As I mentioned earlier, we’ve been offline due to some technical issues … the last time I posted, Mark had just been bitten by a dog and I had completed a 15 mile training run.   Since then, I’ve had many more long runs – a few 15 milers, 17, 18, 21 and even a 22 miler.   Overall, I felt much more prepared for this marathon than I did four years ago for the same race.    I also was feeling pretty fantastic that I managed to train for a full 26.2 without getting injured again… memories of 2011 kept me paranoid and I often swapped shorter runs for a spin class or session on an elliptical if I felt an ache or pain.    I also conquered the gastrointestinal challenges that I had in 2009.   So all in all, I went into the Fort Collins marathon already feeling pretty successful.

Race day was beautiful – perfect weather with 30s at the start and temperatures never getting much above 40.    Full marathoners got on the busses at 4:15 a.m for the trip up Poudre Canyon for a 6:30 a.m. start time.   The morning for me was good.  I slept a bit the night before, turning in early for the 3:15 a.m. wake up call.  I had all my stuff ready to go and packed my breakfast to eat on the bus.   By the time we got to the start, I had just enough time to get in the long porta -potty line, check my sweats (it was cold up there in the morning) and head over to the starting line.

ready to run. love the lululemon pace setter skirt!

The race started well for me.  I found myself falling in with the 4:30 pace group and it felt easy, my heart rate was well managed and I formulated a plan to stay at this pace until the second half or even last quarter of the race when maybe I could pick it up a bit and come in just under 4:30.   It seemed do-able.

just the beginning. real smile

An hour to an hour and a half later, I started to feel some unprecedented hip pain.    Both my hips, hip flexors started to feel achy.  I hadn’t had this pain during any of my longer training runs, so it was disappointing (to say the least ) that it was starting now.  At the half marathon start point, I stopped for a bathroom break and refilled my handheld.  I have been using one Nuun tablet and 2 scoops of CarboPro with 20 oz. of water every 10-12 miles for fueling – the combination has been pretty good for me throughout training and was perfect on marathon day.

Shortly after my break, around mile 15, the pain in my hips was becoming more intense.   I couldn’t quite get the “mind over matter” attitude…the pain just kept getting worse and I kept getting slower.    I saw Mark (who came home from Seattle just to see me run) at a point in between mile 16-17 and all I could say was.. “my hips hurt.”   I never saw the 4:30 pace group again after my break at the half -way point.

not real smiles anymore

To make a really long story (and run) short, by the time I passed the 20-mile mark, I was having hip pain and starting to cramp up.  The last few miles, I had to stop and stretch at least every mile just to be able to keep moving.  As I was stretching at one point, a fellow runner stopped and told me she was having bad hip pain as well.

I think that having trained mostly on the trail, with some road/trail combination, my body just wasn’t used to the downhill, uneven pavement and it took its toll.    I ended up finishing around 4:48… a good 20 minutes slower than I hoped and at least 8 minutes slower than I thought would be my worst-case scenario.

I know I am not fast, but I also know my training and what I was capable of – if things had gone perfectly.   I would be lying if I said I wasn’t (and still am to an extent) disappointed.    The one thing that I am reminding myself is that when my friends were talking about the Colorado Marathon for 2013, I didn’t even initially consider it because I was still nursing a tibia stress injury from summer PPA training (a race that I didn’t get to start).    As I eased back into running, it was a slow walk/run process… from which I made it to running 26.2 miles.  I have to be happy with that, and I am.

forgoing smiles all together – finish!

In December, I said:

My only goal is to have fun training for the race with my running friends this winter/spring.  It’s really about the journey, which I would like to complete without injury and finish this beautiful race one more time… without any time expectation.   I am looking forward to this one last Colorado running adventure before we move on to new races and experiences!

And I did enjoy this journey with the best running friends a girl could ever ask for.   The moments out on the trail or road with these ladies kept me sane while I dealt with the process of trying to manage kids, life and selling a house.   For my last Colorado race, my wonderful friends gave me the Colorado Strong shirt I wore at the beginning of the marathon, on the back:

love all my sole sisters

Indeed.

I can’t wait for my sole sisters to visit me in Seattle!

Due to some serious technical difficulties, we’ve been offline for a bit.   But thanks to my savvy webmaster, we are back in business!

I missed sharing the details of my marathon journey (and what a journey it was)… but I finished the 26.2 just this past weekend and I am getting my thoughts together now.   Stay tuned for the good, the bad and the ugly story coming up soon!

somewhere between miles 16 -17…

]]> http://keeprunningirl.com/2013/05/08/we-are-back/feed/ 0 http://keeprunningirl.com/2013/02/17/dog-bite/ http://keeprunningirl.com/2013/02/17/dog-bite/#comments Sun, 17 Feb 2013 23:53:54 +0000 Keeprunningirl http://keeprunningirl.com/?p=1741

Quick Marathon training update:  I went on a beautiful 15 mile run today with sunshine, warm temps and wonderful friends!    Meanwhile, Mark has had some running adventures of his own in Seattle.   Enjoy his post!

Doggin’ It  

By Mark Modisette

I’m not a hardcore runner – one who has been running since he was in diapers.  I’m not even a later-in-life serious runner… I’m sort of a weekend warrior, mid-life-crisis, whiner, bitcher and complainer runner.  If you asked me today why I run, I might bark, “because I want to live long enough to piss my kids off”  (add crotchety to my list).   That said – I do love a good run in the mountains when I’m in good shape and preferably when the weather is nice.

I recently moved to Seattle (forging ahead on the Mod Pacific NW adventure).  Incidentally, I’ve cultivated a new bearded look – hey, just tryin’ to fit in!

fitting in.. coffee and a beard

Back to running – I often make excuses.  I make excuses when to skip a run, when to run a specific trail, or when to run a certain distance…. I’m an “excuser”.  My recent move to Seattle has given me a ton of material to work on the excuse side.  Once the guilt gets to be too much, I will run or tackle a strength workout.  I have actually only logged about 20 miles of running over the past 2 months but I have biked 90 miles and stepped up the weights and rock climbing – getting it done on my terms.  In case you weren’t aware… it rains in Seattle.  I have (however) become a true Washingtonian… running and biking soaked to the bone.  I even dash to the gym in the rain  – no car here so all my activities involve footwork.   So this is my Seattle update… but I have a bit of  story to tell …

It’s a short story that I’ll tell in a long way.

I think I am experiencing some karma. My karma story and confession was just a story until today… a co-worker suggested after I told her about all my woes, that I am suffering from bad karma.  I did not take offense to the comment… just dawned on me that it might be true.  As part of the “Mod Move” we have put our house on the market (great home for sale in Colorado Springs)… as such, we had to make our home pet free.   We asked my wife’s sister to keep the dog until we could sell our house.   Our puppy is a tiny Yorkie/Bichon mix and officially designated as “needy” and as a breed “known to have separation anxiety”.  As Mod’s do all things well, our super “Mod” dog has super anxiety, which leads to constant barking … To be specific, we needed to find a solution to the barking issue when there were no humans around.  My dog was a barker in a small apartment, which led to a complaint – which led to a shitty solution – bark collar. We did not take this lightly, but we had exhausted all other options.

And shortly after we made this decision, I went on one of my few runs here in Seattle.  (enter: karma)

The running weather is ideal for people who hate running in extreme conditions (hot or cold).  The runs in Queen Anne are breath taking… old turn of the century charm and walk-able neighborhoods complete with city and waterfront views.

urban running

I was running my usual loop, finishing up a great 5 miler and negotiating a path ahead on a beautiful Saturday morning.  We all do this… we see what’s ahead, and decide the correct running path.  As I was approaching a few people on the sidewalk: an older man and a boy in his early 20s with his pit bull, I thought why is this guy with dog taking a “path” that leaves me such a small area to get by?

Just as I thought this – BAM! – the pit bull jumped up and bit me!  I’m a pretty calm person – but this incident unleashed a series of foul language that would make any inner city, doofus, hipster with a pit bull blush.  The boy with the dog stopped after the “attack” and acted like he would hit or beat the dog – I stopped him and said, “this may be why the dog bites”.  Maybe the kid did beat the dog or maybe it was my beard… but I think it was the karma.

bit me, ruined my shorts!

It is hard to believe that after 7 years of running – this is my first encounter with a dog.   And it’s hard to believe that after 7 years of running the trails of Colorado, encountering all kinds of wildlife from coyotes to snakes and even a bear, it was a dog that got me!  Anyway – I moved on and later that day went to an “emergi-care” to get a tetanus shot.  The bite wasn’t a puncture type bite it was an abrasion and bruise – but it hurt and it did get my attention.

11 miles

Today I completed my first double digit run (11 miles) since last summer – 6 months ago.   It was chilly, windy and I couldn’t feel my hands at all when I was done and I loved every mile of it!!  It feels so good to be back and to be working toward a goal. I ran with my good friend who is also training for the Fort Collins Marathon.

we spotted several Elk on the Air Force Academy @ mile 4  ish

last mile on the winding roads of the AFA before we hit the trail!

It was a beautiful run, a great day and I felt a sense of accomplishment on this marathon training journey… next up 12 miles…. the double digit days are back to stay!

110% Play Harder.

I recently discovered a great product to help me with recovery – specifically for my lower legs, which always seem to be prone to aches and injury.  110% Play Harder makes compression + ice products including the Overdrive Compression + Ice Kit which Mark gave to me for Christmas.   I have the product in black, size 2 and while the compression is not nearly as tight as my CEP socks, it works well with the ice and sleeve.

the compression sock

  The product lets you strategically place ice packs on target areas on top of the first compression sock and a compression sleeve slides over the ice.

the sleeve slips on over the ice pack

The kit comes with an insulated bag that you can take with you so that you can ice immediately after a run.    Also, once the ice is in place, you don’t have to sit still.  You can do whatever you need to post run – errands, cleaning (you know all the stuff that didn’t get done while you were out running)

ice bag

I really love this product – it is easy and accessible and makes icing (with the added bonus of compression) so simple and convenient!

2012 was a great year…and in retrospect,  a calm and simple year – the opposite of what 2013 is shaping up to be!   With a big family move to Seattle, a high school graduation and a marathon (for me), the next 365 days are going to be quite a ride I think – not so simple and definitely not calm!

Looking back at 2012, I’ve decided it was a good year of running. I say this in spite of  the stress fracture that sidelined me from what would have been my third Pikes Peak Ascent and had me recovering for over three months.   Before the downtime, I went on more than a few adventures, I shared some beautiful runs with my friends on Barr Trail and Mt Herman.  In fact, I ran throughout the entire state of Colorado (thanks to an Epic adventure this summer).

And despite some of the depression that comes with being an injured runner, the beauty of this “rest” period was that I truly explored some cross training avenues… sincerely.   In the past, I have half-heartedly knocked out elliptical miles and spin sessions to stay fit while recovering from an injury.   But these past few months have led me to have to accept a few things, and to explore some other things.

Sometimes when I reflect on the ups and downs of running, I feel like I am just not the sturdiest of runners.  I run, I have some great races and then something or another sidelines me.  I take time off or I live in denial for a bit and then take time off.  Like I said, then I reluctantly hit the spin bike or the elliptical – always eager to get back to running.

This summer’s injury was a little different because of the time off – 3+months… meant that I needed to accept the realities of cross training and try to enjoy them a little more or just be miserable (or miserable to be around).

I wrote of some of my XT efforts recently – new things like swim lessons, mountain biking and hitting different machines in the gym like the row machine.   I certainly mixed it up and got out of my comfort zone.

I think that one of the most beneficial activities that I embarked upon is Reformer Pilates.   I’ve always been a little intrigued and a little intimidated by all the contraptions in that room.   So taking advantage of my non-running free time, I signed up for a few sessions a week.  The first session was just a simple introduction to the Reformer and I was humbled and sore the next day!

on the reformer (jump board workout)

With regular Pilates over the past few months,  I definitely feel a change in my strength and balance. I think that Pilates has helped me work areas that are sometimes ignored in traditional strength training – smaller muscle groups, stabilizer muscles and definitely the entire core.

the chair made me realize I had very little lower ab strength before starting Pilates!

obliques on the wall

I believe that I will be a better runner for it – if not faster, at least a little more sturdy!

So as I start 2013 and prepare for all it will bring… I plan to keep a balanced approach to training for the marathon… and a balanced approach to preparing for everything else this year is going to bring!

My family is embarking on a new adventure.

Mark has accepted a position with a well-known tech company in Seattle, WA and we will be moving after the children complete the school year.    I am still wrapping my mind around the realities of this move – I am excited about the new adventure (we truly love Seattle)… and I am sad about leaving my beloved Colorado.   So it’s a bit bittersweet right now and a bit overwhelming!

new frontiers!

To make sure that I was overwhelmed enough , in between accepting the reality of this brand new adventure, getting the house ready for resale and getting ready for the holidays, I decided to go ahead and sign up for the Colorado Marathon.

This race is the one I that I ran in 2009, the one I had to let go of in 2011 due to injury… it’s my last chance after all, since after this year, I will be exploring new races in the Pacific Northwest.  :-)

Cougar Mountain, outside of Seattle

My only goal is to have fun training for the race with my running friends this winter/spring.  It’s really about the journey which I would like to complete without injury and finish this beautiful race one more time… without any time expectation.   I am looking forward to this one last Colorado running adventure before we move on to new races and experiences!

running

I have been loosely following the Pete Pfitzinger’s “Returning to Running after a Stress Fracture or Other Major Injury” plan over the last few weeks.  The plan is similar to a plan that the PT gave me after my last run on the AlterG at 94% body weight.   So in short, I am returning to ‘real’ running.    My last run was the 10 min run, 2 min walk X 3 workout and I felt pretty good.   The next day my shin hurt – just a little though.    I vacillate between trying to convince myself it’s an imaginary or ghost sensation and accepting that maybe it really does still ache a little.  I recently ran into a friend of mine on the trail who suffered a similar injury a year and a half ago.  He told me he still feels discomfort in the area – a year and a half later.     I am in that in between phase – the two steps forward, one step back road to recovery… in the end though, it’s still progress.    So the plan is to cross train and move forward with the running workouts as my shin allows.

In the end, I have really grown to appreciate and enjoy each run – it’s funny how an injury and subsequent limitations make you appreciate the little things.   A three-mile run (even with walk breaks) has become one of the highlights of my week.   Perhaps that is the silver lining in all this – to step away from the “have to” aspect of running – all those times that I felt like I just had to get in a long run or a speed drill or whatever because of an upcoming race.  Instead of that  “have to” feeling,  these days, I feel like I “get to” when I go run.

rice

I am probably late to the game on this one, but the other day at Costco when I was picking up my bulk bag of quinoa, I saw that they now also carry black rice (Costco is great on the bulk grains: quinoa, farroa, etc…).

big bag available at Costco!

Having recently read an article about the benefits of black rice (more antioxidants than blue berries or acai, cancer fighting, lowering blood pressure and the like), I picked up a bag.     The rice is actually a deep purple and makes a bit of a mess in the rice cooker but it is delicious! It has the same basic texture and similar flavor as brown rice, but for the touted benefits, I am sold on making the switch from brown to black rice.

rich, dark, purple grains

We are almost finished with this bulk bag of black rice and like I said, we will be getting more!

Just last week, I made the following recipe.  Since I usually double recipes, I doubled this one and replaced buckwheat with 1/4 cup black rice, 1/4 cup quinoa:

Buckwheat-Black Bean soup

• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• ¾ cup chopped onion
• ¾ cup chopped red bell pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbs.)
• ¼ cup kasha or buckwheat groats
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1½ cups cooked black beans, or 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 2 Tbs. lime juice

Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper, and sauté 5 minutes. Add garlic, kasha, and chili powder, and sauté 3 minutes more. Stir in broth, beans, carrots, corn, bay leaf, and 2 cups water, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until kasha is tender. Stir in cilantro and lime juice.

* great recipe from the vegetarian times: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/

A little over a month ago, I wrote a pretty positive blog post about my ongoing recovery from a stress reaction in my tibia.  At the time, I was about a month into the “no running” prescription and doing pretty well with various cross training.   Since then, I have kept up with the cross training and even purchased my own mountain bike (GT Avalanche)… riding my bike has become a very regular thing!

biking!

Of course it hasn’t all been positive.  At the time I wrote that post, I was hoping to be running again in about two weeks, as it was the magical end of the 6 weeks off.  Turns out things weren’t so magical and I was referred for physical therapy for 6 more weeks.   But the silver lining is that PT includes weekly runs on the AlterG, anti-gravity treadmill.

This space age (literally, it uses patented NASA technology) treadmill allows me to run at a reduced percentage of my body weight.   The first session, I ran 1 mile nonstop at 75% of my body weight.  The second session:1.5 miles at 80-85% of body weight.

on the AlterG Treadmill

Before running on the treadmill, I am zipped into the contraption – special shorts zip right into the treadmill.  The treadmill calibrates my weight and then I can enter a percentage.   It’s a strange feeling at first – being so light on my feet, I felt like I could run faster with less cardiovascular effort.  After weeks on an elliptical, I was just happy to be on a treadmill… running!

running

Once I completed the second session without any pain, I was given a cautionary ok to go try some quarter mile intervals, which I did on the Santa Fe Trail just this past weekend.    After the AlterG, I felt so heavy and a little awkward running outside.   One thing missing was that old familiar pain … it’s funny how I just expected it as I headed out on the trail.   I did feel a little twinge or tug in that area – but it’s hard to say if it’s real or just imagined.

A couple miles on the treadmill, a couple outside… I’m running again.  It’s going to be a long road but just happy to be back on it!

Mark was so wowed by our (relatively) new, awesome local bike shop that he wrote the following post about Café Velo. Café Velo is a unique shop that combines a café atmosphere with delicious coffee, coffee drinks and a light menu that includes snacks, sandwiches and smoothie options with a full service bike shop. As Mark elaborates below, the atmosphere and people are truly remarkable. And while I do not know if I really have a “new found interest” in mountain biking as my husband says (or maybe wishes), I have recently started biking the trails that I was running as an ongoing part of my recovery for my tibia/shin issues. I am not going to lie, biking has started to grow on me and I plan to keep it up even when I am back to running full time!

A place where everyone knows your name

by: Mark Modisette

I have been an avid mountain biker for over 30 years (wow – 30 years!) and I have been in a few bike shops too. I even had a part time job at a bike shop called Wheel Works down by the Olympic Training Center in the early 90’s. I would consider myself a connoisseur of bike shops and good customer service. My biking needs recently increased mainly due to my wife and son’s newfound interest in mountain biking.  I was in the market for a bike makeover, a tune up and new tires for the bike my son had been riding. I was also seeking a shop to do work on my bike –but not just any shop would do.

I mentioned before that I worked in a bike shop. I am pretty meticulous about my work place, everything has a place and it must be clean. As I have looked at several bike shops, one thing that must be presentable is the bike repair area to win my business. Café Velo has a bike area that is truly worthy of my patronage.  All the tools are carefully put away and bikes being worked on are all neatly and carefully stored. The rest of the store is exquisite – offering medium-high and high-end bikes – I’m getting excited just thinking about their selection. On the other side of the store there is the “café” part. The atmosphere there is incredible – I could hang out there all day – heck, coffee, sweets and bike stuff – forget about it!

And the best part of Café Velo… the people who work there. I have been in and out of the shop on several occasions for different reasons, each time I’ve been in the store someone has greeted me. I have not been overwhelmed nor have I been left looking for someone to assist me. When I dropped off my bike for a tune – the guys in the shop and I just talked for a long time about bikes, trails, injuries and bike stuff. There are no super egos to deal with or “wheelheads” with strong opinions.

My bike is cleaner than when I bought it and operating at my high level of standards.

my bike. tuned and ready to be re-dirtied

classic 20 year old GT Karakorum, looking brand new

Café Velo also has group “no drop” mountain bike and road rides. They even have a weekly group run starting from the shop. Another great offering are the bike clinics. I have not been to one but I heard from others that they cater to all levels and help riders with a variety of cycling skills.

Great people working there, great atmosphere and great coffee – I can’t wait to go back!

I recently read a Runner’s World article describing the various stages that a runner goes through when dealing with an injury.   In Coping With Running Injuries: Good Grief, the author lists the stages:

Denial

Anger

Bargaining

Depression

Acceptance

I learned about these stages during training for the Road Runners Club of America coaching certification as well.  And during the entire presentation, every attendee was nodding in agreement … I am in good company, to some extent as runners; we have all been there!

With a little less than two weeks to go until my follow up appointment, I think I am experiencing bargaining and acceptance simultaneously.    Bargaining for me is cross training to stay sane and avoid depression … accepting the situation and trying to make the most of it.

Denial got me into this situation.  I had some anger, though it was mostly sadness when I decided to sit out the PPA.    I won’t lie – I still get jealous when I see people running in the sunshine as I drive to the gym.   But I am determined to stay out of depression… even if it’s a bit of a struggle sometimes.

I am cross training quite a bit.  Group fitness helps keep some of the camaraderie of group runs.    I have great running friends that have kept me company on non-running adventures.  We have ventured out on a mountain bikes,  hiked trails – I know how hard it must have been for them to hike with me instead of running.     I started Reformer Pilates, which has led to some pretty (good) sore post workout days.

I have diligently not run for over one month and I have seen progress.    I am coping and I am healing.  And I am hoping for an all clear in a couple of weeks but I know it will still be a slow return to running… but I am ready to start that journey as soon as I can.    In the meantime, I have come up with some strategies/workouts that help pass the time when knocking out calories on a machine in the gym.

My latest workout today that I tacked on after my normal elliptical time:  rowing machine.   I don’t think I have gotten this contraption since the early 1990′s but here’s a 300+ calorie, 30 minute, 5000 M workout that helped break up the monotony for me today:

I was already warmed up from a group class and elliptical/stair time so I dove right in:

5 minute moderate pace (and trying to figure out proper form/technique)

5 minutes rowing hard – watching the meters tick away

1 -2 minutes recovery

repeat.

Like I said, after about 30 minutes, I had finished 5000 meters and burned over 300 extra calories.  Plus I got an upper body workout that the elliptical doesn’t provide.   I may have to add the row machine to my cross training program