Bullets from Boca

I'm back from Boca... what a place.

A couple of items:

• I did 10.26 miles with Amy and Art before I left. 2:07 ~ 12:24 pace. Slightly faster than I can usually hang at this distance. I'll take it. They really helped to push me along and keep me going. I actually dropped an F bomb during this run. My apologies, not my normal MO.
• Started the trip in Ft Lauderdale and did lots of walking around, eating and drinking.
• Met Wendy at 7am up by Boca Raton and did an incredibly hard 5 miles (probably because of the 10 miler, the flying, the walking around and the drinking, yah think??? oh ya, and the humidity KILLED me. ) Wendy was an absolute doll and let me walk whenever I needed. She also let me talk whenever I needed. I'm thinking of making her my therapist. hee hee. She was totally adorable driving up and her hair is much longer than I'd expected. She said I was taller than expected :D Thanks for making the drive with Dewey and coming down to see me!! (hopefully will post a pic when I get my act together)
• Somewhere during the run my foot started to hurt on the top up toward the toes. I tried loosening laces to no avail. Unfortunately, the pain has persisted, and I am officially putting myself on the injured reserves. Any ideas what this could be? Too much walking around on terrible feet?
• We toured the Flagler Musuem and lighthouse at Jupiter. We also toured a couple mansions on the waterways and took some boat rides to really see some of the amazing boats and mansions and enjoy the sun. Wow. Always amazes me how big the world is and how differently people can live.
• We lucked out and got an amazing suite at the Boca Resort for the business part of the award trip. Even had a party there the last night.
• One of our evenings was spent at the National Croquet Center. I had no idea how much fun it would be. My husband and I won several matches - lots of teamwork and strategy.
• We had some forced fun team building events that we survived (although these gave me the clue that there was something really wrong with my foot) and played golf on some amazing courses. I also got a few minutes at the beach on the last day. These trips are so jammed packed with activities, that they aren't very relaxing, but I am very very blessed and fortunate to have experienced all this, and to have won this trip to boot. It was also grand getting to run with Wendy.
• Despite all this, I'm not feeling very bloggy. I've got some personal stuff going on that sometimes takes over. I try not to bring it out here but thoughts and prayers are always appreciated. Also doesn't help that my foot is hurting and I don't know what it is or how long it might last. I had almost peaked for the HM training with two 8's and two 10 mile runs. Hopefully I can take some time off and be back with a couple more 10's.
• I will try to catch up (laundry and blogs, but I seriously doubt I can read everything) and hope to post some pictures soon.
• Congrats to the Boston homies. You guys inspire me so so much.
• ALL of you inspire me so much. Thanks for giving me a place to meet all of you and be inspired every day.

One Armed Wallpaper Hanger

I ran 3 yesterday on a trail that I thought would be easier on my feet than pavement. It was solid ice and snow that had melted and re-froze several times in the shape of everyone's feet (and bikes?) that had been there maybe all winter. Miserable and I got blood blisters on both feet. I'm no trail runner. Just call me Tenderfoot. I tried to enjoy the scenery but couldn't take my eyes off the footing for long. Still, there were gorgeous chunks of ice floating down the Raccoon River and the sun was making them sparkle.

Since I am slower than 99% of the population out there that choose to run, it also stands to reason that the only other foolish person out there was a chick who quickly passed me. I'm not in the best spirits right now, something to do with all the self-evaluation that occurred during a lone 6 hour car ride. Being so slow (and stupid for running on that stuff) just adds to it.

I'm busier than a one-armed wall paper hanger right now. Hope to get some work outs in but need to buckle down on a few things. Be back soon.

I'll take PT guy for $500, Alex

Very busy with work so while I am waiting for my next test to load...

• PT guy seemed to be much more thorough than Podiatrist guy
• PT guy really likes the orthotics Podiatrist guy gave me and encouraged continued use, although he added a booster to the arch
• Not only do my arches collapse but my bunions have severely restricted my toes from bending
• The restricted movement keeps me from "going off my toes" - this puts more pressure on the lazy arch and is probably the source of my pain. It's probably also reason for any hip and knee pain
• I have toe stretches to do!!
• I am double jointed and generally very loose (just not in my toes!!) - this is not attractive and I struggle with posture and taking a strong stance all the time. It's not only un-attractive, it is likely causing some problems
• PT guy gave me lots of exercises to improve strength and tone "from your butt to your toes, oh yeah, and your core, too." *jerk* :) just kidding !!
• I shouldn't have let all my great work in the gym in Jan, Feb, March go. (DUH)
• I probably should have been in better shape before I attempted this marathon schedule (DUH!?)
• I will be seeing PT guy again in about 10 days
• PT guy says the cross stuff is AS important or MORE than the running itself, TO my running. He recommends finding the right balance for me as far as how much rest between running and how much cross. He suggested I might only be a 3 run a week runner, but also that I could be BETTER if that is the right balance for me.
• None of this is really an INJURY, which stinks in a way. It is just ME, and I'm going to have to LIVE with it, but MAKE ME THE BEST ME I CAN BE. Isn't that what I am constantly working on anyway? And now, I have more direction. Just practicing my positive thinking...

He also said, "Knock yourself out at Capital Pursuit." So, Sports Fans, I am officially doing my first longer than a 5k race on Sunday. Yep, a 10 miler in beautiful downtown Des Moines with a few hundred of the fastest people around. Oh crap, what have I done???!!!!

I'll have tales from the back of the pack!!

So Many Lessons

Lesson for Wednesday ~ I am NOT a skilled athletic trainer, so taping my arches was NOT a very good idea.

I ran about .4 mile to the inlaws, stopped to cut some slack in the tape. Played with the new puppy for a few minutes. Ran about 3 blocks, sat down on a rock outside some apartments and worked on giving more slack. Gutted out about .75 before I found an office complex with a nice picnic area where I sat down and removed all the tape. By this time, I have wasted so much time, that everyone is due home from work/school. Ran the mile home.

Very disappointing run. And I looked so good, too. I guess that tells you how much the outfit really matters!! :^) I think I will call this a failed experiment and try to repeat the run today. I'm really tired and achy, I hope I can get through it.

You Might Be a Runner IF...

Here is the picture I promised in the previous post. Me feeling strong (and silly) with the Wild Animal Bondi Band.

Things were slightly more tame today, unfortunately. I did my long run today and was hoping to do 14 or 16 and be back on marathon schedule. I quit after 9 ~ my feet still can't take the really long distances. Disappointing since I had tons of energy and felt like I could have made it easily, but they were well on their way to a melt down. I figured why do so much damage I can't walk for a day and a half. I am quickly coming to terms with doing the 1/2 in a few weeks and just continuing to build up strength. I also might try taping my arches...

In other news, I lost my toenail from the blister fiasco. I thought I would be grossed out but when it happened, I was sort of weirdly proud. I told my husband that I thought it was kind of cool and made me feel like a true runner. Or maybe it just makes me an idiot who should have fixed the problem before it got out of hand? Oh well, I choose the former!

I Have Michael Jordan's Feet :)

I went to the podiatrist today and, no, Marcy, he did not lick my toes. He wasn't creepy at all. Talkative, but not creepy. He's a triathlete, so he totally gets it.

My diagnosis: high arches that are extremely flexible, meaning they collapse. My feet and ankles can only take so much of the collapsing before it causes pain. This has been happening around 7 miles.

The good news, he really can't find anything else wrong. He said, "Michael Jordan had flat arches and he did quite well." I was wondering if I need to get a pair of Air Jordans, but he gave me stronger orthotics that should keep me from collapsing as much. He swears by them and says he got rid of custom ones because these are so good. He said they make my Brooks, "good shoes", into "awesome shoes"...

The bad news, while this should help, there is no guarantee that these will be enough to get me to the full 26.2. I'll proceed according to the schedule and see how far I can go on my long run on the weekend. I haven't given up on the full marathon, but I also have come to terms that I might need to do the half.

So, Michael Jordan's feet. I will probably be skying soon.

Information is a Good Thing

Saturday morning was quite cool. I set out for a long run after having missed last week's. The schedule says 16 but, I knew that was probably not in the cards. Between the unsolved mystery with my feet and the lingering affects of my cold, I just wanted to see if a decent, longish run was possible.

I think I ran 4 or 5 miles before even turning on the tunes. It was beautiful, and I was finally running and not feeling like crap, not needing to stop!! I was thinking about maybe still having enough time to do the marathon. If I can't get the miles up there, then I am okay with that, but it seemed possible.

I couldn't believe how little gatorade or gel I needed. What a difference a little smart prep makes and of course, being a few days further out from the cold and the cool temps made a huge difference. I felt quite strong, although my splits were even slower than usual, slower than I thought possible and to still be running :). I'm SLOOOOWW, but I'm BAAAACK!!

Around 7 miles, I was looking for ways to make my route longer than 10 or 12 and feeling like I might be able to run forever. Then, around 7.5 miles, the feet started their melt down, and suddenly I was wondering if I could do 10. In the end, I did do 10 miles, and I am pretty psyched about that. I had some difficulty with my feet but I think perhaps there has been progress with these orthotics. The damage seemed to be less and the recovery fairly quick.

In the end, I have more information than when I started. Headcold Hattie did NOT zap me so bad that I am starting over. I went 10 miles!! Secondly, I could likely fight the pain and make it through a half marathon right now, even with no more improvement. I don't think there is enough improvement just yet to try to go much further. SO, I did decide to call in the experts and see a podiatrist. I am hoping that perhaps the next step in quality of an orthotic could hold the answers I am looking for. I can only hope he isn't as creepy as this guy -------->

Pain, Pain, Go Away

Today, I did 13.9 miles, well, I physically covered the distance, anyway. The infection has waned considerably and the blisters healed. I felt confident in trying this after realizing I had tied my shoes very loosely and this is what made me slide around and get so many blisters.

I felt great, much better prepared for a long run than last week's calamity, with maybe the exception of being a little low on sleep. I had energy, I had stamina, I had hydration, I had tunes and a good, if not tentative attitude, but it became painfully ~ I mean painfully, people ~ obvious that I do not have the right pair of shoes. I did an 8 mile loop to my drop off, potty break, change hydration location. At about 7, my feet were aching pretty bad.

After that, every step was really painful. Of course, I wanted to get the miles in and we have been wondering if I just need to strengthen the feet. In retrospect, that last 6 miles were just agony and probably have added greatly to the misery of today. I should have stopped at 8. Arches, tops, even the outsides of my feet are screaming and swollen. I am doing anti-inflammatories and have iced 5 - 6 times yet I still am having difficulty walking. THIS CAN'T BE RIGHT!!??

Yes, I have been fitted by professionals, yes, I have practice ran, yes, I have tried several pairs, yes, I wear good socks... What is wrong with me? Why are my feet so damn finnicky? Obviously I am going back to the drawing board on shoes, not sure what this does to the schedule and ability to stay up with the long run mileage. Supposed to do 16 next weekend, I would rather curl up and die quietly in a corner than try that with the current shoes.

I am so disappointed. This run took me 3hrs and 32 minutes. I looked at 13.1, well just because, and saw 3:18 UGH. You know, though, I could handle being slow if I weren't in pure agony. The thing is, I don't think I can do this again and certainly can't go any further until I have some sort of shoe resolution. In the meantime, I am hobbling around wondering what in the world have we been thinking...

I am off to Chicago for a couple days. I had looked forward to repeating my lakefront run but looks like I will be doing a 'test drive' on the treadmill with some different shoes.

Feet at Flickr by Stewart

Momma Called the Doctor and the Doctor Said....

Well, after a day and a half of soaking and babying my feet, one blister is completely healed and the other two are red and raging in the tissues underneath. I thought they were getting better, but knew this morning that a trip to the doc was in order. I now have an antibiotic which will hopefully take care of this, but I am definitely skipping the scheduled 4 mile run today.

There were actually some scary moments where the infection seemed to be spreading before my eyes, but it seems to have stopped progressing for the moment with some icing. Antibiotics should be kicking in soon.

I'm still hoping to be well enough to do 14 on Sunday. I'm trying to just take a day at a time. There's still lots of time, right?

My Dogs Are Barking

Apparently I don't need a marathon fairy so much as I need a foot fairy. I am still having a terrible time with the shoes.... Once I figured out that the Brooks Adrenaline were probably not enough support (pain in balls and arches somewhere into the run), I started looking for other shoes. I think I have had two or three pairs home now, but something is never quite right.

The lastest was to put more supportive inserts in the older Brooks because I have not had toe or bunion problems in those prior to today. Somehow, I have managed to flair up my bunions and came home with a painful, slightly discolored toe. It wasn't black and was actually a blister under the nail. I have a rest day tomorrow but I am worried about getting settled into a shoe quickly as I have 14 to do this Sunday.

On the preparation front, I did much better than poker night! :) I felt pretty good doing six this morning other than the feet. I pushed it at the end to see if I could get under a 10 pace and sustain it for awhile. I realized once again how slow I am but the run was an improvement. No stopping, no walking, no breaks and fairly even pacing except for the one big hill!
6 miles ~ 1:19:03 ~ 13:09 pace
13:20
12:44
12:51
13:19
13:45
12:58