"Stay off Your Feet"

The whole "stay off your feet as much as possible" plan is really putting a damper on my training. The arch supports and ankle wrap seem to be helping, but I'm not going to put my ankle/foot to the test until mid-late next week. I don't want to push it. It's hard for me to be motivated to swim though because I'm not that great at it. I swam "competitively" when I was in middle school, but truth be told I was never that good. I know, practice...it's just hard to stay motivated when swimming is really my only option these days. Well, that's my short update on what's been going on...sorry I feel off the face of the earth there!

Off to the ice bucket of doom!

Ankle and Asthma

Today was the day! I got to run again!! Yayyy! I hadn't run since last Monday (2/8/10), so today was very exciting for me! Over the last 12 days I've really noticed a difference in my ankle. It was never swollen, but it always hurt at the weirdest times and was just annoying. It hurt less, I needed my ankle brace less often and I could get through work without needing extra Tylonol (bonus).
I started working on the Bosu ball last week to strengthen my ankle, and I love it. The first time i was wabbling all over the place, and had to have the wall as support pretty much the whole time I was "balancing." Today, all I had to do was use the wall to get up on the ball then I balanced on my own for at least a minute on each foot. I could feel the tendons activating, so I know that my ankles are getting stronger. And, finally, today was my first run in for-ev-er. I made sure I was warmed up and stretched out before I headed up to the treadmills. I got settled in and set up a "5K loop." I told myself I wasn't going to go all out today...that was a lie. I started out at 5.5 and was up at 6.0 after a quarter mile. Then at the half mile I started upping the pace .1 every half mile. At 2.5 miles I picked it up .1 after another quarter and then another .4 or .5 through the end of the workout. My ankle felt amazing (and still does) and my IT bands didn't hate me either. I can't wait to see how tomorrow goes. I hope a little sleep doesn't aggravate my ankle again!

So, what I did notice while I was running...is my lungs were super tight. After not running my lung strength was pretty much gone. Yes, I have to strengthen my lungs...they are very tiny. And...I'm exercise asthma prone too. Fun times, right? I've got my work cut out for me, that's for sure. I'm going to have to sing more while I run (not kidding) and hit the pool for laps. Can't wait to get back into running though! =)

If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It

Well, as you all know...my left ankle hates me. The picture is my ankle wrapped in my awesome flexible ankle brace. It's like a glorified ace bandage with Velcro honestly. It's made life much better at work, at yoga, and around the house. To be honest, I don't know what I did to hurt it besides walk around for 8 hours a day for my sales job last year, and stand around for 8 hours a day for my deli job now. I also ran in old shoes when I lived in AZ, so maybe that was part of it. I did take 4 months off from running, and 3 of those months I wasn't working either...so I'm at a loss.

The weirdest thing is, it doesn't hurt when I run. It hurts like crazy when I walk around after a run, but not during...I do believe my new shoes are part of the reason. Running in my old shoes doesn't leave me in as much pain later. Here's why I'm blaming my new shoes. For the first time since 2003 I branched out and got a different shoe to run in. I got not only a different style, but a different company. I went with Mizunos. I've worn them before for other things, and really liked them. But, as the lady at the Running Company said..."if it ain't broke, don't fix it." I should've stayed with my one and only love in running shoes, Asics Kayanos. I will be getting some in a few weeks, because for my feet, there is nothing better.

A Snag in the Plan

Well, this last week hasn't been everything I thought it would be.

Sunday I rocked out on the erg. I hadn't done any serious rowing in a while, so I thought it was time. I rowed a 5k, and threw in power 10s and power 5s to spice things up and revitalize the stroke. It felt really good. I was a little congested, but my legs/back/arms/shoulders handled the workout beautifully.

Then there was Monday. Long run Monday...I had my head in the game and was ready for my two hour run. The roads were still kind of snowy and I'm not a fan of pushing my ankle, soooooo I set up the treadmill for 90 minutes (99 is the max and that's just weird). I started working out the kinks and soreness from the Sunday workout, but after two miles my right IT band was already starting to twinge. It's been taking 6+ miles to get there lately, so I wasn't happy when that happened. I pushed the pace back a little bit, lengthened my stride and picked up my feet more. Did it help? Not really...the minutes ticked my so slowly. I picked up the pace again just hoping it would work itself out. Nope, didn't happen. I didn't want to push myself, so I made myself stop after an hour. I got in 6 miles, and wasn't completely happy about it. Stretching and hydrating just weren't as satisfying since I didn't reach my goal.

Tuesday was yoga with Ashley! I always love yoga class on Tuesdays. There was an anonymous request for an ab workout, and I wasn't complaining. We did some amazing Sun Salutes to get warmed up, and then some twists that my back loved. The abs were definitely different. We did variations I'd never done before and two of them I will be using in the future for sure! After our ab workout we did more twists for our backs, and then an amazing 10 minute relaxation. I felt like a new woman after that class.

My Wednesday workout was shoveling the driveway. My best friend, Caryn, told me that shoveling for 20 minutes is the equivalent of running a mile on the treadmill. So, I guess I did 2 miles! Woot! My ankle has been very angry since Tuesday. The tendon on the inside of my right ankle twinges and bothers me too much. I've been icing, but that hasn't helped much. I rocked the IcyHot and then a heating pad just to spice things up.

Today after an extra "awesome" shift at work my ankle really hated me. I wasn't going to pass up a free afternoon, so I headed to the gym anyway. I did a core workout then hopped into the pool. I grabbed a noodle and did a few laps of kicking just to get used to being in the water again and for my legs to loosen up. My lane buddy and I were both slowish swimmers, so that worked out well. After 800m or swimming I called it a day. I walked a lap to see if my ankle hurt in water, and it didn't! =)
Side Note: my lane buddy is running the Flying Pig Half, so it was fun talking about training with someone that will be running the same race (sort of) as me.

Well, it's time to get some rest before another long day of work tomorrow! Good night!

Dear Body

Dear Body,

I'm really sorry about this week. Work sucked...a lot. Especially yesterday and today. I'm EXTREMELY sorry you went 24 hours without a meal. That was terrible. I'm also VERY sorry that you didn't get to workout as much as you wanted or needed. I will make it up to you, I promise. Lisa apologizes for destroying your right Achilles tendon with the cart last night too. Neosporin will help heal that right up. Enjoy the ice bucket, Powerade, and relaxing tonight. I promise you a great yoga and core workout tomorrow, and probably some shoveling to build up your arms. I love you, and will make you strong!

Love,
Sarah

5K "test"?

Well, after a long day at work I knew it was time for a good run. It's time to start working on speed now that I know I can put the time/miles in. The treadmills at LA Fitness have a 5k "loop," so I figured I'd give it a shot.

I was good and stretched out my legs (still sore from Monday's long run), and did a warm up. I am really bad about doing warm ups, so I think I should get bonus points for that. I took my last gulp of water and had my iPod set to a good song to set the pace. I pushed the "5k Loop" button, entered my weight and set it to start at 6.0. Excellent. After 30 seconds of getting used to the beast I pushed up to 6.3 just to get a stride down and felt great. After a half mile...my shoe was untied. How my double knot came undone, I have no idea. So, I pressed the "pause" button...which ends up being a prolonged stop button because there is no way to get started again. So, I had to start again after retying my shoe and checking the other. *sighs* I was less excited and pumped up this time. But I started it over, this time at 6.3. I was up to 6.5 by 2 minutes in. I felt really good running. Still a little tight from Monday, but that was expected. I did find out that time passes slower on a treadmill than on the roads...By the end of the 5k I was rocking an 8.0 (for the last .2 miles). I felt awesome. My breathing was still fairly relaxed, my heart wasn't exploding out of my chest and my legs didn't totally hate me.

Overall I wish my split had been faster, but I'll get it down for next time for sure! I've iced my feet/ankles and now I'm onto the mission of hydrating. Good night!

PS- Thank you for all the support of my friends reading this blog and commenting on my Daily Mile workouts. I really appreciate it!

"CareFree" Long Run of Bliss

Today I was my long run of the week. My head was totally in the game, and the weather was perfect. It was 32, 5 mph winds, and sunny. What more could you want?!

I rocked shorts, a long sleeve and a T-shirt. Call me crazy, but that's just how I roll. I set off on my 100 minutes of amazing-ness and started visualizing the end of my marathon right from the start. After I saw that I was running a sub-10:00 split after two miles I started to visualize the end of my run. I got to where I guessed my halfway mark would be in...30 minutes. So, I decided to veer off of the roads I know into the ones I don't know. The names made me happy. The neighborhoods are "Carefree North/South" and a few of my favorite street names are: Sunshine Way, Leisure Ln, Restin Lane, and of course, Easy St. After the 8ish mile mark the IT bands started to get tight, so I had to slow my pace down a little bit. I finished the last mile and a half hard, and felt amazing. I probably should've done a longer cool down, but chocolate milk and a chewy bar were calling my name. Today I realized I need to start setting up hydrating stations and running with GU or the snazzy energy jelly beans. I was hurting for energy towards the end, and I think an energy boost and some water would've done wonders for my over all pace. I guess we'll see on my next long run!

Tomorrow I'm starting the "One Hundred Push Ups" workout plan. I'm terrible at push ups, and I need to build up my arms and shoulders....so why not work on both at the same time?! I'll be spending more time on the road and less time in the gym, so this will be a great way to build up my arms. Tomorrow I'm also going to rock out in a yoga class! My legs and butt will REALLY appreciate it! I'm excited!

February is the month for change and butt kicking training, and I think I've started the month of great! =)