Marathon Mom

2015 was a year that can be summed up in a few words: injury, recovery, new beginnings and focus. The year began by continuing to deny a hamstring injury and running an awful marathon only to finally recover and move on! We travled, I graduated, O started kindergarten, we ran, new friends came into our lives and I started to realize more about me, my family and my goals in life. So how did my goals go? Well without too much looking I can say they lacked completion but I met other nonstated goals. Saw this today and seems very fitting as I look back on 2015 and realize a lot has happened and it has made me focus on where I want to go in 2016 and beyond. Fitness Goals Sub 3:30 marathon (okay actually 3:15 is what I really want): Not even close, I ran my comeback race in 3:37 with no speedwork and knew this goal was out. But I did finish marathons 27 and 28 and checked another state off my list. Run 2015 miles: Fell short on this thanks to time off for injury, hitting 1867 m...

Merry Christmas, I hope everyone is enjoying the day and finding time to relax. I actually got to sleep in a little, 6:15 wake from an excited 5 yo ready to open presents. I got my great present early when Matt got me a brand new upgraded Kitchen-Aid professional mixer to match our new kitchen appliances. Of course lots of cookie and bread baking to try it all out. Nothing better than Christmas morning run with friends and of course my 4 legged running buddy! Merry Christmas!

This weekend was less than great for me as a runner! Saturday weather returned me to the reality of what winter can bring. I woke with wind chills below 0 and had to cancel on meeting my friends, meaning my long run was relocated inside to the treadmill. As a runner with Raynaud's anything this cold is miserable! Heck I pull out the hand warmers for much warmer than that. For some reason my hands and feet seem to be less happy with cold each year, a part of aging maybe? Who knows but I am really close to talking with my doctor about meds to deal with this. I already take magnesium and Vit B and the only other fix of moving to warm a climate is out! 18 very long, less than fun miles with a tight leg. Luckily I have Netflix to distract so what better time for junk TV! The Secret Life of The American Teenager was my distraction. Any other shows I should check out for future runs? Fast forward to Sunday and guess what...after only 6 days the cyst behind my knee returned 😫 Are ...

Anyone else having a hard time believing that Christmas is in 1 week?! Seriously where did the time go and how will I get everything done? We hit the dep freeze here and had a day of light snow, then rain so now just cold and nasty! I’m sure everyone knows how much I hate cold weather so this is not making me happy, just reminding myself that in 1 month I will be enjoying sun, warmth and the beach J Source Started the weekend with a long, early run. I’m glad I have such crazy friends to convince me a 6am start will be fun on a December Saturday! 16 hilly miles done with great conversation at 8:26 avg pace! Then it the weekend was all about holiday fun: we saw the Nutcracker with friends, Saturday was Santa games at the gym and then Charlie Brown Christmas followed by finally decorating the tree. We are hosting Christmas Eve and doing an appetizer type dinner, my favorite! So far the plan for my vegan/gluten free/healthy meal is… vegan 7 layer tip hummus and ve...

Monday was the day I said goodbye to my lovely knee cyst (at least for now)! I met with one of the two local doctors I was referred to for this, tough area to aspirate and multiple complications if not done correctly so my ortho was only okay with two people, luckily one was at my work! First he did an ultrasound to look for any other potential issues and find out locations of important structures in relation to my cyst. The popliteal artery was 3 cm away so we were safe. He saw a connection to the join space but no other injury. So again, no idea why this happened! Next came the fun of draining! Luckily he injected the lidocaine first which was less than pleasant, Ouch! Then pulled off this...Nice clear joint fluid I have a 50/50 chance of this thing returning. Next time he will further scar the cystic sac to hopefully prevent more recurrence. For now I am in compression all the time and need to avoid any anti-inflammatory meds to help scarring. Luckily I have a collection of...

What happened to the days when sleeping in meant 9 or 10am or even later? Not 5:45 like today, which truly is sleeping in for me. So here I am relaxing as much as one can while trying to get a 5 year old out the in the midst of a kitchen in the middle of installing new appliances, filled with boxes and tools! I sit here and think about what's been happening and the good of the week in the midst of chaos and frustrations... 1) Warm Weather! Okay so you southerners may not agree that the 40s we have now is warm but for us midwesterners this is tropical in December. I ran yesterday afternoon in shorts! Talk about a mental run and something I needed, smiling the entire time. We got in on the trails that are typically snow covered and closed long before now and Cooper experienced his first deer sighting. No Snow! 2) The New UCAN Cinnamon Swirl Bar! You all know I love UCAN and while I ate the PB Chocolate Bar and like it, I wouldn't rave about it because I am one of those we...

Since last winter/spring I've been dealing with this weird mass that would come and go behind my left knee. In the beginning it never hurt, it was just odd and on occasion it came with a pressure. It went away much of the summer until August when it pretty much decided to make home behind my knee expanding and shrinking just to keep me guessing if it would be gone! Source I started my research and decided it must be a Baker's Cyst but how? These are usually associated with a meniscus tear, but I have no knee pain other than some mild aches sometimes after a long run. As I started back to marathon training I decided it was time to deal with this and know if there was an underlying issue. On one of the rare not busy days at work a couple weeks ago I headed over to talk with the ortho PA. On exam my medial line was mildly tender and some laxity. Then he noticed the large scar on my knee from last winter's fall. Remember my lovely long run in Mexico .. Unable to stra...

Hi, I'm still around and have no idea where the time has gone! Work has been crazy, school is keeping O busy and increasing her social life! Dance and running pretty much dictate our current schedules. I can only imagine how things will be as she gets older. I have a pile of posts started just haven't found the time to finish them. So much has gone on: Ragnar, Halloween, school break and just life! I decided to combine into one and recap the past month. So grab a coffee and have fun catching up... Ragnar Tennessee A couple months ago in one crazy moment I agreed to run Ragnar Tennessee to fill 2 open spots with a friend. Besides the running and lack of sleep it meant about 14 hours in the car each way! But why not! It was a blast, Tennessee was beautiful minus the rain. The weekend was a whirlwind! I'm happy to say I met some great new friends and look forward to our next run... Van 2 View from my run Family Fun and Running October marks scho...

It has been almost 2 weeks since the marathon and I have enjoyed some time of easy workouts, rest days, sleeping in and refocusing on me, my goals, future, family and not worrying about nutrition (way too much dairy, ugh!). But today marks a weekend day for me thanks to MEA and working last weekend. O and I are both home. Today I am back at it focusing on workouts again and not letting this post marathon slacking (okay recovery gone too far) carrying on for months like I have a bad habit of doing! This week I have had fun with getting back out there with my running friends for some 5am runs, dark, cool, perfect! All this after 85 degrees last Sunday! We enjoyed that day outside, family pictures, grilling and soaking in the last days of nice hot weather. Anna Lee Photography Today is the start, up at 5am and strength training, back to PT exercises to make sure I fend off future hamstring injury and now relaxing with coffee and my girl before spin class. So what’s ahead… ...

Well I did it, the thing that 5 months ago, I was told to rethink. On July 1st I was cleared to start running after almost 2 months of intense therapy and nitroglycerin for my hamstring. Training was less than ideal for me but was focused on regaining endurance. I did no speed work, I just ran 3-4 days a week at a pace that felt good but I focused on strength training and cross training while working 50 hours a week and finishing grad school! So glad that is done! With all that I was saying I'm never running a fall marathon again. Saturday was the family events. O ran the 1 mile and had a blast! Then we headed for a quick run through the expo before I worked at the UCAN booth for a few hours. So much fun to share info about my favorite fuel.  Sunday the big day! O slept at my parents' yet somehow we got a late start, we got there, I threw my bag in the bag check just in time for the national anthem. No time to walk the 1/4 mile to pee! Oops :( So instead I get m...

September was here and gone, how did that happen? I had big goals for the month and well things didn’t quite go as planned! Cooper has decided he's anxious with O at school and started eating every nonfood item in site so bad in the crate for him until we solve this issue. September Goals Family/Life ·                      Develop consistent weekday school routine- Still working on it ·                      Meal prep on Sunday and make 2 meals for the week- Not doing great! ·                      1 more apple orchard trip- Nope Running/Fitness ·                      5K in 22:...

Here I am 9 days from marathon #28 and at it again, full out taper madness. As I sat down this morning to drink coffee I was just not feeling happy, something was wrong but I couldn't figure it out. I'm starting a 3 day weekend full of fun with family and friends, I have time to relax, I'm getting a much needed hair cut and color...so why the negative feelings? Then it hit me...TAPER! Seriously I've been through it too many times to mess with me like this but without fail here it is. At least I have an explanation, but still I'm not happy with this. One would have thought going in to a race with minimal goals would mean less pressure but I guess not. I have every reason to doubt my training since it consisted of little to no speed work, less miles than I normally do and focus on gaining endurance back while working long hours. Last week I ran a 5K, in the evening, that I wasn't feeling great about and came away with a 2nd place AG finish! And a time of 20:26...

Week 1 of taper is done and I survived! Anyone else close to a race?  Every time I think things will settle down I am quickly proven wrong! Between O’s school and activities, my work and now being sick I need a break! Monday: O’s first night of dance this year and 1 hour walk for me (feeling sick) Tuesday: 8 mile run Wednesday: T25 Upper Thursday: 5K Race (more later) and core Friday: 16 miles (this was rough!) Saturday: 4 mile run while coaching and Beast Back Sunday: 1 hour family bike after work and Beast Chest O did a cheerleading camp this weekend and had a blast…Next week they perform at the game. This week is another busy week but I think we are settling into a routine finally. I have some big things this week (sorry to be vague) but please think of me and send some good thoughts. Less than 2 weeks until marathon 28. Let the weather stalking begin! Monday: Core and 8 mile run Tuesday: 6 mile run and Beast Arms Wednesday: Beast Shoulders ...

It's that time again...I made to yet another taper! This past week was my highest mileage week in probably a year at 48.8 miles (this used to be a low week!). The best part was that it felt great. 22 miles done on Sunday in 3:19. I've learned to hold back on my long runs, finally! It was 50s and perfect but time to get out the gloves. Raynauds sucks! On the advice of a friend I tried an Epsom salt bath Sunday for the first time and I'm not fully convinced but soaking was relaxing. My legs do feel great today so who knows. Who recovers with Epsom Salt? What do you think? Matt and I had a belated birthday date night to see Counting Crows. Fun way to kick off taper, right? We had an early dinner and headed to the show only to find out it was cancelled just a few minutes before they opened the doors. So instead we headed home and relaxed on the couch with a glass of wine and listened to Counting Crows.

How did it get to be September already (and the 7th even!)? We ended August with some fun and a first for O...After a week of a loose tooth that she discovered on my birthday it finally came out after a trip to the apple orchard. My training has been decent despite the crazy long work hours but I have decided that a fall marathon will not be in the future next year! This year my plan is just gaining my endurance back but when I want to race I can't fully train through the long work days of summer. I am running 3-4 days a week but lack energy to do any speedwork. My strength work is lacking, down to just 3 days a week. September started with kindergarten open house. After a long debate on the best school fit for O and us as a family we went with the option that we had initially said no way too. In the end it will be the best fit considering the anxiety O has about new situations and changes. With this she has many familiar faces joining her and even two friends in her class. ...

2 weeks ago (sorry for the delay!) I ran my 4th Ragnar with an awesome group of running friends, most new to Ragnar! We headed down on Thursday evening, van packed and excited for our adventure. I was so happy that they added Thursday night pick up and safety training which allowed us extra sleep on Friday. We checked in on Thursday night to find the hotel room with 2 beds and a sofa sleeper really didn't exist! Instead offered 2 double beds or a king bed and couch, we opted for the first and had a pretty packed room with 6! Oh well it was more comfortable than any sleeping we'd find for the next 48 hours! Ready to go... Friday morning we were off with runner 1 at 7:00... Waiting for Runner 1! I was runner so plenty of time for coffee, food and the weather to get even hotter! I took off around noon and already the temperature was in low 90s with heat index near 100! Yuck, combine this with no shade after mile 2 and asphalt and it was rough. I took off in the shade...

I guess I kind of lied when I said I was back to regular blogging, oops! So today with 9 weeks to go until marathon #28 I am back with my marathon weekly, training check ins, goals, etc. We’ve had a lot on our plates lately with school, life, impending kindergarten, activities, illness, etc but I need to continue to hold myself accountable. The past week weeks (okay since July) my morning workouts have been nearly nonexistent meaning lifting has been minimal, no good as I am getting back. Luckily Saturday I managed a 20 miler and while it was slower than my normal long runs it felt good and I ran most with friends. No the blue shirts weren't planned! What’s up for this week? Already off to a rough start, poor sleep kept me in bed and skipping my morning run… Monday:  6 mile run with Cooper and Beast Shoulders Tuesday:  Beast Back and Bike Wednesday:  8 mile run and Beast Chest Thursday:  T25 Friday:   Ragnar!! Saturday:  Ragnar...