November is almost here. 2 big races! Will I be ready? That is the big question. Half marathon early November. Recover. Full marathon end of November. Mighty ambitious at this point in the year.
September 1st I’m logging a distance workout on the bike. 13 miles on the bike helps me with training, just eliminating the pounding on my knees. This month I will be adding bike workouts to see how that helps me overall.
While I finish the final preparations for the big races in November, I was supposed to complete a 21 mile fun relay with two friends this month. Unfortunately schedule conflicts prohibited it and so did a hurricane! Another let down for the mind to overcome. Boy am I getting good at positive self talk or now it seems like excuse babble at this point.
While my friends who are running the marathon are putting in serious miles each week, I seem to be twirling my thumbs. Workouts, yes. Running, no. It’s a bit scary to get back your running legs after such injuries. Much harder than I expected.
Another month down with no races and no running. Pretty funny to think I’m training for a marathon without running. Guess I’ll be testing my theory here soon.
Hoping to pick up mileage in October! I may need prayers and a little luck at this point to be successful. I’m not opposed to either at this point.
5.3 miles here. 4.6 miles there. 9.7 at the peak. Time on my feet they say. It’s training. It’s so much time I say. It’s slow. It’s a mind challenge! Maybe even a mind fuck of sorts.
I didn’t track walking miles at all this year so I don’t have a quantity to give you but I did walk a lot. I walked because I could. I also walked because I knew I would have to walk a portion of the marathon thus my mind agreed I’m still training. I’m slowly increasing the time I spend on my legs even if it’s just a walk vs. a run. Sidelined from running until September. I feel I’m getting better but also falling behind in training. The quandary.
I shed the cast which lightened my load, however, I feel I need to trash a pair of shoes because they seem to lean to the side I had my cast on. That was surely an unplanned problem. The cast removal gave me a small victory to celebrate however the realization of the recovery outside the cast was a defeat. My walking pace is still a work In progress. I’m just not a fast walker. I’m more of a social walker. Both are very different paces. The hip shake needed to be an advanced walker is just not my thing. I much prefer a strut vs. a shake the tail feather. Walking unfortunately is my main training focus that may have not been designed but is now a required part of my training. Speed walker here I come!
Strength training is still a slow go until my wrist fully heals but each week I can tackle a little more. Lots of hand exercises with a squishy ball are in my future. Physical therapy for the lower extremities and occupational therapy for the hand. Aren’t I a lucky girl. It’s definitely frustrating to have three of four limbs injured at the same time. Different symptoms yet they can flare at the same time. Rest is overrated for sure.
The 10k for this month is still questionable. Walk. Attempt to jog. Forward progressions. Will this be faster than my 10k in a cast? It’s a night race which should mean it’s cooler. That’s a positive. Maybe the only positive.
Oh wait I get to wear my lighted vest so that’s a bonus. All geared up. Let’s hope the legs want to go go go to outer space!
Change of plans! Got all the way to the start line and a huge storm rolled in. Thunder. Lightning. Torrential downpour. No dry spot on one’s body. Rain delay. Rain delay. Cancellation. Walked a couple miles to and from the car but that’s about it. Got drenched. Even got nailed with water from passing cars on my trek over a bridge. Dirty, gross water. I guess it really wasn’t meant for me to do this race. At list I got a bib to write did not start/did not finish on it. That’s a first for me on a race day. The path below was one of the few race day pictures I got since it was too wet to use my phone.
Back to walking for my training.
Hoping September is a turning point in my training.
The month started with a physical therapy appointment for knees, but one can consider that progress. Hoping the 10k is smooth this month or at least I’ll be there for the boom on the 4th of July.
I see the lucky 777 come up on the slot machine in my mind. Boy am I lucky to be where I am today. Happy. Healthy. Hopeful. I sure do hope this is the turning point month as I head into heavy training. Stay tuned!
I’m beginning the heavy lifting phase of my running training. The Marathon. 26.2 grueling miles. My race. My pace. My story. How I get there is up to me. How prepared I am rests on my shoulders. How I handle adversity is on me. That’s a big deal when you think about it.
Each month you will get a glimpse into not only my training but my mindset. Both of which are equally important parts of my preparation. I’ll be trying out clothes, fueling options, technology and gear. I’ll be thinking about contingency plans. One being the bathroom dilemma. This one sort of freaks me out and untiI I experience the full 26.2 it will be somewhat of a mystery.
Curveball alert! I broke my wrist. Yes that’s right. I do all my own stunts. Laughing as I type this. Seriously, a scaphoid fracture takes my forearm, wrist and thumb out of commission via a cast. We will now classify this as orthopedic visit one for the month.
It looks like Dr. and PT appointments now take up part of my valued training time. For a visual running in a cast is like moving with an extra 5 pounds of disproportionate weight you don’t know what to do with.
The 10k race is here. Day four of the month. A cast, physical therapy and a race oh my. I had no choice but to run in a cast. My fingers looked like little sausages by the end. No joke! I survived the course despite the extreme heat advisory issued just before they cut off the race. This was by far the hottest day in event history, and I had a cast as an accessory. The race was actually shut down not too long after I finished. The sign had just switched to high alert at mile 5 and went to black while I was leaving. Such a close call for finishing.
As we enter the second half of training I opted for one photo from each of the first six months to post below. A glimpse of how far I’ve come and a little celebration of me and my progress. It’s been a journey so far. I also have an uphill battle in front of me.
Big race recap this month. A local event that attracts 50,000 runners and a lottery entry. The peachtree 10k. A little train ride downtown for this big race. I ran this race over 20 years ago in the mid 1990’s just to experience the hype. I ran it a couple times before the pandemic, consecutive years with my daughter. I see many friends each year as well. This year I even met up with a friend from Hawaii and her daughter. This race experience is one of my bigger races as far as people volume goes.
I was somewhat reluctant to sign up for this particular race, but when I did I had a goal in mind. See if I can beat my past best race time. Not a have to, but more like a little test of age, mindset, and overall circumstances. How did I fare? I survived that’s all. This was probably my slowest time for this race ever. The combination of the heat advisory, the cast and and and just all my body woes took their toll from mile 4-6. I did finish. That’s the main point. I never quit.
Takeaways: I showed up after a rough injury patch in prior weeks. I’m still going. These running lessons, sacrifices and challenges can be great life lessons to apply elsewhere. Life isn’t easy. One just has to attack each day with positivity and a will to get out of the hole one is in.
As I finish off this post for July it’s ending differently than what I would have planned. MRI results are in. I’ve been waiting restlessly for answers. Well, not good news. A patella fracture on left knee. That one I didn’t see coming but does explain the pain. A torn meniscus on the right knee, this I was expecting. So more rehab for this girl. Walking is not restricted but running is! My body can still move. I just need to modify movements for my situation. Below I am strength training though the weight is light.
If I follow instructions I can still have hope to run in late September. The training will be rough to cram in for the marathon but I will hopefully cross that finish line in November. Stay tuned for updates.
More walking miles than running in my future! And boy is it hard to see my training buddies pounding the pavement while I am sidelined.
A red cast on my dominant arm covering my thumb following my forearm until two fingers from elbow. Talk about a major inconvenience for a busy girl. Brushing teeth now becomes a big effort. Just squeezing out the toothpaste and unscrewing the top of the tube is hard.
Reframing life in an instant is hard. Cutting up foods is not safe all of the sudden. Teaching yourself to eat with a fork in your non-dominant hand is comical and messy to say the least. Missing out on fun with friends is a big bummer, too. I figured I’d take this time to scribble my woes so I could giggle about them later. I do love a good reflection post.
My google search term has been “how to remove a fiberglass cast at home” on more than one occasion and that’s just within the first 24 hours. Pretty sad I know. I feel trapped in this thing. Sweating isn’t fun at all in a cast, but neither is showering. When I mentioned the toothpaste above I wasn’t kidding. However that is easier than soap in the shower, shampoo or even shaving. The list of oh craps could continue for a good bit.
The pickle I wanted from the jar today was soul crushing. The simple twist required sweat to drip from my eyebrow! I did find a good use for the cast at the grocery store…. Lining the plastic bags on the cast to carry to the car. It was like a coat rack for groceries. I did also break a nail at the grocery. That was just another item to log here as a big sigh moment.
The questions you get are also comical. Did you break your arm? No I casted myself for attention and inconvenience. I wish I was that talented or creative. The reality is I suffered an injury and the doc says the cast will help me heal. Time will tell.
My thumb is what I miss the most. From the selfie-pushing finger to gripping of the mouse for your computer. The thumb is what I miss the most. That thumb can grab your clothes when you dress. It’s just a crucial piece of your day and you miss it when it’s not available.
Want to test drive what it feels like to be me sidelined, go a few hours without your dominant hand and thumb. It won’t be fun. Rather, it will be humbling. Of course you need to try all the hard things required to live each day.
Life is real. Some days it’s adventures. Some days it’s heartaches. Today it’s just hard.
And a bra is really the hardest part of my day at the moment. It’s very much a love hate relationship, use your imagination.
The teen calls and said we have an emergency. Me: what kind of emergency? Teen: so much blood, come now.
200 feet seemed like 200 miles in the moment. This trail of blood seemed like nothing compared to the flow of blood leading to the injured party. Was it a shark bite? So many things ran through my mind.
First aid began with attempting to stop the blood until we could get out of the sand and germy water. That in itself was a challenge lugging someone with a bloody foot. I didn’t really pay attention at the time but no bystander offered help which now that I think about it seems absurd.
The infamous bloody foot. Eight stitches later. A lot pain and suffering while the cleaning and stitching was done at the local emergency room. So much pride left on that beach for the young invisible teen. Along with the loss of pride was much regret. I could see it in his eyes. Disappointment for the vacation that was yet to be had.
This experience made me think I was happy to have my first aid kit on hand not thinking I would ever need it. After the wound was handled, I definitely went ahead and replenished and added a few more triage items to be sure I’m ready for any future injuries. I would never want to be unprepared for a shark attack at a beach.
Since this accident took place one hour into vacation that meant I had to work hard to keep the wound clean and on its path to healing while beachside. That is no easy task with an active teen.
Was a lesson learned? Yes. Was I thankful for the outcome? Yes. Did I need to make a dreaded phone call to the parent of the teen I was responsible for? Yes. This is the call nobody would ever want to make. However, the calm voice on the other end of the phone was kind and genuine. No anger. No judgment. Just gratitude for being there to support the injured. What a relief.
What a relief for me. Another day will pass. Count every blessing and every experience you have, but never lose sight of danger that can be feet away. Always have your antennas up and ready to lunge into emergency action whether you need help or another nearby.
If you don’t know basic first aid, take a course. I have had to sling broken bones, now handle a gash and worst of all had to administer CPR. All on kids. Not fun, but humbling.
Be safe and enjoy my bloody story. The ocean can be safe but also dangerous. Always watch your feet for objects like broken glass, fishing hooks, and of course sea life.
2 Chicks and a blog 