Your Training Partners Name is Pain...

"Your training partner's name is pain. You start out trying to ignore him. Can't do it. You attempt to reason with him. No way. You try to strike a bargain. Hah. You plead. You say "Please stop, please go away. I promise never ever to do this again if you just leave me alone." But he won't. Pain only climbs off if you do. Then you're beaten. " - Scott Martin

My Training Partner

I will say as of today my training partners name is pain. I know many of my friends are suffering shin splint issues now. Mine are kinda like knee splints. My knees are on fire. I will not let them beat me. They have tried so many times. I've run through wind, sleet, snow and rain. Go away I keep telling the pain. Today though showed me my body is tired and needs a break. So I'll give the body about 3-4 hours and then hit it with a double session. Sorry Pain...not today...

Good Luck to All My Friends in the Boilermaker

Good Luck to all of you in the Boilermaker. May the wind be at your back!

Week 5 of Comeback Training

"Don't live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable." ~Wendy Wasserstein

Week 5 of Comeback Training

Another good week in the books. Many have been asking me to post exactly what type of training I am doing. I think in the future I will post the daily workouts instead of a weekly recap. With everything going on I haven't felt much like writing a lot but it is coming back.

Monday

A nice run to the MP Run4life 5k course, completion and run home. 4.5 mile run easy.

Tuesday

This is the day the work is put in. 5am morning run with Anna and Jen. Speed work day. 15 min run easy and then 3 x 4 min sprint repeats. 1 min rest intervals. I then rejoined the ladies for the rest of the run and then a couple quick bursts of speed work with Anna at the end of the run. I then did a nice easy night session with Meg. The days total mileage was 10. In an average mile of 8:30.

Wednesday

6.5 mile run from college through Fort Hill Cemetery with Rick. A good hill run. Done in around 56:00 for an 8:36 min mile pace.

Thursday

4 mile tempo run. Roughly 8 min mile pace in intervals.

Friday

My legs were on fire at this time. Hadn't run 6 days in a row in many months. 5 mile run in 43:20. Roughly 8:30 pace. Resting for the weekend.

It was a good week in all. Fatigue is settling in quickly in the muscles so I am trying to up my protein intake after runs. I am also a big fan of Heed Electrolyte caplets.

Dare To Be Great

I want to thank the many of you that keep me going on a weekly basis. Not a week goes by where I don't think of many of you out there. Life is too short people. I dare you to be great this week! I just Dare you!

The Man/Woman Who Has Done Their Best

"The man who has done his best has done everything." ~Charles M. Schwab

The Man/Woman Who Has Done Their Best

I hear many runners say to me, "well I am doing my best!" I agree with all of you many of times that you are. I hear many on a weekly basis worry about Pr's or times. Many have forgotten the true essence of why they started running/walking. I am a firm believer that when we run we give our best each day. Some days that best is on a different level. Some days your body is much more tired than that day before, so that level needs to adjust. Don't get down if you don't hit a time frame that you have in mind in a race. Use it as a stepping stone to working harder or driving towards a goal in the next one. I spent much time in that rut myself. I know that I have a goal to run in the Fillmore 5k in two weeks, but if I don't hit it, I won't be upset. I am truly happy to just be back out there.

What I learned

In Boston I learned a lot. I had originally set my goal to run the marathon in 3:30-3:40 time. In January I was training at a 3:20 pace. In February when I fell I had to figure out how to rehab the fastest and let my PR brain go and change gears. On race day I was shaken but when the race started I had some how convinced my self that it was all still in the realm of possibility. Even though physically it was no where close. Around mile 18 is when I learned the most. I learned "TO HELL" with Pr's. I learned that being in the event is something that is cherishable for a lifetime injured or not. It hit me then, that I had become like many driven by an obsession to hit faster and faster times in order to feel self worth with running. That moment on I said, "forget it!" The last 8.23 miles were the most pain I have ever felt but the most enjoyment at the same time. Seeing the faces of the people that you make a difference to. Seeing the faces of the children out there that want to be like you when they grow up. That was the day that I realized finishing was worth just as much as any record. You can put 100's of medals on your wall from a race but you can never place them in your heart if you are always obsessed with beating yourself.

Fun- This Time Around

This time around it has been a true blessing. I will say that of late I truly don't have much. Things in life are falling apart financially but I have the true joy of running. I am having the best time. Doctors aren't allowing me to run marathons anymore but I can run shorter one's. I have accepted the fact that I won't be as fast or run as far, but I can have fun along the way. That's what its all about. The great thing about running is that you don't need to take out a loan. I know many get into the fancy gadgets but all you really need are your shirts, shorts and shoes. Invest in a good pair of running shoes and they'll go a long way.

Kudos To Kufs

I want to give kudos to Jason Kufs and his new found running adventure. He started out on a running quest on the same day Majorpalooza Run4life 5k kicked off. I find that a cool coincidence. I wish him the best in his adventure. Anyone interested in his story go to:

http://kufsrunning.blogspot.com/

New Slide Show..

From The ER...and Back to the Roads

From the ER...and Back On the Roads!

Many people have been asking me how I've gotten back so fast when things looked so bleak in April. There are many answers. The first MRI and set of scans done showed some strange stuff. A ton of swelling from the marathon and some pcl issues. Basically I suffer from a huge knee instability issue. One minute its good and the next minute it doesn't support me. So after the bleak MRI I did what doctors at NYCC told me to do. I did strengthening exercises 3 times a day. My day would look like this:

Hot Bath for knee in the morning
Rubberband Therapy/Resistance Therapy 3 times daily 10-20 reps
Cold Ice Bath after therapy
spots of weight training
much walking for the month of May...some weeks 10-12 miles of walking

Running is More Fun

Running is so much fun this time around. In april I thought it was all over. To work hard and get another chance to run with great people is a gift in itself. There isn't the pressure to be faster or stronger. It's more about the people and the experience.

Visits to NYCC

I have found the the visits to NYCC have helped tremendously. They are a great bunch of people and I can't thank them enough. I am back on weekly visits there and they stretch out my hamstrings, work with my back and other issues to keep me running. Thank you all for your help there! You are the greatest.

Thanks to All of You

I also want to thank the many different runners who offered to run with me this time around and keeps me motivated. Thanks to Anna Hlywa for extending her hand to run with them on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Thanks to Jen and Maureen for running with us too. Thanks to my mom and meg for a couple different days a week of running. Thanks to Rick Bower for the punishing Wednesday runs. Thanks to the new runners who I will run with this summer!

So I hope that explains the question. While most sit around during an injury, I worked. I worked to get the immobilizer off and the running shoes on and back on the road! Thanks all for your support!

Week 4 of Comeback Training...

An author once said, "the best way to gain self-confidence is to do what you are afraid to do." I say don't go around or climb the mountain. Make like a bulldozer and plow through it. Leave nothing in your path and never look back... (today's post on facebook)

Week 4 of Comeback Training

Week 4 went very well. I had a Tuesday speedwork session with Anna and Jen from the YMCA. I was supposed to run 6 x 1 minute intervals. I ended up doing 9 x 1 minute intervals. It felt good out there. I didn't have much fatigue. Wednesday was a nice 7.5 mile run with Rick through the historic Fort Hill cemetery area. Thursday was back with the YMCA ladies and a nice tempo style run. I took Friday and Saturday off to control some swelling issues and ran 6 miles on Sunday in the pouring rain. My legs are still very shaky out there put I keep pushing and hoping for a 30 mile run week on week #5. The difference this time around is that I am having fun with running. There isn't the pressure of raising money for the sick or the pressure of an upcoming marathon. I am just going out the front door and seeing what adventure lies ahead. See you all next week!

Target Race Comeback- July 18th

I realize it is a couple weeks too early but I have set my target as the Fillmore 5k on July 18th. Its a nice flat, fast and certified USATF 5k. Anyone interested in joining me on the journey go to:

http://www.fingerlakesrunners.org/races/forms/Fillmore.html

Week #3 of Comeback Training

"The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do." ~Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy, 1996

Week #3 of Comeback Training

Week 3 went very well. I had done my first successful speedwork back since January. I hadn't even done any the weeks before Boston because of the condition of my knee. Needless to say it went well. I decided to use the Majorpalooza Run4life 5k course for a 3.12 mile speed work. My first mile was 6:30 and then my legs started wobbling and it went to 7:30 and then 8:10 for the last mile. I was very happy with the progress. I had many great runs with my mom and Meg, YMCA Gals, and Rick Bower. I am trying to run with someone new everyday to keep it fresh and exciting.

The knee issue is feeling stronger daily. Though I have no developed some lower back issues. Not sure what that is but it comes and it goes. I am on my way to NYCC to have it checked out in a couple hours. I want to say thank you to all of you for the great posts on facebook all the time. Keep showing the world your positive energy!

Target Race Comeback- July 18th

I have set my target as the Fillmore 5k on July 18th. Its a nice flat, fast and certified USATF 5k. Anyone interested in joining me on the journey go to:

http://www.fingerlakesrunners.org/races/forms/Fillmore.html