Why I'm not running Boston 2015

This has been such a hard decision for me.  I worked so hard to re-qualify and loved every minute of Boston in 2013.  So why did I decide not to run it this year.  I registered, paid and got in just fine.  I know I could physically do it if I wanted to (even post surgery).  But I don't want to taint the memory I have of Boston by running it again.  It sounds weird but I had the most amazing time running it with family and friends and the thought of going out alone and running it alone doesn't sound appealing at all to me.  So I have decided to just let this one go.  I love everything about the Boston Marathon and I most likely will never run it again and I'm ok with that.  I did it and loved it and then qualified again and now I am going to rest, recover and save my money instead of going out there in 6 weeks. 

Surf City Half Marathon Race Recap

I haven't done a race since the Snow Canyon half in Nov. 2013.  Not one race last year.  Crazy.  I wasn't sure what goals to set for this race or really what to expect at all.  I wanted to finish the race and that was all I was willing to say about it.  But really that's not me at all - I need goals.  I finished under 2:00 hours and am happy about that.  And now I am totally motivated to run more.  Apparently, running one day a week isn't great training for feeling good while racing.  The main thing that I am struggling with the most these days in all my workouts is my mental edge.  I am so not mentally strong right now and that needs to end.  One thing I've always been good at is pushing through things and staying tough.  Right now instead I seem to find every excuse in the book for why I can't do things instead of just powering through it. 

The race was so much fun and so pretty.  But, it was a little hot and muggy for me (I got chaffed so bad - maybe my worst ever).   At one point when I was starting to go to the ugly place in my head (around 9.5 miles) I looked over and the waves were coming in and the beach was just beautiful.  Right then Happy came on my iPod and I remembered how awesome it is that I can run and how beautiful this earth is.  I wore my back brace for extra support and it was driving me crazy - luckily I saw Laurie and Suzette at mile 12 so I took it off and threw it at them.  Poor girls had to pick that nasty sweaty thing up but it made my last mile so much more enjoyable :)

A few things I loved about this race:  no busing to the start.  We just headed over to the start at 7:30 and ran.  It was so well organized with 20,000 runners that can't be easy to do.  The scenery was amazing.  Plenty of porta-potties and water stations with amazing volunteers.  Cute surfboard medals.  The expo was 3 days long and had lots of great vendors.  Shirts are cute and fit right.  Did I mention how pretty it was?

 Post race smiles

This cute gal Nana is 81 years old and set a course record for her age group. 
She ran it in like 2:10 is was so awesome!!

Best support team around

 

After the race we did a quick epson salt/ice bath. 
I mean we frolicked in the ocean :)

 

Goodbye 2014 .... Bring on 2015

My goals for 2014:
1.  Run 1200 miles
2.  Do 2 unassisted pull-ups
3. Compete in a new event (anything I haven't done before - distance or type) 

I'm ready to say goodbye to 2014.  It wasn't a great year for me with running.  Actually it was probably my worst year ever.  Here is how my goals ended up.

1.  I ran 525.64 miles - not even half of my original goal.  I had so many months of 0 miles and am still only running 2-3 days a week. 

2.  I got my pull-ups this year and even did a workout where I did like 60 pull-ups total.  AND I got a strict pull-up down too.  This was all back in the spring before my surgery and now I am back to being able to barely do 1.  Oh well. 

(Valentine's day right when I first got my pull-ups - 

not pretty but I got my chin over the bar...barely)

3.  I competed in the Crossfit Open this year.  It was a whole new ball game for me.  It was a 5 week long competition with 1 workout each week.  There were some serious high's and low's for me during this.  But I'm glad I did it.

Now onto 2015.  I have no idea what goals to set for this year.  I am still struggling to get back into a routine with working out and don't want to push my body too hard until I am fully recovered.  But it would be weird to not set any goals so here are my 3 fitness goals:

1.  Do a body weight back squat by June

2.  Run 750 miles

3.  NOT GET INJURED!!

It is time I get a routine back too.  My plan is to do crossfit 5 days a week.  Do 2 short-tempo runs and 1 long run a week and 1 rowing workout a week.  This should keep me from running too many miles but help me get back in shape. I want to be in half-marathon shape at all times.   

My First Run

Saturday I did my first run since May.  I really wasn't sure what to expect.  A bunch of the girls were running in the canyon so I offered to drop them off at the top and then drove my car down to the Bridal Veil parking lot and started up the canyon.  I planned to walk a full mile before I started to run to make sure my back and legs were nice and warmed up.  I walked up the path then at a mile started running until I hit mile 2 where I turned around and ran back down the trail.  At mile 2 when I turned around I saw 3 of the girls so I ran about 10 steps with them then told them not to go slow with me.  It was so beautiful outside and some of the leaves are even starting to change colors.  I ran 3 miles straight then walked another 3/4 mile after with 2 of the other girls who were finishing their run.  My 3 mile run was just over a 10 min/mile.  

After the run I stretched and drank a recovery shake.  I told Todd it felt so good to need a recovery drink again.  It's been so long since I've worked out.  I was so sore after the run - it felt like I had run 16 miles not 3!  Then yesterday I did another run/walk of 5 miles.  I didn't run 3 miles straight but alternated between 1/2 mile running and walking.  My poor legs were still sore and tired from Saturday's run and I don't want to push my body too hard this soon.  After that run I did my Foundations Training for my back and stretched.  I feel better today than I did after my first run so I'm hoping to just keep feeling better and stronger.  

Today I start my personal training sessions with my crossfit coach and I couldn't be more excited to get back to crossfit!  I have missed working out so much!!

Post Injury Running

What a summer.  8 weeks ago I got back surgery and I haven't been able to do anything except walk for 2 months.  Tomorrow is the big day for me to try to run again.  I am so nervous that I won't be able to run.  I have missed running and crossfit so much.  Working out is a huge part of my life and it's amazing what a huge void I feel not being able to do the things I love.  But I am determined to completely heal so I have been VERY good and haven't pushed it at all. 

My plan for starting to workout again is to do 3 easy runs a week (probably around 3 miles to start) with a run/walk combo until I feel good.   I am doing personal training sessions 3 days a week to start building my muscles back as well.  I really should add a day of swimming to the mix too if I can fit it in.  Then by the end of September I hope to be back to my normal workout schedule with doing less mileage and scaling my crossfit workouts while I work back up.  I have also been doing the Foundations Training workouts to build back my core - they are 10-15 minutes everyday - my massage therapist recommended them for me as physical therapy and they seem to help a lot.

Today I took my measurements so I have a reference point for how much muscle I've lost and my left leg is a full inch smaller than my right.  Obviously I was compensating too much before my surgery.

Wish me luck...tomorrow is a big day for me.

Why I can't run

I haven't posted in ages.  It's been quite a year for me.  This is my year for injuries I guess.  I was finally get back in running shape since my tendonitis and then I managed to hurt my back.  It all started with a fall on a 12 mile run back in early May.  I tripped on the sidewalk and went down on my hands, knee and right hip hard.  I finished my run and then my next workout hurt my back.  Just the usual right side lower back disc issues I've fought all my life.  

I took 2 weeks off running and called it good.  Ran a few more times but was still having issues with my back hurting.  I didn't listen and kept pushing hard.  Then one day in crossfit I did a stupid move and felt my back completely give out.  It hurt so bad I could barely walk.  I ended up flat on my back for 3 days.  Todd had to help me to get out of bed and to the bathroom and I couldn't put pressure on either foot without severe pain.  I went and got an MRI and found lots of damage on the left side of my low back.  NO!!  I have quite a bit of nerve issues going on right now.  My left leg is numb from the knee down the outside of my leg to my 2 little toes and I can't straighten my leg completely or lift it more than about 6 inches.  The muscles are feeling better and I can walk pretty good now.  But I can't run or jump or twist at all.  I have an appointment with a spinal surgeon in a week and hopefully I will know more about options and recovery. 

For now I am taking it easy at crossfit and when I do lift I wear this sweet weight belt.   It's a bit much and way too fancy for my needs but the support it provides is awesome and it helps me support my back.  From now on anytime I lift heavy I will wear a belt so I don't get hurt again.  Being injured doesn't work well with my personality.  I am so uptight and emotional these days because I can't just get it out of my system with some serious cardio.  I can't believe how much I miss running! 

Eat Clean. Train Mean.

I just finished my 12 week body transformation challenge with Generator Crossfit.  My personal goal was to transition 5 lbs of fat into 5 lbs of muscle.  I got my initial tests done on January 7.  I was a little shocked when I saw that I had 24.1% body fat and was in the "moderately lean" category.  I've never struggled with my weight and aside from losing post-pregnancy weight have always been "thin".  Today I measured at 18.6% body fat.  I lost 5.5% body fat and gained 5.4 lbs of muscle with a 2.6 lb overall loss. I couldn't be happier about my results.  I plan to keep doing what I'm doing and see where this takes me over the next 6 months.  I know I can build even more muscles and get stronger!!

Eating Clean:
After my initial test in January I met with my trainer and he told me to try to get 100-150g of protein a day and focus on my food coming from lean proteins, good fats and good carbs.  I tracked my food and ate totally clean for about 3 weeks then it became more of a lifestyle than actual diet.  I do my best to eat clean about 75% of the time - I'm most definitely not even close to perfect with my eating.  But I try to make good choices and use my food to fuel my body.  I drink a lot of protein shakes (after workouts and before bed every day) and try to get as much lean protein as possible with every meal and my snacks.  I  eat eggs, tuna, salmon, almonds, bacon and chicken a lot. I rarely eat dairy (except butter, cheese and an occasional Greek yogurt) and I avoid most grains now.  I still eat out and I still enjoy my favorite treats - but rather than let the whole day go down the drain I just try to eat as clean as possible every meal.

Train Mean:
I love working out.  Truly, if I could I would do 2 or 3 workouts every day because of how much I love it.  But since I can't just spend all day working out here's what I've been doing. I go to crossfit 5-6 days a week and do cardio 4 days a week.  I try to always separate the workouts by at least 3 hours to allow my body to fully recover.  When I don't have enough time between them my second workout is never as strong as it should be.  My trainer told us to do high intensity interval training for our cardio with only 1 long run a week. Talk about a big challenge for me.  I love running so much but since I was determined to build lean muscle I agreed to give it a go.  I've changed my spin classes to be very high intensity interval focused for 10-30 minutes max then the rest of the hour we work on leg strength or drills.  Running consists of 1 day of hill intervals, 1 day of sprint intervals and 1 long run a week.  On interval runs we usually walk between intervals instead of jogging.  It was a tough transition but I've grown to like it.  And Saturday on my long run I felt dang good for the first time since the St George marathon last year. 

My bro-in-law asked me which I liked more crossfit or running.  I can't say that I like either one more than the other anymore.  I love them both so much and for me with my goals they fit hand-in-hand.  They are both very social for me which is huge for me.  The fun factor has to be there for me. I don't intend to stop doing either one.  I feel like crossfit is making me a stronger runner and I know running helps my crossfit game too.  My cardio and endurance are great which helps me in the chipper wods.  I know there are a lot of haters out there - haters on running and haters on crossfit.  I hear it from people all the time.  But personally I love them both and think they might be the best combination ever!  At 41 years old I'm in the best shape I've ever been in my entire life.