It's not a stress fracture!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just got the news from my Dr....I am sooo happy I can hardly contain myself!

I will be running the Pittsburgh Marathon in 9 days!

I'm in a boot...

So I decide to make an appt. with the Sports Medicine Dr. for peace of mind. My hope was that she would say "it's just shin splints" and send me on my way.

Well, I guess she saw an abnormality in the x-ray so she sent me for an MRI yesterday and put me in this lovely boot.

I probably won't have any answers until tomorrow about whether or not I am going to be able to run the marathon. I haven't counted myself out yet, but I am prepared if I can't run it.

It would be very disappointing if I couldn't run it, but I know it's not my fault. I didn't overtrain. I did everything I was supposed to. My only regret right now is that maybe I shouldn't have done the 30k for my first marathon. That probably wasn't a good idea.

Oh well, live and learn. I will run it next year if I can't do it this year! I still want Pittsburgh to be my first marathon experience.

13 Days Away for the Marathon

And I'm still in pain. I've been dealing with a nagging leg injury since my 20 mile run. I've not run much since then.

My chiropractor did an xray, which did not show a stress fracture. However, they do not always show up in xrays. But there is no time for an MRI, I just have to pray and hope for the best!

I am doing this marathon, whether or not I have to crawl to the finish line. I've worked too hard to give up now.

I did it! The last long run...20 miles

Of course I couldn't sleep last night because I knew I had to get up early to do this 20 miler. And when I finally did get to sleep, I was awoken by the doorbell. My husband had locked my son out of the house! I wanted to smack my husband, but he was snoring away beside me...grr!

Anyhow, I got up at 6 to start the process: eating oatmeal, stretching, body glide, heart rate montitor, garmin, ipod, etc! It is a process! I finally got out of the house @ 6:30. My hip was bothering me, so I knew I was out of alignment. Well what could I do at this point but just go. I knew there would be consequences (there were).

It was raining pretty hard and was pretty cold so I wore a hat and a jacket. I hate wearing jackets for long runs, hate it! The jacket came off at mile 5 and I had some water and a GU. I tried to think of this run in 5 mile increments, because if you look at the big picture it seems impossible and daunting.

Things went pretty well until about mile 15, the front of my right ankle really started to hurt. I believe it is from me being out of alignment, I could tell that my hips were off, which messes everything else up.

Well there was no way I was quitting until that garmin said 20 miles! I sort of limped/ran the last few miles, but I did it. I wasn't fun but I didn't expect it to be...LOL

The next time I do 20 miles, hopefully there will be a medal at the end! :)

It was not pretty....

but I did it! Pretty much everything that could have gone wrong, did.

It started out Friday night with Brayden being sick. Bobby got up to take care of him, but kids want their Mommy when they are sick. He had a little stomach bug and it was coming out of both ends. I contemplated not even going to the race, due to Mommy Guilt. But Bobby said to go, he would be fine.

I felt very tired and a little "off". Then I did something I never do, I had a fat free cappuccino on the way to the race. It was a good hour drive, and I felt like I could barely keep my eyes open so I stopped to get one, knowing full well it was going to haunt me later (it did).

I finally get to the race and get my time chip. I make one last potty break before the race, and I got my period. Oh fucking great! And I didn't even have anything. No wonder I felt "off". So I just hoped for the best and got in line with the other 30k peeps. I am having full blown cramping at this point.

The first mile went up a humongous hill. Are you kidding me? There is no way I can do this. I was like "please God, don't let it be like this the whole way". It wasn't. The course was pretty flat after that. There were many bathroom breaks due to the coffee. I knew that effer was going to come back to haunt me! I started having stomach issues at mile 11, not sure what from...great.

Anyhow, there was also a half marathon, I cannot tell you how much I wanted to stop there!! Most of the people were doing the half marathon. I was so jealous that they were done and it took everything I had to run past the finish line to continue on to 18.6 miles.

But the end finally came and I was done.....yes!! I was nauseated and tired and just wanted to get home! I was on the turnpike heading home and there was an accident that had traffic in a stand still. Are you fucking kidding me? My legs are screaming here! Thank God I at least had water in the car. I turned the car off, put back the seat and tried to rest.

I stopped to get beer on the way home (oh yes I earned those beers!) and I could barely walk to get it! Some nice young man got my beer for me and took it to the car. What a sweetheart he was!

I came home, got a shower because I stunk to the high heavens, played with Brayden a little (he was feeling better) and crashed on the couch. I tried to watch the Pitt game, but I literally could not keep my eyes open!

Distance: 30k

Duration: 3:32:25

Calories burned: A ton

I did it! My longest run thus far...

Yeah, it wasn't fun and it wasn't pretty, but I did it. Honesty, it was a fucking mind game. I got up at 6:00 after a crappy night's sleep so I could get started early. I throw on some running pants, a short sleeved underarmour and a sweatshirt and head out.

I'm in the car and see the temperature is 18 degrees. Shit! I kept on heading towards the trail. Well, let me tell you it was COLD. I just kept running, thinking it would get better the longer I run. Wrong. By mile 6 my legs were so numb that I couldn't even feel them anymore.

So I have no choice but to head home and get some thermal underwear on. I grab a half a banana on the way out and head back to the trails.

It was really tough to get started again! I kept thinking "fuck this, I can't do this today". I was still freezing and I couldn't get warm. So I turn around and head towards the car. Miraculously, on the way back, I start to feel better.

So I continue and it actually was a pretty nice run. I had a Clif Shot @ mile 10. I didn't have to take any bathroom breaks this time and the rest of the run was smooth. I am glad it's over and I plan on drinking some beers tonight!

Distance: 16 Miles

Duration: 2:59

Calories Burned: A Ton

My Longest Run on My Own

Happened last night......I thought my husband was going to have to work today, so I was set on doing it last night. I really don't like to run at night, especially on a Friday night! I am usually worn out by then. I like morning runs when I am fresh.

Besides having to go to the bathroom at mile 3, all went well until about mile 11. I started getting really tired and it was dark and I was sick of running!! But I kept pushing through and finally finished. I was pretty sore so I stopped and got some ice and had an ice bath when I got home. It felt surprisingly good!

I just worry that if I am feeling pain now, how am I going to feel when I have to run twice that distance? I really hope I have it in me to do it! I have already popped Ibuprofen this morning.

Distance: 14 Miles

Duration: 2:35

Calories Burned: A Lot!