Plantar Fasciitis... It's not as fun as it sounds

This is what sexy 50k training looks like most night at my house.

I was diagnosed with Plantar Fasciitis about six years ago. It was before I ever even thought of running my first step. Plantar Fasciitis hurts. In my case I let it get to the point that when I would walk in the front door after work I would literally crawl around my house because it hurt too badly to walk on my feet for another minute. When I finally gave in and went to a podiatrist, he gave me this splint, put me on a steroid pack, and sent me to physical therapy. Physical therapy was torture!!! If you have ever had Graston preformed on you, it's awful. On the bottom of your foot it looks like this

It was miserable, but it worked. And towards the end of my physical therapy, I started dabbling in running. So it was worth every second.

Since then the old Plantar Faciitis demon rears it's head off and on, but bringing out the brace at nights and some ice packs normally clear things up. It's just kind of a thing I deal with.

As you might have guessed, it reared its ugly head big time a few weeks ago.... but I couldn't get it to go away. That's when the panic set it. You know how there are 7 stages of mourning? I think I went through about three stages of possible 50k training injury freak out:

1) PANIC!!! OMG what if I can't do the race? I've been thinking about this race for a year! I want to do this race so badly. What if it's ruptured? What if it's tearing? Screw this race... what if I'm crippled? What if I can never run again? What if they cut my foot off (seriously, things get dramatic fast in my brain)?

2) Calming self-talk - It's not like the race doesn't happen every year. I could do it next year. I mean sheesh, it's not worth having a hissy fit. I could even volunteer. They do treat their volunteers well..

3) Logic - Why don't I just call the podiatrist that diagnosed me and have him check it out... duh.

So I went to the doc. And he said that yeah, it's inflamed. BUT... with some ice packs on a regular basis, my dear old night splint, and some steroids (not the good Lance Armstrong kind, the kind that make you retain water and eat a lot) I should be good to go! YEAH!!!

I now return to training cautiously optimistic!!! AND Shalene Flanagan tweeted something about struggling with Plantar Faciits too. SOOOOoooo.... since we both struggle with Plantar Faciitis, we're kind of exactly the same, right? RIGHT! I'm EXACTLY like an Olympic marathoner!!!!

Call in the Pinch Hitter.... Genius

Ahh... the long run. I write a lot of entries about my long runs because frankly, I have a lot of time to think during them. So here's another one.

This morning I had planned to meet a few friends for some trail running. I needed a 16 mile run and on the trail we were running that meant two six mile loops and a four. Piece of cake right? Oh sure, it's always a piece of cake on paper... enter real life.

Real life is that with this heart rate training I never know how long trail runs will take me. Depending on the trail, the humidity, the temp, the alignment of the stars, blah blah blah. I kind of knew that the gals I was meeting wouldn't be running with me. But it's nice to say hi. And it's nice to know that someone is out there with you. Even if "with you" means two miles ahead or behind you.

This particular day I had made plans with a friend for lunch. A built in recovery meal. YEAH! Stress about when to plan the meal. Boo. But we came up with a plan early in the week and I was excited!Then half way through the week she emailed me and asked if it would be crazy for her to run with me. She's been recovering from a big injury. Of course I said, YES PLEASE RUN WITH ME! I gave my current disclaimer for all runs: what I do is hardly running and the longer I go the more I walk. Thankfully, she was still interested so yeah!

The run started. Beautiful warmish temps and a sunrise. The trails seemed greener and everything was good times. And then.... heart rate monitor started getting wonky. Weird readings. I tried all the "tricks" I could think of. But all I really accomplished was me getting frustrated. So after the first six mile loop I gave up on the heart rate monitor and tried to run smart. This caused me all kinds of stress. I've run hooked into that thing for two months now. It seemed like I didn't remember how to run without it.

Finally got my 12th mile done and was so ready to be done.... and then.... fresh faced friend! The pinch hitter!!! We picked up the other runner who had started with me and all three of us headed out for the last four miles. And it was FANTASTIC! Our new company told us stories and caught us up on her life and she was full of fun and yeah and magic rainbows! Before I knew it we were on the final turn and I couldn't believe that the last four miles of a 16 mile run had gone by so quickly!

So, what did I learn? That calling in a pinch hitter for the end of the run can be a game changer. What had become a frustrating run ended on a "that was awesome" note! Definitely a win!

7 Miles out 7 Miles Back... no sweat

I had a lovely 14 mile run today on trails I don't know well. It was like I was exploring! Thankfully the trails were well marked and the weather was beautiful. With this heart rate training I don't really get tired so much as it just takes for freaking ever to get my long runs in! Today was my longest heart rate training yet. My times seem to be improving a bit, but realistically... new trail... unknown elevation... longer miles.... who knows how long this is going to take me?

I'm not kidding. I can't make plans on long run day anymore because I feel like I literally could be running for 300 hours at a time. But, I had nowhere to be and started as early as possible. Early because I LOVE to watch the sunrise and early because my lord I need all the time I can get. Not even two miles into the run I'm stopping to take pictures (that will never show how pretty it actually was), and I say to myself, "Erin you need to stop messing around if you want to get this run done before sunset". Hmpf... good point.

And I was off. Just so ya know, my current running often leads to this song playing in my head

You know, just kind of chugging along. Looking at the scenery, going nowhere fast.... What a wonderful soundtrack! Well, minus the crash at the end that is.

Seven miles out and seven miles back seemed like no sweat when I looked at it on paper. Yeah, they always seem easy on paper don't they? Just seven miles! I run seven miles in my sleep! Welp, it wasn't as easy as the paper led me to believe. Shocking I know. Because I am constantly looking at my Garmin to find my heart rate I am constantly seeing how SLOWLY the miles are going by. Ai yi yi. I started making deals with myself... I won't look until my alarm goes off. Well that doesn't work! My alarm is going off all the time!

Eventually I came to accept the fact that if I wanted a 14 mile run I was just going to have to let it happen the way it needs to. Which means slowly. I was finally able to turn around. YEAH. And the first mile after the turn around flew by. I thought man this is magic beans I'm living the dream! The other 6 miles were a mix of living the dream and wishing the dream was a little better.

But I got lots of thinking, saw 5 deer and only two humans. A whole morning with only two humans and I was wearing a short sleeve shirt by the end! If you can't be happy about a run like that... then maybe you need to rethink your happy.

Yes, I am slow... BUT I CAN COUNT!

I ran a race this weekend. I didn't race it ( I rarely do RACE races), I didn't intend to. I'm commited to this stupid heart rate training and I was commited to not getting caught up and going off of my plan. So today was among other things... a long run. A long run, different location, fun day with runner friend, finishing a race I started last year. Dang, this post could get long. Bear with me....

Race I started last year - Last year I attempted this race as a half marathon. I was new to trail running and excited to try an actual trail race. The course of this race is a 3 mile loop. Sounds lame, but it's not too bad, except the 23,000 water crossings... I'll get to that later. So, last year I was all hopped up on first trail race go juice and I twisted the livingg snot out of my ankle on the first loop. But, this is a pretty flat course and I thought I could stumble along. By the second loop my ankle would not stop rolling, so I threw in the towel and dropped at 10k. This year I was back to finish the race. Thirteen point one miles later... mission accomplished!

A long run in a different location - Mission accomplished... with some stories... of course. Where to start. Well, it was cold out. Not freeze your water cold, but cold. About 22 with the windchill. Add in water crossings and mud, a lot of both. I found that after you dunk both feet the first time, you surrender to the cold and wet and you move on. I also found that if you are heart rate training, your heart rate tends to jump up EVERY TIME you dunk your feet. Ugh... that'll slow down progress. But I had a race to finish. Onward!

One lap, two laps, three laps.... finishing up lap three and off to lap four when a race official starts ma'am-ing me (yelling ma'am at me). I turn around and he asks me if I am sure I still have a lap to run... Why yes sir, I may be slow but I do know how to count!!!! I understand that he's just doing his job, trying to account for all runners. I get that, but maybe next time, "One more lap to go? Good work!" For some reason this took the wind out of my sails. I knew I was in last place, but maybe having someone point it out was a little much. I wallowed for a minute or two. Then I said to myself, ok I'm not gonna let that f******* mess up my training run. So how can I make this better? How can I take away this wallowing?

Hmm.... First let me mention that when you're the last one on the course outloud conversations with yourself are completely acceptable and encouraged as far as I'm concerned. I thought things like, "you came back and your'e going to finish this race! And this will be a magical show of stick-to-it" blah blah blah postive B.S. and I knew it was B.S. It sounded like a script to a sucky Lifetime movie that I wouldn't even read the plot description of. So, Lifetime movie ending is out, what else you got? Something positive...

- I aced my outfit today. Not too warm, not too cold. Good work there! (this got the ball rolling)

-I feel amazing! My feet are cold but this heart rate training doesn't wear me out. I'm barely even tired!

-The perfect 1/8 inch layer of snow on every branch and leaf does look beautiful. I mean, I'm ready for Winter to be done, but that's pretty stuff.

-After I ran through a water crossing... GOOD THING I won't have to run through that one again!

All these stupid thoughts (and statements made outloud) had me smiling again. Not in a Lifetime movie way. But in a real way where I found the good stuff that was surrounding me and didn't get tricked into running in a way I didn't want to. It was good. Not I saved the world good, not I grew as a person good. But, good that I found my smile good.

Race was done, had two friends waiting for high fives at the finish line. I barely felt tired (yeah heart rate training!) Had a nice ride home with lots of nice conversations and coffee. Things aren't so bad.

Maybe the early weeks of heart rate training and small trail races don't mix. But I got in a 13.1 mile training run and got a finisher's hat. I'll call it a win.

And I killed my old pair of trail shoes. We had a good year together shoes...

You're a Runner. And that's F'ING awesome.

When I was out running this week I was approaching a gal that was doing some stretches, getting ready to start her run. I was watching her do the old school  hamstring stretch and the calf stretch and for some reason it reminded me of when I was new to running. Maybe her outfit matched too well, maybe she seemed to be too aware of who might be looking at her. It just SEEMED to me that she was a bit new and a bit self-conscience. And I found myself thinking, that gal needs a “good job”! So I was certain that as I ran past her, I’d give her the ol “good work” or “good running”. These aren’t thing I normally say during a run, when I’m at a race cheering, oh sure! But not while running. However, this time I was gonna do it. Then, when she ran by me, she had her head phones on and her head pointed down. Boo. I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and say, “Pick your head up! You’re a runner and that’s F’ING awesome!!!”

 I remember being a person that stretched out certain that everyone was judging her. I was sure that all the 3% body fat runners were sitting around eating three feet high pancake stacks and laughing at the funny looking pudgy girl that acts like she’s running. I remember being afraid to go into the running store because even though I was running 3-5 times a week I didn’t feel qualified to go in.

These are some of the things I’ve learned since then…

-Runners love running. They love people that love running. They love to talk about running. They love to encourage people to run. They love to talk about running gear, times, food, routes. And runners will discuss any of this with anyone that will listen.

-Running stores are made to get people running. They don’t care if you have never moved faster than a stumble. They’ll encourage you, give you tips, answer questions, and send you out the door excited!

-Runners don’t care what size you are, they’re just happy to see you out there.

-I have seen 3% body fat runners eat a lot of food. That part is true. They are freaking brats. But not all runners have 3% body fat.

-When someone drives by, or walks by, or runs by a runner, typically they are not judging them. If that person is inactive, they’re probably thinking “wow that person is running, wish I could do that”. If they are an active person, they are probably thinking, “another runner, that’s cool.” Or, “man those shoes are awesome, I wonder what kind they are.”

It’s good to remember, however much you have to walk during a run and no matter how much a run sucks…

You’re a runner. And that’s F’ING awesome.

Next time maybe I will grab her by the shoulders....

Solo Long Run...

Here we are again. Time for another long run. It was about 17 degrees out this morning. And all my friends that were going to start early with me weren't feeling up for it. So I was off on a break of dawn solo long run! I kept trying to come up with a coherent blog post throughout the run, but my thoughts were all over the place. I realized that this was not a post that could come together as a story. Rather I'll tell you the story the way I thought it. Welcome to my disjointed long run brain....

 

But first, a bit of background. If you didn't read my post about heart rate training, I'm still doing that. And it came up in my conversation with myself many times. Here's the post. I think that just about gets everyone on the same page. And we're OFF!

 

- I hope this is the right way, the map looks a little different, oh well. I'm just all alone in the woods, what could go wrong?

 

- Is that a coyote? Greeeaaatttt. Hmmm.... what do you do when attacked by a pack of coyotes? Curl into a ball? Run? Bend over and kiss your a.... goodbye?

 

- I love it when the sun just starts to come up and everything is sparkly! I wish a picture would show how awesome it looks. Or I wish I could write a poem to explain it!

 

-I don't even like poetry. Why would I want to write poetry? It's such frilly talk it makes me uncomfortable. Maybe haiku? That seems more efficient but also frillier. Dang it.

 

-It sure is cold, I hope my Camelbak line doesn't freeze up.

 

- Heart rate training is kind of fun because your watch tells you to take walk breaks! Sorry folks, gotta walk, the watch says so.

 

-Did I just try to jump over that log with my back leg straight as if I were a hurdler? I am not a hurdler and almost fell flat on my face. Mental note, this is not an effective way for a 5'2" runner to jump a log. Got it!

 

-Ok really heart rate? I'm going downhill? Gimme a break here!

 

-Yup, water line of the Camelbak is completely frozen.

 

-Hey there's something swimming in the lake? Is it a monster? Nope, it's a beaver! I guess that's cool too.

 

-huh? Where are those chatty people coming from? OHHHH... those are my running group friends and their across the lake from me. Sounds like they're two feet away.

 

-Yay! Running group friends! High fives all around.

 

- Walking up a hill in front of a running group friend I stop because according to my heart rate monitor I'm near death.

     Me: You gals go ahead, my heart rate monitor is telling me to take a nap on the trail

     Running friend: OK, just remember... if you start to get warm, you're dying.

 

That is AWESOME. And also a good fact to keep in mind.

 

- Seriously! Can I run a little you stupid HR monitor!?!?!?

-Maybe if I take my gloves off it will lower my heart rate?

- Nope, my hands are just cold now! Why the f did I think that would work?

- Maybe if I had a sip of water for the last 5 miles of this stupid run my heart rate would go down!!! I could just stick my face in my Camelbak reservoir and drink from it like a pup... Nah I'll be fine.

- CAN I RUN NOW!!!! Two more miles.

- Maybe if I stick the Camelbak hose down my shirt it will thaw out and I'll be drinking water like a champ! Nope, it just makes me cold. Why the f did I think that would work?

-Is it normal to want to break down in tears during HR training out of frustration?

-It sure is pretty out.

YEAH MY CAR! MY CAR HAS COFFEE IN IT!!!

Soooo..... a typical good run/bad run. Glad I did it. Beautiful day out! And I do love that trail. I'm not ready to give up on heart rate training, but I am ready to punch it in the mouth.

Is It Spring Yet? Is It Now?

I'm so eager for Spring I feel like I'm losing my mind. Ok, losing my mind more than normal...

This week we had a day that was actually in the 60's! The 60's! Oh my lord. I was so excited. I even got to run in a bit of daylight in the 60's. So I got excited. And there I was tromping around in capris and a t-shirt with the perfect song on my ipod and a smile on my face. I was running on campus and having a blast looking at all the akward clothing choices the students had made. I know I know... undergrads often make strange clothing choices, but this random warm weather had made them even more hilarious to me. So I had plenty of sightseeing and was really enjoying this solo run. And as I was running down the sidewalk I see this big guy running with his dog coming towards me. For no good reason we ended up high fiving each other as we passed. And it was AWESOME! I've never seen this guy in my entire life... but we were both so happy!. It's like all the runners in my little part of the world were way too excited to get a taste of some warmer temps. To be outside and not have to pile on every item of clothing I own. It was a thrill!

So then it got cold again, of course. Because it's February. Duh. But when Saturday's run came along I of course planned for an early start. Because heart rate training and hilly trail running make for a looooooonnnnnngggg morning. I need all the hours I can get. As I was waiting for my friend to show up I walked outside and I could just feel it. That feeling you get when you just know that Spring is coming. YOU JUST KNOW IT (nevermind that it comes at about the same time every year)! With a blue sky and gorgeous morning sunlight, it didn't even matter that it was 20 some degrees. I got downright giddy imagining the the trails getting green with new growth and critters coming out of their boroughs. I'm a bit eager if you can't tell....

Is it here now?