Run, Race, Recover from injury, Repeat. This is so wrong!

I am soooo done with this pattern. I have been at this for a few years now and every success is followed up with an injury and a let down. I need a break! And I don't meant this stress fracture in my metatarsal.

I've had plantar fasciitis since late June. It followed amazing races for me including my first Boston Marathon and a place in the 2010 Official record book! 9th in the 45-49 age group finishing in 3:11:31. I followed that up with a half marathon PR of 1:31:09 a month later. I really wasn't ready for this effort and would soon pay for it. Even though I was still recovering from these races, I foolishly decided to run my first track meet. I ran the mile in 5:38. Not bad for a 45 yo wannaberunner but another step closer to doom. Now I am high as a kite and in the complete throws of denial. How about a 5K PR? Yep! Knocked a few seconds off going from 19:20 to 19:14. It was a PR but a disappointing one. I know I could have done better but not when I'm overtrained. I'm tired. My legs are aching but I had signed up for a 5K on the 4th of July. My husband is running it too and I can't let him have all the fun, right? I should have. It was the last straw. I managed a Master's 1st but a complete failure. I have shin splints(probably stress fractures that I never bothered to have diagnosed.) and a whopping case of plantar fasciitis. This is the truth as I know it. I am an addict and I need help.

I got the PF diagnosis and after trying every quick fix and modality to no avail I decide to take some time off.

I can't believe how long it is taken. I had signed up so I head off to running camp packing iontophoresis treatments and an ultrasound machine. I have my trusty 5 gallon ice bucket, too. I managed to limp through camp and I again forces to take more time off.

A trip to Boulder, Co and the awesome chance to run with my coach, Olympians, Jonothan Beverly(Running Times editor) and lots of other awe inspiring runners lures me away from sensibility and my recovery plan again. All seemed Ok especially with the help of Lorraine Moller, my hero. I wanted to believe that I was recovering so badly that I overlooked pain once again. It hit me like a ton of bricks a few days after returning home.

Another month goes by and I start to show signs of real progress. I'm doing everything right, it seems. A brief but strong setback with anterior tibialis inflammation puts me in a boot and on crutches for a week but the PF seems to be GONE. I had signed up for a marathon that I decided I would do for a longish run nice and easy if the tendonitis cleared up. I would only run maybe half way and call it a day. It was a good plan if I had stuck to it.

The Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon in Nashville was upon me 8 days after getting out to boot. I met with some of my friends and went for a pre-race jog. (Examined the calves of the race director!) I went dancing 2 fun filled evenings and even though my legs felt a little bit like I had already run a marathon from 2 stepping, I decided to go ahead and start the race. I headed out with my husband and friends from RunningAHEAD.com (AJ Hacker and Norm Campbell and my husband). Besides a downpour everything felt good and I was having a blast. My heels were great, my shins felt good with 2 pair of calf sleeves and the anterior tibialis was a nonissue. Run, run, run, chat and smile for the cameras!

I met new friends along the way and left the others behind. I felt so good I wanted to run a more normal(faster) pace that just felt good. Eventually I left the new friends and turned on my iPod. I was pretty much alone and loving every minute of it. I had lots of great new music and my heart felt light and happy. I passed the halfway point and the last easy place to call it a day. Why stop? Maybe because I was undertrained???? NOOOO! I think I'm wonder woman and keep on going. I can do this, right?

I see my husband coming off of a little loop. I realize he is about 4 min behind me and decide now is a good time to solidify my lead. I take too much pride in our little rivalry. The next mile feels great. The one after that I am starting to think I should have bailed early. Then I get a second wind and my legs come back to life. Miles are ticking away and my iPod is playing songs that lift my spirits and feed my longing for my future of happy pain-free running.

Shortly after at about mile 21, I feel an odd sensation in the top of my left foot. Is my shoe too tight? Nah! I wiggle my foot. The pain is somewhat intense and then it fades. I feel good and steady. I push just a little as I reach the last 5K mark. I love the last 5K! I made it this far and I'm headed for the beer tent! Yippee!!! I pass a few guys and give them kudos! They say "You're doing better than us!" as I bound up the last big hill passing them. I love hills!

Rain, rain, rain! I don't mind at all as I speed along the last mile and slop to the finish line through the mud. A had a great time considering my training, the hills and the weather. I really didn't think I would finish and here I was! Smiling and high fiving and looking back to see who was next to cheer on! Monkey, Monkey, Monkey!!!!

I start feeling the pain in my foot again. Hmmm.... limping a bit. Norm comes in and tells me that my husband is not far behind but he is hurting. I spot him and he looks pretty good considering he had also developed PF a few weeks before. BTW-Is it contagious??? The chicken pox of running? He smiles and throws his hands in the air. I pull my camera from my bra and snap a great picture! Yay Mike! (I beat you and you're still smiling. A better sport than me, no doubt.) He reaches for the ground to take a few breaths. He is hurting but he is thrilled to finish. We both have the Flying Monkey medals we thought would have to wait for next year. I even managed a 2nd place in the Master's division and the cutest damn little crocheted flying monkey award you've ever seen!!!

After a night of celebrating with our friends we are happy to get off of our feet. In the morning my foot is swollen and I can barely walk. At the airport, I used a wheelchair. Luckily my husband is able and willing to push my gloating, injured behind through the airport.

A few days later I end up at the orthopedic doctors office again. "What are you doing back here for now?" Once again, I have a stress fracture and at least a month off to do some soul searching and planning before I am able to train for my next marathon, another Boston. My goal is to stay in the top 10 and PR there. My real goal is to achieve this while I learn from all the mistakes I made in 2011. I have more support and encouragement than I should need. I need to be honest with myself and put and end to this cycle. Recovery should be recovery and not recovery from injury. I am not as durable as I would like to be. It's only going to change if I accept my limitations and work within them.

This little crocheted flying monkey is going to be my little reminder. I am going to keep him with me in my Boston Marathon gym bag to every workout. He is going to whisper in my ear and tell me to stay focused and not be foolish. My new life coach! It is a myth that these monkeys are foolish. Mine is much smarter than me. Runners are foolish. If I do what the monkey tells me to do, he promises to stay off my back. His goal is to make it back to the Harpeth Hills. I plan to get him there in one piece. Wish me luck.

15.25 miles of fun

Yesterday was the first day I was "allowed" to run for 2 hours. Finally!!! I was so happy and nervous to go for it. It was a fabulous day for running (btw, most days are)! The sun was shining, kids were at school for the last full day, I had a new playlist put together for the event and the run all mapped out. I had a little funny feeling in my left lower leg that I was hoping wasn't going to be an issue. It wasn't! I just strolled along happily for 2 glorious hours and 4 fabulous minutes. Totalled 15.25 mi. Amazing.

I had lots of fun banter about it with my coach, Nobby. My DH(dear, darn, d#$! husband) called to see how it went and was proud! I was even was compared to my idol on RunningAHEAD, CNYrunner on RA. Wow, she is an awesome 47 yo runner I would love to be more like! Hope to meet her in Boston in April. Dream, dream, dream.

Then my shins started aching. No kidding. Oh crap! RICE to the rescue! I threw in an ibuprofen for good measure. When I woke up I hung my feet off the side of the bed, took a deep breath and prayed. I'm not religious but I figured it wouldn't hurt. Feet on the floor. Stand up. HOORAY! Went out to run 4.7 more miles of fun in the pouring rain. Too fast as usual. Man, am I durable or what?

Skirt Chaser Race Report

Rain, rain, go away! No warm-up because I was being a sissy. I really thought they would delay the start because of the thunder but nooooo! So I had to jump and run to the start. I still can't believe that I managed to PR on the hardest course I ever ran in these conditions. But I did. First of all there was the rain. It stopped after the first half mile or so. Then there were hills! Lots of hills. Thankfully I run hills everyday and I felt pretty strong going up and down. I petered out at one point when no one was near me and was just cruising along. Mistake! I should have continued to push because Stephanie(a 43 yo woman) passed me. Crap! But that got me going and as I went up the next hill I got moving again. Determination(stupidity) goes a long way sometimes. I was disheartened when I realized I was 7th woman overall and 3rd in the 40-44 age group. The winner was 43! But, today I feel invigorated. I haven't peaked. I can keep training and do better. Went for a run this morning with a kick a$$ attitude. I probably(definitely) should have listened to my coach and run easy but I felt like I was still on an adrenaline high(just like Nobby said :o/, he's a smartie pants). But no harm, no foul. I am ready to move forward and keep dreaming about the next race.

Today was the 16th time I've volunteered for Field Day at my kids' elementary school. 16th and last, sad but true. My baby is going to middle school next year. Well, I was so excited and hoping to of course help with a running relay race. No such luck. I ended up helping the "hand ball" groups. OK, after my attitude adjustment (I was all dressed in my running clothes and best race shoes. Damn. Why didn't they pick me? I signed up for the relays!) I realized it was kinda fun. It was pretty much like soccer except you had to only use your hands. No kicking. Well, when a team didn't have enough players, I decided to jump in for some fun and offered to be goalie. Kids all said "Hooray for Mrs. Suvick!" I thought "Sweet!" That all changed when the first evil little 6th grader whacked me with a friggin' hard gym ball in the leg. I blocked it, but I seriously thought I should let the next one fly into the net. Unfortunately, my competitive (aka stupid) side wouldn't let me do that. So, after 9 rotations and 4 teams short a player, I limped off the field covered in welts, after being pummeled by 20 plus balls by wicked 6th grade punks! It was all in fun, I'm sure. NOT!

So, now it was time for my run. I was hungry and it was hot! 82 degrees and humid. Ugh. I head to the park with a plan from the coach to get ready for my big race tomorrow. I had to run 20 min, then do 2 sets of strides and a 2 min tempo run. (For those of you that don't know what this means, look it up. Hey! I'm tired and my husband is waiting upstairs with a beer and a movie.) I did fairly well jogging the first 20 min. Started feeling spunky and ready to go after Rihanna's Disturbia played on my iPod. (That song kinda defines my running lately.) The strides worried me but once I started I thought they were a ton of fun! Very bouncy - like me! Now it was time for the tempo run. I set my Garmin (non-running enthusiasts, look it up!) and took off. I was told not to go all out, so, I held myself back while letting go a little. At 2 minutes BEEP! times up. I was running a 6:07 mile pace! I could have gone faster and ran further. OOooh! CoOOoooliooO! I smiled and got the chills! Wierd, very good feeling. (married couples experience something similar when children are conceived. Maybe.) I'm getting faster and it feels so good. 1 mile jog and back to the car and some icy cold Gatorade! Creepy dude sitting in his car near my car freaks me out. He passed me 3 times while I was running. Ew! I speed off( park speed limit is 25, I go 28mph) to the gym to get my UE bike fix to finish off my workout. I put Disturbia on in the car and sing all the way dreaming of my race tomorrow. I will definitely need a beer and a Benedryl to sleep tonight!

30 Minutes

I did it! I ran for 30 minutes and STOPPED! Whew, that wasn't easy. I went a little too fast for the coaches liking but I think he has accepted that about me now. He hasn't dumped me, so, that is a good sign that he will put up with me. He's had lots of good reasons and opportunities. Just in case he finds this and reads it - Thanks Nobby! You are a tolerant SOLE. I know I spelled it wrong but it is right for us. He is my "solemate." Ya know, like shoes? Running shoes. He just loves to go on and on about them. I just love to buy them!

So, I still had energy to burn after a mere 30 minutes on my soles. So, I hit the gym and did the upper extremity bike for 35 min. I actually arm biked farther that I ran. You should see my "guns"! He! He! I know I still have to explain that addiction but I'm not in the mood. It's 3:30 in the afternoon and I'm stinky. I'm hitting the shower.

What will I do tomorrow?

Hmmm... I think I will go for a run! Surprise! After a few days of this it won't be. You'll think "Oh yeah, she's running AGAIN. Big deal!" Anyway, tomorrow, coach says just to jog an easy 20-30 min. I'm getting ready for a 5K Sat evening, so, I have to take it easy and get ready for that. I'm not supposed to complain and I'm not complaining about him at all but I'll whine. Waaaah! I remember when it was sooooo hard to run for 30 min. Now it is sooooo hard to stop after only 30 min. He is the only reason I haven't run myself into the ground AGAIN. He has saved me from myself. I recently recovered from a hip stress fracture and he rescued me and is trying to keep me on track. So, I'll probably go to the gym and "ride" the upper extremity bike (that's another story. I'm also addicted to the UE bike) to get the rest of my adrenaline "fix". Then I might have to "run" in the pool for 30 min, as a cool down. I'm telling you, I AM ADDICTED. It's no joking matter. I will probably wake up in the middle of the night and think "Damn! It's too early to get up and run!" I'll lay(lie? Idk) there and think about where I will run to make the most of my precious 30 min. A nice big hill maybe. Hmmm....

National Running Day!

Seems like a good time to start blogging about running. Today is June 2nd, National Running Day. I'd never heard of it before today. Then again there are lots of things about running I don't know. I've been running for about 17 months now. Wow. I can't believe how far I've come or how addicted I've become. I still consider myself a newbie. I've got a bit of an attention deficit problem, so, I think it will take awhile for a lot of running info and expertise to sink in. So, I'll probably be a wannabe for a long time. I believe that I can't just do it, I need to know what the heck I'm doing. I have a coach, Nobby Hashizume. He is trying his best to teach me. I live in the Pittsburgh area and he is in Minneapolis. I am a slow learner. He will probably have carpal tunnel syndrome from trying to teach me via the internet what I need to know to succeed. Bless his heart for trying so hard.

My family is a little tired of hearing about my running. I'm really sorry but they are just going to have to tolerate me. I pretty much have my whole year planned around my running. Who wants to go to the Caribbean this winter? Not me! I'd rather go to the NYC Marathon, the Las Vegas Rock n Roll Half Marathon and hopefully, the ultimate vacation spot, the Boston Marathon. I'm also going to run a marathon in Lehigh Valley Pa in Sept and hopefully go to marathon mini prep camp in Boone, NC in Aug. If anyone asks me about running I say "Don't ask if you don't really want to hear about it." I figure it is only fair to give them a warning as to what they are getting into. I'm obsessed. It might have some unhealthy aspects already, but I am not going to let that stop me yet. My husband's already decided that if I get a injury he is driving me to the ER for antidepressants.

Gotta run! More later!