Laying Low

Yesterday I fell while running and scraped my knee, had serious dental work done and had my dog break skin on my foot in two sensitive places. I had a day of pain.. so yesterday and today I am laying low!

Before all of yesterday’s pains I met my good friend Pam in Tampa for lunch and a cookie at Whole Foods. Gosh I wish I could do that every day!

Pam and I signed up for the Disney Marathon together. We didn’t get to start or run together for the actual race, but we still did it together!

I also spent some time with meatballs :-)

How handsome is my little brother?!

And here’s my Boomer. He is the most handsome, sweet black lab. Love him.

I’m off to watch Grey’s and Private Practice. I hope to fit in a short bike tide and yoga later if I feel better.

What do you do when you don’t feel well?

My 3 Miles in Photos

 

This morning I woke up and just did not want to go out for a run. I was definitely in a funk all day. At the very last minute I thought it’d be fun to take pictures of my 3 mile route to share with you all- that got me outside!

My route is 1.5 miles down Howard to Bayshore Blvd. and back (3 miles total).

A fun burrito and beer place

 

Seriously!

 

The best retro/vintage place!

Obviously the route is mostly restaurants!

One of my favorite places, The Lime!

 

I hate that this was a cloudy day! Bayshore really is beautiful. It’s like the gold at the end of the run!

It’s a few miles long…. one extra-wide bike path with endless water on one side and million-dollar homes on the other!

Sorry it’s so blurry- I don’t think people like me taking photos of their homes!

 

The sidewalk in front of a pet boutique :)

A great antique shop.. hidden treasures, really…

 

The “run” was actually terrible. Apparently my lovely shin splints are far from gone. I have been in crazy pain all day, even after icing. At least I got some photos out of it, right? :-)

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In other news, a huge thanks to POM for sending me Rubies in the Orchard by Lynda Resnick! I’ve read a few pages already and am really liking it. Lynda has been so successful (POM FIJI Water, Teleflora are just a few of her successes), so it’s really neat to read some of the stories behind that success.

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Make sure to tune in tomorrow for a great Spotlight post!It’s includes an interview and tips you do not want to miss!!

Pushing Hard at Gasparilla

Race Recap: The Gasparilla Half Marathon
(my second half)
The Day Before

The big expo before the races definitely got me excited about my half. There’s just something about a bunch of runners getting together that really gets my mind into the game.

I am sooooo happy my gym buddy Pam saw these compression sleeves for calves. I talked with the guy at the local running store, Feet First, about my shin splints and calf pain and he suggested these might help.

I bought the Zensah Compression Leg Sleeves (about $40). He suggested the compression would minimize the fluid buildup in my calves which would minimize the pain. Worth a try (even though they were pretty expensive at $41)! I wore them all day Saturday to prep my calves. (I believe these sleeves were what got me through the race since the day before I couldn't run for 10 seconds straight!)

on of the sleeves... so comfortable!

what I bought

what i got!

After the expo I took about 2.5 hours to do yoga for runners, stretching and foam rolling. I felt so much better physically and more mentally prepared after this.

David, his parents and I enjoyed a great pre-race meal at Sweet Tomatoes! This is an awesome buffet that focuses on salad, soup, bakery and pasta. Mmm!

Race Day

I woke up at 4:00 a.m. race day and thought, “This is not the day I want to run a 13 mile race!”

a shot of darkness... the race started at 6:00am!

I fueled with my race-day-standard of banana oats and ½ glass of orange juice.
But seeing the more than 10,000 runners definitely got me motivated. I met up with my friends Pam and Sarah to start the race.
I held onto them as long as I could, running straight through the first 35 minutes. Then I branched off for continuous 4 minutes of running and 1 minute of walking.

Around Mile 8 someone was giving away free Larabar samples! I saw it was Cinnamon Roll and just had to have one! HA! Not a good idea when you’re running a RACE. I had to walk most of the next 10 minutes with intense side cramps. (At least it tasted good :-)

my one running shot- with Larabar in hand!

Other than freaking whole food Larabars, I also mentioned on a few Clif Shots as a smart refueling tool during the race. I switched between Gatorade and H20 at the stops along the race. Normally I only do water, but on race day I’ll take all the fuel I can get!
The last four miles were the toughest when my knee and foot pain started to kick in. My shoes weren’t supported enough and that (along with my shin injury) was causing pain. On top of the pain it started pouring rain- and it was cold!

And that’s when I started chanting “Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.” Yes I was in intense pain. Yes it was raining and I was SO COLD. But I had the option to push myself, run through that and get that medal at that end.

So that’s what I did.

Every step hut like crazy, but every step was one more choice to push hard when pain pushed into me. I was running in spite of everything against me and it felt so good!!

I sprinted to the finish-line (have no idea where that energy came from!) and almost cried! Two days ago I wasn’t sure if I was going to run, and now I pushed myself past my comfort zone and made PR by 10 minutes!

After the race I did some light stretching, icing and traded my shin sleeves for a knee sleeve. I can’t walk down stairs but otherwise I feel pretty good :)

I also munched on some Larabars :)

Later

Luckily I had a fun blogger meet-up to keep me moving throughout the day :)

We had the best lunch at Datz Deli here in Tampa! Here are a few shots:

my entree

David's entree

the infamous Monkey bread

of course we ALL had to take pictures! :)

And a HUGE shout out to Meghann and Caitlin for running three races each in two days and making some PRs!

couldn't help but stop for some ice cream at Dlites!

Uh Oh. Calling All Runners

Runners, I need your help!

I've had this persistent pain in my shins that has kept me from running- or at least from running well or running long distances. This pain flares up anytime I use my calves- even when I simply squat down to tie my shoe. Any time something touches it or the muscles are activated I feel pain as if a stick is dispelling pain straight through my shin. And it hurts.

I thought it could be shoes, but I’ve tried two other pairs from my regulars and it didn’t help. I even have special inserts.

I’ve tried foam rolling. Nothing.

I stretch.

When I run a long distance I run only a little the day before and almost always take the next day off, so I don’t think it’s overuse. My mileage is also the same as it has been for the past two months.

So something hit me and I looked up shin splints (what an idea, right?!). This photo shows the exact place I'm having pain. Uh-oh.
About Shin Splints

"The term "shin splints" refers to pain along the shinbone (tibia) — the large bone in the front of your lower leg. The pain is caused by an overload on the shinbone and the connective tissues that attach your muscles to the bone.

The risk of shin splints is no reason to give up your morning jog or afternoon aerobics class. Most cases of shin splints can be treated with rest, ice and other self-care measures — and wearing proper footwear and modifying your exercise routine can help prevent shin splints from recurring."

Running downhill is listed as a cause. My half marathon last month was all bridges. Hmmm...

Treatments for Shin Splints

1. Rest

2. Ice the affected area

3. Reduce swelling

4. Take an OTC pain reliever if necessary

5. Wear proper shoes

6. Consider arch supports

Have you dealt with shin splints? PLEASE share with me experiences you’ve had or any ideas that pop into your head. Two weeks before my second half marathon, this is not the time to have part of my body just fail on me.