Meet my new running partner!

BANDIT - ADOPTED

It's official! If you go to Guardian Angel Pet Rescue's website and scroll down thru the available dogs, you will find Bandit. Guardian Angel Pet Rescue is a wonderful agency that rescues dogs & cats from death row and finds them their forever home. Bandit is a great dog even though Teddy isn't quite in agreement.

My running, that had started back up with a vengeance had sputtered to a small spark with all the gloomy, rainy weather of late. My back yard has become nothing more than a muddy murky swamp. Poor Bandit! He's been so cooped up. So I decided that today was the day to"kill 2 birds with 1 stone" so to speak. I laced up my Asics and put the leash on Bandit and out the door we went. He did AWESOME!! In the beginning, he was practically dragging me but as we settled into a steady pace, we ran side by side. By the end of our 30 minute run, we were both exhausted. There were a couple of times when we got a little tripped up -- me over the leash and he over my 2 feet. Oh and of course, in the beginning, he had to mark every mailbox and sniff every yard but he quickly caught on. I thought it was a great start to what I hope becomes a common occurance.

So if you're in need of a running buddy of the 4-legged persuasion, please consider adoption. I'm sure glad I did!

Gotta run...

Lisa

Run Softly and Carry "The Stick"

I have learned over the years that if you want a boat load of unsolicited advice, you should get pregnant or acquire a sports related injury. I chose the lesser of 2 evils (or did I?) and decided to injure my already-not-so-good knee. Ever since I developed issues with my knee, EVERYONE seems to know what I should or shouldn't do, the right drug to take, cream to try, the proper stretches, etc, etc, etc. Now, it's not that I mind the advice. After all, I want to run and I want to do it without making things worse. The problem is that I've gotten so much advice that it has become virtually impossible to sift thru it all to find a solution that works for me.

But last week, I was talking to the leader of our walking group at work and she told me about one of her clients who had experienced the same calf cramps when her mileage ramped up to double digits as well as knee pain. Someone recommended The Stick and after trying it out, her knee pain completely disappeared and she ran a marathon with NO CRAMPING! Well that single testimony was enough to convince me to give it a try. I used it for the 1st time after my run last nite. I am pleased to say that I'm experiencing very promising results -- still have knee pain but not as much! I was also able to pinpoint several trouble spots or "triggers" that I was able to work out. And I slept GREAT last nite - no achy, sore legs. Hmmmm.

I decided to use it BEFORE my run today and wow what a difference! I did notice some areas that I wished I had hit before hand but those spots were the 1st I worked on after my run. Boy do I feel great. I'm still a proponent of RICE but I'm convinced that the stick should be in every runners gear bag. My only regret is that I discovered it's benefits after injury when I truly believe had it been in my bag of tricks pre-injury, well, I simply would not have had this issue.

But the stick was not the only factor that led to my successful run today. Today I decided to engage in mindful running. I have blogged about this before but I can't say enough about this technique. If you find yourself running alone, as I did today, it's great. Usually I use my runs to "work thru" my problems, solve world hunger, calculate complex algebraic equations and think about what I'm going to wear to work tomorrow. Mindful running forces you to dismiss such mental pursuits and focus solely on your running - your stride, your breathing, everything! Everytime I could hear my footfalls, I would imagine that I was running on a cloud and tried to "tread lightly." For the most part, this was an easy task as during most of this run, my heavy breathing drowned out the sound of heavy feet but still I focused on just my running and not my "drama-saturated" life. The time flew by. After a 5 minute warmup, 25 minutes of running and a 5 minute cool down -- I felt almost as proud as if I had run a marathon. Ok, not quite that proud but proud none the less. Tomorrow is a rest day but thanks to the stick and my rekindled love for the run, I'm looking SO forward to Thursday because I...

Gotta run!
Lisa

On The Road Again

For reasons other than filing my taxes, I have been dreading April 15th. April 15th will be exactly one month since I crossed the finish line in Little Rock and exactly one month since I've gone for a run. I've walked a handful of times and I took a few jogging steps for my photo-op on the Golden Gate Bridge but a full fledged run, nope, haven't done it. I've had a million & one excuses and honestly, they've all been valid. An injured knee is not something to take lightly. But, to be honest, the reason I haven't been running is because somehow, I lost my nerve. I can't explain what I'm afraid of any more than I can explain why it's so cold outside when it's supposed to be spring! But as the 15th approaches, I realize I'm more afraid of never running again than what will happen if I do. So with that realization, I headed out the door for a 20 minute run.

It was not spectacular. It was not fast. It was not without lots of aches & pains. It was, however, a new beginning and it felt GREAT! As I was winding down, I started thinking about an email I received from a very dear friend. I was telling him about the struggles leading up to, during and after the marathon in March. He candidly asked me if I thought I'd be interested in running if it didn't bring so many challenges. I had never really thought of that before & after only a second, I realized that he makes an excellent point. If running were easy for me, I would quickly become bored and move on. It's the obstacles & challenges that truly captivate me. So today, in those measly 20 minutes, I basked in the aches & pains and the huffing & puffing that comes with a month of the lazies. I vowed to start over, re-build my strength and endurance and enjoy the ride. Today I'm setting out to recapture what I thought was lost. I learned I haven't lost it, it just needs a little dusting off.

I am definitely back on the road again...YES!!!!!!!

Gotta run...
Lisa

Back to reality

"Running" the Golden Gate Bridge

It's hard to believe that 1 week ago I was in sunny California! The reality of my unpacked suitcase is like a harsh slap in the face and I am SO tempted to just go back to bed. I am having the hardest time adjusting my sleep patterns to the central time zone -- you would think I was in San Francisco for months rather than days.

I had hoped to post pix and blog from San Francisco but alas I packed the cord for my MP3 player instead of for my camera. I had also hoped to regain my running mojo while on this trip. After all, who wouldn't be inspired by this scenery? Well, as the running fates would have it, after a very long plane ride (boy was I stiff!) and then a "not-so-gentle" bump of my bad knee on a car door, running was no longer an option. I must now deal with another reality that a visit to an orthopaedic is most likely lurking in the near future. Another reason, as far as I'm concerned, to go back to bed this morning! Hopefully, I can find a Dr who will help my knee without telling me to hang up my Asics (a girl can dream, can't she?) Cuz we ALL know that I've...

Gotta run!...

Lisa

Big Blue Cow & the Daffodil "Ditch"

I had signed up to do the Daffodil Dash 5k today. I knew it was probably not a good idea considering it hasn't even been a week since Little Rock. Besides, what's 3 miles to a "marathoner" Ian had wanted to run this race with me so I didn't think twice about it. Then Thursday nite, his best friend's mom called to invite him to spend the nite Friday and spend the day Sat. What was an 11 year old boy to do? Well, it was a no brainer -- he planned to ditch me. His dad, however, would not allow it. So off I go to the race with my son in tow. By "in tow" I mean dragging him kickin' & screamin'. Ok, so maybe I'm being a "little" dramatic. When we get there it starts pouring down rain and the temps are in the low to mid 40's. Oh & did I mention he's in short sleeves? Yeah, there goes my nom for mom of the year! Normally, a cold rain with a throbbing knee less than a week after a marathon would not scare me away. But here I have this boy that I'm hoping will someday develop a love for running and I'm not certain that coming down with pneumonia will get me any closer to that hope. So, we picked up our shirts, crept shamefully back to the car and tried to drive away without being noticed. Oh the disgrace! But the boy, he felt no shame. He was happy to be leaving until he realized that if only his dad hadn't made him come to the race, he wouldn't have been here in the 1st place. Then he got an attitude. I know, an 11 yr old boy with an attitude, what a stretch. He was ticked that we didn't run the race and he was equally ticked that he didn't get to spend the nite with his friend. So I did what any mother would do in this situation & I took care of that attitude...I took him to Target and bought him something! Ugh...guilt is so powerful especially when wielded so artfully by a manipulative pre-teen with big brown eyes... So there you have it -- the race report for the race that never was.

Now, as promised, I leave you with some pics that my sister took in Little Rock last weekend. Enjoy!

Approaching the Finish Line!

Still Approaching the Finish Line!

Finished!!!!

Gotta run...

Lisa

Long Awaited Race Report - No Photos Yet

While I am waiting for my photos (used a disposable camera instead of my digital), I decided to post a pic of the biggest finisher medal I have ever seen. You could serve a meal on this thing!

I decided I better go ahead & post my race report before the details start to fade rather than wait on my photos. 1st glance of the race photos, however, lead me to believe I may not be sharing photos at all but that's a post for another day. Can you say "big blue cow?"

The weeks & months leading up to this race have been difficult for me. Going into this race 20 lbs heavier than last year and problems with my knee made me think this would definitely be my last marathon. I just didn't feel like I was in the proper shape & this run would be my undoing. I am happy to report, however, that I WAS WRONG!!!!! Although I crossed the finish line with cramps in both calves and my left knee throbbing, I felt strong and confident that this was not my swan song.

Last year, my struggles started between 8 & 10. This year, my struggles started at 19!!! Can you believe that? At mile 15, I was ahead of my pace by 5 minutes. My plan was to cross the finish line in 6:30 -- that's an average pace of 15 minute miles. Totally doable, even for someone as out of shape as me. My strategy was to walk "Mt Everest", take is slow on the downhill and then make up the time on the out/back (it is very flat) At the 20 mile mark, I was dead on my pace. Now, I was thrilled to be on my pace but totally disappointed that at that point I had not made up any time as I had planned to do. It was here that the cramping in both calves started and refused to let up. Mind you, this is the farthest I have ever gone before without cramping but it was still frustrating. At 21 there were bananas and I was sure with some stretches & potassium, I would be good to go...NOT! At 22 I realized I was not going to make my goal but I was not upset. I was still doing better than last year and felt very happy for that.

Then came mile 25. I thought that I had hit the wall before but boy was I mistaken. At 25, I literally could not put one foot in front of the other. I wanted to lay down on the road -- I was absolutely spent. I have never felt anything like that before and I hope I never do again. I'm ashamed to admit that at mile 25, I actually considered quitting. I came to a dead stop & said to myself, "this is NOT worth it!" About that time, I hear a voice behind me say "nobody quits @ 25. 1 more hill and you're there." I turned to see where the voice came from & saw a man in a wheelchair. Not the hand-cranked, aero-dynamic kind you see at races mind you. This guy was in a regular wheelchair. He was feverishly cranking the wheels on this massive hill telling ME not to quit. I can't tell you what that did to me. I had no choice but to get moving and that's just what I did.

That was the longest mile I have ever endured in my entire life. I thought it would never end. When I reached mile 26, I still couldn't run. I resigned myself to the possibility that I would be walking across the finish line this time. There should be no shame in that I thought -- at least I'm finishing. But when I looked up and saw my wheelchair friend flying across the line, I started to run. I didn't even think about it -- I just did it. It wasn't fast and it was a little wobbly and it hurt like heck BUT I had a smile on my face.

Although I didn't make my goal, I did shave 6 minutes off last year's finish time. Although it didn't work this time, I still think my strategy was good. I'm thinking if I did this well for not being in the best shape, what will I be able to do if I AM properly trained and in shape. On the ride home, I began mapping it all out for next year. Yes, that's right, NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!

So, once again an unlikely marathoner has another finisher's medal on the wall and there's no obvious signs that I will be giving up this addiction any time soon because it all boils down to this...

Gotta run!!!!!
Lisa

8 days & counting...

Today was my last "long" run before Little Rock -- 6 miles -- piece of cake, right? WRONG!!! The 1st mile was rough. It was very windy and my legs felt SO tired. I about decided to call it a day but decided that I just couldn't let that happen even if it meant walking the whole darn thing. So I continued and decided to take in the sights of my surroundings rather than focus on the aches & pains. I enjoyed watching a hawk soar overhead, in search of its morning meal and tried to capture it on my cell phone but wasn't able to. As I made my way to the other end of the pond, I saw something I've never seen before -- a duck sitting in a tree.

I've never seen a duck in a tree before...

Close up

Ok, so maybe this is not that strange but it struck me as odd. Then I got to thinking, I'm like this duck in the tree. The duck looked really out of place to me -- ducks can fly so why should it seem unlikely for one to be in a tree. Like me, I'm feeling really out of place with this upcoming marathon. But why? I'm a runner and I've been here before so why should I feel strange? While I was pondering this question, my garmin beeped to let me know I had gone a mile. My pace was 13:00. Are you kidding me? A mile without a walk break and a fairly decent pace for someone who's nursing a very sore knee. I decided to keep running and didn't take another walk break until I reached mile 3. After a 1/4 mile walk break, I started running again. At mile 4 I looked at my garmin to find that I was off my race day pace by 1 minute!!!! WOW!!!! Mile 5, I made up the 1 minute deficit and finished at the 6 mile mark. It was in that moment I realized that ducks sit in trees and 43 yr old back of the packers run marathons! Bring it on Little Rock!

After a GREAT run, I had the privilege of taking a 2 mile walk with my favorite new mom, Susan, and her sweet little boy, Isaac. Wished I would have taken a pic of them instead of using up my cell phone memory on the duck...live and learn, I suppose...

Gotta run...

Lisa =)