.....aaaaand i'm back

well it has been a crazy four months. after all that training for the half marathon i was only able to cheer on friends, which i was happy to do... just with some major jealous along the way. .... and when it was not getting better and dealing with terrible pain that would not go away ....i went to a sports medicin doctor and was diagnosed with runners knee and Iliotibial band syndrome. Lessons learned.. don't overdo it, stretch properly and don't slack on cross training!

But after doing all the webmd-ing and self diagnosing was glad to hear that surgery was not even in the picture..... i was sent to physical therapy where i was hanging out few times a week the elderly folk with broken hips and what not . . and we definitely had the exchange of "what are you in for?"

a favorite moment was lying on the work out platform doing leg lifts next to al, a 70+ snowbird, doing pelvic thrusts while we both lie on our back. awesome and awkward at the same time

while i expected lots of leg excercises and stretches. i did not expect to have my leg electrocuted. this method shocks your leg to contract your muscles which makes you tighten them (or it feels super weird) and as such, makes your muscles stronger...




but after months of stretching and strength training i have been running the past two months or so.... with the longest running being 4 miles or so.. along with some interval runs and spinning as well....trying not to overdo it this time and keep a nice balance in my workouts.

a friend of mine did a triathlon after doing the half marathon and LOVE it so much more. then i was able to witness one myself and instantly knew i had to find a race. and luckily i found one....

the Trek's Women Triahtlon ... it's a sprint triathlon so it is a 1/2mi Swim | 12mi Bike | 3.1mi Run. Definitely doable.

I think I got the running down.. just have to really focus on the bike and mostly the swim.

So my first step.. goggles... CHECK!

oh and did I mention it's at Disney Labor Day weekend? Good reason for a mini vacay!

one week. two weeks.

one week

it's been one week since i have run. i am a pretty patient person - but waiting day by day for my leg to get better has been totally miserable and anxiety ridden.

i can totally feel the effects on not running. mostly physical - feeling like a blob/lethargic and not sleeping well. when i run i just get better night sleeps. i think i am so anxious about this whole thing -keeps me up at night in worry. i worry about - can i run the half? if i do run will it get re-injured? is this a long term thing? all that has been running through my head and most likely it isn't that bad...

but overall i just miss running. i was at the gym doing other workouts and i almost cried because i couldn't run on the treadmill. and i hate the treadmill. this is what it must like to be going thru drug withdrawal. just need a little fix.

but i have asked every doc i work with about my leg and they seem to think it is a muscular thing and not a ligament tear - or anything super serious. just has to heal up.


two weeks

pretty sure i can feel my leg getting better. i have done no physical activity whatsoever, taking meds around the clock, using heating pads and supplements 3 times a day. the supplements prob wont do much- but if has any placebo effect- i'll take that too.

if i can get back to running by next weekend i think ill be ok. not concerned about losing any endurance. just need to get back into it with 2-3 short runs before the big one.

just keep those fingers crossed.

two weeks to go.

worse break up ever

so my knee hurts. i gotta limp. i think now it's runners knee. seems common enough. but i don't know if 3 weeks is enough time to heal...... for now

• i am trying to stay off of it as much as i can (i'm on my feet at work a lot of the day, and i live on the 3rd floor with no elelvator.. awesome.)
• icing and elevating it
• working out muscles that will support my knee better
• whining like a big ass baby
  

i'm so used to being able to be proactive and fix things.. now i just gotta sit and wait and that will be tough for me to do

i feel like this:

call me 10Katie and brrrrrrrrrrr

holy cow. this is what i woke up to getting ready this AMs 10k race:


i wasn't even sure if i was going to run, but since it was near my house i decided to check it out. when i got there there was a good amount of folks there. so what the hell.

within 10 minutes of getting there i knew i would be running a very long 6 miles. it was. my feet were soaked, my hands were frozen, but eventually i just went numb. there were about 50 people running and about half that in volunteers cheering us on which really helped.

there were a few people that were running ahead of me that i targeted as my 'people i am going to pass.' and i totally did. (booya)

i also had ipod issues, so i have two different runs recorded. the first half i ran 3.48 with a 9.29 mi and the second half ran 3.14 mi on with a pace of 8'59"/mi .... i think i finished around 1:10 or so... my slowest time for sure.. but i couldn't feel my hands (must by running gloves!) , wet cold shoes/feet. wow.


my hands were so numb - that i had to ask someone to unzip the pocket on my pants to get my key out. most of my fingers were non functioning.... i sat in the car for ten minutes to warm my hands up before driving home. ..... i now know what is like to to not have non-opposable thumbs.

overall i'm glad i did it. a good challenge and i got that damn pancake.

next weekend i will have one more long run and then the tapering will begin..... 22 days to go!

cold run = warm pancakes

this week i have been taking it easy.

i did an almost 11 mile run last week and it seems that i did not stretch enough afterward. my ITB band --mostly on my knew ---has been bugging me so i have been resting up, downing the anti-inflammatory meds, and stretching.

along with a slight injury it has gotten super cold here (50s in the AM) .... so the runs have been a little challenging... i did nice and easy runs on monday and wednesday and completely covered my face in my anti-chafing gel so i my face wouldn't get entirely chapped.

but i have a 10k tomorrow am. i think i will be much better. but now the temp is supposed to start to DROP tonight and will be in the low 50s and raining when we are scheduled to start. awesome.

but they are going to have miami dolphin players at the race..... and my biggest motivator, free pancakes made by some top chef contestant. mmmmm pancakes!





23 days till 13.1 . . . .

turkey trot results

these are the results from our turkey trot on thanksgiving! FEMALES AGE GROUP: 25 TO 29
24	157	Kara	Mathias	F	25	0:43:51
63	50	Michele	Hughes	F	28	0:49:54
72	257	Laura	Quintana	F	27	0:50:29
73	22	Andrea	Craine	F	27	0:50:30
76	85	Erica	Oheam	F	26	0:51:03
86	144	Jessica	Wesley	F	26	0:52:17
87	149	Han	Xu	F	29	0:52:18
93	249	Jamie	Baker	F	27	0:52:43
108	173	Hilary	Guy	F	27	0:53:43
111	186	Julie	McLaughlin	F	25	0:53:52
127	131	Kimberly	Taggart	F	27	0:55:37
142	378	Kelly	Sleeper	F	26	0:57:19
145	232	Danielle	Whittaker	F	27	0:57:31
165	237	Sally	Lanigan	F	26	0:59:28
167	228	Allison	Fischman	F	25	0:59:30
171	233	Kari	Floyd	F	25	0:59:48
175	153	Karla	Portocarrero	F	28	1:00:08
176	271	Cynthia	Gordon	F	26	1:00:11
183	120	Susie	Singer	F	28	1:00:48
193	108	Rebekah	Rodgers	F	26	1:02:03
217	23	Jessica	Darnell	F	29	1:04:21
227	125	Katie	Stephens	F	27	1:06:07
239	260	Hillary	Bess	F	25	1:08:33
242	99	Emily	Pickle	F	28	1:09:12
253	215	Kristy	Maculan	F	25	1:10:31
258	38	Margaret	Gaston	F	28	1:10:47
274	373	Michelle	Kremer	F	26	1:12:48
280	112	Erin	Rowland	F	25	1:14:39
284	111	Mindy	Rohrbacher	F	29	1:15:40
285	279	Andrea	Hayes	F	26	1:16:07
294	67	Stephanie	Mammino	F	27	1:18:28
304	252	Katelin	luddy	F	25	1:23:41
306	179	Amanda	Watson	F	29	1:24:51
312	286	Elizabeth	Worley	F	27	1:26:44
314	46	Jeanne	Hollomb	F	26	1:27:07
315	268	Kenzie	Latham	F	26	1:27:17

cotton and caffeine

cotton

on the last leg of my 10+ mile run, i had a nice pit stop while the bridge was up.

now i know what all the looks were about.















that's why they say cotton is rotten.



caffeine

tried this gu flavor today. it was GOOD. and not only does it have caffeine but 2x caffeine!

in my face

this week i am back on track. monday i ran an easy 6 miles (yeah, easy!) and today i ran about 4.5. it was great, considering the week prior i ran 6 measly miles in all.

we finaly got cold weather that added a little something new to these runs. monday i guess it was about mid 50s. nice and totally tolerable.

except for my face.

when i got home from monday's hour long run i could totally feel the wind chapped skin. it was nice and red too.

before this mornings run i went to grab some of my anti-chaffing gel and smeared that stuff all over my face to give it some protection from the cold. while doing that i noticed every area of senstive skin (eyes, chin, nose) were all totally pealing from the yesterday's activities. ick.

so now i am on total moisture patrol .

but if that's my biggest complaint with all this running... i'll gladly take it.

reasons to HATE the treadmill (AKA Katie takes her slacking out on the treadmill and whines

ohhh this week has been one of minor motivation. for some of the following reasons:

1. rainy
2. tired
3. not wanting to get out of bed in the AM
4. nice new distractions that running just can't compete with
   

i have only worked out twice this week so far. but the two that i have had were both on the treadmill for about 30 minutes each with some interval work thrown in there-- followed by some core work outs. but it is amazing what an aversion to treadmill i have developed in the last few weeks. i haaaaaaate it.

so boring. and the whole time i find myself wanting to jump off. sometimes i get a bit of a surge, but usually short lived. and this AM my ipod was not charged but luckily got it to last for 25 minutes. bleeeeeh.

the only thing that keeps me somewhat occupied is ESPN so I can catch up on all the games i am missing from not having cable.

tomorrow AM will be a long run- hopefully another 8- 10 miles.... whether permitting.

rain rain go away. i need to get my ass outside.

Reasons to love the treadmill

3 miles ain't as tough as it used to be, but some days, running around the duckhood is still a challenge. Today-reasons why I wished I was on a treadmill:

Is it raining? Yes.
Is it really raining? No.
Water fountain at NE Park clogged up, presumably from Extreme Home Makeover nonsense.
Garmin had a dead battery; what's my pace anyway?
2 D-bags riding their bikes on the sidewalk, the wrong way, tell me to "Get the hell out of the way"
Is it raining? Yes.
Garbage truck drivers
Awkward and obligatory conversation with neighbor

Pack all that into a quick 3 miler, and I'm daydreaming about the hum of the treadmill's belt. Moving my training schedule around to avoid trash days is an option, and running in the evenings is looking better and better.

TEN TEN TEN

today i ran 10 miles!!! woooo!!!

did it in about 1:42 so not toooooo shabby.. just a little over a 10 minute mile pace. now i also learned a few good lessons along the way on this run.. and once remedied, i should be able to run a bit faster.


GU

this i how the beginning of my ran began, trying my first GU gel. i thought orange flavor might be closer to Gatorade but i was wrong. had i adopted my next method of getting this stuff down it might have been better.

this strategy came along while running with vanilla. i would squeeze that packet (which was all nice and warm as it was stuffed in my sports bra) and then swished it around with water to get down. in this pic i did them separately. YUCK.

but whatev. i got it down. the vanilla i just "babysat" it over about 3 miles i know for sure i cannto down a whole package in one take. it's gotta go down nice a slow.


GU Part 2

If you stash Gu in your bra- make sure it is in the middle so it doesn't not stab your breast till it looks like you had some work done. when i got in the shower post run my chest was stinging so bad. i looked down and it looks like was continuously jabbed with the edge of the GU packet.. which is maybe aluminum .. but yeah OUCH.

SHOES

at the end of my run my left foot was killing me. i thought i had maybe slightly fractured a bone or something.. just pain like i never had before.

when i got home i realized i ran WITH MISMATCHED SHOES!!!!

so make sure you aren't wearing your old pair- or half of one.


this is the actual course i took today. i went south instead of north on my usual Broadwalk route because it was cloudy and super windy.. so i chickened out and chose to run away from the rain and wind.

when i was getting close to home i had to circle around a bit to get to my goal of ten. i was determined to get to 10 damn miles. esp since when i was at about 4 i was hoping just for 8.


i'm already feeling it a bit in my calves. hoping i can walk tomorrow. but it was worth it!

the first big oooowwwwie

today i had my first - OH MY GOD I AM IN PAIN- moment during my run. i had about a mile left of my 5 mile run- and this god awful cramp/pain came 100% ...

felt like someone was stabbing my rib. i ran for as long as i could. but had to stop for about a minute or so. the pain subsided a bit and then i kept going at a slower pace.

not really sure what caused it- i did had a few nibbles of frozen banana before i left the house. but can't imagine it made my side hurt that bad. ....probably a bad side stitch....

but i do think i just CANNOT eat before a run. i need AT LEAST an hour head start with food.

i am going to try some gel/goo during my long run tomorrow. i hope it doesn't cause the same effect.

eh.

happy 30th mindy!!!

i think this is a dude on this cake. but you know - it's cute. and you're cuter. and 30. and a runner!!

i remember the first b'day we spent together. we were learning how to crochet. now we are running miles after miles!!!

loves it. and love you!!!!!

remember, she aint no quitter

Sarah Palin Quits Turkey Trot 5K Race In Kennewick, Washington

Sarah Palin dropped out of a 5k race on Thanksgiving Day in Kennewick, Wash. The former vice presidential candidate and Alaska Governor quit the race because she wanted to avoid the crowds that were waiting for her at the end, according to The Tri-Cities Herald.

Palin was 1 of about 3,000 participants. The paper reported that her presence drew a "mass of onlookers." Palin announced that she would be running the race on Twitter.

The former Republican vice-presidential candidate visited nearby Richland, Wash., to spend the holiday with relatives. She said it's good to be back in the Tri-Cities to reconnect with "the roots." Her grandparents, Clem and Helen Sheeran, came to Richland in 1943.

hot synthetics

mindy- by the way you lookin mighty cute in that spandex.

never looked better!

half of a half

our turkey trot 10k has come and gone. this is my take on it!

CARBO LOADING

the night before i hung out with my fellow racer, uncle chucky, and dined on red wine, oysters and jambalaya. it was awesome. however, the last time i ate such food probably was two thanksgivings ago. luckily, i had no effects the next day. the thought of day old seafood revisiting me during a run is something a bit terrifying.

me and uncle chucky post race

ON YOUR MARKS

my prep started at 6AM when i got up and noticed i had a cough with some congestion. uh oh. i luckily was able to score tussin of some sort to go along with my oatmeal with walnuts and raisins.

the night before i neatly laid out all of my running gear and was able to get ready quickly.

• pants
• top/sports bra/red hoody
  
• ipod/headphones/holster/nike fit
• heart rate monitor/watch
• shoes/socks

GET SET

i arrived to the race at 730. mid 50s. humid. chilly. i was relieved at the lack of rain as i waited for the rest of my crew- mindy lu, annie and uncle chucky.

when mindy arrived i ran to give her a big ol hug. it was totally awesome to see her!! this was the first time i have seen her in - at least- a year. it was a great first hug.

we made our way to starting line and hung out in the back. as i was tinkering with the gadgets strapped onto me and making pre-race small talk - out of nowhere- we were off. not much of a heads up or any loud noise indicating the race had begun.


GO!

we all started side by side, my uncle cracking jokes about getting a room at the local hospital- and mindy and i laughing just at the fact we had made it this far. we were runners. but most laughter came from the fact that we were jamming out to lil wayne and abba at the start of our race.

eventually, we all got our own pace and slowly separated.


THE RACE

tuesday i bought new padded inserts for my shoes and had not had a chance to break them in till the race. not the best idea. my feet were a bit burning the first few miles in addition to tight calves. i usually am pretty miserable to first few miles but that day was like no other.

the terrain was not my favorite. it was almost ALL TRAILS. the route had lots of turns and tight areas with not a lot of passing room and wet mud trenches -making everyone look at the ground while running instead of the lovely foliage that was surrounding us.

the route

about half way into the race i saw a deer maybe 50 feet away that was injured and kept trying to jump over a chain link fence. however, it never made it over the fence and kept ramming its face into the fence causing it to bleed more and more. my hand covered my mouth in shock of this crazy man vs nature event. you could tell other runners had the same dilemma of "do i help or keep going?"

we kept going.

right after that - my right food landed right in a nice pile of mud - i was in at least 3-4 inches deep. ahhhhh. keep going......

THE FINAL STRETCH

the last few miles was void of any real craziness which allowed my runner's high to finally set in.

i would pick small goals along the way (people) and make it my goal to pass them. the mother with the stroller, the guy with one arm, the gal who was my age- pass, pass, pass. it was awesome to be near the end, going faster, while feeling awesome like i could go for miles and miles more.

when i saw mile five that was it. i went to my go to britney tune and bolted. getting my pace under a 10 minute mile i was banging it out. i crossed the finish line at 1 hour 6 minutes. we didn't have chips to get the exact time- so i'm pretty certain i can shave off 30 seconds. also, the distractions of the course added a minute or so as well.

overall, it was a great race and day. so glad to see mindy and celebrate half way thru our training.

we ran half of our half- and just 60 more days to the whole half!

team 13.1 katie, mindy, annie-- still looking hot after 6.2 miles

Run Katie Run!

Our Turkey Trot is in a few hours! Race day jitters are kicking in. Last night, I made a list last night of things to do this morning. Would you believe I wrote "Get Dressed"????
As to not embarrass myself I suppose!

I can't wait to see you Katie Poo! Its been so long; I can't remember the last time.
I'm thankful to have an old friend to run with today!
See you soon.

Starting of the Bucket List

My big 3-0 is only a few days away and its got me thinking. What are my goals for the next decade? the next 5 years? the next year? My education & career is central to my plans and dreams. The rest of my plans are orbiting around acupuncture and herbs.

Here's what I'm working on:

By 31-at least 2 half marathon (Miami and maybe one in the fall) 10 minute mile (or faster!)consistently

By Graduation (January 2012)-a marathon! a century bike ride!
The century bike ride is by far more daunting than a marathon. I could run for 5 hours, but I'm not sure I could sit on a bike and pedal for that long. The right bike is a must; maybe a graduation present to myself?

By 35-IRONMAN. I really want to do an Ironman. Once I do my first marathon, I'll feel confident enough to start training. The conflict comes with the seeming opposition to my career goals. I want to focus 100% on my practice. I can't decide if training for an Ironman would be a distraction or help me push my limits & stay focused. While the next few years unfold, I'll have a better idea.

The looming 3-0

I'll be 30 soon. Real soon. 2 weeks, and a day. Last December, I made a list of To-Dos before the end of my 29s. Run a 10K (I'll check that off on Thursday), get a kitten (Pepita!) and get a(nother) tattoo. Visit Fab in Denver was on the list too. I didn't get there, due to some non-list items that happened-mainly starting Acupuncture school and my lil' sis having a baby.

This year, I'm going to make a delineated list: one year, post graduation (2 years) and five years. A biggie (after graduation and getting licensed) is to do an Ironman! This maybe the first time I've expressed this idea; its a big word to wrap my mouth around. Ironman! By 35. Sounds good.

My school work is priority right now, and while I will continue to train for shorter events, tackling an Ironman must wait a few years. AND I'll be better fit to take it on!

I'll be working on that list and post it by New Years! Happy Monday.

retro lu and poo

this is us WAYYYYY before (circa 2005-2007 pics here).... neither of us were runners at this point. we would run to el indio for some awesome tacos. but that's about it.

maggie got married

pretty sure we were singing "hurts so good" by john cougar

mindy gave me a brownie for my birthday!

party at my old apt

a little busted but cute

we like to party (reunion with fab and tara)

major partying off the green line...dc!!

very excited to see what our racing pics will look like--- two years after this hotness.