Hanging up my running shoes-Update on ZellyB

[ZellyB]

Can your sister come decorate my house please?

Okay, yes - that is CRAZY early to go back to school! My husband doesn't head back until next week! I think the 24th is day 1.

GREAT JOB on your Saturday run!! That is awesome that you finished and didn't quit, even when it was getting hard. So awesome!!

Aaaaaand now I need some ice cream, so thanks for that!

You are very welcome for the siren call of ice cream. And, yes, my sister is so talented at stuff like that. A talent I most definitely did not get.

I had a bunch of thoughts but then I saw that fair picture and now all my thoughts are basically just.... DROOL CORN DOG DROOL.
I haven't had one of those in so long that maybe I need to find a fair!

Dopeybadger beat me to the punch on mentioning your Goofy nails! I love that and fully support theme nails for any and all occasions. I have a set of tea-cup nail stickers that I'm just saving for my next disney-cation. Maybe I'll use some this weekend for no good reason

Running doldrums is totally a thing. If I didn't have my checklist plan right now I'd be surprised if I could get my backside out the door until the weather breaks again. Today is absolutely muggy. I sweated a little walking from my door to my garage. I'll start thinking happy cool weather thoughts for you and all of us.

And I know people have already talked about your plans changing so I'll just leave my thoughts at this
YOU ARE AWESOME! A change of run plans doesn't change that

Thank you! Those corn dogs at the fair are the absolutely best. I'm drooling again thinking about them.

Wow gorgeous table setting for the shower! I wish I had that talent

My kids started school yesterday It's nice getting back to a schedule, but I'm always sad to see another year start and my kids get older.

Congrats on finishing a long run on Saturday. I still haven't gone beyond 7 miles since PHM in February. It will be here before I know it though.

Also, really happy you are getting a break from the heat! I honestly don't know how you guys do it in such oppressive conditions!

It's always mixed emotions when the kids go back to school and weird this year since my oldest graduated last year and so no more public school education for him. I'm so happy about the weather too. It's been so much nicer lately. I hope it stays that way.

 

[ZellyB]

TRAINING WEEK 8/14 - 8/20
Finally the weather is better!
​

So, this week I didn't get as much exercise as I would have liked because of a difficult work schedule...

Sunday 8/14 - Rest day. Spent the weekend at the lake, so we had a lazy start to the day Sunday and just enjoyed things.
Monday 8/15 - Nada. Chris has been reminding me that I really need to get back to some strength training and I have zero desire to do so.
Tuesday 8/16 - 4 mile run and the weather was much better. It was still a little warm and humid, but compared to previous weeks it was a world better. We switched to 2:00/:30 intervals and I expected it to be more difficult than it was. I actually managed it pretty well and we ended with a pace of 10:38 which is much better than many of my recent runs, so YAY!
Wednesday 8/17 - Rest day again
Thursday 8/18 - No run today because I have to do a presentation at one of our hospitals and had to be out of the house by around 6:20 in order to get there for my 7:00 presentation. I was not going to get up that early to run. Sorry. The presentation went well though, so that was good.
Friday 8/19 - Rest day again although I worked my tail off. We were having a big group of friends over on Saturday evening for a BBQ and Memphis-style Blues party, so I had a ton to get done and ready for that. I still managed over 10,000 steps on my fitbit for the day with all the prep work.
Saturday 8/20 - Planned 8 mile run. There was a chance for some rain this morning, but luckily it held off. Temps were good although there was a fair amount of humidity. Still, the skies were overcast and there was a bit of a breeze and - I actually had a good run. Woohoo!!! We did our :90/:30 intervals and while I felt my knee start in a little bit around mile 6, I just forced myself not to let it get in my head and ran through it and it really wasn't bad at all. I know that I've been letting it freak me out and that leads to me slowing down which leads to me beating myself up and it is just a vicious cycle, so I really worked not to let that happen this time. I did drop off the pace just a bit, but not much at all and I finished out the 8 miles at an 11:05 pace. I was very happy with that and feel optimistic about the rest of the training. Next week I'm planning for an 11 mile run and that will be the furthest I've run since the last half-marathon I ran back in April and when shortly after I hurt my knee. So, really hoping that the good run this past weekend is a sign of things to come.

I got Chris a new INKnBurn shirt and also got myself a new shirt and capris as well. They are awesome. I look really sleepy.

We had our Memphis style party that night and it was so much fun. My back patio all set up for the night

Weather is looking fantastic this week. This morning it was like 62 degrees at 6 AM with nearly no humidity. Hoping that holds out all week!!!!

 

[Ariel484]

I think you did a great job with a busy week! Life happens sometimes, ya know? A missing run here or there won't kill you.

Awesome job with those paces!! You are speedy fast!

Looking good in the InB!! Isn't Dahlia SO pretty?! definitely one of my recent favorites! Did you get your Red Robot yet? Mine comes tomorrow!

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

Goodness a Memphis party sounds like so much fun! What a great idea!

Congrats on a great long run! I agree those are speedy paces!

 

[girliea]

ZellyB!!

Something about saying that (typing that) makes me smile!

Planned 8 mile run. There was a chance for some rain this morning, but luckily it held off. Temps were good although there was a fair amount of humidity. Still, the skies were overcast and there was a bit of a breeze and - I actually had a good run. Woohoo!!! We did our :90/:30 intervals and while I felt my knee start in a little bit around mile 6, I just forced myself not to let it get in my head and ran through it and it really wasn't bad at all. I know that I've been letting it freak me out and that leads to me slowing down which leads to me beating myself up and it is just a vicious cycle, so I really worked not to let that happen this time. I did drop off the pace just a bit, but not much at all and I finished out the 8 miles at an 11:05 pace. I was very happy with that and feel optimistic about the rest of the training. Next week I'm planning for an 11 mile run and that will be the furthest I've run since the last half-marathon I ran back in April and when shortly after I hurt my knee. So, really hoping that the good run this past weekend is a sign of things to come.

Wahoooo for the eight run mile!! And I think your pace is awesome!!

We had our Memphis style party that night and it was so much fun. My back patio all set up for the night

This reminds me of the Marc Cohn song-Walking to Memphis....I love that song, the piano, the man's voice--thanks for that ZellyB, I needed it. Our weather has sucked. It's hot, humid and the floods are miserable. But your post has brightened my day and brought me to happier places-- thanks for that

 

[CherieFran]

Congrats on some great runs last week! Hopefully the nicer weather will make it feel that much more enjoyable!

 

[ZellyB]

I think you did a great job with a busy week! Life happens sometimes, ya know? A missing run here or there won't kill you.

Awesome job with those paces!! You are speedy fast!

Looking good in the InB!! Isn't Dahlia SO pretty?! definitely one of my recent favorites! Did you get your Red Robot yet? Mine comes tomorrow!

I love Dahlia. Very pretty and while it's not in the picture I wore it with my white linen SparkleSkirt and it looked so pretty and girly together.

Goodness a Memphis party sounds like so much fun! What a great idea!

Congrats on a great long run! I agree those are speedy paces!

We had a lot of fun with our theme. We had first planned on a long weekend trip to Memphis but just couldn't get timing to work out, so we opted to just bring Memphis to my patio.

ZellyB!!

Something about saying that (typing that) makes me smile!

Wahoooo for the eight run mile!! And I think your pace is awesome!!



This reminds me of the Marc Cohn song-Walking to Memphis....I love that song, the piano, the man's voice--thanks for that ZellyB, I needed it. Our weather has sucked. It's hot, humid and the floods are miserable. But your post has brightened my day and brought me to happier places-- thanks for that

The weather has been so rough this year, but better days are here now and ahead. Hopefully yours is improving too!! We love Memphis, so had lots of fun planning the party. I also had an Elvis wig and sunglasses available for people to try on and take pictures. It was lots of fun!

Congrats on some great runs last week! Hopefully the nicer weather will make it feel that much more enjoyable!

Thank you! So far the weather this past weekend and the past couple of days has been MUCH better. It's amazing how much easier and enjoyable it is to run in nicer weather.

 

[roxymama]

First things first...those are the exact kind of cabinets that I want if I ever change my cabinets.

But more importantly...yay for some great paces and mileage!

I also have those days where I'm not running but I feel like my steps-taken are crazy.

 

[rteetz]

I'm glad your runs went well this week. I haven't run since Monday because it was college move in week and I'm getting acclimated to my new setting. I hope to get a run in this weekend.

That Memphis style party sounds awesome!

 

[ZellyB]

First things first...those are the exact kind of cabinets that I want if I ever change my cabinets.

But more importantly...yay for some great paces and mileage!

I also have those days where I'm not running but I feel like my steps-taken are crazy.

I'm totally in love with my cabinets, so you have my vote of approval for those should you ever change.

I'm glad your runs went well this week. I haven't run since Monday because it was college move in week and I'm getting acclimated to my new setting. I hope to get a run in this weekend.

That Memphis style party sounds awesome!

I'd say college move in week is an excellent reason to miss a few runs. I know you'll do great as you begin your college career.

 

[ZellyB]

TRAINING WEEK 8/21 - 8/27
Maybe I can still manage that marathon in November...

​

Sunday 8/21 - Relaxing day at home with some clean-up from our party the night before. We got up late and sat under the shade sipping coffee and just enjoyed being lazy.
Monday 8/22 - Rest day. I'd continue to tell all of you that I need to do something on my non-running days, but you already know I need to do that and that right now it's not looking like it's going to happen.
Tuesday 8/23 - 4 mile run. Continued with the 2:00/:30 intervals today and had a pretty good run. Humidity was back, so we went a bit slower, but still a solid run. 10:52 mm pace.
Wednesday 8/24 - Rest day
Thursday 8/25 - 4 mile run again with 2:00/:30 intervals. Good run again with a 10:42 pace.
Friday 8/26 - Rest day but a FUN day. My mom is German and so I have many cousins who still live in Germany. One of my cousins and her family came to visit and stayed with my parents for a few days, so I took today off work and we went shopping and out for lunch together. Had such a great time. Also found a Coach purse on sale that I really wanted. I resisted, but told my mom about it and said it might make a good Christmas present. She of course just wants me to go buy it for her to wrap up, so I'll probably manage that sometime this week. Isn't it pretty?

I also found a couple of cute skirts and a top on sale for work outfits. The first work clothes I've bought in awhile since I've been buying too much INKnBURN lately.

When Chris and I were preparing for the run the next day we spent some time talking strategy for me. Since my last run went pretty well and I'd had a good training week, I was back to wondering if I could push my mileage a bit more. The plan for our group was for the half-marathon trainers to run 10 miles while the full marathon trainers would run 20. My modified Goofy schedule had me running 11. Chris and I discussed that maybe for these longer runs I would drop back to the next pace group who runs :60/:30 and I try to push in as many more miles as I felt like I could. I hated the idea of not running with Chris, but the more I thought about it the more I felt like this might be a good strategy.

Saturday 8/27- Planned 11 mile run. The temps and humidity unfortunately have made a bit of a return, so the temp at start time was in the mid-70s and likely to be in the 80s by the time the run was done. I joined up with the "pink" group and headed out with my plan to run 11 miles and hopefully more if I felt up to it. The course was laid out for a 10 mile loop with the marathon folks running it twice. It took me some time to adjust to the slower pace, but it was nice to visit with some of the other runners and the mileage clicked off pretty quickly and easily. The route finishes up a pretty long hill, but I still felt okay at the conclusion of 10, so turned the corner to start on the route again and decided I'd run until I felt like I needed to turn around. I was hoping to hit 13 miles if I could. The next mile and a half still felt pretty good, but I was definitely getting tired, so decided to turn around knowing my total mileage would end around 13. Around mile 12, I was pretty toasted and the finish is uphill, so I walked quite a bit of the last mile but was still pretty happy to finish out 13 miles. Pace for the first 10 miles was right at 12 mm, but with my slowdown on the last 3 miles, my overall for the total was 12:43 mm, but I am totally fine with that! I honestly don't care one bit about pace right now and am all about getting in the miles. I was just excited to push past to get to 13 and that's the furthest I've run since way back in April when I hurt my knee. YAY!! Chris also did a fantastic job on his 20 miler even though the heat was pretty intense by the end of it.

I credit my InB Ella shirt for carrying me through.

I was a big sweaty mess, but a happy girl. My legs were pretty tired and a bit sore on Sunday, but as I type this up today on Monday, they feel good. Chris and I spent some time talking about whether or not the marathon in November here is a possibility and I think we've decided yes. I won't be setting any speed records, but I think I should be able to work up to a 20 or 21 mile long run before the race and if I get that done, then I know I can finish a marathon. So, I'm pretty excited that I may be able to go ahead and run the marathon in November even though just a few weeks ago I felt utterly defeated about it. Ah, the emotional ups and downs of being a runner, right? I played with my schedule some more (that thing has been worked over this year ) and I'm planning to try for 17 miles on 9/17 and then 21 miles on 10/8 with the marathon on 11/6. I'm hopeful I can pull that off. It won't be perfect, but if I actual manage to do this and finish the marathon, I'll be pretty pleased with myself and feel like I'm back on track for a good training run up to Goofy.

Yesterday, Chris and I pulled out all our medals from the dresser drawer where they live and laid them out on the bed. Nothing like looking at bling to keep you motivated, right?

That's 10 half -marathons (although one of those was the shortened W&D run of 2015) and 4 marathons since I began running in seriousness back in 2012. They've all been great and I can't wait to add more to the collection!!

 

[Ariel484]

Ahhh, I love the Coach bag you picked out! It is adorable and I love that you're going with red and not brown or black. So cute!!

Great job this week with your training, you really seem to be killing it lately! That is so awesome that you have a plan in place for the marathon in November - I believe in you!!

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

Wow, that is some major bling motivation for sure! You have a gorgeous collection. It sounds like you had a great training week-- congrats!! Especially on your 13 mile run- that's awesome! It would be great if you were able to run the marathon like you wanted, but either way it's so nice that you are feeling better and putting in the miles you want! Also, I have the Ella InB singlet, and LOVE it.

 

[rteetz]

Nice job with the long run! You really seem to be getting back to normal.

I finally got a run in today, just over 3 miles. After over a week off I need to get back into it. I also mixed in some weight lifting after my run.

Love all the bling! I've only got 3 medals so far.

 

[ZellyB]

Ahhh, I love the Coach bag you picked out! It is adorable and I love that you're going with red and not brown or black. So cute!!

Great job this week with your training, you really seem to be killing it lately! That is so awesome that you have a plan in place for the marathon in November - I believe in you!!

Thank you!! Starting to believe in myself again too. Yay.

Wow, that is some major bling motivation for sure! You have a gorgeous collection. It sounds like you had a great training week-- congrats!! Especially on your 13 mile run- that's awesome! It would be great if you were able to run the marathon like you wanted, but either way it's so nice that you are feeling better and putting in the miles you want! Also, I have the Ella InB singlet, and LOVE it.

Ella is so cute isn't she? And, yes, I'm happy if I can run the marathon, but better yet I feel good again and I'm actually enjoying my runs lately.

Nice job with the long run! You really seem to be getting back to normal.

I finally got a run in today, just over 3 miles. After over a week off I need to get back into it. I also mixed in some weight lifting after my run.

Love all the bling! I've only got 3 medals so far.

Watch out for the bling addiction. It's real! Glad you got back to running after your college move-in. Hope you are settling in well.

 

[ZellyB]

TRAINING WEEK 8/28 - 9/3
The injury curse strikes again​

Sunday 8/28 - Not much going on. Easy Sunday at home!
Monday 8/29 - Rest day.
Tuesday 8/30 - 3 mile run. I had an early meeting again at work and after the long run on last Saturday decided to just run 3 instead of the planned 4. The weather was GREAT though. Much cooler and I felt good during the run. Sticking with our 2:00/:30 intervals had me at a 10:28 pace overall. WOW! What a difference the weather can make. After getting home though, I noticed that my heel was really causing me a lot of pain. It has bothered me some off and on for a few weeks mostly just feeling like a mild bruise on my heel. I usually would notice it most on the weekends after wearing flip flops all day. But on this day, the pain was definitely aggravated. After some discussion with friends at work and some googling of symptoms on the internet (because the internet is the source of ALL TRUTH), I came to the conclusion that it was likely Plantar Fasciitis. Seriously? My knee is finally fully mended and now this? I swear this training season is under an injury curse. But, I'm determined not to let this sideline me after getting back on track, so I did some asking on here and reading up on treatments and started dealing with it aggressively.
Wednesday 8/31 - Rest day
Thursday 9/1 - 4 mile run again with 2:00/:30 intervals. Good run again with a 10:30 pace. I felt really good during the run and my heel didn't bother me. But, once home it definitely was starting to feel sore. I did start doing some exercises including a "towel stretch" and some calf rolling as well as rubbing the foot and heel with a frozen water bottle. Just beginning those exercises did seem to be making a difference, so that was encouraging to me that maybe if I get on this early and work on addressing it that it won't have to totally derail me.
Friday 9/2 - Rest day. I spent some time debating about resting my foot for a short time to try and get some healing. Ultimately I decided to do the run on Saturday but then plan to take next week off on my maintenance runs. We have a 6-mile race set for the following Saturday, so I'll plan to do that race (this one is at an easy pace since it's a super hilly (but beautiful) course, so our plan all along was to take it easy and enjoy it) and see how I feel going into the next week which would culminate in my 17 mile run. I also began wondering about my shoes as I recently changed to a more cushioned shoe to help my knee. Could that have sabotaged by foot? I suspect not, but thought I'd run in my old style shoe (Saucony Kinvara) to see if that made a difference.
Saturday 9/3 - 6 mile run. We ran a different course this time than we typically do for our Galloway group runs. It's a straight out and back but on some pretty significant rolling hills. I've never run this route before, so I wasn't sure how it would go. The morning was gloriously cooler and very low humidity!! I felt GREAT! Yes, there were plenty of hills, but I never felt like it was too difficult and my legs, knee and breathing felt good. Final distance ended up at 6.4 and average pace of 10:51 doing :90/:30 intervals. My foot felt fine during the run, but got pretty sore afterwards though. I really think the shoes aren't making that big of a difference. Ultimately I think it is because I have a very high arch and wear a lot of shoes that aren't very supportive (the aforementioned flip flops and for work I wear this lightweight loafers with very little support) and that combined with the running led to the problem.

I headed to the store later and purchased some shoe inserts designed for PF and put those in my tennis shoes for the remainder of the weekend. I could tell an immediate relief from wearing them, so I'll be wearing them faithfully going forward. I've continued with the daily stretching and rolling and that seems to be helping although slowly. But, from everything I read and hear, it can take quite some time to heal up from PF. Just hoping I can continue my training if I'm careful about trying to heal it.

The rest of the weekend was glorious. Took the kids to the lake again for the last weekend of summer and then spent yesterday at the pool and hot tub relaxing. Some grilled chicken wings and fresh salads for dinner and it was a fabulous Labor Day weekend. Also indulged in a new jigsaw puzzle purchase on Sunday and managed to get quite a bit done.

I love these Thomas Kinkade Disney puzzles. I've done several of them and they are challenging without being insanely difficult, plus DISNEY!!!

That's it for me for now, folks!! Thanks for reading.

 

[Ariel484]

Oh no! Not PF! It sounds like you are being smart about it though - I hope the inserts and the other things you are doing to treat it continue to help.

I'm becoming increasingly interested in the intervals that you use - 2:00/:30 and :90/:30. You get such great results! I think I am going to start trying something similar.

That puzzle is so pretty!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Such a bummer between the knee and now PF. It does seem like this training cycle is cursed. Hang in there and keep doing the smart thing. It's sounds like you've got the right mindset. And yea for an upcoming race!

 

[Blue Caterpillar]

So sorry about your PF, glad it seems to be improving.

I too love the Thomas Kinkade puzzles! I just finished the cinderella one but so far my favorite has been the beauty and the beast one. I also make sure to buy his paper calendar every too.

 

[girliea]

So sorry about the foot ZellyB! I hope your stretching and the inserts do the trick for you!

Good luck with your race!