Hi Friends... I DID IT!

HEWOO FWIENDS!

It's been DAYZZ since the half marathong and I KNOW I haven't written. I suck, I'm sorry. I've been crazy busy, but I finally found some time to sit down and write about how the Parkway Half Marathong went!!

We'll get to the part everyone wants to know: I finished in 1:57... WITHOUT TRAINING! I don't care what people say, I think that I did AWESOME considering I did not train well this time around!!

This experience was WAY different to say the least, compared to my other runs. For one, I was doing this race all by myself. For ever other run that I have completed, there was at least 1 other person running the event with me, and this time, I was it :( 

Around 7:50am, I hopped on one of the shuttles they had there and made it to the starting point. This year, like last year, they had this awesome Celtic procession where this bagpipe band played music as they marched down the starting point. They lined themselves along the sides of the start point so that when we passed the start of the race, we were surrounded by all this crazy bagpipe music! 

Anyway, I started off just cruising at a super comfortable pace with no real motivation to finish with a certain time. My mentality for the day was to just run and get a nice workout in :) At one point, I checked my watch and realized I could probably do a sub 2 and THAT's when I decided to start running through the water stations and stuff. Have you ever tried to drink water from a Dixie cup while running? 

I even tried being like the seasoned veterans where I would grab the cup and smash the lip of the cup together  to limit the amount of spillage. By the time I was ready to drink from it, there was little, if anything left in the cup. I had a couple good ones where I kept the water in and I was able to use the amount that I couldn't drink as a cool down and I just poured it down my back (it was getting a little warm). 

I finally saw the 13 mile marker and began SPRINTING. I swear, every time I do this, the distance seems so short in my head, but my legs totally beg to differ. My legs are pretty tired, but as I'm sprinting, I see the chronological time near the finish and it reads, "1:59:20". OMG, I NEED to cross before that becomes a "2:00:00", and I command my legs to move faster, but not before I take a leaping jump in front of the very last camera guy and throw up a peace sign. (The photographer was NOT ready for my big moment and I was PISSED, but who can blame him really? I doubt there are a lot of people leaping in the air and throwing up peace signs at the end of marathongs...I'd post it in my blog, but the stupid photo site has already figured out how to block cheap asses like me from stealing their images...)

And that was that. My official D-tag time was 1:57:50. I finished 31st in my age group out of 226 female runners between 25-29 years, and I finished 506th overall out of 2615 runners. Not bad for my last hurrah, eh?

That's the other thing... I'm officially taking a running hiatus for an indefinite amount of time. Is that was sabbatical is? When things stress you out and you have to take a break from it? Anyway, that's all I wrote and I hope you all enjoyed it!! Who knows, maybe I'll be back with some crazy fitness events and stories to share with everyone. Until then, stay healthy my friends!!

T.Lee

Parkway Half Marathong Eve

'Tis the eve of the great American River Parkway Half Marathong! I have hydrated all day, although, have yet to embark on my pre-race meal outing. Tonight, it's the usual Spag Fac (The Old Spaghetti Factory) to carb up before tomorrow :)

About one year ago, I ran the 4th annual Parkway Halfie, which began what would be an incredible journey through an additional 2 half marathongs as well as a full marathong. Since then, I have managed to log in over 500 miles, I've gone through numerous running injuries, and I've run through 3 pairs of shoes. It's pretty crazy when I really think about it.

I picked up my bib and shirt this afternoon (fyi, it SUCKS to drive through downtown Sac, especially when I'm trying to hurry back to work!), and I was a little disappointed in the shirt they had this year. For one thing, it looks almost identical to last year's shirt, except for these green stripes down the side. And secondly, it's way bigger than last year's and I ordered the same size! Men's small!! (I hate getting the women's shirts because for some reason, they're always really wide and they're always V-necks or something weird. Maybe they're wide because of the boobs?)

Take a look... this year's shirt...

Last year's shirt....

At least change the color of the stupid shirt, right? Well, whatever, I can't complain, it's a shirt that says, "I just ran 13.1 miles, what did you do today?" Ooh, that sounds like a cool shirt to have, I should suggest that for next year...

You all know that I've been bitching about how I haven't trained for this race, and I haven't. I ran more this week that I did all month! I know it's stupid to play "catch up" with running, because it's pointless, and I've probably tired myself out, but I feel more mentally prepared at least. I keep telling myself, "It could be worse... I could be running a FULL marathong!" No way will I ever do that again. Once is enough. Regardless, I just have to keep a strong mentality for tomorrow no matter how I've trained (or didn't train). I've done with twice before, this should be no problem...right?

The weather today was insanely windy, and I'm a little worried for tomorrow's race. I HATE the wind... with a passion. And yes, hate is a strong word, and I HATE the wind. It slows you down, it dries out your eyeballs, and it blows dirt all up in your grill. WTF. I've been sitting here begging the wind gods to just have mercy on us runners tomorrow. The wind today was about 20-25 mph, pretty gusty, and I looked up the weather for tomorrow and it only says the wind will be between 10-20 mph. We'll see...

Anyway, tomorrow will be the last race I run for a while. It's kind of cool that I began and ended my little running stint with the same event, though. Who knows if I'll be back, although I'm almost positive I will be, but I just need to take a break. Maybe I'll pick up a new sport, who knows. For now, I'm only focused on tomorrow and how awesome I'll feel when I cross that finish line and realize I could eat an entire bucket of fried chicken and not feel horrible about myself for it. I probably won't, but the option's there.

Until tomorrow my friends!! Wish me luck!

This Place About to BloOOOOOOw!

There are only 4 more days until my next race... holy $*!%... and let me tell you friends, training has NOT been going well.

1. I've only run about 5 times since my last race on March 13th
2. I just came back from an EPIC Las Vegas vacation with some old college friends
3. ...I just don't wanna!

I've said it a million gazzillion times already, but getting out there has been SOOO hard. I ran 10 miles on Saturday and while I've been struggling lately, it's probably the best run I've had in a while. I made sure to hydrate all day Friday, and I even downloaded an audio book to help me get through the run.

Side note: a friend asked me to join her book club. Apparently, people read books to talk about them and watch the out coming movies....weird. Anyway, she asked me to join, and I said, "No, I don't read". And really, I DON'T READ. Reading for fun is an idea that is so rare, I barely even know what books are anymore. But after much coaxing and convincing (aka complaining and bitching about it), I finally said, "FINE. I'll download the audio book for your little (quotation marks being made with my hands) "book club"..." To this days, she calls me a cheater for getting the audio book instead of the real thing. But let's face it: I paid $5 for a "book" that can READ FOR ME. Tell me that's not the most American thing ever- I just paid to have something do a job for me that I'm fully capable of doing myself. LOVE IT.

Anyway, back to running. The audio book made the time FLY. I'm contemplating on bringing it with me to the race. Normally, I run races without anything so I can hear other people and just take in everything around me. Considering I don't really want to do this event, I may just take my headphones with me to drown everything out and get the damn thing over with ASAP. Maybe not.

The run felt good. I took a GU with me (Tri-Berry... YUM!) and it really helped me. The only thing I could really complain about was my right knee. I'm thinking my IT band just wasn't stretched out enough, but other than that, I'm ready to rock. I even calculated my possible times for the race. If I keep a sub 9:15 pace, I'll finish in under 2 hours... I can totally do that. We'll see though. Normally, I feel great for the first 8 miles, then it starts wearing on me. There's just no way I can beat my last time with the little time I've spent training. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN...

I've got 3 more runs scheduled this week and then it's the big day. I'm fueling up and hydrating now; not much else left to do. WISH ME LUCK... I'M REALLY GOING TO NEED IT, CUZ MY TRAINING DID ME NO GOOD! (SCREAM!)

Cuz I Would Walk 500 Miles and-uh I Would Walk 500 More...

It's official: I've logged in a total of 500 miles since I started running with my Nike+ sensor in my shoe. As the Nike website says:

"500 miles is one serious road trip. And to think, you did it on one set of tires. Keep on truckin’."


You'd think this would motivate me, but it really hasn't. I did take heed to my friend's advice and I tried running a different trail today which helped a little bit, but I have definitely decided to take a break from running events after the Parkway Half Marathong.... at least until October. 


October is the Nike Women's Half Marathong and I definitely plan on running that one. Why?? Because instead of a finisher's medal, you get a Tiffany & Co. necklance. A TIFFANY & CO. NECKLACE. I shouldn't even have to say that twice.... YOU know why now :)


Anywhoosies... just thought I'd share the cool news about my 500 mile mark with y'all... pretty neat :)

EPIC FAIL

This training sesh for the upcoming half marathong is so far from good...it's BAAAD... I just can't seem to find the motivation to get my ass in gear and run!! First, I complained about the horrible weather. Now that the weather is AMAZING, I still can't do it!! I've got no excuse, although, Monday did give me a reason to give up just a little bit.

Picture this:
I'm at work. I begin to walk a parent out the door and as I'm talking to her about her child, her kid decides to break outta this joint and bolt!! "(KID'S NAME)!!! STOP!!" Nope, he keeps going and actually looks back with a gigantic grin on his face. Sorry, kid, autism does NOT excuse you from this-- So I chase him down.

Of course as I'm reaching out to grab him by the shirt, I FLIPPING ROLL MY ANKLE!

The pain was REALLY weird. I think because I was with a parent and I didn't want to scream, I probably made a really weird face and grimaced as I felt like vomiting from the pain. The pain went from my foot into my stomach and made me feel nauseas. Weird, right?? The first thing I thought of was, "Is this what guys feel like when they get nailed in the nuts?" Boys always say that the pain from getting kicked in the grapes can be so bad it makes them vomit.... anyway...

So there I was, leaning on the closest railing and telling the kid that it's not okay to run away like that all while trying to keep from screaming at the frustration of tripping.

And I hear you laughing... yeah, YOU! I know I've tripped SO many times already, it's like, WTF?!

So anyway, I take Tuesday off, I take Wednesday off, and I decide to go for a run since I had the day off (Gracias, Cesar Chavez). I gear up, I head out and I begin to run...

I first told myself, "Okay, 10 miles... let's do it. No no, 10 mile SPRINT workout! Yeah!" So off I went... Well, about 3 miles into it, I get SOOOO tired. WHAT THE HELL... UGH... THIS BLOWS...

Eventually,  said, "F--- this SH--", and I turned around and just went back home. I ended up only logging in about 7 miles and now I feel like such a failure! I just hate saying that I'm going to do something and then fall short. With my day off today, I really wanted to seize the G D day!! Well let me tell you... I did NOT carpe the diem... NOT-AT-ALL...

So now I'm just hoping to find some motivation SOMEWHERE... My race is coming up at the end of April and I at least have to finish under 2 hours (now that I know I can do it!)

Depressing entry for today, but hopefully entertaining. That's it for now. I'm going to go stuff my face with sushi now...

What's Next, You Say??

Well fans, I'll tell you what's next: THE PARKWAY HALF MARATHONG

For many of you that have been such loyal followers, you have already read my first blog entry and you already know that the Parkway Half Marathong of 2010 was my FIRST ever distance event. This year, I have signed up for the 2011 Parkway Half  in recognition of the event that served as the catalyst in my journey as a distance runner. So, April 30, here I come!!

PR-ing in the Shamrock Half was a proud moment for me, because not only did I PR, but it was also under 2 hours, which was my ultimate goal. Now, for the Parkway Half, there's an even higher standard to hold myself to, but I'm just not quite sure I have the motivation for it right now. The weather SUCKS which is probably my number 1 reason I don't feel compelled to run so much anymore.

Here is Sacramento, the rain keeps on falling and the river is just about overflowing. A co-worker even told me there was a flood warning an the levy is just about cracking!!! I can only imagine... I won't be running the race, I'll be FLOATING the race. Anyone have a raft I can borrow? It's like Oregon Trail all over again: Caulk the wagon and ford the river before we lose the oxen!

It's not so much that I don't have the will power to run in the rain (because believe me, I DID that when I trained for the full marathong...18 miler!! MISERABLE!). I just hate the wet weather... does not make for a happy run.

Since my last half on March 13, I've run a total of 2 times.... SO LAME I KNOW!! My original plan was to train for this next race using sprint workouts instead of just solely running. So far, it's been an epic FAIL and I need some motivation to get going again... I just can't seem to find it.

Anyway, just wanted to make the announcement and let everyone know I've got a race in April!!! Let's hope I can get my ass in gear and train!!

PARKWAY HALF MARATHONG on APRIL 30 in SACRAMENTO, CA

THE SHAMROCK'N HALF MARATHONG 2011

OMG PEOPLE... SO MANY THINGS TO TALK ABOUT I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER THEM ALL. So many things that I'm going to quickly make a list of topics so I don't forget...

1. My toes
2. The bums
3. The mayor
4. The gas
5. The ending

So quick overview: I completed the race in 1 hour, 55 minutes, and 24 seconds. 1:55:24!!
I placed 882nd overall (out of over 5500 runners!) and I placed 52nd in my age group (out of 497 females between the ages of 25-29!)

Although I'm super proud of myself for achieving my goal, I don't know if I ever want to put that sort of pressure on myself again... it was HARD! My pace averaged out to an 8:49, so I was definitely proud of myself. I only walked through the last 3 water stations for some Powerade, but other than that, I was truckin'.

Okay, onto the good stuff....

1. MY TOES: So for those of you who don't know, I've managed to lose a total of 4 toe nails since my marathong in February. Yep, they just fell off. Well, more like, they were loosened by all of the running I've done and I myself pulled them off so they wouldn't catch on anything. Do you even KNOW how long it takes toe nails to grow back? These ain't no starfish arms you can just chop off and grow right back... these toe nails are GONE. Anway, after the race was over, my toe tips were in excruciating pain to say the least. I was so scared to take off my shoe for fear of gallons of blister blood that might just pour out of my shoe. Luckily, they weren't all bloody, but they hurt like a mother effer.

2. THE BUMS: Along the race course, we ran through the woodsy area along the American River. Among the spectators and supporting families, I thought it was awesome to see all of Sacramento's bums on the side of the road cheering us on. Some people don't know this, but bums have great things to say sometimes. The only downside to the bums was that my boss reported that she saw one taking a fatty dump near the race course. I guess they've got no where else?

3. THE MAYOR: I was well into mile 13, just wishing everyone would get the hell out of my way so I could just finish the damn thing when I see a bunch of dudes wearing these matching shirts. I thought to myself, "aw that's cute. a little man running group..." THEN I hear one of the side volunteers say, "WAY TO GO MAYOR JOHNSON!" It took about 10 seconds for me to put all the pieces together (I was running my brains out, what do you expect?!). All the "dudes" wearing matching shirts... the bodyguards! And in the dead center of the pack... MAYOR FREAKIN' JOHNSON!  (And by the way... totally passed him up)

4. THE GAS: OH LORDY THE GAS!! We're going to get gross here. If you'd like to skip to number 5, go right ahead, this ain't pretty. Anyway, I always make it a point to "drop the kids off at the pool" before ANY running event. It saves on time, and you just feel better when you're "empty" and you have to run 13.1 miles. So there I am, happily running in the crowd of people. I'm doing my own thing, breathing in the nice crisp Sunday morning air through my nose and mouth... ALL OF A SUDDEN a gust of warm, stale, FART AIR gets blown into my face! WTF! OMG! OMG! Was that what I think... was that... O.M.G. I HAD FART IN MY MOUTH. The worst part of it all.... I couldn't run away from it! Fart after fart after fart just kept happening!! I was in a mine field and no matter where I went, I just didn't know if I would be met with another stink bomb... SO GROSS. Thankfully, I was able to run off to the side and limit the amount of fart air that I came into contact with.

5. THE ENDING: So my plan for the last ending picture was to jump up into the air like I had won a million dollars. I wish I had the energy to do that during my full marathong, but no way could I have summoned that sort of energy. So I decided I'd try to do it today. Okay, so I am SPRINTING toward the finish line... and let me paint a picture for you: The finish line was ON Raley Field, so people could watch from the bleachers. There are about a gazillion fans out there watching people run, and there were a bunch of kids that were down in the first row of seats with their cute little hands all sticking out for high fives. I LOVE pretending that I'm famous, so I'm like, "FANS! I should be a good famous person and give them ALL high fives!" So off I went... high five! high five! high five! high five! etc... And before I knew it.... BAM! The camera was already in my face! WTF! I had no time to prep for my jumping into the air picture!!! I was too busy tending to my fans!! OH NO!! THE POSE! THE GLORIOUS POSE!! G-D IT!! I missed my moment... So now all I'm hoping for is that my end picture isn't me with a face that says, "OH NO! AH!"

Anyway, folks, that's it for today!! Another success in the world of T.Lee's running. WHAT THE HECK SHOULD I DO NEXT?!

My group! 

PRE SHAM SHAM DAY

Welp, tomorrow is race day! The SHAMROCK'N HALF MARATHONG!!!! WOOOOO!

I JUST picked up my packet, and I'm super stoked to get my calorie burnin' on tomorrow. I bought a brand new running hat today that I'll be stylin' in tomorrow (Under Armour, light blue, small bill...the small bill makes it SUPER cute), and I'll be sure to be one of the better looking runners out there. I mean, well, DUH.

Anyway, tonight, I've got a pasta dinner with other fellow runners where we plan to get our awesome grub on at the Spag Fac (The Old Spaghetti Factory).  We'll load up on the fuel tonight and we'll be all set for tomorrow! Tomorrow morning, it'll be a nanner (banana), small cup of coffee, and a GU pack. Food for champions I tell you. And I don't care what other people say, I LOVE GU. I'd eat it even if I didn't have to run. If I were stuck on an island and had to pick one form of food for all of eternity... GU.

Like I said before, my goal for this race is to get a sub 2 hour time and it's been weighing heavily on me these last few days. I'm not sure if I can keep that pace up for 13.1 miles.... regardless, I still plan on running my little heart out.

Anyway, folks, tomorrow is the big day, so let's all get super stoked!! I'm already thinking about what I should eat after the race is over! I'm not sure what it'll be, all I know is, it'll be WHATEVER THE HECK I WANT!!!

Another Race Coming Up...

Hello friends! Long time no blog!!

It's that time again! I've got another race coming up this Sunday, March 13! The Shamrock'n Half Marathong is my next battle, and I've got some new goals and aspirations for this event!

Since the marathong, it's been a bit hard for me to find the motivation to continue training. I mean, I just finished a freakin' marathong, WHAT'S LEFT TO DO?! Ha, jk. Anyway, I've managed to fit in a few good runs for the upcoming race, and I'm actually getting really excited in this last week before the race. There are a bunch of people running it, and I'm really amped. My boss, my running partner, my boss's friend, my running partner's fiance, so many awesome people!

So this week, it's really all about hydrating and eating super healthy. My goal for this race is to get a sub 2 hour time. My last half marathong back in May was a 2:07 finish time, so I'm hoping I can get sub 2hrs. I think I can do it...

I ran with my running partner on Saturday...10 miles. My knees hurt a bit and my arches starting cramping for some reason. I did just start wearing a new pair of shoes, but it's just so weird. I haven't have arch problems since my days in college playing lacrosse. Hopefully they won't give me any problems next Sunday.

Anyway, that's all for now... But here are some pictures from the marathong in Huntington Beach... epic...

So many people at this thing!!! I'm somewhere in the back...

I started running out of poses for the cameras...

YES!! 

There's me at the  bottom left! I FINISHED 26.2 MILES! HOLY SH*T!!

WHAT TIME IS IT!? IT'S GO TIME!

Hello Friends! The big day has come and gone and I have so much to share!!

I'm new at uploading video, but so far, it's been okay. I was able, with the help of my best friend's mom, to capture some good footage of the race that you will all hopefully enjoy. 

My best friend and I arrived at the event a little before 6am and before we knew it, we were off an running. My bestie is so much faster than me, so she started up near the front, whereas I was more in the middle of the pack. The horn sounded and off we went!

I took with me, an AWESOME fanny pack to hold my GU since I couldn't carry 5 GU's with me in my water bottle. I borrowed it from my old running partner, but it was SIIICK. Surprisingly, I didn't get any comments from people around me on race day, but maybe it was just too early in the morning for them to realize how cool it was. Or maybe they were THAT intimidated by me wearing it. 

Anyway, as amazing as the fanny pack was, it was WAY too bouncy around my waist and I had to ditch it near mile 6. Don't worry, I didn't DITCH it ditch it. I just handed it off to my bestie's mom who was kind enough to take it from me. As far as the GU's went, I just ended up eating one less GU (which kind of killed me in the end, but more about that later).

The first 13 miles were fairly easy. No muscle aches, my leg felt great, my pace was decent, and I was over all a happy camper. Everyone around me made it so exciting. I didn't even take my music player with me. I even met a friend while running the first few miles...

And when I say "friend", I mean an semi-annoying man who felt compelled to give me the low down on all marathongs since I was stupid enough to tell him this was my first one. 

"Oh! So this is your first one, huh? How long did you train for? Where are you from? What pace did you train at? Did you train with vita lyte? You know, you shouldn't drink anything you didn't train with. Do you know what a negative split is? Let me tell you..." BLACHGHARGAJ!!!

I'm all for talking while jogging for about 3 miles, but I'M TRYING TO RUN A FREAKIN' MARATHONG HERE MAN! BE A PAL! SHUT UP!

It took a little bit of extra effort on my part not to snap at him. For all I knew, the next 25 miles might be next to THIS guy. I had to keep my cool. I ended up slowing down to let him pass me at one of the water stations and I didn't really see him again... THANK GOODNESS.

By mile 13 I was thinking, "Man, if I were running the halfie, I'd be done... with energy to spare too!" But since I WASN'T doing the halfie, I just kept running. Around mile 17, I started to feel my achilles freak out a little bit.

"No no no no no.... NO!" Regardless of how bad that leg felt, I was determined to keep running. I was just getting SO tired. I ate a GU pack about every 5-5.5 miles and that kept me going fairly well, but around mile 21 I started feeling MISERABLE. 

"Mile 21... okay... less that 6 miles! No biggie, piece of cake." But it wasn't a piece of cake. It was piece of "HOLY SHNYKEES I WANNA DIE". The next 6 miles were the longest 6 miles I have every run. Muscles that I didn't even know I had started hurting. My back, my quads, my knees, EVERYTHING. Slowing down through the water stations was hard too. Starting back up was even harder. 

Around mile 25, I was next to this woman all decked out in LA Marathong gear and she was TALKING ON HER CELL PHONE LIKE IT WAS NO BIG FREAKIN' DEAL THAT SHE WAS RUNNING A MARATHONG! CRAZY! People like that are insane.

Eventually, I saw the beautiful finish line... praying that it wasn't a mirage, my mind told my legs to just move faster. In my mind, I was sprinting through that finish line. In reality, I don't know how slow I was going, but I was putting every last ounce of energy into that finish. 

Of course I stopped at the end to ensure that the camera guy got my picture. I even paused to make sure that there was no one else near by that could steal my thunder. There's NO WAY I was about to share a picture going across that finish line.

BUT I DID IT! I, TIFFANY CHRISTMAS LEE, KNOWN SPRINTER, UNKNOWN DISTANCE RUNNER, FINISHED A MARATHONG! It only took me 4 hours and 18 minutes.... ONLY! :) (My best friend KILLED it with 3:21! She's Boston bound! She was 3rd in our division too!)

I set my mind to it, and although there were huge obstacles along the way, I still completed it! I even received a finisher's medal!

It's been 2 days since the race, and my body is still pissed at me for what I did to it, and although it's still in a state of shock, I'm really glad and proud that I did it. Only a few people ever train and complete a marathong...and I'm one of them! 

_______________________________________

Here is some of the footage I was able to get on race day. Enjoy!

ON OUR  WAY TO THE START! IT'S WAY TOO EARLY! 

By the way, it did NOT smell like farts in the car. 

POST MARATHONG DEBRIEFING WITH T.LEE

(There is another video that goes here that wont' upload and I'm PISSED! When I have more time to figure it out, I'll post it. For now, just imagine me after crossing the finish and screaming, "SWEET BABY JESUS I'M DONE!")

LAST MINUTE THOUGHTS ON THE JOURNEY

Thank you again, to everyone who took the time to read my blog! It's been so fun and I really hope to keep letting people know what I'm up to as far as my active life goes. I've got the Shamrock'n Half Marathong coming up in March so I"ll be sure to let you know how that went!!

Until next time! Keep running!

PRE-RACE DAY

It's the day before the BIG DAY!! I flew down from Sacramento into L.A. and my bestie picked me up at the airport last night. Today, we got out race packets, went to the beach where it was a nice 63 degrees and the sun was a-shinin'!

As said before, I brought my Flip camera down here with me so that I could video blog all of the awesome cool stuff going on before the race and after. I'm pretty much planning on video taping everything because I think people care and it's fun to act like I'm famous. Here are the videos from today.... ENJOY!

On our way to packet pick-up: Me, Beefcake (the best friend), and Bailey (best friend's dog)

THE Mile Marker

T minus 4 days...

4 days until FEBRUARY 6, 2011 6:30am.

I just got an email from the Surf City Marathong people telling me about packet pick up and what not. This $h*t is getting REAL! My 3 miler today was AMAZING. I know it's only 3, but it felt so great. I was running at a good pace, and my body just felt like it could have gone longer.

It was a bit windy, but not at ALL like how it was when I was running in Colorado.... THANK GOD. Just a strong breeze, but nothing to slow me down.

A few people have asked me if I will continue to blog after this whole marathong is over, and I'm actually not quite sure. I've had so much fun hearing feedback from other people, whether on here, or on Facebook and it was really fun to get my thoughts on running down. I DO have other events coming up that I'm sure would make for some GREAT material:

March 13, 2011: Shamrockn' Half Marathong (Sacramento, CA)
April 2, 2011: Warrior Dash (Lake Elsinore, CA)
May 1, 2011: Big Sur Marathong (or half, I don't know yet) (Big Sur, CA)
June 25, 2011: Tough Mudder (Denver, CO) (I don't know if this is for sure yet...)

Good events that would cultivate some good material for the blog, right? And the Warrior Dash and Tough Mudder aren't JUST running events either. They're mud runs that are pretty much these crazy obstacle courses. INSANE. So insane that I don't even know if I'm ready for 'em.... all my friends that are doing them are in the military. I do I keep up with THAT?!

Well, I guess I"ll find a way to survive. Because it's either that, or dying. And dying kind of sucks. Anyway, 4 DAYS LEFT! OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD.... I DON'T WANNA I DON'T WANNA... (SCREAM)

T minus 6 days...

6 days left until the big day! It's all I can think about! I still have go to to the store and get my GU, I still have to get my bottled water for the week (I generally don't buy bottled water because I have a Brita, but at work, there isn't one, and the tap is gross), and I just feel so anxious and excited all at the same time!

I finished a 10 miler today. Not too bad. The first 7 miles felt great. No pain, just a little twinge. Overall, I was very pleased with my run today. It'll probably be the last longer-ish run I'll do before the race. From here on out, I'll just be keeping my legs warm and getting in some 5ers and 3ers, but that's it.

Random side story about my run today. I THINK I SAW JACOB BLACK. YES, FROM TWILIGHT. No, not Taylor Lautner (although I wouldn't mind seeing him...), but I swear... I think I saw a wolf. It was kind of far away, so I wasn't sure how big it was, but it looked very wolf-like. Well, it was either Jacob, or somebody else from the pack.

Anyway...that's all I've got to report on today.... ONLY 6 FREAKIN' DAYS LEFT! I'M FREAKING OUT!

On the Mend

Good news: I've logged in 2 runs since my last entry and although I was slow, I was almost pain free!

I spoke to a college friend the other day who was in the same athletic training program I was in, who is actually a certified athletic trainer now. He gave me a few good suggestions on exercises and stretches I could do to prepare for a run that would help me with my achilles. Let me tell you.... AWESOME. I totally forgot what a REAL stretch could do for the body.... I was able to really open up my stride and I didn't feel so stiff. I was really happy with my last 2 runs.

The bummer about running right now is that a week from today, I'll be on a plane to southern California. I really don't have much time left to train. All the training that I can do now is all under 10 miles and I feel incredibly unprepared for the challenge I plan on taking on next Sunday. I'm slow because I've been off for 2 weeks, and I'm sort of dreading how my body is going to feel when it's all over and done with.

I am SO nervous for this event coming up. I don't know if that's because I feel unprepared, or if it's because it's my first marathong. I was so concerned about my leg and the pain and swelling that I think it really got to my head. I even begged my doctor for some sort of magical injection into my leg so I wouldn't feel the pain for the race. Seriously, I did. She said no. I also begged a friend of mine to mail me some top of the line pain killers, but since it's a felony to mail prescription meds, we had to let that one go too.... It looks like I'll be popping ibuprofen like candy next weekend, but anything to get me through this! (All kidding aside, because I'm sure my mother is reading this and is starting to become concerned that I'm addicted to narcotics, we weren't really going to try and mail meds. But I really DID beg my doc for an injection).

Anyway, I'm definitely "on the mend" and I'm excited/nervous about everything coming up. It should be good!

For Christmas this year, I got a Flip camera (Have you seen those things?! Totally cool video camera!!), and I'm planning on doing a little clip of me and my best friend preparing for the race the night before and then talking about it after. I'm hoping to have someone record us crossing the finish line too, but it'll probably be really crowded. Plus, my bestie will be crossing that finish line about 5 years ahead of me, so the camera might actually run out of batteries. We'll what we can come up with. Should be good. Entertaining at the least....

UNTIL NEXT TIME....

My Mantra

I completed my second run today since returning from my achilles fiasco. Everything about running is just so bittersweet for me right now. I love that I'm back and ready to take on the marathong, but this hasn't been the smoothest road.

My bestie texted me yesterday "I hit 20 miles today", and immediately, the little green monster started coming out. No, not my boogers.... ENVY. Of course as her best friend, I was so proud and happy for her. I've always known that she could do it (with EASE I might add), but I was just SOO jealous. She's the type of person, like me, who sets her sights on a goal and just does it. The exception with her (or so it seems) is that this running thing comes a lot easier to her than it does to me. So when I read that text, I couldn't help but feel my heart sink a little bit knowing that I wouldn't be hitting 20 miles before this race.

I ran 5 miles today. By mile 3, my leg was hurting. I felt so slow too. Well, I was slow. The entire time, I just kept repeating in my head:

"I am awesome"
"I love running"
"My leg feels great"


"....am I done yet?" (checks watch)

Getting back into this running thing isn't as happy and go lucky as I thought. I'm sitting here, with my foot in a bucket of ice water just hoping for the best in 15 days.... OMG. 15 days! WTF. That's like...2 weeks. Why do I feel so screwed.

Anyway, at this point, there's no use in being a Debbie Downer. Woosa. Happy thoughts. Happy place.

I will say this though: THE WEATHER IN SACRAMENTO IS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS AND I COULDN'T HAVE ASKED FOR BETTER RUNNING WEATHER. IT WAS REALLY AWESOME TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE RUNNING AND BIKING AND GETTING THEIR EXERCISE ON :)

I'm BAAAAAACK

Well, it's officially been 2 weeks since my last run. Well, 1 week and 6 days. I couldn't take it anymore. All of that time off started making me feel out of shape and a bit on the "larger" size...

As some of you might know from reading my last entry (THANK YOU FOR READING BTW), I managed to be a loser and sustain an injury to my achilles tendon that caused me a lot of pain and a LOT of swelling. The pain was somewhat bearable to run with, but the swelling really killed my range of motion so I decided to take some time off to recover.

Well, here I am. "Recovered" would hardly be a term I'd choose to describe myself, but at least I was able to run today. Over the past 2 weeks, I literally just woke up, went to work, and went to bed. I went from not being able to walk more than 6 inches at a time, to having a normal looking stride. The pain is pretty much non-existent when I walk, but when I run, there's still this weird "twinge".

I only ran 3 miles today. The last thing I need is to run 13 and kill my leg before this marathong, so I'm thinking I should ease back into this. I'd rather run out of shape than in pain. Anyway, the run itself was okay, nothing special. I still felt some pain in my leg, but it was bearable. My only concern now is that I'm going to feel even more pain the more mileage I tack on...

Despite all of this, I'm finally back and looking forward to getting back in shape and getting this marathong done!! I can't wait to cross that finish line and finally say that I ran a whole marathong!!!!!!!!

BTW: I've officially signed up for the Shamrockn' Half Marathong in Sacramento. It's going to be on March 13 and I invite anyone and everyone to join me! It's going to be awesome and I think they're celebrating St. Patty's Day too. And you know what that means.... BEEEEEEER.

Running Hiatus

It's been decided... I will be taking a short break from running.

Right now, my foot and ankle look like they've contracted a case of elephantiasis and I can't take a step more than 6" from my other foot without wanting to scream. It takes me about 3 eons to hobble around and get ready for work. And another 3 eons to walk from one classroom to the next. My achilles feels like an old rubberband about to snap and all I want right now is my mommy.

Per the doctor's recommendations, I kept my long run this past Saturday down to 13 miles, but my foot feels worse. The swelling has reached into my toes, which now look like small sausages, and the pain is simply depressing. I've been forced to rest at this point. UGH.

I can't even begin to express all of the crazy emotions going through my mind right now. I'm frustrated, wretchedly unhappy, depressed... it is SO SAD.

I haven't been getting up at 5am to train for nothing. I haven't been pushing myself to run more and more and more...for nothing. I haven't been utilizing all of my free time to run...for nothing. Unfortunately, it totally feels that way. Like this has all been for nothing.

Today, I was sitting behind a kid at work when she stood up from her chair, which totally rammed into my legs and into my knees. And not that it hurt extremely bad, but for some reason, it was like the trigger that just sent me over the edge about this injury that won't go away. I had to turn away and go back to my desk for a few minutes so that the tears rolling down my face wouldn't be seen by anyone. Sad picture, isn't it?

YES I CRIED. Go ahead...laugh.

When it comes to things that I am extremely invested in, I cry. So make fun of me all you want, you big fat robots, but at least I can admit it!!

Anyway, that's pretty much how I've been feeling these past few days. Just a little melancholy...

My options at this point are very few. Ultimately, I still intend on running this marathong. I've got less than 4 weeks left and 2 of those weeks will be rest. Maybe a little stationary biking. But mostly rest. I'm thinking that if I rest and heal, then I can run the race out of shape, but pain free. If I try and run before those 2 weeks, I might be in shape, but I'd be running the race...all 26.2 miles... in utter pain. I'd rather go with the former option.

I'm trying to stay optimistic and keep a positive attitude, but it's been really hard. At Davis, whenever I got hurt, I just went to the training room and they'd start fixing me right away. Now, I get hurt, I have to schedule a doctor's appointment, which takes a few days and they end up telling me things I already know. And even at the doctor's, they don't do anything for it. At least at Davis, they had PTs, ultrasound, ice buckets, everything to at least get the healing process started.

This whole situation is just one fatty bummer. I plan on doing everything I can to get back as quickly as possible, but staying motivated and keeping a good attitude won't be easy... We'll see how I feel in 2 weeks... 2 weeks....

Somehow I PR'd...

Per the doctor's order, I kept my mid week runs below 5 and I kept my long run today to 13 miles. The run itself was pretty painful and all I could really think of was what I would do if I had to stop and couldn't run anymore. What if I ruptured my achilles tendon? What if I fell? What if no one was around?

It's fairly unlikely that a rupture would occur, but still, my mind can be pretty imaginative sometimes. And falling, well, if I fell I fell.

All in all, the run was a success. The rest of my body felt great, and I somehow PR'd on my half marathon. When I ran the half marathon in May 2010, it was my first one, and completing it was my main goal. I wasn't striving for a certain time or anything, I just wanted to finish it, and I finished with a time of 2:07. 2 hours and 7 minutes. Well, I ran 13 miles today and did it in 1:53...my goal for halfies is ALWAYS to run it under 2 hours, but I was quite impressed with myself today. I was impressed not because I finished in under 2 hours, I was impressed because the ENTIRE time I ran today, I just wanted to chop my foot off.

The beginning of the run was uncomfortable and a little painful and I was totally favoring my left leg. I had even noticed last night that my left calf was starting to look bigger than my right one.... Anyway, about 3 miles into the run, I just decided to suck it up and run evenly even though it hurt. I didn't want to end up with some weird leg that was totally gigantic compared to the other one after all. Not hot at all.

I had put my foot into an ice bucket 5 different times last night and I woke up this morning completely pain free, which was the first time in a week and a half. I was so stoked to run. I took 4 ibuprofen and thought I'd be fine.

There's really not a whole lot to complain about...I'm just super annoyed that I can't just run without pain, or thinking that it'll be a long time before it's back to normal. BUT, I'm out there, I'm alive, I'm running.... I guess it's all I need...

Doctor's Appointment

In going back and forth about the decision to get my foot examined by a "professional", I went ahead and signed into my health care web page and saw that I was due for some routine vaccinations. Seeing that I had to see the doctor anyway, I decided I may as well have my doctor look at my foot. After all, I chose her solely on the basis that she was a health care physician that specialized in women and sports. I figured I may as well get my money's worth out of this co-pay...

The Results: IT'S NOT TERMINAL. I'M GOING TO LIVE. HALLELUJAH. 

Okay, seriously. I didn't have high expectations going into this appointment because I knew exactly what she was going to say. "It's a strain. Ice it, and rest it"...and I imagine her saying it without sympathy, not even looking up from her chart to tell me. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that my injury needed ice and rest. But with all of my prejudices about this evaluation, I was actually pleasantly surprised at the overall outcome. 

Yes, it was a strain. All those years as a student athletic trainer actually did me some good in college... I was right. 

Yes, I needed to ice it. Again! Genius!

And yes, I did need to rest it.... she doesn't know me AT ALL! I gave her a "look" and took a breath in as I started to explain...

"I know. I know I need to rest, but the reality of it is, I've already PAID for this race...I've already PAID for my flight, so there is no way I'm skipping this event. I plan on running it, regardless of how my leg feels at the time. There will be plenty of time to hurt afterwards...and I'll deal with it then."

I waited for her to begin telling me how risky it was and that I should just stop running for now and pick it back up later, blah blah blah. But she didn't.

"Okay, Tiffany, when is this race?"

"February 6...so I only have about a month to--"

"And how many miles has your longest run been?" She cut me off!

"18, but I --"

"Okay, so I"ll tell you this right now, " This woman would not let me finish! 

"This week, you need to cut WAY back on your miles. No more than 5 miles per day. And this Saturday? Don't run more than 12-13 miles. You can build back up to 20 after this week is over, so you have about 3 more weeks before you need to taper off before the race."

Taper off? What the hell, this woman knows a little bit about marathongs!

She continued. "Don't take more than 4 ibuprofen at a time, I want  you to feel enough pain to know when to stop. I've trained for marathons, and you've already run 18 miles. You already have the ability to complete 26.2. What we need to do now is PREVENT further injury, but maintain your overall fitness level. Cutting  back on the miles and the amount of days you run will help prevent you from becoming more injured, but you NEED to take it easy during the week and save yourself for the long runs."

DAYEMMM. TRUTH BOMB! I just got TOLD! 

I don't know what it was, but for some reason, her words seemed to get through to me. Maybe it was because she was a doctor. Maybe it was because she specialized in sports. Or maybe it was because she's trained for marathongs in the past. She was just able to sympathize and understand what I wanted versus what I needed, and from that, she was able to find a consensus that would serve both. Whatever it was, I walked out of the doc's office feeling like all hope wasn't lost. 

I had a plan. A real plan to get better and still be prepared for February 6. It's not the plan that I had set out, but it was a plan that would still help me get to where I wanted to go. And that's the important thing that I needed to realize today: I wasn't being stopped from achieving my goal. I was simply being shown a different route to my destination.

At the end of the appointment, she noticed what shoes I had worn into the office (boots with a heel) and asked me if I could wear sneakers at work to provide more support to my foot. I told her that it was against dress code to wear sneakers to work for those in my position, and then joked sarcastically while chuckling, "Well, maybe if I had a DOCTOR'S note..."

She cut me off one last time, "Oh, you need a note? No problem" and on her prescription pad, she wrote:

Tiffany was seen and is advised to wear sneakers at work through the end of February 2011.

I'M SO WEARING MY VANS TOMORROW :)

The 5 Stages of Grief

1. Denial

2. Anger

3. Bargaining

4. Depression

5. Acceptance

I can be an extremely sarcastic person. And all kidding aside as I enter this post, I must honestly say that it has been a VERY long time since I have felt this hopeless and sad about something...anything. I'm not writing this entry as a means of gaining sympathy, or a pity party, however, I do feel it is important to record this as part of the journey. I can't only blog about the funny, weird, and happy times of this training because then I wouldn't accurately remember everything I had to go through to ultimately reach my goal. 

_____

My 18 mile run yesterday was anything but easy. It wasn't the worst run I've ever had, but it certainly wasn't the best. It took the first 5-6 miles to warm up and the entire time, my right leg just wasn't having it. I had drank (dranken? drunken?) plenty of fluids, I had eaten a sufficient amount of healthy food to carry me on this run, but my leg was just.... well... retarded. I popped 3 ibuprofen, ate a banana, and a GU pack, and I headed out the door.

I completed the 18 miles, but it was hard. I came back home and immediately iced and stretched. I sit here now, 24 hours later, and my entire ankle and achilles tendon are incredibly swollen. It hurts to walk, it hurts to stretch, it just hurts. On top of all of THAT, the icing I did to my foot yesterday left an ice burn on the back of my lower leg about 6-inches long. So now, I'm not only trying to heal my foot, I'm treating a first degree ice burn.

So returning back to the title of this entry, I'm in Stage 4: Depression. YES, I'm grieving... for my leg. SHUT UP.

1. Denial: "This is NOT happening. It's JUST a little owie. Keep going."

2. Anger: "F#$& YOU foot. WHY WHY WHY"

3. Bargaining: "Okay, listen to me carefully here you stupid little appendage. I've got a long run coming up this weekend, and if I rest you, you've gotta pull through for me on Saturday. Deal?"

4. Depression: "There's no point... It's just going to keep hurting no matter what..."

5. Acceptance: I haven't gotten here yet. Don't know if I will either...

I finally contacted my doctor about taking a look at my foot, but I don't have high hopes for that appointment. 

I guess the only thing really worth reporting right now is the amount of despair I feel when it comes to running. This is about the ONLY thing that I am working towards that is completely mine. This success, of completing a marathong, would be accredited to me and only me. 

I run, on my own. I get my own ass up almost every day to train for this. I run...12, 13, 18 miles...by myself, because I tell myself that I have the will power and determination to do so. Sure, I have friends and family that give me support, which I am VERY grateful for, but ultimately, it's me that carries the responsibility of adequately preparing for this race. Completing this self-set goal would be an incredible accomplishment. And it would be all mine. 

And that's why it sucks even worse to feel like I can't do this. I AM on my own. I DON'T run with anyone else that could help me get through a tough run. And I have worked SO hard to get to where I am now...SO hard that while I feel like giving up, I know that I can't only because I know how much hard work, effort, and commitment I've invested in this goal.

It's hard to even describe what I feel. And I don't even have a plan on getting better. And for those of you that know me, if I don't have a plan, I pretty much freak out. Well, I'm definitely freaking out now.

I have no idea what I'm going to do. I'm obviously resting today, since my foot has decided not to want to move. I may try the bike at the gym, I don't know. 

Hopefully my next entry will be on a happier note, but until then, let's hope I get back into it all ASAP.

_____

"Even the finest steel has to go through the hottest fire"