Mileage is up and spirits are high!

And I'm back in the game!! The last two weeks I've been able to log 25-30 Miles per week which is where I needed to be to start adding for the marathon training. I've been running through my pain and its really continuing to help my symptoms.

So in true race training form, I've made a spreadsheet!! I have somewhere around 14 weeks until race day and I have to make them count. This is week 2 of my spreadsheet and I've not missed a beat yet! As long as we can keep my symptoms at bay and my mind on track I'm certainly up for this challenge.

I must take some time to vent though. Its still HOT!! I'm ready for cooler weather and less humidity!! At this point, I'd take one of those two. They don't even have to come in pairs!! This week has been decent at 6am (somewhere in the high sixties) but give me a break already God! I'd also like to point out that taking off at 6am, its pitch black outside now. I'd like to be able to run in the daylight so cooler temps are what I'm begging for.

I signed B and I up for a 10k Sept 17 to kick off our running season! Fingers crossed for those cooler temps. I'd like to PR this race if I can.

Recap of last week or so:
Today: 5 miles
Yesterday: Rest Day
Sunday: 8 miles
Saturday: Rest Day
Friday: 3 Miles
Thursday: Rest Day
Wednesday: 6 Miles
Tuesday: 5 miles
Monday: 5.5 Miles

Now that I"m caught up on the blog perhaps I can stick with posting on it!!

No Answers.....More Waiting.... But More Running too!!

All this waiting will drive a woman crazy!! Still no answers on my "recent" health problems. I say "recent" because we're getting close to the two month mark on the symptoms. My rash has gone away and the prednisone the doctor prescribed about a month ago really helped calm a lot of my symptoms. Now I have good days and I have bad days (for a while there, they were all bad). For instance, on Tuesday I was tired and hurting so bad that I was crying but today I was able to work 8 hours and run 5.5 miles. Also, most of the joint pain has settled into my hands and elbows and isn't so severe in my knees and hips anymore. This really helps with being able to keep running. You take what life give you I suppose.

On a very positive note, I have found that the more I run the better I feel (if I listen to my body and rest when I'm tired). Best of all, on the days when I run, my symptoms are less severe. So I'll keep pressing on and listening to what my body tells me.

I was able to get an appointment with a rheumatologist on September 16 so fingers crossed (if I were capable of crossing my fingers right now) that I get some answers. Until then, I'll just keep trying to take care of myself as best as I can.
So as far as I know I'm back on track with the running. Last week I did 25 miles (almost what I was up to pre-half marathon in the Spring) and this week I'm right at 16 right now and looking to get in 10-12 more for the week. I may actually bust out of my shell on Saturday and show up to run with the local running club. I'm getting rather tired of my reclusiveness (is that a word?).

Waiting for answers

The silence on my blog has been deafening. Last week was a bit of a battle for me. Running was almost next to impossible and I was happy to do 3 miles three different days last week. I was so sure I was being sidelined with an injury. My joints were achy and I was exhausted for no apparent reason. What I thought was poison ivy progressively got worse and now has spread over my entire midsection, back, shoulders and my ass. Needless to say I'm in a bit of a miserable, itchy state.

Needing answers and once again being overcome with a migraine (for the third time in a week), I sought a professional opinion. The first question out of the doctor's mouth was "does anyone in your family have Lupus?" The panic set in. I have watched my mother struggle with this disease for years. I've watched her be in pain, I've watched her be worn out, and I've watched her go through the struggle of finding a treatment that helped her have a normal, happy life (which she does now). This was not a question I wanted to hear.

They took 7 vials of my blood today for the tests and I have to wait 3 weeks for some answers. It comforts me to know that my "injury" probably is not running related but it scares me to death that it might be this disease that I don't know much about (and apparently neither do doctors). I'm going to take things one day at a time and I'm probably going to have to take the week off from running. The only thing my body wants to do right now is sleep.

I'm praying that I get answers and I'm praying that its something else that's easy to fix. I have to remind myself to live life one day at a time because I tend to panic over the unknown.

Excuses, Excuses

I'm a huge believer in not running through an injury. That's why I've been off of running since Thursday. After my 4.5 miles on Thursday an annoying and persistant ache in my groin returned. I really have no clue what it is but it keeps coming back and if this 3 day break from activity doesnt make it go away I have to go see a doctor. Tomorrow is 20 weeks until Marathon day and supposed to be Day 1 of my formal training program. I can not afford a set back. Time off drives me crazy even though I know its better to let your body heal.

The need for speed.

For my entire running life, I've been slow. Like turtle slow. We're talking 11-13 minute miles. But lately I've noticed something over the past few months.....I'm getting faster (YAY). But with this new realization I'm finding that I really dont know how to pace myself for my long runs. Yesterday I did 8.5 miles at an average pace of 11 minutes per mile but when I plugged my Garmin in to look at the data, my last mile was run at an 8 minute pace!! Obviously I'm not running a consistent speed and I must find a way to work on this..........

Lazy ass

The little demon of guilt has been sitting on my shoulders all week. I have a hard time not feeling defeated and completely guilty every time I take a day off, especially if its not scheduled. Last night my husband and I dared to go to dinner with some friends and have some resemblance of a social life. BIG MISTAKE. Our puppy apparently felt neglected and chose to keep us up from 2am on. We spent the evening getting up to let him out and going back to bed for 5 hours. Needless to say, after only 3 solid hours of sleep I felt like a walking zombie. The scheduled long run was shelved until tomorrow. I know I will get it done but I still feel so guilty for taking off. I guess this is compounded by the fact that I took off Thursday due to a terrible migraine.

I ran 5 mile yesterday, what the fuck did you do?

26.2 miles? On foot? Why? Am I insane?

I'm terrified of a number. 26.2 to be exact. I can hardly even wrap my brain around it. So please tell me why the fuck did I sign up to run my first marathon?

Because I'm not a pussy, that's why. I've been talking about it since I finished my last half at the end of April. I've supposedly been training for it for the last 3 weeks. I just had not taken the plunge and actually signed up and paid for it. If I pay for it, you can bet your sweet ass that I'm going to run it and do my best to finish it. I've ran 13.1 two different times, that equals 26.2 so I've already run the distance (kinda).

Let's see where this damn journey takes me. Common sense be damned.

I haven't ran anything today, what the fuck have you done? (In my defense, its my rest day and I had to be at work at 6am and then worked an hour and a half late and its hot as hell outside. Might get some yoga in.)