Crutch-free

I feel so free! Today I'm suppose to be testing out walking without my crutches. yay! When I woke up this morning, I reached for them and then remembered I didn't need them. What a sense of freedom. (Sad, I know.)

Working from home today though. My office building is so freaking big that it would be a BAD place to get stuck inside and realize you need crutches. Have I mentioned how great my clients are to me?

Keep your fingers crossed that I'm healing well enough not to need crutches anymore. Back to the doctor tomorrow, where I anticipate she'll tell me to walk in the shoe for a week and then come back to see if I can then get rid of that. Thankfully my job is so flexible! I've had an appointment nearly every week. I will miss the constant upper body workout though. My tri's are seeing the effect of walking around with crutches for the past 3 weeks or so! :)

26.2 -- Wow... That's a long way!

Totally in awe of the female Olympic marathoners right now. They're only 10: 31 into the race, but they are so freaking amazing!

NBC just showed the course map from an aerial view and it seemed like such a long distance. Then it hit me. "Hey, I've done that a few times." In about double the time, but I've covered that distance in a respectable amount of time (you know, compared to other normal people).

BYOB (Bring Your Own B-12) ???

Growing up, I was never a huge meat eater. It was mostly because I didn't enjoy the taste, not opposed to the idea of eating animals. I mean come on, we lived on a farm where we raised animals for our meat. (One rule to growing up. We weren't allowed to name the animals. My mom didn't want us to be scarred when we found out what/who we were eating for dinner.... :) )

My first job when I was 16-years-old was at McDonald's. And, I haven't eaten a hamburger since. When I went away to college, and had complete freedom in my diet, I went vegetarian. (I do eat seafood/fish and dairy so I'm not a complete vegatarian). Again, mostly because of taste but I really started to enjoy the health benefits. The first time I came home and proclaimed I no longer ate meat, my mom promptly bought me a few books and told me if I was going to be a veggie, I had to be knowledgable about it and do it correctly.

My family is a big meat and potatoes family, so my parents will try anything to get me to eat meat. Anything that is slightly off in my life, they (half) jokingly say, "well... it's because you don't eat meat."

So today's phone call from my mom was nothing unusual. With my stress fracture healing so slowly and the whole long affair with my abdomen and chronic pain issues, I figured my body just healed slower than the average person. My mom saw something on TV this morning about B-12 shots and how vegetarians should especially consider it. She said she thought maybe I was deficient and that's why I'm healing slowly, especially since she said I wasn't like that as a kid. And, that I should ask my PCP during my annual check up (I'm a HUGE preventative care fan!!!)

I usually just brush her "it's because you don't eat meat" comments off, but I took this one into consideration. Tonight, I did an internet search and actually found some blogs/forums that discussed this very topic. Maybe my mom wasn't completely off?

My question: has anyone considered/received a B-12 shot? Has anyone talked to their doctor about it?

P.S. Thanks to everyone for their well-wishes and support on my great master plan. I'm counting on all of you to help keep me with it! :)

Re-dedicated Runner

I feel like such a bum! I'm still in comfy clothes at 6:30 p.m. (read: I went from my PJs to another paid of PJ pants and a t-shirt), haven't left the house all day and am currently sitting on the couch with my foot up. This is not the life. When I had surgery a couple years ago, all I could do was watch movies for 2 months. I swore I would never wish I could just stay home and watch a movie ever again. And, I never have. Sitting that long will do that to ya...

Seriously, I'm very fortunate to have such super cool clients, who actually insisted I work from home while I'm on crutches.

While I can't physically work out, I've been mentally planning out my next training plan. After getting full approval from my doctor and e-a-s-i-n-g into it, of course. I'm re-dedicating myself to being in the best shape of my life -- working out, eating right and loving every second of it. Here's a glimpse of what I'm thinking...

Yoga: Pre-work yoga (at least 3 times a week)


Running: Train hard and grab that sub-4:00 marathon! (including repeat, hill and speed workouts)


Weights: Focus on weights. I dabble in it, but haven't really become dedicated to it since working out with my old trainer, Ricky. Being strong is so important, and I'm GOING to do it.


Cross-training: My last couple of marathon training plans haven't included cross-training because of the intensity of the running schedule. I want to get into spinning/cycling and swimming. Hmmm.... does anyone see a tri somewhere in the future...

Healthy Diet: I've gotten away from the whole wheat pastas, been eating out too much and portions are bigger than I need (I totally agree when people say women gain weight the 1st year in a relationship. JP and I have always been active and healthy eaters, but we've re-dedicated ourselves to be as healthy as we can be... as healthy as we can be with a trip to DQ every once in awhile...)

I always like Nike ads, but this Nike Shox ad really illustrates how I feel about my plan. Now, if only I could get rid of these crutches... :)

IT Guru

Being one of the least tech-savy person in the world, I am pretty proud of myself for updating the layout of my blog. Granted, Blogger makes it pretty idiot-proof, but nonetheless, I changed the look (a tad) all by myself. I can't figure out how to stretch the photo in the title box, so any help would be appreciated.

The weekend was pretty low-key. Saturday - sat at home. Sunday - sat at home. This morning, JP and I went out to lunch and then we went back to his house to get him packed up to hit the road again. Poor guy -- he left again this afternoon and will be out of town for the week. If you're keeping track, that means I was out of town for two weeks in a row and he'll be out of town for two weeks in a row. Some people envy us for getting the opportunity to travel for work so much. Granted, it has taken us to some cool (and not so cool) places, but we'd both rather sleep in our own beds and eat a home cooked meal any day.

I am getting a little stir-crazy sitting at home so much, but getting out is so tiresome and such a hassle.

Going to watch a little more Olympic coverage and head to bed. Mmmm mmmm -- I do love men's swimming. Abs everywhere.

Sitting home... still

Last night was deemed "Wii and pizza night" and JP and I had over some friends to celebrate the festivities. We had a great time noshing on pizza and watching the Olympic opening ceremonies. Ever since I was little, the Olympics have been so fascintating to me. Obviously, I love athletics and the dedication and passion the athletes have for their sports. Admittedly, I get all teary-eyed with those inspiring behind the scenes stories. Like the USA team flag carrier in the opening ceremonies. From being one of the famed Lost Boys to becoming a world-class athlete. If that doesn't give you goosebumps, I don't know what will.

After watching the US team walk in, we decided to try out hand at the Wii. Nothing like a little friendly competition on a Friday night. I'm happy to report that both couples remain intact after some grueling rounds of golf, bowling and the duck hunt-esq game.

Tonight, JP is at a bachelor party and I'm hanging out at home watching the Olympics. If I were crutch free I would've found something to do, but I figured it would e better to stay home and do as the doctor ordered -- stay off the foot and keep it elevated.

I'm getting really antsy not being able to do anything. To go from some hard core training to a sudden dead stop... It's driving me crazy sitting home!!!!!

Please Visit the "D"!

Like much of metro-Detroit, I live in the burbs and commute to downtown Detroit. I've done a lot to stimulate the city's economy -- baseball and hockey games, resturants, bars and a variety of events. I'm proud of all the work that has been done to revitalize the "D", but I'm sick of one bruised eye that keeps getting bigger and bigger.

Local and national news (CNN, CNBC, NY Times, USA Today, etc.) are blasting this across the country. Where is the Detroit mayor right now? In jail. Yep, the Detroit mayor is currently sitting in a little, cement cell tonight.

In addition to the text message scandal (did you see Jon Stewart's skit?), he is facing felony charges tomorrow for allegedly physically assulting a police officer. But that's not what landed him in jail. With everything that was mounting up against the mayor the court, which originally allowed him to travel for business and personal reasons freely, mae the decision he needed court permission before leaving the city. Period. Easy to obey, right? Nope. He went to Canada for a business meeting and the judge found out through the media. The judge was pissed and sent him to jail.

Please know there are wonderful people, places and things to do in Detroit! Hopefully he'll be removed soon and we can continue to grow the city to become a better place.

For you runners -- the Detroit Marathon is a great race. There are beautiful parts of downtown and you run by all the highlights -- beautiful homes, Joe Lewis Areana - Home of the Stanley Cup winners the Detroit Red Wings, Tiger Stadium. Ford Field where the Detroit Lions play, over the bridge into Canada and back thru the tunnel (world's only underwater mile -- how cool is that!), and around Belle Isle - Detroit only little island. Oct. 19, 2009!!!! If you've been training for a race but not sure which fall race to do, come to the "D"!!!

Pictures above: Belle Isle, Tiger Stadium -- "who's your Tiger?" and The underwater mile!

More Calcium, Please

This afternoon I went back to the doctor to get my cast off! I was so looking forward to it and was really hoping not to get another one.

Okay, when I was in high school I had several casts (basketball injury) but for some reason I don't remember getting a single one off. I think I blocked the horrid memories. The tech comes out with this thing that looks like a power tool you could but at Home Depot. I was expecting some medical looking thing. As she's cutting into my cast I'm trying not to freak out. After all, I'm a grown adult. I think I flinched a few times and she finally looked at me and said, "It won't cut you, don't worry." Riiight. She was obviously not the one with a blade milimeters away from her leg.

Outcome: I'm only healing a teeny-tiny bit, so she said if I promised to stay on the crutches 24/7, she'd only put on the wrap/soft cast. Deal!

I'm absolutely convinced my body just heals slowly. But, to help things along, I stopped and got some calcium supplements on the way home. I got the chewy kind and they're actually not too bad tasting. I drink a glass of milk a day, eat yogurt or string cheese, and eat almonds, spinach, etc. everyday! I'm sure I'm still not getting the recommended amount. Has anyone tried supplements!?!?! Hurt? Help?

My client is super cool and told me to continue working from home for the rest of the week. I was going to go in tomorrow, but she insisted I stay home and keep off my foot. On one side, I get bored with no one to talk to throughout the day, but I have to admit rolling out of bed, flipping on the laptop and not getting dressed until noon is nice...

Life without running...

Had a great time last week in Canada (eh?). One of the girls I work with has a place up there, right on the water, so we did our team off-site there. It was beautiful and there's nothing like working out on the deck, in the sunshine, munching on good snacks and drinking at 3 p.m. :) We really did get a lot of work done!

Oh. I can't believe I forgot this. We did the coolest thing while we were up there. There is a little boutique that my co-worker does a lot of shopping in, and she really wanted to take us there. We wouldn't be able to go before they closed, so the owner offered to stay open late JUST FOR US! How cool is that!?! I felt so VIP. Four girls running around this kick-ass specialty store - where everything is 50% off! Everything there is stuff you'll never see anywhere else. It was a bit pricey, but I'm willing to spend the money that isn't the Banana Republic tee everyone else has on. I got this cool, crinkly material black dress with a tan belt. It'll look super hot with some leopard print heels I've been wanting for awhile. And, I got a slinky black top -- satin body with sequence cap sleeves and tie belt. I was super excited and JP really liked my selections. In fact, he said, "hmm, why didn't you get more." (Girls, best answer ever, huh?). If we had more time, I'm sure I would've done more damage. :)

Other than that... not much is new. Without running/working out, I don't have a lot to write about. I've been catching up on reading, hanging out with friends and actually watching some TV. I really miss running, but I have to admit that I'm kinda glad to have some more time to see family and friends.

Heading back to the doctor tomorrow, so hopefully she'll take off the cast. My secret plan is that the cast comes off, I still have to take it easy, but I can at least swim and start lifting weights. Whadda think? :)

The "Must-Have" Accessory of the Year!

Be hot this year, with the newest, hottest accessory. Why is it so hot?

1. Metallic is so in this season. It suits any outfit and you can dress it up or dress it down

2. Buff arms in in, and there is no better way to show off your toned arms this summer

What is this "must-have"... CRUTCHES

Yep, I'm on crutches. After running around LA and Chicago my foot was getting pretty sore. I called my doctor and she told me to find a pair of crutches and stay off my foot. The worst part is how sore my arms and hands are ... who knew those muscles exisited.

The best part of running around (and I use this term loosely) with a cast is traveling through the airports on a wheelchair. It really is the best way to travel! :) You cut right through security lines and they wheel you right up to the gate. Then, you get to board first... even before the gold status flyers (I'm on silver...). :)

Thankfully, I was able to jump into a co-worker's car on the way home from Chicago so I didn't have to struggle with crutches from curb to wheelchair.

I felt really gross yesterday, so I attempted to do some ab work. It was a little interesting trying to balance on the stability ball, but got in a pretty good workout.

Heading back out of town later today... hope everyone has a good week!

Foot update

Went back to the doctor on Friday and took another round of X-rays. It showed a little bit of healing, but not as much as a normal person would have by now. I'm convinced my body just heals at a slower rate. She put me in a cast... from my toes up to mid-shin, so it's not that bad. It's more to slow me down than anything. With the wrap and shoe, she said I'm still probably more active than most people and it wasn't slowing me down enough.

The cast is doing the job. It's such a pain to move around, that I tend to sit with my feet up. I hate it, but not much more I can do for the next three weeks.

I'm flying out today, so airport security should be interesting. :)

Well, gotta finish packing.

A little bit better...

Check out this link from E! Online. Hopefully the are, in fact, bloated and not prego! Makes me feel a little bit better and realize (again) that airbrushing is probably a god-send and that they actually don't look THAT amazing all.the.time. (Well, they're still drop dead gorgeous, but you know what I mean.)

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b146730_eva_uma_united_in_denial.html

Grumpy!

Just call me Grumpy!

This week has been a bit rough and I've been in a pretty pissy mood. Most of it is because I'm not running. Working out always keeps my mood elavated, so not being able to run is kind of a downer. Trying to make the most of it, but frankly, it just sucks.

Secondly, work. I guess it is what it is... Traveling all next week, so I've been crashing on a bunch of stuff this week and it's been some long days. Traveling isn't ideal right now either. I go back to the doctor on Friday, so maybe I'll be in two matching shoes by the time I have to go out of town. Otherwise... LA and Chicago should be interesting.

Thirdly, I have a ginormous zit right on the tip of my nose. Bright, red zit. What am I, 13-yrs old!?!?! :)

Geez... okay, better get back to work. Hope everyone is having a happy hump day!

TGIF!

Final Jeopardy Question: Upside of not running.

"What is actually being able to go to happy hour."

Since I'm not training I figure I should make the most out of it and get back to those patio-side happy hours I usually can't partake in because I need to get home and get my run/strength training in before it gets dark outside.

Wednesday afternoon I called up my old college roommate (whose wedding I'm in this fall) to see if she was up for some patio drinking. Worked out perfectly because her boyfriend was out golfing and mine went to the Tigers game.

Yesterday after work, I met up with an old college friend that I recently became reunited with on Facebook (I LOVE FB!). We haven't seen each other, or really communicated other than FB, since graduation day. It was great to catch up.

Tonight we're invited to a boat party and ... I don't have worry about being out too late so I can get up at o'dark thirty on Saturday morning.

Granted, I love running and really miss training, but there are some upsides to it. :) Happy Friday and hope everyone has a good weekend.

"hmmm... I thought it'd be much better than this by now..."

Words that aren't very comforting when you're at the doctor's office.

I went back to the doctor today and she looked at my foot again. It was still pretty painful when she pressed on the target area, which wasn't what I was hoping would happen. She thought it would be a less sore by now (two weeks later), so she wrapped it up again in the soft cast/wrap and told me to come back next week for the second round of x-rays. She thought it would be too early to see the stress fracture this week. So that means at least one more week of walking around in this less than fashionable shoe!

So, the USAF Marathon is definitely a no-go. I'm not just coming to terms with that, I came to the realization awhile ago, I just didn't want to actually say it out loud. :) Taking it much better than I would have in the past. Guess I'm just getting more mature in my running.. :)

Next steps?

1. Focus on healing properly and throughly

2. Dallas Marathon -- Dec. 14 ??????

Update

Let's see... Happy belated 4th everyone. Here's a lowdown on what I've been up to lately:

Friday before the holiday, JP and I headed down to Chicago. He dropped me off at his brother's and then continued down to Indiana where he had to work over the weekend. To make a long story short, the project went horribly wrong and he ended up working 90 hrs. from Friday until Thursday. He made it back to Chicago on Sunday night, but worked around the clock. I ventured out a few times -- walked around downtown...


... went to Taste of Chicago, got my nails done, met a friend for drinks. His brother lives in the South Loop so there were tons of AWESOME places to run... oh wait. I can't. My dumb foot is in a walking cast. Stupid stress fracture. I probably over did it with walking the first few days, so the last part of the trip consisted of the JP working and me sitting out on the balcony getting some sun and reading.

We headed home on Thursday morning and enjoyed some R&R the rest of the weekend. We bought a little grill and busted it out last night. Invited his sister's over and we had a great feast! I'm super excited to do some more grilling this summer!


Back to the doctor later this week for my follow up appointment. Keeping my fingers crossed...

The Two Dreaded Words...

Stress Fracture

Went to the doctor this afternoon and my fear was confirmed. I have a stress fracture. It didn't appear on the x-ray, but apparently it won't show for a little while. Who knew it didn't show up until after the body starts working to heal it.

I'm in a wrap and little shoew now, and a follow up appointment next week. No running, extra walking, swimming... in fact, I can't get the soft wrap wet. NOT what I was looking for, but it was what I expected. We'll see how it feels next week and hopefully we caught it earlier enough.

Injury?

Crap. I think I'm injured.

Thursday, I was scheduled to do a 35 minute tempo run. About 10 minutes into the run, I stopped and turned back. The pain on the top of my foot was getting worse. During the day, I did a quick web search and found that it could be a stress fracture -- exactly what I had thought initially, but hoped it wasn't.

Friday was a rest day (thankfully) and Saturday I cautiously headed out for my 14 miler. I did 3 miles, out and back, for a total of 6 miles and knew I needed to stop. It wasn't that it hurt so much, more like it felt really weak. Definite sign of a stress fracture.

Upset, I got back in my car and headed home. Grrrr.... Throughout the day it got a little more sore, and just walking was beginning to hurt. No. No. No. No. No.

I took off yesterday, but just walking in the grocery store was beginning to be difficult. This is not a part of my training plan. It was so hard not to run, but I knew that I had to be smart about this. If I nip it in the bud, early, maybe I won't be off as long. I know I could potentially not be able to run my fall race now, but I'm hoping for the best.

Asking around for a good orthepedic doctor (mine has since moved on and I'm not sure where he went), so hopefully I can get an appointment this week. Keep your fingers crossed!

Running IS fun!

Ah, yes, what running should be. FUN.

So far this week, I've had some really good runs.

Monday - 3 miles
Ran at the gym
Mile 1: 8:49
Mile 2: 8:36
Mile 3: 8:45

Nothing crazy fast, but a good solid run. Afterwards, lifted weights (legs) like a crazy woman, but loved every second of it. It's mental, I know, but I feel so strong during weight training and LOVE IT!

Tuesday - 7 miles
Didn't keep splits, but again it was a good solid run. It was a little cool outside (cool, as in I wore a long sleeve), so that was a slight change. Started to get a little weakness feeling/pain on the top of my foot, right where my toe bones meet the rest of my foot. Eek!

Wednesday - Just call me wonder woman :)
Woke up early and did my yoga DVD. Ideally, I would've gotten over to the gym to do my scheduled 3 miler, but this is better than nothing. It felt SO DARN GOOD. Gotta keep this up!

After work, I did a 20 minute workout with some co-workers. One guy set a challenge for himself this spring to do a "couch potato to 5k" training plan. He kinda fell off the wagon, so a few of us are getting him back on track. He's never run before and needs to start from the beginning. His scheduled workout was 5 minute walking warm up, jog 60 seconds, walk 90 seconds, repeat for 20 minutes. He did great and we're gonna push him to complete the training and do his goal race. It was so much fun to help him along. We told him he'd hate us by the end of it, but the important thing is getting him back on the right side of the healthy/not healthy line.

After that, I ran my scheduled 3 miles. Great night out and, again, I really enjoy the river walk. Suppose to lift tonight, but I'm still at the office (nearly 7 p.m.) and I need to get home. Plus, I have some work I need to do yet. I think I'll take a nod from Jess and start the push up challenge. That will be more than an arm workout! :)

All right, peace out ya'll.

Am I dedicated enough?

This isn't meant to be a complaining post, just some real conversation / inner battle I'm having with myself right now... Am I dedicated enough to be training for a marathon?

Saturday morning, I got up and headed out for my scheduled 13-miler. It was warm out, but not the god-awful humid weather we've been having lately. I don't have my splits handy right now, but let's just say they were slow. And, I mean S-L-O-W. I'm talking 10:15 to 10:30+ pace. WTF! I know long runs aren't races, but geez! This is significantly slower than my typical long run splits. Terribly disappointed, but more concerned than anything. Why am I running so slowly? Why are my legs so heavy? I know I picked an aggressive training plan, but this was the end of week 4. Should be coming along by now... right?

As if this wasn't concerning enough, I have to throw in another factor. I missed my Sunday run. Again. I have officialy missed 3 of the last 4 Sunday runs. Memorial Day and Father's Day are okay reasons to be busy and not get a run in, but I can't remember why I missed the other one. The question above is starting to glare at me. Why am I running poorly? Perhaps because I'm not putting in the miles or the time I need to right now. Ouch. Truth hurts.

I stayed in on Friday night and went to bed early, since I needed to get up, well rested, on Saturday morning. We went out on Saturday (nice dinner out, bottle of wine or two, nothing too crazy) so I got to bed late. Just couldn't pull myself out of bed earlier enough to get a 6-mile run in before meeting my parents for Father's Day. Part of me wants to go to bed early on Friday and Saturday (and Sunday and the rest of the week) because of training. But, the rebel in me wants at least one night to let loose and enjoy being young! :) Plus, JP is already a pretty good sport about being a marathon widow, I feel like it's not fair to him to call it an early night both nights of the weekend.

How do you all do it? I have a very specific goal (sub 4:00 marathon) and I'm willing to go the distance to meet that goal. I think.