Sunday, October 16, 2011

Ouch! My 2011 Hartford Half Marathon experience

Setting the stage:

Three days out I started checking the hourly forecast for the race. It was looking to be windy and in the 50's. Totally reasonable. Disney was in the 50's and I was quite happy in what I wore. However deciding to change what already worked, I lay out my new running skirt (did my recent 9 mile run in it with no problems) and 2 different colors of the Lululemon shorts I've been wearing all summer with no problems.

Saturday morning the weather was looking even better! Partially sunny, 50's, and very light wind! Fantastic! I settled on my favorite LS Lululemon Sunblocker top in pale pink and my Lululemon All Sport shorts in grey. My outfit was perfect. I wear these shorts at least once a week and even wore them on Thursday's run. I topped off my outfit with my Lululemon headband, Brooks Summons shoes, Balega no show socks, ifitness single pouch belt, 3 Hammer gels and my Amphipod hand held water.

Nothing I chose was new. Everything had seen runs longer than an hour. All should be perfect. The only thing standing in my way would be me. Not having run this distance since January seemed pretty scarey but I really wanted this.

Race time!

We started at Starbucks. Carol Anne graciously held my bag in her back room and we used a nice bathroom just before the race. With everyone else me, my husband Steve, and friend Gary made our way to the start. I instantly spotted the pace leaders for 2:45 and 3hr. Quickly we learned though that they were running for gun time not net time and ended up losing them in the first 2 minutes.

However all was not lost. I had my trusty Garmin and this was not my first race. Add in that my wonderful husband promised he would stick with me, I had no worries. I had my plan... run 1 mile walk 1 minute. If necessary at the half way mark I would change this to run 5 walk 1.

First mile passed with a 16 minute pace! eek! Second mile 15 min... third, 4th and 5th were all around 12 minute pace though so I quickly made up time. I felt great with only one exception... I couldn't stop fussing with my shorts. I did bring my body glide with me just in case but I hadn't planned on using it. Use it I did and work for me it did not.

Those darn shorts! My the half way mark I wanted to cry I was in so much pain. PAIN! Not irritating. Not annoying. Down right PAINFUL! I just kept reapplying the glide and reminded myself I had to get to the end to feel better.

Come mile 11 though... long slow up hill (went downhill around 12.5!) I couldn't take it. Mentally I was spent. I had run more than usual so I was tired, but my real problem was the pain. I couldn't push through it like I wanted to. When I hit the down hill part I forced myself to just run. Run as fast as I could manage. I did manage it and finished having an asthma attack. I'm ok with this because I knew how to recover without my inhaler (only realized within the last 3 years that that was what I had experiencing for years.) I was much more ok not being able to breathe than suffering one more minute with the chafing.

Official net time 3:03

Not my best but not my worst. I am happy with it. I had a great time. The course was gorgeous. Constant rolling hills. The volunteers were very friendly. The water was plentiful. The crowd was constant. I can't wait to do it again next year.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Garmin Forerunner 210 vs 405

My 405 found a new home and is still getting a ton of use. I gave it to my dad who is currently training for his first half marathon. In the mean time I'm loving my new 210.

What I like about it:
* It's lighter
* It's less computer like on my wrist
* Push button instead of bezel
* Easy to use and read

What I miss from my 405:
* It doesn't transmit wirelessly to my computer which means that sometimes I struggle to get it to get it to connect with the computer (don't ask how that happens because I have no clue)
* It doesn't connect with Garmin Training Center on my desk top
* Can't do custom workouts (and if I can I haven't figured it out)

We did notice that we both got slightly different distances when we ran together. I'm thinking mine just picked up the satellite before his did. Overall I'm very happy with my purchase. It doesn't seem to hold a charge as long when not in use but I'll get over that.

And Fall Begins...

Summer was full of possibilities and experiences and this fall I have big plans to actually experience those possibilities. The summer began with the Albion Strawberry Festival 5k and a road trip. It ended with major asthma relegating me to the indoors.

About a month ago I switched to the Brooks Summon and almost instantly my hip pain went away! It still hurts a bit when I run too much but it's amazing!!!! I wear my custom orthotics that I purchased last summer and combine them with these. They are super cute and amazingly comfortable.

In addition to the Brooks shoes, we also purhcased a treadmill! Three reasons why: 1) I couldn't run outside without making my asthma really bad {I'm horribly allergic to ragweed, but I'm also allergic a whole other host of seasonal allergens}; 2) My schedule often made it a pain to get to the gym; 3) I am planning on cancelling my gym membership to save money long term. After reading reviews on Amazon.com and reading Runner's World reviews we settled on NordicTrack A2750 Pro . It's perfect. I especially love the ifit live option. I ran the first 3 miles of the Disney Half Marathon for my midweek run the other day!

So this summer wasn't the best. It started off great but I didn't accomplish much of what I wanted to. Workouts were skipped and all the races that were planned never happened. That is why the actions I took this past August matter so much. I will enjoy this fall and my running again. I hit a hiccup with an ear infection but it's just a blip in the grand scheme of things.

This fall these are the races I plan to do:
* Pumpkin Run
* Wethersfield 10k
* Manchester Road Race
* Blue Back Square Mitten Run

There are a few others that I would like to do but it's still up in the air whether I will be able to do them due to time restraints.

In addition to setting some goal races, I purchases just a few more things from Lululemon.
*Run Full Tilt LS (Heathered Ghost but it's like a cream color)
*Run Weightless Skirt (Dewberry)
* Slipless Headband (black)

All three are amazing! I wear the headband working out AND at work. It's perfect! The shirt is beautiful and soft. I feel almost guilty sweating in it. The website's pictures don't do it justice. It's flattering and very pretty (the extra ruffling details make it a little more feminine.) The skirt fits!!! I normally wear a 12 or 14 in their shorts while the skirts only go up to size 10. I've tried the skirts before but they usually don't fit. This one fits and is cute. Pair the dewberry with the creamy color of my LS and it was an adorable outfit. It was low 60's on our run and not sunny. Perfect level of clothing for me. I ran that run with my dad and we averaged about a 14 min mile pace. I did carry Body Glide for women and needed it once but that was all.

So now fall begins. Steve's hard at work on Hal Higdon's intermediate marathon running plan. I'm a little behind but following Jeff Galloway's Run Disney Goofy plan and my dad is running with me even though he's training for the Walt Disney World Half marathon. Fun stuff this fall. I'm excited at the convenience of my treadmill and the cuteness of my clothes.

Happy Fall 2011!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Summer Running


I know I haven't posted here or on DailyMile, but I've been out there. Here's a little recap...

June: Albion Strawberry Festival 5k
* It was my first race since Disney. No shin pain. Hip pain yes but that's slowly leaving. I wore my fantastic sunblocker LS pink shirt from Lululemon, my Mizunos, and my Run Faster shorts from Lululemon. I didn't run as fast as my 5k's in 2010 but I was VERY proud of my run. It was an average 12:30 pace which considering how much I've been running is very good.

July: Crazy hot and Humid. No races. Very disappointing but I kept up my training. Towards the end we started incorporating plyometric drills one day of the week. I also wore two new shoes this month; Merell Pace Gloves (fantastic in the rain) and Altra shoes (super cute and comfortable). Both of these shoes are considered "natural" running shoes (the gloves more so.) I highly recommend both. I ordered a second pair of the Merell's because they are super cute with shorts. I now have them in black and the brown/yellow. Oh! I lost 5 pounds in July. Yay!

August: Sixteen days in... Running hasn't been good lately. A lot of emotional stuff has been going on. Two weeks ago it was decided that I need to switch stores. I know this will be for the best but so far this has been extremely stressful. Add in the high pollen count for ragweed and high levels of mold in the air and it became a recipe for disaster. As of today I'm taking Pulmicort (none of my current medications are as good as I would like but I switched to category B drugs "just in case" life changes for the good.) Breathing is a necessity that I greatly have missed this past week. To top all of that off, the weather has been severe. When it rains, it's tornado warnings, thunder, lightning... the works. I'm overly cautious which has hindered my running a few days.

BEST NEWS! I got a treadmill!!!!! NordicTrack A2750 Pro
* It weighs a TON (well 35olbs according to the packaging but I'm sticking to a ton)
* Steve and I put it together quite successfully last night and it's soooo quiet
* Next on the list is ordering the iFit live module so that I can run portions of Disney before we go
* I'm canceling my gym membership. I joined thinking I'd use it for more than I do. Part of me still wants to keep it "just in case" I want the pool or bike. The other part of me says if I didn't use it before why would I use it now. We will see. Trainer has definitely been cancelled. I have my coaches (PRSFit) and their training plan.
* I'll keep you posted on my fabulous treadmill

Clothing update: Looking back on this summer these were the items I wore the most
* Tata Tamer - LOVE IT! I've tried other bras this summer just because they came in fun colors but nothing does it as well as the Tamer for running

* Run: Swiftly Tech SS - I have this in four colors and wear them constantly! I like wearing them with shorts, jeans and capris not just for running or working out. This is has been such a hot summer and the shirts are so complimentary. They are soft too. An all around win!

* Run: The Fastest Short - I own all the colors they made (which was only 4). I wear one every day. I wear them even when not working out because they are so cute and comfortable! They flatter my legs and butt (which usually doesn't happen with shorts.) If I only wore them once I would have been upset with the price, but since I can't even clean them fast enough to keep up with the amount I wear them I feel this was a worth while investment. Also looking at the cost for Nike or Underarmour and considering those companies NEVER fit me right or looked good, I will highly recommend these shorts any day.

* Relaxed fit Crop II - so cute! I wear these to the gym or lounging. I have them in 2 colors (navy and black)

* Other worthy mentions... My balega socks saved me from any blisters! Astro crops (lululemon) VERY cute! Don't wear them much now due to the heat but very cute. Whisper Tank: sexy and can be worn casual. Deep V tank is ok. Full Eagle Tank, wore it to the beach several times and just around on hot days.

Wish list... Cool Racer Back Tank, The Silver Bullet tops (LS, tank, and SS), Groove Crops ... All Lululemon of course! I haven't been upset with one purchase from there. Even the two skirts I bought were good (I need a little bigger but they work and still look uber cute.)

Hope this helps you with your running purchases! Next post I will be doing a simple review on my new Garmin.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Here I am!

If you've noticed that I went missing, I am back. Just about all exercising was put on hold. Those injuries that I didn't think were much actually took a long time to heal and I'm still easing back into things. Even work became limited.

Now here I am.

Motivation... a faint candle flame. Energy... even smaller. Weight... a roaring fire! So not being able to do much increased my weight by ten pounds. UGH! Add in that everything is now 10lbs harder AND I'm starting all over again... I'm beat.

That however has NOT stopped me from getting on the LULULEMON train. They too put the website on hold temporarily to update it. That at least made me a little happy because I didn't have to see wonderful things and know I couldn't use them.

So now I'm back up and running. Well somewhat. I also got an iphone! Yay! A wonderful app called Daily Burn is now installed and with the help of the scanner function and the other app Meal Snap, I am well on my way to tracking what I eat and making myself healthy.

Other things have been interfering with my motivation but that's for another day. Here's the low down on the coolest stuff I got from Lulu. ...

* Paradise Long Short: It makes my backside look great! Unfortunately it's a little snug on the front but not so much. Great length for me. Wonder what it could look like on someone tall. I had to get the surge color because black was already sold out. Oh well. I have some cute tops from Athleta that I can wear with it if I go to the beach. (size 12)

* Travel Pooch: Love it. I opened my box and thought at first it was way too big and heavy but I used it when we walked the dogs the other day and it fit the iphone and some other goodies just fine

* Studio Crop: Amazing! I wish they were cheaper so I could wear them to work without guilt. They look fantastic on and they fit really well (size 12)

* Turbo Run short: I was worried... I have another pair of these that don't really fit but they changed the style slightly and they worked great. My hubby complimented me instantly in them. (toothpaste size 12)

* Full eagle Tank: I probably should have bought a size smaller but wow! Totally complimentary. Low cut though so if you're at all self conscious about that then this isn't for you. It's luxtreme too so I wouldn't mind wearing it to the beach or a water activity (size 10 coal)

* Run Fastest Short: These are my favorite shorts yet! I wish they came in more colors but they aren't getting as good reviews as the other shorts. However they fit my big thighs nicely, don't ride up , and are light weight. (size 12)

* Do it All Short: These sold out so fast! I'm a size 12 in these. Would have preferred a 14 but they still looked great. Lulu makes pants and shorts to flatter the backside! Casual for hiking or such but I wouldn't care how I wore them. So comfortable and cute!

Those are just some. Obviously you can see how I've spent my time. I will get pictures up soon. Enjoy the spring with some Lululemon style!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

2011 First week of goals check in

Goal 1: make 1 new recipe
Success! I made the following recipes: Brendan Brazier's "Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide" Wild Rice Rice Yam Pancakes, Cucumber Pesto Salad, Spicy Chocolate Energy Bars, and one of his smoothies using his Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer. All were fantastic. I shared the energy bars at work and they were a hit. Next up were my recipes from "The Happy Herbivore" by Lindsay S. Nixon. I made her Spicy Greens (page 184) and added Orginal Field Roast Vegan Grain Meat Sausages 'Mexcian Chipotle' flavor to it. In addition to that I made the Low Country Cucumber Salad (page 186) and brought both to my in laws last night for dinner. Everyone like them! Even my brother in law who loves to cook (bought him a subscription to the magazine Cooks Illustrated, a very popular gift by the way) said he liked it and he ate a good deal of it!Goal 2: Eat a healthy balanced breakfast every day
I have some opportunities here. Goal not met. Only met this goal 3 out of the last 8 days. Therefore this goal will carry over to next week. I'm planning oatmeal w/nuts or those yummy pancakes

Goal 3: Brisk activity everyday for at least 25 minutes
YAY! That's an easy one. I mopped 4 days, vacuumed every day, work obviously is an easy one to get this one done, shoveled 2 days, and did general house work and snow work all week. The challenge will be to continue this next week.

Goal 4: Do my PT exercises every day
They aren't exercises yet. They are still just stretches but I did them. Every day at least 3 times a day. I now have some I can do easily at work which helped. This one is practically a "gimme" but as I start to feel better I'll have to work to continue my stretches and strengthening.

Goal 5: Put all Clothes away right away
Except for last night, I succeeded. I feel like a little kid with this one but when you get so caught up with getting stuff done it's an easy thing to say "I'll do it later"

Well I met all but one this week. I feel down right lousy though. Sharing my successes with the internet makes it feel a little better. Night eating was a problem 7 out of the last 8 nights. My weight is up (178!) and my back hurts pretty much constantly. I'm a real ball of fun! Ok ok this is the plan for this week....

*eat a healthy breakfast every morning
*Aerobic exercises 10-25 minutes daily
*core exercises 3 x this week
* Make 7 new recipes (Buddha's delight, Lasagna Rolls, & Hawaiian Chickpea Teriyaki from HH; Chocolate Blueberry Energy Bars, Adzuki Bean Quinoa Sesame Pizza, & Sesame Miso Soup from Thrive; and Pasta w/Swiss Chard and Red Kidney Beans from "Supermarket Vegan" are the goal recipes)
* say some kind of positive affirmation daily (I know it's silly but people say it works)

Other highlights to come this week... a new Lululemon shipment and new winter boots by Salomon! Exciting exciting!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Snow Snow and More Snow

Snow is keeping many people inside. It's also very depressing how much snow and darkness we've had. I'm ready for some sunshine and a little boost of external energy.

My back and leg are still in pain. Yesterday was the first day of physical therapy. I temporarily stopped yoga, in part due to snow, but also because it was making my back hurt more. PT was torture yesterday. On Monday night I tried the treadmill. First five minutes I walked with no incline at a 16 min pace (felt good.) Next five minutes I upped it to a 1% incline with the same pace, still good. At minute ten I upped the incline to 2%, upped pace to fifteen minute pace and still felt good. The big test came at the 15 minute mark. No incline but run at thirteen minute pace for 30 seconds and walk for a minute at 15 minute pace. I felt a tug at the apparent insertion point of the posterior tibial tendon. Not bad though. Finished with 22 minutes total.

The disappointing outcome came the next morning. My leg ached. Walking at work hurt. Therefore when I showed up for my physical therapy appointment I asked if we could start with leg instead of back. After measuring and testing, Laura (my PT) chose to do ultra sound followed by massage (I had to lie on my stomach because she couldn't really get in to massage it the with me on my back due to the damage that's in there.) I thought I was going to scream. Imagine a cut and really bad bruise. I'm talking a bruise that's a bump and looks horrible. Now imagine someone digging into that bruise. That's how I felt. After she was finished I iced it with a dixie cup, numbing the area. That was the best part of the whole thing. It's now Wednesday and it's aching. I have basic calf stretches to do for now. No strengthening until we get it under control (joy!)

Now it's snowing and I'm being lazy before trekking out to work. I'm incredibly bummed. I've been trying new recipes from the Thrive Diet book (love them), but I've been really hungry. Add in that I'm upset about not being able to move without pain and it results in me waking up at night and eating. The scale's not budging (in the right direction that is) and my motivation is sinking lower
and lower and lower. I'll make it through this. What usually happens for me is I lose weight, start getting in great shape and something big happens (injury, surgery, life.) What then follows is a stop in exercise and sinking of morale. I bounce back though just like I will this time.

This week's motivational goals are:
* make one new recipe for week (already made 4!)
* eat a healthy balanced (carb:protein) breakfast every day (so far so good)
* brisk activity every day (work is definitely brisk, but I've also cleaned, shoveled or exercised for the last 3 days)
* do PT exercises (already had some before my first appointment)
* put away all clothes and items right away (I tend to produced massive amounts of clutter)


Each week I'm going to make small changes to my goals, add on new ones, etc. As I check them off I can feel good that even if I'm not losing weight or running, I'm still doing good things for my life. Positive vibes don't just pop out of no where, we must create an environment for them to flourish. That's what I'm doing.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

WDW Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge




The picture run down.... Me with Minnie Mouse was taken at Pasta in the Park, then I have two pictures with my husband from the half marathon, also from the half marathon I have a picture with our AWESOME pace leader Deb. For the full marathon there is a picture of me crossing the finish line, running through Hollywood Studios, and getting an awesome picture with Chip and Dale. (Anyone remember the Rescue Rangers?)

Thanks to Alett we stayed at Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter. Fantastic choice! Not only did we have a newly renovated room, we were walking distance to the start. Although they say you have to be in your corral by 5 am that's not true. We were there about 5:15 and people were still piling in LONG LONG after us. Wish I had known that because I apparently drank water too close to going to the start. The first day we met up with Alett and her husband and a few others to walk to the start (since we didn't know where we were going.) It was chilly but nice out.

My husband let me guide the pace since I wasn't feeling so good injury wise. My hip hurt the most so we started at a 14 min pace. Then almost half a mile down the road I needed the port-a-potty. Once that was over the Garmin then read 18 min pace. So despite the hip, we ran. Not too far after that (once we got it to the 16 min pace), I saw Winnie the Pooh. I LOVE Pooh bear! We stopped (which was a very very long wait, but who can complain, it's Pooh!) After that is when we found Deb and her 3hr pace group. I heard her talking about walk breaks and I asked Steve if we could just join her. She was so fun! I've never done a pace group but she was amazing. I didn't even notice the miles fly by. We didn't get to stop for pictures again but it was worth it. The pain somewhat numbed around mile 4 so after that it was just getting in the groove. Scary was my heart rate but I felt good so I plugged along. I smiled the whole time and LOVED it! We finished and had our photo taken together. It was insanely crowded though.

Day 2 - The marathon

When the alarm went off I silently asked myself why I wanted to do this. To twitter I went and I started waking up. Joking around about how badly I needed coffee. I overdid it on Saturday after the race and hadn't got enough rest so I just wanted to sleep. Things were a little stiff but nothing hurt (yay.) I woke up did some warm up exercises in the room and then stretched. It was MUCH colder than Saturday but I'm out there so long so I layered up. Just before the start I tossed my fleece pants. About a mile in although I was still cold I was sweating so I tossed my fleece top. I held onto my mittens. Next year I'm going to make sure I have a hat and scarf because I could have kept those on longer.

No pace group for me this time. They only went up to 5:30 hours (which is ridiculous since the race goes to 7 hours; a 6 hour group would have been nice.) I was worried about going out too strong, about my injuries and about running for a second day so I played in conservatively. My goal was to keep the Garmin at 15 minutes. I found a wonderful mother and daughter from Calgary who were keeping that pace just walking so I joined in. The daughter (also a Jen) was also doing Goofy. As we walked along we found MANY Goofy people just wanting to finish and have a good time. We talked and stopped for pictures. I should have stopped for more but I liked having company so I kept with them. Unfortunately my stomach was having problems (wish it had waited one more day, but oh well) so for the first time ever I made about 5 bathroom stops in this race. Lucky for me I had trained well AND been going slow so I was able to easily make up for lost time. A very nice woman named Petra joined us before mile 9. I ended up hanging out with her until mile 23. At that point I still had so much energy that I had to use it. With a couple walk breaks (there were about 3 inclines that I chose to walk) I ran the rest of the way to the finish line (I think my Garmin said a 12 min pace.) My dad jokes that I sprinted across the finish line. I just felt so good. My pictures show such funny faces though and I could have sworn I kept my hands loose. Oh well! I finished feeling good and the only complaint was the leg and my right knee (hurt it in high school and acts up every now and then.)

I received an awesome text from Alett that made me light up. My husband finished with a 25 min pr. Friends and family were waiting at the finish for me. I finished with tons of pictures, feeling good, AND shaved 11 minutes off from last year. Now I know 11 minutes isn't spectacular at my pace, but lets review the facts... 1. I was injured .... 2. I ran a half marathon the day before ... 3. I got a TON of pictures .... 4. I was having stomach "issues" .... 5. I felt fantastic where last year I cried a lot and felt completely miserable

There you have it. Great marathon. TONS of pictures. I LOVED what ASI did this year so that I didn't have to carry my camera. Just wish they were at EVERY character stop. My sister in law loved the energy of everything so now she wants to do the half next year and wants me to do it with her. I wanted to do the full and see what I could do... Looks like I'll be doing Goofy again. I have to train well enough that I can still get all my character photos. Also regardless of speed I'd like to be in the back again. Everyone was just so happy and friendly in the back. I want lots of pictures again next year but I want to get under 6 hours. I believe I can do it. I know more what to expect and I know where to tweak my training. Who's with me?

Injury Report...

Way back in early December my leg started to hurt and mid December it was REALLY interfering with my running. Off I went to physical therapy to get laser treatment for my leg. Needed it to be in racing condition for Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge. During this process however, my lower back freaked out. At the time it hurt to do just about everything (brushing teeth, sitting, and almost everything that involved bending forward.) Thanks to Dean I started doing some stretching exercises and strengthening moves and by the time we left for Disney it was only an ache (ok a little more than that but still with significant improvement.) Unfortunately my hamstrings, IT band, and hips had not received much stretching in the month of December, mostly due to not being able to bend over. Although things were tight and I had not run, I had faith in myself that my muscles and bones would pull through.

While at Disney I continued with my strengthening and stretching and my back continued to feel better and so did my leg. On the Thursday before the race I decided to go out for a light walk/jog to loosen things up and feel them out (see what my challenges might be.) Unfortunately 5 minutes in severe pain shot through my hip. It was as if someone was stabbing my hip with a needle with every step I tried to take. I was distraught. It felt like the end of the world. I know I know. It's just a race that I was going to do slowly anyway, but it was still a race that I had looked forward to all year! I told everyone. Everyone knew. So many people thought I shouldn't do it anyway even when I felt good. So many people thought I was too heavy to run or didn't think I could do a marathon. So yes it felt like the end of the world. Not even Disney could cheer me up. I went to the expo anyway. At the expo I met Gordon for the first time in person! He gave me more stretches for my hip. Gosh they hurt, but helped.

It still hurt like crazy race day (I'll give a separate race report.) I made it through my races. I made it home. All three injuries hurt at this point. The back was tight and ached but nothing like it had been. The leg throbbed just as bad as it had been and the hip still had its moments. I tried running and walking but it killed. That's when I started back with Bikram Yoga.

After the first class I wanted to cry. The strength portions had always been a challenge but the flexibility was there. This time my back prevented a lot. That's when I decided I needed to go to the doctor. He was great (I've known him since he was my neighbor when I was about 11 years old.) He took X-rays of my back, pelvis, and leg. All looked good with no signs of bulging discs or stress fractures. Having run Boston twice himself, he said he wants me to keep running just back off for now and do PT and keep doing yoga. Ease into running on the treadmill. He scheduled a follow up for six weeks from now to see if it's still hurting.

So that's where I am physically. Mentally I'm beat. I'm worn out. Despite efforts over the last 2 years I haven't lost a pound and actually gained 25 pounds in the first year. I keep getting injured despite following training recommendations. Some people joke saying it's because I'm in my thirties now and have to be careful. Others say I have to lose weight before I can run. I say how can those people on the Biggest Loser run so much and get injured so much less? I am clinically 65lbs overweight which is still 35 pounds shy of qualifying for the Biggest Loser and they can run but I can't? GRRR. Also my average HR has not got any better over the last 2 years. I ran the half marathon at Disney with an average heart rate of 190!!! Ok I felt way better than that looks or sounds but still.

That's it. That's my injury report. In four weeks I have a physical and we're revisiting the possibility of a hypothyroid. 2 weeks after that I go back for a re-evaluation of my current injuries. Hopefully at that point I'll have done a minimum of 5 days a week of Bikram yoga and will be running again. Fingers crossed!