Forward-Thinking Madness

This is an open letter to a good friend of mine, my right knee.

Dear Right Knee:
We’ve been through a lot of tough times since I started running and spinning last year. You always let me know when I’ve pushed too much and needed to take a break. You’re a big part of my life and I love you.

Yes, I love my right knee.

So, right knee, you have to understand why I’m a bit unnerved because you’re injured. I think it’s your MCL that is strained as the inside of my knee really aches. It’s not torn because there’s no swelling, but damn, you’re killing me right now. I’ve been running my best times the past month and suddenly you do this to me! I’ve been icing you four to five times a day and am even going out to purchase some sort of bracing mechanism tomorrow so you can continue to heal, but let’s speed this up already! Sure, I did spin yesterday but c’mon, what did you expect? For me to rest? Everyone knows that when I can’t work out, I’m a huge evil bitch from hell. Literally. I’ve been antsy all evening while I sit with my right leg elevated with ice on you. I even went out and bought icy hot patches to wear at night. What else do I need to do?

Just heal already! I’ll rest again tomorrow and just take yoga, but come on! HEAL!

I only volunteered at the Triathlon this weekend, but it was an awesome experience. I really needed to get motivated and inspired as I tend to caught up in my fears (mainly swimming in open water.) I worked in the transition area on Sunday and learned a lot by just watching the athletes. The pros really have fast transitions – they make it look easy! (And we all know that a triathlon isn’t easy.) I think I am going to try to get a relay team together for my first Tri, and then keep focused on the Health First Triathlon in Melbourne in October.

In addition to being inspired by the pros, there were many disabled athletes competing on Sunday. It made me realize that I honestly have no excuse to not complete one – the only thing holding me back is fear and a negative mindset that I cannot do it. I know I can - I just need to believe that 24/7.

I hear it a lot from people, that I do too much: running, cycling, weights, etc..but in all honestly I only spend an average of 6-8 hours at the gym a week. I don’t think that’s a problem and I know when I feel an injury coming on, I need to take a break. And I do that. I listen to my body when it tells me that it’s time to rest because I know that if I don’t, it’s going to lead to an injury. I’ve been battling fatigue on and off lately but I know it’s due to my own internal stress, not by doing “too much.” So what is my plan on combating the stress? Well, I took Body Flow at the gym today, which is a Tai Chi/Yoga/Pilates class, which was indeed relaxing.

The thing is that I know if I stop doing this, I think I’d go batty. It’s been a part of my life for the past four years and has kept away the depression that I battled for years. I enjoy it & I love the feeling of running across a finish line. I know this isn’t for everyone, but it’s for me.

Along Upper Tampa Bay Trail

My typical weekend run, which should be around 4 miles, was cut to 3.4 today. I just didn’t have it in me. I ran a good first mile and a half, and then I got a little sidetracked. Plus, I couldn’t help but to see the giant notice letting trail-goes like myself know that starting 3/1/2010, to park at the Channel Park Trailhead and at the Wilksy Trailhead (Upper Tampa Bay Trail), you will have to pay $2. (Or you can purchase a year-long pass for $50.) I understand the need to raise capital for upkeep of the trail, but those of us who are already financially strapped can’t justify paying $2 to run the trail when we can run at other places for free. (My gym membership is $56 a month!)

Running Under Linebaugh, Upper Tampa Bay Trail

I will just go back to parking down at the first Trailhead instead at Channel Park, which hopefully will remain free. But to run up to where the bridge is on the trail and then back again…well, I would need to continue upping my mileage into the 5-6 mile range.

Bridge Near Linebaugh, Upper Tampa Bay Trail

So, I began mapping runs around my neighborhood, and exploring new places to take my weekend runs. If I am going to pay to run, I want some excellent scenery.

P.S. I need to buy a SpiBelt . The armband that I purchased for my iPhone last year is just far too annoying. I just need to shove my damn phone & keys into a lovely SpiBelt and then run, without worrying about it shifting about. My iPhone is so heavy on my arm it’s distracting at times.

Mizuno Wave Creation 11

Yes, I know this was not in the budget until April, but I went to buy new insoles for my old running shoes (Mizuno Wave Rider 12′s) and the store I went to was having a weekend sale – 20% off certain brands of shoes, including the Mizunos, to celebrate the Gasparilla* weekend here in Tampa. Anyway, instead of buying insoles at $35 that would have to be put in a new pair of Wave Riders at around $90, I bought a pair of Mizuno Wave Creation 11′s for $108 (they retail for around $130.) I feel a bit guilty for breaking the bank yet again (last month it was spinning shoes), but I think these will be well worth it and will help my nagging right knee injury. I ran five miles last Saturday and only two and a half on Wednesday, due to my knee. Ran only a mile last night (a slow, crappy mile), so looking to just run a couple tomorrow to start breaking in the shoes, and being careful with the injury. (I wouldn’t call it an injury just yet – it’s more like a pre-injury state. If I’m not careful right now, it could be come a full-blown injury, hence why I am resting today. I’m aiming to add lower-body strength training to my weekly regimen to power up my quads & hamstrings, which will in turn help support my knees.)

A friend of mine, Jen, is going to start her 5k journey tomorrow, so I will be rooting her on! She’s doing the C25k program (I downloaded a C25k app to my iPhone a couple weeks ago because I think it will help me get faster) and I know she’s going to do great.

I stopped in at Starbucks earlier today and there’s a young chap who works there that recently started running as well. He commented that he is slow, only running a mile in 9 minutes. I had to do an internal little cough because I was like, my fastest mile is only around 10 minutes! (I was not built for speed, that’s for sure, with my lousy bio-mechanics.) I did give him a little warning though as it seemed he was building his mileage too quickly – that can lead to injury if you just dive in and start thinking you can run five or six miles right away.

I purchased John Bingham’s book, “No Need for Speed: A Beginner’s Guide to the Joy of Running” last weekend and so far so good. I definitely don’t have a need for speed – my goal is to just keep running and enjoy it. There’s nothing wrong with a 10-minute mile, and there’s nothing wrong with an 11-minute mile (and so on and so forth.) As long as you’re out there enjoying yourself & staying fit, just keep running! Or jogging, wogging, or even walking. Maybe one day I’ll get fulfill my dream of completing a marathon, but I will always have that nagging voice in the back of my head (my physical therapist from last year) reminding me that I was not built for distance running.

*Gasparilla: series of running events every February in Tampa, including the Half & Full Marathons. I wanted to run the 5k this year, but I didn’t train as seriously as I needed to. I’m not running another 5k until I can beat 30 minutes.

I’ve talked myself into it again – overcoming my fear of swimming in the open water. I’m going to try to do my first sprint-distance triathlon (a goal I had last year), but the first matter to take care of is the swimming lessons at the Y. And yes, hopefully they cater to the timid type. I am not as bad as I used to be, obviously if I was able to swim two Ironman distances last month, but that was over a course of am month in a training pool that did didn’t even get to 6 feet. So, you must see my dilemma. After I finish the swimming lessons, I’ll gauge my ability to survive in the open water (ha) and then go from there. In the meantime, I’ve registered for one 5k in April, and want to run the same 5k I ran in March of 2009 (my first one.) Maybe I will be ready this spring? Or perhaps it won’t be until the late summer/fall. Either way, I’ve re-opened this goal. (Oh, and I need to save for a bike – that’s rather important.)

…Or whatever you want to call it: Runner’s Knee, Patellar Tendinitis, etc.. Taking a break for a couple days and then going to cross-train before I end up hobbling around. My knees have been bothering me for the past couple weeks, but I think spinning has exacerbated it. I’ve only been able to run once a week & even Body Combat caused a bit of pain tonight. I think bad alignment is part of the cause, but it’s not like I’m a car..I can’t take myself into the shop, get hooked up to a computer, and get re-aligned.

It’s that time again: to start shopping around for new running shoes & cross-trainers. I’m not running as much as I used to right now due to a nagging injury (achilles tendons & ankles), but still need to get a new pair as it’s important to make sure that when I do run, I have the proper support. So how does this process start? Online research, reading through Runner’s World, & going and trying on a massive amount of shoes. I have been collecting names of shoes in my iPhone so I can head over to Fit 2 Run in Tampa & start trying shoes on. I think I will need my trainers first, then running shoes in January. First two trainers to find & try on: Ryka Assist XT and Asics Gel Fluent TR2.

I was able to surpass my personal best of 5.6 miles and get to a 10k distance today.  I actually ran 6.5, but only timed the 10k distance.  So now I have proven I can run that far (at least on the treadmill), and have proven I can run 5.5 on the pavement.  Now I just need to improve my time, continue the stretches that my PT taught me, and strengthen my legs.  (Oh, and stop eating junk food on the weekends. I think that will be the hardest.  Moderation will be the key.)

Half marathon: I asee you up there on the horizon.

I ran my five point two five miles this morning at the gym and there was one question I kept asking myself: What would have been different with my life if “PE” in school was a better experience? What if teachers had been more supportive instead of allowing me to give up and sit on the side lines? What if I had the confidence now that I didn’t have in school?  Would I have never gained that sixty pounds?

Can I call myself an “athlete” now? I guess that self-doubt still lingers from time to time, but it’s different. I’m not embarassed to make a mistake.  It’s part of the learning process. If I trip and fall, I don’t really care.  But what defines an athlete?