottle holders that go around your waist. Holding a water bottle for 2 plus hours is no longer fun.

I broke down and bought an iPOD shuffle too. My iPod mini's battery is finally losing its steam, and I knew I was not motivated enough to simply enjoy the sounds of nature for the three hours it would take me to run 20 miles. (I would love to say I'm the zen-type of runner who does it for the joy of being one with nature... but I'm not. I curse the ground I run on every day. Running is a pain in the you-know-where. Don't let the veterans tell you otherwise. It's their cruel initiation joke.) I absolutely LOVE the shuffle! I don't know why I didn't buy it sooner. It's so tiny and lightweight, and I can clip it just about anywhere on my person! I also love that I'm not tempted to fiddle with playlists because I have to preset my list before I leave the house. I thought maybe that would be annoying to not be able to search by artist or title or whatever, but who wants to be that distracted when they feel like their legs are about to fall off?

Isn't she pretty?