I FINISHED!!!!!

I can't believe it, but I did it!! I crossed the finish line of my first Half Marathon!!! 13.1 miles...

The day before the race I stayed home, drank plenty of water and... well, ran around on my feet too much :( oops. They tell you not too and it's not like I was walking out of town guests all around SF or anything obvious. I was alone all day and ran an errand, walked to the grocery store on the way back... decided to clean, cook food for later and do a tiny bit of laundry. = on my feet ALL DAY. oops. My bad foot started to hurt and I immediately called it quits and sat down, elevated and iced. Already extremely nervous about race day and my foot keeping me from finishing, now I was more anxious!

I woke up at 6am so I could eat some toast and cereal, have a cup of coffee and let it settle while I relaxed with some tv. Garrett woke up and drove me about 20 blocks from our place to get me closer to where I needed to meet TNT in Golden Gate park before the race. I walked past the starting line and couldn't figure out where TNT was meeting and started to get nervous. After I walked pretty far and back, I panicked and called Andrea for a freak out session. I was already upset that this day wasn't exciting, that I was scared I wouldn't even finish... I didn't need to also go across the starting line alone! Anxiety ensued. Andrea was awesome, she said "I know! It's crazy, it's unorganized, it's crowded, it's overwhelming, but it's awesome too! I totally understand. But your going to be fine. You may have to accept you may not find your group and that sucks, but you are going to do great and you'll be fine." I was just about to "suck it up" when I saw a random lady with a TNT sign and she said almost all groups were up the hill. Great, more walking I didn't need. Ugh.

Ok, I'm starting off in a bad mood - this is not the way to start! Plus I definitely DID NOT want to rub off any negative energy or attitude to my fellow teammates who were excited and nervous. As soon as I saw some of my friends I threw on a big smile and told them they were going to do awesome. Annie, Angie, Nancy and our mentor Mike headed for the starting line. Earlier they said they saw Colleen, but she wasn't in sight :( Colleen was battling some injuries as well and was my walk/run buddy!

Well, I thought, I am lucky enough to have my girls with me to run over the starting line, that's more than I could ask for. The gun went off... and... we walked. LOL. If you've ever been in a large race and not in the very front, it takes a while to get across the actual starting line. We got a really good giggle in before we started running because we passed this group of supporters and their signs said "Train to Stroke" (or that's only what I could see) and I was like "whaaat in the worrrld?? Train to stroke??" Angie died laughing first and corrected me, "No, it says "train to END stroke" ... they needed to make the word "end" larger, that's all I'm saying.

We all ran the first mile (it felt like NOTHING!!) and stopped to do a quick stretch and then got back to it... we rounded mile 1.5 and our fabulous and talented TNT cheer section was full blast! They were some of the captains from our TNT group and they were on fire, yelling our names and cheering, it was great! I had to start walking after mile 2, but I was still in great shape and ready to walk/run the rest of my way. Just about mile 3 I saw our mentor Mike and... COLLEEN!!! :) I was SO happy to find her and I knew that we would make it. We were going to finish. Garrett was awesome! After dropping me off he went to the opposite end of the park and found parking close to the finish line for me. Then he went back to our place to get his bike and he road around until he met up with Colleen and I around mile 4. He was there ready with my other pair of shoes if I needed them, with extra snacks and a ton of support. He then went to mile 6.5 and met up with Andrea to cheer me on some more. Andrea... goodness! You could hear her cheering on everyone from about 100 yards away!

We walk/ran really well until we got out of the park and hit the Great Highway. A long, boring, cement stretch of flat road 3 miles out and 3 miles back. It's along the ocean, but you really aren't able to enjoy it from where you are at, especially staring into the sun going out from mile 7-9.5. Once you turn around the sun is at your back, your on your way toward the finish and you can somewhat enjoy the view a little better. At mile 8 I started to feel some pain. My right knee was aching a little bit and my injured left foot was getting tired and hurting. This was where I was going to have to walk the rest of the way. I was in pain and it was enough just to keep one foot in front of the other, I had to keep going. (don't worry if it was bad enough to quit I would have... but it wasn't that bad yet) Colleen was doing awesome and still walk/running and sometimes she would get ahead of me, but since her walk stride was slower than mine, I would catch up to her. At about mile 10 I was ready for a flask of whiskey and/or some heavy pain killers, lol. What was worse was Colleen and I couldn't remember if we'd passed the 11 mile marker or not and were really hoping the one we could see in the distance was mile marker 12. Yeah, it wasn't. At mile 11 Garrett and Andrea were there again cheering us on! I had eaten my snacks and about finished my fluids, so I handed off my belt to Garrett so I had less stuff bugging me. Two of our coaches and our Mentor Mike had crossed the finish line and came back to make sure Colleen and I got in. Once we got to about 12.5 we could see the finish line and we looked at each other and I can't remember who asked, but we said "are we gonna run it in?" I honestly did not know if my body was even going to be able to run at all - but sure enough, I did and we trotted across the finish line. I saw Garrett and Andrea and couldn't look at them or I was going to start bawling! It was so wonderful and overwhelming... I couldn't believe it was over... I DID IT!!!

People keep asking me what my time was and I try not to just laugh out loud. It was 3 hours and 30 minutes - again, I didn't even know if I would be able to finish! I am so happy! Funnier part is that they ran out of a lot of shirt sizes by the time I finished so they are mailing me my shirt, haha. We had to go check out with TNT so they knew we made it safely across the finish line. I can't believe Annie, Angie and Nancy were still there! They waited for us! It was great, there were lots of hugs and pictures and I got my TNT medal :)

Then I limped slowly to the car, parked awesomely nearby ;) and Garrett drove me to the ocean so I could do a quick "ice bath" dip. Can I say, it TOTALLY worked! I kneeled down in the ocean for about 5 minutes and was sore the next day only to the extent of a major workout that you might not have been expecting. The 2nd day, supposedly the worse day, I felt almost nothing! I felt great! We went to Bill's Place, the best burgers in SF, then walked a few blocks (a tad difficult for me, but I think that also helped my healing) to Trader Sam's for a fish bowl drink to celebrate. And numb my pain. hee hee. Not a bad picture for a 13.1 mile race and no shower, huh? Quickly after the drink I was ready for my nap. Garrett and I had a lazy evening with movies & a pizza. What an awesome day.

It was great, it was awful, it was fun, it was painful, it changed my life.

GO TEAM!!
Team in Training working with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to find a cure

Thank you Everyone!!
Much love,
~Shelby

1/24 Last Saturday run before Race Day

As you have been reading and keeping up with my "issues"... I had no idea what to expect from the run this morning. I bought a foot wrap at Walgreens... they only had specifically "ankle wraps" but this one looked good, it wrapped under the foot and had velcro to adjust the tightness.
We met at Queen Wilhelmina's Windmill at the West end of Golden Gate Park by Ocean Beach. It was just going to be a short run since it was the week before the race, so we were going to run out 30 minutes along Ocean Beach (the great highway) and back. It was our first crappy day of the whole 3 months of training, amazing! Just foggy, 52 degrees and a slight misty drizzle. I felt pretty good the first 20 minutes... could barely notice my foot. Colleen and I were running for 6 minutes and walking for 2 and it was working well until we turned around to start heading back and then I felt a sudden pain in my foot. Damn it! :( I stopped to hobble for a while and was thinking of whether I'd be able to walk the rest of the way back or if I should stop and have Colleen come back and pick me up. I don't know why, but I started running again, I guess if it hurt either way I just wanted to finish faster. Ironically it hurt a lot less while I was running.
So here it is, I'm just going to do what I have to do to get through race day and cross the finish line. I was really depressed for a while about my situation, if you couldn't tell! I was so crushed that I'd worked so hard to complete my huge personal challenge and small injuries were keeping from my full potential!! That was before.
Now I am viewing everything much more positively! Regardless of what happens or doesn't happen ON race day... it is just ONE day. What I have already accomplished is: for 3 months I've woken up at 5am to meet my buddies to go run before work. I've woken up early every Wednesday in order to get to work super early so that I could leave early in order to get to the stadium to meet the team for track night, when all anyone wants to do is just go home after a long day. Every Friday night, I've gone to bed early so I could wake up early, every Saturday and be refreshed to meet the team for a progressively longer run each week! I've also spent money on gear and TWO pairs of shoes to do the right thing for injury prevention. During all of this I was also fundraising, trying not to alienate people by pestering them for donations to reach my mandatory goal of $2,000 all the time worried I might end up owing it out of my own pocket (goal reach by the way!!!). I've done more than I have ever attempted to do (physcially and commitment wise), I've learned that if I focus, put my mind to it and give 100% effort, I can do anything I want! All those items on my wishful "to do" list are now possible! I've made some cool new friends and I am now one of those people that can go for a 3 mile run! ...if I'm motivated to go by myself that is, lol... I prefer run buddies :)

Thank you to everyone who has read along during my journey and all your support! I hope you know it means a lot. :) 7 days and 18 hours until final post! You can look forward to keeping up with me as I am hoping to get my own website to journal my upcoming experiences, only if your interested of course. It helps me stay motivated to continue trying new things and not just trying, but giving the task or experience my full attention and effort before I decide if it's something I want to continue or it's maybe not for me. I've realized running long distances is not for me, or at least my body keeps screaming it! But I am so greatful that I have learned how to enjoy more mild runs and hope I continue.

The Foot - almost a week until race day

With Monday a holiday, I called to see about getting an appointment with my new Dr. at Kaiser on Tuesday. I was able to go in at 5:00pm that day so I left work a little early and headed over. I told the doctor how after one of my longest runs, 7 miles the Saturday after Christmas, that my foot ached and I was limping just after I finished. Like the rest of my aching body, I assumed it was more sore than injured and it would be good in a day or two. After 2 weeks of off and on, mostly on, pain... during the third week it felt completely better. After a few days without pain, I was looking forward to my run the upcoming Saturday and within the first mile I felt the twinge of pain. Then by mile 4 I was hobbling. Within 24 hours the pain was gone and here I was in her office with no pain. Like when you go to the mechanic and your car won't make the same noise... ugh! Anyway, she pressed around and checked out my foot. Due to the fact that I could go sometimes days without pain and that there was no swelling, no pain when she pressed around, she could confirm that it was definitely not broken or fractured, no torn ligaments or muscle tissue. She did notice that my arch was a little collapsed but that does happen when you run long distance and why you need a good shoe and perhaps arch supports. I did mention that I had had arch supports in my old shoes (the ones that were bad for my knee) and had forgotten to put them in the new shoes that Saturday I hurt my foot. Could be that.... and maybe my foot is just not completely healed, but I did have my arch supports in last Saturday. She suggested maybe it's the shoes and my foot needs more support and stability - could be that... but ironically the shoes that had more support were too supportive for my knee and caused IT band/knee pain. So that's no good. Basically my only option right now is to try a foot wrap to give my foot more support and use the same shoes that I have been, that are good for my knee and see what happens this Saturday. We are only doing about 6 miles since it is the weekend before the race. Wish me luck, I really hope this works!! I want to at least walk/run some of the race :(

First day back for a Saturday run

The whole time I was in Tahoe, my foot felt really good, no pain! So I was actually excited about getting back out there this Saturday, Jan. 17th. My friend Colleen and I had emailed a few days before and have both been having some issues and were going to stay together and take it easy. The 1/2 marathon team was going to be running 11 miles - eek!

Well... we started off and I could barely feel a little twinge of pain in my foot. *Sigh* I was really bummed. I knew I would at the very least have to turn around early and most likely walk back. Although walking and running were equally as painful, but running was worse because the rest of my body tried to overcompensate and my hipflexors were feeling it! At about 4.5 miles, 2 of the coaches passed us and Colleen told them about my foot problem. They agreed - soreness... tired, etc. you can run through - sharp pains = no way & stop! So I walked the rest of the way to mile 5 where there was a water stop and was told to wait there for a ride back :(

I am really sad and disappointed. I am going to try to see a podiatrist this week and see what the problem is. My mentor, Shawn, mentioned that I might be able to forfeit like 25% of my fundraising and keep the rest for another event so I don't feel like I've done all this training for nothing. We'll see. I know I have raised more than my $2,000 minimum (yay!) so I'm really really hoping that they will consider 25% of THAT total. Another issue is the next 1/2 marathons with TNT are 1) San Diego and 2) Seattle - which means the minimum fundraising is, I think, $2,600. And my issues are 1) can I bug people to raise more money? 2) can I really keep up this training because it's pretty time consuming and 3) is my body really trying to tell me I am not a runner and should find something else?

Like I said, as you can probably try to imagine, I am really bummed. Up to about 5 miles I was actually having fun! :(

Hopefully I can see a doctor about my foot and I'll then have to see what my options and financial situations is with TNT and then make a decision.

THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE!! Everyone has been so generous with their donations and so wonderfully supporting me trying to accomplish my personal goal. I'll keep you posted. If you have any personal thoughts or suggestions regarding my situation, I'd love to hear them - send me an email!

Tahoe (9th-13th)

Arrived in South Tahoe Friday evening, it was just me, Garrett and his StepMom Jenny. The time share at the Ridge Resort was really fantastic! 2 bedrooms and 2 huge bathrooms with jacuzzi tubs and then a full kitchen and living room with a fold out sofa. Saturday morning I went down to Heavenly ski resort with Garrett & Jenny to get their ski passes, etc. They left to go swooshing down the slopes and I head out to window shop and see what else I could do. I bought a wool hat (couldn't find where I stashed mine before we left) and then found a little wine shop. I got a 3 flight tasting and sat down with my book, called to catch up with my Mom and then decided I might go next door and watch a movie. I ended up seeing "Benjamin Button" - it was really good... I didn't need any tissues like everyone was saying, but maybe it was because people were warning me it was sad... still a good flick though! After the movie I only had to waste about 15 minutes until I met Garrett and Jenny back at the Gondola lift. Jenny had to drive to Reno to pick up Kristen and Matt at the airport and was going to give me her ski lift so I could ride up the enclosed Gondola to the mid section of the mountain. It's $30 for ONE ride up the Gondola if you don't have a ski pass... not cool. If you want to go snow toobing or ride the zip flyer or just hang out up there to have a drink... you have to still pay the $30 and then pay for snow toobing ($20 for a really lame hill) or the zip flyer ($40 and cool... but still a rip off if you realize it really cost you $70!) What if you had to pay for each of your kids to ride up and then go snow toobing!!? That is $50 a kid!? Like I said, a rip off and I wouldn't take my kids to Heavenly. Just FYI. So I got to ride up with Garrett for free and then we just went back down again. Lovely view of Lake Tahoe! Every night we were zonked and ready to sleep by 9:30pm and wake up at about 7:30am - I think it was partly the altitude because I wasn't exerting myself skiing and was still just as tired. Sunday morning Jenny & Garrett went off to the slopes and Kriste, Matt & I went for a little snow shoe hike behind the resort. It was fun, I would definitely go show shoeing again! We then went to the main lodge and played some racketball and then headed back to the room to have dinner. Matt and I decided we kind of wanted to try snow boarding... but a package deal for lessons, rentals and pass at Heavenly was $160!! However, Jenny found a great deal at Diamond Peak Resort up the road 25 minutes - "learn to ski week" all inclusive package for $30!! For $30 I could totally end up hating snow boarding, but still be content that I had given it a try! Monday morning Matt & I headup up to Incline Village (around the east side of Lake Tahoe and up to the north point) to attempt snow boarding. I really really wish I could like snow boarding. For one main reason, the shoes are SO much more comfortable to wear than ski boots. :( Oh well. I gave it a go... no luck. After taking skiing lessons for the first time last year, I was able to equally compare my two experiences and skiing is SO MUCH BETTER, for me that is. I hated that I had absolutely, at any time, no control. You begin to stand up on your board on the slightest teeniest incline and it starts moving... yeah, I can't handle that. With skiing you can just angle your skiis perpendicular to the hill or slope and you can just hang out and get yourself together before heading on. I fell a lot... first time I fell my butt landed on the other foot strap (hard to figure that one out isn't it? typical me) and I STILL have a giant purple bruise. Later I wiped out and hit my head on the ice and my hat when flying - at that point I knew I was done. See ya! Matt had fallen on his wrist, but decided he wanted to continue until the lesson was over and just avoid using his hands to fall (which is exactly what they tell you not to do, but it's hard to go against instincts). After the lesson he was ready to go too. He could move his wrist but said it hurt pretty bad. Later that evening he went to the Emergency room with Kristen and confirmed it had a small fracture or something. He's already much better a week later! Tuesday was my last day, I had a massage at the lodge and then Kristen, Matt & I paid the $30 to go up in the Gondola to meet up with the others and try some snow toobing for fun. We were originally told it was $10/hour to go snow toobing and were really ticked when we got up there to find out it was not only increased to $20 but it was a lame hill. Garrett's Dad bought me a zip flyer ticket to go up with Garrett & Jenny - it was pretty cool! You go up on the ski lift about 1,000 more feet and get in a little cloth chair that is on a zip line and they let you out the gate and you zoom down on the line - they say you go about 50 mph and the stop at the end is probably the funnest part - you zoom in and wonder how you are going to stop and then your line runs into these big springs and you bounce bag - not good for anyone with recent wiplash injuries, but we thought it was great! :) Garrett & I headed home after dinner and I had to work the next day (Wed). Thursday morning Garrett headed back up to Tahoe to have one more day skiing with his Dad & Jenny and they all drove back Friday afternoon to spend the rest of the weekend in SF.

The Week of Dec. 28th - Jan. 3rd

Out of commission for the week... at least.

After the run last Saturday, I recovered from my soreness wonderfully by Sunday - except my left foot. :( It hurt along the very left outer side on my left foot all week! I know, I know... I should have seen a doctor sooner. I'm just really bad about going to the doctor in general, I am completely paranoid of doctor bills, I don't trust insurance to cover anything. If I think it's something that will just heal with time, then I try to give it some time and see how the situation progresses. I knew it wasn't broken or sprained... so what else is there to do but rest, ice and elevate? After a week of the same pain and limping around... I was going to make an appoitment. I was still limping a bit on Friday so I didn't go to Saturdays run :( However... I woke up on Sunday and didn't want to get too excited, but I didn't feel any pain! I chose to skip Mondays buddy run as well since I didn't want to hop back on my foot too soon and just have to start all over.

This week I am taking it easy and hope to do a little snow shoe workout this weekend in Tahoe. I think that is a pretty safe activity... ? Don't worry, no skiing for me! I've only done skiing once and that was last year. I took some beginner lessons and ended up slightly swooshing down the beginner slope by the end of the day, it was really fun! I didn't even fall once! Except now it is a year later and I am not expecting one day of lessons to have stuck with me completely or the fact that I am a tad klutzy and my odds of falling (and possible hurting myself) are a bit higher this year. With my run less than 4 weeks away and already behind in my training, I just don't want to risk anything.

Wishing you all a Wonderful and Happy New Year!

Saturday Dec.27th - 7 miles? Felt at least like 8...

Oh my god...

You know how when you have a really intense workout and then the next day you are really sore, but everyone always says, "the second day is always worse"? What does it mean when 5 minutes after your intense workout you can't walk?

The Saturday after Christmas was a Mentor run. The coaches know it is the holidays and most likely a lot of people will not be able to make it to the run, so the mentors who are available are awesome and host the run. If you've been keeping up with my "adventure" then you know that at our 6 mile run, I started having issues with my IT band and and pain in my right knee acted up so I had to walk in the last mile. I had to get some new shoes, but with the holiday shipping it took them longer so I had to use my original shoes for the next weeks run, 7 miles. I was worried about my knee, worried about the hill and didn't want to push myself and cause injuries so I took it very easy. Well... basically I went from 5 miles to 7ish this Saturday! Ouch. Plus my running buddies, Annie, Angie & Colleen were out of town so I think I might have run at a slightly faster pace (with walking, yes I still have to walk some). I didn't have to run alone until after the 1/2 way turn around. My Monday morning buddy run mentor, Mike, was very kind to trot along side me to keep me company and motivated - seriously, how nice is that? I know his pace is MUCH faster than mine. At my 1/2 way point, one of the other girls needed to go another mile as she was training for the Rome full marathon, so I told Mike to go ahead and keep her company and I would be ok getting back by myself. I ran/walked the rest of the way... about 1/2 a mile to go and my right hip flexors (group of muscles that pull the knee up) were very angry with me - but the knees were doing pretty good although tired. I sadly trotted/walked the last bit in and immediately began stretching. I hobbled about in Sports Basement to get a few items and then got in the car to drive home. Oh my holy lord... I got out of the car and it was total agony! I was barely able to walk much less climb the stairs to our apartment. It wasn't just my inability to lift my right leg more than 3 inches off the ground, but my left foot felt like I had broken it. Very slowly and painfully got to our apartment and iced (should have taken an ice bath, see previous post).

I stretched, iced, later took a hot shower... and then hobbled out in the night to go meet up with a good friend of mine from college who was in town. I was in such bad shape and Garrett was so patient walking teeny tiny steps to walk with me and offer his arm for support. Left foot barely able to put pressure on, right leg can't lift off the ground and right knee kind of sore - it was a lovely site to see.

Sunday - my right side was functioning normal again! Woo Hoo!! Left foot still very sore/bruised feeling. I learned this from our doc's injury prevention workshop... with that much mileage the bones in the foot begin to spread out and the ligament that attaches to your heel along the bottom of your foot is then pulled... this creates a bruised feeling in the ball of your foot. I had that and all along the side. Today, Monday, it's a lot better and I think I need to remember to put my arch inserts in the new shoes! :( oops.

This Saturday is 9-10 miles. I'm just guessing... but I think I'll opt for the 9 mile route. Wish me luck!!

Ice Baths

ICE IMMERSION is a very effective modality in the treatment of subacute injuries or inflammation, muscular strains, and overall muscular soreness.

Why not simple ice packs?
When an individual removes an ice pack after the typical 20-minute application, temperatures within the muscles increase instantly. Packs may suffice for surface-level pain, but for deep, lasting treatment, baths can’t be beat. Even after the conclusion of the treatment, the muscles will continue to cool.

For runners in particular, ice baths offer two distinct improvements over traditional techniques. First, immersion allows controlled, even constriction around all muscles, effectively closing microscopic damage that cannot be felt and numbing the pain that can. You may step into the tub to relieve sore calves, but your quads, hams, and connective tissues from hips to toes will gain the same benefits, making hydrotherapy an attractive preventive regimen. Saint Andrew’s cross-country coach John O’Connell, a 2:48 masters marathoner, will hit the ice baths before the ibuprofen. "Pain relievers can disguise injury," he warns. "Ice baths treat both injury and soreness."

The second advantage involves a physiological reaction provoked by the large amount of muscle submerged. Assuming you have overcome the mind’s initial flight response in those first torturous minutes, the body fights back by invoking a "blood rush." This rapid transmission circulation flushes the damage-inflicting waste from your system, while the cold water on the outside preserves contraction. Like an oil change or a fluid dump, the blood rush revitalizes the very areas that demand fresh nutrients.

Even if you don’t have access to a $5,000 hydrotherapy pool, you can set up the same ice bath at home. Modern research points to 12–15º C or 54–60º F as the ideal ice bath temperature range; remember that the temperature will rise steadily with your body heat. Warning: Significantly colder baths offer no additional perks and can actually perpetrate cold-induced muscle damage or spontaneous fainting—a good reason to have a friend watch your back while sharing in the misery.

Once you feel the blood rush around the six-minute mark, stay in for a couple more minutes, but don’t overdo it. Muscles and tissues can tense up with too much cold, and to avoid tightness you should take a warm shower 30 to 60 minutes later.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & only 36 more days!!

I woke up about 7:30am and braved the crazy wind and cold and went for a 40 minute run in Golden Gate park. Ominous clouds were threatening rain and... of course... as I hit my turn around point, it began to POUR and loud claps of thunder... good times. And no, my "water resistant" jacket is just that. It resists some amount of water, but not water proof. LOL. I was way less conserned about me being wet than I was about my iphone in my pocket getting wet!

Garrett and I loaded up the car with the turkey, my cake, egg nog and rum and headed out... well tried to - the car wouldn't start. Good times. Luckily I have the most handy boyfriend ever!! The battery cable was loose and dirty so he got it all straightened out and we were on our way and not running too late.

Kristen made Grammy's famous cinnamon rolls - mmm..... and we had egg nog and cookies - then we all had serious sugar comas for about an hour or so, lol. It was a lovely day, just being lazy, listening to xmas music, hanging out and waiting for the 7 hour grilled turkey. It was worth it - oh what a feast! We had the grilled turkey, stuffing, (I made the gravy), a yummy mango/avocado salad, baked potatos and artichoke & spinach casserole and of course topped the feast off with my Rum cake and some pumpkin ice cream. Garrett's friend Austin joined us for dinner as well.

I hope everyone had a Wonderful Christmas!

Much love,

Shelby

Christmas Eve - Wednesday no track night

Christmas Eve I had to work until about 3:30pm. Then I went to the grocery store to pick up stuff for a last minute planned xmas eve dinner - a "festive" pork loin :) It was fun, Garrett and I opened some champagne and cooked dinner together. Along with the stuffed pork loin with a side of mushroom sauce, we had roasted new potatos and asparagus and it turned out really well! After eating we opened our stockings. I got 2 movies - Wall-e and the Sex in the City movie!! :) I also got some dark chocolate candy mix and the funniest part - hand warmer thingys... I forget what they are called, but they come individually wrapped and you shake them to get the chemical reaction going and they heat up. People usually put them in their gloves when skiing and stuff. Since I am ALWAYS cold, Garrett thought they would come in handy and now I am a ton! hahaha. I gave Garrett a book, some favorite candy and an itunes gift card. I wasn't able to get out and run due to cooking dinner and then also having to bake my chocolate rum cake for Christmas Day. We capped off Christmas Eve with "It's a Wonderful Life" and fell asleep.

Happy Holidays!! Monday my personal day off

I knew the holidays were going to be rough for training...

Monday 12/22 I met up with the gang to do our morning buddy run, painful as usual - my body is just so tired and stiff on Mondays. Once I'm done with the run I feel awesome and ready to conquer the Monday, so that's a good side.


I took off this Monday for some holiday lazy time since I wasn't taking off any other extra days during the holiday season. Garrett and I met a friend for breakfast in Union Square and started with Irish coffees. No comparison to the divine Buena Vista Irish coffees, but good enough. I mean, it's Monday... I'm not working... it's a beautiful cold day in SF and I am starting it with an Irish coffee... see what I'm saying? :) Then I took Garrett down to see the Macy's window displays with the SPCA puppies and kittens in different dressed up windows, all up for adoption - sooooo cuuuuute! We decided to go see a movie and picked "Yes Man" since it was starting at the right time. Cute/funny typical Jim Carey movie. Garrett & I then wondered about and decided to pop over to the St. Regis Hotel to visit our friend Barrett who bartends there.

After hanging out for a bit, we wondered our way over to the Metreon where I showed Garrett the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial (very cool btw) and then browsed a bookstore. It was 3:30, too early for dinner and we didn't want to leave downtown.... so we saw another movie! 7 Pounds this time. Can anyone tell me what 7 pounds is referring too?? It's driving me crazy! Pretty good movie, but moves kind of slow. So after the movie we went down to North Beach to our favorite mom-n-pop italian restaurant for dinner. The End. :)


PS: Found out what "7 Pounds" refers to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Pounds

Prior to the film's release, the title Seven Pounds was considered a "mystery" which the studio refused to explain. Early trailers for Seven Pounds also kept the film's details a mystery. Director Gabriele Muccino explained the intent, "The [audience] will not know exactly what this man is up to."But, as later revealed in the film, 7 pounds is the average weight of a human heart. [9] The human heart, in fact, weighs about 10.5 ounces in an adult male. [10] Seven Pounds is actually a reference to The Merchant of Venice, and Shylock's demand of a pound of flesh in exchange for a debt.[11] Ben/Tim was responsible for seven people's deaths in the accident, hence he has seven pounds of debt to repay

Also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pound_of_flesh

Saturday Run - 7 miles in Tiburon

My shoes haven't arrived yet :( With the holiday mail rush, they won't be here until later next week. This made me a little nervous for our run today - 7 miles in Tiburon with my knee issue. Tiburon is just across the Golden Gate Bridge and over to the East past Sausalito. IT - IS - BEAUTIFUL with views across the bay to Golden Gate Bridge on one side and when you look to the South East, the city skyline, uh - just awesome. Well we were again blessed by mother nature with a sunny blue sky day, although 34 degrees, lol... I can get warm running, I'm not sure how warm I can get running in the wet in 34 degrees! I am so thankful and trying to enjoy every moment we train without rain. They rainy season has gotten off to a late start and we should expect it soon. Bugger, but now I am a little more prepared as I got my water resistant jacket! I also got a new shirt that had these weird cuffs, that when in the store and on the hanger, my friend Rebekah and I couldn't tell what the heck they were for. LOL, the minute I put it on, I was like "oh... i see...derr" - you flip the cuff (it's like 1/2 a cuff) over your hand and it makes your hand in a cacoon. You look a little special, but it does the trick. :) Anyway, I talked again with the coaches about my shoes and the upcoming route we were going to do because they mentioned some heels and a steep downhill. They said to just take it slow, pay attention and if I felt any bit of pain to not continue running and they would keep an eye out and come get me. So I told Annie not to worry about me and to go with her own pace, I didn't want to hold her back. My friend Colleen was also suffering from a bit of leg soreness and was going to take it pretty slow, so I stuck with her. We did walk a lot, but still ran a good amount and my knee didn't bother me at all, until about 50 yards from the finish. Nothing really bad, just the very beginnings of soreness leading to pain if I had another few miles to go. So yeah! I felt good and I know that if I keep training and just go at the pace I need to go at, then worst case is that I have to walk more than I'd hoped, but I will still finish the race. Pushing myself too far would only lead to an injury and then I wouldn't be able to do the race at all. Annie & Angie did the 7 miles in 1 hour and 25 minutes, which is great! If my new shoes work out and my knee gets back to normal, hopefully I can be at that same pace.

WED - Track Night - Flippin Freezing!!

42 degrees and I'm hanging out at Kezar Stadium waiting for Track Night training to begin. I forgot to pack my ear covering headband (a MUST that my ears are warm) so thank goodness Annie brought me an extra one she had! All my friends and family know that I have trouble producing my own body heat and I really hate being cold - so this is a big deal people! :) lol

The coaches were great, they got us in and out... I think they didn't like being cold either. We did a warm up, some stretching and then did 15 minutes around the track at a 10k pace - an effort of 7 out of 10, not able to chit chat while doing this. I warned my coaches about my knee so they wouldn't give me a hard time if they saw me going to slow or walking. They were really good about asking me how I was doing every time I circled the track, but I actually did pretty well. My first lap was timed at 2:53 and I tried to keep the same pace, but obviously slowed down somewhat as my mile was 12 minutes - but faster than my very first mile I did! My knee was just a teeny bit sore, more like tired sore, not painful. Then we did abs & push ups and we were done!

I am awaiting the arrival of my new shoes I ordered, hoping they will be here in time to test them out on this Saturdays run - 7 miles! I think I am going to try to start training a bit with the walking intervals. It's better to train your body to say, run 2 miles and walk 5 minutes continuously, than to try and run 9 miles and end up trying to walk a bit and have your legs want to give out! Very bad idea to attempt walk/run intervals on race day if you haven't been training that way. So we will see how Saturday goes!

Monday Buddy Run - I don't do hail....

Our winter team has been SO lucky with no rain AND great sunny day weather for all of our training days... it rained all weekend EXCEPT the morning of our Saturday run in Marin! ...we new our luck would have to run out at some point and that was Monday.

I have been mentally preparing myself that I would have to run in the rain sooner or later and as the rain was coming down Sunday night I realized it would be Monday morning buddy run :( At 5:00am I get a text from Annie "are we still running? It's hailing!" I texted back "Hailing? Um, I'm going to say no, I don't do hail."

On the bright side, I got to go back to sleep for an hour :)

Saturday 6 mile run - first bad day

As Annie and I headed up to the College of Marin for our 6 mile run we were talking about how the mood in the group has shifted slightly. I think we are all hitting our first wall and finding the motivation is harder and our bodies are starting to complain.

So we do a 1/2 mile warm up and stretch and then head out on the coarse. I'm already feeling worse than I normally do and having to walk for a few seconds here and there more than I usually need to, so the day is not off to a happy start. We trot along and make it to the big hill, which at the top is the turn around point. I am not good with the inclines, much less hills right now and so I have to walk up them. I am so impressed with Annie, she is so mentally strong and just looks down at the ground and keeps her feet moving and makes it all the way, every time, without having to walk - GO ANNIE!

Before the hill I was noticing my knees were tired... similar to after Wednesday nights run. After trotting down the hill, which down is never good for sore knees, I noticed it even more. I got to the water stop, which is about 1.25 miles from the finish and the mentor asked me how it was going. I mentioned my knees and he said to make sure I talk to the doc when I get back.

From the water spot I tried to continue a slow pace, but everytime I started my right knee would just really hurt and I didn't want to force myself in case of making it worse. We still have a month and a 1/2 of training! So I walked in the last mile. :( I was really bummed. It's challenging enough to just be out there doing it and just trying to finish, much less working around pain or getting injured.

Luckily today we had the honor of having Dr. Dave Hannaford DMP., a sports podiatrist who specializes in runner injuries. He gave an injury prevention talk and then if we were having specific problems, he would talk to us and watch us run. I told him about my knee and he agreed it is an IT band issue - some info for you if your interested in the details is in the post below.

He watched me run and said that although I do pronate (very comman, I roll a bit to the side when my foot lands and need shoe with support to prohibit the pronation), which I do have and he said my shoes are doing a good job with my feet - but my knees kind of jerk a bit to the side (sounds like i run like a spazz, but he said it is subtle, lol) So although a knowledgable running shoe sales person would see that I pronate and say I need the supportive shoe, Dr. Dave said I am a bit "unusual" - sigh... figures... and should go get a neutral supportive shoe and that the less support will help my knees not jerk outward. He said I should use the new shoe until I feel any different pain and if I do, switch back to the supportive ones. I may have to switch back-n-forth a bit during my training while my legs/knees are conditioning.

I went home and iced both my knees and they are still a bit sore. I will ice more tomorrow too. I am a little discourage I have to admit, but I'm optimistic and trust Dr. Dave. My new shoes should arrive by Friday for Saturday's run, keeping my fingers crossed they do the trick! Wish me luck!!!

IT band - what is it?

Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) is the most common cause of pain on the outside of the knee in runners, with an incidence as high as 12% of all running-related overuse injuries. Although it is not difficult to diagnose, it can be a challenge to treat, especially in higher mileage runners who place enormous loads on their bodies.

The IT band is not a muscle. It is a thick band of tissue called fascia that starts on the outside of the hip, passes down the outside of the thigh and inserts into the side of the knee cap and the shin bone. As the knee bends, tension acting on the band, causes it to be pulled backwards over the bony prominence of the thigh bone on the outside of the knee.

Why it hurts:

When the knee straightens, tension on the band pulls it forward again. A thin bursa, or fluid filled sac, separates the ITB from the femoral epicondyle, to decrease friction between these structures. Repetitive bending and straightening of the knee can cause inflammation of the bursa and the band itself, or irritation of the bone due to recurrent rubbing or impingement.

What causes it:

A number of factors have been related to ITBS in runners, but it is important to understand the cause is probably multifactorial. Weekly mileage will interact with a combination of biomechanical issues, training strategies, as well as variables imposed by an individual’s specific muscle imbalances; once critical threshold is met, tissue breakdown will occur. It is not necessary to sustain a specific traumatic injury to the knee for the ITB to become a problem.

SYMPTOMS:

- Pain from the ITB is easily recognized as a sharp or burning pain on the outside of the knee when running. Typically, an athlete is unable to “run through” ITB pain.

• Early on, symptoms will subside shortly after the run is over, but will return with the next run, usually after a reproducible amount of time.

• Later, if there has been no positive intervention, the pain may come on sooner and persist with walking or going up and down stairs.

• Tenderness may be felt on the outside of the knee when pressure is applied, especially when the knee is slightly bent.

• There is not usually any swelling associated with this problem, but the band itself may be thickened.

Dr. Dave stressed that this is not something you want to try and run through, like some soreness when training. Very common in group runs, runners will want to push through the pain, stay with the group and finish the run. You could end up having a more permanent injury doing that.

Donating REALY does pay off!

A message from a dear friend of mine:

"My niece who is 21 is a Hodgkins Disease survivor of 1 year now. My husband, Mike, has CML, a chronic form of leukemia. I give to them frequently because research is key. Mike is benefiting from a miraculous drug, in my opinion, and I wish more people would have its benefits and stay as healthy as he has for as long as he has. He was diagnosed in October 2001. I am thankful every day for the health he can still claim, and we are much more hopeful than we were at first about his prognosis."

Your donations to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society make the research possible for "miraculous drugs" that have helped my friend's husband.

DONATE in '08

If you haven't had a chance to donate for 2008 charitable deductions and would like to:

Shelby's Donation Page

Thank you everyone :)

WED 12/10 - Track Night

Warm ups are getting a little better I think! I no longer start running and want to rest/stretch after 1/2 a mile :)

We did a similar exercise as last week. 2 laps, quick rest, repeat... than 1.5 laps, quick rest, repeat.

On a scale of 1-10 we are supposed to run at about a 6. Faster than we normally run our Saturday runs, but not a sprint where you can't keep a steady pace for all the laps. The second 2 lap run I started out a bit faster and decided to just see how that would work out... after the first lap I was like "this is kinda hard"... but I knew I had to keep my pace for the second lap. I did (yes, woo hoo), but sadly I have no idea what my time was. Our coach had like 5 things going on and quoted me 5:40 for my first lap and 6:20 for my second and as I ran a 3:10 lap last week (slow and steady pace) I KNEW it was way faster than that. Oh well.

I talked with one of the coaches about my knees feeling a little sore, not in pain, but I wanted to be sure there wasn't anything I should be doing or not doing and what to look out for so I don't find myself with an injury. After he confirmed that they just felt sore, he said, "to be honest, your body is probably in a bit of shock" - I said, "oh you have no idea!". So yeah, my body is sore and just freaking out, haha... and I just need to make sure the soreness doesn't get worse or turn into any kind of pain.

Monday 12/08 - buddy run

Monday morning again?!? Once I'm up, it's kind of nice just to throw on my workout clothes and pull my hair up and go. This is only nice if I have packed my bag with work clothes, etc. the night before... I can only imagine what I would look like for work if I tried to pack at 5am, haha...kind of like dressing in the dark!

It was ok, we ran 2 miles. My body felt a little heavy and tired and I think that was due to our big run on Saturday and then me literally not moving all day Sunday. I was probably just really stiff.

BIG news as you may have seen the post before - Tuesday night a donation came in to put me over my 1/2 way point for my fundraising! Only $953 to go!!!

1/2 WAY TO MY FUNDRAISING GOAL!!!

I've passed the 1/2 way point!! Some really great friends donated the last few days and have now put me at $1,047! Woo HOOOO! THANK YOU EVERYONE!!

I missed our honoree potluck last Saturday, but we are reminded of what we are running for and why we are working so hard at our fundraising. Every Saturday we have someone offer to tell us who they run for, it's really emotional for me, but also very inspiring to do my part, if it is just raising $2,000, to help people.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. Click here to see where your donations are going.

Fundraising

Thank you so much everyone who not only have contributed to my fundraising for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, but who are also reading parts or all of my blog and offering words of encouragement! I appreciate it so much and it really helps me to keep going, thank you!!

I understand it is not only Christmas time, but also a straining time on everyone's wallets. Those who are interested in donating but maybe haven't yet for whatever reason, please let me tell you that every little bit helps! If everyone I knew donated just $10 - I would $600 closer to my goal. As it stands I am still $1,200 away from my mandatory fundraising goal and need to reach it by the end of January. It's for a really great cause - yes, I am a "cause" if you have ever seen me attempt anything athletic ;) - but Team in Training raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for research and family assistance to those with blood cancers. (Shelby's TNT donation page)


An estimated 138,530 people in the United States will be diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma in 2008. New cases of leukemia, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma account for 9.6 percent of the 1,437,180. If you'd like to learn more click here.

SATURDAY 12/06 - coach run

My Mom arrived Wednesday night for a Xmas visit since I won't be going anywhere this year. Thursday and Friday I took off work and we had fun in the city... Irish coffees, Beach Blanket Babylon, Union Square, Ferry Building, Hays Valley window shopping, lots of yummy food... it was a fun time!

However, after going to bed about 1am after going to Top of the Mark, I got to wake up at 7:00 and go to Sports Basement to meet up with TNT for our Saturday coach run. I didn't have my car this weekend, so thanks to Annie for picking me up and Angie, needing to leave right after then run also, for taking me home, I was able to go. I would have attempted to run by myself but I can guarantee you that I would not have done 5 miles by myself! Time: 1:15 - not fast, but not too shabby for me either :)

We ran from Sports Basement down to the water and down towards Fisherman's Warf and turned around, 5 miles total. As always I had to walk for about 30 seconds here and there, but overall I think I am doing pretty darn good! Annie, awesome lady, ran the entire way, even up the hill we had!! We still stay together for the most part, I am about 10 feet behind her when I walk a bit, but I can usually catch up to her when I start running again. Thank goodness for running buddies!!! In the picture are some of our coaches: Coach Jeri, Coach Bill, Coach Arthur and Coach Gigi.

WED - track night

Track night Wednesday:

A little over 1 mile warm up then stretching.

Then we got into groups and were to run 2 times around the track at our 10k pace - mine was supposed to be 3:15 per lap. With all the energy of the group, Annie & I went a little too fast... 2:80. This wouldn't be a bad thing if you were stopping after the 2 laps and we weren't so we knew we should slow it down a tad. We stopped for 3 minutes to stretch and then the group lined up to take off again to do 2 more laps, same pace. We took it down a notch and came in at our 3:15 pace so that felt much better. Same thing, stop for 3 minutes to stretch and take off again. This was our last 800 at the 10k pace, then the last lap, only 1, was to be at our 5K pace and I believe mine was calculated to be at about 3:05 and we came in at 2:90? I can't remember now, but it was harder than it sounds ;)

MONDAY - 5am!

Although our Lake Merced buddy run was cancelled due to the mentor not being available... Annie and I still woke up at the crack of dawn (not even dawn YET) and went for our buddy run. Nothing exciting... but I guess the fact that I'm not ready to die after running for 30 minutes is a good thing.

Friday - Sunday = NOTHING :(

I was bad... I completely enjoyed my very lazy holiday weekend. Friday we were still at Grammy's in Atlanta and just hung out with Garrett's fam. Saturday we left early in the morning and got back to SF around noon. Productive day? Nope. But we did pick out our first Christmas tree together, an itty bitty one :) My first REAL tree! And then completely lazy butts the rest of the day. Sunday, Garrett woke up and went running and was scared to wake me up :( Dammit... I had no motivation to go later by myself.

HAPPY THANKGSIVING!

I still hate running, but now it is a definite fact that I cannot stand running by myself!

Wednesday Garrett and I got to the SFO airport nice and early for our 11:30am flight to Atlanta. I can't believe it was a total breeze to go through security! We were able to sit and have breakfast and still had to wait a bit to board our flight that ended up only being about 15 minutes delayed - can you believe that? The "biggest travel day of the year"?

Another bonus, we were seated in the middle of the plane in a 3 seater row... and the 3rd person didn't show up so Garrett and I got to spread out, it was so nice! I haven't done that in years... planes are always packed full these days. Again, isn't this supposed to be the day no seat on a plane is empty?? Weird, but great for us!

We landed at about 7:30pm in Atlanta and Garrett's cousin JJ picked us up and headed to Peachtree City to Grammy's house where some homemade chili was waiting for us. I forgot to mention the other bonus we received, Grammy's neighbors are out of town and offered their guest bedroom for us to stay in! I was also able to cancel our hotel reservations in time, yeah!

So back to training... Garrett & I set the alarm for 8:00am (mind you this is 5am SF time and we couldn't get to sleep until after 1am) and we snoozed a few times, but finally dragged our butts out into the 32 degree morning. Garrett, even if he tried to run slow which he didn't, wouldn't be able to keep pace with me, so he went off at his own pace to get in about 4 or 5 miles. I was going for a duration of 45 minutes so I took off and at 10 minutes stopped to do my warm up stretching. For some reason it was SO HARD to run this morning! It could be 1) that I was running alone and had no one to help me keep pace or motivate me to not walk to often or 2) I might have been a bit dehydrated from the long day of flying and not drinking enough water... or both, but it was not fun. My legs felt like they were lead weights, my breathing was really rough and on top of that I bruised the arch of my left foot yesterday! I'm going to blame Garrett only because usually most injuries are due to my lack of grace... a roll of duct tape was for some reason on the floor by the foot of our bed. We have a very high loft bed that we have to climb/slide down from and I slid right off and my arch landed hard right on the edge of the roll of duct tap - Ow!!! It hurt so bad and immediately I could see a bruise and it only got bigger as the day went on. Sigh... I just know all my injuries are going to be like falling off a curb, barstool ;) or landing on a roll of duct tape... no fancy running injuries here.

We cleaned up and went to next door to Grammy's for her famous cinnamon rolls and mimosas and JJ's (and Grammy's) egg strata..mmm... now we are watching Kristen and Grammy making her birthday cake. Yep Kristen is 30 today! And of course, making room for a big turkey dinner later today.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving and safe travels!

Much Love,
Shelby

Wednesday Track Night - Now Tuesday Core Night

Due to Thanksgiving, we are meeting tonight, Tuesday, for a core workout at Sports Basement. I have a feeling I'm going to wish we were running instead.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving I'd like to thank everyone who continues to give me the encouragement I need to continue with this training. I still can't believe that I am winded after a lap and I'm supposed to reach 13 miles in less than 3 months! Big thank you's also go out to those of you who have already donated to my $2,000 fundraising, ALMOST half way there!!

To remind everyone what I am training for and where their donations are going, this week we were sent a story from veteran marathoner and one of our mentors, Andrea Beresford. We wish her mom well!

My mom just finished her 2nd course of chemo for CLL. Her first one was two years ago, and her spleen was down to her pubic bone, so it was time for more chemo. She's 83 years young, and did very well. All her hair fell out, and her new gray wig looks better then her own hair. Her eyelashes fell out and she learned how to apply fake ones. Her blood counts are CLL "normal", whatever that is, and she's vacationing in Florida for the winter. GO MOM!

Monday Buddy Run & the F-word

Alarm went off at 5am and the first word out of my mouth was F#*! Probably a bit premature for the season... But the sweetest thing was Garrett, half asleep mumbling: "proud of you baby...love you" :)

I met Annie and Mike up at Lake Merced and we did almost 2 miles. Still not running the whole time, I have to walk for a few seconds here and there to get my breathing under control. I'm still pretty proud! I just gotta keep on plugging away and in a month read this blog and laugh at how far I've gotten! ... i hope!

Saturday Run in Marin

Saturday morning we met up at the College of Marin. It was a bit chilly at 8:30am but going to be a beautiful sunny day... again! (we've been so spoiled and I'm not looking forward to the real winter days!)

We started with a 1/2 mile warm up and then stretching. After that we left in groups to head out on the course for our run. We could choose if we wanted to turn around at the mile mark, the 1.5 mark, 2 mile or 2.5 mile mark depending on our current level. Annie & I chose to turn around at the 1.5 mile mark to make it a total of 3 miles. I did pretty well... I had to walk every so often, but only for about 15 seconds here and there and kept a good, although slow, pace. My right foot was bothering me a bit so that was annoying. It started with the tips of my toes being a little numb, so I untied my shoes and retied them, thinking they might have been too tight. Then while running, the arch had a tight pain and the right edge had a dull pain. I talked to some of the coaches and it could be a couple of things: 1) if it happens again I should stop and mess with my laces, because you never know when they might be putting the slightest pressure on a specific nerve or 2) I sprained my ankle about 3 months ago, so it could be a little weak still and I need to strenghten my foot/ankle with stretches. It didn't bother me last Saturday, Monday or Wednesday so we'll see.

After the run and more stretching we all went up to Coach April's house on the hill for fruit, juice & pancake breakfast! Not only were the pancakes awesome as well as all the fresh fruit everyone brought, but the view was amazing. The whole patio and front of the house has a completely open view of Mt. Tam.

As the season goes on I hope to have more pictures of the team to show you. I am meeting a lot of great people, survivors, and team members who's friends or family are battling the disease. I am in awe of them and am glad that my own personal challenge is also helping to fight for such a great cause. Every little bit helps!! To donate, click here. Thank you Everyone!