In Training: Marathon Weekend 2015 (Dopey Challenge)! **COMPLETE**

[Ariel484]

Sorry your 5K got cancelled! That sucks that the race seems to be so not organized this year as wasn't the 5K originally a 5 miler or am I remembering that incorrectly?

You're right that the race wasn't originally a 5K - it started off as what they called a "mini marathon" of 3.5 miles. Then they made it a 5K and added a 10K option...in hindsight it's super strange that they added the 10K race when registration was down. Maybe they thought it would appeal more to people.

I was so shocked that it was canceled, just because I thought these races were really popular and last year's race went well, I thought - well organized, seemingly, well attended, etc. But then I read that this is the 4th Rock & Roll race that has been canceled this year. I have heard people say that they are too expensive so maybe that has something to do with it.

You finished the half marathon despite that pain at a pretty decent pace considering! That rocks! Thats strange about the 'joint' piece not being something that actually can work together unless you specially mount it or something.

Thank you! I am definitely to a place where I am focusing more on the positives from that race and less on the negatives...I think because my knee feels almost 100%. When it was still really sore it was easy to still think about that bad stuff that happened!

I still don't understand the sun medal...token...thing. I just looked on the race company's Facebook page to see if anyone else finds it as weird as I do - nope, apparently it's just me.

Hal's plan is interesting especially when comparing it to Galloway's. It seems like it should work really well for you!

Just looked at the Galloway plan for the first time - WOW! You're right, they are VERY different, that is for sure! I hope you are right that HH's plan will work for me! In looking at the two plans side-by-side HH definitely seems like a better fit.

Sorry your race was disappointing! Those darn IT bands! Your outfit was cute though!

Me too, thanks Summer!

Funny you say that about the outfit, I was whining to my friend over text message (a fellow SparkleSkirts lover) and was like, "well, at least I look fantastic while limping my way through the course." Small victories.

I'm doing the Hal Higdon Dopey plan too, slightly shifted to put my rest day on Sunday. Up to this point, the longest I've ever run is 14 miles, so looking at the upcoming mileage is freaking me out a bit.

How's week 1 going?! I thought about shifting things around too, but I'm thinking I'll just leave it as-is for the first few weeks at least and see if I want to change something.

You can TOTALLY do it!! Just take it one week at a time!

I also worry about the mid-week runs and how I'm going to fit them in. I have childcare at the gym, but then I'd have to do them on the dreadmill, which I don't think I could handle. I guess we'll see how it goes.

Yeah, I foresee some long-ish treadmill runs in my future too...not fun. I tried using an indoor track once, thinking that would be better. It was SO AWFUL. So boring! At least with the treadmill there's a TV there.

So that's what I need to keep in mind - there IS something more evil than the treadmill, and it's the indoor track!

Good luck with your training!!!

Thank you!! Good luck to you too!

 

[Ariel484]

On this day 13 years ago, I was a senior in high school. When the attacks happened I was in 3rd period AP French class...I remember that day well. I feel like any words I write about it here just are not enough.

My thoughts are with those that lost their lives or their loved ones that day. And of course the police, fire squads and all other rescue workers that were so heroic. May we all appreciate what we do have, and may we never forget.

Continued in Next Post

 

[ZellyB]

GREAT call on using the money for more SparkleSkirts! Did you see this beauty?!

I sold another one of my skirts on the FB group this morning so at least I don't feel super guilty for buying 2 new ones! Man they are addicting.

Oh, I saw it. And bought it. Haven't got it yet, but expecting it any day.

I joined the FB group, but haven't tried to sell my MiniTech yet. I haven't had a lot of time to see how it all works yet, but I'll figure it out eventually.

I've also been giving some thought as to what I want to wear for my upcoming Disney races (6 of them...lucky me!). I thought I had it totally figured out a few weeks ago, but then the Raw Threads tanks began to crap out on me (still have 3 up for sale with no interest ) and I bought some new SparkleSkirts. Two of the RT tanks I was originally planning on wearing in January have sold, so I need to decide whether I want to get those in versions with sleeves. Arg.

At this point the only outfit I am 100% decided on is the one for the marathon. I THINK I know what I'll end up wearing for the Jingle Jungle 5K (waiting on my friend who is running it with me to pull the trigger on her outfit) and I have the top I'm wearing for Wine & Dine...just need to decide on a skirt. Which will influence my Sweaty Band selection. Important life decisions here, people.

Hey! This is important stuff. I've been rethinking what I want to wear for Goofy too. I've been emailing back and forth with the Sparkle lady, Kate, and I'm going to have them do a custom for me for one of the races.

What doesn't show up very well in the picture is that the entire back of the tank is mesh...so obviously that meant that it breathed really well during this morning's run. Since it's the end of the summer season these tanks were $25 apiece (originally $38) and they seem a lot more promising comfort-wise than the RawThreads stuff.

I like those. I actually bought a few tanks at our local Academy sports in their store line stuff. They are also mesh and they've been awesome on some of those hot days!

This cycle of gaining and losing the same 0.4ish pounds is getting old. I'm hoping to chill out and break that cycle this week.

I hear you. I've been trying to drop some more weight and I just keep floating around in the same 1 lb range change. Frustrating.

I've been reading on Facebook how "amazing" the new Victoria's Secret sports bras are, so I went to the store to get fitted this past weekend and bought one to try (the "Knockout" model). A lot of my bras I run in are 6 years old at this point (really, most of my running clothes are, which is why I've been trying out a lot of new stuff lately), so maybe it's time to try something new?

I ran it in this morning, and it was...okay. I'm not completely sold on it yet.

I'll be curious how you end up liking them. I just have a lot of cheapy bras that just pull on and off. Since my surgery, my mobility in my right shoulder is really bad, so pulling these on and off is really hard. So I'm thinking about getting one that has a hook system, but they tend to be pricey and I'd like to hear some opinions about some of those before I buy. Do these have hooks or do they just pull on and off?

RACE UPDATE: Rock & Roll Cleveland 5K

Way back in December I signed up to run the Rock & Roll Cleveland Half Marathon, scheduled for October 11. A few weeks back I transferred my entry to the 5K so that I could run it with my 13-year-old cousin. This morning I got an email - the race has been CANCELED. I'm stunned!

From what I can gather, they had trouble getting sponsors ("lack of local support" was how it was worded) and no one was signing up. So yeah, I guess that's not ideal. We'll get refunds. And now I need to find a new 5K for my cousin!

Bummer!!

Cleveland's Turkey Trot.

Woohoo! We do our local Turkey Trot every year (it's a 5K) with the kids. We love it. It draws a huge crowd and it's just a fun family tradition and makes us feel less guilty about all the food we shove in our faces later in the day.

The freaking IT Band:

NOOOOOOOOO!!!

I had such a similar experience with my half-marathon last year. The last two miles were just agonizingly painful and no matter how badly I wanted to run, it just wasn't happening. You were so smart though to back off on your goals for this race and keep focused on W&D and Dopey. Ample time to rest and heal them back up and still get your training in. Still I know how it feels to have a goal that you have to give up on. There is a lot to feel good about though given how well you were rocking the race early on. The training is working and that's great news!

I collected my finisher medal and got in line for the bonus medal...the one for completing the 10-miler in the spring along with this race. They handed me a metal disc that looked like the sun - it didn't even have a ribbon. So I can't hang it up with my other medals. Um...thanks?

Seriously, the sun medal (Will calls it a "token" since there's no ribbon) doesn't even interlock into the 10-miler and half marathon medals. You can see the notches where it's supposed to go...but do you lay the three of them on a table together or something? WTH?!

Well that's just weird. The ribbon can't cost that much can it???

I'm glad you are taking the time to rest and treat the IT band even though it stinks that the kick-off for your official Dopey training is put off. You'll be glad in the long run that you took the time to heal!

 

[rpcvpanama]

Hey Shannon - So sorry to hear about your IT Band issues. I had something similar happen last year when training for Dopey, Hip Bursitis. Wasn't pleasant at all. I am so far doing well this year and I have become best friends with my foam roller. I still have to get better at working in the strength workouts though.

I too am doing Hal's Dopey plan. I might have to cut my workouts a little short duing the week. I get up at 4:30am as it is and just have time to get about 4 miles in. I have a pretty horrendous commute to/from work so not much time during the week to get much done.

I really hope you heal quickly! Here's to the beginning of Dopey training (well the official beginning).

 

[Ariel484]

Oh, I saw it. And bought it. Haven't got it yet, but expecting it any day.

WOOHOO!!

I joined the FB group, but haven't tried to sell my MiniTech yet. I haven't had a lot of time to see how it all works yet, but I'll figure it out eventually.

Yeah, I found it a little overwhelming at first. Basically it's a PayPal transaction...I watched a couple of sales go down before jumping in. That's been tricky lately though because it seems like there haven't been many skirts for sale...

Hey! This is important stuff. I've been rethinking what I want to wear for Goofy too. I've been emailing back and forth with the Sparkle lady, Kate, and I'm going to have them do a custom for me for one of the races.

Oh awesome! I have seen some great customs on the FB group. Can't wait to see what you come up with!

I like those. I actually bought a few tanks at our local Academy sports in their store line stuff. They are also mesh and they've been awesome on some of those hot days!

Yeah, I wish I would have discovered them sooner! I haven't had a chance to try one on a long run yet but I did really like it on my shorter run. You're right, the mesh is key.

I hear you. I've been trying to drop some more weight and I just keep floating around in the same 1 lb range change. Frustrating.

Blech! Weight loss stinks!

I'll be curious how you end up liking them. I just have a lot of cheapy bras that just pull on and off. Since my surgery, my mobility in my right shoulder is really bad, so pulling these on and off is really hard. So I'm thinking about getting one that has a hook system, but they tend to be pricey and I'd like to hear some opinions about some of those before I buy. Do these have hooks or do they just pull on and off?

I think the one I tried was not the right size for me - apparently two sizes work for me ("sister sizes"?) - of the two, the one I went with is a larger band size with a smaller cup. And the band was moving around the entire time so I got a little bit of chafing. Which makes me think I should have gone with my second option (smaller band size, larger cup size).

The one I tried actually had two closures - it had cups like a normal bra with a front closure, then it had a second layer that closes over it that zips. It was interesting. I didn't really like how the "normal" bra feel felt for running though. That one is called the Knockout.

I'm trying a different one (whenever I get back to running...) - this one has the zip-front closure only and I went with the smaller band size this time. That model is called the Incredible.

Bummer!!

I'm more surprised than disappointed! Apparently Competitor (who puts on the Rock & Roll races) is canceling a lot of races this year...hmmmm...

Woohoo! We do our local Turkey Trot every year (it's a 5K) with the kids. We love it. It draws a huge crowd and it's just a fun family tradition and makes us feel less guilty about all the food we shove in our faces later in the day.

EXACTLY!

NOOOOOOOOO!!!

I had such a similar experience with my half-marathon last year. The last two miles were just agonizingly painful and no matter how badly I wanted to run, it just wasn't happening.

Yes that is EXACTLY what happened. Such a helpless, awful feeling.

You were so smart though to back off on your goals for this race and keep focused on W&D and Dopey. Ample time to rest and heal them back up and still get your training in. Still I know how it feels to have a goal that you have to give up on. There is a lot to feel good about though given how well you were rocking the race early on. The training is working and that's great news!

You're totally right. I'm still on the sidelines right now (for something totally different ) and I was thinking yesterday about how you had to take time off for your hamstring issues and how you're totally kicking butt now...it totally game me hope that I'm not completely screwed.

Well that's just weird. The ribbon can't cost that much can it???

I mean...I wouldn't think so. And yet...

I'm glad you are taking the time to rest and treat the IT band even though it stinks that the kick-off for your official Dopey training is put off. You'll be glad in the long run that you took the time to heal!

Yeah, I'm just trying to remind myself that it's only September - plenty of time left.

Hey Shannon - So sorry to hear about your IT Band issues. I had something similar happen last year when training for Dopey, Hip Bursitis. Wasn't pleasant at all. I am so far doing well this year and I have become best friends with my foam roller. I still have to get better at working in the strength workouts though.

See, I'm the opposite - I'm good with the strength training but not the foam roller. I need to be better with that. How often do you use yours?

I too am doing Hal's Dopey plan. I might have to cut my workouts a little short duing the week. I get up at 4:30am as it is and just have time to get about 4 miles in. I have a pretty horrendous commute to/from work so not much time during the week to get much done.

4:30, yikes! I'm sure you'd be fine cutting some runs a bit short. The long runs are what's important, right?

I really hope you heal quickly! Here's to the beginning of Dopey training (well the official beginning).

Thanks! Still not quite there yet...hopefully close.

 

[Ariel484]

Week 1 of Dopey Challenge Training
Monday, September 8, 2014 - Sunday, September 14, 2014

3 miles completed
3 miles completed in Dopey Challenge Training so far
538.71 miles completed in 2014 so far

Monday, September 8: Rest Day

Dopey Challenge Training Day 1!

Bad news: I am sore from yesterday's half marathon. SORE. All day yesterday (in between feeling sorry for myself with the IT Band pain) I was patting myself on the back for being so awesome because I had literally zero soreness anywhere else. Well, this morning I got up and I am sore almost everywhere - quads, hamstrings, back, shoulders...the normal soreness that I've had after pretty much every race I've done this year. I mean, DUH...I'm not sure why I thought it was different this time. I guess it had time to settle in overnight. Not so awesome after all, are we?!

Good news: My IT Band feels MUCH better today. It's still sore, for sure, but not like it was yesterday. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to sit at my desk so as not to aggravate it (it's on my left side - I have learned that crossing my left leg over my right is no bueno...and crossing my right leg over my left is also not good. So no leg crossing. Learning! ) but there are times where, when walking, it feels completely normal. I have a roll of KT Tape that I bought at the Wine & Dine expo last year so I used some of that to tape my knee this morning and have taken one dose of ibuprofen so far. I'm planning on icing and foam rolling when I get home...and avoiding taking the stairs as much as possible. That hurts the most. I think that's really all I can do at this point. I did get a little overambitious and run a few steps across the street - it didn't feel nearly as bad as yesterday but it didn't feel great, either.

On that note...I'm going to have to miss some runs this week. Right now my goal is to hopefully be recovered enough to do yoga on Friday and my scheduled runs on Saturday (3 miles) and Sunday (13 miles). I think a few days of total rest is the only thing that's going to make this go away. It's unfortunate, and not the way I wanted to start out Dopey training, but I think it’s what has to be done.

More than anything I am incredibly relieved that 1. I haven't actually injured myself (at least I don't THINK this is an injury, just soreness) and 2. That I don't have to deal with IT Band pain on a regular basis. I have a whole new appreciation and batch of sympathy for those of you that do. It sucks.

Tuesday, September 9: 3-mile run planned, unscheduled rest day taken

First skipped running day. Sadness! I am definitely making progress though - my knee felt really good last night and so far this morning I have had zero pain. In fact I have been forgetting about it a lot! Such a relief.

I'm being extra super cautious though, because yesterday I did occasionally feel some pain in areas of my feet - little strains, I guess you’d call them - which makes me think I was changing my gait up during the race to try to compensate for the knee/hip issues. This makes me nervous because one of the areas of my foot that hurt a bit yesterday was the exact same spot I injured last year before Wine & Dine, and that one took a few weeks to go away completely. So I am still thinking I'm going to skip tomorrow and Thursday's runs, go to yoga on Friday, and see how things feel on Saturday. I thought about doing some other form of cardio this week, but I think biking or rowing might aggravate the knee more, and the elliptical is too similar to running. Pool running was the one thing I was thinking might be a good idea, but I'm not sure. Total rest may be the best thing.

In happier news, last week I ordered two more skirts and they arrived yesterday!

The red skirt is supposed to be Lilo-inspired (I think). The purple skirt is, of course, the wallpaper from the Haunted Mansion!!

Better picture of the Haunted Mansion skirt...you can see more of the pattern here, but the color in the above picture is closer to what it actually looks like. LOVE.

So now I have two red skirts - the new one (LeiLei) and my Red MiniTech. I'm thinking I probably don’t need two red ones so I may sell the Minnie skirt after I wear it in January. We shall see.

Wednesday, September 10: 5-mile run planned, unscheduled rest day taken

Non-training day #2! I would say my knee feels 99% normal and the rest of my body is totally recovered from Sunday’s race. The knee doesn't hurt at all anymore, just the occasional "tight" feeling sometimes. The foot pain seems to be completely gone as well...in fact, I even ran a few steps across the street again this morning. Unlike Monday, I ran those steps with zero pain!

I'm still sticking with my plan of no activity until yoga on Friday (this whole thing is making me want to get to yoga classes regularly more than ever). Normally I'd do a round of ChaLEAN Extreme on this day too, but the scheduled workout has a lot of leg stuff using pretty heavy-for-me weights, and I’m not sure my knee is ready for that just yet. Maybe I'll feel different come Friday though? Then Saturday’s 3-miler.

I was thinking about my Sunday long run...not totally sure how I want to handle that yet. I guess a lot of it will depend on how I feel on Saturday. If I think I can do that 13, I will. If not I'll just go by how I'm feeling and aim for at least the 5-miler that I had scheduled for today. One thing I will NOT be doing is trying to "make up" the runs I've missed this week. That would just be setting myself up for injury, and I still have 17 weeks left until Dopey. Missing these runs in the beginning isn’t ideal, but it won't totally derail my training.

I'm planning on taking the runs this weekend super, super easy - maybe doing run 1 minute/walk 1 minute intervals and building back up slowly from there. It's really nice not to have the pressure of making some goal pace at a race anymore so that I can just come back from this IT Band thing at my own pace...literally and figuratively.

Thursday, September 11: 3-mile run planned, unscheduled rest day from the run taken, ab burner completed

I’ve been spending the morning reading some 9/11 coverage...posted my thoughts about it here. It’s like a kick in the gut each year.

Moving on...

**WW UPDATE**

It's been a weird week for me - this morning marks my third missed run, and no strength training for 2 weeks (between tapering for Sunday's race and resting after the ITB madness), so obviously my activity level has been way down recently. I (admittedly) had a bit of emotional eating at the beginning of the week, but have settled that down since then and have been really good about tracking what I've been eating. With the decrease in activity my appetite has definitely gone back down and I've been having less snacks as a result.

This brings me to my weigh-in this morning - down 1.2 pounds. : I really was not expecting a result like that and am not sure how I feel about it - my fear is that I may have lost some muscle already. Is that possible?! I feel like it's too soon because Google tells me that muscle loss after inactivity doesn't start for 2 weeks, but still...it has been 2 weeks since CLX, so maybe that would explain some of it? Ugh, who knows.

Speaking of CLX - I did ab burner this morning. First workout since the race! It was only 10 minutes, and I could definitely feel that I've lost a bit of core strength, but it was SOMETHING. The weirdest part was when I was doing reverse crunches (where you lay on your back with your legs up at 90 degrees, and lift your butt off the floor) and I could feel how tight my hamstrings were. That made me really anxious to get back into my routine. I think I am almost there.

My feet feel really good at this point but I am still having the occasional tightness in my knee. Right now I’m leaning toward doing CLX tomorrow morning - not because of my WW rant above and fear of losing muscle, but more because I know strength training is so important when it comes to keeping my knees healthy, and by now, like I said before, I haven’t done any CLX for 2 weeks. With the Dopey schedule I'll have even less time for it, so I want to make sure to get it in when I can. Still planning on yoga tomorrow as well - hopefully that'll help with the knee tightness.

The other thing I'm planning on for tomorrow is trying to pre-order two iPhones - one for me, one for my mom. Yep, I'm one of those crazies that'll be awake at 3AM, cursing my computer. I did the same thing in 2012 and was successful, so hopefully I'll have the same luck this year (times 2).

And lastly...my last Raw Threads tanks finally sold yesterday!! So glad to be rid of those things and have recouped some of my money.

Friday, September 12: Strength Training (ChaLEAN Extreme Push 3) + Warm Yoga Flow

Yay! First official Dopey workout!!

Before that, though, my alarm went off bright and early at 2:45AM. (The exact same time I wake up for Disney races, coincidentally enough). I was wide awake almost immediately and started refreshing the Verizon website a bit before 3AM and it WOULD. NOT. WORK. I refreshed and refreshed (my account on the desktop, my mom's account on Will's laptop). Finally my order went through at about 3:45 - for whatever reason the desktop was going faster than the laptop. Once my order was done I switched operations for my mom's phone to the desktop and that went through as well.

So do you think I'm a crazy person now?!

After all that madness I got back to bed at around 4:15 but had trouble falling asleep. I did eventually though.

Next up on the agenda for me was yoga (in between work). It was a little bit of a gentler class today and it felt sooooooooo good. Just what I needed. I've already sign up for my next two classes (Friday and Sunday of next week).

After yoga I came home and fit in some CLX! This went better than I expected for having been away from strength training for almost 2 weeks. I didn't have to drop any of my weight down and I was able to complete almost all of the reps. Woohoo!

Saturday, September 13: 3-mile run

Well...it started out well.

I was incredibly nervous for this run. At this point my knee had been feeling totally fine for the past few days, but I still wanted to be extra cautious. I planned on heading to the park in our neighborhood - it's about 0.5 miles away from my house and has a 0.5-mile loop. So i could go there, do a few laps, and then head home - if my knee exploded I wouldn't have to drag myself too far to get back.

I started off with run 1 minute/walk 1 minute intervals (again, being super cautious) but found that I was feeling really good, so I switch to running 2 minutes/walk 1 minute intervals.

Except.

I had a teeny bit of soreness in my right foot...on the inside hear the arch. But I figured that would work itself out...

The first two miles felt pretty good. My pace was slower than usual but hey, I was out there and I was doing it!

Around 2.25 I made my way out of the park, took a turn back toward my house, and felt a pop in my right foot. I thought maybe the pop was just stiffness finally working itself out or something - NOPE. The pain got worse and was spreading up toward my toe. I could still run on it a bit, but it got worse and worse until eventually I just had to walk until I got home.

Total time for 3 miles: about 36 minutes, close to 12:00/mile pace

To say I'm upset with how this turned out is an understatement. I'm sure this is some sort of weird after-effect from my knee issues on Sunday. I guess I must have been walking weirdly all this time and it finally caught up to me.

After the run I iced and then soaked my foot in hot water, which seemed to help. After resting it, it felt better and I decided I wanted to try walking on it...so we took the dog for a walk around the neighborhood (0.6ish miles). About halfway through my foot totally seized up - SO painful. It did it twice more before we got back home.

Frustrating. And alarming because this feels like the injury I had a Wine & Dine, except on the other foot. Which means I'm looking at more rest and missed runs for a bit.

Sunday, September 14: 13-mile run planned, unscheduled rest day taken

So needless to say, no 13-miler for me today. Will was awesome and totally took care of me this weekend - I pretty much just sat on the couch all day today. It was sort of nice, but I was also incredibly groggy from just not doing anything. In fact, I've been feeling that way all week - apparently regular exercise really IS energizing.

I did attempt another dog walk this evening and this one was much more successful. I made it all the way around the block without any awful pain...the area of my foot just felt tired, I guess.

At this point I'm not totally sure what I'm going to do this coming week. Right now I'm hoping I'll be okay enough to run the Akron Half marathon, which is two weeks from yesterday (and stands as my only DNS for a race, from last year). I'd really like to not waste my entry fee two years in a row...but if I'm injured, I'm injured. Blech.

Continued in Next Post

 

[pxefig]

I'm still catching up on all the posts since before the DL half! The littlest things throw all schedules out of whack!
But in case you didn't know, on the runDisney results website(mydisneymarathon.com) under Dave the date they have the DL half as sep. 3-6 next year, so there's some official word on the dates!

 

[rpcvpanama]

Hi Shannon - Hope the training for this week is going a little better. I think you are right though to take it easy now in the begining of the training so not to do further injury. I ended up having to give up on the Dopey about mid-November last year from my injury...felt awful after spending the summer and most of the Fall training for it.

I wanted to let you know that I use the foam roller after every run. I work it in as part of my stretching. I also do some extra foam rolling about 2-3 evenings. It is kind of a pain but so far I have held the hip pain at bay. I don't really roll for too long, enough to feel the kinks (and hopefully be working them out). It is too painful to do for too long!! Maybe now that your knee/hip are better you won't need it!

 

[Ariel484]

I'm still catching up on all the posts since before the DL half! The littlest things throw all schedules out of whack!
But in case you didn't know, on the runDisney results website(mydisneymarathon.com) under Dave the date they have the DL half as sep. 3-6 next year, so there's some official word on the dates!

I did read that in the Disneyland Half thread...thank you!

Still not sure if it's enough to make me feel confident enough to rent points right at the 11-month mark... They've switched dates in the past (moving Wine & Dine when they first introduced the ToT 10-miler, moving Tinkerbell to May)...hmmmmmm

Hi Shannon - Hope the training for this week is going a little better. I think you are right though to take it easy now in the begining of the training so not to do further injury. I ended up having to give up on the Dopey about mid-November last year from my injury...felt awful after spending the summer and most of the Fall training for it.

Training is non-existent for me right now, unfortunately. My knee/hip/IT Band issues from that race are 100% gone, but the last time I ran (Saturday) I ended up with a strain in the inner arch of my right foot - so painful that I had to slowly limp the last 0.25 miles or so of that run. I haven't run since then and at this point I'm not sure when I'll try again...I'm thinking (hoping) Tuesday but at the same time I'm pretty nervous to try to start up again because I don't want to re-injure myself and end up on the couch for another week.

That really stinks that you had to defer to this year for Dopey after training so hard for it. I'm glad things are better for you now.

I wanted to let you know that I use the foam roller after every run. I work it in as part of my stretching. I also do some extra foam rolling about 2-3 evenings. It is kind of a pain but so far I have held the hip pain at bay. I don't really roll for too long, enough to feel the kinks (and hopefully be working them out). It is too painful to do for too long!! Maybe now that your knee/hip are better you won't need it!

Thanks for this. I think I am going to have to start doing it more regularly than I do now (which is almost never). I need to change up something because I don't want either of these issues (ITBand/arch strain) to happen again!!!!

 

[ZellyB]

Oh no, Shannon. So sorry that you managed to get the IT band/knee issue improved and then ended up with a foot strain. I hope the rest that you are giving it now will get it healed up as quicky as the IT problem resolved. It's so frustrating, but of course, the good news is that you have lots of time to get healed and get your training done.

I also got my Haunted Mansion Sparkle skirt in the mail and I LOVE it. I'm hoping the weather will be warm enough for me to wear it in the half I'm running in October.

 

[Ariel484]

Oh no, Shannon. So sorry that you managed to get the IT band/knee issue improved and then ended up with a foot strain. I hope the rest that you are giving it now will get it healed up as quicky as the IT problem resolved. It's so frustrating, but of course, the good news is that you have lots of time to get healed and get your training done.

Thanks Gisele. Unfortunately this strain seems to be taking longer to go away than the IT Band issues did. I'm starting to feel a bit of a time crunch.

I also got my Haunted Mansion Sparkle skirt in the mail and I LOVE it. I'm hoping the weather will be warm enough for me to wear it in the half I'm running in October.

Isn't it fabulous?! I'm hoping to wear mine soon, too.

 

[Ariel484]

Week 2 of Dopey Challenge Training
Monday, September 15, 2014 - Sunday, September 21, 2014

0 miles completed
3 miles completed in Dopey Challenge Training so far
541.71 miles completed in 2014 so far

Apologies for the big wall of text.

Monday, September 15: Rest Day

Well...still feeling pretty discouraged this morning.

My foot felt really good yesterday evening - so good that I was forgetting about the pain a lot. Will suggested I wear the most supportive shoes I have in to work today, so right now I'm in a pair of Brooks Adrenalines that I use for CLX workouts.

Right when I put them on the pain returned to my arch, which was NOT a good sign - are my shoes the problem?! Ugh, I hope not. I only have 100 miles on my current pair I use for running, and I have 2 brand new pairs waiting for me in my closet.

Now that I've been walking in them a bit (did the walk from my car in to work, and from work to Starbucks and back - so about 20-30 minutes total of walking) it feels okay. It felt sore at first - tired maybe? - but when I complained about that to Will over text messages he pointed out that this was more walking than I did all day yesterday. So I probably should have expected it.

At this point I'm still not sure what to do with running this week. I was hoping I'd feel good enough to give it a go tomorrow, but now I'm thinking it'll be smarter to try to Thursday at the earliest...maybe even push it to Saturday. Ugh.

I try to keep telling myself that I have plenty of time, but still...it's pretty frustrating.

Tuesday, September 16: 3-mile run planned, unscheduled rest day taken

Another skipped running day. I did make it around the block yesterday for our nightly post-dinner dog walk without any pain, though - in fact, I jogged part of it and felt file.

I'm getting more and more anxious to get back to running - not because I feel like I'm missing out on a ton of training, but because I just don't feel normal right now. Over the past few days I've just started to feel incredibly stiff, especially in my legs, feet and back. All last week and this week I've felt pretty sluggish, even though I've been sleeping more than usual since I haven't been waking up early to go to the gym.

My foot feels really good so far today...still thinking maybe I'll try again on Thursday.

Wednesday, September 17: 5-mile run planned, strength training (IronStrength) completed



Well, things are sort of looking up over here...I think.

Yesterday after work was definitely a low point. I had been feeling good pretty much all day, and was eyeing Thursday for an attempt at a short run. Then I got home and took the dog for a walk around the block. I'm not sure what happened, but by the time we were back home I was limping and sore again. It was like any and all progress I'd made over the past few days was just completely erased. I made an appointment with a specific sports medicine doctor - she is a marathon runner who "fixed" my knee in 2009 (see below) and is the medical director for the Cleveland Marathon. Unfortunately she doesn't have any availability until the 29th...I'm hoping I'll heal and won't actually need the appointment but at least I'm on the calendar.

In the meantime, I've been doing some research on this little injury/strain of mine and have decided to make a few changes...

RICE: As in Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate. I Iced and Elevated the first day of the strain, but haven't since then. I've only been Resting. So when I got home from the dog walk I dug out the one pair of compression socks I own (purchased when I was fighting this similar issue, on the same foot, the week before Wine & Dine last year), pulled on the right one, and plopped my butt on the couch with my foot elevated. From there I dutifully iced 20 minutes on/20 minutes off, 3-4 times. And took ibuprofen. And cried (apparently this was my breaking point). About an hour later my foot felt much better - almost normal - so I felt much better.

Adios, Chalene...hello IronStrength and Powersteps: In researching this issue, it sounds like a big cause is poor arch support. This makes sense because I do have low arches. Five years ago, when I was first starting to run regularly, I had a bad case of Runner's Knee and made an appointment with the doctor I mentioned above. She told me I had somewhat flat feet and recommended Powerstep inserts for my shoes. Voila - Runner's Knee cured. I haven't had to use Powersteps for a few years now but since they were such a magic pill for me last time, I bought a pair yesterday ($30 and they should last through 2-3 pairs of shoes) and put them in my shoes. Whenever I decide I want to try running again, it'll be with the Powersteps.

Then I got to thinking about why I was able to ditch the Powersteps the first time - I had always attributed that to weight loss and strength training. While I'm not at my ideal weight yet (5-10 pounds away...1 pound overweight for my height) I'm closer than I was a few months back, and I think I'm close to what I was when I started to go Powerstep-less a few years back. Not having proper running shoes could also be an issue, but I don't think my shoes are the problem because I was fitted again recently and the pair I am currently running in are still relatively new (just 100 miles on them). So I'm thinking I need to switch up my strength training, and that means saying bye-bye to ChaLEAN Extreme.

When I was training for Goofy in 2012 I was using the IronStrength program. This is a strength training program that was developed by a doctor who also happens to be a runner (triathlete?). It worked well for me in 2012 and 2013...in fact I was totally injury-free up until Wine & Dine last year. In early 2013 I'd switched away from IronStrength after Marathon Weekend 2013 and was using either 30 Day Shred, New Rules of Lifting for Women, over ChaLEAN Extreme for the rest of 2013. And then I got injured for the first time in over 4 years.

HMMMMMM.



If IronStrength worked for me for that long, WHY did I go away from it?! Isn't it better to use a program specifically designed FOR RUNNERS?! Duh.

Obviously I’m not 100% sure that switching from IronStrength to 30DS/NROLFW/CLX is the main cause of my issues, but I have to think it's a contributing factor. I think I just got bored with IronStrength - doing the same workout 1-2 times per week every week. That's something I really liked about those other 3 workouts - the variety. And admittedly it's a pretty tough workout, so I think I was tired of just pushing myself so much. And I think I just wanted to lift heavy weights for whatever reason. But as a runner, maybe that's not what I need.

I re-watched the IronStrength instructional videos yesterday and printed out an old log sheet I made for the workout. Since my foot was feeling so good last night and this morning (I wore the compression sock overnight - note to self: wash your compression sock before it starts to smell ) I decided to finally head back to the gym this morning and get my IronStrength on. After a short warm-up there are reps of plyometric jump squats, the "most important" move in the program (the doc that made the video says this is the most important exercise a runner can do to get a strong butt...strong butt = healthy runner). From there you do "supersets," sequences of 2-3 exercises - 15 reps of each exercise before moving on to the next one in the superset, as many of each exercise as possible, for 5-6 minutes. After the supersets (4 of them) come burpees (SO HARD), followed by planks, then stretching.

I modified it a LOT. I didn't do the jumping jacks during warm-up (instead I flapped my arms up and down and alternated extending each leg out to the side - pretty sure I looked like a crazy person) and did regular isometric squats and lunges instead of plyometric (jumping) squats and lunges. I also did each of the sets for 3 minutes instead of 5-6 minutes and cut some of the exercises down from 15 to 5-10 reps...I did 15 for some of them, but not all.

And despite all of these modifications, and despite having dutifully done CLX for months now, this workout KICKED MY BUTT. I started out with 3 sets of 15 isometric squats and partway through the second set my quads were seizing up. Now that I'm sitting here at my desk my legs feel like jello. So I've either lost a TON of muscle over the past 2-3 weeks or CLX really wasn't as effective as I thought. Or both. Also, I forgot my make-up at home today - that’s what 2 weeks away from the gym and getting out of a routine will do to a person.

You know what’s NOT bothering me? My foot. Progress!

I cannot explain how much better I feel just from having done this one workout. I have definitely been pretty down in the dumps since last Sunday, and admittedly dramatic about it. Mostly, I CANNOT believe how upset this whole thing has made me. It's shocking to me how just...off I feel.
How much I don't feel like myself. After this morning I feel a little more normal though.

This is definitely something to keep in mind when I get back to training (because I WILL). When I don't want to get up early to do a 5-mile treadmill run or whatever, I need to look back on this - running really has become a part of who I am, and when I get to do it again, I should not take it for granted.

See? Totally being dramatic.

AND. I am signed up for next weekend's Akron Half Marathon...maybe this goes without saying but at this point I am pretty sure I will not be participating. Somehow it doesn't seem smart to recover from an injury and then turn around and run a half (on that note...whenever I do recover and start running again I'm going to have to modify my training plan, I think ). And I think making the decision not to participate will take some of the pressure off of me feeling like I need to get over this injury NOW, so that's good.

That'll be DNS (Did Not Start) #2 for me. DNS #1? Last year's Akron Half Marathon (due to complete and utter running burnout). I'm starting to think I'm cursed when it comes to that race. Note to self - STOP signing up for it!!

Thursday, September 18: 3-mile run planned, unscheduled rest day taken

Ah...another unscheduled rest day. I was planning on getting up early to do some pool running, but just lying in bed this morning I could feel how sore my hamstrings and butt were from yesterday's IronStrength session. I really was not expecting to be so sore! Eventually I decided maybe I shouldn't overdo it, so a rest day it is.

**WW UPDATE**

Up 0.2 pounds this week. I'm satisfied with that since I'm pretty much doing zero physical activity right now.

In other news, my foot is feeling a LOT better. Yesterday was a good day - I took the dog for a longer walk this time (a little over a mile) and it was fine. So far today it's feeling good and I've been walking a lot...hopefully I've turned a corner. It doesn't hurt, but it feels a little tight, I guess, maybe like a cramp? Stiffness? May try the heating pad later.

Right now I'm thinking that if things continue to go well, I'll try to run again on Tuesday. Yesterday I futzed around with my training plan and have come up with something that, assuming Tuesday goes well, will hopefully get me caught up to where I should be over the next few weeks. Somehow I feel like it's a bad idea to just dive right in to 5 days per week of running after an injury. It stinks, but I think it's the smart thing to do.

Also, I signed up for a new race! Feeling optimistic today, I guess - it's a replacement race for the now-canceled Rock & Roll Cleveland 5K. The race is the Bernie Shuffle, named for one of Cleveland's most famous and beloved football players, former Cleveland Brown Bernie Kosar. So the race is very heavily football-themed...I myself am really not a huge football fan but I still think it'll be fun. With race entry comes a shirt (there was an option to get a gender-specific tech shirt for an extra $5...I googled around and found a $5-off discount code, so I went ahead and upgraded my shirt for free!), a brown, orange and white headband (Browns colors), a beer at the finish and a medal. For a 5K!

Pretty cool. Also pretty expensive for a 5K (after fees and whatnot my registration cost about $45!), but it should be a good time. I also think it's a little weird that such an expensive race doesn't have chip timing, but whatever - at least they indicated that VERY clearly on the race info page. I think it's just their way of emphasizing how casual this race is. Whatever. The race is scheduled for November 1.

My little cousin and my brother are signed up to do the race, too. This is noteworthy because it'll not only be my cousin's first race ever, it'll also be my brother’s first race since his car accident and resulting surgery last year. So between that and my bum foot (please let that dumb thing be better by then!) we very well may literally be shuffling all 3.1 miles.

Friday, September 19: Warm Yoga Flow/IronStrength planned, unscheduled rest day taken

Legs still sore from Wednesday. Did a lot around the house and ended up with a sore foot by the end of the day...not happy.

Saturday, September 20: 7-mile run, unscheduled rest day taken

Legs still sore from Wednesday…!! Grocery shopped and ended up with a sore foot...not happy.

Sunday, September 21: Warm Yoga Flow/IronStrength, unscheduled rest day taken

Legs finally don't feel sore anymore. Good day for the foot because I didn't do much.

I was hoping to try to run again Tuesday but I'm going to give it at least another week. I also decided I need to use a completely different training plan...at this point it'll just be too hard to catch up after missing the first 3 weeks. But I don't even want to post it yet because who really freaking knows when I can run again. I'm almost scared to try, just because I don't want this to happen again.

This is frustrating.

Continued in Next Post

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Sorry that your injuries are still plaguing you! I hope going back to your original training methods will work and help you get better overall.

You will be ok for Dopey once you get to start training again. You've been doing well for so long that it will work out!

 

[RnbwSktles]

I'm sorry your training isn't going well at all right now It's good that you are being patient though. There is definitely enough time to get back into it!

I was doing IronStrength for a while and I kind of feel like it contributed to my IT problems. I was probably just doing it wrong, but I've been scared of it ever since!

Do you think running too fast may have contributed to anything? I've heard that reason tossed around so many times, and I think it may have even played a part in my injury last year. You are, IMO, a fast runner, and you were training for a PR. Maybe too much speed work/goal pace runs? I'm no expert, just trying to help you think of every possible solution!

I hope you're up and running soon!

 

[steph0808]

Sorry you are still hurting!!

Do you think your foot issue could be plantar fasciitis? When I had it, the arch of my foot would ache and sometimes have stabbing pains. I bought an arch support band at Walmart for like $5, and it was soooo much better! I am pretty sure mine was due to my shoes wearing out and me not replacing them quick enough - my arches needed the padding. Rolling a frozen water bottle under my foot helped stretch it out and felt so nice.

 

[Ariel484]

Sorry that your injuries are still plaguing you! I hope going back to your original training methods will work and help you get better overall.

Thanks, I hope so too. It's getting old...both the soreness and complaining about the soreness.

You will be ok for Dopey once you get to start training again. You've been doing well for so long that it will work out!

Thank you! I sure hope you are right.

I'm sorry your training isn't going well at all right now

Thanks...actually right now it's not going, period!

It's good that you are being patient though. There is definitely enough time to get back into it!

Thank you for that dose of confidence, I definitely need it!

I was doing IronStrength for a while and I kind of feel like it contributed to my IT problems. I was probably just doing it wrong, but I've been scared of it ever since!

Wow, really? Well that's not good! When I was doing it regularly in 2012 I really felt like it helped me, so I'm hoping for the same again. Definitely an example of how different things work for different people.

Do you think running too fast may have contributed to anything? I've heard that reason tossed around so many times, and I think it may have even played a part in my injury last year. You are, IMO, a fast runner, and you were training for a PR. Maybe too much speed work/goal pace runs? I'm no expert, just trying to help you think of every possible solution!

I truly have no idea...I don't think so just because I felt fine when I did do those faster training runs, but who knows. This foot strain truly came out of nowhere, and while I have some guesses as to why it happened (bad strength training, possibly needing different/new shoes or arch supports?) I just don't know.

I'm way more confident in saying that the knee/hip issues during the race were because the roads were sloped. I've had my knee hurt like that maybe 4 times since I started running, and 3 of the 4 were on sloped roads. The foot strain is more of a head scratcher.

I hope you're up and running soon!

Thank you! I hope so too.

Sorry you are still hurting!!

Thanks Steph.

Do you think your foot issue could be plantar fasciitis? When I had it, the arch of my foot would ache and sometimes have stabbing pains. I bought an arch support band at Walmart for like $5, and it was soooo much better! I am pretty sure mine was due to my shoes wearing out and me not replacing them quick enough - my arches needed the padding. Rolling a frozen water bottle under my foot helped stretch it out and felt so nice.

That thought crossed my mind - I REALLY hope that's not what it is, just because I have heard how debilitating it can be. But it sounds like PF is mostly in the heel, right? I sort of dismissed PF as the possible issue just because I don't have heel pain at all...it's closer to the front of my foot on the inside of my arch. That's what makes me think it's a shoe/strength training issue, like my arches are collapsing and it's causing the strain? I hope that's what it is because it would (seemingly) be a matter of changing up my shoes. Hopefully my magic running doctor will cure me!

I DO want to try that water bottle trick, though - that sounds kind of heavenly. And I'm hoping for some kind of solution similar to your support strap. That would be awesome.

 

[sumlee]

So frustrating that you can't get out and train like you want to! Hugs and happy thoughts for a speedy recovery!

 

[Ariel484]

So frustrating that you can't get out and train like you want to! Hugs and happy thoughts for a speedy recovery!

Thank you, I appreciate the hugs and happy thoughts.

This is definitely not how I thought things would go...oh well!

 

[StayCool]

Just an FYI, plantar fasciitis is not just a heel pain and can extend all across the base of the foot. It can become very severe if ignored. Making sure you have good arch support is huge. There are stretches that can be done to make it better also. PF is extremely painful first thing in the morning when you step out of bed. If you do not have that pain then you probably don't have PF.

Love your report!

 

[Ariel484]

Just an FYI, plantar fasciitis is not just a heel pain and can extend all across the base of the foot. It can become very severe if ignored. Making sure you have good arch support is huge. There are stretches that can be done to make it better also. PF is extremely painful first thing in the morning when you step out of bed. If you do not have that pain then you probably don't have PF.

Thanks for pointing that out!

From the beginning, I have had close to zero pain in the morning. I think it hurt in the morning in the beginning, but it was hurting all the time for the first day or two. It hasn't hurt at all in the morning for the last week or so.

Love your report!

Thank you. Hopefully there will be more running talk and less whining soon!