Back on Track

Well it has been over a month and a half since I have posted anything about my training. It took me way longer than expected to overcome my injury, but I am back on track!

Weeks 6 – 10

For four weeks I was out of commission, no running allowed. I was doing physical therapy two times a week and was banished to the pool (sorry to all you triathletes out there, but swimming is a form of punishment for me). Ice packs and keniso tape were part of my normal attire at work, super fashionable. Needless to say I was extremely frustrated.

Week 10

At the end of week 10 I was finally able to run! After much begging and pleading on my part to my physical therapist I was  officially cleared me to begin running again  (honestly I think he just caved because he was sick of me asking him).

My first “real” run was the Sand Creek 5K on July 14th. In June I had signed up to do the Half Marathon portion of the event, but I figured running a half marathon after not running in a month would be a horrible idea. So, even though I was bummed, I suited up for the 5K and planned to run as much as I could. The goal was to monitor the pain in my knee and stop and walk or bow out of the race completely if needed. I was not about to go out there and further injure myself. My expectation was to only be able to run the first mile non-stop before my knee began to get fussy, but mile 1 ticked by and I was feeling great... then came mile 2 still no pain... and then before i knew it I was at mile 3 starting at the finish line! You can tell my face that I was in a lot of pain at the finish. Not because of my knee, but because I am so ridiculously out of shape... ugh. 

Mom and I headed home quickly after crossing the finish line so I could ice and get on with our day. Little did I know that I had come in 3rd place in my AG and consequently missed the entire medal ceremony. Major bummer. My first piece of hardware and I wasn’t even there to receive it. But I figured with my finishing time I would be nowhere near the top of my field (I love small events!). The greatest part... I only dropped 3 seconds off my goal/normal training pace. When I realized that I had missed out I quickly emailed the race coordinator asking him when and where I could pick it up. A week later I was surprised at home by a package containing not only my medal but also a gift certificate to Boulder Running Company (score!)! Overall the whole thing was a great way to get back into the game and has given me the confidence to continue training.

Week 11 and 12

Weeks 11 and 12 were all about easing myself back into running, finding a rhythm again, and listening to my body. A run here and there to get my legs  back underneath me, followed by a day or two of rest to ensure that I did not over stress me knee. With only 59 days before the Bank of America Chicago Marathon I cannot afford any more setbacks.

The end of week 12 was a busy one for me. On Saturday I decided it was time to start participating in the Rocky Mountain TNT group training sessions. I was overwhelmed by the response I received upon being back. They were so welcoming and very helpful during the run. Each teammate I passed (or passed me, which was the case most of the time) always asked how I was doing. Some even helped by watching my gait and letting me know when I was favoring my right leg over left. This was extremely helpful during the latter part of my run when I became increasingly tired, causing my form to become sloppy.

On Sunday I ran in the Kids Cure for Cancer 5k benefiting Brent’s Place with my mother and brother at Wash Park (dad decided he was our cheerleader for the day). I was happy that my knee felt good the entire run after an 8 miler the day before. I just keep telling myself one day at a time, one mile at a time.

Before Kids Cure for Cancer 5K

Week 13

My long run last week was 10 miles. I decided to do it Thursday morning (instead of Saturday at GTS) before work since I was leaving on Friday for a 4 day backpacking llama packing trip with the family – BIG mistake. I woke up at 5:15 am to eat some breakfast and let my body wake up before I hit the trail. I decided to drive to a trail instead of running around my neighborhood on pavement to give my knee a little relief and to avoid hills – which are usually the reason my knee starts acting up. I finished the run feeling strong and satisfied with my performance. But decided that I would much rather prefer doing my long runs with my Saturday GTS team. It adds a slight sense of competition and a sense security that if something goes wrong there is always someone looking out for you. Plus I had no motivation to head into work afterwards. I was exhausted and just wanted to take a nap. Lesson learned - no more than 4 miles before work from now on.

Llama camping

Friday morning when I woke up my legs felt like tree trunks. They were stiff and had no desire to head out on a 9 mile hike into our campground. But here I am ready to take on week 14 after hiking approximately 18ish miles over the past four days and rolling my ankle 3 times. This weekend I am taking on the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon with fellow members of my Saturday GTS team and a co-worker. It is an all downhill course which usually provides most runners with a PR, but I have no expectations for this race. As much as I would like to run it at my full potential and possibly improve on my half marathon time from March I am going to take this one slow, using it as a training run instead of an actual “race”. My body is nowhere near capable of running at my full potential. If I do PR yay me! If not oh well… I still ran 13.1 miles. Fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong!