Hitting the Reset Button

I have spent the last two weeks freaking out about many things, running first among them. I was so disappointed about rolling my ankle and then really scared about how taking almost two weeks off would affect my fitness and training. Today I took a deep breathe and hit the reset button.

I did three easy miles (9:45 pace) on the treadmill and it was...easy. Just like it should have been. No heavy breathing due to lost cardiovascular fitness and no pain in my ankle/foot. It made me feel like all is not lost and my half marathon goal is still realistic. I am excited to do a tempo run on Thursday and really get back into things. I have decided to banish the last two weeks from my head entirely and focus on the next 5. I am going to make the most of them and really put in the work so that when race day rolls around I can feel super confident about giving it my all.

Georgia Half Marathon, here I come!

Giant Purple Bruises

Okay, truth time.

My right foot is totally and completely f***ed!

I'm sorry was that too blunt?

The swelling has gone down and I am left with a giant - we're talking spans the whole right side and top of my foot - purple/yellow bruise. And it still is sore when I run. Not that I have run much lately. My last quality run was a week and half ago when I did my seven mile long run. A few days after that was when I turned my ankle (and apparently rolled every ligament in my foot) and so I rested for a week. Then I tried to do my 8 mile run on Sunday but that got cut short when my husband got sick and I had to sprint home 3 miles in to get the car and come pick him up. (Glad, I did by the way. He was NOT well. Just pointing out that the run doesn't count as quality.) Anyway, I ran 2 easy miles yesterday and my foot is still pretty sore. If the bones in my foot are held together with ligaments, and you think of those ligaments like ropes, well, yesterday it felt like those ropes kept snapping, one by one, leaving very little support for my foot.

So what is my plan you might ask? Keep running anyway. I know it is only a sprain, and pretty soon it will be healed. I put off my speed work until tomorrow in the hopes of getting a couple extra days of healing and I am just crossing my fingers that it will be enough. Enough to get me trained properly for 13.1 miles. Enough to get me across that finish line in 2 hours. Because I really want to get there in 2 and up until I rolled my ankle I knew it could be done. Fitness wise I am there...now if my ligaments would just cooperate!

On a lighter note, I took Noah to get new shoes the other day and he picked out "runnin' shoes like Daddy's". They are legit too, little blue and silver Sauconys. The minute we got them he announced we had to go run and proceeded to run the entire length of the mall without stopping. Good thing his legs are still short and I can keep up. I have a feeling one of these days he will be leaving me in the dust!

Devil Shoes

Either I am extraordinarily klutzy or these shoes are really dangerous.

I am blaming it on the shoes. They will be my scapegoat.

Tuesday night I was walking home from across the street - walking. And all of the sudden I literally just rolled my ankle. I stumbled and when I righted myself I couldn't put any weight on my right foot. Those damn shoes are going in the trash.

Long story short, my foot is totally swollen and sore and there appears to be no running in my future -for this week at least. I am saying a prayer that it is just a sprain and that by next week I will be able to jump right back into training without any problems. We'll see. In my cynical, pessimistic brain I have already jumped to the conclusion that, yet again, this half marathon will be a loss due to injury. I have shed some tears already and am really hoping that if I count on the worst happening, maybe I will be pleasantly surprised when it turns out better.

In the meantime I am considering taking out my frustration by chucking those shoes as hard as I can into the swampy forest behind our house. The neighbors cat better watch out, cause at this point I probably wouldn't care if one of those shoes slammed right into his tiny head.

7 Miles and Sunshine

This weekend has been so awesome because...the warm weather found me! That's right, it has been 70 degrees for the past two days and I am loving it. (Apparently mother nature decided to throw me a bone after my last post!)

Today Wes and I did our long run. We went 7 miles (possibly a little over - I don't know because my Garmin died) in 1:03. That is the pace I am looking to run come race day in Atlanta and so I am very pleased with that. Plus, I finished feeling strong and like I could go a couple more miles no problem. It was probably the weather, or maybe my new shoes! Either way, it was a good way to end this week as far as training goes. I did all my scheduled workouts and finished them feeling strong.

And, to top it off, I found the Reebok Boston Indoor Games on ESPN this afternoon and am getting to watch my favorite female runners do what they do best. (On a side note - I almost gave myself a stroke getting worked up because I thought there would be no coverage of this event on TV. All I could find on ESPN was flag football and poker and some kind of international dog competition. Does anyone watch these things? And since when did poker become a sport? But thankfully, they are indeed providing coverage of track and field so my blood pressure has returned to normal levels. Okay, I am off my soapbox now.....)

Anyway, watching those athletes run is very motivating to say the least. And the perfect way to enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Love to watch Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan run!

I Hate the Cold!

I am so ready for warmer weather.

I know that I live in the South and should be counting my blessings that things aren't worse but I can't! I miss the warm weather. I miss running in the warm weather...wearing shorts...and sleeveless shirts. Sigh...

I am totally over the treadmill. That is where I have been for many of my recent runs. There is only so much people watching I can do at one time. And, while my iPod is great, it doesn't make up for the fact that I am running and running and running and going nowhere!

The good thing is that I think tomorrow morning will be the last one I have to do for at least a week or so. I am supposed to do a 6 mile tempo run. (Warm up, 4 mi at 8:45 pace, and cool down). Tempo runs are a little scary for me anyway so having to do it at the gym makes it even worse. BUT, the weather channel is promising that Sunday is going to reach 70 degrees (praise the Lord!) so I am excited to do my 7 mile long run wearing shorts and running outside!

I guess tomorrow I will just have to suck it up and get it done. And listen to the guy who is always there running next to me in the mornings make his weird grunting noises.