Hi there! It's been a few days since I've written. I just haven't been doing too much recently to warrant writing about. I haven't been running regularly. I guess I'm just waiting until my body doesn't hurt at all after running a few miles and I know resting will help with that. I've been doing my stroller workouts and still get soreness after doing 50 lunges and squats. My left arm is twitching from seeing how many push ups I could do in a minute the other day (it was 40ish.) But other than that I've been laying low. I would like to run a race next weekend for Mother's Day but I can't decide which one. There are a lot of 5ks in the area but I would rather run a longer (slower) race. Maybe if I do a 5k, I can find one that allows strollers. How apropos that would be.

Hurray!

What an emotional week! I got a call on Wednesday from a nurse that I DID have a stress fracture. Then I went to have a followup with the doctor on Friday and he said after looking at my bone scan results that I did NOT have a fracture and that if I feel pain free, I can run. Well, I have been feeling good since taking it easy. Apparently, all I had is some irritation which showed up on the scan but isn't as serious as a fracture.
So, instead of my husband running the ten miler for me this morning, I ran it! I went alone as it is pouring rain today and wouldn't be much fun for spectators. The last ten miler I ran was the Annapolis 10 in August. My time was 1:40:00 (10 minute pace) and I was twenty five pounds heavier and not running much. I was anxious to see how much my time would improve after running all winter. My PR is 1:25:32 and while I didn't expect to break that time, I was hoping to at least be back in the 1:20s.
The race was small. I think there were 700 runners in the 10 and a couple thousand running the 5k (it was a running festival with several distances). No one wanted to start at the front. I guess there weren't any elite runners in the pack so I basically started with the clock. I ran the first mile in 8:10. I ran the next four miles at roughly the same pace. The clock at mile 5 said 43 minutes (and change). Wow! Mile 6 took me 52 minutes. Mile 7 was 1:01. Alright! "I can do this" I thought. But mile 8 was pretty much all uphill and I lost a lot of time. I went from running for time to running to finish (insert sad face emoticon). At mile 9, it was 1:21.
Icandoiticandoiticandoit...I pushed it and I crossed the finish line at 1:30:33. Oh well. I tried!! During mile 10, there was a guy walking and I said "come on! you can do it" which is what people say when you walk in the last mile of a race. He thanked me at the end and told me it really helped. That's what's fun about races--urging other people on and knowing that you're all in it together. Even when it's sucky and you can't see the top of the hill, it is worth it in the end.

Waiting...

Hello! So I don't have the scan results yet. Big booooo to that. My foot feels great, however, so I tested it a little tonight. I ran on the treadmill for 20 minutes (I didn't want to get too crazy). So far, so good. I am registered for a ten miler on Saturday and I really, really want to run it so I REALLY hope the results are good. My husband keeps teasing me about him running it instead but I hope it doesn't come to that. Plus, the premium is a really cute half zip jacket that I would love to wear haha.
We'll know tomorrow...

Hi, all!! I thought I would update you on the status of my injured foot. Well it no longer hurts which is good but I haven't run in 8 days and I'm afraid if I start again, it may hurt. That's why I went and had a bone scan today. The doctor (and I) wanted to rule out a stress fracture. So I had an 8am appointment at the radiology center today. I got there and was taken back right away. I laid on the imaging table and was injected with radioactive pigment which was dispersed throughout my bones in a matter of minutes. The pigment pools in areas of fracture. The pictures took about ten minutes to take. I could see the images of my bones on the screen and there were defnintely "hot spots" where there was more pigment. Anyhow, I was free to go after the pictures were taken but I had to return at noon to take more thorough images. Fortunately, my brother's girlfriend is off on Mondays and was able to babysit for me. I don't know the results yet but I am anxious to call my doctor tomorrow and see if he has them yet. Please don't let it be a fracture!! If it's not, I am ok to run and may just need some physical therapy. If it's a fracture, I may need to wear a walking boot and I won't be able to run for several months. Keep your fingers crossed for me!!

Good afternoon! Well, my foot is still hurting. I made an appointment to see a sports doctor on Friday morning. I know I'm going to be told not to run for weeks, maybe months. *Sigh* I guess my husband may be running that ten miler for me next weekend after all...
In the meantime, I am trying not to gain back all of the weight I lost while training for the marathon. I decided to lift more weights and eat low carb (but still under my caloric limit). My brother is starting the paleo diet today and I've been reading about it and I am curious. I told him I would try. I'm more of an "everything in moderation" person so cutting out entire food groups isn't real appealing to me. But I wonder how my body will react to it. So far today, I've eaten two scrambled eggs for breakfast, some barbacoa for lunch (like the pulled beef from Chipotle but this is homemade and yummmm), and some fruit. I need to buy some veggies from the store. From what I've seen, you should eat half meat and half vegetables with a little bit of fruit and nuts thrown in. We'll see...

Peroneal Tendonitis...?

*Phew* what a weekend. The party and my husband's race (and recovery) made the weekend fly by. Now I am dealing with debilitating pain in my right foot. Well let's back up a bit. The marathon was last Saturday. I took the week off from running so by Saturday morning (three days ago), I was itching to run again. I ran five miles before setting up for the party. Afterward, I wore some new sandals and felt fine all day. Sunday, I was walking fine until I had to go eight blocks to find a coffee shop in downtown DC and I started getting a sharp pain on the outside/bottom of my right foot. (I know it's not plantar fasciitis. I've met tons of people who suffer from plantar fasciitis and my symptoms are not similar.) This is nowhere near my heel. It is on the outside wrapping around to the bottom (opposite side of my arch). At first I blamed my new sandals but I'm thinking it's more likely residual wear and tear from the marathon. I did some internet diagnosing and it seems possible that I am suffering from "acute tendonitis of the peroneal tendon." Yuck. It looks like some rest from running is in my future and also maybe a doctor's visit even though I hate going to the doctor because it always seems like a waste of time (rest, ice, reduce inflammation, etc.) I get it. I'm thinking more and more that the weight room is my friend. In the mean time, I am wearing my oh-so-supportive running shoes and insoles and seeing if it will alleviate the pain in the next few days. If not, then it's off to the doc.

Cherry Blossom 10 Miler

Hiiii, cherry blossoms! It was a gorgeous morning in DC today. I didn't run but my husband did. The Baby and I saw him off to his starting corral and then headed off down 14th St. to find a Starbucks because it was FREEZING. We got to Starbucks and to my dismay, there were two large, marble steps and two heavy doors to open once you got up the two, large marble steps. What the heck? I have a BOB Revolution stroller which means SUV/off road aka LARGE. Thankfully, a friendly guy held the doors for me (I wasn't so lucky on the way out.) Anyhow, aside from being annoyed at Starbucks, the morning was good and we were able to see my husband finish his first race since October. Which inspired me to sign up for a ten miler in two weeks. Whaaaat?! I can't help that watching other people race makes me want to race. How do you think I got into the marathon business after all? (Who knew watching my friends run the Marine Corps Marathon would change four months of my life). So anyhow, it's a new race put on by the same people who manage the Baltimore 10 Miler (which I will run this year for the 4th consecutive year--whaaaat). They always have the best premiums. This race will take place in Charles county, MD (basically La Plata, MD.) I can't wait! I ran two ten milers last summer as a slow, out of shape-newly-unpregnant mother and am anxious to see how my marathon training translates into a ten miler (85 minutes?!? Please? That's my single-lady-in-shape PR.) We'll see!
Congrats to my husband on his ten miler finish xoxo. Hope you got to relax today...a little. Hey, where's my dinner...