pretty much back in the game...i hope

Yesterday when I said a "little" 10-15 mile run, I should have prepared myself for 14 miles of hell. Don't get me wrong, I feel absolutely great now that its over, but trying to get through it was one of the hardest things. I had to stop a couple times (but only for maybe 2 minute intervals) since it felt as though an elephant was stepping on my chest, but I guess that's what you get when you don't run more than 4 miles for over a month and a half. The knees started to hurt about 3 miles in, but it was only a dull ache so I knew I could keep pushing through it. My legs just weren't so used to that distance anymore and so once I began the mental pep talks and the 'its only one foot right in front of the other laura's...mmm it didn't help much hahaha. Just gotta keep on working on getting that head of mine back in the game.

Marathon day is exactly 2 weeks away and after running with an old highs chool friend who's family is ultra runners, I got some of the low down on what to do these next two weeks, what to wear, what to eat, sleep, etc. I'm pretty excited about going all out these next couple weeks and getting my body in the shape it needs to be in before the big day. It's going to fly by so there's no looking back for this girl. Full speed ahead!

no better weather

Good news is that it jumped from a frigid 30 degrees to a whopping 60 in less than 24 hours so this 10-15 mile run I've got going for myself this morning should be perfect. The only iffiness about it is will my knees be able to withstand that long of a distance? I've got another thing coming if I think they will be 100% by the time the marathon rolls around and I can't just sit and wait around until marathon day to run some long distances so I gotta grit my teeth and run through the pain. I just need to get ONE more long run in (mostly for mental purposes) before the BIG DAY and then concetrate more on tapering and getting my body ready for Disney. By the way...does anybody out there have any advice on what to do to prepare for a marathon that is two weeks out? What to eat, drink, how much sleep to get, etc? OH, and possibly what to do the day/night before the race? I mean, it is Florida and I am attracted to sunshine, especially sunshine that makes me tan, so I don't want to wear myself out with a day by the pool the day before I have to run across the country and back. I just really need to crack down and make sure I'm doing everything the right way.

At this point its just been a little discomfort here and there, but then again I've only managed to run 3 and 4 milers since that last lonnnnng run over a month and a half ago. I've been doing everything I can to fix this problem asap...icing, highly anti-inflammatory medication, knee brace, etc. so at this point, I can't really control the pain that comes from when my knee cap so gladly slides up and to the right of whatever bones and tendons are there before popping itself back into place :) Hey...at least I'm still able to run this thing!

15 days!!! WOW

slowly but surely

Last Saturday was the first time I had made it out to run on real pavement since that fateful day one month ago when I ran 17 miles and ended up not being able to walk for the next month. I didn't run for longer than about two miles, but the good news was that I had no pain in my knees...no soreness...no nothing :) I managed to make it out again today and although it was a little harder, I made it all the way up to 4. Hahaha its funny to think that at this point thats kind of a long time considering I have to run 26.2 in less than 3 weeks. But i'll make it...I HAVE to. I may be off to a slow start, but its better than pushing to go long distances now and end up hurting myself yet again.

My plan was to make it back up to 20 miles, which I would have done this Saturday, but I think I'll just stick to a 10-15 miler. I don't want to be ms. crippled the day of the marathon. At this point, I'm thinking its all mental. If I can make it to 18 miles I can make it to 26...right? hahaha

all is good and figured out!

Welp, I finally made it into the bone and joint specialist for my knees and the verdict is...

I CAN RUN THE MARATHON!!

My worst fear was going in there and having him tell me my knees were too out of whack to run, but low and behold God really does love me, and with a little therapy, they should be good as new soon. I know I'm not going to be pain free during that 26.2 miles, but the good news is....its only a tracking problem so as far as the doctor is concerned the tendons and ligaments seem to be in great shape. As for what set the pain off exactly, he doesn't know. I'm just going to have to strengthen the inside of my quad so my knee cap starts to move straight up and down instead of off to the side. For now, I have new inserts for my tennis-shoes and a knee brace to wear for the time being, so hopefully they'll be ready to go in 23 days. Until then, its time to get my head in the game and pick back up from where I left off and prepare myself for my 20 mile run next saturday!! But for now, its time to get back out on the pavement.

laura's got a brand new plan

Ok, so I've come to terms that I am never going to be pain free for the duration of this training. So, with that said, I've made a new plan until the day of the marathon...

- Cross train the rest of this week and do 15 miles on the elliptical saturday morning

- Begin running on the track/outside with some days of cross training in between starting next week and getting my last long run (20 miles) in Saturday (Dec. 13)

That last long run will leave me with 25 days to taper. Hopefully this plan works!

And for an update: I'm making myself go to the doctor (hopefully tomorrow) to see what is wrong with my knees. As I was driving home from the gym tonight I started to think what it would be like if I couldn't end up running this marathon... :/

trying anything to beat this

I can't really describe what I've been feeling these last 10 days except pure frustration. My knees have not stopped hurting and I've been doing everything in my power to get them better...icing, resting completely, and taking abnormal amounts of drugs. I've even resorted to Glusocamine Chondroitin MSM tablets, which supposedly lubricate your joints so you can run long distances. I'm praying that this stuff actually works because if I have to go another week with doing absolutely nothing except sitting on my butt waiting for my body to heal, I'm going to scream. Race day is a shy 40 days away and I've gotten in no more than 3 long runs (I was supposed to run a total of hmmm 8?) since I began this training. Let's just recap how many weeks I've lost due to injury - the whole month of september, two weeks after my half marathon, and the past 10 days. That brings me to a grand total of missing out on 7 weeks of training. That is almost 2 months and it's starting to make me wonder how I'm ever going to get through this marathon I'm about to run if my knees can't hold up during 17 miles. However, according to some friends who love nothing more than to run, I will be ok. "The first 20 miles are what you need to prepare yourself for. The last 6.2..thats all mental, and as long as your not trying to do anything but finish the race, you'll be fine" they say. I can deal with mental. That part I think I can tackle. It's the question of will my body be able to hold itself up during those 4+ hours of running? Whatever it's going to take, I'm going to get that one last long run in...20 miles this Saturday morning.

I'm starting to assume that these injuries of mine are God's way of telling me I am not a marathon runner. "Just stick to the half marathons" he says, which at this point, I'm about to listen. It's ok if my body cannot handle this distance. I've done enough pounding and breaking over the years that I don't want to have every joint replacement surgery out there. As long as I get through this marathon I'll be happy. Even if I have to stop and walk a little bit, thats ok. I didn't decide to run this marathon to see how fast I could get through it. I chose to run this marathon because I never thought I could do it.

too excited too soon

I'm starting to remember why it was I chose to stop running track my freshman year of highschool...those lovely things that help our legs to bend...yea, my knees are shot to all hell after that 17 mile run last saturday. I'm not sure what the diagnosis is at this point but this pain is excruciating. Not only does it feel like someone took a hammer and whacked me Nancy Carrigan style, but its making it extremely difficult to walk and I have no intention of getting knee replacements any time soon. I've decided that my choices at this point are to be done with the long runs and just concentrate on the short ones (up to 14 miles) until the marathon or to be done with the long runs and just concentrate on the short ones until the marathon. I'm guessing this is the point where I listen to God (and my body) and just run shorter races after this marathon. Don't get me wrong, I have EVERY intention of getting through this marathon. I'd rather deal with the pain after the race than deal with the regret of quitting a mere 46 days before the race. If I have to walk a little so be it. It's 26.2 mile for heavens sake. Who actually runs the whole thing anyway? (juuuuust kidding). Heck, some people don't even drive that far in one day.

Bring it on pain! I WILL defeat you.