Star crossed lovers back together. and a new injury

Since my suspected stress fracture in February, I have been doing all my working out at the gym. I told myself that once I dropped a little more weight, I'd get back to running. Like I mentioned in my last post, it's been harder to get to the the gym, and it's way too hot to do anything outside, so on a whim, I decided to run a few weeks ago.
And it. went. AWESOME.

Runner's high is the only excuse/explanation for posting a sweaty selfie

It actually happened to be on the one year anniversary of my ankle surgery so it felt extra amazing!

I was able to do 2 miles with barely any effort! I'm down around 15 pounds since my last run and I've been doing a crapton of cardio, and honestly, it didn't feel like 6 months had passed.

I've had a few more runs since and they've also been great, but I want to really focus on keeping a good balance to avoid injury. I'm planning to limit my runs to 2-3 a week for the foreseeable future and balance my workouts with classes at the gym.

But that is the silver lining on a shitty, shitty thing that happened last week...I've been having an issue when working out- now matter what it is, if I do it for 15 minutes or longer, the outer toes on my right foot start to go numb and cramp up to the point where I have to take a short break or stop altogether (which I rarely do, because I associate quitting a workout with my old, obese self and am very stubborn about it). I finally saw my doctor about it and he thinks it's likely a nerve issue, more specifically a neuroma or tarsal tunnel syndrome. So I have a referral to go back to the team of doctors who operated on my ankle (FML) and get it figured out.

 

what I said to my foot

So there it is, the good (running again!!!), the bad (my effing foot), and the ugly (sweaty workout pic).

Goals for the week

My mother-in-law is in town visiting for the week, and my husband is off, so my regular routine will be basically non-existent.

It's the perfect week to set a few fitness goals to stick to, so I have some kind of road map to stick to so as not to get too off track. Last time I set goals here on the blog, disaster struck (mild over exaggeration, whatevs) and my foot started giving me problems, setting off a shit storm of panic inside my head.

I am ever the optimist, however, and both feet and ankles feel great right now, probably in part due to the fact that most of my working out has been low impact. In fact, I was amazed at how great my ankle felt during our epic hike on Saturday. The first time we attempted that trail (2 months ago), the hike back down was extremely difficult on my ankle. This time it felt really good (better than my hamstrings + head + stomach, ha).

My health/fitness goals for this week:

Work out for an hour at least 3 days.
Track my calories as closely as I can at least 3 days.

My goals will get more specific again when my schedule gets back to normal. For now, I'm going to enjoy this time with the family... and try not to gorge myself on yummy restaurant food too much.

I still really really miss running. I told my husband the other day that running and I are like star-crossed lovers... it's the only form of exercise that I can become truly obsessed with. I think about it and read about it and plan events around it. But the minute I make any progress and am running on a regular basis, something happens. This bad luck where running is concerned goes back YEARS, as I've always had weak ankles/feet with a history of sprains. A less determined (or smarter) person would take that as a hint that they're maybe not meant to be a runner and focus on alternative forms of exercise. But I haven't gotten to this point without determination and I'm planning to add running back in after losing another 10-15 lbs, with the hope that less weight on my joints = less chance of injury.

Do you have a form of exercise that you love as much as I love running? Hiking is a (very) close second for me.

Oh, hello!

I did not mean to take a week away from my little corner of the internet. This week was a little light on the working out which always makes me feel blah.

But... foot update! I walked my regular 1.5 mile route on Saturday and today and felt no pain!!

Of course, my initial instinct was to do ALL THE THINGS! But even the thought of an injury was pretty scary and I think I'm going to take a little more time off from running. I guess the way I look at it is as much as I love running, I'd rather give that up a little bit longer than lose running, walking, AND hiking.

I'm hoping that taking weight off my joints through lower impact workouts will make it safer (and easier) for me to achieve my running goals. Even 10 or 15 lbs would make a huge difference when running! God help us if it takes me too long to get there...

NOOOOO!!!!!

Last Tuesday's run went great... Wednesday was a rest day, and I noticed a twinge in my left foot (not the side with the ankle issues, that feels great). Thinking I'd pulled something, I wasn't too worried.
Thursday I noticed that I couldn't walk long distances without that twinge turning into full-blown pain. I decided to take another rest day. But I was FREAKING OUT. Dr. Google had me convinced I was dealing with a stress fracture.
It was still bothering me on Friday (after walking around the store for a while), so I took the entire weekend off of any activity. Which is torture for me, by the way.

Today it was feeling much better so I went for a walk. About a half mile in, the pain set in and I hauled ass to urgent care to get it looked at. They did x-rays (although I've heard stress fractures are difficult to detect on x-ray) and said everything looks fine, but that I need to take some time off of high-impact exercise, like running, hiking, even walking for a while.

Basically all the activities I enjoy doing.

 

So, stress fracture or not, looks like I'm taking time off from running... AGAIN. 

I've been telling myself that unlike the shit storm that was my ankle fracture/surgery/healing, this is not a life-stopping, cast-wearing injury. I can keep going with my weight loss efforts, I just need to find other forms of exercise to keep up my weight loss. Unfortunately, I'll probably have to work out twice as long to get anywhere close to the calorie burn running gets me.

Thoughts While Running Outside

In my last post I mentioned that I've been using the treadmill as a sort of security blanket. Because of that pesky ADHD, sometimes I think too much.

So, in the spirit of keeping it real, here are thoughts that go through my head when I'm running in public:

Oh my god, is that my breathing?

Shit, this is hard.

Ooh a lizard/cat/cool bug!!! I must stop and look/pet/chase after it.

Oh my god, there was big rock right there. What if I'd tripped on it and hurt my ankle? 

(Imagine and re-imagine said scenario for at least a quarter of a mile)

Seriously, I sound like a wildebeest.

Faster. I need to go faster.

 OMG I'm awesome.

Okay too fast.

That person is going to think I need medical attention thanks

 to my abnormally loud breathing. 

I better say hello as loudly as I can so they know I'm okay.

 

Why am I veering to the right? (Imagine I'm a car with alignment problems. 

Figure out what kind of car I would be.)

I hope I don't stumble off this 2 inch curb and hurt my ankle. 

(Dwell on new scenario for another quarter mile.)

DONE!

I am a total badass.

It doesn't take an expert to figure out that I'm self-conscious of my breathing and terrified of hurting my ankle again. We all have our issues...the important part is that I get out there, get my miles in, and feel super awesome afterwards.

My new training partner!

Look what I got!

Finally bit the bullet and got a Garmin Forerunner 220. I think it's going to prove to be a good investment with my running goals and training plans. I debated for a very long time between the Forerunner 15 and Forerunner 220, but, ultimately the 220 won out thanks to Bluetooth and the vibration alerts.

One of the reasons I wanted a running watch is because I've been using the treadmill as a security blanket (more to come on that in a future post about what goes through my head when I run outside).

I noticed that being able to control my running environment was a detriment in a few different ways:

- pushing my pace was harder because I had to overcome what *I* think is a fast number on the treadmill (ie. "I can't go that fast!")

- no variation in the terrain, wind, etc., will do absolutely nothing to prepare me for future races.

I dare you to watch the whole video and not laugh

Not to mention:

- I was getting really freaking bored looking at my empty walls- music or no, I was really needing a change in scenery to motivate me.

- When I did run outside, I was doubting the accuracy of the running app on my phone and pulling my phone out of my sports bra to check my pace was really irritating (and occasionally embarrassing).

Today was a rest day but I really wanted to take her out for a run, so I ran a little more than a mile. I loved it! Really looking forward to using this on my longer runs and being able to enjoy the gorgeous weather (until the scorching heat forces me back on the treadmill).

Workout log for this week

 It's that time of the week!

Monday- 30 minutes walking
Tuesday- Ran 2 miles, 30 minutes walking
Wednesday- Ran 1 mile, 40 minutes walking
Thursday- rest
Friday- Ran 2.5 miles, 30 minutes walking*
Saturday- rest
Sunday- 3 miles

My first week with just a basic mileage goal and no specific plan...went pretty well! I'm proud that I added walking back in. I was a little short of my 10 mile weekly goal because I had dental work done on Thursday morning and was a total baby all day (I was so traumatized from my root canal 2 years ago that I've been putting off the crown this whole time).

I am taking this time to build my base, but also work on my speed. On Friday's 2.5 mile run, I told myself I really wanted to finish it in 30 minutes. I knew that would mean I'd have to run a 12 minute pace the entire time which seemed, while not impossible, at least a little difficult. I started at a 13 mile pace, but quickly ramped it up to 12:00. With my goal in mind, I added some faster intervals in throughout the run and finished in 30:09.

Friday was an insanely active day. I wore my Bodymedia Fit Link armband (which they don't make anymore, since they were acquired by Jawbone) the whole day, because I was curious to see how much I would burn doing my workouts plus grocery shopping and cleaning. My activity by the end of the day was insane:

I'd love to see every day be so active! I have such a love/hate relationship with my armband. I love that it measures calories burned and activity level any time it detects an increase in activity- which is why it counts cleaning and shopping. And it's supposed to be extremely accurate. I hate how bulky it is and definitely don't like wearing it with short sleeves or anything with tighter sleeves.

Today was my long run. I did 3 miles, in beautiful (but warm) 80 degree weather. I ran my favorite neighborhood path which goes past the citrus grove we go to for our delicious oranges.

the citrus grove is on the right

thanks for the allergies asshole

Also, my early bird experiment is a definite success. I am getting hooked on being up earlier- the days are longer and I can accomplish a lot more.

Definitely going to keep going and hopefully it will become a habit!
 
Are you an early bird or night owl?
Did you have a great week of workouts?

Rethinking my training plan

I know I've said ad nauseam that my training plan is going great and I'm super proud that I've stuck with it for the last 3 weeks. And I am!

However, there was a fantastic article in the latest issue of Runner's World discussing the importance of building a good running base (especially for new runners) and it got me thinking. I'm still more than 4 months out from my 10k, and the earliest I'll be racing a 5k is April. The article recommends that newbie runners get a base of 10 miles a week, with a long run of at least 3 miles (or 30-40% of total weekly mileage), 2 medium runs (20%), and one or two short runs (10%) each week. That is basically what the last 2 weeks have been and it's felt like a really manageable amount of running while still challenging me. I think that for the next month or so I'm going to stick to these numbers; keeping my long runs in the 3 to 4 mile range, moderate runs around 2-2.5 miles, short runs 1-1.5 (aiming for 4-5 runs a week). Then in March I'll ramp up the training so I can properly race a 5k in April and prepare for June's 10k.

I'm honestly thrilled with the fact that I'm in a place where I can even run 10 miles a week! Back in August-September, I was severely missing running and anytime I thought about it, I would promptly burst into tears.

picture a pink cast on his leg and you've got August-September Julie

I have a follow-up appointment with my surgeon tomorrow, and I'm super excited to finally circle a 10 on the "how happy are you with your surgery" survey (note: do not ask patients that question when they are less than a week post-op, you won't like the answer). I'm also looking forward to (hopefully) getting reassurance that my raging ibuprofen addiction won't result in multiple stomach ulcers.

Happy Monday!

Workout log for this week

Sunday- Rest
Monday- Rest
Tuesday- 2.5 miles (hills)
Wednesday- Rest (although I did a crapton of walking around downtown Scottsdale)
Thursday- 1.5 miles (speed)/.5 mile scenic hike
Friday- 2.5 miles (I had to do this in 2 parts and it sorta felt like cheating...)
Saturday- off
Sunday- 4 miles

Total mileage: 10.5 miles
Goal: 10-11 miles

Let's take a moment and celebrate a few things:

I got my mileage in this week!

4 miles is my new longest distance ever.

I'm still following my Run Longer plan??? This is unprecedented.

For my 4 mile run today, we went to the White Tank Mountains and I ran a .5 mile loop 8 times- slightly boring, but the trail is really soft and sandy without any huge rocks to dodge. My main goal was to finish- I didn't have a time goal and in fact, I'm not even sure what my pace was. I took a couple 15-30 second walk breaks (recently read about the Galloway method, color me intrigued), and a few stops to snap some photos and look at a lizard.
 

obligatory selfie at mile 3

My little guy ran with me the last few minutes

The weather could not have been better

Remember when I said that running is a huge mental game for me?? That was never more apparent than today. I told myself I'd do half my run on the trail and the rest at home (honestly, doing that loop 8 times seemed insane at first). On my third loop, I told myself "yeah, I'm definitely stopping after four, just have to get to four". After four, I got some water and told my husband, "I think I'm going to keep going!" After five loops, I decided I might as well finish my run on the trail. And so I did. So much unnecessary thinking and cajoling and bargaining with myself.

Glaringly absent this week are both cross training and strength training. I'll get there...hoping my early to bed, early to rise plan helps with that.

Did you reach your goals for the week?

My first 5k!!

I've been reading Runs For Cookies for several years. Katie has lost and maintained a huge amount of weight, is an accomplished runner, and has even appeared on the Doctor Oz show! She is very real on her blog, which I love. All in all, I'm a total fangirl. She's organized a virtual 5k on her birthday the last few years, and I was finally able to participate this year!
My goal on the entry form was to finish in 40 minutes or less. When I first began to dream of becoming a runner someday (around 250 lbs or so) I remember thinking I'd be thrilled to finish a 5k in 45 minutes!!! And actually, when I got back to running after breaking my ankle this fall, I was running very slow 15 minute miles.
When I ran 3 miles last weekend, I did it in a little over 39 minutes, which told me I could step up my time goals for the race. I didn't really have a specific number in mind, I just knew I wanted it to be faster than 39 minutes!
I decided to run on the treadmill (my physical therapist suggested I use the treadmill, especially during longer runs, since it's lower impact than road running), got my music fired up, and started running!

 It was pretty uneventful considering I was inside, but nearing the end, I decided to really push myself to see how fast I could finish. Thinking I was almost there, I basically sprinted and then realized that I was at 3.01 miles...not 3.1.

That last .1 mile was the most difficult part of the entire run.

My miscalculation totally paid off because I finished in 38:15, with a pace of 12:18.68888888888888 (or 12:19, I guess)!!!!!!

I am thrilled that I was able to pull that pace off less than 6 months after breaking my ankle and having pins put in (and with an extra 50-ish pounds on board)!

I love that my first 5k was virtual because I was able to do it on my own time without the race day stress. Because I made my goal, I was able to enter a drawing for a Garmin Forerunner 10 running watch, which incidentally has been on my Amazon wish list for several months. Fingers crossed!