The Mileage Is Increasing, And So Is The Pain!

I am not a morning person. Unless, of course, my morning is going to consist of sleeping in and grabbing brunch in the wee hour of noon. So, although my teammates talk of their morning weekdays runs, and how great it is to get it out of the way and have the rest of their day to do stuff – I prefer working out on my lunch break or running after work. I feel that my morning duty is done when I wake myself up at 5:30 am to make sure that I am ready for 6:15 am pick up and our 7:00 am mandatory start time for our Saturday morning long runs. What I really need is a little house elf that will pester me until I get off of my very cozy, pillow top mattress, into my running gear and out the door. Alarms and my motivation have not seemed to work thus far. Seeing as how this mystical creature is only in existence in Harry Potter’s world – I have to compensate for my chosen time of day by making sure to get the proper amount of fluids in my system every day. The heat and the humidity still hang pretty high when I get out there (roughly 6 pm) and hit the pavement. Hydration, Hydration, Hydration. Wanting to eat better during this marathon, I have made a pact with myself that I am not going to drink any soda while I train. Nine weeks down, and I haven’t slipped once. Not that there isn’t an available stock, waiting at my fingertips at work – FOR FREE – everyday, but I’ve been a good girl and gone for the free bottles of water instead. And, quite honestly, I haven’t missed it one bit. My body feels so much better without it in there. On top of that, I have doing a bit of research, and I think I might look more into some vitamins GNC has that are specifically for female runners. The only problem I have had with a vitamin that isn't a Flinstone’s chewable (does anyone remember these? I used to eat them like candy. A friend of mine and I used to save ours until we got to the playground and then pop them in our mouths – seeing who could have Dino, Fred or Barney last the longest without biting down. I always lost. I’m not what you would call…patient.) or your generic multivitamin is that my stomach tends not to like the foreign substance in it. It’s very fussy about what it wants to go in it, and not at all afraid to let me know when I have chosen wrong. So, like I said, I have to look a bit more into it. I don’t want to learn too late – like when I’m on mile 5 of 18 – that I may have a situation on my hands.

Actually, I haven’t had any moments on the trail, yet, that have made me go, “ut oh.” Last season, I had the brilliant idea to try out these tofu chicken buffalo wings the day before a long run. “I’m eating them at least 12 hours before the run,” I thought, “There will be no harm in me trying them now – for sure.” Oh, I was wrong. So very wrong. It matters a great deal what you put in your body the day before you run. I thought I was going to get sick during the entire 12 miles. A teammate of mine looked at me incredulously as we were on the drive home, “WHY, would you? I mean, how did you think that was even a good idea?” I will never make that mistake again. So food choice, important. Will speak more on this in another blog :0)

The mileage has started to increase, and my knee fluctuates between feeling completely fine to getting stiff and making it painful to move it certain ways. I went out for my 40 minute run this week, and, because I haven’t bought myself a running watch yet, had no idea how long I was out there, or how far I had gotten, so I just kept going. Turns out – 7 miles, so I was probably out there a bit over an hour. I can’t gage it accurately, because I decided to run the long hill on Wisconsin, all the way from my house to M street, and I haven’t ever done that before – though, what a great hill workout! I’ll be doing it again, for sure. Anyone crazy enough is welcome to run it with me anytime. Let me know! Although that run was physically challenging, it was the first time I really was able to recognize that my body is getting back into shape. Hello muscles, I have missed you. I have to concentrate a little more on my arms, which were the only things hurting me during that run. I chalk it up to the fact that I was pumping them pretty hard, trying to get me back up that hill.

The next day, since I had gotten the go ahead from my PTs to do Yoga a few sessions prior, I decided to use that as my cross training on Wednesday. I never realized how much I missed standing in a crowded room of half naked strangers, sweating, bending and stretching together. I was having a particularly frustrating start to my week, and by the end of that 90 minute class, all of my troubles had poured out of me and onto the towel underneath my feet. I felt amazing. I didn’t smell or look all that great – but I was emotionally 10 pounds lighter. I decided to take a look at the thermometer on my way out of the class – 103.4 degrees. Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle – I may have just been physically 10 pounds of water weight lighter too. It’s all that hydration ;0)

This week’s 12 mile run is down. I am wondering how the next two weekends will go since I am going to be on travel. 8 miles, in Florida, in August? If I don’t get knocked over by a hurricane, then I may just pass out from heat stroke. I’ll have to have my brother on standby, incase resuscitation is needed. What am I saying? Florida has plenty of year long snowbirds. There should be enough medical personnel around Florida to save my entire team, let alone, little ol’ me. I’ll be fine. I may not have a pacemaker or liver spots, but I’m sure they figure out what to do with me. I’ll just have to drink 2 glasses of water this week, for every 1 I have been downing before.