Frustration.

Well, my post-half marathon adrenaline died down about two days afterwards, at which point I realized I had an injury. This is the primary reason I have not felt up to blogging-- nothing fun to share, just a load of frustration and pent up energy waiting to be utilized!!

In a previous blog post I alluded to a potential smaller injury, Plantar Fasciitis, that was afflicting the sole of one foot and the heel of the other. I was not overly concerned about it at the time, I just assumed it was my body's response to adjusting to running 10+ miles at a time every weekend. During my half marathon, however, the pain was more apparent, and there was also a certain point during mile 7-8 where the pain shifted to be more of a strain, and was notably worse than it had been previously. Obviously my heavy dosage of endorphins carried me through the rest of the race, and even though I had pain post-race I assumed it was something that would go away. However, after two days of being unable to put full weight on my right foot, I knew something was up.

Being as stubborn as I am, I decided that since the pain was subsiding after about a week, I shouldn't have any need to go see a doctor. Ten days after my race I went on my first run, a slow trot. Two miles later the pain was back and strong (though not as strong as at the race), but definitely prevented me from putting full weight on my right foot once again. F. F. F. F. F. I cannot be getting injured right now.

I contacted my physical therapist, who recommended I come in for a quick examination. Based on what she saw, I may have injured some tendon in the heel of my foot, and based on my running gait I was landing pretty hard on my right heel compared to my left, which could be the cause of the injury. She recommended I go back to see my doctor so that I can get prescribed more physical therapy. Of course my doctor couldn't see me for two weeks, so meanwhile there I was going stir crazy, unable to run, falling behind in my training schedule, growing restless. During these weeks I still completed strength training 3-4 times a week, but there is truly nothing like the freedom of throwing on my running shoes and going out for a heavy sweat for an hour. I felt this down time taking a toll on my general mood, my level of energy, and overall confidence in my ability to complete this dang marathon.

Finally, three weeks after my half marathon, I was able to get to my doctor. The diagnosis? Plantar Fasciitis. Turns out I'm an expert wikipedia-er and correctly self-diagnosed myself before! Basically, little flaws in my running gait were starting to take a toll on my body now that the miles were really accumulating. Primarily, my heel hitting the ground at an angle coupled with my longer strides was putting excessive stress on my heel. See some photos from my video gait analysis below (I'll share other video gait analysis findings in a separate post. Really fascinating stuff but also makes me think 'what the heck, there's no way my running gait is THAT bad. Quit hating on me, doc.').

Treatment? No running (until the pain goes away). No more bare feet. No more sandals or flip flops. Gel heel cups inserts for my shoes. Alternate cardio, such as swimming or biking. I heard all this from the doctor, and, visibly frustrated, asked her "Okay fine, I can do all that, but what do I do to make the pain go away faster???" She recommended that if I really want to hit this hard, I can order night splints that are super uncomfortable but will keep my feet in a stretched position while I sleep. She also recommended I begin immersion icing my foot ("No little wimpy ice packs. Stick your foot in a bucket of ice!") Whatever you say doc, just get me back on the pavement!

I ordered the gel heel cups before leaving the parking lot of the doctor's office. My frustration really came to a head and I was growing very concerned that it'd take me more weeks to get back to running, and I'd never be prepared to run the full marathon. I looked into ordering night splints, and realized that I did not want to pay for them, and instead found a DIY version using a load of electrical tape and sleeping very uncomfortably. I did start the unpleasant task of immersion icing as well.

I'm happy to report that after three days of the makeshift night splint, my heel pain was almost completely gone. So, I went on a short 3 mile run, ALMOST pain free. Today was my second run since, and it was also ALMOST pain free. Today is exactly one month since my half marathon, and I've only run 7.5 miles since. UGH UGH UGH. I'm happy that my heel is slowly getting better, but also I can't help but think "come on dang body, we've got a race to prepare for, hurry up!!!!"

So for now I don't foresee running double digits in the immediate future. But you'd better believe that come October 7th, these dang heels are going to take me 26.2 miles through Chicago to complete the marathon, whether they like it or not.


46 Days til Marathon Day.

The 13.1 Mark!

While it's all still fresh in my memory, I wanted to provide a synopsis of my latest half marathon experience. The easiest way I have to remember the details is truly by providing my playlist for the day, and describing what silly thoughts were going on in my head during each song. And when I say, it's what was going on in my head, I mean it...this is your fair warning.  This is real, competitive, immature Cynthia in her endorphin-induced running raw state. She is sometimes intolerable.

It was misty/rainy morning, but the temperature was low and I was pumped and feeling adequately prepared for the race. My goal going into the race, was in fact NOT to go all out like past half marathons, but to actually slow my pace down 30-45 seconds so as to reserve more energy at the end, but also to more closely imitate my full marathon pace (somewhere between 8:30-9:00 min miles).

Enjoy!

1	Get ur Freak On	WHATEVER YOU SAY MISSY!!!! Ok just kidding, can't freak it out yet. Shoot this is a great jam. Must. Control. Hype. Keep with the 8:24 group!	Missy Elliot
2	Thrift Shop	...was that Damian's voice at the beginning of this song?	Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
3	Livin' it Up	Jeff Atkins 4ever.	Ja Rule
4	Bad Romance	So many cool outfits in this music video.	Lady Gaga
5	Lotus Flower	I am sOoOoOO zen, I am just chillin with the pacer and will remain calm.	Radiohead
6	Story of My Life	Okayyyyy Juanny with the sleeper song that is actually very motivating! So motivating, in fact, that I think I will sneak ahead of this pacer just to get a bit out of this claustophobic pack...	One Direction
7	Sweet Nothing	Ok I've officially abandoned the 8:24 pacer group. I should be able to keep to 8:15 no problem!	Calvin Harris
8	Africa	As the opening drums of this song began, we enter a big prairieland. Definitely the only large open space during the race and also the closest to a desert I was gonna see! The rain continued to fall, and I am certain that these rains, like those down in Africa, were also blessed by Toto.	Toto
9	Problem		Ariana Grande
10	Man On Fire	I'M A WOMAN ON FIRE. I just passed the first place woman as she was on her way back from the turnaround point and I yell GIRL POWER and she gives me a little grin.	Edward Sharpe & Mag 0s
11	Rabiosa	RA-TA-TA.	Shakira
12	Pimp Juice	lololol let's slow it down for a second. Also, at this point I've counted 17 women ahead of me as they all had to pass me at some point after the turnaround. Top 10 women get a cash prize. Can I get in on that??	Nelly
13	Safety Dance	Joy. Joyjoyjoy. If there's one song that was going to make me abandon the race and have a one person dance party, it was this one.	Men Without Hats
14	Semi-Charmed Life	This was right at mile 6! From what I've seen, this is typically a point in a half marathon where people lose their steam because they've been going too fast, and the reality sets in that they still have over half the race to go. I counted not one, not two, but SIX men that I passed between mile 6 and mile 7. Yes, they were all men that I passed and in fact there was a long string of men slowing down at this point. My theory is that so many of them slowed down because they were driven by their enormous egos early on in the race and naively believed they'd be able to sustain it. The women (more intelligently) stuck with a generous pace and were able to sustain it, if not increase it :D Anyway, so I was passing some men at this point, and the fifth man, felt me creeping up on him, looked over his left shoulder to see me approaching, and proceeded toward the center of the trail, impeding my ability to pass him easily. EXCUSE ME? I still prevailed, just in time for Stephan Jenkins to belt out his final "goodBYYEEEEEEEE" in this 90s jam. :)	Third Eye Blind
15	Home	Cannot WAIT to be home in dry clothes and taking a nap.	Edward Sharpe & Mag 0s
16	Nookie	And eating a cookie.	Limp Bizkit
17	Hey Brother	Back to zen, thinking about my family <3	Avicii
18	Prieta Linda	Oh dear, this song is quite the departure from my previous songs!! ...but STILL surprisingly motivating!! So many memories of cringing when my mom would request this song to be played over the radio for my birthday. Now as an adult I can appreciate the love and thought that went into that semi-embarassing song request. Had to chuckle a bit at this song.	Los Fabulosos 4
19	Don't Stop Me Now	AH! Finally some women in sight! I gotta knock off seven of them if I want some cash prizes. Also it's almost mile 9 so it's time for my energy chews. Chews + Queen = passing up more runnners, right???	Queen
20	Lonely Boy	One woman passed!	The Black Keys
21	Call Me Maybe	I instinctively had to turn my volume on max for this jam. Totally worth the potential hearing loss.	Carly Rae Jepsen
22	Work B****	I'm trying to do what you say Britney!!!	Britney Spears
23	Al Anillo		J. Lo
24	Marry the Night	Two miles left. Better rev up the jets and prepare for launch, baby girl.	Lady Gaga
25	Not Gonna Get Us	lolol fest. Another woman passed! She's "not gonna get us"/me!	t.A.T.u.
26	Dramas y Comedias	Last mile and final (long) straightaway, and just in time my fav old school Spain jam comes on. I see one woman ahead, running casually with a man next to her. JETS IGNITE!!!!!	Alaska
27	Tunak Tunak Tun	Let's sprint it out baby!!! Oh shoot, I forgot we have to grab a flag and wave it at the finish line. That's okay, the pictures showed like a small, 6 inch-flag...HOLY F. THAT POLE IS TWO FEET LONG. WHAT AM I TO DO WITH THIS? Well, I can't have the flag holding me back and making me less aerodynamic so let me just wrap the flag around the pole and keep it in line with my arm swing... Oh. Yes, I do look like I'm preparing to joust that woman in front of me.	Daler Mehndi

I sprinted it out but did not beat the woman in front of me, nor did I come even close to getting a top 10 cash prize :( I think I did still manage to wave the flag at the finish line but it was definitely not a cute "let me wave this all girly like and pretend I'm not tired" pose. Rather it was more of a grimace + "I'm exhausted so please take the picture and let me sit down" pose. Will share the photos (maybe) once they're available.

 

I am pleased that for the most part I did stick to the 8:15 pace, as evidenced by my mile split times here! And I was able to end the race faster than I started, which is always a challenge. My overall pace according to my Nike app was 8:05/mile, significantly slower than my past 7:45/mile pace at half marathons, but it felt SO MUCH BETTER.

Overall the lesson in this race was that control is the name of the game. If I would have sprinted out like a bunch of those men noobies in the first six miles, I too would have been miserable and watching people pass me left and right. Pacing myself and planning on going slow to start has always been a big challenge for me.  For the marathon, it is going to be so hard to resist wanting to start out fast with all the stimuli that will be around! Even now I'm the complainer of our 9:00 pace group (my complaints are in the form of "questions") because I want to go faster. I need to learn to take a step back and make sure I'm able to finish hard rather than drag my worthless body across the finish line (which is what I did in my first two half marathons).

Now to make sure these lessons are absorbed before the big day comes...

76 days til Marathon Day!

The Injury Chronicles

I hope this is the first and only update I share about the ailments that have been nagging me and at times getting in the way of my marathon training!


DATE: December 2017

AILMENT: IT Band Tightness

CAUSE: Stupid decisions like two a day workouts or too many days of HIIT workouts in a row

SYMPTOMS: Uncomfortable deep, dull, ache on both sides of hips after high impact workouts

CURE: 6+ Weeks Physical Therapy with lots of stretching and muscle "release" therapy

UPDATE: Ailment continues to be a nagging issue even in July, though soreness does not last as long as it did back in December


DATE: MAY 27, 2018

AILMENT: Sprained Ankle

CAUSE: Too much fun at a lakehouse

SYMPTOMS: Swelling of ankle, inability to put full pressure on left foot

CURE: RICE- Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation (1 week off running)

UPDATE: Ankle is fine but I'm now pretty committed to avoiding soccer altogether through this marathon training


DATE: JULY 2018

AILMENT: [Self-diagnosed] Plantar Fasciitis

CAUSE: Hill workouts, a lot of long runs

SYMPTOMS: Pain in the heel and sole of the foot

CURE: TBD. Calf stretching seems to help. All I know is I'm not about to buy Skechers Shape Up-type running shoes.


78 days til Marathon Day!

My First Run with BOMF!

When it was finally time for me to join the BOMF Pilsen group on a group run, I was super excited. What a great deal for me as a "volunteer" to get to spend my time running in a group, getting my miles in to prepare for my own races, all while supporting a great cause!



So I prepared my running clothes, set my alarm for 5am (something I haven't done since my soccer playing days), and prepared myself for this new experience. When I finally did wake up that April morning, it was still pitch black outside. I quickly got dressed before I could allow my body to realize it hadn't seen the likes of this hour in ages, and started my one mile warm up run to the San Jose shelter.

I didn't quite know what to expect upon arrival. In my volunteer guide it said that the group was big huggers and that's the way everyone greets each other. But being the newbie, I wasn't about to initiate the hug!!! Luckily, I did not have to, and the other volunteers and members quickly and warmly introduced themselves and gave me a quick hug.

Everyone formed a circle, all awake as can be, making jokes, smiling and laughing, stretching, and warming up for the run. But like, when I say these people were in a good mood, I mean, you would think they were out lounging on a beach with a cool drink in hand, not a care in the world. Don't they know it's 5:45am and no one should be awake this hour?? Don't they know we're about to have a hardcore workout and are going to sweat and suffer together for the next hour??? (Turns out, I was the one who was wrong--on both accounts!)

After the warm up, we circled up and said the serenity prayer:

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change; 

courage to change the things I can; 

and wisdom to know the difference.

When I heard this prayer, my immediate thought was "ohhhhh this is a religious group, huh?" Ok, noted. I was wrong on that front as well. This 'prayer' has really come to resonate with me at a deeper level, and as I've met more members, the significance of the prayer and how it applies to their lives as well as my own has become more clear, but I will get into that in a different blog post.

So we were finally warmed up and ready to run! I did my intense dynamic stretches and made a beeline to the front of the group to see who the front runners would be that I could buddy up with. Instead, I was approached by an older man with a soothing voice and a great, friendly laugh. We started our "run" (of our group of 15-20, maybe 3-4 people ran, and at a very slow pace at that), and instead of running I found myself walking and conversing with this man. Was there a secret Cynthia competitive itch that was wondering "Ummmmm can we start running now, sir?" Absolutely. 

But we continued to walk, and I learned all about this man. I learned how he got to the shelter, about his family around the country, where his favorite Pilsen diner was, his affinity for tennis, his life values, his past work experience, and his goals for getting out of the shelter. He also asked me about my work, about my family, about my hobbies, etc. Mind you, this was all over the course of maybe 40 minutes where we walked (no running!!) two miles, all as the sun was finally peeking over the horizon. It is insane how quickly we were able to connect in a short amount of time! By the end of the "run" I found myself not at all concerned about losing the opportunity to run, but instead I was pleased that on my first day I already made a connection with this wonderful, friendly, man, who gave me a big hug as I left and allowed me to witness that wonderful large smile of his once more. How is that for starting out a Wednesday morning!

I did walk with this man several more times in the weeks that followed, but he did eventually encourage me to start trying to pair up with someone who liked to run since he knew I was very passionate about it, and he felt more comfortable just walking. Even though we didn't always have the opportunity to catch up at each morning run, he was always the first to greet me as I arrived, a big jolly hug and smile, welcoming me as one would welcome a family member they hadn't seen in ages. He promised to teach me to play tennis, and to take me to his favorite diner in Pilsen one day!

My connection with this man was the first of many friendships that I was able to form at the Pilsen location. Although he wasn't the member that I became closest to, he certainly set the tone for me from Day 1 of the type of connections that are possible amongst strangers and the conversations and friendships that can develop over a a quick walk or run, all before the sun rises :)

88 days til Marathon Day!

New Running Swag #1: Running Belt

During this marathon journey, I've been very skeptical about the different gear people wear as competitive runners. Amongst those things, I've been skeptical about the use of a running belt. I just don't believe that there's any way that any belt, no matter how ergonomically crafted, can sit on my waist area and not slide up or down.

Despite my skepticism, I quickly realized after my first longer runs that I was going to need to find a hydration source that I could take with me on those runs. So unless I wanted to run with a gallon of water trailing behind me, my best bets were going to be finding either:

1. A handheld water bottle that is strapped to my hand
2. A belt that holds water bottles on it
3. A vest with a water pack on the back, that you drink from straws leading up toward your mouth

Each of these options have their own pros and cons, but my priorities were, in this order:

1. Find something that doesn't make me look like a huge a-hole
2. Find something that doesn't add too much extra weight
3. Find something that is comfortable, practical, and will not distract me mid-race

After all my research, I decided to go for the belt option. I knew I didn't like to run with anything in my hands, so the handheld option was out. I also knew that I feel strongly about not looking like an a-hole or Dora the Explorer while I'm running, so the water pack/backpack option was out. (Note: This will be a revolving theme. I refuse to wear something that makes me feel like I look like an imbecile, even if it's supposedly good for my running performance. It is not good for my confidence and thus outweighs any potential benefit the product would otherwise contribute.)

I also feel very strongly about the color purple, (the actual color, plus the movie, obviously), so I needed a belt with purple accents. And so I settled for this belt:

So far I can report that, I have gone on two runs with the belt and didn't feel like a complete a-hole. I did follow the instructions which stated that the belt should be worn on the widest part of your hips. I left it there, hopped around a bit, and it felt super snug and secure. I started my run and literally seven strides later the belt was up just below my sports bra. Hahahhaa I should have known that the manufacturers of this belt did not have a big butt latina in mind when they designed this belt!!

Moral of the story, I will be wearing the belt around my waist instead of my hips. I will also be wearing the belt slightly off center because the bottles seem to get a bit in the way of my arm stride when worn correctly. Should I return the belt? Maybe. But I love the purple.

Also, I am fully aware that I basically got tricked into wearing a glorified, modern, fanny pack. I am just going to try to not think about it.

95 days til Marathon Day!

The 5k Time Trial + My Intro to BOMF

At the end of my last blog I shared that I was very anxious for the next group run which consisted of a 5k time trial, and that I was going to try to beat anyone and everyone and that this would be my first time getting a real feel for the speed of the individuals in our group. Well, that day has passed and I can report the results...but I will share that at the end of this blog :)

First things first, I really wanted to share a bit about how I got involved with Back on My Feet Chicago. It all began winter of 2016-2017, when my good friend from Spain, Fanny, let me know she was coming to visit me in Chicago! Fanny is an avid runner just like me, so naturally she wanted to do a race during her visit, and not just any quick 5K but a lengthier 10K! The only problem was that she was coming to visit in the month of February...which is not exactly peak race season.

2/25/17

Fanny did her research and found a 10K with a Mardi Gras theme hosted by a nonprofit called "Back on My Feet" that I hadn't ever heard of. I agreed to join her, and crossed my fingers that it wouldn't be unbearably cold on race day. Well, come race day, it was not only unbearably cold, (24 degrees) but it was also windy and big chunks of snow were pelting down on us. I don't ever recall running in less ideal conditions (of course, until the Thanksgiving run with BOMF that came later on in the year!) So the race was tough, but we survived and by far the funniest memory of the day was when Fanny, in a moment of desperation, wore my extra pair of socks as gloves so as to avoid getting her fingers frozen off!

At the race afterparty I learned a bit more about Back on My Feet. I learned about how they engaged members from homeless shelters and used the benefits of running to get these members back to living fully independent lives with their own jobs, apartments, etc. I found their mission to be very respectable, but it did not even cross my mind to consider them as a potential volunteer opportunity for myself;  I simply began to follow them on Facebook left it there.

Fast forward to one month later when I came across a Facebook post saying that BOMF was starting a partnership with a homeless shelter in my neighborhood of Pilsen in Chicago! For months I had been trying to find a worthy cause to support and volunteer for, and everything seemed to align and push me towards becoming a member of BOMF and specifically volunteering at the Pilsen partner shelter.

So, I signed off on the waiver, read through the volunteer handbook, and then paused and gulped when I read that "All runs start at 5:45am, Mon-Wed-Fri." Anyone who knows me well also knows that sleeping in past 11am is definitely in my top 3 favorite past times. Even so, I committed to showing up once a week (definitely not Mondays), and eagerly awaited my first run with the crew!

Never in a million years would I have imagined that:

1. I'd actually be able to sustain the 5:45am schedule for more than two weeks;
2. I'd meet on a weekly basis some of the most inspiring, optimistic, and empowering individuals I've ever met; and
3. I would personally benefit just as much if not more than the BOMF members from the time we spent hitting the pavement and logging some miles together.

I can't wait to share some of these great stories from the people I've met on this team!---
Ah, and for those of you who were still interested in how I did on my 5K trial: of our training group of about 100-150 people, within a wide range of ages (though I may be on the younger side), I finished in 21:43 (7:07/mile-- according to my GPS it was only 3.05 miles, not the full 3.1!), was the first female to finish and I believe the 6th person to finish overall. So unfortunately that timed trial has only fed my running ego and you will have to live through more blogs where I go on about how fast I want to finish my marathon and how hard I will be crossing my fingers that I don't full deplete my energy by mile 10.

108 Days Til Marathon Day!

First Group Run i.e. Sizing Up the Competition

I don't know what's inherently wrong with me that I'm incapable of doing any sort of physical activity/exercise without subtly making it a competition. Particularly when it involves running (or soccer). Swimming laps alongside 70 year-old veterans in the lap pool? Competition. Pacer test alongside the elementary school kids at work? Competition. Running on a treadmill directly next to someone else at the gym? Competition (and yes, I am taking a peak to see if I'm going a faster speed than you). Race against my nephew to see who can run to the other side of Grandma's house first? Competition (and I'll probably push him in the opposite direction before I take off). Jogging around a track? Yep, you'd better believe I'm going to count the times I lap you.

Rather than fight these competitive urges, in my adult life I have found running races to be a great outlet for these at-times toxic levels of competitive drive. So, it is no surprise that when I showed up to my first marathon group training run on 6/5/18 I was in full competition mode. I was literally amongst a group of people who are meant to support and push each other through the next couple months of training to complete their best marathon, but my default mode is "how am I going to beat these people."

The environment of first arriving to that training group felt quite theatrical (maybe only to me). Was everyone judging me on my Costco-brand, ill-fitting leggings and my Asics running shoes that were, like, SooOooOo four models ago?! It was also intimidating in the sense that 90% of people had high-tech, huge running watches, fancy belts, hand held water bottles, or compression socks. I'm honestly just proud of myself that over the last year I've at least transitioned away from always running in old soccer t-shirts and shorts.

Anyway, I would also describe the experience of arriving to the training group as somewhat of a combo between the confusion of showing up to your first ever cross-country practice (what do you mean there are DRILLS we do for running? Shouldn't we just go out and run as fast as we can in order to get better??),  the butterflies of competing at your first track meet, and the determination of your first soccer tryout, rolled into one. Add into that all the fact that I'm now an adult and should not feel some of these immature tendencies and insecurities, and you get a bit of a sense of how things were unfolding.

Upon arrival I noticed there were already cliques that had formed (was it just a couple of friends who happened to have innocently signed up to run together, and not a maliciously formed clique? Maybe. Or maybe the enemies have already started banding together). As an attempt at friendly conversation, I asked one individual if everyone there was for the running group. This individual nodded "Yep." then returned to their smartphone obligations. Nothing like a warm welcoming!!! Whatever. Game on.

All competitiveness aside (for now), this first group training was very informative and a great introductory session. I'm very excited to be running with a training group for the first time ever, and to have a real running coach! After a short warmup run we went through some running drills to perfect our running form and posture, which I'm certain will have a large impact on my running efficiency. The coaches seemed very knowledgeable and friendly, and I'm sure that eventually I will get to know more runners in my group and *gasp* maybe even make friends through the natural camaraderie that forms with group suffering. Should be a great next four months!

Back to reality/my competitive side: next week we are doing 5k trials and I can't wait to see how many people I beat :D

122 days til Marathon Day!