WOW! How fast did the past 4 months go by? Four more days until Marathon Monday? Holy Cow!! I am really doing this? WOW! I'm SO nervous! But I'm SO excited!
I've gotten a few more donations and now I actually have made my goal of $7000!!! I never thought I would! WOW! This is nuts.
I'm really watching the weather reports. As always, it depends on which station, but most are saying high of 60-65 degrees that day. A little warmer than I wanted, so I'm not too sure. It was in the 60's this past Sunday and I got a minor sunburn on my shoulders. I have no idea what I am going to wear now!
When it was originally going to be a high of about 45 degrees, I was great! I knew EXACTLY what I was going to wear. Now? Not so much. I really need to figure this out. I have a rough idea, but I don't want to get too hot. I know my number is going on my leg because I'm pretty sure the top layers will be coming off.
Right now I am SO happy I took tomorrow off of work. I haven't been sleeping all that well this week. I know I will need to sleep in the next couple of days to make sure I am well rested and ready for this. I'm getting my bags ready to give to friends who are planning on being along the route. Just need to pick up a couple of more things to add. I got 4 bags of jelly beans last night. 38 grams of carbs for 15 jelly beans. Nice little snack that's easy to get down.
I'm nervous but whatever the day brings, I'm ready. I know it won't be what I originally wanted. I know I will struggle. My back will be an issue and the training I lost from this injury will be another issue, but at least I am feeling better now. I'll just see what I can do.
And yeah... of course I will have some pictures! :)
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
6 Days!
Wow has this come up quick! Six days? I can't believe it. I am SO nervous!! I have never been this nervous. I know I am under trained for this. I also know that I am still injured. Not the best way to tackle 26.2 miles, but I'll do what I can do.
Two weekends ago I had a 5K in NH. My back was SO sore after that race. I was limping back to the car for ice and Advil and spent so much time stretching. It was tough. I only ran less than 1 1/2 miles of the race and walked... more like limped, the rest of it. My time for that race was an even 42 minutes which might be my worst time ever for a 5K. My pace was 13:34.
That week I saw the chiropractor on Monday and Friday, swam laps Tuesday and Thursday and met friends at the track and walked on Wednesday. Plus I did SO much stretching and pulled out the foam roller too. I felt so much better over the weekend.
This past Sunday I did another 5K. My back was still sore during the race but not as bad as the weekend before in NH. I had a good pace and other than my back, I felt really good. But I started walking about 1/2 way through. Then I ran again the last 1/4 mile to the finish. I did some great stretching and took Advil right after the race too. My time this week was 35:25. So I cut 6 1/2 minutes with walking in there.
Monday I was back at the chiropractor. When I was on my stomach and he had my legs stretched out, it was the first time my leg length was even. My hips were actually aligned correctly the day after a race! WOW! Talk about an improvement!
I've been stretching this week but haven't done much else. I haven't been sleeping again which isn't good either. I canceled the track last night and tonight I didn't go to yoga. I just didn't have the energy tonight. I'm grateful I took Friday off so I can sleep in a bit and rest before the race. Then I'm heading into to town to get my # and whatnot and I have one more chiro appointment before the race. I want to get in a couple of yoga classes too to help my back a little more. I wish I hadn't been as tired as I was tonight and was able to make it to my yoga class. I just didn't have the energy.
SO at this point... I'm going to the marathon not as prepared as I want and not feeling as healthy as I want. But I'm doing it. I will walk and jog at intervals and get myself to Boston. It will be a day I will never ever forget and I am SO excited for it. Absolutely terrified but unbelievably excited!
Two weekends ago I had a 5K in NH. My back was SO sore after that race. I was limping back to the car for ice and Advil and spent so much time stretching. It was tough. I only ran less than 1 1/2 miles of the race and walked... more like limped, the rest of it. My time for that race was an even 42 minutes which might be my worst time ever for a 5K. My pace was 13:34.
That week I saw the chiropractor on Monday and Friday, swam laps Tuesday and Thursday and met friends at the track and walked on Wednesday. Plus I did SO much stretching and pulled out the foam roller too. I felt so much better over the weekend.
This past Sunday I did another 5K. My back was still sore during the race but not as bad as the weekend before in NH. I had a good pace and other than my back, I felt really good. But I started walking about 1/2 way through. Then I ran again the last 1/4 mile to the finish. I did some great stretching and took Advil right after the race too. My time this week was 35:25. So I cut 6 1/2 minutes with walking in there.
Monday I was back at the chiropractor. When I was on my stomach and he had my legs stretched out, it was the first time my leg length was even. My hips were actually aligned correctly the day after a race! WOW! Talk about an improvement!
I've been stretching this week but haven't done much else. I haven't been sleeping again which isn't good either. I canceled the track last night and tonight I didn't go to yoga. I just didn't have the energy tonight. I'm grateful I took Friday off so I can sleep in a bit and rest before the race. Then I'm heading into to town to get my # and whatnot and I have one more chiro appointment before the race. I want to get in a couple of yoga classes too to help my back a little more. I wish I hadn't been as tired as I was tonight and was able to make it to my yoga class. I just didn't have the energy.
SO at this point... I'm going to the marathon not as prepared as I want and not feeling as healthy as I want. But I'm doing it. I will walk and jog at intervals and get myself to Boston. It will be a day I will never ever forget and I am SO excited for it. Absolutely terrified but unbelievably excited!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
I went swimming last night and today I could feel it in my back. That was a first. I don't usually feel swimming in my back. Tonight when I met friends at the track, after walking 2 laps I could already feel it, so I didn't even try to run. I walked for about 45 minutes to an hour and then did some great stretching. Now I'm home on a heating pad.
I'm pretty nervous about the marathon at this point. I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if trying to do this will cause a more serious longer term injury. I'm not sure what will happen.
As of now, I am getting my bib number next weekend. I'm taking the T into Boston to get a bus out to Hopkinton. I'm going to start and I'm going to try. And I am terrified! I could barely get to a mile on Sunday. How the hell am I going to 26 of those? I haven't been able to do the training I needed to do and running HURTS my back. How am I going to do this?
I'm going to try and do my best. I'll have advil and ask people to bring advil with them so I can take more on the route. And I'll walk if I have to walk 26 miles.
My back hasn't gotten any better with rest. Every time I try to run again, it is worse than it was the time before that. SO I don't know what I am going to do. I'm just really disappointed with this. I'm disappointed how this all turned out.
I'm pretty nervous about the marathon at this point. I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if trying to do this will cause a more serious longer term injury. I'm not sure what will happen.
As of now, I am getting my bib number next weekend. I'm taking the T into Boston to get a bus out to Hopkinton. I'm going to start and I'm going to try. And I am terrified! I could barely get to a mile on Sunday. How the hell am I going to 26 of those? I haven't been able to do the training I needed to do and running HURTS my back. How am I going to do this?
I'm going to try and do my best. I'll have advil and ask people to bring advil with them so I can take more on the route. And I'll walk if I have to walk 26 miles.
My back hasn't gotten any better with rest. Every time I try to run again, it is worse than it was the time before that. SO I don't know what I am going to do. I'm just really disappointed with this. I'm disappointed how this all turned out.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
New Marathon Commercial
As nervous as I am about the marathon, this WBZ ad for their coverage of the 2011 Boston Marathon, this always gives me inspiration. Whenever this ad come on, I stop what I'm doing to watch.
(for some reason, links do NOT copy correctly into this, so cut and paste into the browers to view the YouTube video).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_se335HLkXU
(for some reason, links do NOT copy correctly into this, so cut and paste into the browers to view the YouTube video).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_se335HLkXU
Finished
Today was the 5K in NH. It was an early start, but a VERY well organized race. Once we got up there and got out of the car, we realized how windy it was. It was pretty chilly up that way! Layers are key and I'm glad I had an extra fleece to toss on. Yeah, it ended up tied around my waist, but I'm still glad I had it at the start.
After registration we were hanging out at the HS gym for a while. I did some great yoga postures and did my best to stretch out my back and loosen up everything. Then we dropped our stuff back at the car and headed up to the starting line. As we were walking, I could feel my back starting already. It wasn't pain, but I could feel it.
I started off great once the race began. I quickly lost my much faster friends but the start was pretty crowded. The 5K and 1/2 marathon started together and raced together for about 2 1/2 miles, then split. I was keeping a pretty steady pace for a bit and felt good. My legs were good, my breathing was great. I didn't feel like I was pushing myself and overall it was ok... except for my back.
I was so afraid I was going to push it too much and really injure it worse. I had to start walking after about 1 1/4- 1 1/2 miles and walked the rest of the way.. well, more like limped the rest of the way. It was pretty bad. My back was KILLING me.
My friend Kristin was VERY ahead of me in the 5K. She walked back and got me and walked back towards the finish with me. Then we headed up to the car for Advil, ice and clothes. I had a very strong limp to the car. It was obvious that my hip was out of alignment. I felt like an older overweight person waddling along with a pronounced limp. I was just walking uneven. It wasn't fun.
Sitting in the car with the ice packs on, after the Advil and then stretching for a while helped. When we got back to the center of town near the finish line, I sat at the restaurant with my legs all curled up in one of my favorite yoga poses to stretch out my right hip. I was leaning forward towards the table to stretch it more on my lower back too.
By the time Trevor finished the 1/2 marathon (taking over 20 minutes off his time from the 1/2 in February!), we grabbed some burgers for lunch, then walked back to the car at the HS. I was walking MUCH better by then. The ice wasn't all that frozen by then, being in the car, but I still put the packs back on my lower back for a little while on the ride home.
I'm a little sore right now. I took a great shower and now I have heat on my back. So we'll see how I feel tomorrow. VERY grateful I am seeing the chiropractor tomorrow. I need that appointment!
Overall I'm disappointed that I couldn't even make it to 2 miles running. My back just hurt so much and I don't want to make it worse. I have another race next weekend, so I hope I'll do better and I hope a couple more chiropractor appointments and more stretching continues to help work it out. I'm just nervous with only 2 weeks left. I don't know how this is going to go.
Funny though, I started off great, just going at my own pace, in my own little world, running along. After I started walking for a little bit, limping along, one of the pace runners came past me, holding up the pace flag.... the 9:30 mile pace! The whole group came running past me as I was walking along. Although having that many runners pass me as I was walking along was tough to take, it did make me feel good. My pace for my first mile plus was ahead of and faster than the 9:30 pace runner!
Even walking 1 1/2-1 3/4 miles or so of this race, I think I finished in around 40 minutes. I'm still waiting for the official times to be posted. And that wasn't even good walking, that was my limping/waddling along! So I'm ok with that for my time today.
VERY nervous about Boston, but I'll do the time I can do and not try to hurt myself too much. I'm scared and frustrated and upset with this injury, but as much as I want to be able to do this, I don't want to injure myself in a way that would impact me long term. Running Boston isn't worth that. And as bad as my back is, if I tried to really push myself, I know that is what would happen.
I'm grateful today that I can walk and put weight on my right leg. I'm in MUCH better shape than I was after the St. Patty's 5K. But I ran that whole race at a PB pace. And I walked more than 1/2 of today's. I'll have to figure out what's going to work with me for Boston and how to manage it.
Two weeks? Damn! This is going to be so hard!
After registration we were hanging out at the HS gym for a while. I did some great yoga postures and did my best to stretch out my back and loosen up everything. Then we dropped our stuff back at the car and headed up to the starting line. As we were walking, I could feel my back starting already. It wasn't pain, but I could feel it.
I started off great once the race began. I quickly lost my much faster friends but the start was pretty crowded. The 5K and 1/2 marathon started together and raced together for about 2 1/2 miles, then split. I was keeping a pretty steady pace for a bit and felt good. My legs were good, my breathing was great. I didn't feel like I was pushing myself and overall it was ok... except for my back.
I was so afraid I was going to push it too much and really injure it worse. I had to start walking after about 1 1/4- 1 1/2 miles and walked the rest of the way.. well, more like limped the rest of the way. It was pretty bad. My back was KILLING me.
My friend Kristin was VERY ahead of me in the 5K. She walked back and got me and walked back towards the finish with me. Then we headed up to the car for Advil, ice and clothes. I had a very strong limp to the car. It was obvious that my hip was out of alignment. I felt like an older overweight person waddling along with a pronounced limp. I was just walking uneven. It wasn't fun.
Sitting in the car with the ice packs on, after the Advil and then stretching for a while helped. When we got back to the center of town near the finish line, I sat at the restaurant with my legs all curled up in one of my favorite yoga poses to stretch out my right hip. I was leaning forward towards the table to stretch it more on my lower back too.
By the time Trevor finished the 1/2 marathon (taking over 20 minutes off his time from the 1/2 in February!), we grabbed some burgers for lunch, then walked back to the car at the HS. I was walking MUCH better by then. The ice wasn't all that frozen by then, being in the car, but I still put the packs back on my lower back for a little while on the ride home.
I'm a little sore right now. I took a great shower and now I have heat on my back. So we'll see how I feel tomorrow. VERY grateful I am seeing the chiropractor tomorrow. I need that appointment!
Overall I'm disappointed that I couldn't even make it to 2 miles running. My back just hurt so much and I don't want to make it worse. I have another race next weekend, so I hope I'll do better and I hope a couple more chiropractor appointments and more stretching continues to help work it out. I'm just nervous with only 2 weeks left. I don't know how this is going to go.
Funny though, I started off great, just going at my own pace, in my own little world, running along. After I started walking for a little bit, limping along, one of the pace runners came past me, holding up the pace flag.... the 9:30 mile pace! The whole group came running past me as I was walking along. Although having that many runners pass me as I was walking along was tough to take, it did make me feel good. My pace for my first mile plus was ahead of and faster than the 9:30 pace runner!
Even walking 1 1/2-1 3/4 miles or so of this race, I think I finished in around 40 minutes. I'm still waiting for the official times to be posted. And that wasn't even good walking, that was my limping/waddling along! So I'm ok with that for my time today.
VERY nervous about Boston, but I'll do the time I can do and not try to hurt myself too much. I'm scared and frustrated and upset with this injury, but as much as I want to be able to do this, I don't want to injure myself in a way that would impact me long term. Running Boston isn't worth that. And as bad as my back is, if I tried to really push myself, I know that is what would happen.
I'm grateful today that I can walk and put weight on my right leg. I'm in MUCH better shape than I was after the St. Patty's 5K. But I ran that whole race at a PB pace. And I walked more than 1/2 of today's. I'll have to figure out what's going to work with me for Boston and how to manage it.
Two weeks? Damn! This is going to be so hard!
Ok, so sometimes I can't do math, like yesterday. I wasn't $245 away from my goal, I was $255. But now I've gotten 2 more donations, so after DOUBLE CHECKING the math, I am $210 from goal! WOW! That's absolutely amazing.
I can't believe that I am really doing this in 2 weeks. I am so scared. I know there is no way I am ready. With my back problems and being sick, I have really had such a hard time training. The back issues were worse. March was so difficult.
Getting through 26.2 miles is going to be such a challenge. I am not ready to run that far. But I will cross that finish line, whatever it takes, however long it takes.
Today I have a 5K run up in NH that I doing with a couple of friends. Trying to get down my breakfast now... whole wheat mini bagel with peanut butter and banana slices. Today is the true test on my back. I have no expectations on my time, I just want to go easy, have fun and finish the race. Hopefully I won't have back issues. That would be a win for me! Either way, I have an appointment with the chiropractor tomorrow.
SO time to get ready and get going. Going to be a long, but very fun day! :)
I can't believe that I am really doing this in 2 weeks. I am so scared. I know there is no way I am ready. With my back problems and being sick, I have really had such a hard time training. The back issues were worse. March was so difficult.
Getting through 26.2 miles is going to be such a challenge. I am not ready to run that far. But I will cross that finish line, whatever it takes, however long it takes.
Today I have a 5K run up in NH that I doing with a couple of friends. Trying to get down my breakfast now... whole wheat mini bagel with peanut butter and banana slices. Today is the true test on my back. I have no expectations on my time, I just want to go easy, have fun and finish the race. Hopefully I won't have back issues. That would be a win for me! Either way, I have an appointment with the chiropractor tomorrow.
SO time to get ready and get going. Going to be a long, but very fun day! :)
Saturday, April 2, 2011
16 Days and Counting
My back is continuing to get better. Tomorrow I will find out a lot after running for the first time in 3 weeks. This is just a 5K, but I will know if I am getting better or not. Well, I tried to run 2 weeks ago and go all of 1/4 mile in... ended up limping after that.
The day I did the 5K three weeks ago, I couldn't walk that night. I'm a little nervous about the race tomorrow. I plan on bringing up an ice pack to ice my back after the race is done. Hopefully that and a really good stretch and some Advil will make a big difference.
The Chiro appointments have helped so much, even though I have only had 2 so far. I have another one for Monday, which I am sure I'll need after the 5K on Sunday. Hopefully things work out well.
Fund raising has been amazing. I am SO absolutely blown away by the incredible generosity people have shown. Boston Athletic Association requires $5000 (or my credit card would be charged for anything less). Mass Eye and Ear requested $6000 for each running team member. I set my fund raising goal at $7000.
Honestly, I wasn't sure I could make the $5000. I was pretty nervous about it. I didn't really know if I could do it. As of right now, exactly where I am, if the only other check I get is my company's employee match, I will be at $6755. I am at $245 away from my goal! WOW! I never thought that would happen! I really never did.
I'm really hoping that I can pass the $7000 mark. As much as I didn't think it was possible, I would really love to make that goal and pass it. I would love it if I could saw I hit it. I'm close and I have 16 days, so it IS a possibility.
There are still a few people out there who have said they wanted to contribute, but just haven't yet. This is the challenge for me. Who do go back to? Who do remind? I don't know people's individual circumstances financially. I don't want to throw and push all of this on people again and again and again, but I have 16 days left.
I'll have to think about it. I just posted on Facebook that I am only $245 from my goal and thanked all who have contributed for their amazing generosity. I really am just so blown away. I knew I had great people in my life, but I am completely touched.
The day I did the 5K three weeks ago, I couldn't walk that night. I'm a little nervous about the race tomorrow. I plan on bringing up an ice pack to ice my back after the race is done. Hopefully that and a really good stretch and some Advil will make a big difference.
The Chiro appointments have helped so much, even though I have only had 2 so far. I have another one for Monday, which I am sure I'll need after the 5K on Sunday. Hopefully things work out well.
Fund raising has been amazing. I am SO absolutely blown away by the incredible generosity people have shown. Boston Athletic Association requires $5000 (or my credit card would be charged for anything less). Mass Eye and Ear requested $6000 for each running team member. I set my fund raising goal at $7000.
Honestly, I wasn't sure I could make the $5000. I was pretty nervous about it. I didn't really know if I could do it. As of right now, exactly where I am, if the only other check I get is my company's employee match, I will be at $6755. I am at $245 away from my goal! WOW! I never thought that would happen! I really never did.
I'm really hoping that I can pass the $7000 mark. As much as I didn't think it was possible, I would really love to make that goal and pass it. I would love it if I could saw I hit it. I'm close and I have 16 days, so it IS a possibility.
There are still a few people out there who have said they wanted to contribute, but just haven't yet. This is the challenge for me. Who do go back to? Who do remind? I don't know people's individual circumstances financially. I don't want to throw and push all of this on people again and again and again, but I have 16 days left.
I'll have to think about it. I just posted on Facebook that I am only $245 from my goal and thanked all who have contributed for their amazing generosity. I really am just so blown away. I knew I had great people in my life, but I am completely touched.
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