The holiday yesterday totally threw me off. I always do my marathon training updates on Mondays, but all day yesterday it felt like Sunday. The weather this weekend was incredible. It was blazing hot yesterday. Well at least it felt that way outside on the blacktop at my son’s school’s Fall Festival. It was a great turnout and Carlos had a blast. He now has a tattoo (temporary of course), a paddle ball game, a big bag of greasy popcorn and a new stuffed Clifford dog!

So marathon training has been rather dull for the past couple of weeks as I allow my broken rib to heal. However, I was able to incorporate more activity this week. Here is what should have been and what actually happened.

As you can see I “ran” for the first time since injuring my rib on Friday. I slowly jogged for minutes at a time and alternated walking the rest of the time. I felt great despite an obvious awareness that I recently hurt myself. There was no pain during or after exercising. I took Ibuprofen as scheduled, rested in the afternoon, and stayed well hydrated with water and mineral tea.

I started this blog to document my marathon training. I want to be honest, but as always I do not recommend that anyone take my words for advice. I am not a doctor. I did, however, call my doctor this morning. I had a physical in the second week of marathon training so my doctor knows about my running goals. He was aware of the broken rib the day after it happened although he didn’t feel that it was necessary for me to make a visit to his office as long as I was adhering to the proper treatment. My doctor has given me the green light to continue running at a slow and comfortable pace as long as there is no pain or difficulty breathing. He recommended taking rest days in between runs over a few miles and advocated for a return to mild strength training as I am able.

Again this is not meant to serve as advice for anyone reading this. Each person heals differently and has a different baseline for their health. I intend on taking it easy while running and on my rest days. I will stop exercising immediately at any indication of pain or discomfort. I am very pleased with the progress I have made but I know that I am still vulnerable. I do not intend on doing anything to jeopardize my ability to work, take care of my son and safely train for this marathon.

I will be re-evaluating my training schedule over the next couple of days. I’m not exactly sure when the double digit runs will reappear, but it will not be this week.

In the meantime I am relaxing outside on a gorgeous Indian Summer October day with my little guy. We enjoyed a leisurely stroll at the college this morning, both with our cameras. I’ll be back tomorrow with some of those photos.

I am currently participating in three challenges that I wanted to talk about. I love a challenge. I’m not competitive by any means. I could care less if I “win” although that’s not really the idea with any of these challenges. I enjoy being a part of a group all striving to better themselves. I love the support that comes from the participants. I find it motivating to hear how others are doing. Evaluating my progress helps to keep me accountable as well.

The first challenge I joined is Biz’s Holiday 2011 Challenge. Each participant has a different goal and we update our progress weekly. My goal for this challenge is to shed those last 20 pounds by the New Year while training for a marathon. It has certainly been a challenge so far with this darned broken rib halting my progress. I haven’t lost any weight since the accident, but I haven’t gained any either. I’m going to change things up a little this week with my diet in hopes of shaking up my metabolism. Namely I will be filling my plate with fruits and vegetables, there will be more Green Monsters, lots of leafy green kale and spinach salads, and roasted root vegetables. This leads me into my next challenge.

I am also participating in Marion’s More Fruits & Veggies 30-Day Challenge over at Affection for Fitness. The idea is to incorporate a variety of fruits and vegetables into your diet during the month of October. This is a great month to be focusing on eating healthy because as Halloween approaches the tasty temptations begin to appear and don’t disappear until after Christmas. Marion posts daily and includes interesting research about fruits and vegetables. I love learning more about nutrition. This challenge has also helped me to transition from summer to fall/winter vegetables and to start thinking about new ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables into my diet.

The third challenge is the Brita Challenge. The idea is simply to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. There is a twitter feed and emails to offer support and reminders. Seems simple right? Well with the temperatures cooling down I am guilty of not drinking enough water. I am enjoying this challenge because I think I often snack when I’m actually thirsty. Now I reach for a glass of water before deciding to snack. I’ve been drinking lots of mineral tea to aid in the healing of my broken rib so that has been a flavorful way to hydrate. Oh and did I mention that if you join the challenge you will be entered into a sweepstakes to win a trip to the Biggest Loser Ranch.

I has been a gorgeous weekend here in New England. The leaves are slowly changing color, but there are pumpkins and mums galore.

Pumpkins Galore

Fall is here

Carlos and his auntie carved a jack-o-lantern yesterday while I baked oatmeal cookies for Carlos’ school bake sale.

Carlos' Jack-O-Lantern

We have soccer games all weekend. So far Carlos is loving it especially the social aspect of it!

Ghosts vs. Pumpkins

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.

Just a few things you may or may not know about me.

1. We have only one television in our house and I don’t watch it. The few things I do watch I view online.

2. I suddenly become very curious about famous people after they die. I start googling and reading Wikipedia articles. Needless to say I’m anxiously awaiting the Steve Jobs biography. So sad 😦

3. I now understand why Pinterest is all the rage. My page is a bit drab but I’m getting the hang of it and it sure is addicting!

4. I ran today for the first time since “the injury.” I went very slowly and took walking breaks. It felt great to be out there again. I did what felt comfortable and I don’t feel as though I overdid it.

5. One of my favorite books is “Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus” by Orson Scott Card. This book explores the past through time travel and tries to answer the question, what if Columbus had never “discovered” America.

It is shaping up to be a gorgeous weekend here. I’m looking forward to my weekend off. Carlos has a soccer game Saturday and Sunday. My fall decorations will be up by Sunday. I have some baking to do for the bake sale at Carlos’ school’s fall festival on Monday.

Have a great weekend. Pinterest here I come!

I returned to work last night and it went really well. I was happy to be back. I felt good for the most part, but my back gets tense after being on my feet for a while. I used my heating pad when I could and took homeopathic remedies throughout the night. I had taken an Ibuprofen about an hour before work so I wasn’t due for that until about 6am. I had no intention of taking the Ultram while at work so I left it at home. Fortunately I did fine without it.

I have had to remind myself today that although I am doing much better I need to continue to baby the injury so that I am resting as often as I need to. I’m walking better and the pain is much less apparent. Even Carlos said, “So Mommy now that you’re better we can play basketball.” What I wouldn’t give to play basketball. I explained that even though I looked better I still had to be careful not to do too much. So much for a little boy to understand, but he’s handling it really well.

I am not sure how I will manage my weekly marathon training updates. At least for now I will stick with the same format. Hopefully I will return to some level of activity this week. It won’t be running but I may try going for a long walk while Carlos is at school on Wednesday morning.

My goals for this week are as follows:

• journal my food on Spark People
• stay hydrated
• increase activity as able
• lose 1 pound

Good morning Monday! The air is crisp and cool. It is starting to look and feel like fall. This is by far my favorite time of year. Nothing signals fall to me more than the return of students to all of the local colleges. I live in a college town and my alma mater UMass is 10 minutes up the road.  Yesterday afternoon Carlos and I spent the afternoon in Amherst. We had a slice of pizza from Antonio’s, cheese for him and salad pizza for me.

A Slice of Cheese Please!

We wandered around town and the campus for a couple of hours.

UMass campus

Then we enjoyed an ice cream at Bart’s. Just as I love the quiet, peaceful summers when the students are gone, I enjoy the energy that returns every fall infusing new life into the area.

Before I get into my marathon training recap I wanted to mention that I am taking part in Biz’s Holiday 2001 Challenge. My goal is to lose these last 20 pounds by the end of the year. I am so excited to take part in the online challenge so I can cheer others on and receive a little much needed support myself plus I love Biz’s blog. She is so real and down to earth. Her realistic approach to weight loss and fitness is refreshing. The reality is we have lives, jobs, kids, husbands, and years of habits to contend with and it’s not always easy.

I mentioned in an my week 8 recap that a week ago Friday I broke my toe in Bermuda. I knew that I needed to rest my foot, ice it, elevate it when possible and buddy tape the injured toe with the toe next to it. I didn’t run for almost a week. I called the doctor who confirmed that I was doing all the right things. He told me that I could come in to have him look at it but given that the nurses at work had assessed it and there was no bone sticking out anywhere or deformity of the toe I decided not to go in. Obviously if it worsens or the pain returns I will go to see the doctor.

I also went to a local homeopathic/herbal medicine shop to discuss some natural remedy options. I took Arnica for the pain and I am taking a combination remedy specifically for bone healing.*

I stayed active throughout the week. By Wednesday the pain was decreased enough to give running a try. By Friday the bruising was completely gone. By Saturday I was off on my long run. I would not have run if I were in any pain or if the swelling and bruising were still prominent.

Here is a look at the entire week:

The actual training schedule column looks wildly unbalanced. There were reasons behind it involving work and Orlando’s schedule. Needless to say the week was not the major fail that I thought it would be when I injured my toe. I am really very proud of myself for running my longer runs. I felt great. Seriously the 7 mile run was so awesome that I almost did the 10 miles that morning because my legs were feeling light and my breathing was in a perfect rhythm. The weather was gorgeous. I was excited to be back to running. Even the 10 miler the next day was pretty fabulous considering I had just run 7 miles the day before and worked all night. I made decent time too, finishing at around 1h53m. I definitely would have stopped at any point during the runs if I felt even the slightest twinge of discomfort.

I’m scheduled to run a half marathon on Saturday. I haven’t actually registered for one. I was planning to run the Wicked Half in Salem, MA on Saturday, but that won’t be possible because of our schedules. There is a half marathon about an hour away in Connecticut. I will have to wait and see what Carlos’ soccer schedule looks like when he has his first practice on Weds. More likely than not I will simply run 13.1 miles somewhere near home and on my own.

I’m off to make lunch for the little guy now. We have soccer gear to buy this afternoon. I can’t believe the little guy is going to play soccer! Where is the time going?

*I should note that if anyone reads this and is experiencing a broken toe or other injury please consult your doctor. This post is not meant to deliver advice. Although I am a nurse I am not a registered homeopathic medical specialist. I am not recommending that others follow my course of treatment. I am simply discussing what is working for me.

Week 8 of my marathon training was great. I got all of my scheduled runs in plus two days of strength training. I knew when I was making out my training calendar that Orlando and I would be away this particular weekend so I didn’t schedule a long run.

My runs were great. I felt strong and efficient. We had a lot of rain last week which would explain the treadmill runs. I don’t mind them as much as a I once did. I go at whatever speed feels comfortable. I increase my speed as the music speeds up or when I feel like I can tolerate a faster pace. I sprint for 30 seconds to a minute here and there. There is little rhyme or reason to my longer treadmill runs, and maybe this isn’t great technique, but it works for me to help me tolerate the monotony of the treadmill.

I brought my sneakers on our weekend get away. My husband and I had every intention of running together. We were really looking forward to it.

The afternoon we arrived Orlando and I were exploring the cliffs of the beach which gave way to some gorgeous views. Suddenly my left foot struck the ground in just the wrong way, my toes bent inward toward the sole of my foot on a large stone that was barely jutting out of the ground. I heard the middle toe snap and within seconds blood was streaming out of a tiny wound just below the toenail.

And then…

If I were a hard core blogger who documents every thing, the good, the bad and the ugly, this is where I would insert a very unattractive photo of my left foot to show the world my swollen, purple, bruised, wounded middle toe.

I just can’t bring myself to subject anyone to a photo of my foot even if it is manicured. I hobbled a bit at first but then I figured out how to walk with minimal discomfort by putting more pressure on my heel. I iced the toe, took Ibuprofen and elevated my foot whenever possible. I enjoyed the rest of our mini vacation with little complaint. I was really disappointed that I couldn’t run, and in the back of my head I was concerned about how my training would go, but I told myself that I would enjoy the rest of the weekend and worry about the rest once home.

It wasn’t too difficult to push the concern away when I got to look at these stunning scenes.

I promise more on my weekend get away in the next day or two. There will certainly be more toe talk too. For now I’m taking a running break and staying active in other ways. Today I went to the gym and did 60 minutes on the Arc Trainer followed by 30 minutes of strength training, mostly upper body. I refuse to let this obstacle deter my goals. I simply need to rework things right now.

Total mileage this week = 34 miles

This was a great training week. The weather was perfect for running. I was really excited about running this week. I felt good. There was absolutely nothing standing in my way of having great runs this week.

My long run went off as planned this week. However, I get bored circling the reservoir more than two times. So I decided that I would head up to the bike trail in Hadley. I parked and ran toward Amherst College on the trail. I got off the trail and ran past Amherst College to UMass. I purposely didn’t look at my Garmin until I reached UMass because I wanted to be surprised by how far I had gone. Oh the psychological games I play!

I entered the UMass campus (my alma mater!) and I was surprised alright, but not by how far I had gone. I was stunned to look down and see that I had only run about 4.6 miles. It certainly felt like more. I ran through campus and then trekked along a back road which would eventually take me back to the bike trail. I came upon a tag sale and a lemonade stance. I couldn’t resist making a donation to the adorable kids running the stand. The sun was beaming and the humidity was increasing as I chugged along so the lemonade tasted like gold at that point. I chatted with the children’s mom for a bit and then started out again. I was nearing 9 miles and I knew that I would have no trouble making it the rest of the way.

Since I hadn’t actually planned the route I was pleasantly surprised that it was almost exactly 12 miles back to my car. I had to run about .20 past my car and then back to hit 12 miles on the button. I did it! Overall it was a good run. I started out pretty strong, not fast, but steady and at a comfortable pace. My legs got really achy around mile 6. They felt pretty tight the rest of the way. I attribute that to running 6 miles the day before and not adequately stretching. Lesson learned!

The week ahead will bring a little less running, no double digit run, and an exciting trip for two at the end of the week.

Happy Labor Day!

I have always run alone. In the beginning I ran alone because I felt so awkward about running. I could only run very short distances without getting winded. I was painfully aware of my heavy breathing and self conscious about jiggly body parts. I typically ran in places where few people would see me.

As the running became more comfortable so did my feelings about running. I run anywhere and everywhere now. I no longer care who sees me. However, I still run alone. It’s my alone time. It’s my time to clear my head, to be silent, to think and do something healthy for myself.

The only time I run with others is during a race. I love the social aspect of a race. I particularly love the supporters cheering along the road. Races motivate me. Training for a race provides a focus for running on a regular basis. As I’ve mentioned before I thrive when I have a schedule to follow. Oddly enough even in a race setting I still feel as though I am running alone. I never feel competitive with anyone but myself. I almost always enter a race with the intention of beating my last time in a race of the same distance.

I will train for the Disney Marathon entirely on my own. All the while my cousin, Jenna, is training a Team in Training group of runners in Fort Lauderdale, FL who will also run the Disney Marathon. My cousin has run numerous marathons including Disney and more recently the Paris Marathon as a member of TNT. TNT runners raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Jenna has always run as a member of a TNT group. It’s been interesting to share our experiences and the differences between running solo and running as a part of a group. She is a huge inspiration to me.

Jenna includes me in all of her team’s correspondence and I receive their monthly training schedule to follow if I want to. I’ve enjoyed reading about the team activities and some of the team members. I’m honored to be a virtual team member and I plan to make a donation to the team at the end of the training. Jenna assures me that she will push me along the marathon course with her words of encouragement just as she will for the rest of the team.

While I envy the built in emotional support a team offers as well as the expertise of the coach, I realize that running as a part of a team, unfortunately, does not work with my life right now. I have to plan my runs around my husband’s work schedule, my son’s school schedule and social life!, and my work and sleep schedule. Since my husband and I work different shifts it is often up to me to find childcare to accommodate my runs. It would be very difficult to commit to working with a team and following their set training schedule. Besides that the only TNT teams in Massachusetts are in the Boston area.

We do have a couple of local running groups and I would like to check them out next year when I am not actively training for a marathon. I think what I like the most about the thought of running with a group is meeting people with similar interests and learning about new opportunities and experiences. What I imagine I would like least is feeling like I am holding someone back and actually talking to people while running since I love listening to music while running. But who knows, I might absolutely love it. If there is one thing running has taught me, it’s to never say never.