Category: Running

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Family & Friends Running

Rest and Rebuild

I made a decision on whether I am going to continue running or not.

I went on a 5K walk last Tuesday and thought.  Up to that point, I really did not know how to get back to where I had been, and I felt like my fitness level was slipping.  I had not had a positive run in almost a month.  I felt it slipping through my fingers, but couldn’t stop it.  I was missing something, but didn’t know what.

I appreciated the comments left on the blog post, and the encouraging  e-mails readers sent me.  When I read one though, it clicked because I realized I had no plan, no course of action, and no structure to what I have been doing.

The advice I had been reading in various articles all say to let shin splints heal, and the “get back out there.”  It doesn’t say how to do that.  What do you do in the meantime?  How do you keep your fitness level up?  How do you keep your breathing and pacing?  How do “get back out there” again, without getting injured?

Not knowing how to do this was causing me so much frustration and was causing me to lose confidence.  After I read a message from my friend, who gave me some great ideas on how to actually “get back out there,” I felt excited again.  I felt like I finally had a plan and some ideas that would work.

One of the suggestions was I walk.  I walk fast while my shins are healing and I can work on breathing and pacing at the same time.  I decided to try walking the 5K distance. 

While I was walking, things came together.  I found a great stride, and I found my breathing and pacing working together again.  One of the things my friend said was I had to “rest and rebuild.”  I thought about that while I was walking in the second mile. 

I knew deep down, rest and rebuild was what I had to do, but I was afraid.  I was afraid while I was resting I would slip so far back, there wouldn’t be much left to rebuild with.  

In the third mile, I realized my breathing was heavy.  Walking fast is work and it is fitness.  I also had no shin pain and no cramps.  I knew then I could rebuild and comeback.  The fear was gone.  I checked my time when I was finished and I walked the 3.2 miles in 39 minutes.  This was faster than I had been able to run this distance when I was starting out.

On Saturday, I went for another 5K walk, before arctic weather moved in.  It had snowed and there was a lot of ice on the sidewalks.  I am getting over bronchitis, so I had to be careful and breathe differently. 

I found my pacing and stride immediately.  It felt like I was almost running, but I wasn’t.  I had no shin pain, and no cramps.  I forgot about time, and running, and just had fun and enjoyed my walk.  I hadn’t felt that good- that confident, in a month. 

After the walk, I checked my time, and I had done the 5K distance in 35 minutes.  Four minutes faster than on Tuesday, and faster than my finishing time in my first 5K running race.

I have to continue to rest and rebuild, which is hard- I’m going to have more challenges.  But as my friend pointed out, and as I have begun to discover, it is the foundation where you heal, learn, and gain confidence.   

I don’t know how long it will take before I can start running again. But I’m not going to give it up.  Rest and rebuild isn’t the end, but the begining.

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Health Me Running

Sidelined by Shin Splints-Maybe for Good

A few days after the 5K race last month, my shins hurt a lot and I knew I had shin splints.  The only thing I could do was rest them, which meant not running.  

I sat out for nine days, and I hated it.  I felt like every day I missed running, all the momentum I had gained in the last three months was slipping away.  I tried to be proactive, and I read up on shin splints so I would learn how to treat them, and also how to prevent getting them again.  I think adding sprints to the end of my running is what caused me to get them in the first place.  I increased the speed that I ran these too quickly.

I also learned I wasn’t stretching my calves as well I could have, so I learned some deeper calf muscle stretches, and some other stretches just for the shins.  My two Uncle Mike’s, both former marathon runners, suggested that I start landing on my heel more, versus the front of my foot.  The Chi Running method also incorporates this- and teaches you to put more of your weight in the middle of your foot.

After taking nine days off, and not feeling shin pain, I set out last Tuesday to run again.  I only ran two miles to take it slow.  At first I didn’t feel any pain, but the last quarter mile I started to feel the slightest pain.  Two hours later, my shins hurt again.  Obviously they weren’t healed.  I was bummed, but several people told me, and I read that if you keep running while you have shin splints, it can lead to further damage and even surgery.  I was encouraged that even though I only ran 2 miles, I ran those at an eight minute pace. 

The next few days, my shins started to feel better, but I had come down with a bad cold so I wasn’t going to run in the colder weather while I was sick.  On Saturday, I had no shin pain whatsoever, and my cold was getting better.  I decided to try out the 3.2 miles for a 5K distance, but go very slowly, incorporating the new running methods I have read about.

I started out well- there was no pain at all.  But I noticed right away landing on my foot differently, changed the pacing I was used to.  This caused my breathing to be off, and as a result, I got a terrible pain in my side.  Just like when I first started running!  I realized I was going to have to find my pacing and breathing all over again!   I decided to concentrate on that, and completing the 5K distance for the rest of the run. 

When I was about half-way through, I got a shooting cramp in my thigh.  That had never happened before to me at all, and I think it was from the new way I was landing.  I never did find my breathing and pacing rhythm, and at the end of the run, I realized I forgot to time myself.  About the only success I had was there was no shin pain, and I was able to run the 5K distance with a cramp in my side and thigh.  Not exactly what I was hoping for.

If I decide to keep running, I am going to have to start out slowly again, and build back up to where I was.  I have to start all over again!  I wanted to enter a 5K race this month, but there is no way I am ready for that right now.  I am mad at myself that I got shin splints to begin with- I should have been more careful.  It seems like it is a fine line between pushing yourself to do better, while at the same time not pushing so much that you end up injured.  

I admit after that horrible run on Saturday, I was frustrated and disappointed beyond belief!  I have been thinking about just giving it up.  I wonder if I really have it in me to start from square one again?  I thought about asking a few people that have been really supportive of my running, what they think I should do, but I know I have to make this decision for myself.  It would be easier to not run, and just wait until the weather warmed up and I could start riding my bike again.  After all, I only started out running to run one race, and I accomplished that and more. 

I have no shin pain, and in theory I could start again from square one.  Tuesday is a day I normally run, but I haven’t decided if I am going to start again today.  Part of me tells me not to quit- that I can do this, and another part tells me I’ve done what I set out to do.  Is that enough for me?   Will I always wonder what else I could have accomplished if I stop running now?  Is it worth it to risk more injuries and all the hard work again?

When I can answer these questions, I will have a decision.

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Activities Family & Friends Health Me Running

The Second Race

Last week, on Monday, I blogged that I was ready to run, and I was going to push myself in my second 5K race on Saturday to see what I could accomplish. 

On Tuesday when I started to run, felt the start of shin splints in both my shins.  The pain wasn’t bad, but it was there.  I kept running and after the first mile or so, the pain went a way.  Later, I read up on the causes of shin splints, and I believe I was developing them because I had added several sprints after my normal runs to increase my speed.  The week before most of the path  I ran on was covered in snow and ice, and running on such an imbalanced course may have increased the pressure my shins were taking. 

I asked on Facebook what to do for shin splints, and I received a lot of good advice: from evaluating my shoes, to stretching,  to using ice and heat, to looking into ChiRunning, to stop running and rest my shins.  I looked up some specific stretches for the shins and calves, and started doing those immediately. 

On Wednesday and Thursday, the pain came and went.   Normally, I would have just stopped running for the week, but I had been looking forward to this race, and  I really wanted to run in it.  However, I knew it was not worth getting a serious injury, or having to sit out for months, just for one race.  I made the decision reluctantly on Thursday night, that if I had any more pain in my shins before the race, I was not going to run in it.  I started using heat and ice on my shins. 

I woke up on Friday and they felt great.  If I touched my shin bone, there was a tiny bit of discomfort, but it wasn’t painful.  I did not run on Friday, but Friday night I did some stretches and the heat and ice again before I went to bed.  Saturday morning I woke up, and there was no pain- not even when I touched my shin bones.  I was so excited, and was ready for the race!

The weather in Denver on Saturday for the Denver Veteran’s Day 5K Race, was beautiful.  It was sunny and in the high 30’s.  The race started at 8AM, and it was a perfect morning for running.  My dad was excited to come with me again, and he is now the “official” race photographer!

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Right after I had warmed up- about 15 minutes until race time!

I discovered that I was in the age category for 35 and older, but I had no idea how many people were in my age group. The top three winners in each age group, both male and female would be awarded a medal.   Most of the runners looked young- the race was on a college campus, so the vast majority of runners were college aged.  I lined up in the 8-10 mile group, or the second group to start:

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You can see my “secret weapon” I mentioned in my Ready to Run blog post in these two pictures P.S- the black ankle bracelets everyone is wearing is the timer chip

Since I started in the second wave, we had to stand around for about a minute waiting.  I was trying to visualize running the course, but it is really hard to stay calm, when you just want to start running!  They told us the course was two laps around, and it was time to go!

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This race was so uncrowded, I was able to run right by my dad when I started.  That was nice.  There was also a barefoot running club that had several runners running in their bare feet, as you can see in the picture above.  My dad got quite a kick out of that- he didn’t think anyone should be running on a public street in their bare feet! (that is a hint to my “secret weapon” too, if you haven’t guessed, or noticed yet. 🙂  )

As I started running, I realized I started out too fast. My pacing was off.  I was mad that I had let the excitement distract me.  I also felt hot immediately.  I had been debating taking my jacket off before the race, but it was cold.  The first few minutes I was already hot, but I didn’t want to take the time to mess up my pacing anymore by taking the jacket off.  I decided to run with it and then dump it at the start of the second lap.  

I tried to make the adjustment to get my pacing back on track.   A lot of people passed me, but I wasn’t paying too much attention to them.  I was focusing on getting my stride and breathing back to where I know it needed to be.  I was very happy though, I had not felt any pain in my shins.

After about half a mile, I felt like I was back on my pacing, and started to relax and just enjoy the run.  I noticed one female runner who had passed me at the beginning, looked about my age and she was about 50 yards ahead of me.  The course was great- there was lots of room to run, and there was no one around you.  It was very easy to concentrate and focus on running.  The only issue I was having was I was hot.  I had unzipped the jacket and that helped some, but I couldn’t wait until I could shed it.

I noticed a lot of younger guys were passing me, but that was okay.  I passed a few people too, but I wasn’t paying too much attention to their ages.  The only person I kept my sights on was the  female runner that was still ahead of me.

As I approached the end of the first lap, I started trying to take my jacket off, and it got stuck!  Then it wouldn’t go over my gloves! I was so frustrated, but was trying not to let it break my concentration.  I passed the start line, saw my dad, and finally got the jacket off!  I was very happy to throw it in the grass.  But then my earphones got twisted up and were dangling off of me.  I had to take my gloves off to fix the earphones, and then put the gloves back on.

By the time these issues were fixed, I felt like I had lost some time.  Having been around the course once already, I started making a mental plan on when I could make some time up, or at least try not to slow down.  A female barefoot runner passed me, and that seemed to give me a shot of motivation.  I didn’t want anyone else to pass me.  Around 2.5 miles, I started to speed up slightly, trying to making up some of the time I felt I had lost. 

I focused on my breathing, and stride.  I was tired, but I told myself I was almost done, and this would show me what I could do. I started running faster.  We were coming down the last 300 yards or so, and I was right about to pass the female runner that had been ahead of me the entire run. I thought for a second if my shins could handle it, but I had been training sprinting 400 yards.  I decided to go for it!!

As soon as I started sprinting she did too. I told myself I didn’t work that hard on my sprinting for nothing.  This was the moment I could give it my all- my absolute best now, and see what would happen.  This is a picture of that moment:

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I passed her with about 100 yards left to go (she’s wearing the cap), and I crossed the finish line!  I heard the announcer say my number and name, and she added, “What a finish!”

I was elated and thrilled!  Despite all the issues I dealt with during this race, I was able to work them out, and had a strong finish.  I also knew without checking the clock or time, that it was the fastest I have ever ran!

My dad gave me a hug, and I told him I had to keep moving for a few minutes.  He walked with me, and told me had timed me for the first lap and he thought I was about 14 minutes.  He said if I had done that for my second lap, I’d be right around the 28 minute mark.  My goal for this race for time was under 30 minutes.  I had only hit this once before- the Tuesday before the race- I had run the distance in 29:53.

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Moments after I had finished the race

I ate some food and talked to my dad while we waited the results.  He was happy to tell me that the first few people that had crossed the finish line were runners that were wearing shoes!  We walked around looking at the vendor’s swag, and I got some cool whistles for Ryan and Cole.  I was going to go put my jacket in the car, when I saw they had the results posted.  I had to wait about five minutes before I could work my way in to the table to check.  It took me a few minutes to find my name, and when I did, I checked, double checked, and triple checked.  I thought I was reading the results wrong. 

My dad was a few feet away from the table, and he was dying to know my time.  I had my results memorized by now, and I left the result table to tell him.  My results were:

Time: 27:07. My personal best!   I finished at 36:35 at the Race for the Cure.  I dropped 9:28 off my time in a month!

Lap 1 Time: 13:34

Lap 2 Time: 13:33

I was in 5th place for my age group out of 32 runners. 

I finished 64th overall out of 135 runners.

I finished 16 seconds behind the 4th place finisher, 1:08 behind the third place finisher, 6:02 behind the second finisher, and 6:32 behind the first place finisher. 

I missed a medal by only two people.  I wasn’t sad, but amazed that I finished that close to runners who medaled!  I never would have thought that this was possible three months ago, when I barely had enough energy to function!

I pushed myself, and I was on cloud nine with the results! 

I had no shin pain after the race, but on Saturday night, the tendons above my right ankle hurt.  On Sunday my shins felt great, but on Sunday night I woke up in the middle of the night and they were throbbing.  On Monday, they hurt again, like they did last week. 

I am taking at least a week off from running to let my shins, and tendons rest.  I have some good news about my dad, that I’ll share in another blog post soon. 

I’m eyeing another 5K in December- the ColderBolder at the CU campus in Boulder, or the Rudolph Ramble in City Park in Denver.

To be continued…

Categories
Activities Cancer Health Me Running

Ready to Run!

Last month I ran in my first ever running race, The Denver Koman Race for the Cure, supporting breast cancer.  At the end of that post, I mentioned my running journey was going to be continued.  

On Saturday, I will run in my second race.  It is the Denver’s Veteran’s 5K race, before the Veteran’s Day Parade in downtown Denver.   One big difference in this race from the Race for the Cure, is this race will be timed.  I will have an official finishing time and ranking at the end of the race.  I’m curious to see where I end up for my age group.

I have been running three to four times a week, and doing some yoga stretches and breathing on the days I don’t run.  I have been reading up on some suggestions on how to improve speed, and after a few trial and errors, I think I found a method that works for me.  Part of what I have included in my training, is I have been trying to run up more hills once a week to strengthen my legs.  I have also been devoting one run to half the distance of a 5K (1.6 miles) but running at a faster pace.  After another run, I will sprint about 400 yards, and then walk 400 yards a few times.

This seems to be working.  Before the Race for the Cure, my time averaged around 38 minutes.  Last week I had my best 5K run time ever- exactly 30 minutes.  I’m pretty happy in less than a month, I’ve been able to drop eight minutes off my time.  On Friday I went on a run, and more than half the path was icy and snow packed.  I adjusted my running to run on the snow, and I ran 3.4 miles in 31 minutes. Running in the snow was a good work-out for my legs as well.  I’ll admit it though- I have a bit of a competitive streak in me.  Running seems to bring that out, in that I want to keep getting faster.  My goal for the race on Saturday is to finish under 30 minutes.

Part of what I enjoy about running are the challenges.  Obviously there is the physical aspect, but I also like the mental challenge.  I have learned (and am still learning) how to really zero in on what my body is doing, and it forces me to stay focused. I have never been a great breather- I am finding in order to do so, I really have to concentrate on it. For me, that is the key to a good run-proper breathing. 

The elements are another challenge.  The weather has been cold, and it is totally different running in 20 degree weather than 40 degree weather.  I went on a run today dressed warmly, but ten minutes into it, I was way too hot.  I didn’t want to stop, so I shed some layers, tying them around my waist while running and kept on. I don’t want to be shedding layers during the race and be carrying extra clothing, so every time something like this happens, I learn something from it and learn how to make the adjustment. 

I also have a “secret weapon” for this race, which I didn’t have in the last race.  I’m not quite ready to reveal it yet, but I think part of me getting faster can be attributed to these!  For the rest this week, I am going to do another 5K run on Tuesday, followed by some sprinting, a 1.6 mile run on Thursday, and I should be rested and ready for Saturday.  Like last month, I’m excited and so happy that I’m healthy enough to do this! 

The race last month was a good way to get back into an exercise program while taking it at a comfortable pace.  I’m going to push myself more in this race and see how far I can go- I’m ready to run!

If you want to become the best runner you can be, start now.  Don’t spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it.  ~ Priscilla Welch 

Categories
Activities Cancer Family & Friends Health Me Running

The Race for the Cure

On Sunday morning, I participated in my first running race ever.  It was the Denver Komen Race for the Cure.  If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, than you probably already know some of the details, but here are the rest:

I got up at 5am on Sunday, and my dad made me breakfast.  That was very nice, and he drove me to the race.  We got there at 6:30, and it was dark and cold!  The half hour went by fairly quickly- I stretched and ate a banana while I was waiting.  The sun was just coming up as 7am approached:

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My dad said he was going to go find the finish line and wait for me, so he wished me luck and we took this picture before he left:

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I lined up pretty close to the front of the starting line, and before I knew it, they were counting down to start.  I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but once the countdown hit 0, I started off, and pretty much got run over.  It didn’t seem like anyone was on a pace, at least from where I was.  Everyone was just running as fast as they could, full speed ahead.

People were running into me, and when a lady ran into me from behind with her baby stroller, I thought that was enough.  It seemed crazy.  I was near the sidewalk, so I stopped.  I stood on the sidewalk for a few minutes and let all these people run ahead.   I started again, and it was much better.  The course was uphill for the first mile.  I felt it in my shins and ankles some, but I slowed down just a bit, and concentrated on my breathing. 

I felt everything just come together, and and I found a really easy, comfortable pace and I was able to get my breathing in sync too.  I ran.  It felt great and freeing.  As I ran downhill after the first uphill mile, I  grabbed some water, and it spilled all over my hand and my jacket.  I had forgotten gloves and my hand were already cold- that didn’t help, but I didn’t think about it and kept running.

I was looking around at the neighbors that were out along the race route cheering everyone on, and I was enjoying the moment.  I noticed though, I started passing a lot of the people that had blown by me at the start.  I passed the lady that had hit me with her stroller, and I admit it- it felt good to pass her. 

The race seemed really short.  I knew we were getting to the last mile or so, and I tried to pull my jacket over my hands to keep them warm.  My jacket wasn’t long enough and my earphones got all messed up.  So I was running and fixing that, and as I ran down a hill, I saw the beginning of the runners- I knew I was in the first quarter of runners getting close to finishing.  The sun had come out from behind the clouds, so I got my earphones fixed, forgot about my cold hand, and put my sunglasses on.  I picked up the pace and started running faster.

The pace felt really good, and there was a surprise at the end- another steep hill.  I sped up again, and I passed a lot of people on this last hill.  I thought there was another half mile or so, but I turned to my right and saw my dad standing behind the median!  I called out to him, and waved.  He took this picture:

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I ran over to him and gave him a hug!  It was an emotional moment for me.  My dad helped me so much over the summer when I was sick and recovering from thyroid cancer and surgery.  He was there with me when I received the devastating news that the cancer had spread to my lymph nodes, and I had to have a neck dissection.  He was there when I was too weak to take care of myself.  He was there to help me with my boys.  He had been there to help me prepare my low iodine foods.  He had been there for me at my absolute worse, and my weakest.  It was the best feeling to be able to have this moment with him.  I’ll never forget it.

I looked at the finish line and saw that they had a clock- I hadn’t officially finished the race yet!  But I didn’t care.  I was thrilled to see the clock said 36:25 minutes.  I had been standing there with my dad for at least a minute, and I had stopped for a few minutes at the start of the race.  I told my dad, I was going to go cross the finish line.    So my “official” time was 36:35, but if I hadn’t stopped the two times, I think I would have finished around 34 minutes.  Here’s a picture my dad took as soon as I finished:

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The time didn’t matter to me- I was just so happy I had been able to run the entire race, and finished it well under my goal of 40 minutes.  As my dad and I walked over the booths, he told me had just gotten to the median about 15 minutes before he saw me.  He said no one had finished yet, and he was standing next to a guy who said the first finishers would be coming soon.  Sure enough he said two guys came blazing by to be the first men to finish.  Then he said the first woman finished just behind them, and he said she was incredibly fast.  As soon as he said that, I just had a feeling it was my friend, Sonja.  I told her last week, I knew she was going to be the first woman to finish- she’s that good!

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I got some water and some food, and called Sonja. It turned out she was really close to where we were, and we found each other.  I asked her how her race went, and she said with a smile that she had won, she came in first for the women, her time was 20:40, and the news station interviewed her. She was able to talk about her friend, Amy’s breast cancer and explain why she had shaved her head two nights ago- to support Amy during her upcoming chemotherapy.

My dad told Sonja he had seen her finish, and he had no idea that she was the Sonja I kept telling him about. 🙂  I decided to stay and walk the mile race with Sonja, Amy, and more of their friends.  My dad left at that point, and as Sonja and I were walking towards the meeting place for the mile race, she was stopped several times by people who had seen her interviewed on the news. Here we are, waiting for the mile walk to begin:

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We walked the mile race with Amy, and a large group of Amy’s supporters.  As we finished the walk, we intersected with the 5k walkers and this is what I saw:

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It was remarkable and astounding to see that many people walking over I-25 (major highway in Denver) all for breast cancer.  I was not able to connect with Erika or my other friend, Nicole, but Nicole signed up for the run and ran the entire course as well!  We all accomplished our goals for the day, and that made it all the more special!

The entire experience for me was wonderful.  It was one of the best things I have ever done for myself.  I was walking around the rest of Sunday with a smile on my face, and I was smiling all day today.  My grandmother called me yesterday and congratulated me and told me how proud of me she was.  My entire family was very supportive, and to all my friends, Twitter friends, and Facebook friends, thank you for all the support and encouragement you gave me! 

Before the race, I fully expected to do this race and be done running.  I don’t have any plans at the moment, but I can say that I am not done running yet.  Besides, I just got new running shoes.  I can’t retire them until they are worn out. 

To be continued…

P.S.- Sonja is the guest blogger today at Mile High Mamas where she shares her story on her friend, Amy’s, breast cancer and her Race for the Cure experience.