Week One Wrap-Up

Week two starts in the morning but as for tonight, I am enjoying the last few minutes of my "Day of Rest". Surprisingly, I am not sore today. I figured that after all the hill climbing during the 5K I would be hurting today because I was feeling it yesterday. I was also a little concerned when in my last mile ( keep in mind that Manda and I had to run 2 extra miles after the 5K to complete our long run) I started having a pain in my stomach and felt like I was going to throw up. Not pleasant to hear about I know... but not pleasant to feel either. Just two days before the 5K we did a four mile run that wasn't bad at all. I couldn't figure out why I was feeling so bad going 5 miles? Besides, I have ran 5 miles before and didn't get sick.

Manda informed me that I was turning bright red and didn't look good, she suggested that we stop and walk. Even after walking for several minutes I couldn't shake the sick feeling and pain in my stomach. I made it back to the car and drove the entire 1 mile back home, stretched out well and planted myself on the couch where I remained in pain for several hours. 3-4 hours later I found myself in cold chills, I was concerned that I was having heart issues or something. By 8pm my stomach had continued hurting and I had resolved that I was lucky enough to catch the stomach virus that is wildly taking over the town. It was confirmed thatI had a bug by midnight when other members of the family starting feeling ill and having pain. Isn't it sad that I was so happy to see my family get sick and figure out that it was a stomach bug and not some horrific heart condition? By 4AM I was feeling great, by 9AM I felt just a little guilty smiling watching the rest of the family in misery.

Now, I have made it through a sickness that just so happened to fall on my "Day of Rest" and won't throw me off this next weeks training schedule. Hopefully my running partner will feel better by morning too! I am looking forward to breaking my own training record. I have never ran at one time over 5 1/2 miles, this next week the long run is 6 miles! I have been overwhelmed in support of friends and family. I can't believe how many of you are reading the blog... Oh boy, the pressure is really on now! =)

So many of you have expressed the desire to run also... DO IT!!! It is so gratifying to see your body get stronger. Thank you for your kind words, understanding and support. I can't emphasize enough how much I recommend the Non Runners Marathon Trainer. It is exceptional. It is worth the money, get it on Amazon for cheap or you can even download it right to your computer. I have several copies and it downloaded too! That's saying something if you know how cheap I am.

I have had several friends send me questions, I would like to address a few of them here just in case anyone else is wondering but too afraid to ask in a public forum. One is "What if I seriously can't run for 1 minute?" So what, either could I! (read post 2) One of my favorite sayings comes from a training book that I read early on by John "The Penguin" Bingham, it reads:

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."

My sister asked me about shin splints. Amazingly, I have never experienced them. However, I am one of those freaks that has to read about everything and then try to heed it all- it can be brain numbing and paralyzing but it is the way I am wired! So, I took it very, very, very slow to start. I started with 20-30 minutes of running a few seconds and then walking. Usually shin splints happen early in training due to over training or later due to over training. Well, no worries there... I couldn't even go fast enough or far enough to over train. My breathing was a much bigger concern (due to my asthma) than the worry of getting shin splints.

Once I was able to sustain a mile though there were other physical barriers for me to get past. Such as my knee hurting and my hip hurting. Yes, I realize that I sound like an old lady. "Oh, my hip hurts and my knee is killing". I was concerned that I was just too heavy for my body to take any kind of running. Thankfully, my training manuals saved me again. What I found out the hard and painful way is the importance of good running shoes.

Did I already mention how incredibly CHEAP I am? My philosophy has always been, "I love Wally World". Low price = me happy! Not when it comes to running shoes. I went out on a limb, even though I couldn't really believe that shoes could make a difference with my hip or knee, I decided to give it a try. I did some research, felt like I kinda had an idea of what I wanted and hit the sporting goods store. It was one of those moments again that I felt out of place and insecure. My mind began going through that insecure process of saying "You don't really belong in here". I was worried about asking for help for fear of the sales clerk thinking "She doesn't really think that she can run, does she?". It is funny how many things we impose on ourselves that are just so negative. For all I REALLY knew they may have been thinking "Good for you, you go girl!". Besides what it all comes down to is what I am thinking, not anyone else. This was something that I needed and I could not let my own insecurities hinder me from buying a silly pair of shoes.

I tried on tons of shoes until I found a pair that was in my comfort zone both physically and financially. They were on sale and I was happy. If I remember correctly, they were on sale for somewhere around $45-50, normally $70.

Now if any of you are wondering, the shoes made a HUGE difference! I am happy to report that my hip has not hurt since then. I am sure that I have need to improve my stance when running and I have probably put some undue pressure on one hip ( since it was only one side that ever hurt) but with good shoes that help balance, the pain is gone. My knee pain is only occasional and is quickly resolved taking a Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplement. My girls have taken it also and had great success with it. My little brother once asked me about my knees and I told him the same thing. He laughed at me and said "You take joint juice?" I nervously looked at him and said, "I am not sure what you mean by that but yes, if we are talking about the same thing, but in pill form". He chuckled. To this day I am not sure what was so funny but I can tell you that it works! I get my joint supplement from the "W" supercenter that I love so much, and it works great.

I am learning as I go. Hopefully, this blog will not only keep me accountable and on task but it might save you from a few of the pains/mistakes I made along the way. Thanks again for your support. For those of you who are finding the courage to begin to run, "You go Girl!" or "You go Dude!". See you on the trail!