Crack of Dawn 8k!

This morning I got up at 3:45 and headed over to pick up my mom and dad for the Crack of Dawn 8k.

We got their before the sun was coming up over the mountain and drove up to the start in the Mill Creek Canyon. We were the first ones up there and we waited for a good 30 minutes before the buses came up with all the other runners.

It was a little chilly up there, I think it was around 45, but we figured that once we started moving we'd warm up. The weather was perfect, it had rained the night before and the roads were all drying and it had that really yummy rain smell up in the canyon. I love that smell.

The race was about to start at 6:00 and we were standing in the potty line. It's a good thing we had timing chips for this race cause we were about 1.06 late crossing the start line. We started out and the down hill started killing my IT band. I don't think I was warmed up enough, so I told my mom to go ahead of me and that I'd catch up to her when it leveled off, if it did. I walked/ran the first mile and ended up doing the first 2 miles at a 12:45 pace. After that my leg warmed up and I started rocking it. My next mile was in the 10s, the next was in the 9s, and the last mile (or .94) was in the 8s!!

Here's my attempt at taking a picture with my iPhone while running. :) I think it looks cool! My leg felt awesome the last 3 miles. At the end there was a little itty bitty hill and after running almost 5 all down hills your legs say, "Oh wait...I just ran 4+...I think I'm tired now." I pushed through and my last mile was at a 8.33 pace.

I crossed the line around 55.20, but my watch said 54.14. Not bad, not bad!

This is us right after finishing. I really love running races with my momma.

Running is a family thing!

I have tired lead legs...

Ok, so eating a Gyro from Mad Greek 20 minutes before a long run probably wasn't the best idea, but I did it and now I've learned my lesson. I'm glad I have a stomach made of iron cause I hate puking. The only issues I had were stomach cramps and a couple of side cramps from the food. The other thing I learned was waiting too long to run isn't the best. I should have gone earlier this morning rather than waiting until 1 in the afternoon. I was really hoping to run 20 today (I know it wasn't scheduled.) just so I could do it before the marathon in 3 weeks, but it doesn't look like that will happen. I started out my run thinking that I'd do a 5 minute walking warm up so I wouldn't get hurt, but that 5 minute walk ended up being 1 miles worth of walking, then I ran a little and my legs were EXTREMELY tired and felt like lead weights...ugh...it didn't feel good.

So, I'm run/walking around by the copper mines feeling like I have cement blocks tied to my feet and feeling sooo down because I know there's no way I'm going to do 20. I get tired of all the traffic and the lack of a shoulder for me to run in so, I called J to come pick me up. I ended up doing a little more than my scheduled 12 at 12.84, but for some reason I feel SOO completely defeated. How can I one week run almost 17 and feel awesome and the next week feel so defeated because I ran 12.84?

I know, I'm weird...I've been having mood swings, my legs feel like lead, and I've been feeling light headed. I think I need to get more sleep and drink more water. I wish the next few weeks would hurry up so I can run my marathon. I just want it to be here already.

I think my IT band injury has thrown everything off for me mentally.

Winner, Winner!

The winner of the Wireless Walkman is #56 Alinda!

Congrats Alinda! Email me your mailing info at runmommatwitchrun (at) gmail (dot) com.

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Sorry, I've been a little MIA. You can always tell when I skip out on a run. I tend not to post cause I don't want to admit that I skipped. Hahaha. :) I ran today though!! I went around the lake and had a pretty good run. I need to remember to warm up before I run, my legs were achy today, but I did it. I'm getting SO close to marathon time. It's crazy. I need to re-excite myself about it. It's so tough when you get hurt.

Oh well, tomorrow's a new day and I'm getting back on track with eating and running.

Tomorrow I'm going to answer some of the questions you guys sent me. Comment and ask some more I love hearing all the questions. :)

Good to go!

Well, I went to the pt again today and she said I was good to go for the half on Saturday. :) I'm excited to see how I do. I'm not expecting a PR, but wouldn't it be awesome if I did? I walked 2 miles yesterday and ran 6 without any problems. I love that I'm not aching anymore. My legs are sore from all the swimming, but it's all good. It's really interesting how many different muscles you use doing different things.

Tomorrow's an easy day when it comes to running. Just 2 & 2. I hope to get it done early cause I have a ton of cleaning to do.

7 days and 7 weeks.

7 days until my next half marathon and 7 weeks until my first full marathon. It's starting to sink in that my first marathon's coming up. I can't wait, it's going to be FUN! I'm also a little nervous at the same time. I'm sure everything will work out perfectly.

Today I went to the PT and she said I was looking good, but I was REALLY tight. She massaged my IT band for a little bit and then showed me some more stretches and exercises. She thinks I'll be good to walk/run on Saturday. Oooh, and Saturday...you know what the weather's supposed to be on Saturday? THUNDERSTORMS. Fun, huh? Last year it snowed, this year rain.

Tomorrow I'm getting up early and I'm going to attempt to run a few miles. If it hurts I'll stop and walk, but I'm excited to get out there and get going. I can't wait to see what happens. :)

Ok, so this is non-running, but have you guys watched Avatar? I'm watching it right now and I think it's kinda lame, maybe I'm not far enough into the movie. I dunno.

You gotta have faitha, faitha, faitha....BABY....

That song is STUCK in my head. I gotta find it online or something and listen to it to get it out.

Anyway...that stuff works, you wanna know why? Cause today I did a set of 6 sprints with NO PAIN. Yup, I ran today with no pain when I did sprints. Not one tinge of pain. The only time I could feel any kind of hurt was when I would run slow. Maybe that means I've got to become a sprinter. Hahaha, yeah right. I enjoy long runs. Today I walked/ran/sprinted 4 miles and I feel good. :)

Here's how it went this morning. I started out walking at my usual pace. I turned a corner and something in my head said, "Ok, Cathy. I want you to sprint to that pole." So, that's what I did. I sprinted as hard as my little legs would take me. When I got to the pole I walked for a minute and while I walked I heard, "Ok, there's no pain. Let's do 6 sprints total. You've done one and here comes another. When you get to that corner sprint until you get to the next corner." I listened and did it again. I got to the end and walked to recover. Then I heard, "You're doing great. This time we aren't going to sprint we're just going to run at a fast pace from the corner to the bridge." Ok, that's a longer distance, but I got this. I ran, no pain other than my lungs getting used to breathing like that again. It kept going like that until I had done 6 sprints without any problems. When I got to the playground I heard, "Ok, we're going to jog at a normal pace now. It may hurt a little, but we're kind of looking for that and I want you to run through it for a couple seconds." So, I ran around the corner and under a bridge until I  heard, "When you get to that sign, stop." I stopped when I got there and stretched out my legs some and felt that I should do some kicks. I walked some more around a little loop that took me up to a bridge. When I got there it came again, "Sprint over the bridge." I did it and felt fine. I walked some more. Took a picture and heard, "Now jog home." I jogged home. The aches I felt were less than what they were when I jogged by the park and under the bridge. I did 4 miles 6 minutes faster than I did last week, I'm sure the sprints helped. :) I felt good other than getting used to breathing again while running. I even came home and did my stretches and exercises right away. That foam roller thing....PAINFUL! I don't know how people like that thing.

So, I'm on the right track to be better by Monday if today I'm feeling 85-90% today. I just gotta keep on keepin' on. :)

Today's trails around the lake.

A little blah & a TON of faith.

Blah.
That's all there is to say today.....


Ok, so not really. Today was a GREAT day for everything in my life other than running. I'm just getting jealous of everyone out there running, that's all.

I just gotta have faith. Here's me having faith...ready?

I am going to run this marathon and I'm going to be 100% by Monday of next week. YOU HEAR ME? I'M GOING TO BE 100% BY MONDAY. I AM! You wait and see.

This Week's Schedule.

There are two ways I can go into this week. I can go into it with a positive attitude or I can go into it with a negative one. I can go into it thinking that I'm hurt and I can't run, why even try to keep going. Or I can go into it thinking that I'm hurt and this week will heal me.

My brain and my hormones are saying to go with the negative. My heart on the other hand is telling me to go with the positive. It's so hard when I just want to quit, but I've gotten SO much great advice and guidance that I can't quit. I'm just SO afraid that I won't ever heal and I won't be able to run my marathon.+++

I have been blessed with many talents and one of them is enduring. I think that's why I enjoy long runs. This is just another thing I need to endure. I need to do what I'm told and not push myself or give up all together. Every thing's going to work out...I'll be better and I'll run my marathon without any pain. 

Ok, so I know this post is all over the place, but it's just one of those days, ya know?

This week's schedule is:
Monday: walk, cross train, stretches
Tuesday: walk, strength train, stretches
Wednesday: walk, cross train, stretches
Thursday: walk, strength train, stretches
Friday: walk, cross train, stretches
Saturday: walk as far as I can, strength train, stretches
Sunday: OFF

There's a lot of walking going in there, but I don't have any pain and I think it's helping me keep up with my training. Plus, it's been a really good way for me to have some positive time alone with myself. The cross training, I'm not sure if it'll be the elliptical or the bike, I may even switch it up every day, I just gotta find something interesting to do while I do it. Maybe I'll watch Run Fat Boy Run a couple times. :)

This week will also consist of a lot of prayer/meditation. I gotta get better....I just have to. 

Here's to a great week!

Good luck to all the Boston racers out there!!!

Well, I tried...

I tried to walk, really I did. But, something in me wouldn't let me. I took about 10 steps past the start and had to jog/run/trot, whatever you want to call it.

(Here I am at the start. There were so many people for the 5k that it took them more than 10 minutes to get everyone out of the shoot.)

I woke up this morning with pain in my knee. I was thinking that it was just sore from using the foam roller for the first time at the PT office and from all the stretches & exercises I have been doing. I was nervous that I wouldn't even be able to walk the 5k. Last night was a rough night, I just kept thinking negative thoughts and I wanted to quit. I wanted to quit everything, the training, the marathon, the 5k.  But, when I was getting ready this morning I told myself I would do as much as I can do....and that's what I did. I ran. I ran without pain for the first half and then I started to feel it coming on after a little while, but I found that if I landed a certain way or if I didn't bend my knee as much as I usually do than it didn't hurt. I did take a couple of walking steps here and there, but I listened to my body and did what it wanted to do. If it said to keep running, I kept running. If it said to slow down and walk, I walked.

(Almost at the finish...I wonder if I could say I was walking in this picture...I'm not sure the PT would believe me. lol)

I made it across the finish line in 38.04, not bad for having a bum knee, huh? The funny thing is, last year at this time my average 5k time was 47 minutes. Even with a bum knee I'm faster than I was a year ago. J even said this was the most excited/happy looking he's seen me at the finish. He said it looked like I was really enjoying myself. :)

Right now, about 6 hours after my race, I have NO pain at all. My muscles are sore, but that's to be expected. I feel like I'm 100%. I am being careful though. There is no way I'm going to jump back into running 8 or 10 or 15 miles any time soon. I'm still going to walk and cross train and strength train next week and I may throw in a minute or two of jogging every once in a while during a walk, but I'm being careful. I want to heal and I want to be 100% for my marathon. :)

Oooh, I also went and weighed in today and guess who's down 2 pounds!! It pays off when you track your food. I'm only 5.6 pounds from my goal weight. Go me!

More exercises and more advice.

Today I went to the physical therapist. She thinks it's my IT band that's giving me issues and my weak, uneven hips aren't helping it. Plus, I'm not stretching after runs or strength training or cross training so I'm pretty much asking for injury. You know, I've thought the same thing for a little while now, but it's all good. I'm sure it's a blessing in disguise.

This morning we went on a 3 mile walk as a family around the lake. I even raced B a couple times without any pain. It was fun, I would have liked to go faster, but J's back is hurt and he could only go so fast. I ran for a few minutes on the treadmill at the PT office and it didn't hurt that bad, but it was bad enough that I knew I didn't want to go any further. I don't want to undo the healing I've been doing.

So, the PT said I need to stretch, cross train, strength train and use one of those foam rollers. All next week no running just strength and cross training. I can keep doing my miles walking, but I've gotta include the other stuff. I may try to throw in a minute of jogging here or there, but the goal is to be good by next week so I'm cleared to continue with training.

Oh, those with RunningSkirts questions...I have both skirts the ones with briefs and the ones with shorts. The ones I was wearing have shorts, I loved them! They didn't ride up, but I'm not sure if it was cause the shorts are that awesome or if it was because of the Body Glide, but it worked. Maybe in a week or two I'll be brave enough to wear the brief ones, but for now those are the ones I wear with capris.

Tomorrow's the SLC Marathon 5k....I'll be one of the walkers out there! :)

Go Speed Racer!

Ok, so it was more like, "Go Speed Walker!" Hahaha! I felt like Hal on that episode of Malcolm in The Middle. You know which one I'm talking about. (It was freakin' HARD to find a clip of that episode online or even a picture of Hal in his weird outfit. So, the one website that I found is full of ads and crap. Sorry!)

Today I decided that I'd rather walk than bike. I want to go the miles. I'm getting to the point that I'd rather go 12 miles speed walking than not be able to go the miles at all. Here's the crazy thing...when I run it HURTS. When I walk...NOTHING...nothing...not one ache, not one pain, NOTHIN'. So, this is the conclusion I came to tonight: You know when you were little and everything was about being obedient? Well, I haven't been very obedient. I haven't been listening to my body, my coach, my soul, my doc...you get the picture. Today was tough. The workout wasn't tough, I felt silly, but it wasn't tough...the part that was tough was listening to my body. It's been YELLING at me, "Hey! Stop running on me, I need a break!" and I keep telling it, "Hey, listen up. I'm in control and you're gonna do what I tell ya." but, little did I know my body will make me listen.

So, today I listened. I walked, I didn't run and you know what, it paid off, I was able to go the distance with NO PAIN! Another plus about my 4 mile walk, I went right before the sun went down and it was beautiful around the lake while the sun set. It totally felt like spring. I LOVE it!

(It looks a million times better on my phone.)

For the rest of the week I'm going to speed walk my miles. I'm going to do my stretches, ice my knee, listen to my body, and do what I know is right. I'm still going to the race on Saturday. I won't PR and I probably won't even run the whole thing if at all, but I know if I let myself heal now then I will be in great shape for my marathon in less than 60 days! :)

Well, that didn't work...

I was going to write a whole post about how I got a knee brace and it magically made everything perfect and I was able to run 9 miles without any problems. Well, I got the brace, ran a mile and had to walk/run (with more walking than running) the last 3 miles. I wish I knew what was up. My hips felt fine, my legs felt great, it's just that stupid right knee. I guess I'll just have to do the bike or the elliptical tomorrow. The only thing with the elliptical is, my toes go numb when I do it. Am I the only one out there who has that problem?

Oh well, 4 miles today is better than nothing. It's just so weird  cause right now I feel 100% like I could run with no problems, it's just that stinkin' knee. I've done my stretches, iced it, heated  it, stretched it...lets hope something works.

To the doctor I go...

I went to see the Sports Doc today. She pulled, stretched, pushed, x-rayed, and did everything to find out what the deal was. Well, everything looks normal except my right leg is about 1/2" shorter than my left because my pelvis is a little crooked. She gave me some exercises to do to put it back in place.

She gave me the OK to keep running, but I have to do a whole walk/run thing. If it keeps hurting while running I'll have to do some cross training. She also said I need to do some strength work with my core and hips. My x-rays came out perfect, my spine's good, my hips are good, my bones are good.

When I got home we took the kids to the playground and J and I did 2 miles in laps around the playground. Well, I felt great while running/walking, but now that I'm home it's hurting. LAME....And now it's the same kind of pain, but it's not shooting pain down my leg, it's pain on the outside of my knee. It's like if I could pop my knee like my knuckles it would make it all better.

I just gotta stick to the exercises they gave me and I've gotta suck it up and do the whole walk/run thing. :)

Oooh, I found my running outfit for Saturday! Isn't it cute?

I LOVE it!

 Let's just hope my leg is back to normal by Saturday so I can wear it.

Tomorrow I'm thinking I'll do an hour on the bike or something and skip my running miles. I dunno...maybe I'll walk/run...we'll see.

Ugh...So much for that.

The goal was to run 16 miles. I got up at 3:20 when little miss started crying. Got her all fixed up and back in bed and got ready for my run. Now, an hour or so later I am back home after walk/jogging 4 miles before my muscle/nerve in my STUPID right leg wouldn't let me go any further. I could have pushed through another 2 miles or so, but seriously...I was going at such a lame pace that I might as well have been walking pushing a stroller. It's like if I were able to pop my knee some how, kinda like popping your knuckles, it would fix it or something. I even stopped about 4 times though the run to stretch it out to see if it would help, but it only lasted about 100 yards before I had to stop and walk.

I'm so frustrated! .....whatever....maybe next time. I'll just rest the rest of the day today and tomorrow. Maybe I can try again Monday or something. Maybe it's my shoes giving me the problem. I dunno, I should be getting some new ones soon, hopefully that'll help.

8 miles before 6:30AM

Go me!! I got my 8 mile run in this morning! Little Miss A woke up at 4:00, I gave her a bottle, and figured I might as well get my run done early. While I was getting dressed my little bro, aka Trainer Adam, sent me a text at 4:28 saying, "Get up go run!" Great minds think alike, eh? :)

I thought I'd listen to something different this morning while running. I don't know about you, but if I listen to my ipod during every run it tends to lose it's effectiveness. So, rather than listen to the same old music I thought I'd take my mind off the running with Harry Potter book on tape. It was pretty cool. It kept my mind off of my pace and the distance I had to go. It felt like I was running just to run. The only thing it didn't keep my mind off of after mile 6 was the pain shooting from the top of my right butt cheek down to the top of my calf. It feels like a pinched nerve or a strained hamstring or something. Anyway, I think I went too fast after having 2 days off. Oh well, tomorrow I'll make sure to take it easy and on Saturday I'll go as far as I can go. Hopefully I can reach 16, but if not it's ok.

I'm proud of myself for getting out there and running this morning before anyone was up. I did see a lot more runners than usual today. Usually when I go this early there's maybe only 5 people, but I saw at least 10 people out running. It was kinda fun seeing everyone out there.

Today's a good day. I have a ton to do around the house before J comes home today, let's just hope I don't make things worse by going up and down the stairs a TON today. :)