The Importance of the Running Buddy

I have so much excitement right now. Just stay with me here, because I am going to ramble and  word vomit absurdly all over the place.

First off, training is going really well considering I am dealing with an ITB issue. This is totally new to me, as I have never actually had a running injury that I couldn't just run through and deal with later. If you have ever had knee pain from ITB syndrome, you know that there is no running through it. It feels like a rubber band is about to snap in the side of your knee/leg/butt. At first I thought it was my sciatic nerve being a literal pain in my butt, but once it hit the knee, I knew it was something else. Thankfully I seem to have a handle on it with some strengthening exercises, yoga, taping, and rolling. I was able to get 9 miles in to my 12 miler before I felt anything on Friday, which is better than the 3 miles in that was Wednesday. I am also doing 4:1 for anything over 5 miles, and knocking out one of my 3 miles days in favor of extra yoga, PT exercises, and rest until it is better. REST is so important. When I space the running and do yoga daily, it helps so much. I am just praying I can fix this before it gets worse.

If you have never used rock tape for injuries, btw, I highly recommend it. When I had my chest wall strain it did wonders, and it stays put through showers and running in 90 degree heat. I did have some sensitivity to the adhesive when I used it on my chest, and my skin got itchy and had some bumps around the edge of the tape. I found I do not have that problem on other areas of my body. I am prone to breaking out there (ladies who run, you get it), so that is probably why.

So, week 7 is DONE! This week I learned that naked juice makes an excellent fuel, and my stomach handles it wonderfully. Also, I am pretty sure I am already gaining weight, because running and biking this much makes me want to eat ALL OF THE THINGS. I swear my thighs have doubled in size. The good news is it is all muscle. The bad news is you can forget me wearing real pants until this training is over. Putting on jeans should actually count as a training exercise, and getting them off should count as a punishment. We had an "arctic blast" this week in our area, and to avoid wearing jeans or pants, I wore 2 pairs of leggings. At one time. 

And yes, I know leggings are not pants. That is precisely why I am wearing them.

I am signed up to run Scottsboro Half again this year! I was going to skip it with it being so close to my full, but I noticed that day on my training plan I am supposed to run 12 before my taper starts. My good friend Sarah (Previvor Fit Mom) and I have been trying to decide on our spring race calendar, and we both have a soft spot for this race. It was her very first half, and my PR half.  It is a great course. Last year it was in the cold rain, and I loved every minute of it. This year they have a Mardi Gras theme (hello! I LOVE themes!) and give you beads at each aid station. The medal is pretty sweet too. Long story short, she signed up to run the half at the Shoals where I am running the full, and we agreed to run scottsboro together as a slow training run! So this means she is joining the crazy that is running back to back half marathons ;) Welcome to the club... the club of FUN.



 I am so excited for the both of us. Sarah was my very first running buddy. We met at Cotton Row through MRTT, and have run several races together since. Sometimes we stick together and chat the whole time, and sometimes we start together and then meet up at the finish. Even when we don't run the entire thing side by side, knowing you have a friend out on course is SO incredibly motivating. There is a very mental aspect to long distance running. Your support system can make or break you in a race. We are lucky to have great families that stand by us and support us in our crazy goals. Having that friend that understands the blood, sweat, and tears of training can be a major part in crossing at finish. I remember how defeated I was running BSTC. I was overheated and sick and contemplating my first DNF when Sarah came up behind me. She was with me just long enough to get me motivated again. My race was suck-tas-tic, but hers was going awesome, and I could read it all over her. She had a great pace, and eventually went on ahead of me, but knowing she was having such a great race pushed me to finish. This is the importance of the running buddy! We are both just giddy about these two races, and are looking forward to having someone to push us through training. I feel blessed to not only have my husband out on this course, but 3 of my best friends. We are covering all 3 distances too, which really appeals to my RuNERD side! So awesome.

So get ready, half #5 and full #1, I am coming for you!

-Teacup Runner

"Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you."-Psalm 84:12 NIV

A Post From A Couple of Weeks Ago That I Forgot to Publish...

So I wrote this post right before Christmas, and then an update last week. I just have been too busy to put it all together in a post that isn't jumbled. I never did organize my thoughts very well, but here it is! I will post more in the subject hopefully later this week :-)

December 23rd:

I have some really exciting news to share. As I have talked about endlessly, I am 3 months migraine free thanks to a medication my GP has me on, and some lifestyle changes. Migraines, and the week long suffering that came with them every month, were the reason I dropped out of marathon training at week 7. My new goal became finding a migraine solution while continuing to run and rediscover actually enjoying it instead of fearing it setting off more migraines. I feel confident enough that I have succeeded in that goal. I am running great, getting back into cross training, and feeling stronger and better than ever. 

I even did speed work last week.

I have been lifting weights again. I have discovered barre, and thanks to finding a perfectly fine recumbent bike someone set out for trash, I am now cycling as well. Thank you random neighbor who cleaned our their garage! I biked 17 miles on my 1 hour cross training day this week, and I was amazed at how different my legs felt after in comparison to after a run. Of course now I really want a road bike!

Back to the news though. The day of RCM when I was scouring race reports, the race director for a half marathon about an hour and a half away announced they would be adding a full to the 2015 race. I immediately bombarded him with questions, which he very kindly and thoroughly answered for me. This race will be a tougher course than one might normally chose for their first full. It is on a golf course, so very hilly. But you have 8 rather than the usual 6 hours to finish (which is great for me, as I've calculated I would finish a full in just over 5.) There is the option to step down to the half as late as 6.3 miles in, so if you got sick or had an injury, you still run a great race and earn your medal. There is a 5k too. 

What could possibly go wrong?

Long story short, I felt so strongly that this was the race for me, that I immediately started full training again, jumping in on week 4. I decided to sign up right away before the registration fee went up. With RCM I went into it feeling like I would train a while and then see if I felt I could do it before signing up. I was sick a lot when I started to train, and I couldn't really give each run my all.  I feel completely different this time. I know I will finish this training and the race. I have already put more strategy and effort into this than I ever did before.  I am still lifting, and still doing plenty of cross training. 

I have an actual plan for pacing too. In addition to weekly speed and hill work, I now have a plan for longs as well. Week 4's long run was only 9 miles, so I decided to try Galloway's 4:1. Basically he has this magic mile formula where you walk for a certain amount of minutes, and then walk a minute (or 30 seconds, whatever your magic mile is). I settled on run 4 walk 1, and it was amazing! I stayed energized the entire 15k that I ran. I ran it in the exact same pace/finish time as the monte sano 15k that I ran with no walking, but this time I didn't feel any hip flexor pain, any fatigue. I felt like on the 4th minute, I could really push my speed. By the end I was running the full 4 min at maximum effort and recovering perfectly. This will be my long run strategy and how I plan to run all longer distance races from here on out. I can't wait to test it out on some higher mileage runs, specifically the half distance.

Every thing has fallen together perfectly for this race, from finding out about it when I did, to finding the bike to help me keep up my cross training. From the funds to sign up, to the best part of all, friends to run the 5k that day! The Bestie and I decided that she and our husbands had to do it. For 1, THEY HAVE FINISHER MEDALS. You never get medals for 5k's around here, so obviously they have to run this.  The husband did start running this week, and he is actually not venomously opposed to this, and even wants to train for speed. My running buddy S even said she would be at the end to cheer me to the finish. Support makes it seem so much more realistic of a goal.

Week 5 has been a training cram week thanks to traveling for Christmas. I ran 3 Monday, 5 today, and have to do 10 tomorrow. Technically I will still have 3 left to run, but I am going to see how I feel. The long run is what I cannot skip. So that's a lot of mileage in a row, but I am taking it slow and doing lots of yoga. I can tell my legs are feeling a little fatigued, so I am pretty relieved that his week's long run will have to be on the mill. Hopefully I can Netflix my way through, still using 4:1 of course. Next week is a step back week, so that helps too. Especially since kids are home on break! 

I wish you all Merry Miles for 2015! 

January 2nd update:

I am still using 4:1 for longs and even some 5 milers. My 10 went well last week, but as expected, my legs were DONE by the end of it. Still though, pace was great using 4:1. This is definitely the way for me to go! I am waking up with a little doubt this week, kind of like, "what have I gotten myself into?" Which is completely right on target considering I am entering the week I dropped out of last time. Yesterday I was lacking run motivation, so i got on the bike for 10 miles, and then felt amped enough to run! I feel like I have way more of a strategy this time, which is going to take me far. So here we go, week 7!

January 6th update:
Holy crap, you guys. I am going to run 26.2 miles on a golf course. What is WRONG with me?!

-Teacup Runner

"Jesus replied: 'love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment."- Matthew 22:37,38 NIV