Day 76C--End of my season

I haven't blogged at all since the end of July. That was because of my pain and lack of running. What I thought was an IT band injury turns out to be an injury to my femoral neck. I have been ordered to crutches for six weeks, which means no walking, and especially no running. I'm out of the game until well after the marathon. Once I'm given the go-ahead to ditch the crutches, I will get a run gait analysis and try running again, but with a form that works to prevent this injury in the future. Until then, I will rest my leg and get a great workout from lifting my body weight repeatedly with my arms. I never realized how difficult crutches are and how much work my arms, back and chest would be doing to keep me remotely mobile.

Day 70C--Calves

I've mentioned my tight calves before and I had gotten used to them. They've been tight since I started training at the beginning of May. Yesterday, my calves took a turn for the worse. Instead of just being tight and uncomfortable when I walked or ran, they are now sore all the time. I'm visibly limping all the time. My right knee & hip are starting to hurt because of the limping caused by my tight left calf. I have called the physical therapists that work with T2 and hope they can help me out. I don't want to miss tomorrow's 7 mile run, but I don't want to make things worse and miss the 16 mile run next week.

Day 20C--Another Goal Reached

I ran the full 6.56 miles home from work in less than 80 minutes. My pace was 11:53 per mile. That's a better pace than I set on my long run last week. I really thought the longer run would cause my pace to slow, but I was mistaken. Perhaps I'm just becoming a better runner. My muscles are a bit tight today, but nothing needing medicine, ice or rest. I'd probably be best served by doing some serious stretching. The Body Glide did help a lot. I think I need to put it on everywhere my bra MIGHT rub, instead of where it HAS rubbed, though.
I am starting to realize that I prefer longer distances to shorter distances. I'm running a 5K this weekend, but may sign up for a 10K this summer. It makes for a longer race, but against a much smaller field.
Every time I increase my distance, I have a fear that it's "too far, too fast" or simply just "too far". As I've been able to meet each distance and finish at or above my current pace, I am excited, shocked and proud. I must have pointed out how far I ran at least five times last night. Just sitting watching TV and I'd say, out of nowhere, "I ran over six miles today" I did the same thing for the month of February, but that was, "The Packers won the Super Bowl" I don't know when it will sink in that I am a runner. I'm not just some person who tries to run on occasion. I. Am. A. Runner.

Day 95--Rainy

I didn't ride in today because of the rain. I did get in a short run, something I wasn't able to do yesterday because of the running injury I sustained on Tuesday. It's not a serious injury at all. I just have what looks like road rash on both of my collar bones. My bra rubbed so bad that it created actual injuries. That did keep me from running yesterday, but not today. I managed to avoid re-injuring myself by running with my hands in my pocket. It wasn't as uncomfortable as I would have thought. My hands got warm, but other than that, it was fine. I also ran a 10 minute mile with my heart rate staying under 150. I've heard aerobic video leaders talk about the increase in heart rate when your arms are raised up, but I never actually noticed the effects until today. I'm going to try to run a full 5K with my hands low, like that to see if I can keep up a faster pace.