We interrupt this whinging to bring you very important porn.
Stuart Weitzman Sashay
Why, ZAPPOS, why? I go to your site to look for flats for my poor sad feet, and this is what you greet me with? do you want me to never run again? WELL DO YOU?
/rant
The agony of defeet
The foot problem is not getting better. I ended up cutting my 5 miler short last night (although I still made myself finish four miles, because I am all about being miserable).
My right foot was hurting, and then I started getting stabby pains up & down my right shin, and THEN my right quad started cramping up (not in a “I ran fast on Sunday & my quads are a bit sore way” more like a “ARGGHHHH!!!! cramp in the middle of the night wakes you up & causes you to do bodily harm to your sleeping partner(s)” kind of way).
I turned around about 1.75 miles into the run (or, about .75 miles short of the planned turnaround), walked a bit, and ran back to the car (and then around in a big circle to get that last 1/2 mile). My leg isn’t sore today, but my foot is still really, really sore. I haven’t worn heels all week, and today I am wearing some orthopedic looking flats, and my foot still feels too big for the shoe.
I have two problems (okay, three problems) with this.
1. I have a hilly 15K this weekend that I must PR. I didn’t run the race last year due to an unfortunate combination of vomit & monsoon.
2. I have a marathon in 7.5 weeks, and last time I checked, feet are super important for completing marathons (I don’t think I can get the foot amputated, get a prosthetic fitted, get my photo taken for the cover of Runner’s World, and learn how to run on my faux-foot in 7.5 weeks).
3. I hate clunky flat shoes, and my feet look ridiculous. That is not a real problem, I know.
So, people – thoughts? Suggestions? New shoes? Go ahead w/ the amputation? Should I run tomorrow, or just not run until Sunday’s race? Should I resign myself to a life of no more running & just start eating cookies for the inevitable fattening?
I think I need an amputation…
Seriously, y’all (and you know it’s seriously when I break out the “y’alls”).
The normal blisters have all been popped and are healing.
The blood blisters are still gross, and mildly painful – something worse than this but not as bad as this (scroll down if you’re brave).
BUT – something I really didn’t notice until yesterday? There is something wrong with my right foot, right along the outside edge towards the base of the pinkie toe. It is red & swollen, like it got pinched in a door (it didn’t). Yesterday, I wore my running shoes to work, and even they were too tight and had to be removed. Last night I wore flip-flops out to dinner! In public! And those that know me know that’s almost as likely as going out for dinner in ratty sweats. It is just not done (by me).
So – when the Ambitious One let me know she wouldn’t be making our run last night, I was so relieved. I gave my foot one more day to recover – especially since I have a race this weekend (a race that I WILL PR).
I swam this morning (1200 yds in 32:40, which is 3.5 minutes faster than my fastest 1200 so far!), and am again wearing running shoes. It doesn’t seem quite so bad today. I am running tonight after work.
I bought four new pairs of socks on Monday, and am giving them all a go this week. I bought these:
But my toes are so stupid, that I think I can’t run in these. I have the stubbiest toes on the planet, and can’t properly fill out the toe spaces in these socks (first time in forever I haven’t been able to properly fill something out…..I’m a whiz at forms! ha! you went somewhere else with that, didn’t you?), and think that I would end up with more blisters because of that issue.
I also bought a pair of Smart Wool micro thin running socks (my current faves), some Wright socks (I’ve heard such good things) and Teko socks.
I think I also need to see if maybe my feet have changed and that my go-to shoe is no longer right for me. Perhaps I just need a sedan-chair and some strong, oiled chair bearers.
Training Goals: 3/8/10 – 3/14/10
The recap:
Goals – 3/1 – 3/7
Monday: swim – SUCCESS! I did 1,000 yards in the pool after work, even though I desperately wanted to skip it & just go home.
Tuesday: 5 miler with the Ambitious One and Running Stories. – SUCCESS! Five speedy miles (51:06 for a 10:13 average, and I didn’t even feel worn out at that pace).
Wednesday: swim + track workout – FAIL! Work was heinous on Wednesday, and I didn’t have time to do anything. Also, I was so tired Wednesday morning that I skipped the swim in favor of another 1.5 hours of sleep.
Thursday: AM weights; PM being brave & going to a networking event – SUCCESS! I got up & headed to the gym at 5:40 AM, then went to work, worked my ass off for many, many hours, then went to the event ALL BY MYSELF with bravery! I got home that night about 8:30 PM. That was a loooooooooong day.
Friday: trail run – SUCCESS! I did 9.5 miles on the trails, and ended up with exactly a 12 minute mile average – my fastest trail run this year!
Saturday: weights + bike – hmmmm….FAIL? I went to yoga instead, so I did get a 90 minute session in, but didn’t get the plan done. Yoga felt so good, though, that I’m not sure if it’s really a fail. SUCCAIL!
Sunday: long run – 14-15 miles. – SUCCESS! This was a fantastic 14 miler in Forest Park. I had the fastest long run average I’ve had this year (and quite possibly ever, but I’ll have to look at the 15 miler I did with Junk Miles last year – that was pretty speedy, too).
The splits (because I’m ridiculously proud) of the run I did with my faster kick-ass neighbor.
(Note: miles 1-6 are a net uphill)
Mile 1: 10:57
Mile 2: 10:54
Mile 3: 10:26
Mile 4: 11:13
Mile 5: 10:42
Mile 6: 10:54
Mile 7: 10:20 (downhill to the turnaround)
Mile 8: 11:21
Mile 9: 10:23
Mile 10: 10:02 (we are getting ready to be done)
Mile 11: 10:24
Mile 12: 10:18
Mile 13: 10:47
Mile 14: 9:09 (woo!)
Miles 1-7: 1:15:26, average pace of 10:46
Miles 8-9: 1:12:31, average pace of 10:27
Overall: 14 miles in 2:27:57, average pace of 10:34.
Gotta love the negative split (that comes with 7 miles of downhill!) Go us! WOO!
Goals – 3/8 – 3/14
Monday: rest day
Tuesday: Terwilliger run with the Ambitious One – last one before Sunday’s Shamrock!
Wednesday: swim + run
Thursday: AM weights + yoga
Friday: AM run (I have to work on Friday! the horror! Only a 2-day weekend!)
Saturday: yoga + bike
Sunday: Shamrock run. I am going for a 15K PR. My last time was 1:38:06, a 10:31 pace. I think I can beat that. BUT, if my feet don’t stop being stupid & covered with blisters, I don’t know if I’ll make. Seriously – right now I could win an ugliest foot contest. Blood blisters + regular blisters + grossness! Today I am buying new socks and am switching to my new shoes tomorrow.
Goal: 4 runs, 1 weight,1 swim, 1 bike + 2 yoga
March Goals
These are a day late, because I had to post weekly goals yesterday. I am just a goal making FOOL! I tell you!
The recap:
February 2010 Goals
- Lose four pounds. I think this is doable! – I think I sent the wrong message to the universe. I think I was reading somewhere that in The Secret, you have to send only positive words to the universe or something like that. The universe does not understand negative words, like lose. Which might explain why I actually GAINED EXACTLY FOUR POUNDS this month. Which sucks. So, if anyone has any ideas on how to tell the universe what I actually meant, let me know. FAIL!
- Hit minimum workouts: Six strength training, four swims, four bikes, fourteen runs, two yoga. – I am going to call this an almost SUCCESS! I did five strength training sessions + two yard work sessions; three swims (so close! damn you, pool closure!); two bikes (main fail point); thirteen runs, and umm….zero yogas (I didn’t even use my free birthday Bikram pass! Bad Amy!). BUT – I book 25 workouts in 28 days, so yay?
- Get new garden plot dug. – damn, this month is not as success-y as I’d prefer. Umm…FAIL! But, it is staked out, and the boards for the raised beds are purchased. And it’s not like I need to get any tomatoes or peppers in the ground any time soon – there’s time.
- Spring clean the crap out of my house. – finally SUCCESS! The architect & I worked really hard, and while we’re not quite done with everything, we got a great start, and cleaned things that have maybe never been cleaned before (such as windows) and got a number of projects out of the way.
- Have a super fantastic 33rd birthday. – complete and total SUCCESS! Best birthday ever. I cannot even begin to tell you all how wonderful my week was. There was running with both members of the Ambitious Pi family, swimming with the Ambitious One, bloody marys after a trail run, hiking with the architect, drinks with my kick-ass neighbors, the best damn lemon cake that has ever been made (made from scratch! with lemon cream cheese frosting! the architect ROCKS!), and a drinky get together with almost all of my bestest friends. Honestly – I am happier now than I have ever been in my life, and this week really emphasized how lucky I am to be where I am right now.
Ahem – now that the mushy stuff is over – what about March?
March 2010 Goals
- Change the balance of liquid intake (i.e. more water, less beer).
- Have a 200 mile month (100 miles bike; 100 miles run)
- Clean out the closet of shame. (I will have pictures. I promise.)
- PR my Shamrock 15K (honestly, this should be doable)
- Better time management re: work and homework. I hate being a last minute person!
