Where I've been all week....

I wish I could say that my lack of updating you on my training journey was because I was out and about doing something really really RIDICULOUSLY fun BUT I can't... Nope, I have been alternating my time between my couch and bed feeling like death warmed over then run over by a mack truck since Wednesday.

I started to feel "off" on Tuesday evening when I got home from the running store with my SIXTH pair of running sneakers. I tried to duck and hide from the sick storm by downing airborne and vitamin drinks but when I woke up Wednesday morning, my usual "tricks" had failed me and I was forced to call out sick. I went to the doctor, we discussed my symptoms then she took my temperature. "Wait a minute, let me take that again." "Why? What was it?" I asked. "104." "Well I feel pretty hot right now and NOT in a good way.." I responded. Turned out that I had a temp of between 103 and 104. She gave me a prescription to kill the fever and whatever else I seemed to have that knocked me on my back for three days straight.

Even after she told me I couldn't go back to work for the rest of the week, the more important question was, "When can I run again?" I can honestly say she looked at me as though I had 3 heads but I was serious. Yes, I understand I had a fever and could barely keep my eyes open that day but I was sure my body would be resilient and I would be back to myself by Thursday. She gave me until Sunday and she was right to say that. It is now Saturday and I am just starting to feel like a normal human being again.

So in the last few weeks of my training (which doesn't even really feel like training since I've been doing more resting than running) I have had quite the hurdles to get over. First it was the shin splints, now its getting so sick I just wanted my mom to take care of me. As frustrating as these things have been I'm not going to give up or throw the towel in. I can do it, I know I can do it. So here's to my last week of training (I get teary eyed just typing that)!

16 miles and indulging a lil' too much in a "reward"

Good news...I tackled 16 miles on Saturday and squashed it in 2 hours, 30 minutes. Bad news is, I indulged in one too many of the delectable little treats to the left later on that evening...

I've been trying to be good as I train and not indulge in adult beverages as much as I normally would but its not always so easy when its so easy to just go for "a drink" to catch up with friends. Saturday once I had recovered for the most part from my run, I threw some clothes on and met my friend Meg for a chick flick. We saw the new Katherine Heigl movie, "Life as We Know It." Yup we were the two gals among maybe 5 other couples at a theater in Chelsea on a Saturday night... Afterward, we decided to just go for "a drink" at a place down the street that has a bartender on Saturday night who makes a FAB lil' dirty martini. I had a salty craving and this well blended, perfectly chilled treat was JUST what the doctor ordered! We should have just stopped at one but as soon as it hit the lips, it was SO good and a second seemed like a really good idea.....Not so much. Meg had to jet out not too long after we finished our second because she didn't feel good and I woke up Sunday with a gi-gantor of a headache.

Lesson learned, sometimes less is more. I "deserved" a reward for getting my run on earlier in the day but I didn't need to go overboard. Those lil' dirty numbers sneak up on ya like nobody's business!

Kinda pathetic...

So as stated last night, I attended my beloved Total Body Conditioning class. Problem is that I have not graced the class with my presence in close to a month and boy am I feeling it today! For the last month or so, I had justified skipping TBC because of all the running I was doing. With most of my time getting consumed with running, it was hard to motivate to do additional exercise. As I sorely sit here, I am wishing I had pushed myself to get it done! Today, as I walked around the office like an 80 year old woman, I had SEVERAL coworkers ask me with extremely concerned looks on their face, "are you okay???" "Yup, yup, I'm okay...just a lil' sore, that's all."

Tonight as I prep for my anticipated 16 miler tomorrow I plan to most DEFINITELY hit Yoga. I need to stretch these sore muscles out foooo show! Then I'll have a lil' bath, make my yummy pasta dish that I had gotten into a pattern making and hit the hay for some rest. Not the most exciting Friday night but I'm so looking forward to it. Last week felt weird not prepping myself for a long run. I'm hoping that the my cardiovascular strength is still as strong and the 16 will go by like a breeze....

Exciting....

Ya know that feeling you used to have right before the first day of school after summer break? Well I do! I also have that feeling AS WE SPEAK. Yup, its been a WHOLE week that I haven't run and tonight, yes TO-NIGHT, I get to put one foot in front of the next and RUN!!! YAY!!!!

After work, I plan to hit the gym for a total body conditioning class then run on the treadmill. I am not a fan of the treadmill but it is easier on my joints and I will be able to get my total workout done faster. If it had been a "normal" week and I had been running and whatnot, I may have opted out of hitting the gym in lieu of running outside because its so beautiful, but I have to get pumped up for my 16 this weekend. I never thought that I'd be this excited for a long run but I am. I never thought I'd say this but I miss my horrendous running belt and my whole routine of gearing up to wipe myself out. There is a sense of satisfaction that you have at the end of a long run that is hard to describe but it feels pretty cool. Despite the fact that afterwards I walk around my apartment like an 80 year old woman, stop and stretch my calves in the middle of the side walk and slowly stand after sitting for an extended period, I still feel kinda awesome about it.

Lets just see how tonight goes though. I am a little nervous that the shins will hurt but I am going with the doctors orders and that I should be good to go. I shall report back tomorrow. Please enjoy yourself a thirsty Thursday for me :-)

Annnnnd I'm BACK!!!

GREAT news....I met with an orthopedic surgeon today and I've been given a high five to get back on the road running TOMORROW!!! My new best friend who has 25 marathons (yes that's 25) under his belt prescribed me a pair of orthodics, told me to go for a 15 or 16 miler this weekend and to keep going. I can't even begin to tell how happy and relieved this makes me. For the last two days I would just think about the doctor recommending that I not run the marathon and felt sadness I hadn't felt since my Uncle Joe passed away. I have to say, I feel like the family that I've lost and who are my motivators, are looking out for me. There is a reason that I have put myself through all of these weeks of training and they are making sure it happens.

So tomorrow I shall road test the orthodics for a 5 miler and hopefully all will be right in the world again in terms of my training. Two weeks from this coming Sunday, I will be seeing YOU on the other side of 26.2 miles! Happy Hump Day!

Nothing too exciting...

So I'm still laid up with shin splints. I have an appointment to go see an orthopedic surgeon on Wednesday to have some X-rays. Hopefully my icing, elevating, compressing and rest will have paid off and I will be given a thumbs up to run again. I'm not going to lie, it has me down and out of sorts. First of all, the last 14 plus weeks of my life were devoted to training for the marathon that is now less than 3 weeks away. I have trained hard and I have been dedicated. I am also doing this for beyond myself but for my family. Many of them have already made their arrangements to be here for the marathon, I will be so disappointed if in 3 weeks I am not geared up and in Staten Island waiting to cross the Verrazano Bridge to Brooklyn. I'm going to try not to throw myself a pity party here, all is not officially lost, I still have the doctor to see. In the mean time I must try to do my best which is riding a bike, doing the elliptical and that sort of thing. I don't have access to a pool nor am I a decent swimmer so thank you for the recommendation but I'm already ahead of you.

Sorry for being a Debbie downer, I really would prefer to be writing about how I just showed 20 miles who is boss over the weekend and that I am ready as ever for the 26.2. How I thought this part would be so different when I first started. Oh well, chin up Charlie, do the best you can do and hopefully Wednesday brings brighter and better news.

Shin splints..

Yup, the last thing one would want to happen with less than 4 weeks left in training for a marathon has happened...I'm injured. "Luckily" its not the WORST possible injury but it may set me back a little. I have shin splints. For those who have had them they can sympathize on the pain, for those of you who have never had them, it is not a fun time. It is shooting pains up the front part of your shin either on the inside or outside of your leg. I have them on the inside of my right leg. I started to feel them the end of last week and kind of ignored them thinking they would just "go away." Yesterday morning when I woke up to run in the morning I tried to run but it was more of a hobble. After 2 miles of discomfort and pain, I bowed out and walked back home. I was so mad, so disappointed, I wanted to throw in the towel all together. I felt like it was losing right before the finals of a tournament. I won't quit though. I immediately googled shin splints and remedies. RICE. Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. I'm down for all of that but the rest. How am I supposed to rest right now??? I am taking today off from running and doing time on the elliptical. Tomorrow is my scheduled day off but Saturday I'm supposed to run 20. That is so not going to happen. I'm thinking of swapping it with next week's 12 miles. I think I'm going to do 12 Saturday, then the 20 the next week, 2 weeks before the big day. It seems like a lot rather close to the big day but I don't know what else to do. They say one of the causes of shin splints is running in sneakers without enough support....great. I have new sneakers but they didn't really win me over Tuesday night when I ran and I didn't really get much of a shot to properly test them out yesterday. Therefore, my long run, whatever it ends up being Saturday, will be done in the old sneaks.

So frustrating, so disappointing. I don't want to deal with this right now. As we speak I have my leg up (elevation) with an ice pack on it (ICE). I got compression running pants, now if I can just "rest" I'll be good to go. Fingers crossed that my taking care of myself and the new sneakers do me some good.

"This is 4 my people" Missy Elliot...

Missy Elliot? I must be going nutso, huh? Naaah! I am just OBSESSED with her tune "4 my people" lately for oh so many reasons which I shall list for you...

1) I was with my hometown peeps this past weekend and this is for them and our fantastically fun times shared.

2) I am running FOR my people; my family, my friends, even peeps who I don't know but may benefit from some sort of education they receive from the American Heart Association protecting them from the killers heart disease and stroke.

3) Even when I run, I want to stop and shake my tail feathers like a mad woman as soon as this song comes bolting through my headphones....especially when it starts with an "OOOT Ooooooooo" then later with the lyrics "Ya'll I'm on fiy-yahhhhhhhh!"

So now that I've revealed thoughts that go through my head when I run, we're really starting to get deep and open up our whole relationship here....Anyway, this weekend was a whirl wind but a great one. I got back to Boston just in time to have some celebratory drinks with my high school friends for one of my friend's wedding. Saturday I did some recovering at Target then hit the road for my 12 miler. The first 5 miles were tough. My shin splints were acting up and I was lacking energy. I popped a Gu, gave myself a pep talk and kept going. I pushed myself to get the full 12 done even when I was contemplating cutting it short. It was about the last 2 miles that "4 my people" came on and I was runnnnn-ennnnnnnn'. The day couldn't have been a more beautiful fall day. Crisp, slightly cool, sunny...days that when you're running for just shy of 2 hours, you dream about.

After taking some time to recover, I put my party shoes back on for another L-town (how my peeps and I refer to our place of upbringing) wedding celebration. I'm not going to lie, after running 12 miles, DELICIOUS BBQ food including MAC N' CHEESE is DA BOMB. Probably not the healthiest to have but O.M.Geeee it was good!

Sunday was a more restful day. My mom and I went on a nice walk in the morning which is when she declared that there really is no use for the letter "R." True story. I kid you not, while we were walking she spoke a sentence that should have had at least 10 "R"s in it but not one was actually pronounced. I love my mom's accent but tease her to the high heavens so she defended herself with, "You know Caitie, I don't really see the use for the letter "R" unless it comes at the beginning of a word such as 'rustic' or 'right.' Othawise it just takes to long to say." Probably one of the funniest things my mom ever said to me. I love it, I love her.

Later on Sunday I lunched with some college gals then shopped then dined with my mom. There was a lot of eating on Sunday. Monday, it was up and at 'em relatively early, to bid farewell to my Bean and head back to the Apple.

I got a new pair of sneaks last night, for those of you are keeping count, its pair numbah FIVE! If these things don't work out tonight on my run, it is quite possible that I'll be the blond scooped out of the Hudson River with a cement block tied to her ankle....I kid, I kid, that's a ridiculous thing to say but it gets my point across that I will be just completely fed up with this witch hunt for sneakers that don't cause me pain!

Another day, another challenge...

What I'm tired writing about is probably what you're tired of reading about...the sneakers! Now I think I've found a pair that has not only caused my feet discomfort but has also managed to injure me. I have shin splints...yep, its official...I was in denial with the first hints of it but after my run last night it was as clear as today, they have made their way into my life. Positive outlook...I do have a plan of attack. I am NOT going back to City Sports to have some guy who hasn't run in weeks, maybe months help me pick out a sneaker, I am going to Jack Rabbit Sports. They have a technology that actually fits the right sneaker to your foot. I am going to go there, go through the process and hopefully walk out of there with sneakers that will no longer hinder my training or make it as painful as it has been at times. This is my last hope as I get closer and closer to the big day.

On a fun note, I'm heading back to Beantown this weekend to celebrate two friends from high school getting married (not to each other, two separate occasions). I only have 12 miles tomorrow so I figure I can have a few cocktails tonight, sleep it off and be able to get the task at hand done...provided my shins cooperate...I will be wearing my old sneaks, so at least the feet issue won't be present.

Have a great weekend!

Where did the week go?

I don't know where the week went but I'm not going to complain about it! As for the running...it has been a lil' touch and go.

Tuesday I was going to get up to run in the morning because I had a work dinner that evening but....I didn't. It was raining and cold outside and no place seemed any better than to stay tucked tightly in my comfy bed. This is my second skipped Tuesday and I hope that my trend of ditching my run stops here. I can't allow myself to get into this habit.

Last night, Wednesday, I did get my scheduled 8 miles in at least. I took advantage of my friend on the Upper East Side and ran in Central Park. I'm not going to lie, I could hear my shins SCREAM bloody murder when I took my first running step forward. They have still not fully recovered from the 20 miles but they also don't have a choice, gotta keep going kids. Aside from my shins whining for 8 miles and of course the feet hurting a lil' bit, it was a pretty nice run. I must say I enjoy the opportunities to break up my usual running along the Hudson River.

Tonight I face a 5-er but that seems like a breeze. My shins are still sore but I'll just have to stretch more and maybe if I have time, I'll take a bath tonight to loosen up my muscles still trying to figure out what in gods name happened to them on Saturday!

20 plus miles and tan lines that would make Gisele jealous!

Good news kids, I survived 20 miles over the weekend...whoop whooop!!! I'm not going to lie though, it was tough tamales!

Saturday morning, I woke up to a beautiful sunny fall day. I went through my "ritual" breakfast and preparation process. As I got close to completely ready, I started to stall. Knowing that a 20 mile run awaits is more than just "kinda" daunting. After about 15 minutes of procrastinating, I got it together and got outside. As soon as I started my calves felt tight but to be honest, its a rarity if something on my body DOESN'T hurt in some sort of way these days. I moved along and got the first 7 mile loop done. No problemo. Then I realized I basically had a half marathon to tackle and felt an "OOPH" but shook it off. I trekked on north along the west side. I passed by Pier 71 (a cute lil' outdoor lunch/dinner place), the Boat Basin where I've been known to throw down a Stella or two, then I reached the 104th St Sign. On my 17 and 18 milers, that was sort of a relief because I had 20 or so more blocks to go from there and then could turn around but Saturday, I had another 60 to go....YOWSERS!! I ignored my realization, had a Gu, drank some water and powered on passing 125th Street and Fairway. Then I ran through some parks and hit the 155th St mark (SWEET, just another 10 and I get to turn around!). Unfortunately there was no marker for 165th so I kinda just ran until I felt like it had been 10 blocks. I found a man walking his dog and asked him where abouts we were and he informed me 172nd st!!!! UGH! I did NOT plan to run a step further than 20 but luckily it wasn't TOO much further. I turned around and took in the beautiful day along the Hudson. I must say, if you have a chance to get up along that way (biking would probably be nice vs running) I highly recommend it. Its so quiet and peaceful up there.

The last 6 and 1/2 miles got increasingly hard as I moved along. The sun became relentless as it beat down on me (I'm going to have to get a visor or hat to help on the next run). I prayed for shade but it was afternoon and the sun had started moving West, only to beat on me more. I made it down along by the Intrepid and was relieved to know it was just about another mile more. My hips started to hurt and my buttocks were tightening up. The sun was like an annoying person that just gets in your face and won't back off. I tried putting my hand up as a visor but that didn't do much help. I almost slowed down to walk but literally yelled at myself to keep going and not stop. I made it to 17th street, THANK GOODNESS! I walked a block back to my apartment but I'm not sure if it looked like walking, probably more of a waddle. My entire body was asking, "what just happened?" I made it home, stretched, showered, put the legs up, ate and then became "one" with the couch.


Later on, I felt hot and realized why....I was silly and didn't put sunscreen on my arms or neck...to say that my new "tan lines" are "sexy" is an understatement! I have a lovely "ring" of color around my neck, only half of my shoulders are burned and my left arm has a nice "white" band from where my nano armband was strapped on. Needless to say, I'm probably not going to be wearing any strapless or spaghetti strapped type tops for awhile...