New Running Friends and Update on my Hip

The last part of April and beginning of May, I decided to start moving up to 6 miles for my weekend long runs. My weekday 5Ks were getting a tad bit slower, from averaging in the 29 minutes to now back to the 30 minute range. It's getting hotter so I wasn't too worried.

During this time, I ran many 2012 PRs (thus far):
6.2 miles at 01:04:32
4 miles at 38:34
(non-race) 3.1 miles at 29:06
and 1 mile at 8:40 (listed below as 8:35, but it was also short according to my watch, so we will go with 8:40)

Hip Update:
During my last 4.25 mile run, I seriously felt pain after the 4 mile mark - it was supposed to be a 6+ mile run, but I had to end it early. I guess all the running on the bum hip caught up with me and it just flared up on me at that point. It sucked. I had to walk back home.

I went to an orthopedist the week before who referred me to a Physical Therapist who told me that my hip injury was due to a tweak during a treadmill run... I knew those things were EVIL!! He recommended rest and very light, non-repetitive activity (including running and even elliptical) for 2 weeks. It would probably need a full 4-6 weeks to heal. He wasn't able to pinpoint exactly what was causing my strain, and also told me take Ibuprofen twice a day for 2 weeks - which sounded crazy. So at the advice of my new friend Jennifer (read on below), I went to see another trusted PT, who runs marathons. He told me that it was my IT band. He pretty much said to take it easy, do other forms of cardio in the meantime, but it would take about a month to heal. He told me to use a foam roller on it, which we have, and to do a few of the same stretches that the other PT told me to do. I also got a chance to try out the Alter-G treadmill which takes off some/most of your body weight so it doesn't impact your joints when you run. It was awesome.

So for now, I'm going to try to give it a rest for maybe a week or two more and slowly get back into running. I want to join the RnR Half training group soon!!!

Let me tell you, it SUCKS not being able to run, especially after I meet some new awesome running buddies!!

My first new friend I met through Dailymile.com. Cori lives quite a way from me, but luckily she was willing to drive 40+ minutes to meet me at Tom Triplett Park one morning to do a 5 miler. It was nice to have someone to run with that is around my pace. Chatting away while running makes the time go faster and more enjoyable! She has a blog, Workin' on my Fitness, which I will be adding to a blog list on the side of this blog soon...

Cori then introduced me to a Savannah Mothers Running group on FB (momsrunthistown.com Savannah Chapter), where I met a few more awesome potential running buddies. Hope to have another meetup again soon!

Jennifer and I after the Savannah Mile

Through this group, I met Jennifer, who just so happens to be my 2 doors down NEIGHBOR!! LOL She has a 12 year old who runs as well - and is quite FAST! We did the Savannah Mile on Saturday, and I hope to do some runs with her as soon as my hip is healed. She has a blog too: Running, Our Way.

So even though I can't or shouldn't run for a while, I really can't wait to get back into it. These girls are really motivating and supportive. I just wish I could get out there dammit!

For now, I am going to try to work on my strength (full body), make my hips stronger, continue to go to Bikram (just have to save up for another month session) and MAYBE start working on my diet... I also need to break out the rowing machine at some point. Just have to clean out that damn garage first!!! :)

Happy belated Memorial Day!

Getting Faster

So the screencap above are my latest runs from March up until my last run a couple days ago. The two runs at the top (my last two) are starred because those are my fastest paces for 4 miles (9:37 pace) and 3.1 miles (9:24) for the year!! It seems like after I broke my 30 minute 5k time, I have been keeping up with it! It's a good feeling. I am trying to increase my distance slowly - by adding a few more 4 milers in during the week (although doing 4 around the 'hood is one of the most boring runs EVAR!). I was going to do my usual 5k lunchtime run today, which I was seriously going back and forth multiple times as to whether I would go or not... I was about to put on my running gear when I changed my mind at the last second NOT to go. My left shin has been a little achy and my right hip (which has been bothering me for the past 3 weeks) is still tight and sore. I'm not running a race any time soon, so I decided that I need to give my body a rest and NOT push it today. Plus it's over 80 degrees out there. Ugh.


I want to calculate my month to month progress (average pace) and report it here. Garmin's website does it, but it doesn't show the time, it shows the average speed (like 6.0 mph, etc). For my purpose, I will need to break out the calculator! I'll try to do it on my next post.

I also want to schedule a physical therapist consult to see if they can help me with my hip issue. I don't want to make it any worse. Icing helps, but it comes right back.

I signed up for another 10 classes of Bikram (which I have to use in 30 days). I went yesterday and I will probably go tomorrow night. I also got one of my friends to do the other yoga classes with me! We will go to that one every Saturday morning (if our schedules and families allow). I went for the first time in over a month and even though the poses were not as physically demanding as Bikram, I still got a great stretch. And it's more fun with a buddy!

I REALLY need to start working on strength training. So far, the yoga has DEFINITELY helped with running and knee pains. So I am sure that with the extra strength training, I will reap more benefits. I really need to work out my core and flabby arms. Once we get our home gym set up in the garage (Our shed will be built this month - come hell or highwater!!! The shed is where everything in the garage will eventually be stored), I will be able to cross train on my rowing machine and use Joel's weight bench. Then maybe after I get the strength training down, I will finally work more on my diet!! One step at a time!!! :)

Gulfstream 5k: sub-30 5k GOAL!

I have not updated in a while. I have lots of running logs to update/post but, if you really want to see my progress, just check out my dailymile.com profile: here

I've been out of town a lot in the past 2 weeks so keeping up with my running and Bikram has been tough. I've been tried and drained. What I did manage to do while I was away was OK. My first Bikram class after over a week was TOUGH. I felt like collapsing ON THE FIRST POSE. A simple side bend. OMG. I was dizzy and lightheaded and close to blacking out for the first half of the class (the standing poses). I managed to not keel over, at least. The Savasana pose (corpse/relaxation pose) was my savior. The 2nd half of the class (floor poses) was fine. I am going back tomorrow night.

In running news, I FINALLY did a 5k in under 30 minutes! It was the Gulfstream 5k. It was one of the coolest courses I've ever run! For those that don't know, Gulfstream is one of the largest companies in the area - they make business/luxury jets. Joel's dad and bro work there, as well as a few of our friends. The 5k was pretty much an employee and family ONLY race. Joel's dad decided not to run this year, so we had to pretend to be "cousins" with one of our friends to get registered into this super-VIP 5k race.

The first part of the race was ON A RUNWAY!! A plane actually took off while we were running (in the next runway over)! So awesome! Then the course weaved through parts of the huge campus and the last yards before the finish line took us though a hanger where people were working on planes... a pretty cool way to end the run (and it was closed off from the sun, haha).

As I got near the finish line, I was so STOKED to see the clock say 28:XX... it certainly motivated me to kick harder on those last few strides. I completed the race in 29:05 (according to my watch)!!! Go me!!

My previous fastest 5k time this year was 30:05 (Shamrock Run)... a full minute faster!

Up and At 'em

So I'm getting back into somewhat of a groove of getting my fitness on! I've got 2 different types of yoga (fusion yoga and Bikram) in addition to my running, so I am feeling great about that!!!

photo from http://bikramyogasavannah.com/

I started my Bikram yoga classes (26 yoga poses and 2 breathing exercises in a 105 degree room), on a whim... it was mentioned in one of my fusion yoga classes and the idea of it just got me interested. The Bikram studio here in Savannah offers a $25 ten-day unlimited introductory period and I went 4 times in my intro span. The first 3 classes were awesome and I felt great --- thinking  "hey, this isn't so bad! I could do this multiple times a week if I had the time!"), but the 4th class last night was very challenging. I don't know whether it was my first PM class (the first 3 - I went in the morning) and had a kind of heavy lunch... or what. Because I was getting dizzy, almost to the point of blacking out, and felt just plain WIPED OUT! I really wanted to leave at one point, but they are really against leaving the room in the middle of the hour and a half class, so I fought through and tried to focus and do the poses to the best of my ability. I am glad I did.

The heat isn't so bad, but the sweat is the gross part. What I like about hot yoga is that because you are sweating, it feels like your body is working really hard. Also, I've had noticeably decreased body aches since I started.

Anyway, other than that, I've been running as well. Instead of listing my progress like I have done in the past, I will just post this screencap from my garminconnect.com profile which pretty much sums up the last number of runs since I last updated. My DailyMile.com profile has the FULL fitness training log.

The starred run is my 5K PR for this year so far - 30:12. I hope to break 30 minutes on March 9th. I signed up for the Savannah Shamrock 5K Run. I've run it a couple times before - it's a flat easy course, so I should be able to do it! I also just signed up for another 5K at the end of March. Woohoo!

Latest Runs and "The Runs"

First of all, my training has been going well. I've been getting out and doing stuff (or in some cases, doing stuff at home). I love my yoga class and I think it's definitely helping with core/balance and stretching out the hips and ITB. I do that twice a week, and I am trying to get some running in at least twice a week as well. And then in between, I am slowly trying to work in some strength training at home. Here is a rundown of my latest runs and yoga workouts:

1.
Newport
January 13, 2012, Friday
12:41pm
3.1miles
32:23, 10:27 pace

2.
Yoga - Fitness Witness, Pooler, GA
January 17, 2012, Tuesday
5:30pm
1 hour

3.
Newport
January 18, 2012, Wednesday
12:40pm
3.1miles
31:05, 10:02 pace

4.
Yoga - Fitness Witness, Pooler, GA
January 21, 2012, Saturday
9am
1 hour

5.
Newport
January 27, 2012, Friday
12:41pm
3.1miles
30:23, 9:48 pace (Note: Fastest 5k time this year, so far!)

6.
Yoga - Fitness Witness, Pooler, GA
January 28, 2012, Saturday
9am
1 hour

7.
Newport
January 31, 2012, Tuesday
1:13pm
3.1miles
30:55, 9:59 pace

8.
Yoga - Fitness Witness, Pooler, GA
January 31, 2012, Tuesday
5:30pm
1 hour

9.
Newport
February 2, 2012, Thursday
12:34pm
3.1miles
31:20, 10:07 pace

10.
Yoga - Fitness Witness, Pooler, GA
February 4, 2012, Saturday
9am
1 hour

11.
Richmond Hill
February 5, 2012, Sunday
6:12pm
6.4miles - Long Slow Distance (LSD) (Note: Longest run this year, so far!)
01:14:00, 11:34 pace


The second part of this post deals with a TMI issue, but I need to address it.

As you see, I did my first long run of the year. I planned on only running  4 to 5 miles, or 1 hour... whichever was longer or what ever I thought/felt I could do. Apparently my mind took over and I felt like a beast who could probably run an entire 13.1 if I had the time. It was Superbowl Sunday, I had no interest whatsoever in the game this year (boring teams - would like to have seen some new teams in the game this year), so I decided to take advantage of the time to go for a run in a new location (my bro-in-law's neighborhood). The weather was AWESOME, had a great view of stars and a full moon. The only issue I had was that it was really dark in some areas. I almost twisted my ankle.

Anyway, my supposed 4-5 mile run turned into a little over a 10k! I seriously felt good. But turns out that my family was worried about me and sent my sis-in-law to look for me! LOL Good thing I made it back before she pulled out of the driveway! Anyway, I got back in and stretched out, then took some time to eat some dinner. Shortly after was when the first "wave" started.

My bowels were cramping up so badly, that I was doubling over in pain. It was awful. I usually had some cramping after running, but this was worse and I knew that I was about to do some "christening" of my brother-in-laws facilities. In total, this happened about 3 times, until my sis-in-law noticed and asked if I was ok. I asked if she had any Immodium AD... and thankfully, after I took that, I was feeling better. She also offered me a Gatorade, which I think helped due to dehydration.

SO... lesson: I don't need to be running this long or far at this point in my training. I think I need to keep doing my 3 milers and try to add distance gradually. Or do shorter LSDs, like 4 to 4.5 miles. The half-marathon isn't until November! I have plenty of time to increase mileage. I just got way ahead of myself. I also need to evaluate my diet and what I am eating before running. I had an entire Snickers bar before the run.. maybe that contributed to the GI issues. Who knows? Updates on this as training progresses...

P.S. The weight gain was a fluke... I am back to my normal hovering between 135#!

3.1 - Newport, and starting a new class tonight

Newport
January 13, 2012, Friday
12:41pm
3.1 miles
32:23

This last run was about one minute faster than the last time(s)! I was more aware of my pace, though, so I think that helped. I tried not to let it go under 11! I also had a few knee issues the night after, but I am fine now.


I am starting a class called "FitWit Flow", which is a combo of yoga and pilates moves. I was looking for a yoga class around here and this was the closest thing. I hope it's good. I tried yoga with a guy friend of mine waaay back in the day (before Liam) and I could not take it seriously (mainly because I was laughing at my friend trying the positions and "impressing" the older women in the class). So, I didn't go back. But I think I am at a good point in my life where I could definitely benefit from it - the breathing and the stretching techniques. I have to face it, my body is pretty much effed and I need to take care of it a little better these days. Plus I need some me-time. Joel has his nights at JuJitsu, so I wanted to do a class too.

I also joined a site called dailymile.com, which is a Facebook type site for exercising. I've been looking for something like this. Thanks to my blogging mommy friend Christina for introducing it to me! It synchs up to my Garmin uploads and imports them into my dailymile profile. Although... they don't use seconds when reporting times! :( Every second counts! Don't they know? haha They rounded up my time for latest run (as shown in the widget to the right)!

2011 Savannah Bridge Run 5k and Runs since then (sadly, not too many)

The 2011 Savannah Bridge Run took place shortly after we moved back to Savannah. I can't remember if I did a "training run" before the race or not... Anyway, I ran the 5k race in 32:41, honestly it was better than I thought I'd do considering the lack of runs beforehand. This event is somewhat dear to my heart as it is one of the first races I've done and trained for, and is also the race that I have done the most. They have some of the best post-race parties: with yummy Brunswick stew and free beers!! Plus a lot of my friends have run it too. It's a great race. I posted some photos from this race in the Race Photos tab.

I only ran once after that in Dec 2011. And so far 3 times in 2012! My goal is to run at least every other day, with longer runs (eventually) on the weekends. I need to get in half-marathon shape by November!

Since Liam is in daycare now, I can use my lunch breaks to get a run in because I would not be able to otherwise. It's pretty awesome.

+++

1.
Wilson Bridge Trail
November 13, 2011, Sunday
7:46am
4 miles
44:10, 11:02 pace

2.
Savannah Bridge Run 5k
December 3, 2011, Saturday
8:19am
3.1 miles
official times: 37:19 (chip), 10:31 pace

3.
Newport (my Neighborhood in Savannah)
December 14, 2011, Wednesday
12:19pm
3.1 miles
32:03, 10:20 pace

4.
Tom Triplett Park
January 2, 2012, Monday
late morning
3 miles (approximate, I forgot my GPS watch)
n/a time unknown

5.
Newport
January 6, 2012, Friday
12:18pm
3.1 miles
33:25, 10:47 pace

6.
Newport
January 10, 2012, Tuesday
12:30pm
3.1 miles
33:25, 10:47 pace (NOTE: Exact same time as last run!)

Back to Running - Anything is Possible 5k

Did 3.1 miles last Friday to prepare for the Anything is Possible 5k that was this past Sunday:

Ft. Washington Park
November 4, 2011, Friday
5:28pm
3.1 miles
33:26, 10:47 avg. pace

Mostly flat. Kind of chilly. Was not trying to push myself, but trying to do the distance since it was the first time running in 3 weeks.

+++

Anything is Possible 5k
November 6, 2011, Sunday
1:50am
3.1 miles
official times: 37:19 (chip) / 38:02 (clock)
negative net time: -22:42

This race started at 1:50AM (YES, in the middle of the night) on the night of Daylight Savings. Which meant that you ended the race before you started it! I ran with my friend Bonnie and her husband Mike. We were tired and cold in the beginning, but warmed up a little in the car before the start of the race and eventually got into it! The cold felt great as we kept on running. It was really fun and I'm glad we did it! Too bad Shonna wasn't able to make it! We missed you!

I didn't start my watch on time, so I wasn't able to track my mileage on my Garmin watch. D'oh!

+++

Don't know when or what my next race will be. But I do know that both Joel and I will be signing up for the 2nd annual Rock and Roll HALF Marathon in Savannah for 2012. It takes place on November 3, 2012, so I have a year to train. I seriously need to start now! (The 2011 Rock and Roll race was this past weekend, I heard it was chaos!)

3.1 miles - Wilson Bridge Trail

September 18, 2011, Sunday
7:53 am
3.1 miles - measured using Joel's GPS watch (I need my own!)
31:42, 10:14 pace

mile 1 - 9:19 (half was downhill)
mile 2 - 10:53 (up and over the I-95 overpass twice)
mile 3 - 10:25 (mostly flat and half on gravel)

So I "cheated" on this run because I deliberately took a detour to avoid the steep uphill at the end of the 3.1 miles. I did, however, still have to make the uphill climb back to the car after I did 3.1 and I ran/jogged most of it back up but did not have the timer on.

Weather was awesome - cloudy and cool - 57 degrees! I wore my new Nike Dri Fit tee that was part of the race swag from last week's race -- very nice! Redemption for not getting a chicken sandwich!

My knee was bothering me a bit this week after last week's race. I did some rowing to make up for the loss of a running day. Knee was fine by this posted run.

3.1 miles - Chick-Fil-A 5k

September 10, 2011, Saturday
8:00 am
3.1 miles - USATF certified
official times: 31:21.2 (chip) / 31:38.9 (clock), 10:12 pace

mile 1 - 9:31
mile 2 - 10:12
mile 3 - 10:37

Hilly road course. Lots of zig-zagging in the beginning of the course because the first mile bottlenecked into a narrow road path. Didn't thin out until .5 mile in. I felt good the whole time, and managed to keep a good pace on the uphills. I got tired near the end, but pushed with what I had left nearing the finish line.

I was excited to get some free Chick-Fil-A food post-run, but was let down when all they were giving out were yogurt parfaits and plain bagels with cream cheese. BOO!! Where's my chicken sammich!?! Other than that, it was a good race - a good "breaking-back-in" 5k for me.

More pictures are on the Race Photos tab.

3.1 miles - Wilson Bridge Trail

My new Brooks Adrenaline GTS (my 3rd pair of these)

July 10, 2011, Sunday
7:50 am (approx)
3.1 miles (via Joel's watch)
? didn't time it, but most likely between 37-43 minutes

This time we parked close to the top of the hill, meaning we had a difficult last mile. The turn-around point wasn't even on the bridge - 1.5 miles out was at the start of the bridge. It was humid and there were no clouds out. I could tell my pace was pretty slow. I didn't stretch well in the beginning, either. I did not have to walk at any time, even on the hard hill at the end, although I was probably going at a walker's pace! haha I wore my new running shoes! No digestive issues after this run, thank goodness, but I did notice a slight knee discomfort at the bottom of my left knee afterward.

At yesterday's free physical therapist consult, the doc said that my knee issues seem like tendinitis. She said that I should work on my leg/hip strengthening. Also to stretch out my calves and shins. She said my feet were flat and that I need a motion control shoe (which my old Brooks are), and possibly an insert to support my lack-of-an-arch. She suggested new shoes - I tried on 3 pairs: New Balance (nah), Brooks (the ones I ended up getting) and Saucony (VERY comfy, but seemed too roomy). I may try the Sauconys next. I can use these for a while and then decide to come back later and get the inserts, which I will probably do. She said that I should not rule out running!

I will see if she is on our insurance. But I might just try the other, closer physical therapist that I already found who is on our network.