New Form of Obstacle

Life has not been going that great since my 25K, a month ago yesterday. What started out as sore arms grew to major pain and my inability to do daily activities easily such as getting dressed and washing my hair. Also, my arms started to swell.

I went to MedExpress, they said it was just muscle strain. Well, it isn't. After countless medical tests, hospital visits, talking to different doctors, I still don't know what's wrong.

More than likely it is a connective muscle tissue disease called Dermatomyositis. Basically, my body is fighting my muscles instead of helping them heal after working out. Except, the pain doesn't go away even though I haven't worked out since my race a month ago. And I get really tired really easily, which is fun (not!). I had dermatomysitis when I was little, but have never had any problems since then. And as of right now, I'm not displaying any of the normal symptoms. A muscle biopsy is being scheduled to determine if it is in fact dermatomyositis.

Top picture, my hand right now, bottom, my hand a week ago.
 

What does this mean for my future with running and biking?

I have no idea.

Since I don't know what it is yet, no one can tell me. I don't have the energy to start running again right now and my arm muscles hurt at the slightest use. Thankfully, the race I was supposed to run this weekend was cancelled. I already paid for my yearly 5K in Tennessee too, which is in two weeks. I'm kind of hoping I can walk it, but I'm just not sure yet.

Also, a fun note. The probable method of treatment for me. Predisone. For probably a year. Predisone usually makes people gain weight. Frick! I'm trying hard to watch what I eat for right now which will hopefully carry over to when I start the treatment.

This blog might be more about food choices for a while until I get the clear to work out again....But I have to try my best to stay healthy and not let this become an excuse that sets me back!!

I will tell you this, all of this mess has made me realize how blessed I've been to be able to run, bike, kayak, and so on. People have faced harder obstacles and I know I can't and won't let this be the end for me.

Haulin' in the Holler 25K

Oh where to start??

I guess I could start with the fact that I finished! Yay! haha

I went Friday night to pick up my packet for the Haulin' in the Holler 25K since I had never been to this particular park before. It's an hour and a half away from me, so I stayed with a friend in Charleston which is about 30 minutes away from the Putnam County Park. My friend went with me, which was nice, since it was kind of out there!

Source - Putnam County Park, Eleanor, WV

Unfortunately, we had used my friend's phone on Friday, so when I pressed go on my Saturday morning, I thought it was just taking me a different way...nope. My phone took me to the wrong park! And my cell doesn't really work in Charleston, so the gps wouldn't pick up to find the right park! Ugh. I had left plenty early, but I needed to be at the park (the right park) by 7:00 am for the pre-race briefing. I was freaking out a little. Fortunately, I knew which exit to go to from the night before and I had the race page up before so it would still pop up. I just went from their directions and what I remembered from the night before. Thankfully, I wasn't the only one who was running late and they went back over which colors to follow along the paths and which to avoid, which was really good since some people would go the wrong way because they hadn't listened!

After using the port-a-johns, I was still worried that my stomach would give me issues. I only had one mini bagel for breakfast because I was so worried. I made sure to drink water and had a little hot tea, but well before the race started so that I was hydrated.

We lined up on the old fair grounds and started at 7:30 am. Thankfully it was a beautiful day. It didn't rain once and stayed in the sixties with a slight breeze. It was perfect! The route included about a mile of running on gravel before we hit the real trail. It was single track trail pretty much the whole time. There was a couple of spots that included 4-wheeler trails, but these areas were so gouged that it was hard to run on those. I'm not going to lie, some parts were scary. The trail would get really narrow and if I misplaced a foot, down the mountain I would go! And I had a right to be afraid of falling because I did fall, twice! Oh it wasn't bad, I just tripped over a couple of roots. To be expected of course. There was usually someone in front of me or behind me, but only a couple of times did I actually talk to someone. Trail running is not for those who need crowd support and lots of people around. I liked it though. The people behind me made me run when I didn't feel like it and if they passed me that made me want to catch up to them (which I never did, haha). The scenery was beautiful, even if it was still all brown from winter. I imagine it's really gorgeous in the summer. There were huge rock formations, little streams that had makeshift wooden bridges over them, beautiful trees, and of course beautiful mountain views. I should have taken my phone but I didn't want the extra weight.

This is a good running portion of the trail from last year's race. - Source

It was kind of hard to not keep thinking about how long I had to be out there. But I tried my best to just focus on to getting to the first aid station at mile 5 and then the next one at mile 10. The volunteers were really great. They were out in the middle of nowhere the whole day. I think the only way they got refills and such were from 4-wheelers (ATV's). I took a big risk at the aid stations and tried something new. They had Hammer Heed, which is supposed to be like Gatorade, I was not a fan. I took one drink and poured the rest out.

So I took some Mountain Dew for the sugar and caffeine. I didn't eat anything at the first one (was still worried that I'd have stomach problems), but I did take some grapes at the second one. They tasted fantastic and the Mountain Dew was good too. I did feel funny right after I drank it, but I think my body just had to take it in. I also took two Cliff Shot Blocks thirty minutes in since I didn't eat much for breakfast, and then I took a Vanilla Gu each hour. I think my nutrition was pretty good. I could feel my legs get extra tired when it was at the hour mark for my next Gu. They didn't upset my stomach and I feel like my energy kept up relatively well. Unfortunately, I think my handheld water bottle was leaking a little. I ran out of water before each aid station and when I had about two miles left. It needed to be just a bit bigger. I'm still glad I went with the hand-held versus the belt. It didn't get on my nerves the whole time.

This is the water bottle I used. - Source

In the end, I did a lot of walking. I think that is a big part of trail running though. Perhaps with more practice I'll get better though. I'm glad I went with my regular shoes since I didn't get blisters, but I think I definitely could have used the extra support. My ankle kept twisting and at some points I slid. One downhill was so steep I almost just sat down and slid, but someone was behind me, so I had to go sideways instead, haha. There were just a lot more steep parts that killed my legs just walking up them! The trail included various terrain really, from really rocky, to muddy, to nice leafy and dirt packed, to steep steep hills. And of course parts included all the above.

The hardest part was the last 3-4 miles. The trails snaked up and down the mountains, so at about mile 3 and half I could hear people at the finish line and I could see the white building that where we started, but I knew from my watch I still had a way to go. Being able to hear it though and see the road at various points and then going away from it, was so hard mentally. I was so tired at that point! When I knew I was close and I made, what I figured was the last turn, I picked up the pace and ran the last mile into the finish line. I didn't have anyone there, so the few people who were working and cheered for me was greatly appreciated. I also made sure to stay put until the two people that I had been near the whole race had crossed the finish line. One mind game I played with myself was to not let them pass me. They didn't know it, but they helped get me through.

So did I reach my goals? I didn't get the first one of four hours. I finished in 4 hours and 22 minutes! That's a long time to be running/hiking! I was slow, I know, but F* that, I finished something incredibly hard! And today, I can barely walk! haha. My thighs are burning and my left knee hurts, probably from either one of the falls or just from the terrain. My arms also hurt, I guess from holding the water and just keeping my arms at a 90 degree angles for that long.

I don't have the official times yet, but I know I wasn't last. But I do know that I finished, I gave it my all, and I didn't poop my pants! It's a win in my book!

My finishers 'plaque'. Handmade by the local boyscout troop. Very neat!

P.S. There was also a 50K, that did the same loop I did twice. I can't imagine! Good for those people!

25K Tomorrow!

Haulin' in the Holler!

Tomorrow is the day! My first 25K and first trail run!! Oh Dear Lord, Help me! haha

After getting bad blisters from my Nike Trail shoes and not having enough time to figure out what will help, I've decided to just wear my Brooks Pure Flows and hope I don't lose too much traction.

Thankfully the weather looks like it's going to cooperate. High 62, which is fantastic! There is a 30 percent chance of rain, but hopefully it will hold off! The shoes won't be a big deal, I'm thinking, unless it gets really muddy. As of right now, the trails should be dry. I'm keeping my fingers crossed they stay that way!

Day Mar 22

62^°FHigh

Few Showers

Chance of rain:

30%

Wind:

W at 9 mph

Cloudy with a few showers. High 62F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.



Also, to cut down on some weight, cause mine is back up a couple of pounds (I don't know why, I've been tracking, but it's whatever), I'm going to just use my handheld water bottle instead of the pack that goes around my waist. It just gets too heavy and gets on my nerves! The jacket I'll be wearing has plenty of pockets for my GU and Clif Shot Blocks. I'll also carry my headphones in case I want to listen to the new playlist I put together.

So any goals for this race?

1. Finish under 4 hours would be nice.
2. Finish under 5 hours.
3. To Finish.

Not lofty I know, but really what can you expect from a first time race. Any finish is a PR!

I'm still really nervous though. And for some odd reason, I'm really sore. I went over my scheduled mileage on Tuesday, but I don't think that was it. I rested yesterday and today. I'm hoping with some ibuprofen, I should be good to go tomorrow.

Well I should get back to work ;) I'll update tomorrow if I can lift my arms and I don't get lost in the wilderness of West Virginia!

Quite the Trail Run

Yes I had quite the trail run on Saturday.

I had about three hours of running ahead of me, so I started my day off with a bagel and some water at Panera. It was yummy! I went straight to the trails after that. Within the first half mile, I had to pee something fierce. Let's just say I marked my territory. Hey, don't judge...at least not yet.

So I was plodding along, just watching my footsteps when all of sudden a dog was just a couple of yards in front of me barking at me!

Source

 



This is definitely what the dog looked like.

 

Okay maybe it looked more like this....

The owner came around the bend and the dog was obviously very friendly after it got over the surprise of seeing me. I was just glad I had already stopped to pee or I may have went right there in my pants. The owner apologized profusely, saying that there usually weren't people on the trail that early. I told him it wasn't a big deal and went on my way.

I should start this next part by saying the night before I went out to dinner with my family to a Mexican restaurant. I was starving by the time we went so I ate way too many chips with salsa and then had three tacos! Yes, three.

So, of course, on my second loop, out in the middle of nowhere, came the stomach pains. And then the sounds. And then the feeling of oh my goodness, I'm gonna poop my pants. I again, had to find a tree. I'm so sorry tree, I know you will never be the same. All I have to say is thank God I had a baby wipe thing in my pack. (You can now judge me). Does this mean I'm a real runner now?

But that's not all. On my third loop, my legs must have started getting heavy because I fell flat on my face! I had tripped over the tiniest root you've ever seen. But at least it was soft dirt and not wet mud or hard concrete! I spent the rest of the third loop continuing to get tripped up on root after root.

Despite all that though, I feel a little better about my run two weekends from now. It will take me forever, but with walking up steep climbs, I'm hoping I make it.

I spent the rest of the day enjoying the spring-like 55 degree day with my family. We enjoyed a nice farmer's market, a trip to a local state park, and then to a fabulous restaurant that makes everything from scratch! If you're ever in southern West Virginia, I recommend the Secret Sandwich Society. I ate soo much including the best burger I've had at a restaurant, but we won't talk about that!

 

My sisters and family at the park.

 

 

Hopefully it will be as nice as it was this past weekend for my race!! 



 



The Time I Signed Up for a 4+ Hour Race

On Saturday I did my first real trail run. Not the flat, neatly limestone packed trails that I'm used to, but the out in the middle of the woods, gotta jump over logs and rocks trail. Oh my Lordy, I never dreamed it would be so hard! I could not mentally get over it. I was slow, I walked way too often and just had a pretty hard time about it.

There is a beautiful river down there. I promise.

The start of a rather bigger hill. You can't see it, but I promise, its there.

Yes it was peaceful and great to be out in the woods, but it took me two hours to do 7.5 miles!! That's walking pace! If I do that three weeks from now it will take over FOUR HOURS to finish the 25K! That's people's marathon times! To say that I'm freaking out is an understatement. Facing the mental battle of the run taking that long and using different methods of running, I just felt drained when I was done. I even had to stop at my car and eat half a granola bar in between the two loops, I felt that bad.

Do I have the stamina for the race? What do I bring to eat on that long of a run? What if the weather is complete crap and I'm stuck running in snow, ice, or both? I'm so not trained properly for this! I'm really regretting the couple of short runs that I've skipped. I know it wouldn't make a real difference, but I just feel so slow and not in the best of shape after Saturday's run.

I have 12 miles scheduled for this coming weekend (I was supposed to do 11 miles Saturday, but after it took that long to 7.5 miles, I called it a day). I'm hoping that I can do it outside to get more practice on the trails.

The trail is only about a mile and a half from my house and it made a 3.5 mile loop. It'll be really nice to train on this summer. Just wish I had found it sooner. Not that it would have mattered much because it's been looking like this most days:

My view today. Under those few inches of snow is lots of ice, so I decided to stay home.

I'm not sure I'll ever pick a big event in the Spring again. It's nice to have something to look forward to and to train for, but it's not fun having to do it all inside!

I also broke down and bought some trail shoes this past Friday. I tested them out on Saturday, I had planned on doing 5 miles in the new shoes on the trails and then switching shoes to run 6 miles on the road. Obviously that didn't happen. I shouldn't have gone that long in them so new, they started rubbing spots on my big toes. I had put band aids on the back of my heels, since that is where I usually get blisters, but didn't think about my big toes. I thankfully didn't get actual blisters, it had just rubbed them some and now I feel fine.

Source

These are the shoes I bought. Nike Flex Trail. Good thing I like them pretty well, since they are now absolutely covered in mud. I'm really glad I bought them though. I could really feel them digging/clasping the ground so that I didn't slide. They are very different to run in versus my Brooks Pure Flows since they are more clunky. They are not made for road running that is for sure. I'm a little worried that my legs won't be used to the extra weight, not that they are really heavy, but I like my Brooks since they are so lite. Should have gotten them sooner! But as long as the hot spots go away with more wear, then they will be great.

I guess I will just have to put my big girls pants on this weekend and train on the trails no matter the conditions. It'll be good to prepared no matter the situation right?? Oh goodness, what have I gotten myself into??

Its Only Been a Month!

Its only been a month since my last post. Haha.

I've got a few things to update about. First is the hilliest 5K I've done to date!

The morning started out so so so cold and snowing. So I debated on going at all. (Okay not really, cause I had paid for it). I went and there were only around 20 people that showed up. I know they had more that signed up for it, but I guess the other people were too scared to try it out!

Worst picture ever...except for my pup.
 

 

 There were so many hills! I'm going to be honest. I walked up most of them. They were just ridiculously steep. And just about everyone walked them, so I didn't feel too bad.

 

 

 

It was all worth it though for the post race homemade pumpkin soup! MMMM!




Sweetheart 5K

I finished in 34 minutes. Definitely not my fastest, but with all the hills, I'll take it. Due to the small amount of people, I even won first place in my age category! Woot woot! haha

I've also been enjoying my new bike trainer indoors, since it's been too cold and snowy to ride outside. I also had to take my bike to the shop since it was skipping gears and not acting right in general. I think they bike guy knew I didn't know much about bikes when I came to pick it back up because he said my bike needed some loving :( It was probably from the couple of falls I had during the summer!

But mostly, I've been running. Only three more weeks until my first 25K and trail run! EEEP. I got a new pair of my beloved Pure Flow 2's, but I'm still thinking I should check out some trail shoes for this run. I guess I better get a move on if I want to break them in before the race.

 

Look how fast I went! 10 miles in 11 minutes! Yeah right! Apparently the cap on the time is one hour and 40 minutes. Random. I'm definitely ready for Spring time. I'm ready to run outside! It's so much harder to get motivated to run when I have to go downstairs and run on the treadmill. I miss the sunshine and the trees.

To deal with the winter weight gain, I've started counting calories this week. I just couldn't control myself and wasn't gaining anything, but I haven't been losing weight either. I've already lost 1.6 pounds this week! I've been using the "Lost It" app on my android phone. So far, its very easy to put in my food and let's me know my deficit for the day, including when I put in my exercise. I feel better already and more in control. These past few months have made me realize just how unhealthy my relationship with food is. I can't help but eat something and then immediately feel a ton of guilt afterwards. With counting calories, I feel like I can eat guilt free as long as I include it in my daily calories.

Lastly, I did something that is freaking me out. I signed up for my first bike race. Well it's more of a charity ride. But still, I'll be riding 31 miles with other people! There were four distances to choose from 18, 31, 63, and 112. I decided to go with 31 so that it's enough of a distance to be a real challenge, but nothing as overwhelming as 63 or 112. I also haven't done many hills before so I have to work on that before July 19th. The proceeds go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). I've decided I need to get a proper helmet now instead of my Walmart one with the visor. And maybe some biking shorts too. Gotta protect the womanly bits!

I also am going to try to do a three day bike trek to support the American Lung Association, but I'm still working out the details of that. I have to raise $500 to participate, which makes me nervous. I'll update more on that if it comes to fruition.

As you can see, I'm still around, just haven't been on the computer much. But I'll make sure to update on my races!




January

Ha. I obviously stink at blogging!

Truth is, I haven't had much to blog about. My life has been a bit boring. But here's a few updates.

I'm running according to a sort-of schedule. I'm loosely following the Hal Higdon's Novice 2 Half Marathon training plan. Found here.

It looks something like this:

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1	Off	3 mile run	3 mile run	3 mile run	Off	4 mile run	60 min cross
2	Off	3 mile run	3 mile pace	3 mile run	Off	5 mile run	60 min cross
3	Off	3 mile run	4 mile run	3 mile run	Off	6 mile run	60 min cross
4	Off	3 mile run	4 mile pace	3 mile run	Off	7 mile run	60 min cross
5	Off	3 mile run	4 mile run	3 mile run	Off	8 mile run	60 min cross
6	Off	3 mile run	4 mile pace	3 mile run	Off	5-K Race	60 min cross
7	Off	3 mile run	5 mile run	3 mile run	Off	9 mile run	60 min cross
8	Off	3 mile run	5 mile pace	3 mile run	Off	10 mile run	60 min cross
9	Off	3 mile run	5 mile run	3 mile run	Off	10-K Race	60 min cross
10	Off	3 mile run	5 mile pace	3 mile run	Off	11 mile run	60 min cross
11	Off	3 mile run	5 mile run	3 mile run	Off	12 mile run	60 min cross
12	Off	3 mile run	2 mile pace	2 mile run	Off	Off	Half marathon

Except I'm not exactly training for just a half marathon. I want to do a 25K! That's a little over 15 miles! It will not only be my first 25K, but my first trail race! It's called 'Haulin in the Holler' (what can I say, it's West Virginia). There's actually a 50K as well, but ummm...no. Haha. The race is March 22nd. I haven't officially signed up for it, but I already have it in my head that I'm going to do it. I just hope there isn't tons of snow and it's hotter than 35 degrees! 

Source

Oh yeah and look at that elevation! Eeeep!! I'm a little scared of it, but I'm not going to go into it with a time goal, just a finish and don't die goal! My plan goes to 13 miles before tapering off, I'm on week 5 right now. And I know I'll have to put these hills to use if I'm going to survive this race!

On a fun note, my boyfriend got on a kick to buy a juicer and this is what has happened...

Sorry for the fuzzy pictures. We've started making a juice full of kale, spinach, carrots, apples, berries, whatever for breakfast in the morning. They are actually pretty good! I've kind of thought about doing a little juice fast, but I'm still thinking about it. Watching Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead will make you think about it. Detoxing sounds kind of nice about now, with all the not healthy stuff I've been eating.

My eating has been better, but still has a lot to be desired. I feel like I'm starting to get back in control a bit though. So I'm hoping that even if I don't do any sort of fast, that I can lose some of the weight and get healthier!

A couple quick runs I would like to mention, is the Runs for Cookies 5k I did Sunday. I did it as part of my long run on the treadmill and was proud that I didn't walk except for my one minute warm up at the beginning! And then there was the MegsMiles for the poor mother who was killed by a drunk driver while running. Thousands of runners ran in her memory and yes I was a part of that. I got to run outside that day, 6 miles, and all I could think about was how lucky I was to be able to feel the sunshine, move my legs for six miles, and be happy in the moment. 

Even if life isn't perfect, you don't like your job, you're overweight, you're unhappy in a relationship, whatever it is, pick a moment every day where you feel happiness. Have a cup of tea, go on a run, read a book in bed, whatever it is. I think it's important to make our own happiness. Get out of your head once in a while and think about the bigger picture, what really matters to you in life. Then go for it with passion. 

Have a good week all.