20 miles: check!

I woke up at 5:30, stretched every conceivable body part, iced my knee, heated my knee, and ate a bowl of oatmeal. I took 4 ibuprofen pills. I was the picture of compliance.

When I got to our running site at about 6:45, it was COLD- 30 degrees, but a wind chill of 15. The wind was what realllly made it cold.

I tried running, but pretty soon my knee started feeling twingy. Kind of like the rattle you hear before the snake strikes, I guess. So, I walked most of the 20 miles, and my coach was nice enough to show me race-walking techniques (you know, the people you see waddling at a seemingly inhuman and unnatural speed while pumping their arms but never letting both feet be in the air at once).

I'm sure I was quite a humorous site, bundled up in 2 hats, a windbreaker, a vest, a fleece, long sleeved and short sleeved shirt and gloves. Basically a marshmallow with legs waddling along, trying to walk as fast as possible.

But I don't care. I got my 20 miles in, and I am going to cross the finish line at the Austin Marathon, and if that means I have to walk and not run, well, it's not what I pictured, but it's not defeat, either. I still get a medal.

I wanted to run so badly today, but I knew if I did, I'd just make my knee worse. And I am not interested in badly/permanently injuring myself. I have at least fifty more years to run marathons. I've only been running for months, I'm still very much a beginner, and walking this one race is not failing.

As it is, my knee is not exactly pleased about its current situation, but the pain is more annoying than it is searing, which is an improvement. I'm going to take some more anti-inflammatories and take a nap and see how it's doing later today....

but as for right now........... I did 20 miles today! YAY!

Grrrrrrrr for inflamed IT bands

Well, my knee and I are currently in severe disagreement with each other. I am of the opinion that on February 18th, I am going to be running 26.2 in the Austin Marathon. My knee has very poor manners and is prone to throwing tantrums in the form of inflamed tissue and searing pain up the side of me leg.

Now, I have tried to reason with with my left IT band. I have massauged it's feelings, I have iced and coddled it for 20 min. 3X a day. I have ingested large quantities of anti-inflammatories in the hopes that some sort of an arrangement could be reached. Not to mention my elongated stretching sessions, from which every other part of my body EXCEPT my knee has become loose and limber as a result of. Or the scary needle incident which was supposed to help, but didn't.

Alas, my knee is one stubborn son*of*a*. I wonder where it gets it from.

Did I mention I have 20 miles on my training schedule tomorrow?

I have been a little depressed about this, as I have succeeded in getting into the best shape of my life, exceeding my fundraising goal, and now will possibly fall short because a stupid band that won't behave itself and work properly.

The reason for all of this seems to be a result of my scoliosis/spinal rotation and subsequent surgery which basicly fused my spine into a set arrangement that = one of my legs being significantly closer to the ground than the other, which makes one leg have a lot more stress than the other, which has resulted in the aforementioned tantrum-throwing knee. It was interesting, when I was looking at my shoes with my physical therapist/coach, that one of my shoes had almost no sole worn away, and the other hardly had any left.

It's interesting how the body can compensate for something you didn't even know was wrong with you until you try to do something you've never done before.

Anyhow, it looks like I probably won't run the whole thing- I'll probably have to walk some of it, and it will take me a lot longer than I was aiming for. I realize it is somewhat of an arbitrary goal- that maybe my body just needs more time and will be ready in a few months from now if I just eased up on myself. It's just so frustrating to set a goal, put the work in, do everything right, and be held back because of some assinine physical barrier. On the other hand, maybe I'm supposed to learn something from all of this that will give me greater understanding of.....something.

I'm going to see how tomorrow's 20 miles go and guage what I should do about the race from that.

Team in Training Mentor!

I just wanted everyone to know that I have decided to become a Team in Training Mentor. Having successfully completed a race (White Rock Half Marathon) and successfully completed my fundraising ($2500 so far!) I can't wait to help other people run races and raise money for cancer research!!

If anyone is interested in joining this GREAT organization, we have a meeting coming up where you can sign up!

Tuesday, January 23 -- 7:00 p.m.
Groves Library (5520 19th Street)

I certainly encourage EVERYONE to think about doing this, especially if you've always thought it would be cool to run a marathon, but maybe thought you couldn't.
If you know me, you realize that if I can do it, just about anyone can. Let's just say I haven't exactly been a Speedy Gonzales for most of my life.

It has just been a great experience for me- the support is amazing. Coaching, guidance, friends, and of course being part of a team committed to raising thousands and thousands to help people with cancer.

Also, one of our coaches is a physical thereapist, and I have benefitted from her knowledge. I just got done icing my knee and doing the exercises she suggested. Definitely an added bonus having her around!

I don't want to scare anyone away from joining because of my knee- it turns out that the root of my problem probably has something to do with the fact that I had a pretty big back surgery years ago, and also had a hip graft. Anyway, one of my legs is a little higher than the other, causing a little extra stress on one of my knees. I'm going to look into getting an insert for one of my shoes.....

I'm a little sad training has been cancelled for tomorrow due to the weather :( Hopefully the rec will be open so I can do my 18 miles on the treadmill.

I met my Fundraising Goal!!!

It's only January, the race is a month away, and more that $2400 has been raised for cancer research so far, which is already $400 over my original goal. THANK YOU to everyone who has donated.

If you combine the fundraising from everyone from our team, we have collected well over $10,000 by now, collectively. I don't have the exact numbers, but I'm going to find out because I bet it's a lot higher than that.

Of course, with something like cancer research that's a drop in the bucket, so if you're looking to give to a really fantastic cause- this is a good one! The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has a small percentage of administrative costs and the bulk goes directly to supporting families of cancer patients and to researching for a cure!

There are a lot of problems in the world, and so many great causes. In this country, though, the leading cause of death in children in this country is still leukemia. So I am excited that in some small way, the generosity of people who donated (and also the generosity of people who bought my cakes and cookies, for they knew not what they were buying) will help people going through the ordeal of cancer.

I was just kidding about my cookies, by the way.

What I love about running...

I love the way cold air feels in your lungs when you step outside. I love feeling like I can conquer the whole world, one step at a time, like anything is possible. I love noticing little things like the way a leaf has fallen in the crack of a sidewalk, or how a neighbor has planted something surprising in their yard. I like how you can learn something about other people just by passing by their home everday (I bet the mailman knows more about us than we'd think). I love how muscles feel the day after you really stretch your abilities- it's a good reminder that I am in fact alive. I love thinking I can't and finding out I was wrong. I love flying around my neighborhood feeling light and strong. I love how 300 calories are used in approximately one half hour, which helps make an occasional indulgence like hagen daaz mayan chocolate ice cream slightly less guilt twinged in my conscience. I love moisture-wicking clothing and mizuno shoes, and little tiny pockets for keys. I love not feeling dependent on a car for transportation, knowing that my legs are quite capable of getting me to where I need to go, that even in the event of a nuclear attack I'd be able to quite literally run for the hills (well maybe not that far; I do live in Lubbock). I like running for a cause and knowing that somewhere down the line, the life of someone with cancer might benefit from all of this. I like having all of that time to think-just think, about anything- being alone with thoughts about the world I've been so mysteriously placed in, and what I should be doing in it, crazy things about how places shape music and feeling and culture, and how culture shapes music and places.....about people I love or things, or how to deal with something I'm angry about, or even just simply pray. There is a wonderful rhythm to running that makes this sort of thing possible, maybe a rhythm like the one when we were in a womb; I don't know. Daydreaming rhythm. Some people meditate best with a prayer rug and silence, or on the altar in a church- running makes the whole world an altar at which to pray. One of my favorite memories involving running includes a large black woman walking around the lake at Mae Simmons shouting/singing "Glory to God, please help my son, praise Jesus." I ran 3 miles around the lake and the lady was still there, still walking, still praying.
I also like listening to new music, or any music, though this sometimes leads to spontaneous dance moves or what I'm sure would seem like odd vocal outbursts to random passer-bys. I like listening to pimsleur Irish one (the cds of which I really must return to the original owner) and learning random Irish phrases while running. I like the energy it brings and the sense of accomplishment it brings, and the challenge to go further (farther? I never can remember this particular rule) which so far I have not reached the limit of. If only my fraking gorram knee would behave properly (watchers of B.G and firefly will understand the full force of my profanity in this sentence).

Overcoming!

With the rush of the holidays, a cold that refuses to go away, unfriendly weather, and inflamed tendons and IT bands, training has been difficult for me the past two weeks. I have managed to get in most of my miles, but I have had to walk a lot more than I would have liked due to being sick as well as dealing with knee pain. There is nothing wrong with walking, except for that it takes a lot longer and I just really have my heart set on running the whole 26.2.

On the bright side, I am happy to report that I am only a few dollars away from my fundraising goal of $2,400. I have baked cookies, appealed to friends, family and businesses, sold hot chocolate, sold raffle tickets, and wrapped a TON of Christmas Presents (THANK YOU BARNES & NOBLE!) in order to meet this goal. I am so excited about achieving this, especially with the knowledge that this money will be used to heal people.

I am going to get better about icing and heating my knee, and will be more fastidous about stretching well before I head out for a run. I think I'm about over this miserable cold, so hopefully I'll be able to get in some good runs this week.