Gait analysis...disclaimer picture is not me!

Following some painful foot issues, I decided to get a gait analysis done before I go to a doctor. So, I went to Quantum Feet, the only running shop in Queens REMOTELY close to me. They set me up with the treadmill and camera and everything and had me walk barefoot. Well, the results came quickly and made sense:

1. I walk/run on the outside of my foot like most people. My shoes are too small, most likely causing the pain.

2. I have a regular-high arch. I was wearing a shoe for someone with no arch, providing TOO MUCH stability. I need a "no support" shoe.

3. My shoes were too heavy for my feet.

4. Because my shoes were too small, my consistent blisters now made sense.

I then tried on a couple of different shoes, and these were the winners:

The Nike+ Pegasus 27's. I ran around the block and they felt great; however, my foot still didn't feel right. The owner suggested I rest for 3 days (YET AGAIN UGHHH) and then come back and try them out again. Nice. She could have taken the, "Get these shoes now to fix your feet" route, but she took the "wait and see" route, the road less traveled for sales people.

My thoughts: I agree. After my knee soreness, I was light on my right leg while running, most likely resulting in a heavier load on my left foot/leg, and the foot pain definitely could've been the result. Also, those shoes were REALLY comfy and felt right. I've always thought my shoes were heavy but stable; these shoes showed me they don't have to be heavy. I'm hoping by Sunday I will be able to run again with some new shoes!

Plus side: They're only $90. That's significantly lower than I thought they would be. There's only one problem with the shoe: It's UNC Blue. The color is even called, "University Blue". This Uconn girl is going to have to swallow some serious pride.

Now, as for relaxing and not freaking out about training for a marathon...I'm going to have to avoid some serious not-running depression...

Cool as a cucumber.

Cool as a cucumber

So I've been a little anxious. Ok Like A LOT anxious. It's about this little marathon hope and dream I have. October 9, 2010 isn't coming any slower, and I'm facing another hurdle to jump over. My knee is pretty much back to normal. No real pain, maybe SLIGHTLY sore after a run but I've continued to ice it. My latest anxiety-inducing situation? A sore foot. And now, I'm not talking sore like my knee, I'm talking slicing a knife through the middle of my foot sore. According to Runners World, I've narrowed it down to either tendinitis or planters fasciitis. Either way, I'm not happy. I've never, repeat NEVER, had an injury in my 7+ years of running. Now two within two weeks. Here are the answers to what you may be thinking...

1. No, I'm not training EXTRA hard. (I've run way more than this consistently)

2. No, my shoes have never been a problem. Ran a 1/2 marathon in them in April and I think they still have some miles in them.

3. Nothing happened that I can think of to cause my sudden foot handicap.

4. It hurts more when I walk then when I run.

5. I've been icing it since the pain started and taking aleve.

So, I have decided I need to be cool as a cucumber. Take the Lambeau approach to life. Instead of laying awake at night wondering if I can run a marathon, I need to believe I can do it. Instead of being sad and wanting to give up completely, I need to be proactive.

So, today I will go and get my gate analyzed at a running store. I've never done this, but it's the most positive and proactive thing I can think of to do.

Cool as a cucumber. Let's give this a try.

go go go!

After my 8 miler yesterday, I've actually felt pretty good knee wise. So, as a recovery, I was going to do another lake swim, but was sadly too tired to get there by 7:30am. Instead, I did my laps in my parent's pool. Cool, right? Well, it's 5 laps for every 1 lap in a 50m pool, there's a lot of turning and stopping, turning and stopping. And I don't push off the ends so I don't cheat myself out of any strokes etc. Well, I did 150 laps today! aka, 32 laps in a 50m pool...aka 1 mile! Eek! I wasn't tired till about lap 20, which I usually only do 20-24 laps, but I decided to try it out today. Oddly enough, it was wicked hot today so the pool was a logical recovery tool...but I didn't get thirst swimming! I actually had to use the bathroom because I was drinking water as a precaution! This NEVER happens to me, especially in the heat!

And, as the picture shows, I had my nephew Evan in the pool while I was swimming trying to distract me, play with me, and cheer me on saying "Go! Go! Go!" Gosh he's cute. (My sister was in the pool with him, I did not leave a toddler in the pool unsupervised!!!) Isn't my swimsuit funny though? Yea, that's my "tanning" bikini. My lovely husband told me he packed my lap swimming suit, and it's no where to be found in our belongings. He's camping for the weekend with a friend, out of cell phone range and everything. So I was left to swim in a "fashionable" suit. Not recommended. Can be done, but still not recommended!

But hey, it matched my cap and goggles.

Good luck to all you long runners this weekend! And a special shout out to my friend Heather who is doing her FIRST EVER Ironman Triathalon in Lake Placid tomorrow! GOOD LUCK!

Running with an old friend

I ran with an old friend today. Her name is Missy (Far Right). This is us the day before my wedding going to get spray tanned...when she gave me wrong directions and I ended up driving 15 minutes out of the way only to drive 15 minutes back and then 10 minutes further with the CORRECT directions ;-) No stress no stress. Missy has been my neighbor and friend, for well, forever, and she is a barrell of laughs. Her brother is my age so we were friends, and she is my sister Kate's age so they were friends (Kate is next to Missy above), but over the years we've all become friends! Missy has run a few half marathons and endless 10 and 5k's, she was my first running friend. So when I told her I wanted to partner up for a long run today, she said "Yes, but I'm slow." I'M ALWAYS THAT PERSON! She kept saying I could run ahead because she was running a bit slower, but hey, I didn't mind, it was my first run in a week! And what a day to run, I'll tell ya. 72 degrees, a bit humid, but overcast and no sun. I haven't sweat that little since March! We talked about family, school, work, life, it was fabulous. Running with friends is so satisfying, I forgot about my college years when I would catch up with friends like Joy, Katie, Ruth and Amanda. Thanks for the run Little Missy! 8 miles was never so much fun!!! ;-D

Today, running was FUN. Running was RELAXED. Running was RUNNING. I think that week off did some good attitude adjustments...it's not got to, it's get to. My knee is ok, a little sore, but I describe as an "annoying pain" rather than a "painful pain". My Marathon friend thinks it could be tendanitis, but we'll see.

On another note: I'll be changing my commenting options. Please look at the previous post and the comment left. It's some Asian blog, and they leave 2-3 comments on each of my posts, most likely links that lead to porn or Asian dating services (From the first one I did follow the links of). I report them every time and delete them, but how stinkin ANNOYING!? So, if you're not a follower, become one, because I'm going "Spam Commenting Free"! ;-)

Lack of running = sadness.

But isn't this sign cute?! Bri and I went to the Hamptons this weekend to see my friend Lyss. It was fabulous. The day started out with going around town, getting coffee at "The Golden Pear" (Apparently celebs frequent this adorable little cafe) and a garden store. Hence the sign above! I really want to make one like this for myself...the $110 price tag kept me from making the purchase that day ;-) We went to the beautiful beach, and ended with delicious food at their house on the bay...and a sunburn!

Running Recap: On Thursday I went on a 5 mile run, and it felt great. It was barely 75 degrees and low humidity. Like WOOHOO I'm running in the 8 minute mile range and not feeling like I'm going to die from heat exhaustion! I keep going...and going...and then mile 3 my knee felt bad. Again. UGH. (Time was 50:13 with walking every mile and getting stuck at a few crosswalks, so I still was in 9:00+ish minute miles, a pleasant surprise despite soreness :-(

My knee is just not doing well, and I haven't run since Thursday. Four days. Yup. Like a caged animal. DOUBLE ugh. I was feeling so good in training, that this comes as a huge letdown. I've been swimming a bit, but mainly I've been icing and resting. I. Don't. Like. It. But I'm on husband's orders to rest and relax because if I'm going to do a marathon, I have to be 100% healthy. I may try it out tomorrow but I've definitely been keeping up with my swimming. I've never been injured minus soreness here and there, so this scares and depresses me.

In the words of my runner landlord:

"You run to run. If you end early one day because it hurts or you're tired, you get to run another day. Run till you're 90." - A Wise Greek Dentist who runs

Long run weekend with an added bonus!

So yesterday was my long run of 7 miles. (I'm doing the Novice I training program by Hal Higdon.) Although I was really excited to get those miles under my feet (Because I said if I didn't run 7 miles within the next two weeks I was DONE-ZO!), it was REALLY humid. Like taste in your mouth humid. No. Bueno. BLECH. But my sister the triathlete invited me to swim at Crystal lake (pictured above) with some ladies Saturday morning. Hmmm. Long run....lake swim...could be interesting...

So I did the swim. 7:30am arrival, swam for a 1/2 mile. I didn't really feel winded; I gave it about 75% because I was scared of getting tired and not being able to finish! I could tell swimming this whole week REALLY helped. I've swam everyday since Tuesday, and I've been keeping up with my running schedule. Sweet. There's a first time for everything...and it's called SUMMER TIME!

The run, well, that's another story. About 1.5 miles in my knee felt funky, and so I felt like I had to "pop it" (Crack it) like I have in the past. But it wouldn't crack. So I kept going. My husband decided to bike my run with me. This was interesting. Talking to someone the whole time was distracting and difficult all at the same time. Also, I realized how I like to be by myself, because I don't have to tell anyone right, left, straight etc, or explain why I stopped to drink water ;-) Apparently I'm at my crankiest when I'm running! But in the end we both came out smiling thank goodness. 7 miles done. Slowly. Humidity was way intense and I didn't start until 9:30, which meant the sun was pretty stinkin strong! Thankfully we finished 15 minutes before a CRAZY wind/rain storm. What are your thoughts? I tried my hardest to run it out, but I couldn't seem to get my pace up in the heat. I figure 7 miles is 7 miles, distance and endurance are what matter most, right?

Question: Do you take protein? We've started making smoothies with protein. Apparently they're good for recovery. Thoughts?

Swimming and running!

I hope this picture is big enough. But this is the pool I swim in! (OF course I chose the best looking picture!) Anyway, I love swimming in this park! LOVE IT! It's right next to a bridge which is so funny to swim next to. It's like you forget you're in a city, take a breath while swimming freestyle, and bam there's a reminder!

I've also been running thankfully. I finally feel like I'm in motion again. Getting it all done in the morning also helps! But my oh my was it HOT! My car read 107 degrees two days ago, and in this concrete jungle, soooooey that's hot!

How have you been coping with the heat? I've only been doing major activity in the morning, and nothing big in the afternoon. And drinking a TON of water. TONS I tell you tons!

This is short and sweet. Have to go get ready for my tutoring job!!! I'm loving it, the kids are fun and it's encouraged that we have fun, so fun we shall have!