Confessions

I have to confess...I've been eating chocolate without exercise.

I've been out of commission this week since the 1/2. Every step I take I feel my knee. I'm starting to reconsider if it was all worth it.....nah, it totally was. I limped for two days and am now walking reasonably normal, but it still hurts and is keeping me from being as active as I want. I tried to bike this afternoon.....

See why? Imagine how disappointed I was when 5 blocks in I decided to turn around because I decided it wasn't a good idea to ignore my body. And you know what else I'm guilty of? Not stretching as much as I should. I just researched how to cure a bum knee, and of course, stretching is the cure. Is it just that stretching is boring so I don't want to do it? Or is it that ouch-is-this-really-supposed-to-feel-good sensation I always seem to have? I suppose I can't complain about my knee when I'm not doing everything I can to help it along.....I guess I'll substitute my bike ride with some basic quad, hammy, and IT band stretches....and a little bit of chocolate. :)

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Yesterday morning my alarm clock rang at 5:00am. And yes, I willingly got up at 5:00am....willingly in the sense that if I didn't get up, the only person that would be disappointed would have been me...and maybe my running buddy....not willingly in the sense that I felt perky.

No. I never feel perky at 5:00am.

The only thing that drew me out of bed at that ungodly hour yesterday was this.

I had been waiting for this day for awhile. Actually, probably for about a month and a half when I found a half marathon training program online and got to work. And yesterday, it all paid off. Let me tell you about the race. First of all, I was nervous....not for the distance as you might expect, but for my knee. This is the first time I've ever had any sort of pain when exercising, and in training leading up to the race it wasn't getting any better. It was about 3 weeks before the race and I was out for my 10 mile run on a Saturday afternoon. Mile 8 rolled around and my knee started to hurt. It kind of took me off guard. What? My knee? No way. By mile 10 I was limping along. My next attempted run it acted up at mile 6, and then again on the following run at mile 3. See why I was nervous? I wasn't liking the trend. So I stopped in my local running shop and got one of these.

It's wrapped right above the knee to lessen the impact on your knee cap from your IT band. Needless to say, for the two weeks before the race I didn't train tapered.

The race day finally came. There were TONS of racers.

And the course was absolutely beautiful, up and down the river. I had my brace in hand as my running buddy and I entered the corral. We started at the back of the pack and before we knew it, we were off. The first few miles were great -- I felt good, the adrenaline was still pumping, and I was having fun looking at people's cute running outfits....and then it happened. Between mile 2 and 3 the pain came. I'm going to ruin the story right now and spill the beans that I finished. I wasn't sure if I could finish until I reached mile 7. It hurt -- I mean it really hurt. I actually never ended up putting on the brace. I wasn't sure if it ever really helped during training, so even though it stayed in my hand the whole 13 miles, it was nice to have something to squeeze every time I felt a shot of pain. And I probably looked ridiculous, because I realized that the less I bent my knee, the better it felt. Just call me the hobbit runner.

I think the only reason I was able to (children, don't try this at home) push through the pain, was because of my running buddy being right beside me the whole time (thank you Emilie!) and the cheer squads along the way. Really, race-supporters, you make all the difference. Seriously. I love the bells. I love the cheers. and I love the signs. Here were a couple of my favorite signs.

Run like you stole something.

Where is everybody going?

Getting up early to make this sign wasn't easy either.

Pain is temporary. Pride is forever.

You trained longer for this than Kim Kardashian was married.

....just to name a few. So, I have accomplished a half marathon. Check.....now what?

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ITBS

ITBS....Iowa Test of Basic Skills

Just joking.

More like, Ilio-Tibial Band Syndrome. I am a self-diagnosed ITBS victim. It was only 2 weeks ago that on a long run I had some pain around mile 8. I pushed through the next 2 miles okay, but at the end of my 10 mile run, I was having pain just walking. Wow, I'm young, and aren't knee problems for old people? Here's where your IT band is.

And here's how it connects to your knee cap.

Since you can believe everything you read online, the world wide web says if your IT band is too tight, in combination with other muscles being too weak, your knee cap can be pulled to the side. The unbalance can cause pain. A real bummer. 

But, on the good side, I also read that stretching and strength training can cure it. Let's hope! Because I don't want to feel old anymore. 

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This weekend I downloaded some new songs I think will be great workout songs. You know when you hear a song and it makes you want to dance? That to me is a good workout song. Here are the four songs I downloaded:

1. Call Me Maybe -- Carly Rae Jepsen. I love this one. The orchestra in the chorus makes my heart leap...and hopefully will have the same effect on my legs.

2. All I Do is Win -- DJ Khaled. Yes, all I do is win (yeah right!). I like the fight-feeling in this song. I will fight until the end of my workout. Scouts honor. 

3. So Good -- B.o.B. 

4. Starships -- Nicki Minaj. Both So Good and Starships are feel-good-summer-songs. They make me picture a skinny me at a bar-b-que with good friends and a good pair of shorts. 

I'll try them out tomorrow on my run!

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One and Done

I'm not sure whether to think that a 1 mile race is the best or worst kind of race. Boy was it fast, but boy was it hard. I stumbled onto this race randomly last night -- the TC 1 mile.

 

 I had heard a lot of hype about it a few months ago because there's a random draw from the participants to qualify for the most popular 10 mile race of the year in the area. But I had since forgotten about it until I called up a girlfriend (who happens to be my favorite running buddy) last night. I was planning to take a longer run last night until she said she was running the 1 mile and her cousin couldn't make it anymore. Needless to say, I ran under an alias....which means I also don't have to claim the time of my not-so-fast run. 

In all my races I've done so far, my only goal has been to finish. When I realized this race was for time, my stomach started to knot a little bit. It's funny how races can ruffle your feathers when the only person you're trying to please is yourself. 

The experience itself was pretty neat. Imagine -- thousands of people running as fast as they can down a 1 mile strip between the skyscrapers. It was pretty awesome.

When the horn went off, there were so many people running in front of us that we started out at a slow jog. Once we busted onto the sidewalks away from the mob, we picked up the pace and started passing people. What is it that feels so good about passing people? The first quarter mile went so fast, I couldn't believe it. It wasn't until we hit 1/2 mile that I noticed how bad my lungs were burning. The only nice thing about pain in a 1 mile race is that you know it'll be over soon. Thankfully the course was slightly down hill toward the end, and shortly after we saw the finish line, I yelled (way too loudly, I'm afraid) "SPRINT, EMILIE! COME ON!"....thankfully she isn't embarrassed by me...We cruised past a few more people and triumphantly crossed the finish line chip-foot forward. I love the end of races when you hear the crowd cheer.  

I'm glad I did it for the experience. And now I have a baseline of just how fast I can plow through 1 mile. Plus, out of the whole deal I got a sweet Brooks performance running t-shirt.

And I didn't pay a dime....

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Out of all the sports brands, my favorite has always been Nike. Let's face it -- Nike is just plain cool. I love their bright colors and cool patterns. And for some reason, Nike just always fits the best. There's nothing worse than putting on a running top that's shaped like a box. Never attractive.

For the past 3 years I've run in minimalist Nike's. Six months ago I purchased a pair of Nike Free's  like this.

                                 

I love how flashy they are. You know you have cool shoes when a stranger off the street comments "nice shoes" with a head nod as you run by.....and then mile eight came around....and my left knee right to the outside of the kneecap started to hurt. I told myself it must have been a fluke and surely it couldn't be age related.

I still hold to that statement.

But, after talking to some better runners then me, I decided one hundred dollars for a new pair of shoes with better support would be a lot cheaper in the long run than a few doctor's visits at 200 bucks a pop. I broke down and went into a running store this afternoon where they help you pick out your shoes. They watch you walk and tell you if you have a natural "gait" or not. I guess I need moderate cushion. Who knew the cool factor wasn't the only thing to base your running shoes off of. 

So I got a pair of these.

                                               

Not as cool....I know. When will running brands ever get the hint? But, from here on out, it's going to be function over fashion for this girl. I guess having not so cool shoes is a good excuse to go get some extra cool running tops. :) 

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