Running Only With My Thoughts

Bye Bye Blogland

2011-11-01T19:58:00.003-06:00

Planning for many future adventures, but simplifying life.

Brooks Launch

2011-10-23T14:37:00.004-06:00

A very quick review...

I am in love with this shoe and think I will be forever. So, hear me Brooks - please do not change a thing!

These are very light weight. Cushioned without a bunch of medial support. Even when a shoe is proclaimed "neutral," there still always seems to be something built up on the medial side, or there's just a weak lateral side, making the shoe worthless for we rare supinators. Not so with the Launch. Just look at the above photo and see that nice lateral edge. No rolling over the edge of my shoe. They feel fast and springy. They also feel lower to the ground, but that might be imagined.

Since receiving them from the nice Brooks rep, I have not worn anything else. Not even my beloved Cascadias. I've put about 40 miles on them in the last few weeks on pavement, gravel, and trail. My feet did get pretty wet during a rainy trail run, but I expected that. I'd probably still use my Cascadias on several trails just because the Launch doesn't have much for tread.

Last, they look great too.
10 month update on injury: This week's follow up appointment was positive. The tear is healing; there's less scar tissue to work on each time. I haven't had much swelling or pain in several weeks and very little after my A.R.T sessions. I'm able to work out 1-2 hours several days per week. Never a true cross trainer, I've finally become one. Usually two rides, either road or mountain bike, per week; 3-4 runs of 45-75 minutes; 2-3 strength training sessions; and walking on my rest days. The walk breaks during runs have pretty much been eliminated. The biking has been amazing. My hips and glutes are much stronger and are now fully engaged when I run. The weight is come off slowly and my clothes are fitting again. I'm hoping to have dodged the surgery bullet for good, but we'll see how it is next summer at the 18 month mark.

Brooks Running Co.

2011-09-28T20:41:00.004-06:00

Not sure where the time has gone. I am back to running 4-5 times a week for up to an hour at a time. My last run was 5:1 ratio with no pain and swelling. I'm trying to get some time in on the bike each week too, but my work schedule has been packed.

Why the post?

I have to say something about customer service. It's a huge thing for me and good customer service usually makes me a pretty loyal fan. You can see where this is leading. I love, love, love my Cascadias. I discovered them four years ago and have gone through numerous pairs. (Favorite was the frog green ones - made me smile every time I put them on).

After wearing down my last pair of road shoes to a pulp, I went to Tread Lightly in search of a new pair - one that I'd love as much as my trail shoes. I left with a pair of Glycerin 9's. Long story short, ouch, ouch, ouch. SO MUCH PAIN. I couldn't take them back because I'd run outside, so I contacted Brooks through their "Ask a Question" link. Within a day, I'd heard from a rep with the offer of an exchange along with suggestions for a different shoe and why the Glycerin's probably didn't work.

How great is that? So, a big shout out to Brooks for making me one happy customer!

2011-08-16T20:59:00.003-06:00

Another long camping weekend done. Possibly the last of this summer season. So sad. My camera completely crapped out on me, so all the cool pictures are lost.

One of the highlights of the weekend was hiking the road from our campground to Porphyry Peak and fire tower. We've skiied Showdown several times, and I had never noticed the fire tower before. It was a 2 mile climb to 8,100 feet, but the views were so worth it. The forest ranger at the tower told us she usually has special prizes on hand for people who hike it. Kind of cool, but also creepy that she was watching us and cheering us on from way above. Our mileage was only 4 miles but my legs felt it. Another scary thing? Imagine one of these in bright yellow built up on huge tires barreling down the very narrow rocky forest road you are trying to hike up. Seriously, when the tires started to slide, I was ready to leap off the side of the mountain. Especially seeing the driver's panicked face. A movie moment for sure.

Buddy and I also explored the Little Belt mountains via forest service roads. We ran/walked our way a little more each day. My legs were tired, but no swelling or pain the entire weekend. I felt bad for a teenage girl at the campground. Obviously determined to get her workout in, she ran the campground loop over and over. So much more to see, but maybe she was the smart one - the mountain lion tracks we encountered were huge and frequent! Wish I had the pictures...

With only days left before school starts, we're trying to get in as many trails as possible. I'm trying to be careful not to overdo it, but there's so little time before the snow flies!

Not Gonna Lie

2011-08-10T19:22:00.006-06:00

I'm having a difficult time with this every other day harder workout. While injured with little hope of running, I was overjoyed to be walking. Now that I've taken those first running steps, walking seems so dull. In all honesty, that's not the only thing going through this obsessed brain.

The scale. Weight gain. The thing no one wants to admit or talk about. Truth is, I've gained a lot of weight in these seven months. That's not just the former dancer talking. It's reality. As in the reality of having to buy new clothes and actually think every day about what I put in my mouth.

Luckily, earlier in life, I avoided the disordered eating that other dancers faced. I definitely don't want to pick up negative food patterns now. I know the weight will come off. I know I have to be patient and find some balance. It's just so blasted hard.

My New Favorite Thing

2011-08-09T16:57:00.002-06:00

Steve got me this for camping. Love it so much it now makes my coffee at home too. If you like a percolator try this one!

Mystery Solved?

2011-08-07T20:19:00.009-06:00

Chaos Theory proposes that an action taking place anywhere in the world can influence phenomena elsewhere. Who could have imagined that something taking place years ago would result in my mysterious injury?

For a long time, I did this...

and this...
and for sure, this...

that resulted in this...

In my case, the bone was dead by the time I sought treatment (16 years ago). The bones could not be removed because a nerve ran through the mess. I stopped dancing and gradually the pain faded from memory.

What I didn't know was that over time the problem would become more complicated and lead to a kind of arthitic condition know as Hallux Rigidus. No, this is not my toe, but mine looks similar. Mine is not really a bunion, but definitely a deformity.

When I picked up running, I do recall the ball of my foot and the above area hurting. With better shoes and time, it quit hurting. Unfortunately, it probably stopped hurting because I started doing this in a major way...
Again, I am an anomaly because even though the above picture is supination, my supination wasn't necessarily seen from the ankle. And it wasn't caused by weak hips, or other areas of the body. My supination was/is directly from the foot; caused by a general avoidance of the entire ball of foot pain. Basically, I run on the outside edge of my entire foot. Of course, this led to all kinds of biomechanical issues including hip pain, back pain, knee pain, toe pain, ankle rolls, and eventually an avulsion tear and peroneal subluxation.

So, who gets credit for finally figuring this out? No one really. It was purely an accident. When I started running just over a month ago, I had to work on my gait, including my foot plant and toe off. Naturally, the ball of foot pain came screeching back, halting all efforts to even walk normally.

Back I went to the doctor, who in turn, felt bad for never checking my big toe joint. How can I fault him for that considering I never even mentioned a previous fracture there?

The mystery is solved. You will laugh when you see my treatment plan. Yes, it works. No pain after one day of using it in my Wave Riders. One day later, I was able to run in my non-problematic Cascadias without pain. Off to the running store to invest in new running shoes; ones that don't bend right at that joint, and ones that offer lateral stability and no medial posting.
Not sure there is a moral of this story except that medical history is always important. Even the kind that happened 16 years ago.

Camping Weekend

2011-08-07T18:37:00.003-06:00

Camping is much more fun when you can play! My ankle has been holding up well which meant I could mountain bike and run in one of our favorite camping places. Where that is will remain a secret. Very few people and lots of forest service roads running along beautiful creeks. After the usual walking and pylometric warm-up, we were able to do a 30 minute run. We were trying to stick to the 2 minute run/1 minute walk ratio, but it was a little messed up due to Buddy's sporadic sniff stops. Here's Bud patiently indulging me with a photo moment when he really wanted to run and take a dip in the creek.

Wildflowers, including Indian Paintbrush, were abundant.

Mountain biking has been a dream for awhile. It's still a bit risky getting on and off the bike because my ankle still isn't strong enough to take a lot of sudden weight. I've avoided trails because of that, so this forest service road was perfect. There was a lot of climbing even though it doesn't look like it in this photo.

A few nice obstacles thrown in for adventure. I guess this area really flooded in the spring and early summer. Sections of road were covered in jagged rock. Especially nice for me were the motor vehicle restrictions due to huge wash-outs. I had the road completely to myself.

Happy self portrait! The entire ride wasn't much in mileage, but my weak legs were still shaking by the time I was done. Each workout ended with a nice ice bath in the creek near our campsite. A very perfect weekend.

Starting some controversy, but I've kind of had it

2011-08-01T17:41:00.003-06:00

Grrrr... that's from me. What's up with all of the off leash dogs in town? I'm not talking only trails, although we see them there too. Right now, we've got neighbors who think that letting your dogs out the front door to run freely is ok. They MIGHT check on them an hour later. In the meantime, they've chased down every other dog (and owner) walking by. And stomped around in my flower garden a good part of the time.

People may not think it's a big deal, but read this article. Not too funny, right?

My dog is not perfect. He occasionally runs after a deer, barks at the pizza delivery guy, or snarls at a stranger who get too close to me. Buddy was adopted from the Humane Society after spending years with someone who did not treat him well. Which also means he's got baggage. Combine that with his breed and you have a recipe for unpredictability.

That's why he's on a leash most of the time. At first, I felt bad about this. Border Collies need free space, a job, to run, etc. However, I've learned that he doesn't seem to mind his leash. He's just happy to be out with me. Which is a lot of the time. His leash reduces the possibility of conflict which makes every outing a happy one.

Why am I on this kick? Because I'm tired of other people allowing their dogs to charge full speed ahead at Buddy, get in his face, climb all over him, sniff his privates a little too well all the while calling out "don't worry, he, she, it is friendly." Especially when I've already asked my dog to sit off trail to wait for others to pass by. Even more so when I spot another dog acting aggressively and call out that my dog isn't always friendly. If I'm courteous to give a warning, can you be courteous and control your dog?

End of rant.

Not a duck

2011-07-30T16:46:00.009-06:00

Anymore. Oh yeah, I'm running too. It's been a long time coming. Fear maintained a good grip until a week ago. During an active release session, I pointed out what was tight or hurting and made a comment about the pain indicating more tearing. The doc looked at me strangely and walked me through a mini anatomy lesson. Turns out my brain has exaggerated the peroneal tendon to take up my entire foot, ankle and leg.

The doc knocked a finger at my head, told me I needed to work on the mental aspect of recovery, and explained overcompensation of other muscles, tendons and ligaments because my brain refuses to use the injured area. My prescription for the next two weeks was to begin the return to previous activity. Exciting right? Tell that to my freaked out, obsessive brain.

BUT, I followed the doc's (aka psychologist) orders and finally returned to a semi-hopeful outlook. The plan:

1) Gradually, build up my running. Right now, I'm at 40 minutes of a 2:2 ratio of walking/running.

2) Continue to build strength in my butt and hips so that I can run with my
feet straight. No more duck walk for this former dancer.

3) Run on non-consecutive days. Cross train instead. On my brand new road bike! Haven't named him? her? yet, but working on ideas.

For the formerly injured, were you freaked out by the return to running??? How'd you get over it?

Oh, and for the peroneal tendon tear people. Turns out, I had an avulsion tear. Right from the bone. Explains a lot. Recovery estimates with or without surgery is a year to 18 months. So, I'm pretty stoked to be doing as much as I am. For the person who asked about surgery...I'm happy I did NOT have the surgery only because of my RSD risk. However, if I did not have the family history of RSD (or had been clueless about its existence) I'd probably have gone under the knife. Why? Recovery could have been much faster.

Active Release

2011-06-09T19:40:00.009-06:00

More on this injury. If I have any readers left at all, I am so sorry for endlessly boring you with this crap. Someday, I hope to have more adventures to write about. For now, this is my own personal diary of what will hopefully become triumph over one tiny rebellious little tendon and its protector.

After three weeks of Active Release through this amazing place I have regained a huge range of movement in my ankle, my tendon is gliding through the groove again, I have absolutely no pain and very little swelling. I guess the pain I'd been experiencing for so long was scar tissue preventing the tendon from moving properly. All of the PT was creating extreme tightness and burning pain. Admittedly, I was terrified to have it worked on; paranoid that it would tear more or something.
Honestly, I have put myself entirely in the hands of Dr. Mark. No questions. I look forward to every visit because there is noticeable improvement each time. It's worth the drive. Old nagging hip and lower back pain is also relieved. For those of you who poo poo the chiropractor, I encourage you to give Active Release a try. Why?

So you can do the happy dance!

Which is exactly what I did post ART session while still in the office. And then I ran in place with a goofy grin. WooHoo!

Now I have to overcome my new fear of actually running...although I may start swimming since I'm starting to grow gills in all of this rain.

Perspective

2011-05-30T16:54:00.002-06:00

I've been wallowing in self-pity on and off again for the past 5 1/2 months. Not being able to consistently exercise in any way has been very hard. I've been walking, but it does not have the same stress management effect as a cardio burst. Which is why I was thankful for the perfectly timed Happy Trails pep talk! "It's ok to do only what I can do."

With that, I got on the dreaded stationary bike and did what I could do. Turns out, I got in a pretty good 30 minute intense (at least the current definition of it) workout. Adding my core work and an hour walk helped out a lot.

Another good step - Steve talked me into driving 90 miles to see an A.R.T. doc that he highly respects. The visit was sooo worth it. This guy explained more about my injury and lull in recovery than I had learned from an ortho surgeon, sports med doc, podiatrist and physical therapist all together. What these providers did not and may never get, is that it helps to give a patient information. Information like what exactly broke, why it's not feeling right, and what specifically they are doing to try and fix it.

I learned where the retinaculum is, where it tore based on the large amounts of scar tissue I've got, how the scar tissue works, why I need to work on the scar tissue before continuing physical therapy exercises, why my leg feels so tight I'm scared to move, and some possible biomechanical issues that might have caused it in the first place. Most of all, I was given a little bit of hope which goes an awful long way when you are sitting at 6 months post injury!

5 months

2011-05-16T18:08:00.004-06:00

I THINK my tendon is finally healing. But, then, I've thought that before. Two weeks ago I saw my sports medicine doc for the final time. When I said that this was the weirdest injury I've ever had, he looked at me with some concern and said, "It's not just weird, it's the worst kind you can have." WHAT? Then he said, "I hope I never led you to believe that the recovery was going to be quick and easy." Well, no, but I wasn't ready to hear "It's also very likely to happen again." I guess once you dislocate a tendon, it likes to visit its new place periodically. Oh well, I'm going to choose to hope for the best.

One thing is for sure, I was secretly thrilled that I got the OK to stop physical therapy. It's not that I hated going, I just felt like the last few appointments had not really been worthwhile. If anything, the appointments left me frustrated. Especially when I had to leave work to go. Once you've got a series of exercises, you can do them at home.

The second reason has to do with personal bubbles. We talk with students about bubbles a lot at school. I'm a person who does not like my bubble invaded by anyone, especially without warning. My therapist was a bit of a bubble breaker.

I do have some exciting news though. More to come...

Peroneal Tendon Update

2011-04-16T14:52:00.004-06:00

An update for those struggling with peroneal tendon issues... It's been 108 days since my last run. Next Wednesday, it will be 14 weeks. Things are looking up. I've been out of my ASO brace for almost two weeks. The "advanced" eccentric exercises seem to be helping the most. No pain, although I've still got a lot of swelling. The nice folks at Tread Lightly loaned me a pair of hot pink compression socks to try out. They are a little pricey - we'll see if they help with the swelling.

My workouts right now include 30-60 minutes of walking, 25 minutes of stationary bike, and 30 minutes of strength training every day. I can balance on my injured leg for 30 second intervals and made it to a minute last week. I've got three eccentric exercises that I do every other day because they really fatigue the tendon. On my non eccentric days, I get to "trot" (running reference but not toilet related) in place. My PT said she's "cautiously optimistic" about running and I may get to start pool running next week. Always hopeful!

Gear opinions

2011-03-28T20:19:00.007-06:00

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Blah, blah, blah. However, looking at a partial or full summer of no running is not without positives. Steve was once a backpacker, and has shown some interest in spending the summer camping and hiking. This has opened up a whole new world of gear - isn't that half the fun of sporting endeavors anyway? I've got backpacking and trail running gear already, but what I'm looking for is lightweight gear for long day hikes with possible big weather changes and the need to treat water.

Let me know your thoughts on the following:

Water purification - I've used the Aquamira but it's kind of a pain. Looking at the SteriPen with Iodine tablets as a backup... Shell - I want something reasonably inexpensive that is highly water and wind resistant. I get cold quickly when the temperatures drop. I've learned to carry layers, but would like this to help with warmth if needed. Anyone use the REI ultralight jacket?

Pack - I'd use my Nathan race vest all the time if I could, but I want a pack that has side bottle pockets. Not too many to choose from and I'm leaning toward this one by GoLite. Hoping REI has one in the store that I can put on. Some of the packs are just too big on me.

Any thoughts on trekking poles or other fun gear I haven't researched yet? Not that I necessarily need any of it, but it's fun right?

Looking for Motivation?

2011-03-20T12:25:00.008-06:00

Touches of spring have arrived from 50 degree sunny walks to glimpses of green in my flower garden. Buddy has taken up full time residence in the backyard. Our walks are getting longer and my physical therapy is progressing along. A slight set-back last week had me panicked but once "The Stick" became one of my closest friends things perked back up. While I'm grateful for all I AM doing - I won't lie - I really miss running and hiking. What's a girl to do? See below - videos taken from various sources. A bit of hope for the injured.

Forever Lost from Dave Chenault on Vimeo.

UltraRunning from Matt Hart on Vimeo.

Isn't this a running blog?

2011-03-13T11:14:00.003-06:00

Next week will be three months since my ankle went in a brace. It's the longest I've gone without a run since 2002. I've managed to avoid surgery so far, which is a very rare outcome with this uncommon injury.

Physical therapy still freaks me out a bit. I keep hearing "12 weeks for the retinaculum to repair itself, another 12 weeks for it to regain strength." I'm at 11 weeks and I don't like people - especially those holding an ultrasound probe - messing with my ankle bone. I'd rather listen to my body and follow its lead on what I'm ready to do.

And, it's proven ready to...

Walk 90 minutes at a time!

Walk some of that time on uneven ground.

Complete 30-40 minutes of strength and core work each day.

I've had no "pain" in the last 4 weeks. Some aching, mostly after icing. I do get some strange spasms of the tendon, which I hope will go away eventually.

The best part of an injury is learning what caused it. In this case, there's been lots of speculation. Primarily my stupidity in running snowy trails with a very weak body. We've also learned that my left glute/hip were basically not working, just going along for the ride. When I looked back on race pictures, sure enough, my left knee was falling in on every one. No running until that's fixed.

For now, I'm at least outside in our March sunshine with one very happy dog. Steve was also nice enough to buy me this for my new workouts.

Intense?

2011-02-23T18:37:00.003-07:00

Disclaimer: This post is going to be absolutely boring and unappealing to anyone other than those rehabilitating an injury or those who want to prevent one.

My first physical therapy appointment happened today, exactly 8 weeks from date of dislocation. I know the exact date because it's the most freakishly weird injury I've ever had. Google peroneal subluxation and you'll see why. I had specific instructions from the surgeon to pass on to the therapist. My hyper vigilant need to immediately share the exact information along with my extreme mental fear of the tendon viciously cracking against the bone must have made me look like a wild eyed crazy person. After our first hour, she kind of laughed and said "you are pretty intense!" I'm still trying to figure out if that is a good or bad thing.

2nd Disclaimer: It could also be that lack of sleep and intense fatigue from three very sad work related days have left me confused about date, time and the English language.

While I'm excited to be starting PT, I've got to say it was really hard. I have no strength left at all, but I learned a lot.

The first 20 minutes we just worked on standing correctly. Standing! I guess I stand on my heels which puts all stress on the peroneal tendons. My shoes also push my feet out adding to the problem. Combined with my genetically altered perching tendons -I was a predisposed waiting to happen mess. So, now I'm learning to stand straight with weight moved forward over the balls of my feet so my calves and the rest of me do some of the work.

Second, I got to do some ballet moves (tendu) with the weight centered over my injured foot. I worked on squaring my hips, pulling up from the center, and utilizing my entire foot and body to support my weight. ALL OF THIS I KNOW, but obviously have forgotten since becoming a lazy non-dancer. "Sigh" I used to be so disciplined. What happened?

Third, I'm doing isometrics to strengthen ankle support muscles. Pretty easy stuff, but it's so hard mentally. Some of the moves will replicate the exact moment of dislocation. Psychologically, I'm just not over it.

Absolutely no other exercise yet. In fact, I will start on an extreme core whole body strengthening program on Monday. Until I'm much stronger, I can't do anything else. We're rehabbing it just as if I'd had the surgery. She's confident I'll run again, but it could be another four months. Baby steps. At least I've got a plan. Remember? I'm good with plans.

Awesomeness

2011-02-21T09:45:00.004-07:00

This weekend, my friend Danni and others have been out in the Alaska wilderness running the Susitna 100. I'm fascinated by this race since I love running during winter conditions - and runners have to pull a sled with all their emergency supplies. Danni constantly impresses me with her bravery to try new things and her mental toughness. Can't wait to read her race report!

Bragging about my sister

2011-02-20T09:25:00.004-07:00

Check out my sister's new book! Educators, social workers, and anyone looking for ways to engage our youth will definitely find it interesting and worthwhile.

No surgery yet. This is the start of week 8. I'm walking better, have less pain, and start physical therapy on Wednesday. There's been no major crack/snap of the tendon, just the "normal to me" clicking. Not that clicking should be normal, but both my feet, ankles, knees, hips, etc. do it.
After watching Natalie Portman's feet in Black Swan, I totally understand why I'm falling apart.

I believe this almost two month period of time is the longest in my lifetime that I've gone without ANY sort of exercise. What amazes me the most about it is how much my body aches. Not the injury site, I expect pain there, but the rest of me. Some of that is from compensation, but some is just doing nothing. It's rather sad.

The results are in

2011-02-03T19:44:00.003-07:00

First of all, I've had a great experience with my orthopedic surgeon. Knowing I had to travel to see him, he agreed to call with the results of the MRI and discuss treatment options. My cell phone was at the ready for the past two days, with staff knowing to take over if needed. I was afraid if it went to voice mail, I'd never connect with the doc.

When the call came, the first thing he asked is if I was teaching, and if I needed to find someone to cover while he waited. How nice was that? He also took quite a bit of time to explain everything and answer my questions.

The recap - MRI shows "high signaling" in the area of the retinaculum (tissue that holds peroneals in place) and bone edema. Which means that I had a tear which has started healing on its own, explaining the lack of current dislocation. For now, we're going to continue treating it conservatively in hopes that it will repair itself completely. Dr. T would have still done surgery to suture it in place, but with a family history of nerve disease he wants to do surgery on me only as a last result. After two more weeks in a brace, I'll start PT. If during PT, no dislocation, we'll start to build back up to normal activity. If it dislocates again, we'll do surgery at that time. Even surgery won't be the end of the world after he explained the proces and rehab.

What impressed me most was the concern regarding my sister's surgery experiences and lifetime with RSD. That fact that he was aware of current research, and the risks it presented to me, was very reassuring. Even if I have to eventually go that route, I feel like I'm in good hands. Either way, it will be awhile before I get to run.

But, I'm ok. Knowledge is amazing when it comes to easing anxiety.

Surgeon Visit and MRI

2011-02-01T16:26:00.002-07:00

Yesterday, I braved nasty roads to meet with a foot and ankle specialist in Great Falls. Of course, the day of appointment, my tendon behaved nicely. It didn't matter what we threw at it, the sucker wouldn't budge. That's good news if I had a small tear and it's healing on its own. Not sure what it means if my MRI comes back with bad news. I'm starting to look at this whole ordeal as a lesson in science. A few interesting things...

My feet are abnormal. I've said this before. Now, it's been confirmed by two doctors and an orthotic specialist. According to the surgeon, my peroneal tendon sits "perched" on the outside of my ankle bone, rather than behind. Genetics determined this, not anything I've done along the way. This might have predisposed me to injury.

Surgeons are cutters. They like to cut. End of topic.

Insurance companies are difficult. I was told I could not have the MRI for a week and not until the surgeon's notes were reviewed. The next day I was told I didn't need a prior authorization, so had to drive all the way back up today for the MRI.

The MRI machine sounds almost like jazz. I tried to pick out the patterns and come up with musical arrangements as I waited.

Orthotics are expensive. I just put down a whole lot of money to be told that I probably don't need them. Then, I talk to the orthotic guy who tells me I'm going to be difficult to fit because my feet are strange. I badly overpronate with a small part of my foot but the rest of it supinates. Go figure.

Hopefully, I'll have the results tomorrow.

Also, to any local readers/friends, thank you for the support. The emails, calls, invites for coffee, flowers, food, volunteering to walk the dog, etc. are all very appreciated. Sometimes the not so good things remind me of how good I've really got it.

Peroneal Subluxation from running?

2011-01-26T13:58:00.004-07:00

We can now call this an official injury blog. I am currently cursing all the years of ballet and what I can now see as forced turn-out. I've made a mess out of my body and am now paying for it. Obviously, running like a duck has created even more of a problem. Just over a month ago, I felt a snap over the ankle bone. A few hours later, it did it again, and again, and again. Immediately, I got into my sports medicine doc who did some kind of ultrasound imaging. We all got to see the darn tendons slipping over each other. He couldn't get the tendon to go right over the bone, so recommended conservative treatment of RICE and a brace. It seemed so unstable that I put myself on crutches for two weeks. When I went back, they wanted me walking. Guess what? One week later, and the tendon is moving all over the place again. I'm all for conservative treatment, but all the research I've read on this beast points to surgical intervention.

Monday morning, I'm going to meet with a surgeon and hopefully have more of a plan. This plain and simply sucks. Not because I can't run, but because I can't walk my dog, clean the house, carry on my normal work routine. It sucks because I'll have to take time off from work, find a new dog walker (the one I'm using now just got a new job - happy for her, not for Bud), and find another way to deal with the increasing anxiety.

Oh, and I'm buying a road bike. As much as I love to run, I'm not sure it's worth the endless misery of injury. How's that for good cheer?

Gobble Gobble

2010-11-25T11:30:00.002-07:00

Buddy and I bagged the Turkey Trot to hit the snowy trails instead. After two days of below zero and lots of wind, Buddy deserved to have some fun outside. Fun we did have - especially since we were surprised with a heat wave of 16 degrees. Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

All of a sudden...

2010-11-20T12:20:00.002-07:00

...it's winter. I've forgotten how much harder it is to run through several inches of fresh snow. Bud and I ran a combination of trails and road for a couple hours and called it a day. At only 5 degrees, my water bottle froze - along with my face. Good workout though!

A Whole Lotta New

2010-10-22T19:05:00.004-06:00

After my marathon, Danni posted a comment suggesting the FIRST running program. I gave it some thought because she's right - I am truly injury prone. But, only running three workouts per week conflicts with something else; I'll get to that in a minute. Thankfully, the comment did get me motivated to try a variety of running alternatives to see what works for me. It's about time cuz I'm getting old! I've learned a lot and you can now consider me a convert to cross training.

What I tried: swimming laps, elliptical, stationary bike, mountain bike, yoga (gasp), ballet barre, strength training

What I learned: I really liked swimming, but I don't want to pay for a gym membership and the schedule didn't really work for me. The elliptical was ok but again - gym membership and I can't afford to buy one. Stationary bike...snooze. The ballet barre was of course familiar and I really wanted it to work, but it's too hard on my earlier in life injuries.

What worked: Mountain biking!!! It's sooo hard especially with the trails around here. I'm bruised and battered but love it so. I go by myself or Steve and Buddy hike while I learn to navigate the terrain. I'm getting the hang of uphill, but the downhill is scary-especially coming around the switchback curves.

The biggest surprise: YOGA! I'd taken classes in the past, but - this may sound very silly - I could not handle the breathy, annoying voices of the instructors and their endless commentary like "soften the eyes." What's that about anyway? However, I got lucky with my choice of purchased DVDs and can't get enough of it. In just two weeks, I can tell a big difference in muscle tone, strength and flexibility. My nagging Achilles and IT band soreness has really improved as well. I really like the power yoga, but am finding I also like PM yoga workouts which focus more on breathing and stretching. I still incorporate some free weights, single leg lunges, etc. but really the yoga takes care of a lot.

I'm also excited about another something new - the thing that conflicts with the FIRST running idea. Towards the end of summer, I was talking to a friend about women who run but feel too slow to join a running group. One thought led to another and pretty soon a women's running group was formed; one especially for new runners, those returning to running, and people who just want to get together, socialize in a healthy way and motivate each other. We've now been running twice a week for almost two months and I am completely blown away by how it's taken off. These women are working hard and they are getting faster! Mostly though, I just love listening to their conversations; realizing how important those two scheduled times have become. I love being a part of it and look forward to seeing people each week who inspire me.

So that's it. Like I said, a whole lotta new and a whole lotta fun!!!

Oh, how I've missed you

2010-10-09T14:55:00.003-06:00

Trails, that is. This week's return to trail running was just what Buddy and my achy knees were needing. Other than last weekend's Wolf Creek Relay (race report and pictures hopefully coming soon), I've taken a good break from running.

We took a tour of Mount Ascension for a total 6.5 miles. Soooo quiet. A perfect morning.

Isn't Buddy such a good poser?

A view from the top. Grrr...beetles.

Salmon Marathon

2010-09-22T19:04:00.004-06:00

I tried to write an actual race report, but I got bored in the process. So here's an all over the place version of the good and not so good.

THE GOOD

Our campground view
After being really sick the week before the race, I got a "go ahead, but use your head, good luck" message from the urgent care doctor. Steve, Bud and I took the camper on a beautiful journey through Montana and Idaho. We arrived to warm sunshine, huge campground discount and a nice reunion with former Kalispell running partners.

The race is one of the best. Very well organized. Lodging, packet pick-up, transportation to the start and the finish line all within about .2 miles of each other. Technical shirt - yes, bright lime green but I kinda like it.

You get transported to the start where a one room school house is open to keep runners warm. Plus, your extra belongings are transported back to the finish line for you. The race started on time. We ran a winding gravel road with great views of the mountains. Absolutely beautiful for sure. Aid stations every couple of miles with Heed and water. Plenty of port-o-potties at start and along the way.

I got to run the first miles of the race with Deb. That was fun and she provided motivation. The first half was GREAT. More good? My mix of Hammer Heed and Sustained Energy. The just remembered Gu Roctane taken at mile 23. The guy at mile 25.5 cheering me on like I've never experienced before. Despite the immense pain, he totally cracked me up.

Re-grouping to run again the last couple of miles.

Not puking. (See the not so good section)

Seeing Steve and Buddy cheering me in.

Becoming a Salmon Marathon finisher.

No blisters.

Danni and Mary Ann placing in their age groups!

Beer at the finish.

THE NOT SO GOOD

The out and back section shortly after mile 13. It was a long uphill section that never seemed to end. I was still feeling ok at this point, but it was kind of uninspiring compared to the rest of the course.

The sudden stabbing collapse of knee pain at mile 18. Where in the heck did that come from? A short walk and some stretching helped, as did a change in gait that made me run like Frankenstein for the next few miles.

Excruciating sore throat from mile 20 on. Drinking too much water to alleviate throat pain. Eventual nausea from drinking all the water.

Mixed feelings about my time of 4:51. I know I could have done better, and I definitely learned some lessons for next time. Like don't surround yourself with 600 little walking germ factories two weeks before a race.

Feeling really hungry for the burger I ordered at the post race dinner, and not being able to enjoy it because of the searing pain with each swallow.

WHAT I LEARNED

I'm definitely ready for something other than Hal Higdon's novice plan. I should have done a couple more long runs. The tempo runs I added have helped. Many of my miles were under a 10:30 pace. It was the major walking I did between 21 and 24 that hurt me. When I say major walking, I mean down to about a 14 minute pace.

Very good decision to return to my Asics. Drymax socks really are the best.

It's a personal decision to run a marathon when sick. I don't think I did any lasting damage, but my crud hasn't gone away. Despite quad pain and stiffness immediately following the race, my body feels normal except for a lingering, constant fatigue; kind of like you get with a flu. Was it worth it? I'd have to say yes, just because it was a fabulous race.

Last - did I mention the absolutely cool finisher's salmon medal? Normally, I don't know what to do with the thing, but this one is hanging in my office. Yes, it's that awesome. I'll have to try and get a close up of it.

Next up? The Wolf Creek Relay next week!!!

Sick!

2010-09-12T16:48:00.002-06:00

Yep, day three of a virus that has knocked me out pretty good. What started as a scratchy throat turned into major sore throat, fever, and being oh so tired. After work on Friday, I immediately went to bed and stayed there until Saturday evening. I was supposed to run with Rebecca, who was doing her "unofficial" one person marathon today. That didn't happen. Instead, Buddy and I hiked up to meet her to at least cheer her on. My brother-in-law reassures me that all will be ok even without my final 8 miler.

Although I am worried about being sick and Saturday's marathon, it was a good opportunity to spend five hours on my Career Development Plan. Sometimes I wonder...instead of spending time writing down what we hope to do in our job, what we are required to do in our job, what we are doing for professional service outside of our job but for our job, maybe we could just DO our job?

Busy week ahead. See you after the marathon!

Taper

2010-09-06T10:52:00.003-06:00

I've hit most of my planned runs despite a busy back to school work schedule. At first, I was disappointed that my marathon taper hit right at a three day weekend (my usual holiday plan is lots of long trail runs). My second thought was oooooh - rest! Rest I did.

Before that, I needed to complete my last semi-long run of 12 miles. Friday night, I received a phone call from one of Rebecca's friends and we planned to meet up for 5 miles of trail. Fun getting to know someone new! I combined this with 7 miles of road running, then slept for THREE HOURS! Guess I was tired.

Sunday, Buddy and I enjoyed the cooler temps with a four mile tempo run. One mile of warm-up followed by four miles of faster fun. The rest of the weekend? Sleep, food, good books, a new running magazine and lots of walking with Buddy.

I am catching glimpses of the runner I possibly could be if I were more dedicated to a training plan. Long strings of easy 10 minute miles have become normal, and during my faster 3-5 milers I see mile splits of 8:30's and 8:40's. This concerns me a bit for the marathon. Since I have no prediction for this race, I really hope not to go out too fast and then blow up. But, what is too fast? How does one know? Do I mimic my long runs? Or is that too conservative? I guess that's part of the game. To gamble or not to gamble? We'll see...

Marathon Fueling and Low Blood Sugar

2010-08-29T15:05:00.013-06:00

Warning: This is for anyone out there who has diabetes, hypoglycemia or reactive hypoglycemia. All others, you may be bored.

Since having a few fainting episodes this year, the doctor wisely suggested adding protein to every snack and meal to prevent blood sugar issues. My body has trouble processing sugar at all, and will "crash" a few hours after a meal or after taking in sugar or starch. It will start with trembling, and quickly move to the shakes, disorientation, sweating, blurred vision and eventually fainting. I'm trying to learn to eat something, usually a high fiber carb along with a protein source, about every 2-3 hours. And, eliminate my daily coffee which has become a bigger battle. :(

For long runs, I've normally focused on eating before I leave, and taking in gels or sports drink. But, depending on the day, what I've eaten the week before, stress level, sleep level, etc. it's turned into a crap shoot. For this marathon, I'd like to test myself a little rather than just plodding through to ward off the monster. The solution? Hammer Nutrition to the rescue!

For the record, I have used Hammer Perpetuem. It helped me survive Swan Crest, but I absolutely can't take the sight, smell or taste of it since. Personal issue only. So Brad, a rep from Hammer, suggested Sustained Energy as an alternative. He was also nice enough to send me a whole lot of free samples to try! I'm so glad he did because I have found my solution.

For me, based on my weight and how much I can tolerate (I've learned that 100-150 calories is all I can handle per hour - unlike friends who can do as much as 300 per hour. I've also learned that the calories should be spread out.), I make a mixture of unflavored Sustained Energy and Heed to give me a little over 100 calories per hour. For my 20 mile run yesterday, I mixed two scoops of each with water in a 10 oz. Nathan bottle. This gave me a total of over 400 calories in one nice little container. No mess, no litter, no cramming gels, bars, etc. in a pack.

I set my Garmin to alert me at every mile where I'd take a long swig from my mix. It worked PERFECTLY! I was never hungry. My energy stayed the same throughout the entire run, and I had no post run hangover. Of course, I also had water in a separate bottle. At 10 miles, as I dropped Buddy off at home, I took a Huckleberry gel just for a change in taste. Yummy. I also took 3 Saltsticks during the run - I plan to try Hammer Endurolytes in the future, but will wait until after my marathon to switch that up. Saltsticks seem to do the trick for now.

My favorites for this upcoming race:

Even when mixed thick, this went down easy. I actually looked forward to taking it. Very mild flavor when mixed with the Melon Heed.

Melon is my favorite flavor.

I love that you can buy gel in a bottle to put in a flask, instead of dealing with the once opened gooey packages and litter.

It's not the Nathan Sprint set up I love - it's the race cap. Especially for the SE and Heed mix. I didn't have to worry about getting the darn cap sealed.

And I love, love, love the Nathan Trail Mix belt. Light weight, bottles easy to get in and out, adjustable elastic band, and the pocket has enough room for my cell phone and a couple of just in case gels.

Taper time!

The marathon is a beastly thing -

2010-08-15T14:06:00.007-06:00

But also kind of fun. I'm signed up for this marathon. I've only run a couple marathons several years ago and both took me over 5 hours. Lately, there's been a definite obsession with running roads. Could it be my fancy new shoes? :)

Or, maybe the growing desire to run fast?(er?) *For the record, however, I am still not committed to making myself hurt too badly to make this happen.*

I've no idea how to train for this kind of thing, so I need some help from you. I get that there are easy days, faster days and the long run. Resources say the LSR should be done 30 - 90 seconds slower than marathon pace. What does that mean for those of us who have no idea what marathon pace should be? Most of my shorter (3-6 miles) runs are done at a 9:45 - 10:00 average. Some faster, but usually not on purpose.

Yesterday, I did an 18 miler and ended up with an 11:00 per mile average pace. Eight of the middle miles were at an exact 10:04 with a couple more oops too fast 9:40's . Five of the miles were above a 12:00 per mile pace due to a couple very lengthy (as in a couple miles long), steady climbs. It's pretty hard to find a flat course here unless I went to the valley, but I prefer the South Hills view. For the most part, I felt great despite the last three miles into a direct headwind. I do admit that my legs suddenly wanted to shut down during the last half mile.

My questions for you:

1) Did I go too fast? Should I slow down my long runs?

2) Did I bonk the last mile due to going too fast or nutrition? (I took 3 gels, 2 Saltstick and water)

3) Should a person feel like she can keep going at the end of the long run?

4) How do I predict a doable pace for the marathon? I'd like to actually TRY in this one, but not make myself puke.

5) Also, if anyone is diabetic or has blood sugar issues AND runs marathons, what do you use for nutrition? I've got to be careful with the gel and sports drink because of sugar, but I also need calories. I tried Hammer Perpetuem, but the color, taste and smell make it impossible.

Thanks all!

Blogging

2010-08-01T18:19:00.002-06:00

Sorry to the readers of this blog. Life has been exciting, busy, and I'm finding myself completely without time or even interest to write anything. I'm taking a break from blogging. Not dismantling the blog permanently - yet. Maybe there will be a renewed interest later. But, before I leave, there were a few emails about Swan Crest.

* Yes, the 100 mile race went on and was, I think, a success. 20 out of 44 runners finished. Steve, Rebecca, Mike and I helped out at the Six Mile Aid Station. Steve and I left in a rush Thursday afternoon. I'd been teaching summer school and hadn't had time to properly prepare. In a panic, I had to call Rebecca to bring warm clothes and flashlights.

Seven people with heavy packs hiked up 3 miles to the aid station, filling MSR bags with creek water along the way. At various times, hardy volunteers hiked back down a half mile to refill the bags and hike them back up. After my second trip with two bags of water, I felt like a major wimp, thinking I was going to pass out. I didn't feel as bad, after one of the race directors carried up the same amount, saying "this totally sucks." The runners, both those that continued on at our mile 46.3 aid station and those who dropped, were completely amazing and motivating. At 11:30 pm, the last runner came through. We cleaned up camp in the dark, and hiked everything and everyone out, finishing up around 2 am. Steve and I slept hard, then drove the supplies to the finish line. We then spent the remainder of our time reading and sleeping. I skipped the 18 mile run and rescheduled it for next weekend due to general fatigue and a sore body. I do hope the race directors continue to put this one on. With a few tweaks, it will be awesome.

Enjoy the summer!

Summer Travels

2010-06-27T11:55:00.006-06:00

The start of summer brought some worry about how I was going to spend my free time. Never having been a public school employee before, I was a bit wired about summers off. No need to worry, the summer is BOOKED! First up was a week in Bozeman for a school conference. Steve and Buddy joined me and we camped at a beautiful spot in Hyalite Canyon. We saw so many gorgeous places and I kept forgetting the camera.

Due to my conference and limited time, I had to deal with morning road runs. Buddy and I got up early to get 4 miles in each morning. Easy to do when you are in a heavenly place.

As we were setting up for a campfire one night, we noticed black clouds rolling in. The thunder and rain continued throughout the night. It was kind of soothing and I slept well, but others obviously did not. When Buddy and I left for our morning run, campers emerged wet and tired, and started packing it up. Too bad, because they missed out on a spectacular, full of sunshine day!

Buddy and I took advantage of it and ran an old and very muddy logging road as the last of the clouds disappeared. It curved up and around eventually overlooking (from 6700 feet up) our campsite area.

No wildlife, but I did bring bear spray. Lots of tracks though.

On the return trip we followed the creek back to our campsite.

We debated staying another day, but Steve was suffering from a pretty nasty head cold, so we came home to prepare for the next adventure. My marathon schedule called for 13 miles (no, I still haven't decided which marathon, but aiming for one in September). Buddy and I left the house a little after 6 am to escape the blazing sun. Even so, it was getting warm as we reached the top of Mt. Ascension. Bud took some breaks in the shade, but was a stubborn bugger, refusing to drink any water.

We both admired the varieties of wild flowers.

And other little critters out there.

Steve was nice enough to come and rescue Bud at mile 6. It was just too hot for him. My run continued under cloudless sky and 75 degrees. Despite my sunscreen, I felt like I was being slowly fried. The views were stunning though, which kept my mind occupied until I finally reached mile 13 and walked the rest of the way home.

I can tell the core and back work is making a difference. Even on the hard days, I feel much stronger. Hopefully, that will motivate me to continue and not return to being the lazy slug I like to be.

A couple days here, and then I'm off to North Dakota for the home town reunion. It will be nice to see the family, but I'm not a fan of these kind of things. Gossip, drinking and street dances oh my! At least there will be some early morning prairie runs to keep me smiling.

Oh, and before I forget, send some good thoughts the way of Rebecca - on her way to completing her first Ironman!!!

Ridge Run

2010-06-19T15:18:00.006-06:00

In all the time I've spent in the Helena area, I'd never completed the entire Mt. Helena Ridge Trail. A few friends and dog, Yuri, were going to hike it one way, so I joined their shuttle up to the Park City Trailhead. The first 1.5 miles were spent catching up and admiring the scenery and the first blue sky we've seen in awhile. It was hard to start running and leave the company behind.

Once I got going though, it was all smiles and sweet singletrack. Some areas were shady, but I was glad I left Buddy at home. With his abundance of fur, he would not have been very comfortable.

The actual Ridge trail is only about 6 miles long. It's all runnable, with only a few short climbs along the way. I wanted to get in 11 miles today, with some climbing. Once back to Mt. Helena, I descended a fun, fast McKelvy Trail, only to climb, climb, climb straight back up on the Hanging Draw and Prospect Shafts trails to the top. I made a short out and back to check the girls' progress, then got to do a screaming 1.5 downhill to the main parking lot.

I did much better today with fueling. The combination of Gu, Shot Roks, Luna bars and Nuun seemed to work. I definitely need protein for long runs, otherwise, I'm shaking like a leaf on the way to a major crash. Once again, an absolutely beautiful day!!!!

Tread Lightly

2010-06-16T14:28:00.002-06:00

Since I've got extra time on my hands (meaning SUMMER VACATION!!!!), I visited a new running store "Tread Lightly." I'd been in once before to buy a running leash

and then ended up injured. Now that I'm running again - more on that later - I wanted to check out the rest of the store. Lots of fun stuff, including hydration belts, cute clothes, Gu and Hammer products, and a whole lotta shoes including my much loved Brooks Cascadias. Be sure to check it out when you're in Helena at 104 East Broadway.

Trip to the Flathead

2010-06-14T17:15:00.008-06:00

First of all, Happy Birthday Buddy! The picture is from his 5th birthday and 1st anniversary with us. Such a good camping dog.

The last three weeks of the school year flew by in a whirlwind of activity. During that time, I did start running again, much to the dismay of my physical therapist. Thankful I had started again though, so I could join my old running group GGRRC for the one year anniversary of our friend Tom's awful grizzly encounter. We ran the same trail, listening to Tom's memories of that day. And, yes, we had bear spray with us. As you can see below, the day started out chilly. Across the road, we got to see a large moose in the creek. After a few of us taking pre-run pit stops, I looked up to see a large black bear right in our path. I need to sound more panicky in times like this, because my couple announcements of "Bear." "Bear." didn't seem to do the trick. But, there he was!
We chased him off the trail and continued on our way. Below is Tom telling his story.
And, Danni, reciting the Ode to Tom's Bear, that she and Ted created. Wish I had it videotaped, because it was dang funny.There were several people on the trail as we made our way to Avalanche Lake. They'd cheer us on making at least me feel like a rock star!As you can see, it was a beautiful sunny day!

I did bonk a little on the return trip. Danni was nice enough to give me some Clif Shot Roks that did the trick. As we made our way back to the car, we stopped suddenly as Deb and Tom yelled out. A SECOND black bear - right on the trail! Nice to be with a big group, so we could admire and continue on.

All in all, a perfect day on the trail.

Dog Drama

2010-05-29T12:03:00.003-06:00

Today is the one year anniversary of meeting Buddy. I remember being so upset because Steve wanted a black lab, and the one he chose at the Humane Society was crazy. He wouldn't listen at all, pulling so hard on the leash that I went flying, hitting the ground hard. Steve kept insisting, "See, he's alright" while being towed across the yard. There was no way I was bringing that one home, especially when I wanted to be able to run WITH my dog - not dragged behind. Steve finally agreed, and we decided to go back and see Buddy.

On our first walk through, he had been the only dog to stand up and greet us in a non-maniacal way. He'd tilt his head in that inquisitive way, and just look at us. No barking, no jumping, just curiosity. When they brought him outside for us to meet, he danced around so happily and then settled into my lap. He won my heart instantly. Unfortunately, we couldn't move into our newly bought home for two weeks and could not have dogs at our condo. The lovely ladies at the Humane Society were kind enough to board him for that time. I'd visit him every day for a couple hours while we waited impatiently to bring him home. Yes, we went through a difficult transition while Buddy adapted to his new life. After years of abuse and neglect, he was afraid of everything. He was also extremely anxious and hated when we would leave him alone. We spent a lot of money repairing damages done to our home, but it was well worth it.

Now, it's been one year. Buddy no longer destroys things. He can be left alone in the house while I'm at work with no problems. He watches from our big picture window and waits until the car pulls into the drive, when he knows I'm home and we'll go on another adventure. Buddy has learned to run next to me and not to pull on the leash. He watches over me when Steve is gone, and just brings a lot of love to our family.

This morning, looking forward to a long weekend and some hiking in the rain, we drove to one of our favorite trailheads. There was a light rain and snowflakes and absolutely no wind. As usual, I let him off leash once down the trail. Buddy trotted along, sniffing everything and marking his territory. He'd watch the squirrels and rabbits, but stayed close. That is, until out of nowhere, three deer stood up from where they'd been snuggling in the grass. Buddy took off after them, which he does from time to time. I kept on hiking, knowing he'd come back after 5-10 minutes.

Time went on with no Buddy. After 20 minutes, I started to worry. After 40 minutes, I was in a panic. Calling for him, whistling for him, I hiked the same trail several times. Every once in awhile, I'd hear a bark that I thought was Buddy. That made me panic even more, because Buddy ALWAYS comes back to find me. I was worried that he was hurt or trapped and I couldn't get to him. The terrain was impossible to search off trail because it was so steep and I didn't want to get lost as well. It was 35 degrees out and still raining. I hiked back to the car, drove home to see if he found his way there. No sign of Buddy. Driving back, I was a mess. Our one year anniversary, and I'd lost my dog. Every possible bad scenario went through my head. How was I going to tell Steve?

Parking at the trailhead, I collected my things so I could do a long search if necessary. And there, on the trail, stood Buddy. I called for him, and he seemed so uncertain. Finally, he came running, and I noticed there were large branches stuck to his backside. Buddy launched himself at me, shivering uncontrollably, obviously scared and cold. He was limping a bit, but I couldn't see any blood. There was so much debris stuck in his fur and tail that he couldn't really sit down. I tried to get some of it out, but it was impossible. We drove home, and I dried him off. It took a pair of scissors and lots of patience to cut out every last bit of debris. He also had dried debris in and around his mouth. I can only guess that he must have gotten stuck somewhere and had to pull and chew is way out. After the ordeal, he his sticking like glue and we are both really tired. We had one lucky anniversary.

Another update

2010-05-27T18:41:00.002-06:00

Still not running much. I've tried A.R.T. with little results and now started physical therapy. My last go around with PT was a joke, but I was impressed with the person I saw this week. Lots of assessments, measurements, gait analysis, etc. One thing we know right off is that my lower abs and glutes are very weak. Regardless of the cause of this injury, at least I've got something to work on. My gait seems ok too and I've got good strength and flexibility overall. No major pronation issues.

I've got some SI joint problems, and that is one area that is really tight. We still can't tell for sure where the pain in my hip crease is coming from. It's worse when pulling my knee up to my chest and during the "through" movement of my gait. Next week, I'll go in for an diagnostic ultrasound to see if there's an impingement. This could either be from inflammation or something within the joint such as cartilage. I'm REALLY hoping this is not the case, but deep down fear that it is. After years of ballet wear and tear, I wouldn't at all be surprised if there's loose cartilage in there. If so, surgery will probably be on the schedule. Hoping not.

On a more cheerful running related note, I got a package from Zombie runner today! After weighing all the pros and cons, I got the Nathan Trail Mix waist pack. It's got two 10 oz bottles, one for me and one for Bud. It does have a buckle instead of velcro closure, but because the belt is elastic and wide, it stays in place really well. The pocket is really big and will fit quite a bit. I'll post pictures and further review once I really get to use it.

Hope you all are getting to run!

Update

2010-05-10T19:52:00.002-06:00

Once again, not running. Ever since the ankle sprain of January 2009, I've been plagued with annoyance injuries. I finally could not run due to the pain and took the week off. I increased my stretching, also adding ballet and strengthening exercises (yes, I know - should have been done a long time ago). The pain has since subsided, and I can walk the dog again. However, the area is still inflamed and tense, so I went to see the orthopedic doc, primarily to rule out a fracture before continuing with a secret plan of action. All the x-rays looked great. The recommendation was physical therapy, but no luck getting in within the month. I wasn't too sad about that as I HATE paying money to lay on a hot blanket with electrodes hooked to me. Plan B (or A in my head) was a local chiropractor who does Active Release. I'm a huge believer in A.R.T. since it's helped my piriformis and achilles in the past. Plus, I got in right away.

OMG, sweet heaven and hell combined. So absolutely painful, but what a difference! He had me walk and jog on the treadmill first to check my gait. As I already knew, there was a whole lot of awkward stiffness on my right side. I've got some major quad issues going on that's also impacting my hip and lower back. After an hour of treatment, I had much more mobility. I'm going back Wednesday and Friday in the hopes that progress will continue. I've also got an arsenal of new exercises to add several times per week. Keep your fingers crossed!

Waist pack opinions?

2010-05-01T21:46:00.004-06:00

I'm looking for a waist pack that has two 10 - 12 oz. bottles for shorter runs. I like to drink Nuun, but Buddy won't touch it, so I need another bottle for plain water. Some of the choices I'm considering are the Fuel Belt H20 model, the Amphipod Run Lite Trail Runner (scroll down page to see it) and the Nathan Speed 2. It would be nice if the pack had a small pocket or pouch for keys and cell phone. If you've had experience with any of these, please leave a comment regarding fit, if the bottles leak, if you can add bottles if needed, pros/cons, etc. Thanks!

When all else fails...

2010-04-29T19:39:00.002-06:00

Ouch. Last week's hip ache has been more clearly identified as a quad strain. I've continued to run because it actually hurts less than walking. With a border collie, I've still got to do one or the other twice a day; rest is not an option. A couple night's ago, I finally just got out the rolling pin. It's rarely used as I'm not a baker, so I didn't feel the least bit guilty using it for rehab purposes. Painful, but it seems to be helping. Currently, we're in the middle of yet another snowstorm. I'm very over winter. It's going to be fun delivering May baskets tomorrow with first graders in 30 degree temps, snow and ice. Happy May Day!

Still Sore

2010-04-25T12:08:00.002-06:00

Thanks everyone for the helpful comments and emails this week. I've got to get me a foam roller.

When Buddy and I left the house yesterday morning, the plan was to run 8 miles on trails. Unfortunately, the bugger of a hip flexor continues to cause me discomfort. After running through pain with previous injuries - I knew enough to STOP. Instead of running, we hiked up to Mt. Ascension, watching the trail running group go by with envy.

**PLUG-DON'T FENCE ME IN is coming up on May 8th!!!**

It was a beautiful morning though and we enjoyed our trip up. The hiking must have stretched out my hip because I was having no pain. I changed plans and headed down the other side and added on a 5 mile run. Afterwards, Steve and I bought and planted a few more annuals and perennials for the front yard. We are waiting impatiently to see what comes up for our first Spring in the new home!

Long Run Thoughts?

2010-04-23T19:18:00.002-06:00

Last weekend, we tried out our new camper in Missoula, which allowed me to do a 15 mile run in the Rattlesnake Wilderness Area. I've often wondered about the variations of advice regarding long run pace. Most of the time, I just meander along, not paying much attention to time. On trails, I am SLLLOOOWWW, especially if there are a lot of climbs. This could be that I'm often just plain lazy and don't really try to make an effort.

The trails in the Rattlesnake vary from rolling to steep. I wanted to TRY and keep my average pace around 11 min/mile, running everything I possibly could. The plan was to go really easy with a few miles at a faster pace in the middle. Somehow, motivation kicked in, and six of the fifteen miles were at a 9:30-9:40 pace, with the rest all over the place depending on how steep the sections were. At the end of the run, my average pace was 10:58!!! It was fun and not quite as painful as I expected.

However, the down side was a lot of soreness the next day, especially in my hip flexors. My questions is - do most of you experience this the day after a long run or do you make your long runs really slow and have a faster, easier recovery? Either way, I got to run here...
As for the camping, it was fun. Buddy wasn't quite sure what to think. In fact, he kept me awake until 3am trying to decide if it was safet to sleep. And, of course, he claimed the bed.

Gotta love this dog though. It's been too hot in the afternoon for him to run, at least until he sheds the winter coat. We've adapted with Buddy jumping on the bed at 5:45 am to run while watching the sun rise over the mountains. Only for my dog!

Saved by Gu Roctane

2010-04-10T18:05:00.006-06:00

In the past couple of weeks, I've run almost 60 miles of trails. It was unintentional and a whole lotta fun. Today's plan was for a 10 mile long run on favorite Mt. Helena trails. Of course, Buddy decided he wanted to come too, even after one of his histrionic "please don't leave me" episodes hurt his hip. Change in plans. Buddy joined me for the first few on gravel road, not even whimpering when Steve picked him up. He's a tired and sore pup!

Off I set to see sunshine and good views. I hadn't seen the north side of Mt. Helena in awhile, and with the beetle infested tree removal, the landscape looked way different. Still beautiful now that you can see the green trees, but no more of the shady escape as before.

View from Ambrose Trail

Maybe all the previous miles added up, but by the time I started the first climb up to the saddle, I was dead legs and no pep. My average pace quickly slowed. The additional miles weren't needed but I decided to see what would happen with some experimentation. In went a Saltstick, a mini Luna bar and water. Powering up, I did ATTEMPT to run the switchbacks, but it was more like a crawl. Once I reached the saddle at 9 miles, I remembered the coveted pineapple Gu Roctane.

Me bonking

Wowza! That stuff worked like a charm, and I was back in the game. The ridge was beckoning with views of snow capped mountains in every direction. It was cold though when exposed to the wind.
My planned ten turned into more as I discovered a new trail that had to be explored. Unfortunately, I couldn't find my way back the way I intended, so had to do an extra mile on road before I found the car. 14 miles total - 11 of which were on trail!!!!

The new header picture is a happy me celebrating the first long trail run in OVER A YEAR! No Achilles or ankle pain the entire way. Can we say bring on Elkhorn?

TRAILS!

2010-03-30T11:28:00.003-06:00

During my 10 days off with respiratory crud, the trails dried out enough to make them runnable, just in time for my Spring Break. Over the weekend we did some hiking in the Rattlesnake and some shopping at REI. Buddy and I then spent the next two days enjoying warm temps and sunshine on TRAILS!!! This is all it took to get me out of the "road running" mindset. Instead of thinking about a marathon, I've been thinking about Elkhorn and getting even with what I call the nauseous miles 5-15.

To my surprise, this is what we woke up to this morning...

Oh well, we went with it and hiked for an hour in the snow. Buddy loved it after being so hot the last few days. He's still got his winter coat that is gradually adhering itself to everything in our house. We've got some longer runs planned for this week to try out some new stuff.

Spring Fever

2010-03-24T17:49:00.003-06:00

Along with sore throat, swollen glands and body aches. No running since last Thursday except for the brief walk/run Buddy and I tried today. Starting to feel better except for the achy joints.

I've not registered for the marathon yet due to a potential work conflict. The race is on Saturday of Labor Day weekend and registration is the day before. I'd have to take a least part of Friday off to make it work, BUT my request for personal leave the day before a long weekend might not be granted. Any ideas for an alternative marathon in September in Montana, Idaho or Washington?

Taking the Plunge

2010-03-20T14:26:00.005-06:00

Into marathon training! I'm an undisciplined runner by choice, but a return to road running as I recovered from injuries has led to a curiosity of what my body and mind might be capable of doing. As much as I love trail running, it's going to take a very gradual return to hills so not to re-stress my Achilles. With that, I've decided to tackle the roads and take on the Pocatello Marathon this fall. In between, I've picked out the Lewis and Clark half marathon and a few other shorter road races for some fun speed training.

Note the word fun next to speed training. I've never been a fan of it. But, this week I tried my training plan's first speed workout and it was indeed fun. One mile warm-up, followed by 6 quarter mile repeats with 2 minute walks in between, and a one mile cool down. Each quarter mile repeat was supposed to be between 2:00 and 2:15. The first one was a bit fast (1:50), but I hit 2:00 directly for the next five. It might have been easier to go to a track. All I've got right now are trail shoes, so instead I ran a flat trail that had areas of ice, snow and mud.

Today was supposed to be the first long run since Snowjoke, but I left work yesterday with a horrible sore throat, headache, and chills. I'm putting it off until tomorrow in hopes that I feel better. If not, I'll wait a week. It's asthma season and history has proven that any cold can easily turn into bronchitis or pneumonia. I'd like to avoid a long illness and more drugs. Bummer in timing because I'm sooo excited to get this training started!!!

ECG and Cardiologist Visit

2010-03-10T13:35:00.003-07:00

On a walk with Buddy Monday morning, I blacked out. The ground was soft and no damage was done except that Buddy could not figure out why his walk was interrupted. This had happened before, many times during the past 12 years in fact, along with other strange symptoms like sweating profusely, feeling cold and clammy, getting short of breath, fatigue, flutter in my chest. I'd also experienced the blackness closing in feeling almost weekly for awhile without actually fainting. Yes, I've been to the doctor many times and all had suggested asthma issues, low blood sugar, not enough calories, etc.

For the first time ever, my nurse practioner ordered an ECG, or EKG, depending on your language choice. During the quick and painless procedure, I could tell immediately that something wasn't right. It seemed that panic kind of took hold of everyone - I was told that my ECG was "very abnormal" and that I needed to see a cardiologist immediately. Additional tests were also ordered, and I had to endure the lab techs asking if this was a "stat" procedure. I guess they thought I was having a heart attack at that moment. Although I asked several questions, I couldn't get any answers except "wait for the cardiologist." (Insert rather embarassingly large breakdown by me at the very thought that I might not be able to run).

Here's the kicker: my cardiologist informed me that I have the heart of an athlete, very healthy. WooHoo! However, along with this efficient heart, I've got low blood pressure. I have an abnormal reflex, called Neurocardiogenic Syncope or Vasovagal Syncope. It results in a big drop in blood pressure leading to a decrease in blood flow (and thus oxygen) to the brain. This happens in some people when they are exposed to triggers such as blood, injury, needles in the arm, etc. In others, it just happens, possibly due to genetics. And, when it happens a lot, a person can become very fatigued.

Treatment? I chose to learn to deal with it naturally, rather than taking risky medications. Running is good for me, along with drinking a whole lot of water -as in more than 3 liters a day. The other recommendation is to add some salty snacks, (again woohoo since I'm always craving salty things) and to add electrolytes to my water. I do need to lay off the caffeine, which is a bummer, so I'll be switching to decaf coffee. Managing stress at my job would also be helpful, or at least sitting down once in awhile to let my body self regulate. There are a few other things to learn and be worked out, but after the events of the past 48 hours, I am relieved. It is also nice to finally know and understand what's been going on with me for so long. I look forward to many more years of running!

Yak Trax Customer Service

2010-03-03T18:10:00.008-07:00

There's nothing better than good customer service. Today, I enjoyed a surprise visit from our friendly UPS man carrying a box filled with brand new pairs of Yak Trax and lots of Hotties toe and hand warmers (favorites of mine)! Along with it, a nice note from Whitney apologizing for the early demise of my last pair of Yak Trax and explaining the changes made to the new ones to make them stronger. Yes, it's true, who doesn't like free stuff? But, it's especially fun to get free stuff when it's something you really need and like. As I've said before, my first pair lasted over two years, a ridiculously long time considering our winters. It's a bummer the second and third pair did not, but I'm excited to give them another try. Maybe this package will bring a little snow love my way?

Also, my official time for Snow Joke was 2:15 something. I must have had the autopause on or something since my Garmin said 2:11. Oh well, it was still a fun time and now I'll have new goals!

I was pretty sore the day after, so took a couple days off to just walk and hike. I walk/ran yesterday, then Rebecca and I took the dogs for a 4 miler today. Felt pretty good. Hope all of you are surviving this insane full moon cycle. For me, it's just made me think the mental health/moon connection is true.

Snow Joke

2010-02-28T16:05:00.004-07:00

On Saturday, Rebecca, Eby and I drove up to Seeley Lake for the annual Snow Joke Half Marathon. This is one of the area races that allows dogs. Buddy would have loved the chaos, but 13.1 miles would have been too much for him.

The course is 13.1 miles of paved roads around the lake. I've heard that in the past, the roads have been snow packed and icy. Due to the recent warm temperatures though, the roads were mostly clear. The forecast had called for rain, but the day brought dry conditions and temps in the upper 30's. Upon arrival, we were surprised to see a line of people out into the parking lot waiting to register. The start of the race was delayed almost 30 minutes to accomodate the volume of people who showed up. It was nice to use that time to meet and greet friends from both Kalispell and Helena. Below you can see Eby and Bug readying themselves for the race.

As I've mentioned before, I don't race much. I've done two half marathons in my lifetime, one as part of a weekend excursion with friends while living in DC (2005 Virginia Beach Rock n' Roll Half in 2:25:09) and Bozeman's Lewis and Clark Half, but I can't remember which year or my time. I didn't really know what to expect for this one, since I've only been running with consistency since November, and since my long runs have been quite slow. My primary goal was to beat the known 2:25. My other goal was to run the entire thing with zero walk breaks.

Once we set off, I let Rebecca and Eby go, assuming Eby would want to catch up to other dogs. I settled into a groove, choosing to run by feel rather than by my watch. When I glanced at my Garmin at the halfway point I was shocked to be averaging a 9:50 pace. For the most part, I felt great. The course is beautiful, and I was once again grateful to be just running without injury or pain. I took a GU every 4 miles and drank often from my bottle of Tri-Berry Nuun.

At mile 11, I started to feel some mild cramping in my right shin. I hadn't brought extra electrolytes because of the Nuun, but I think I could have used some. Instead I took the much avoided walk break to take my last GU and chug down the rest of the Nuun, hoping to avoid a major cramp crash. With two miles to go, I just tried to keep a pace that didn't lead to further cramping. On the home stretch, I lost a few seconds trying to untie my extra top around my waist that held my race number. Not sure what my official finishing time will be, but according to my Garmin it was 2:11. Someday, I'd like to do better, but after the last year of pain, I AM SO HAPPY!!!!!
Eby ran the whole thing with Rebecca and they finished right ahead of me.

Snow Joke is my kind of no frills race. Registration was 10 bucks and you could visit with other people in a warm gym while waiting for the start. There were a couple of aid stations serving Heed and water. A really nice course not too far from home. I'd definitely run it again.

Also, Martin, if you are reading this - thank you for introducing me to the joys of running uphill. The course description had mentioned a few hills and one was supposed to be "big." While running, I couldn't remember where they were supposed to be. Around mile 10, there was a sign that said "Pain ahead" so I assumed that's where the big one would be, but it never appeared. I guess I'm getting so used to running up, these felt like a breeze!!!!!

Yak Trax

2010-02-21T18:25:00.003-07:00

By the way, I miss my Yak Trax. I forgot to mention the forgettable run on Saturday. It was snowy and icy, so I used the Stabilicers for traction. Ugh. These would be great for hiking on snow packed or icy trails, but for running - at least for me - they stink. There are cleats on the ball of the foot and heel, but nothing in between, so it feels weird. Mostly, they are just heavy, clunky and inflexible.

After warming up for 1 mile, we picked up the pace so that Rebecca could do her 4 mile "Race for Haiti." While she and Eby took off, I was struggling to get my feet to be flexible enough to move. It was annoying, and eventually painful. I finally took the cleats off for the last mile regardless of ice. Freedom.

Despite going through two pairs of Yak Trax this winter, I'm going to have to buy another pair for the Snowjoke half marathon next week.

Blue Skies and Sunshine!

2010-02-21T14:11:00.006-07:00

After weeks of inversions and on/off snow showers the last couple of days, the sun greeted us brightly and warmly for a morning snowshoeing adventure.

It was cold when we started, only 5 degrees. We felt it in our fingers and toes, and then our hydration hoses froze up. We spent some time rearranging layers to generate some warmth to melt the ice. It didn't phase us though - too happy about the sunshine!

Not sure how far we went as I left the Garmin in the car on accident. Such an amazingly beautiful trail - Linda and I couldn't help thinking about summer and getting some long runs on the same trail.
We also saw Martin and Janice enjoying the sun and snow. And of course, posed for several pictures along the way.

The final leg of our trip opened up to a bright and snow covered view. We got to make fresh tracks in the new snowfall. Some areas were really deep and it was tough going, but we were happy to have such a fun workout.

Amazing blue sky

Thanks for a great morning girls!

Once again, I had rented the snowshoes, this time from Capital Sports because Base Camp was out. I actually got a much better fitting pair - a Tubbs brand. I've got to do some research, because snowshoes are next in line on my wish list!

Ultramarathon Man Update

2010-02-21T14:04:00.002-07:00

JB from Journeyfilm stopped by and left a message regarding the problems I was having with the DVD (see the last post). I may be technologically incompetent, so I'm going to pass on this advice to all of you. Make sure you run the DVD on NORMAL MODE if you don't want it to pause and offer all the stats for each of Dean's marathons. Thanks JB!

Ultramarathon Man

2010-02-20T12:22:00.002-07:00

Steve had set me up to receive Ultramarathon Man: 50 Marathons, 50 States, 50 Days through Netflix while he was out of town. After seeing J.B. Benna's earlier documentary "The Runner" I thought this one might be good too. I was not a lover or hater of Dean before watching, and I'm neither one after. The set up was quite irritating though. It would randomly stop to give stats from each marathon. At first, interesting, but after the 12th pause, I tried to get it to just play through. For some reason, it wouldn't change the set up, so I just gave up watching it. Maybe if they'd been running beautiful trails...

GU

2010-02-18T19:56:00.003-07:00

Must be running again because I've only got three of my 24 pack of GU left! Need me some more and can't wait to try out the new flavor - Jet Blackberry!

Snowshoeing

2010-02-15T15:36:00.002-07:00

Thumbs up for snowshoeing! The warm temperatures, unexpected new snow, and slick roads made for a fun adventure. In the past, I'd thought about getting running snowshoes,

but I think regular ones will do. It was kind of nice to use it as cross training and actually take a break from running. Can't wait to try this again! Thanks Linda! A Happy Iris

The fearless leader of road and trail

Buddy and I also finished a rather cumbersome 3 mile run this afternoon. Dead legs, lots of slush and I was done.

Practice

2010-02-14T15:36:00.003-07:00

A little sore after yesterday's long run. Buddy and I chose to take a long walk in the early morning fog. A bit eery...

Tomorrow will be my first attempt at snowshoeing. I was able to rent a pair of snowshoes from Base Camp for 10 bucks. Buddy tried to help out as I cautiously tried them out in the backyard.

Looking forward to learning something new!

2010-02-13T17:11:00.007-07:00

Olympics are on, so more interested in that than blogging, but had to mention today's amazing run. The HURL group had tentatively planned to do a loop that involves some climbing. Rebecca and I started from our respective houses instead of the Bagel Co., met up at Lime Kiln and started the trek up. I've been pretty slow uphill with frequent walk breaks, so the plan was to see how long it took the group to catch us.

The weather was perfect, almost 40 degrees. Buddy and I had been out walking earlier and it was warm. I dumped the winter running gear and opted for hiking capris and light shirt. After stashing a pair of ice cleats in my hydration pack just in case, I took off to meet Rebecca. There were a few icy patches, but it was easy to run on packed snow and eventually clear roads. For the first time in a LONG time, I felt great. We ran every step up and continued to run except for a couple impromptu bathroom breaks. It was sunny and warm with spectacular views as Rebecca demonstrates below.

We'd look back thinking we were hearing voices of running group members but didn't ever see anyone. Thinking that Martin had been outvoted and they picked another route, we kept going.

Our plan was 12 miles, and with an added loop with yet another uphill, we surpassed our goal. Rebecca left me at mile 13; I picked Buddy up and ran another 1.5 and finally bonked.

What went right today? Maybe the 30 day shred is creating strength where I didn't have it before. Eliminating walk breaks from all my runs seems to have removed them from my mind. Overdressing in the past always wastes time removing layers. This time, I dressed to be cold and tied an emergency layer around my waist. I'd really focused on hydrating the day before. For the first 13 miles, I drank about 50 oz of water, and took a GU and saltstick every 45 minutes. My mini Luna bars were also a boost at the halfway and 13 mile points.

Most of all, though, it was going at my own pace. I psych myself out trying to keep up with others. Knowing the group could catch and pass us wasn't an issue at all. In fact, we were hoping they would just to see other people. Overall, the day was a huge confidence boost.

Athleta

2010-02-09T19:08:00.000-07:00

My sister gave me an Athleta gift card for Christmas this year. After drooling over the catalog for a good month, I decided how to spend it. My purchase arrived today. So, so comfy. Thanks Amy! Summer dreaming...

Stabilicer Sports

2010-02-07T18:24:00.003-07:00

The second pair of Yak Trax are shot. The wires broke and then cut the rubber to pieces. This time, I went for the more expensive Stabilicer Sport Cleats. Putting them on was a bit of a challenge, but once in place, they weren't going anywhere. I didn't use the velcro they came with, primarily because each strip was as long as my leg, and I couldn't figure out what to do with all of it.

The cleats are replaceable. Although, after today, I can tell you it would take a lot to wear these down. It's just nice to know I don't have to go out and buy another pair if a cleat falls apart.

I found the perfect long hill covered in ice to try them out. We've had a freezing fog advisory, and all that was sloppy yesterday, was now a frozen pond.

Buddy and I covered 4.5 miles of ice without a single slip. We ran into an abyss of fog. The traction from the Stabilicers was really amazing.

So, the pros:

1) GREAT traction on ice. We detoured to a couple of snow packed trails just to try them out. Good traction there too.

2) Pretty simple to use once you figure out how to put them on.

3) They stay on really well without any binding. If I were to use them for hiking in snow, I'd probably try the velcro too.

4) Durable. Not much is going to damage these babies.

The cons:

1) Definitely heavier than Yak Trax. Also, a bit more rigid underfoot.

2) Hated them on pavement. Even though they seem more stable on pavement than Yak Trax (kind of like running on a platform), they were incredibly LOUD. Clacking along in an otherwise quiet world of snow was not appealing. I purposefully moved onto ice just to stop the noise.

3) More expensive but worth it for the durability.

Truth - I think I may just be ready for spring. Way to early, I know.

Pizza Bread for Superbowl

2010-02-07T18:03:00.002-07:00

Steve and I stayed in to watch Superbowl and made our own favorite - except with some healthier twists. Brown about a pound of ground turkey, and throw in whatever you like. We added black olives, onions, green peppers, chopped fresh spinach, tomato and a little pepperoni for flavor. Next, add either a small can of tomato juice, v8 or tomato sauce and pizza seasonings. Or, you can use dried spaghetti mix. Last, I put in a small handful of mozzarella cheese.

While all the above is simmering, roll out thawed bread dough. If you make your own, more power to ya. Even better, use whole wheat. We were lazy, and used the frozen kind. Add your mixture to the rolled out dough and wrap it up.

Let rise for 30 - 45 minutes. If we'd been cooking it for others, I'd have tried a bit harder to make it look pretty. :)

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes at 375 degrees. You can lightly butter the top and sprinkle garlic and Parmesan on it the last few minutes of baking. Yummy!

If you've got too much, just refrigerate, and reheat for crunchy leftovers. Enjoy the game!

2010-02-06T19:05:00.002-07:00

I've decided that when an "air stagnation warning" is posted almost daily, you've just got to run through it. With the weather reaching a balmy 34 degrees, Buddy and I could not resist a 4.5 mile run on sloppy roads up in the mountains. We watched the sun set as we cruised along. Buddy's favorite part was getting his muddy self towel dried and then snuggling in for hugs.

Shredding and other news

2010-02-06T13:58:00.004-07:00

o0p--------------------------0';

The above message from Buddy translates to "Please stop typing and pet me."

The past two weeks I've stuck well to my training plan. Four runs per week averaging 3-5 miles and a long run of 10 miles each Saturday. Eliminating all walking except when taking a gel. Even Buddy has gotten serious, only stopping when absolutely necessary. In addition, I started this crazy thing.
Ouch. The workouts are only 20 minutes combining cardio, strength and abs, but ouch. I've done it twice after 30 minute runs. It's kind of fun, but not sure if my knee (old meniscus tear) will hold up. It's hard for me to differentiate between good pain and bad. We'll see how it goes.

February running in Montana has been a beautiful pain in the rear. It snows then melts, then turns to ice, then clears in places, but not others. My two year old pair of YakTrax are now shredded due to intermittent dry spots on the pavement.

I bought a new pair which came with the added bonus of hand warmers (love them for skiing and cold weather camping). Two weeks later, I'm searching for a pair of plyers to repair the new ones that have also fallen apart. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE YakTrax. Our winter weather just hasn't supported the proper use of them well.
Anyone have the Kahtoola microspikes? Do they hold up any better?

I've got races picked out. More on that soon.

Slog - To walk or plod heavily.

2010-01-24T10:44:00.008-07:00

Slogging is a great description for the challenging 10 miler completed yesterday. We received several inches of powdery new snow, making the roads and sidewalks a mess. Steve was working, so I first had to shovel the driveway and sidewalks before our nemeses decided to go on their daily walk (an older couple who likes to report things to the city such as overhanging tree branches, cracks in sidewalks, snow or ice, etc. that result in letters from the city threatening substantial fines to homeowners in the neighborhood). After my cross training, Buddy and I set out to complete the first 5 mile loop. We had to run in the streets because the snow was too deep everywhere else. As always, my Yak Trax worked great. Buddy kept up well and made surprisingly few stops along the way. It took us 55 minutes to complete the first lap because of traction issues. This did not include the detour to the Folf Course so Bud could scope out the latest deer tracks.
I returned to the house to drop Bud off (because of an old hip injury, he can't go further than 5 miles without a lot of pain), grab my Heed and Gu, and take off for the second 5 mile loop. My thought was that I'd be faster without dog and leash, but my body was a bit fatigued from the earlier cross training. By mile 9, I was truly slogging. I continued to run as my plan is to try and phase out all the walking I've been doing, but I think I might have been able to walk faster. It was a beautiful day though, with the snow continuing to fall.
As I walked up the street to cool down, I could hear frantic barking coming from my house. With dread, I opened the door to find this...
Apparently, Buddy was a bit confused and distraught as to why I left in running clothes and shoes without him. Somehow he got the closet door open, searched through various items and found his leash. Maybe he thought that if he could get to his leash, he'd be able to go out and find me? Unfortunately, in his efforts, he chewed through the leash, which meant yet another trip to Petco to buy a new one. Seriously, we should just buy in bulk.

Running and Restless Legs

2010-01-18T10:01:00.003-07:00

Restless Leg Syndrome runs (no pun intended) in the family. I've struggled with it for several years, especially in my right leg. Lately, I've noticed that it becomes significantly worse as I build mileage. The last two nights have been awful, resulting in only 3-4 hours of sleep. My doctor indicated that dehydration and antihistamines can make it worse. I'd really like to avoid prescription medication, so if anyone out there in blog world has suggestions, please let me know.

Not being able to sleep has increased my trips to the local library in search of 2 am reading material. A couple of running related books I'd recommend include "The looniness of the long distance runner" by Russell Taylor and Bart Yasso's "My Life on the Run." The first is just a funny account of a first timer training for the NYC marathon; the second an entertaining recap of some great racing and traveling experiences.

Buddy and I are heading out for an easy run to celebrate an extra day off this week. Happy running everyone!

Saturday Group Run

2010-01-17T10:36:00.003-07:00

After 12 months off, I rejoined the group for a Saturday long run. It wasn't exactly long - we decided on an 8 mile loop as most people were "recovering?" from last week's Fat Ass. The loop is pretty much 4 miles of gradual up and then 4 miles of down.

The up didn't go particularly well for me. The group shot off and I struggled to keep up. After the first mile, my right achilles was burning. After months of taking time to warm up, I just went with it and hoped for the best. DUMB. My mind waged a mental war the entire 4 miles up and I'm certain I wasn't fun company. Once we reached the top, M and T were waiting, which was nice of the them, but I hate the thought of making people wait.

We headed back down, which felt great. By this time I was warmed up, and I just wanted to fly on down. Even more so when we hit the pavement. This recent enjoyment of road running has planted a seed in my brain. It's a rebuilding year anyway, so maybe I should go with it and train for a marathon?

As for today, the ankle is again sore, but I'm not feeling pain. The plan is to ice, stretch and rest it today, and try an easy run tomorrow. As much as I like group runs, I won't make the same mistake again. I'll either have to run to our meeting place to warm up, or start ahead of the group. As slow as I am right now, the second option might not be a bad one!

January 2010 Fat Ass!

2010-01-15T20:12:00.003-07:00

It was a great day for running. Steve drove me out to Lump Gulch to meet the group a little past halfway. I managed 13.2 miles for the day and felt great. Several completed the full 31 miles and Rebecca did 21! Our reward was cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven, a pot luck dinner and good company.

The trek back to town

First look at the removal of pine beetle infested trees

Yummy...

Good-bye 2009

2009-12-30T17:10:00.003-07:00

2009 held some great moments in my personal life, but those moments did not really include running. More like injuries - high ankle sprain, achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, two broken toes, and one broken tailbone. Almost an entire year off. Now, 12 lbs heavier and starting to regain some fitness, I'm contemplating 2010.

My goals:

1) Rebuild my running base cautiously. The AT seems to play nice as long as I stretch a lot and walk before running.

2) Incorporate strength training and core work. The exercises I picked up from months of rehabilitation are helping, but I'd welcome any suggestions for workouts any of you are doing at home.

3) Lose the above mentioned 12 lbs!

4) Rejoin the running community soon. I do miss group runs. Just not sure I can keep up quite yet.

5) Pick a couple, few, some? races for motivation. On my contemplation list...

January Lame Ass - I can't run a 50k on one long run of 8 miles, so I'm going to skip the Fat Ass, the Half Ass or maybe even the Skinny Ass and do what I can.

May Don't Fence Me In 30k - This is the one race I'm really hoping to do. A great course full of the best trails close to home.

June Wulfman's CDT 14k - Not a long race, but I think it looks fun. Especially because it's put on by the Butte Piss and and Moan Runners Club. I just like their name.

July Missoula Half Marathon - Take it or leave it. It's on the list because some friends from Montana and possibly from North Dakota want to run it.

July Swan Crest 100 - No, mom, not run it - VOLUNTEER for it!!!!

August Elkhorn 50k - Only if my AT is gone, gone, gone.

October Le Grizz 50 - This is my dream race; one based on the hope that I'm injury free and having a stellar running year ending with the completion of my first 50 miler.

What are your plans?

Out of the deep freeze

2009-12-17T19:50:00.002-07:00

Buddy contemplating winter.

Tomorrow is the start of a two week vacation.

Enjoy the holidays!

Shoe Update

2009-12-14T19:17:00.002-07:00

I'm still loving the Ascends. I've done a couple more 3 mile runs on snowy roads with icy patches. Both runs were in below zero temperatures. My feet stayed warm, dry, and I didn't slip at all!

Did I mention I'm really enjoying a return to road running? As much as I love the trails, I've got to admit I'm a little scared after January's fall. Even though running the dogs this weekend on snowy trails was fun, I definitely had twinges of fear as I was slip sliding along. Road running has it's tricky moments too, but I'm enjoying it. Maybe I'm still just basking in the glow of running without pain!

Snow!

2009-12-13T12:08:00.003-07:00

Lots of it! Buddy and I were able to complete a 30 minute hike through lots of fresh snow this morning. It was -5 degrees. I didn't even check the wind chill. We just needed to be outside in the new powder. After shoveling the driveway and sidewalks, it was time to play.

Buddy waiting for me to throw his toy.

Trying to destroy the thing.
So proud of himself and his toy.

Tired.

Have a great day!

First Thoughts - Mizuno Ascend 4

2009-12-12T16:38:00.005-07:00

With the VIP discount and a coupon, I got new shoes from Road Runner Sports for under 40 bucks. After wearing them around the house for a week, I decided to try the Ascends out on a snowy 5 mile trail run.

So far, I LOVE these shoes - for many reasons. I ordered a 7.5, same as all my running shoes, and they fit perfectly. The Ascend is very lightweight and flexible. The traction is better than my Cascadias and the shoes have a bit more needed stability. The very best part of this shoe is the low heel counter, which means that nothing is touching the almost gone achilles nodule.

I don't think the Ascends are water resistant, and my toes did get a little cold while running through deep snow. Once I got back to the road, though, my feet quicky warmed up. It helped wearing SmartWool socks too. This shoe isn't as cushiony in the forefoot, but that didn't bother me during this run. Hopefully, this will hold true for longer runs too. I'd say this is one of the most comfortable pair of running shoes I have ever owned.

For Gear Junkies

2009-12-06T16:41:00.000-07:00

I like reading gear reviews. If you do too, visit http://www.feedthehabit.com/cat/gear-reviews/.

SNOW!

2009-12-05T18:26:00.003-07:00

Therapists often call this the silly season. It's not silly really, but hard for a lot of people. As a result, work has been stressful (although there's been a lot of fun and good things too). I'm thankful to be able to run again to deal with and process it all in a healthy way. We've gotten a lot of snow which makes it even more fun for me and our snow dog. Three shorter runs through snow during the week, and a 6 mile trail run in lots of fresh snow made for some quality workouts. We also made time for some off leash play...

Life is busy so if I don't get back here for awhile - Happy Holidays!

The Weekend

2009-11-29T17:38:00.004-07:00

Saturday morning Rebecca and I took the dogs on a 5 mile easy loop. Below is Eby ready to get moving. Lots of sunshine!

Today, Buddy and I avoided the hunters and stuck to a nearby trail for a 3.5 mile loop. He was either tired or sore from yesterday's pavement, so we took lots of breaks. I'm feeling giddy - still no pain on my runs - just side stitches and heavy legs. I welcome those because it means that even though I'm really out of shape I'm actually running! Sorry, that news is going to get old to all of you. This injury just took a stinking long time to work itself out.

After our run, I locked us out of the house, but we got to see some beautiful colors at sunset!

Turkey Trot 10k

2009-11-27T13:23:00.002-07:00

Rebecca and I ran the Thanksgiving Day 10k put on by a local gym. There were over 500 of us that showed up due to the unusually nice weather. The challenge for me was to finish a 10k at all considering I haven't run regularly in over 10 months. No exaggeration, but since starting the calf raises three weeks ago, I've been able to start 3-4 milers a few times a week. I've done two longer slow runs of 5 and 6 miles. If I'd known that my fall in January would take that long to fix, I would have been seriously depressed.

Moving on...I did run the 10k and I finished. At the very back of the pack, with a very slow time for me of 58 minutes, but I did it! Without ANY pain in my ankle. The rest of me was hurting though, but my heart was happy.

Afterwards, Rebecca, Mike and Eby came over for a pot luck style Thanksgiving dinner. They brought the healthy stuff; Steve and I made the Norwegian style butter filled carbohydrate side dishes. Eby and Buddy played outside for a few hours which wore Bud out completely. It was a good day!

Giveaway

2009-11-27T09:08:00.001-07:00

Go to http://blog.irunfar.com/2009/11/black-friday-500th-post-blowout-giveway.html for more details. Post a comment about the desired product you'd like to receive and you are entered!

Still Running

2009-11-22T18:38:00.003-07:00

Two weeks in a row of hitting the 20 mpw of running! Compared to last year, this is nothing, but it's sure nice getting out there again with no pain. Yesterday, we did 5.5 miles of trail and road. Today, a 4 mile trail loop where I was able to RUN up the hills. It was a calm day with light snow. My camera bugged out on me though, so no pictures. Buddy and I also get in another 1-2 miles of walking per day. I'm going to ask about some physical therapy or massage just to get rid of residual scar tissue. Cautiously optimistic!

Saving Money

2009-11-21T14:38:00.002-07:00

The smell of coffee goes hand in hand with my memories of growing up in a school. My father was teacher, coach, principal and eventually superintendent. My mother was in charge of food services. We were in the building making posters for games, creating bulletin boards for classrooms, moving desks, cleaning test tubes, feeding the fish, etc. most of my childhood. Along with that was my dad and every other employee with coffee cup in hand. It seems appropriate now that I'm a public school employee that I've become hooked on "coffee." I put it in quotes because my preference is for lattes. Lucky for me, one of the teachers I work with recommended the Mr. Coffee Espresso Maker (we got it for 26 bucks) to save some money. Find your preferred syrup and ground beans and you are good to go. CHEAP!

Achilles Tendonitis Recovery

2009-11-16T19:37:00.005-07:00

After 10 months of very little running, I was finally free of pain to run 6.75 miles. That distance used to be easy, but this one was hard. Rebecca and I did an out and back Sunday morning without the dogs. As much as I love Bud, it felt good to run without being tied to a leash or without stopping to inspect every pee covered piece of ground (those with dogs will understand). It also felt good to hit mile 5 and feel fatigue, not pain.

So, what cured the beast? Eccentric calf raises, wall stretch and hamstring stretch 2-3 times a day, EVERY DAY and more stable shoes (I took out my old Asics 2120 Trail shoes - still the best). Some people swear by ice, but I only iced after any cardio exercise. Warming up has become way more important. Not by stretching, but by walking first. I would say my left achilles is nearing 100% recovered and my right 90%. Both calves still get tight, but the only pain I have is if I push directly on the nodule on my right achilles. Research I've read said it takes about 12 weeks of the eccentric calf work to be completely pain free, and I've only been doing them about two weeks.

This is a nasty injury. My advice (the same kind I ignored) would be to STOP RUNNING and get help from a sports medicine doc if achilles pain does not go away after a couple weeks. Truly, running through it only creates a long term, very painful and frustrating injury.

I had to include a picture of Cowboy Buddy -minus the hat- on Halloween. He greeted every single costumed kiddo with the jingle jingle of his collar and a good sniff. It was an exciting night in dog world.

My Favorites

2009-10-23T19:47:00.010-06:00

I'm stuck at home with the flu. Can't go back to work until I've been fever free (without the help of Tylenol) for 24 hours. Blah. Bored. Can't run either. In my boredom, I thought about a few favorite running items I've added this year.

1) Athleta running capri - called the Walkabout Knicker, except I have it in black. So comfy that I really want the tights too! Most of the capris I've tried have been pretty thin fabric. These are a little thicker. My personal preference.

2) Drymax Lite Trail Crew - I keep reaching for these. My SmartWool are still keepers, but these are great.

3) GU - After trying Accel Gel, Hammer Gel, Clif Shot Blocks and Gels, Chomps, PowerGel, Luna Bites, etc. these are still my favorite. Maybe it's because GU was what I used for my first marathon. I like all of the flavors and the consitency better than any of the others. Plus, you can buy a 24 pack with all of the flavors from Zombie Runner.

4) Hammer Heed - some people hate it. I love it. Hardly any flavor and not sugary like other sports drinks. Around here, it's also pretty easy to find.

5) Polypro liner gloves under cheap Target mittens.
Layering keeps my hands dry and warm. In the past,

I've struggled with freezing hands that turn white.

All for now. Hoping you all stay germ free.

It's been awhile...

2009-10-18T16:07:00.005-06:00

Here are some pictures of Buddy's first snowfall with us. We waited up until the predicted snow started to come down and then played in the backyard. As expected, he loves the snow and cooler temperatures. By the next afternoon the snow had melted in town, so we climbed up a favorite trail in hopes of finding more. It got deeper as we climbed and Buddy was in heaven. I tried to get a picture of him with snow on his nose, but he wouldn't stay still long enough. Too many places to explore.

This week we traded in our morning lows of 5 degrees for a return to fall and 60 degrees. The climb to Mt. Ascension rewarded us with views of still snow capped Elkhorns that my camera just doesn't capture. Time to get a new one I'm thinking.

It's odd that I don't dread winter. I'm not a fan of darkness, but I am looking forward to snow.

Congratulations to Lois for her marathon finish (and awesome time) and Happy Birthday to my niece and Melissa today!

Back to Running

2009-09-27T15:51:00.004-06:00

For the first time in months, I can say there's been quite a bit of running going on. Last weekend, I volunteered for the annual Mt. Helena Classic. We hauled jugs of water up the 1906 trail to where West End Trail meets the Backside Trail. My huffing and puffing was a good indication of just how out of shape I've become. I was amused by the course markings. John made sure no one was going to go off course this year. (See below!)

Considering how concerned I was about my Achilles tendon after the climb, I was surprised how much better it felt the next day, and the day after, and so on. Steve thinks it was a good way to stretch it out. Whatever it is, the combination of doing eccentric calf exercises, stretching, running on level surfaces and in good shoes seems to be helping. Buddy and I have run 23 miles in the past week. We're keeping them under 5 miles, which still allows us to go to beautiful trails.

View from Waterline

Saturday morning, Rebecca and Eby joined us for a 5 mile Wakina Sky loop. It's fire season, and the smoke from nearby MacDonald Pass was hard on the lungs. Still beautiful with the fall colors. Buddy and Eby are fun to watch too chasing each other around and getting into things that they should not.

Eby after running hard

Fall - Wakina Sky

If my body continues to cooperate, I hope to train for Snow Joke or another "destination" half marathon (Steve's been dreaming of a real vacation.) I'm having Buddy train with me with the possibility of Snow Joke. He's not had any more hip pain even after the 5 miles.

Oh, and I got the CamelBak Stamina II for 19 bucks from Sierra Trading Post. Love it as I do the single bottle belt. I've got too much of this stuff...

And, Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband. 12 years today. We had a great celebration weekend.

2009-09-17T20:36:00.002-06:00

It's official - I will NEVER be a morning runner. I've tried all summer; especially since adopting Buddy. I've tried to reason with myself with the "won't it be nice to get exercise over with for the day?" The answer is no. There is nothing I enjoy about weekday early morning runs. I don't like waking up that early, feeling rushed, being crabby with the dog because I'm rushed, not being able to warm up properly and stretch decently once I'm done. Running in the morning does not help me clear my head either. I'm also suspecting that the six weeks of morning running is exactly what tipped the Achilles tendon situation to disaster. So, I gave up and life is so much better!

Buddy and I now walk in the morning. I zone out during our agreed upon time of 30 minutes while he does his business. We hit the trails or road late afternoon whenever the temperatures cool or earlier if we find a shady place. The result is way less pain because I'm warming up and stretching like a good girl, a mind at peace from processing the day's events, and a happy relationship between dog and owner because we can explore at a leisurely pace with absolutely no agenda. There's nothing better than seeing Buddy's head pop up in the window as I pull up to the house and his butt wiggle when he knows it's time to RUN! My new job is perfect for this set up. I'm done at 4 with plenty of time to be outside.

I'm happy to report that Buddy has finally learned to drink from his folding dish. He's a bit finicky this way, but is making allowances :). One thing is for sure - my one bottle belt is no longer enough for the both of us. On long runs, I use my Nathan pack, but really don't want to use it every day. Anyone have a recommendation for a two bottle belt that also has a bungee cord or something to hold the doggy dish?

And, what's up with this Montana heat wave? It's September - time for fall!

2009-09-14T08:42:00.001-06:00

Congratulations to my brother-in-law, Chris! Ironman again - 13:39 is the unofficial time.

Alternate Swan Crest

2009-09-13T09:51:00.003-06:00

My recovering Achilles tendon wouldn't allow for a repeat of the Swan Crest 57k this weekend. Although jealous - I know how beautiful the Swan Range is this time of year and I'd miss out on running with friends - I decided to suck it up and find fun in my own backyard. Buddy and I left in the dark directly from our house and did one big two hour loop of trail and roads.

Ominous Lime Kiln guarding the trail

The sunrise as we climbed above town

Buddy saying "Come on already!"

Post water and treat break. The patient "can we go now?" look.

We love this rock.

Warming up at home and happy to see Steve. Glad for gloves, hat and
layers as the high was 49 degrees!
We're sending good vibes to Chris as he completes his second Ironman Wisconsin today.

2009-09-07T10:35:00.001-06:00

This morning, Buddy and I explored the Wakina Sky area; a place we seldom go. It was the first really chilly morning. 45 degrees had me scrambling to find gloves, hat and long sleeved shirt. We took our time on the way up Wakina Sky Road to warm up a little, watching the deer and squirrels (and Buddy didn't chase after any of them!), then ran hard up the trail. Instead of looping back on the Stairway to Heaven trail, we continued on Wakina Sky to Grizzly Gulch road. We'd been hiking a lot this week, and I wanted to run at a faster pace on a flat surface so not to stress my Achilles too much.

I've become a bit complacent on these runs compared to running in the Flathead. As Buddy and I cruised along, I heard a rustling in the trees by the road. Less than 20 feet ahead, a black bear ambled onto the road directly in our path. Definitely surprised, I shouted "Hey bear," hoping it would take off. It did, across the road, where it promptly sat and stared at us curiously. Buddy followed my lead and backed up the road from where we'd just run. Two cars passed by without slowing a bit. I continued to yell "hey bear" until it took off away from us. Here he? is ambling up to the ridge. Buddy handled it great; keeping quiet and following all commands. It's always exciting to see wildlife, but this one was a bit too close for me. We finished off our 5 miles on adrenaline.

My legs are tired. In addition to several 3-5 miles trail excursions, Steve and I started filling in what will eventually be our rock garden. We bought and planted a young juniper tree, two Barberry shrubs, russian sage, catmint, blue festuca grass, and gaillardia. Gardenwerks is the place to go - very helpful owner and lots of good stuff to dream about buying. The previous owners had not planted anything, just hauled in piles of mountain rock, so the dirt underneath was tough to dig up. Lots of work, and much more to do. I've got day lilies, red sedum, a couple more shrubs, astilbes, lupines, daisies, etc to plant. Since much of the planting is bulbs, it looks a bit funny with a few plants here and there. We can't wait to see what it looks like next year! Here's our baby juniper.

Well spent vacation days

2009-08-23T12:23:00.008-06:00

This picture says it all. After a week of trail exploration, Buddy was finally TIRED. He curled up with his stuffed snail and has been sleeping the day away.

Wednesday night, we met up with Rebecca and Eby for a 4 mile loop of trail and pavement. Eby took off after something, most likely a deer, and didn't come back for awhile. We started to get worried, but she found us, panting like crazy. After drinking a ton of water and walking a bit, she got her second wind and finished the loop with us. If it's not Eby chasing the deer, it's Buddy.

Thursday morning, we did 6.2 miles on Mt. Ascension. Friday morning I had to get up early for work, so it was a 3 mile close to home day. Saturday morning, we did the 5 mile Wakina Sky loop, running most of it, the last two miles at a 9 minute/mile pace. After 8 months of being a slug, it felt good to actually run.
Since it was cool and overcast this morning, Buddy and I headed to the Ridge trail for another 6 miles. Both of us are re-adjusting to running life as evidenced by some stomach distress and then fatigue later in the day. It's sad how the body adapts to a fairly sedentary lifestyle so quickly, then struggles to keep up once it's pushed to perform again. My achilles continues to do well, as long as I stretch several times a day. Glad we can be back outside to enjoy the amazing trail system this area has to offer.

This next picture is of a strange looking mushroom nestled in amongst bunches of wildflowers. I'm kind of fascinated by fungi and where it grows. Weird, I know.

And the interest in running socks continues. Just got a pair of Drymax Lite Trail socks (on sale at Zombie Runner) and I like them much better than the original pair. Up until now, I've remained a devoted fan of the SmartWool ultra lite socks, so we'll see how these do on longer runs.

A total of 34 miles this week, not counting walks and hiking. We'll keep it there for awhile. Vacation is at an end. Back to school tomorrow!

Back to work

2009-08-20T20:33:00.002-06:00

For my last day of vacation, Buddy and I did a morning tour of Mt. Ascension trails. We started out at the Lime Kiln trail head, did Rocky Road, Prickly Pear, Archery Range, Entertainment, and 2006 trails. We were on the trail at 7 am since it was going to be a hot one and Buddy doesn't handle heat well. It was almost cold in the shade; my fingertips were white for the first hour, but Buddy was in heaven.

While on the trail, we had the pleasure of meeting Michelle, a local runner (this year's Don't Fence Me In 30k winner) and dog lover, whom Buddy has deemed lovely. He would have enjoyed running at her fast clip, but was satisfied just to be outside. We ran what we could, and hiked the rest. Buddy stayed on leash most of the time due to the frequent encounters with deer. I wanted to avoid the panic of waiting for him to return after his attempts to herd them all. Yes, it's happened more frequently than I like.

By the time we reached the top, it was getting hot for him. We attempted to find the connector to the Eddy McClure Trail, which I had planned to take back. Unfortunately, it was in full sun, and Buddy was already panting. For some reason, Buddy hates to drink water on the go. I've read this about herding dogs; they don't want to eat or drink until their job is done. It still makes me crazy as I worry about heatstroke. So, we descended down a shady trail back home.

We finished after about two hours, my longest workout in several weeks. I felt pretty good except for some shin cramping towards the end. I had only brought water, instead of my usual Heed, since Buddy was drinking from it too. I'll either need to bring Saltsticks next time or Buddy will have to get used to Heed!

The school year officially starts tomorrow for staff. I hadn't posted about this change before for reasons not necessary to disclose. My graduate studies were in school social work, but it was hard to find a position in Montana. This past spring, someone retired and I was hired as a Social Services Coordinator for the district. Which means a lot of good things including -

1) I can serve students that need assistance regardless of health insurance or diagnosis
2) I do not need to bill for services
3) I no longer have to do the absolutely ridiculous amount of Medicaid paperwork
4) #3 also means I don't have to worry about doing paperwork at night or on weekends
5) I am no longer on-call
6) I still get to be in the school working with awesome people

It also means I get school holidays and vacations. I consider this a crazy, wonderful perk of the job, but it was definitely NOT the reason I accepted the position. My husband and family are already wondering what I'll possibly do to keep busy next summer. I've got plans though, which include a lot of gardening, visiting family and running.

Since I missed an entire year of races due to this injury, I'm planning to use the winter to rebuild my base and then figure out a race schedule. I've got some ideas, how about you?

Back Home

2009-08-19T14:46:00.005-06:00

Happy 40th Anniversary to my parents!
My mom is not a huge party person, so we opted for a small BBQ with long time family friends before I left. It turned out to be a very fun night looking at their wedding pictures and eventually school yearbooks. My parents are the best, and I'm happy I got to be home.

Buddy and I got up early Monday morning for the long drive back. At 6:30 am, we ran in 40 degrees with a windy cold rain/sleet mix. I'd forgotten how cold winter is going to be. Yuck. After driving (Buddy sleeping in the backseat) for 8 hours, we stopped off in Bozeman to check out Fleet Feet and local trails.

We explored Burke Park and the connecting trail to Lindley Park. There were so many dogs off leash. Buddy must be less anxious because he handled all of the exploratory sniffs from other dogs without a flinch or growl. My ankle handled all of the driving, then the hills without even a twinge of discomfort.

Such nice quiet parks.

On Tuesday, we pondered what to do with our last few days of vacation. Since my achilles has been on the mend since adopting Buddy, I realized he hadn't been on several of my favorite trails. We parked at Mt. Helena and did a hodgepodge of trails, running the flat sections and power hiking the rest. Buddy is getting much better off leash and had his happy face on the whole morning.

Tomorrow is our last day of vacation. I've planned an adventure for us. It will involve getting up really early so we can end before the hot part of the day.

Vacation

2009-08-15T11:22:00.002-06:00

North Dakota has been good to me. The two weeks leading up to vacation were busy with testifying, finishing up my job, visiting with relatives, removing wallpaper, priming and painting the kitchen and dining room, etc. I ended up with pneumonia and lots of medication. I've got to stop doing this to myself. Go, go, go without any consideration of the aftermath.

But, going home is always good for me. There's something about the prairie, the wind, the sun, the smell of dirt that restores me. Plus, time with family. Buddy got to be a farm dog for a few days and wore himself out. His highlights included a good roll in a cow pie followed by a very cold bath from the hose, moving machinery, riding in the tractor, running free for miles, and herding my parent's cat.

I've finally been able to run. Four weeks ago, I gave up even trying - it was just too painful. The rest, the active release, the consistency of stretching must have worked. I noticed last weekend that there was no longer any pain or tightness. Not even in the morning getting out of bed. So, Buddy and I have extended our walks while adding random 3-4 minute jogging segments. It just feels good.

The best part of vacation though has been gardening with mom. Since buying a house, I've been excited to make my first perennial order. I've got a rock garden to fill and can't wait to see it take shape. Steve and I figured out our budget, drew out a plan, picked the tried and true along with some new, interesting items to try. Endless possibilities - can't wait until they arrive!

Off to prepare for my parent's 40 anniversary. Will post more pictures when I get back.

2009-08-02T11:19:00.008-06:00

The case from hell is done. After many months of hoping it would resolve itself, I did end up having to testify. I can't say I enjoyed it, but I do believe I learned some things about myself and how others operate. I DID enjoy the time spent with friends from the area. Cassi, Heidi and dog Molly ventured out for a pre-thunderstorm hike shortly after I arrived in Kalispell. Cassi is one of the those people in my world who can tolerate me when I'm an anxious, forgetful mess. Maybe she just got used to it after working with me at Summit? Plus, she's one of the few people I can really enjoy being around even when I'm in that state of mind. I forgot my camera that day so no pictures.

Monday night, I got to do some shopping at Sportsman's. Picked me up a 72 ounce bladder for my pack, a not needed sporty purse like thingy, and my much loved Smartwool socks. Then, headed out for Hike #2 with Danni, Leanne, and Callie (see above). We went up to Overlook in Herron Park, one of the new trails to the area. This one looks over Foys Lake. Fun to catch up with these ladies!

After that was dinner and a drink with Andrea. I think I was finally hungry after days of nerve induced starvation. Sorry Andrea for pigging out in front of you, but it was so fun to catch up! Best of luck in your new job. Tuesday morning, I had breakfast with Jessica. Thanks for sharing good news and making me laugh. It's always good to re-connect with you!

On the way home, I drove through Glacier National Park, one of my favorite places. Since our move, I hadn't been back. It was a hazy, but fire free day, with lots of clouds building up. I stopped to take a couple pictures, but they never really capture the moment. It was a peaceful place for reflection. Soon after, a big storm hit and I drove in ferocious winds the remainder of the way to Great Falls.

As for Great Falls, it remains a place I don't much like to be, BUT the Active Release Doc is there and it's been soooo helpful. Crazy painful, but good. I'm still not running, but no longer have the dreaded catch in the Achilles.

Upon return home, I picked up Buddy from the kennel. He'd had to spend the night, and boy was he happy to see me! I finally had to sit on the floor at the animal clinic so he could curl up in my lap. Unfortunately, he didn't eat or sleep the whole time he was there.

We did a quick clean of the house, and had a short visit from Berni. Always lovely to see you Berni, and I'll be sending positive thoughts your way.

The very next day, my parents and in-laws drove in from North Dakota and Nebraska. We did some sight seeing and lots of eating. We took in the boat ride to the Gate of the Mountains. Although it was a trip through a very beautiful area, I'm not all that impressed with the tour. The trip was delayed an hour due to a broken boat, our tour guy sounded like he was getting over bronchitis or developing COPD, the quarters were tight, and it was way too long to sit like that. There was a brief (10 minute) reprieve near Man Gulch. I used the time to book it up the trail, trying to get to the Overlook before the horn sounded. I didn't make it due to the achilles problem and running in sandals, but it was worth the effort just to be out of the dang boat. I then fell asleep on the way back.

Here's the family waiting for the boat...we should have followed the lead of the people behind us. They had a cooler of beer. Smart.

Next up - pictures of the great dining room and kitchen renovation. It was a full family effort!

Scar Tissue

2009-07-25T18:45:00.002-06:00

My first active release session confirmed what I thought - lots of scar tissue. Plus, all of the surrounding muscles and tendons are compensating for the weak ones damaged when I fell in January. It was a painful session, but totally worth it. I also got more rehab type stretches and exercises to do each day. At least there is a plan. I like plans.

Off to Flathead country tomorrow for the dreaded court date. Months in coming, I'll be so relieved when it's finally over!

Active Release

2009-07-22T20:06:00.002-06:00

While training for my first marathon way back in DC, I had trouble with the piriformis muscle. Basically, a major pain in the butt. Our "coach" directed me to a chiropractor specializing in Active Release Technique. Oh, the intense pain, but wow, what a quick recovery! Weeks later, I went back after my calf muscle seized up on me. The same guy figured out it was really caused by scar tissue in my foot. Sure enough, the problem was addressed and I was good to go. Why this recap?

Because...I (Steve) found a reputable A.R.T. guy in Great Falls, and I have an appointment scheduled for Friday!!! At first, it seemed crazy to drive 80 miles for an appointment, but I don't want just anyone messing with my achilles tendon. Plus, it probably took me just as long getting to an appointment when living in the city at rush hour! I'm looking forward to the pain if only to be able to run again. :)

New Pictures

2009-07-21T19:45:00.006-06:00

Here's a few Buddy pictures...

Steve and Buddy on the new connector trail near our house. Montana Conservation Corps knocked this one out in less than a week. From the end, it's only about a quarter mile from our new favorite "secret" trail.

Steve and Buddy with the new super vacuum. We were in disbelief seeing how much dog hair was really on our floors. Thanks for the tip Mom and Cassi!

The view from our evening walk.
Buddy and Eby tearing down the trail together.

Rebecca and Buddy taking a breather.
The Eby tongue. She's is truly adorable and always happy it seems.

More pictures later!

Our summer

2009-07-10T21:27:00.009-06:00

The summer is in full swing - organizing a therapeutic summer program (a.k.a. trying to get teenagers out of bed for a few hours), preparing to testify in court for what I affectionately call the case from hell, settling into a new house with small updates along the way, managing a full work schedule combined with dog runs, dog walks, dog crate breaks, dog entertainment, etc.

Buddy and I are managing - well he's managing, I'm tired - a 40 minute run every morning, plus at least two 30 minute walks each day. They are good walks; no strolling for this family. Melissa, you'd be yelling at us! It's too bad I'm not training for anything, because my Garmin says I'm getting faster. Steve's recognized the days when I can't move, and has been gracious enough to take the early poop shift. Sleep, so nice.

Last weekend, we took Buddy up to Belt Creek for some fly fishing. This is one of my favorite places. It's usually cool on hot days, beautiful, but mostly just because it's one of the few places that has belonged to me and Steve together during our time in Montana. At first, Buddy wasn't sure what to think of this very loud, moving water, but he ventured out. He also waited patiently for me while I caught (yes, and released) a couple cutthroat.

He enjoyed walking in the cool water, at least until his hind legs slipped into a deep hole. He was OK but seemed a bit miffed. So, he decided to go sniff some pretty flowers instead. He crashed during the car ride home. With good reason. After all, the day had started a bit traumatically, at least for Iris. It seems he had a few too many liver treats during training, which led to some bathroom issues, which then led to some particularly nasty happenings once he got in the car. After getting less than a mile from home, we quickly had to head back, where a hose, soapy water, and towel resolved the stinky part. If I had only known, way back in Atlanta where I met Gus, that I'd be one day washing a dog's butt... Thank you Faith for breaking me in gently!

We've also finally managed to find a toy that makes Buddy want to play! The Flying Squirrel lasted a couple days, the frisbee once in awhile, but this ugly, crazy, fuzzy bird won his heart immediately. He now fetches, tugs, shakes, and tries to bury, probably kill, the darn thing. We're so proud and happy. :) Rebecca also introduced us to a wonderful new trail. A quiet place without people, where Buddy can run free even if only for a short period of time. He secretly hopes for a chance encounter with a deer, but usually settles for whatever time outside he can get.

And he almost always comes when he's called, even today when the deer were taunting him. He's torn, but loyalty to Iris wins out. Which, of course, makes me love him even more.
The one thing I don't have a picture of, is when he curls up with Steve on the couch. He's happiest when he's with his pack, and so are we. Just how sappy is that?

I promise that one day this blog will return to running. With the stack of injuries I've had this year, the running is anything but consistent. At least it's fun to have a diversion for a bit!

2009-06-20T21:06:00.002-06:00

How do you sum up a week like this one? Our lives have changed dramatically with the arrival of Buddy. Despite the self knowledge that Steve and I are (were?) very independent people, I think we've both been a bit surprised by the sudden change. I guess it's like first time parents who say "having a baby will change your life, but it's soooo worth it."

It is also...

...strange, funny, disturbing, etc. to wake up at 2 am and see your dog in shadows staring at you with intense concentration inches from your face.

...amazing the amount of pride you feel after teaching your 4 year old dog the basics of "fetching." Also a bit of sadness that he wasn't taught before.

...stressful to know that you create so much anxiety in a pup just by walking out the door. Even more so, when you come home an hour later and he's chewed another hunk off the crate.
Way more so, when you come home and realize your dog either jumped or climbed over baby gates stacked 5 feet high. Unbelievably so, when you notice half of your living room shade has been torn? eaten? shredded? by this bundle of nervous energy.

...absolutely awesome to have a running partner who loves to play in the mud too! Especially when you both arrive home dripping in the entry and your dog's sweet face just makes the husband laugh and grab a towel. Buddy is also the only being to EVER get Iris out of bed each morning (way too early by the way) for a quick run.

...kind of funny that I found myself buying a roast to boil then freeze in a kong per the dog trainer's suggestion.

...with a sense of panic that we find glitches in work schedules that leads to an appointment with doggy daycare and discussion of pick-up/drop-off times.

...interesting that pure exhaustion has me falling asleep instantly and staying that way the entire night. We have a Border Collie. One morning run is not sufficient. He gets that and usually a couple longer walks as well.

...pathetic that I used to criticize people who could only talk about their children. Ironically, there have been few conversations this week between Steve and I that did not revolve around Buddy. He has found a place in our family permanently. I guess I'll have to change the name of this blog..."Running Only with My Thoughts AND Buddy."

Buddy - for sure a trail dog

2009-06-13T09:23:00.002-06:00

Short post for a big week. Yesterday, we closed on our house, got the keys, moved over a few boxes, a bed, and all stuff Buddy. After signing our "Pawsability" paperwork at the Humane Society, we took Buddy on a looooong hike before introducing him to his (our) new home. The vet had warned us that he's got a little arthritis in his left hip due to an injury. Not sure what kind of injury; that's the mystery of adopting dogs. But, he did GREAT!

We spent last night trying to figure out what kind of dog he might be. Crate? Pillow? Blanket? We tried the crate until about 2am. I took him outside again where he finally went to the bathroom. Good stress is still stress and he was feeling it. Once inside, he went straight to the bedroom, sprawled out in front of the fan and slept until 6:30. I guess he's a I'm gonna sleep on the floor dog next to mom dog.

This morning, I took him out on the trails in order to let Steve sleep before his long shift. We hiked for 15 minutes pretty much uphill, and then I decided to try a bit of a jog. My broken toe is still achy, but we went for it. 30 minutes of running later, we strolled back to the car, proud of our good run. Buddy responds well on the leash to directions and he never pulls which I love.

Question for the running people with dogs - what do you do for water? I bought one of those portable bowls but it's too big and bulky for a run. Did you trail your dog to drink from a bottle? Any other suggestions would be welcomed!

I'll be posting pictures once we've got internet at the new house. I'm currently packing at the old place, giving Buddy a brief hour of "practice alone time."

To write or not to write?

2009-06-06T11:07:00.008-06:00

I've been debating about posting this week at all. There's been no time for running. My thoughts are a mess, and I'm tired. So tired in fact, that I walked right into a door frame and broke my little toe.

Our community was impacted by an incident Wednesday night that took the life of one teen, hospitalized two others, and led one to detention, waiting for the court system to determine consequences for actions that hold many in disbelief. As a therapist in the schools, my job was to listen and comfort. In crisis, I'm surprisingly calm and focused. Later, now, it's the questions that plague me and cause me to become a weeping disaster at random times, including this morning's service.

As an adult, I can barely grasp the information dispensed this week, but our teens are really struggling. Why? How? What keeps each of us from doing the unthinkable, or not? How could we have been, can we be, friends and supporters of someone who could hurt so viciously? What might we have done to curtail such an incident?

These aren't new questions to me. I've worked in this field for a long time. I have been witness to personal conflict and tragedy often, and some will haunt me forever. And once again, I don't know the answers, but I sure wish that I did.