94.99 miles so far!

I have run 94.99 miles in the past 7 weeks. Yeah!

Last night I had to good fortune to hang out with two pals who were recording some fantastic music in Somerville. 1/2way through the evening, I realized I hadn't yet done my run, and the two of them sent me outside on a run by the river that was truly lovely. It was my first outdoor run in quite some time, and it felt GREAT. ;) I was running at probably 5.2 mph, and I covered about 3.25 miles at that pace. Afterwards, I went back to the studio, showered, and listened in for another stretch. I think the run was so easy and comfortable because the music was so good.

Today, I hit the treadmill and did another 4.3 miles. I ran at between 5.3 & 5.9 mph. My legs were fine at all speeds, but I was struggling cardiovascularly with the higher speeds. I'll get there!

Saturday is another 6 mile run.

Here's my chart:

Day Off

Just wanted to give you all an update regarding the rash, in case you were curious. :)
You're so nosy!
Thankfully, today is my day off, after my FABULOUS 7-mile run yesterday.

As you read below, I developed a ridiculous rash after yesterday's run. It spread to my entire body, practically, and became absolutely intolerable. This morning, I visited the doctor to make sure I wasn't a leper or contagious or or or. I'm not; don't worry.

However, I'm now on Prednisone (steroids) for the rash and Benadryl for the itchiness, and hopefully I'll look and feel normal again VERY soon.

Tomorrow's run is scheduled for 4 miles. KLK is out of town tomorrow or else I'd ask her to run with me. Ah well ... them's the breaks.

Happy b-day, W!!!

Dedicated to Jackie Larson-Knott (mom) running for cancer research

Hi All -

Carrie sent me a link so I could run our marathon for Dana Farber Cancer Research, and I signed up. I'm officially signed up for the BAA 1/2 Marathon. I dedicate this run to my mom, an amazing human being, and also a cancer survivor.

My goal is to raise at least $600 (hopefully more) before the event. You can DONATE here to help me reach my fundraising goal.

Today I ran 1 mile at 5.5 mph, 1 mile at 5.7 mph, and 1 mile at 5.9 mph, for a total of 3 miles. I walked .60 as warm up & cool down.

Felt great!

But I would like to say that I have too many jobs. I realized this week that I am back to working almost 80 hours a week between all of the jobs that I've accepted, and I need to scale back. I'm driving myself crazy!

But I still ran! ;)

Have a great day!
Kel

One more thing

I have broken out in a strange rash on my arms and legs. It started almost as soon as I stopped running. By the time I got home and went to shower, I was covered in what appeared to be hives. Now it's mainly on my arms, and it appears to want to stay for the long haul.

Any ideas?

I run because ...

I've been silent for a little while.
I know.
I'm sorry.

First, before any more blogging occurs, congratulations are in order to Monsieur Cheron, mon frere, who ran the New York City Half Marathon at the lovely hour of 7:00 this morning.
You go! You're my rockstar!

Now onto the other Cheron's running:

This week was good, actually. I got a chance to do a run on the river on Friday morning, which turned out to be not so good, actually. But I refused to let it get me down and it hasn't. I know that everyone has a bad day and I know I was dehydrated and stupid for not bringing water in that kind of heat and humidity, etc.

This morning was supposed to be my long run but it was raining at 5:15 when I awoke. I didn't want my first "rain run" to be on my long run, so I decided to do my long run on the treadmill and hope for better weather next weekend. Well ... I ran. Did I ever?! Woot woot!
I ran 7+ miles today, the first 5 1/2 or so at 5.8 mph, and the last 1 1/2 or so at 5.9 and 6.0.
AND I absolutely felt, at the end, that I could have continued for another 3 miles. I think that's the best way to run, frankly.

I have a lot to say right now about the mental techniques I've been using, but I have some work that needs to get done. I promise to post more about those in the next couple of days.

For now, though, why don't you finish this sentence and post it in a comment:

I run because ...

honest, i did!

I did my 6 miles yesterday. My father was in town for business, (from Minnesota), and I used the gym at his hotel. It was fun! I went slow for the long run - about 5.1 mph for most of it. In my short runs, I've been running 5.3 - 5.5 mph. I'm trying so hard to avoid any more injury.

Fun!
Kel

4 miles yesterday, 3 today - a more conservative approach

I'm adopting a more conservative approach. The runs yesterday and on monday both felt great. I'm off momentarily to do a quick 3 miles.

I have learned, however, that it's not wise for me to run at night. I was up until 4 am last night, an I do believe that's because of my late night run.

Here's my progress chart so far:



I've included my 6 mile run for Saturday in good faith, even though it hasn't yet happened.

Love to you all,
Kel

back in black - no pain, no pops!

I'm baaaaaaa-aaaaack. ;)

I did my endurance run today (instead of yesterday, because I also have a terrible cold & cough). I ran 6.01 miles!

I took exactly 7 days off to let all of the inflammation go down in my body, and now I am going to do my darndest to be vigilant about taking the right amount of ibuprofen after each run. I found out I was taking too little to affect inflammation of the tissues. I suspect that my connective tissue around the right hip got inflamed and I changed my stride to work around it, which caused the head of the femur to pop in and out. That's NOT happening, and I don't even have a hint of shin splints.

I took the advice of runner, Josh Cheron, (Carrie's awesome bro), and ran slowly, even when I wanted to go faster to get it over with. I stayed at about 5.0 mph after my warm-up, and ran for about 75 minutes to get my 6 miles. I walked about 7 minutes through out total, in one minute increments.

Over the past week I've had lots of time to think, and I realized that I was beating myself up if I didn't run EVERY step of each run. I'm changing that attitude now. This is my first half-marathon, and finishing at any speed will be an accomplishment.

Even though I walked for seven minutes today, I ran for 68 minutes! YAY!

Thanks to Josh and Carrie for inspiration and support. We'll see how my body feels tomorrow. But I feel good now - albeit exhausted from the combination of the run of not sleeping because I was up all night coughing.

I am such a whiner! ;)

But I'm thrilled!

Don't just shower ...

USE DEODORANT!

What is wrong with people?
If you want to work out at home or run outside in the morning or night when people aren't really around, be my guest. Don't use deodorant. If you're running in a gym or other indoor facility, in the presence of other people, or at a race with a large field of other people, be considerate.

I actually had to stop my run today and move because of the stench coming from the man directly across from me on the treadmill. I recognize that I have a very keen sense of smell. However, I also recognize that I am not the only person who has noticed this. I am, however, the employee and can't really say anything as just a regular citizen. I'm not an employee with any authority so I can't really go that route either.

Whatever. Maybe he'll start running outside when it cools off a little. Doubtful, but ya never know. I'm hoping that something will be said to him soon. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Today's running plan was for 5 miles. It was 5 miles but there was a break in the middle.
All of today's running was done at 5.8 mph.
I ran 2.46 miles, left that treadmill because of Senor Stinky, went to the other clump of treadmills (which I HATE and always make me feel like I'm running uphill) and only lasted .56 miles. I hopped off that one and did some other working out until Senor got off the treadmill. I then went back to the treadmills I wanted to use and ran another 2.5 miles (with a .25 walk after that).

All told, I did 5.77 miles, which probably works out to 5.4 miles of running. It was more than I'd meant to run, which could be a bad thing, in the long run, if it becomes a habit. The goal in these week-runs is to keep a mileage for the week in general, not necessarily for endurance, though that's certainly important. My long run on the weekends works my endurance and this weekend's 7-mile run will surely be doing that! But I don't want to push too hard too soon and cause any immobilizing injuries.

Hopefully we'll be getting word soon from Kellie about her status. I know she's on the road right now, but she should be back this weekend and maybe she'll have a positive update!
A demain ...

Day one of this week

Today was a short run day.
I did about 4.4 miles, including a warm-up and cool-down walk of about 2 minutes on either side of my run. I ran about 4.15 miles or so at 5.8 mph on the treadmill. Tomorrow's run is 5. Thursday is 4. Saturday is 7.

I'm trying to alter my running schedule a little by following The Book more closely. I'm really enjoying reading the book I mentioned below and am hoping that the tools I've found useful will continue to help me along.

I've found a couple of their "mental" suggestions have been really helpful:

1) Finish your mental thoughts with "but it doesn't matter ..."
For example: My ankle is bugging me and I really don't like this course ... but it doesn't matter.
Or: I'm so exhausted and I just wish today's run were over ... but it doesn't matter.
Because it doesn't matter. I'm still going to/need to run it, so it doesn't matter. Shut off the negative thought before it has a chance to infiltrate your thoughts for the rest of the run. This suggestion is also easily applicable to the rest of your life.
For instance: This bus driver is driving so damn slow and I need to get to work!!! But it doesn't matter. It doesn't, does it? Because he's/she's driving; you're not. And you're going to get there anyway, unless you're planning on getting OFF the bus. So it doesn't matter. It might suck, but it doesn't matter. Just let it go.

2) "Come run with me." Invite your pain, your lowness, your heavy breathing to come run with you. Talk to your struggle: Shins, you're giving me some trouble today. Come run with me. Come be with me in this endeavor.
I KNOW it sounds so ridiculous and earthy/crunchy, but it absolutely worked. It was so bizarre. It worked. Instantly. Almost better than "but it doesn't matter." Try it! Invite your woe to join you on your journey.

We (I?) register for the race tomorrow. It will be "official," though I already feel dedicated and official without giving them my fee and getting my number and chip. I'm very concerned and very sad about Kellie and the possibility that she won't be able to join me. I loved the idea of having a partner with whom to train and accomplish this feat, and I loved that it was/is Kellie. But I certainly don't want her to injure herself more. What's very frustrating about this is that she was/is doing everything correctly. She's not been doing too much too soon, I don't think, and she's being careful and diligent. I hope that the doctor gives her the ok, and only recommends maybe a chiropractor or physical therapist, and makes it all better. But I really have no expertise in this subject, so I've asked Bro to weigh in if he has a chance.

Uh-oh: injured

Go, Carrie! Your post yesterday rocked!

I, however, have not so good news and am not sure what to do. I will be hopping on a plane to fly back to Boston shortly,but in the meantime, I need to get caught up on my posts here.

On Wed the 9th, I arrived down here and did my run as soon as I got off the plane. I iced everything and felt great all day...

That evening, pain in my right hip and in both shins kept me up all night. I tried running the next day (Thurs, the 10th) but the pain was too great. The shin splints I have run through before, but the hip thing involves (or feels like it involves) my hip joint popping in and out of the socket. Not fun.

On Friday the 11th (after another night of pain), I took the day off from running and swam and did yoga and various stretches.

On Saturday, the 12th, I forced myself to run 3 miles on the beach and walk 1. That evening, again, severe pain that kept me up all night and continued into the day, despite icing and ibuprofen.

On Sunday, I did yoga and swimming and walking.

Yesterday, Monday, I ran 2.5 miles on the elliptical trainer at about 6mph, and then ran 2.25 and walked .25 for a total of 5 miles (my long run). I thought lessening the impact would lessen the pain, so I was hoping the elliptical would help.

In spite of icing, stretching, and ibuprofen, the pain kept me up all night last night - again primarily the hips, but both shins are now aggravated and in pain even when I'm not in motion.

I talked to a doctor friend who told me to take a few weeks off and start slower when I start again. If I follow this advice, I will not be ready for October 12th.

Needless to say, I'm frustrated today. I don't know if I should try to find another 1/2 marathon for a month later, or if I should still sign up tomorrow when this one opens and just do what I can. I've made an appointment with my primary care to get a 2nd opinion. I don't want to injure myself beyond repair, and I DO want to keep going. But, with the time being so tight, there is no time for me to recover.

Runners out there, what say ye?

Kel

First "real" long run

I moved my long run from yesterday to today because I woke up yesterday with a splitting headache and ended up staying in bed until almost 10, writhing and trying to hide from the light. Haven't had a headache like that in a while, and hopefully won't have one again for another long while.

Got up this morning at 5:05, sucked it up, and went outside. The jaunt was from my apartment in Davis Square (well, between Davis and Teele, actually) to Mass Ave, down Mass Ave to Harvard Square, down Bow St to Plympton St to the river, left on Mem Drive to Western Ave, and back again. It was a slightly longer than 6 miles and I did it! I'd say I walked maybe a total of a third to a half-mile intermittently throughout. Before even hitting one mile, my right ankle started to bother me, but I kept going. Don't know yet if that was foolish, but I feel fine as of now. I'll try and remember to ice it later.

It's so nice to run that early in the morning when the only others outside are the other runners/bikers/walkers/dogs, shopkeepers preparing for the day, random people still drinking from the night before, and cab drivers parked on the side of the road. Very few cars, little car exhaust, seldom a reason/need to stop at lights for cars to go, etc.

Tomorrow's supposed to be a day off. After a long run, we're supposed to have a day of rest. Apparently Monday is my Sabbath this week. :) I may go for a walk in the morning and do some free weights and ab stuff either at home or the gym. I'll see what happens.

I do know one thing; I can't wait to have my running buddy back. I miss her dearly and Florida doesn't deserve her.

Gearin' up!

Speaking of gear, I kinda need some. I kinda need some that won't chafe. I kinda need some that don't make me look like Will Ferrell. I kinda need some that won't make Bro yell at me for being pants. I have one pair of shorts. They smell by Thursday.

BUT YES, BRO, I'VE BEEN WEARING THE SHORTS. :)

Anyway ... back to your regularly scheduled program:

Today's treadmill jaunt:
5.08 total, ran 4.5 miles, walked a bit before and after to warm up and cool down.

Saturday's goal is 6. I'm going to go for a 3-4 mile run outside tomorrow, depending on how the shins feel and what time I get to sleep tonight.

Kellie lent me a great book called The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer. It's written by 2 folks (with commentary by a third) who began teaching a "marathon" class at the University of Northern Iowa. I know. Sounds like another country when you say Northern Iowa. Sounds like it cause it is. Anyway ... I'm really enjoying it so far and there have been some good little snippets that I've had to underline (in pencil, Kel, don't worry). I'll probably mention this book again as our training continues.

One mention that made me laugh out loud was that of a "fear threshold." I thought that was fabulous. The authors basically say that we all have these desires to do fantastic things and there are often three main things that hold us back: our imagination, our fear threshold, and financial resources. I hear the whole fear threshold thing. I need to up my threshold. :)

Run, mf, run!

Florida

Whew! It's hot down here. I ran 3.5 miles today at 5.0 - 5.5 mph. I was very sore and tired, but per usual, felt fantastic afterwards. I'm with my family (sis, nephew, mom & dad).

More soon!
Kel

4 more - rackin' up the miles

Go, Carrie! I'm proud of ya!

I had a day last week where I thought I'd never run again. In the evening, I was limping around and I thought my right femur had permanently removed itself from the hip socket. The next morning, I had an amazing run. A little ice and some rest can do wonders. I'll be interested to hear about how the wool sock experiment goes for Carrie. ;)

I ran 4.07 miles today at a pace ranging from 5.5 mph to 5.8 mph. Near the end, I thought my life was ending, but I suddenly realized that my legs felt great. I said to myself, "Just relax and ride your legs." That sounds odd, I know, but I used that image to make the last 10 minutes fly by.

I still can't believe that 3 weeks ago, I wasn't running at all.

Here's my progress up to this week. X1 - X3 were my base training weeks. This week is week 14, and next week will be week 13, etc., as I count down to the week of the actual event.

Well I'll be ...

Who knew?
I ran 5 miles today. Very comfortably. I could have kept going for at least another mile, I'm sure, and that's almost halfway there! I warmed up briefly with a walk of about 2 minutes, maybe less, then ran for 5 miles, then jog/walked a cool down of maybe a quarter mile. All I know is that all told, I was on that treadmill for 5.43 miles, ran a full five miles, and I wasn't in pain. Who knows? Maybe my leg will fall off tomorrow. Right now, it's not too bad.

I'm going to ice it tonight (I iced it this morning while at work at the gym) when I get home, and perhaps try something my friend Peter, a naturopathic doctor, recommended. He recommended wetting a pair of cotton socks, wringing them out so they're not drippy, putting them on, putting on a pair of wool socks over the cotton pair, and going to sleep. He said that the heat produced by my body from bottom up while I sleep will increase the circulation in my legs and might help. We'll see. I'm game. Just gotta find a pair of wool socks. I know I have a pair here somewhere, especially since I never bothered switching out my winter clothes for my summer ones.
Yeah. Don't ask.

I'm also going to try and decrease my outdoor runs until my shin is more consistently better. I really want to do this half marathon and I can't do it with my shin the way it is, so this is the way it has to be for now.

I have to say, it is so fantastic to work at a gym where everyone there is encouraging you and cheering you on and eager to give helpful tips and advice. I feel fully supported by everyone and I'm so grateful. Warm fuzzies all around.

the weekend - my personal trainer

I spent the weekend with friends out of town, but never fear, I DID run. I borrowed a friend's dog (pictured here). This is Grace, also known as Gracie, and she was a fantastic running partner. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this dog. She's an absolute doll - and she kept me moving!

I ran 4 miles on Friday, and 4 on Sunday, so I'm on schedule.

I did have a lot of trauma with a new blister, but my pals helped me to get it under control and I'll hit the gym again tomorrow for 4 miles.

Xrays?

I took yesterday off because my shins were just really too painful. I decided to use today as my long run day.

I hadn't even gone a mile-and-a-half and I truly felt like my right shin was going to crack in half. I kept going, though, walking whenever I needed to, stretching, running again, etc. I ran WAY more than I thought I could, and probably more than I should have.

I'm beginning to wonder if the shin splint in my right leg is not actually a shin splint but something worse. I'm contemplating getting a referral to see a doc who specializes in this schtuff, and seeing if I can get an xray.

I'm trying to ice it as much as possible but this weekend's been kind of crazy and now I have to do laundry and clean up the pig-sty.

Think nice, comforting, positive thoughts for my poor leg.
I am planning on treadmilling it tomorrow morning, but we'll see how that pans out.

Interval training

Today was my first official interval day. I've done short interval trials in the past but have always suffered from such painful shin splints the following day that I've tended to avoid doing it.

But it's a necessary evil. I know this. And today was actually really fun, and I'm very proud of myself.

MOOD: ON FIRE! Woohoo!
DISTANCE: 2 miles at 5.7 mph, then minute or minute-and-a-half sprints ranging from 6.5-6.8 for the next 2 miles, alternating with 1 minute of 5.7 and 5.8.

Suffice it to say, I was hauling ass. And it was fun. My shins were bothering me when I was running a little, but mainly when I finished. They feel ok now, though they need to be iced. The top speed was between an 8- and 9-minute mile, and that rocks for me.

Oh, and Kellie, I'm super proud of you! You go, girlfriend!

Tomorrow's long run - I'm aiming for 6 miles.
Wish me luck!
For now, I have some baby-kissing to do.
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, AMERICA!
(Now let's stop embarrassing ourselves)

Happy Birthday Michael Andrew Cheron!

Running post above. This one's just gratuitous.
Michael Andrew Cheron was yanked from the warm grips of his mama's womb at the lovely hour of 4:28 am. I hear ya, kid. I hear ya.
Welcome!

i did, i did, i did, i did!!!!

3 miles, baby!

i ran yesterday at 4:30 am before driving to new haven, CT before getting in a car with pals to drive even further to the jersey shore, before eating waaaaaaaaaay too much pizza on the boardwalk and then staying up all night laughing with another good pal who hosted all of us for the weekend.

i will run today, and subsequently, i will post. ;)

i'm being a very good girl.

love,
kel

p.s. no pic because my cell phone has gone crazy and i can't type in any letters or numbers to send myself blog pics. there's something wrong with it. i can't dial out either!

Baby's first (and second!) outdoor run

Well, Kellie exaggerates. I didn't kick her ass. Not at all. Girlfriend rocked it. Though, I was pretty good at pacing, once we got on the street, which was quite a surprise to me. I've always had trouble pacing myself when I'm not on a treadmill, but I felt pretty good on our first run. Don't get me wrong. It was tough - really hot, really humid, shin splints, HILLS - but we did it and I'm really proud of us.

I didn't go upstairs and log additional miles on the treadmill. I tried, but I was pretty dehydrated and soaked right through. I think I ran one minute, maybe two, before just stopping and stretching instead. But it was a fun run and it really helped to have Kellie there. I can't wait to do it again.

I repeated our run the following morning (yesterday) and found it a lot more difficult to do alone. I thought the hardest part was probably the track. Mentally, I have a lot of trouble running on a track. But. BUT BUT BUT, after the mile on the track, I started our loop, which begins with a nice size hill that had both KLK and me panting and walking the day before. I ran the whole thing. WOOHOO. I was totally Rocky at the top also, fists up in the air, pumping.

My calves are pretty tight today, in spite of extensive stretching upon return from my run and throughout the day yesterday and today. I'm also experiencing shin splints again and an old ankle injury has come back to bug me a bit. My ankle is a bit swollen, so I may do my intervals inside tomorrow on the treadmill. I'll see how I'm feeling. My long run on Saturday is going to be either 5 1/2 or 6 miles. I'll see how my ankle is doing. And I'll see how much sleep I get in the next couple of days. There's a big event on the schedule (tonight, hopefully!).

No duo runs for us this weekend 'cause Kellie will be in NJ with M, W, and J. I'm sure they'll have a blast, but I'll miss my running buddy. Treat her kindly. And make sure she gets in her runs. :)

1st Duo Run (Carrie kicked my as...k me a question and I'll give you an answer)

We had our first duo run today and Carrie kept me on track with her regular pacing and no stops. I'd stop and whine and she'd keep going, and then I'd chase after her and feel better because I was still running.

Carrie also pointed out that perhaps I'd have an easier time breathing while running if I didn't lead so drastically with my chin. I do this because if my chin gets across the finish line before my feet do, it counts. I made it. I can stop. ;) She's right - I need to pull my friggin' head back, but I'm straining forward because I wanna be done sooner.

We passed my friend Crit's house and were tempted to bang on the door and yell, "Run, MotherF'er, Run!" He was the one who shared the story/phrase that is now our official battle cry.

The course we ran was about 3.07 miles, but we stopped at the Tufts track near Powder House and ran an additional mile there, so total distance logged was 4.07 miles. After the run, Carrie went inside the gym and logged additional mileage, which I'm sure she'll post here.

If you'd like to see today's run, you can view it here: