New found drive

I have been trying to think of something insightful to write about after the horrible tragedy at the Boston Marathon on Monday, but I am at a loss.  I just can't believe the cowardice of the person or people behind it.  I will never be the competitor those athletes have trained to be, but I will say I am far more motivated to pull off a 1/2 marathon that I was on Sunday.  I can't imagine losing a limb, but for someone who has made running such a huge part of their life to lose a limb is beyond my comprehension.  I found the following pictures;  one comforted me and one made me smile because I think it accurately describes the American Spirit, not only that of a runner.  Don't mess with us!

These past couple weeks have not been fun.  This boot thing, while necessary and helping, is a bulky, inconvenient mess.  I am going to need a major chiropractic adjustment when this is all over after walking around with one leg feeling a little longer because of the height of the boot.  It's funny how much you need to bend your ankle in a day.  I have nearly face planted myself in the parking lot by stepping off a curb on far too many occasions over the last couple weeks.  I have never appreciated full range of motion quite like I do today.  Then again, that was the whole point of this process, to better appreciate my health and mobility.  Point well taken, universe.  Point WELL taken!

I was given permission to resume my workouts with Jason this week as long as I wore my boot and kept it to upper body and core work.  Core work is something I need to do more.  My muffin top isn't disappearing nearly as fast as I can make muffin disappear from my plate!  The workouts have been tough since we usually split the session up instead of focusing only on upper body or only on lower body.  It's been good to get a little sweaty!!  I have been waking up sore again.  Just when my body thought it was going to get a break!  HA!  Fooled you!!

I have a doctor appointment this week.  I am hoping I get the green light to get back into a cardio routine, even if I am not supposed to run for an additional 4-6 weeks.  My legs are feeling very wimpy and I really am missing the stress reduction I had been enjoying from exercising more.  I saw a picture and phrase that really hit home the other day; it said "Food is the most widely abused anti-anxiety drug in America and exercise is the most potent and underutilized anti-depressant."  This is SO true for me and I am really feeling the stress and irritability work their way back into my system with the reduction in movement.  As someone who has battled depression and anxiety for several years, it is even more important to keep this all in check so send me some good vibes so I can get this food healthy and get back to it!  I am hoping to find another race in the area in the Fall to work towards.  I also plan on doing the Diva Dash in Frederick, MD on Sept. 21 with some co-workers and hopefully Randi will be able to make it out for that as well!  It's a 5k obstacle course that looks like it would be a ton of fun.

Since I am unable to participate in the 1/2 Marathon next weekend as planned, I will be volunteering at the event.  At least that way I can still be part of the event and hopefully learn a thing or two!  I wish I could be on the other side, but I will just have to work on my form and continue to build my stamina so I can do it later.

Have a great weekend and stop by again for updates soon!

Week Thirteen

"Courage does not always roar.  Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow."  ~Mary Anne Radmacher

Ah, the wisdom you can find on a magnet in an airport gift shop.  This week started out great.  Sunday I set out to try my hand at a little trail run.  Trail running isn't for me.  It's tough.  Especially in the spring when the trails haven't been spruced up.  There were a lot of tree roots and rocks on the uneven terrain.  It turned into a very steep uphill hike for about an hour.  That was enough for me!  It was good to be outdoors.  I am so ready for warmer temps!

On Tuesday I had my normal workout with Jason.  My arms are still killing me today from that.  It was a new month which meant a weigh in.  Eek!  I hate those and was really worried I wouldn't see any progress.  Well, the progress was not great, but I did have a 2% reduction in body fat.  I was pleased to see positive results.  I still haven't lost much weight, but there has been an increase in my lean body mass and a decrease in my fat body mass so that was promising.

By Wednesday, my week made a u-turn.  As I have mentioned over the past few weeks, my feet have been killing me, particularly my left foot.  I was worried I had a stress fracture.  I finally went to the doctor.  He quickly scolded me for wearing flip flops when I was coming in with a foot injury.  He ordered some X-Rays.  It turns out I have peroneal tendonitis.  I was very happy to hear there were no fractures, but as soon as the doctor told me that  I am going to be sporting a walking boot for the next 2-4 weeks my enthusiasm quickly took a nose dove.  2-4 weeks in a boot!  Yep, you do the math.  That puts me in the boot at least until the week before the race.  My doctor also grounded me from running for 6-8 weeks as well.  No 1/2 marathon.

He explained that the injury is from over use and poor form.  He was surprised that I had been able to avoid injury for this long as a new runner.  I am allowed to continue working with Jason after a week of doing nothing and rocking my sweet new boot (rolls eyes).  He said that after a follow up in two weeks he will determine when I can begin walking, cycling, and participating in other impact activities or if I have to wear the boot for up to 4 weeks.  I am ok'd at this time for swimming and "gentle" yoga as long as I'm not in pain.  I am planning to milk this "injury" to the fullest when I fly to see my Mom & Dad next weekend.  It will definitely take more time for me to get down the jet bridge and to find a seat in the exit row with plenty of leg room!    I gotta make the most of it. :)

To say I am disappointed would not accurately describe it.  I worry that a full week out of my routine could spell disaster.  I have taken a week off in the past, which quickly turned into two weeks, then a month, then 8 months; you get the picture.  So I plan to follow all my doc's rules and am hoping for a speedy recovery.  I plan to take another stab at this whole process again in the fall.  I've learned a lot in these past few weeks.  I'm looking forward to my coaching sessions in Denver and hopefully i'll pick up some pointers that will help keep me injury free.  So this is it for now.  I'll be back to the blog as soon as I find a new race and start training again.  Thanks a million to all my cheerleaders out there; particularly my big brother, Mike, Mr. Lippold, Michelle, Paula, and Randi.  Thanks for checking in with me every single week and offering wisdom and encouragement.  I know there are so many more of you!  I hope I have motivated all of you to tackle something scary and new.

Love,
Hilaree