To run or not to run?

This is one of those rare days, when no amount of medication can stop the pain.

When I woke up yesterday I noticed I was feeling a little achy but nothing too horrible. I have a mystery bruise on my right knee that is extremely tender, as is the skin around it. I have a long bruise on my left thigh that is also inflamed and painful. At least I know where that one came from (biking accident with the mentee on Sunday). Bruises, injuries, these can cause some flair ups, but are not usually too much of an issue.

Given the bit of pain I was feeling tired so I went to bed at 10:30 pm last night, thinking I'd be rested and get up at 6 am this morning to do my CardioX routine. Boy was I wrong.

I don't think it was the pain that kept me up initially, but the constant chatter in my brain. Of course, the storm that hit pretty hard last night around 11:30 pm, didn't help either. By midnight, I was on my laptop uploading photos for a girlfriend, something I was suppose to have done a week or so ago. By 3 am I was on the laptop again, googling scenes from "Reality Bites", don't ask why. By 5:30 am I realized that hey, I am actually up and could get out of bed to exercise at 6 am but by this point, due to the lack of sleep, it seemed as though every muscle and joint in my body was just down right pissed off and was not going to exercise, even if I did ask nicely.

When my alarm went off at 7 am, I got out of bed, slowly got dressed and made my way to work. I am moving like an 80 year old woman this morning and am wishing I could cover my entire body in bio freeze or soak in a hot tub or at the very least, need to pick up some Epsom salt for a hot bath this evening.

Thankfully, I don't have these days too often but wish I had the key to figure out what triggers them. The lack of sleep doesn't help. Stress doesn't help. Too much or not enough exercise doesn't help. Which brings me to the dilemma of the day. It's Tuesday, my day to run. Do I feel like I could physically run 6 miles right now? Hell no! But, will running help exhaust me enough to get a decent night sleep? Maybe. Or will I wake up tomorrow morning in worse shape than I am now?

It's days like these that I understand why there are people out there who say the pain is debilitating. But, I find strength in knowing that for me, this usually passes in a day or so. I hope that is something I will always be able to count on.

Thank you for giving me my wings...

My first race was the Baltimore Women's Classic 5k and it took place on June 28,2009. I had just started my interval training earlier that year and had only started "running" a short time before this race. There were two other runners with me that day. One, my good friend Wendy and the other, her good friend Chuck. Thanks to Wendy, we had become Team Bug. I was the lady bug, Wendy the butterfly and Chuck, the dragon fly. We were an awesome team.

I started running in part, because of Wendy. She and another friend of ours would meet up in the wee hours of the morning before the week day started, but the two of them would go about their 3 mile run and I would do my 2 mile walk. My hope was to eventually be able to join them. By the time I got good enough to join them, they weren't running in the mornings anymore, if at all.

So here we are, the day of the race, the three of us happily dressed as bugs, ready to get our flight on and I had conflicting feelings about this race and up until the moment the race started, I wasn't sure what my plan was. Wendy had asked me to run the race with her and Chuck and because of that, I felt I should keep pace with her. However, by then my pace had picked up a bit and running with her meant not running at my best. I have never been a competative person. I always hated sports and how you'd be put down if you weren't as fast as the other kids or didn't do as well and so, it wasn't in my nature to want to "beat" anyone. However, if I was going to run a race, I wanted to have the best possible time I could manage. As the race started, the adreneline kicked in and it was that moment that I decided I was going to run this race for me. I finished in 32 minutes and 02 seconds with a 10:47 min per mile average pace. That was the fastest I'd ever run a 5k. I felt great crossing that finish line and knew it was the first of many races to come.

So here we are, a year later and although I've run a 10k and even a 10 miler since, I was back to once again run the Baltimore Women's Classk 5k on June 27, 2010. My goal this time was to set a PR, a personal record. My goal was to beat my time from my first race. This time it was just me running the race and because I had no help, I didn't wear my wings. Instead, I wore a lady bug t-shirt that I'd worn for my 10 mile race. It wasn't the same without Team Bug and the official costume but the race day fun and excitment from all the other runners had me all a buzz. I started out with the the 10 min pace group, knowing I'd at least hit my 10 min mile goal but was hoping for better and I got it. As soon as the gun went off, I took off, giving it every once of energy I had. Not only did I beat my time, but I blew it out of the water - 27 minutes and 57 seconds. I had a 9 minute pace, my best ever. I look forward to trying to beat my time again next year.

As for the butterfly in my first race, I had just enough energy to run my way through the incoming crowd and search her out. I may not have ran the race with her, but I was delighted to join her as she crossed the finish line.

Thank you, Wendy, for giving my wings.

A Marathon?

I started running two years ago. I ran my first race, the Baltimore Women's Classic-5K, in Jun 2009. I ran my second race, the Catonsville Fall into Fitness-10K, in October 2009. Currently, I am training for my first 10 mile race, to take place in June 2010.

I've been asked several times if I'm going to run a half marathon next or even a marathon. Originally, my doubts about running anything longer than a 10 mile race had to do with, shall we say, ways of relieving myself. If I'm racing, I want the best possible time I can get. That doesn't include a 20 min stop at the port-a-potty.

Right now, the prospect of running a 10 mile race is daunting. Two weeks ago, as I struggled to run 7 miles, I wondered if I wanted to run longer races. I wasn't sure I wanted to run the 10 mile race. Running was much more fun to me when I was running shorter distances for fun and exercise, not because I HAVE to, in order to make it through this race. I could work on my speed when running 4 miles. When trying to run 10 miles, I have to focus on completing the miles, not how fast I'm running them.

Over the weekend, I was reading a runner magazine passed along to me by a friend. In it, was an article stating it's actually healthier for your body to run the shorter distances than it is to run the marathons. I found myself very happy to read this article, thinking it gives me a good reason to keep running the shorter races and not focus on what I picture to be my next goal. Yet, sitting in traffic today, I found myself behind a vehicle that had one of those 26.2 stickers on it. I sat there staring at that sticker and thinking that I wanted one. I want to be able to say I ran a marathon. If only once, I want to be able to say I did it.

Does that mean I'm going to do it? I don't know yet. But I suppose it is a possibility. For now, it's the 10 mile race. I suppose a half marathon is only 3 miles longer...no reason really not to do it. In theory, if I can run 10 miles, I can run 13, right?

Week in review

Monday, May 10, 2010

My goal this week was to get up every day at 6 am to get in a morning workout.

This morning I was suppose to do my P90X CardioX and Ab Ripper routines. However, it's only Monday and already I've failed! The alarm went off, I got out of bed, brushed my teeth and decided it was too cold and I went back to bed. How pathetic! That means I had to workout after work and miss my target excursion. I'm bummed, but I only have myself to blame. At least I got my workout in and didn't talk myself out of it this evening after getting home. Had to stay away from the couch so I didn't get comfortable. That was the key to this evenings success!

Also proud to say that a few of us went out to lunch today (rare for me during the week), to Amicci's for a friends birthday and I ordered a shrimp salad with a healthy red wine dressing. I also sparingly sampled a couple of other plates but was well behaved. Now I can enjoy a small slice of homemade strawberry pie, compliments of my friend Katie. Thanks Katie!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Today, I was suppose to meet a new running partner, CCJ, to run 6 miles at Patterson Park but unfortunately, the weather had different plans for us. Instead, I worked an hour late and then drove straight to the fitness center at my apartment complex to hit the treadmill. The fear being, if I went home first to feed the cats and change, I wouldn't make it back out of the house. Glad to say I accomplished today's goal and ran 6 miles. Even better, I did it in 1:00:17. Nice to see my pace back up there and away from the 12 min pace I've been keeping lately.

Also met my goal of getting up at 6am this morning to complete my hour long P90X stretch workout. Was a great way to start my day.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Didn't make it out of bed this morning at 6 am to do my cardio and ab routines. However, I did make it to the gym after work to do my upper body work out and managed an ab routine there. My goal is to have arms and abs of steel by year end! Yeah right! One can only hope!

A confession though....I had a mini twix, a mini snickers and a semi-sweet dark chocolate nugget with almonds today. Yummy! Hey, I can justify the nugget! It's DARK chocolate AND has ALMONDS! Right? Right?

I'm still hoping for a week where I make it up at 6 am, EVERY WEEK DAY, consecutively!

Oh and the best part - I managed to get in my target excursion and found a shrug to go with tube dress I plan to show off this weekend at a Spring Gathering!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

I thought about going back to bed for a minute or two but when I rolled over, I realized just how stiff I was and thought stretching would go along way. I was glad I did it afterwards. It not only eased up the Fibromyalgia, but the sore muscles from working out.

Met my new running partner, CCJ, at Druid Hill Lake this evening. I was suppose to run 8 miles but if I calculated correctly, only made it through 7.75 miles. My right knee and both my thighs were in pretty rough shape in that last quarter. Maybe next week. My 10 mile race is on June 19th, so I have a little over a month to finish training.

However, I was so sore when I got home that I soaked in a hot bath. Would have been better for the body if I had some Epsom salt, but not this evening.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Woohoo! I managed to get up and exercise at 6 am THREE days this week! Last week I'm pretty certain it was only two, so I'm already improving! Did my cardio and abs this morning knowing, I wouldn't be exercising after work.

Also enjoyed lunch at Houlihan's with a couple of girlfriends from work and enjoyed a delicious corn tortilla soup and a jumbo shrimp salad. Who said eating heatlhy can't taste good and be affordable? They have awesome lunch entrees.

Instead, I made some healthy chicken and black bean enchiladas. I've been trying to make a new recipe each weekend to freeze for fresh "prepared" meals instead of frozen meals. I've noticed I loose more weight when I'm eating less processed foods.

Now lets hope I make it through the Spring Gathering without too much damage! Good thing I have a Spin and Zumba class Saturday morning and I'm running 6 miles Sunday morning!