Weeks 8 & 9

So I've totally fallen off the training wagon after dealing with a month-long cold and the return of my shin splints. K and I did work out 5 out of 7 days we were on vacation (with K actually running 10 miles on a treadmill...that might have more to do with our boredom with all-inclusive, but I'll save that for another post.) The last couple of weeks I did 8 miles at MSP and then 10 miles this weekend at DAC. Twenty more days until the Carlsbad 1/2! I'm thinking I'll do 12 miles this weekend, then a nice easy 8.5 mile taper down the week before the race.

Week 7

Not much running at all b/c I'm still ridiculously congested.  I did go to yoga though -- not the best idea.  Hopefully our jaunt to the Mexican Riviera will make my cold go away?

Weeks 5 and 6

Not much working out/running -- not because of the holidays but b/c K and I are both sick :(  Boo, we've both had a cold for more than a week now (I guess the autumn detox only kept us illness-free for a couple months.)  Last week I ran just 3.5 miles and this week 5.0 miles.

Week 4

I am getting bored blogging about my 1/2 marathon training since I'm taking it so easy for this race.  Last week I did yoga, cardio/weights, 3 miles at the gym and 5.5 miles on the weekend.  I will post something more interesting soon!

Week 3

Last week was the third week of 1/2 training.  Since I've been running without shin pain with my easier training program that only involves two days of running each week, I'm not as motivated to journal my training.  Last week was busy anyway with S.C.'s bday and K.C.'s going away happy hour.  I also did yoga on Tuesday, 3.0 mile run on Wednesday, cross training and weights on Friday, and 5.0 miles at De Anza on Saturday.  Feeling good for now :)

Week 2

To finish off week 2 of training I ran another 4.0 miles at De Anza this weekend on the grass...my shoes are all grassy now, ick.  Also did yoga, but had a nice rest day on Friday to have a small dinner party with K&S and S&B, yum!

Still Trucking

Wednesday, November 4 - Ran 3.50 miles on treadmill.  I know, treadmill training = bad, but it's already dark by 5:30 pm nowadays and I don't feel comfortable running outside alone when it's dark.

Tuesday - Yoga

Monday - 25 minutes of cardio + weights.

Trucking Along

Saturday, October 31, 2009 - Ran 4.0 miles at De Anza Cove on the grass.  No pain!

Pain-Free for Now!

A whole mess of us are confirmed for the Carlsbad half-marathon at the end of January!  Yay!  I ran three pain-free miles on the treadmill today...I haven't been running since the AIDS Run at the end of September which was a shin pain disaster, even with the Kiniseo tape.  Baby steps I guess...must work back up to 13.1 miles.

First 1/2 Marathon - done!

K and I ran the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon (aka, "The Happiest Race on Earth") last Sunday, September 6, 2009. He finished in 2:02 and I finished in 2:28. It was a fun race with loads of runners in costume (Minnie Mouses...Mice?, Mickeys, Huey/Duey/Louie, and even Elvis) and definitely with the Disney touch. Every mile was jam packed with high school marching bands, cheerleaders, hula dancers, ballet folkorico troupes, boy scouts, etc., to cheer us on -- it really helped! This is the first race I've done where there was never a wait to use a port-a-potty (thank you, Disney) and the finish line had all kinds of amenities including a station with ice packs and cool towels to wipe off the salty sweat. I am already feeling the itch to sign up for another race even in spite of all my shin splints problems...


Here we are, happy to have finished the race :) K's entire family came out to support us, including his parents, his brother/sis-in-law/niece, and his sister/bro-in-law/niece/2 nephews. It was so cute, K's dad was so excited for our race, he made us signs and even accidentally woke up in a tizzy on Saturday morning thinking he had missed the race only to realize as he was frantically getting ready that the race is Sunday. So now K and I have completed one of our joint New Years Resolutions -- to run at least 3 races together...though this was actually our fourth since we have now done the Mission Bay St. Patty's Day 10K, Coronado Bay Bridge Run (4 miles), and Coronado 4th of July 5K/15K. Next up, AIDS Run/Walk with the Women of Color in Law, Inc. team!

Mysterious Bruising

For my last long training run, I had planned an easy 8 mile run along De Anza. On Friday night though, as I was using the Stick on the outer part of my right shin, I felt a weird aching on the front part of my shin that is over the bone. I noticed a tiny pin-head sized knot poking out of my skin too. It hurt when I rubbed it with my finger. Curious indeed. I woke up on Saturday morning with a 3-4 inch long bruise on the front of my right shin (the part that was hurting the night before but that I did not even use the stick on...) and it glowed an unflattering shade of red. Sigh. After 12 weeks of adjusting my training, paying out of pocket for a sports chiropractor, diligently doing PT exercises and stretches and eating various foods and taking supplements to reduce muscle inflamation...and I end up with a large, unexplained bruise on my right leg. I felt like my body was slapping me in my own face (err, leg?) and trying to tell me that I am not meant to be a distance runner. So I ran a very uncomfortable, painful, slow, and sweaty (omg hottest weekend in SD in ages) 5.00 mile run at my favorite spot, De Anza Cove. I asked a few of my friends that are more experienced runners about my shin bruise...and I think I busted some capillaries in my leg. I'm going to just do runs on the Elliptical machine and yoga this week and see what happens at the race...

13+ Miles

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - Ran over 13 miles doing the Mission Bay "snowman" loop that started at De Anza, looped through Crown Point, around Sail Bay, across the Sea World parking lot, past Fiesta Island, and back through De Anza Cove. My shins burned so much. I'm pretty frustrated.

Boo

Wednesday, August 19, 2009 - 5.00 miles at De Anza Cove. My shins hurt even when I ran on the grass. I was hoping for a pain-free run today since I went to the chiropractor yesterday. This is frustrating.

Sigh

Monday, August 17, 2009 - 5.00 miles at De Anza Cove, just under 11:00/mile. I got ahead of myself and just started running the first couple miles on the cement and by mile 2.25, I had to stop a few times to stretch; it was all grass running from there. I'm glad though that 5 miles is starting to feel like an easy run (sans shin pain.)

Run Run Run

Saturday, August 15, 2009 - Ran 11.5 miles at De Anza/Mission Bay. I was able to run the entire 11.5 nonstop without stopping once :) It took me (again) the first 3 miles or so to get my shins fully warmed up so I ran off and on the grass until I could stay on the cement without the burning feeling in my legs. I went fairly slow from miles 1-3, picked it up a bit for miles 4-6, got my second wind for miles 7-8, and was really struggling by miles 9-11...my knees and right hip even started to feel tight and plain out worn and tired. I tried to sprint (as much as my aching knees/hip would allow) the last half mile. Total time? Somewhere between 2 hours and 12 or 13 minutes, which is around 11:30/mile for pacing. Not that great but I'm just glad I was able to run this without stopping!

It was a weekend full of run junk; K ran the America's Finest City 1/2 Marathon and finished in an impressive 2:05:31 (9:35/mile pace); I am so proud of him...that's a good time for his first 1/2 marathon! We all got up at the butt crack of dawn to drop off the runners at Balboa Park before 5:30 am, then took a meandering "tour" through Bankers Hill and Hillcrest in desperate search of coffee & breakfast at 6 am. B, B and I got an awesome breakfast at Cafe on Park and made it back to the finish line in time to see K and S! Somehow we missed V, G, N, R, and most everyone else from runsandiego.org :( We hung out, took photos, got free stuff at the vendor booths, and then V and G came over and well enjoyed some beer and sunshine at our pool and jacuzzi. Then B, K and I went to go see Yorkie puppies! Omg, so cute!

I <3 De Anza Cove

Wednesday, August 12, 2009 - Another 4.50 miler at De Anza Cove. It's become my favorite spot because you can run on grass for most of the strip. No shin pain. Just under 11:00/mile pace. Let's see how I hold up for my 11.50 miler this weekend!

Is the pattern that there is no pattern?

Monday, August 10, 2009 - Ran 4.50 miles at De Anza Cove today without any pain. I am getting really confused because I can't figure out any sort of pattern for things to do to avoid shin pain. Granted, I ran 80% of my run today on the grassy part of the boardwalk that follows the coast, but not only did I not have pain today, but I also 1) did not use Salonpas the night before 2) nor did I do any of my PT exercises or stretches and 3) I only used the stick for about 2-3 minutes the night prior when I usually spend 10+ minutes using the stick on my legs. Is the key to shin-splints-free running to run exclusively on soft surfaces (i.e, grass, dirt trails)? Or is inaction the real action to running without pain?

10 Miles!

Saturday, August 8, 2009 - 10 miles at Lake Miramar. This time it took the first 3.5 miles for my shins to get warmed up enough that the burning pain went away. Both my right and left shins hurt...the right one now has 2 knots on it and the left one has one giant one. End result - it took me about 1 hour and 13 minutes to do the first lap/5 miles and just less than 55 minutes to run the second lap.

Most Boring Run Ever

Wednesday, August 5, 2009 - Ran 4.00 miles around the neighborhood, up through Mesa College, and around and around to get in a full run. My left shin tightened up a bit and I had to stop once to stretch it out. Later that night my left shin started to hurt/throb inside the muscle so I had to ice it.

Hmm, becoming somewhat superstitious...

Monday, August 3, 2009 - Ran 4.00 miles at an 11:30 pace without any pain whatsoever! I admittedly slept on Sunday night with a salonpas patch on each shin, right where my shin knots usually form when I run. Also, I stretched for a good 25 minutes and did two sets of pigeon-toe raises (25 reps each set) before running because I was waiting for K to meet me up at De Anza Cove. I'm not sure if any of those things are to credit for my pain-free run, but I'll do it again next time!