D.O.A.P.: 23 Weeks

Diary of a Prunner

 

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Sometimes this feels like such a lie.

I felt mostly lazy this week. I took some intentional rest days because of my shoulder and some unintentional rest days because life happens. It was an exciting running week for a lot of my friends. I had a few friends run the Boston Marathon and several who ran the Glass City Marathon. There were a lot of running firsts this week. Because I can't run, I thrive on hearing about my friends' runs and races.

• 4/18/16: REST. Day three of resting my shoulder. I was distracted most of the day by Boston Marathon coverage which was AMAZING! Can't wait for my chance to experience this iconic race.
• 4/19/16: REST. Day four of resting my shoulder.
  

  

  I was congratulating a cousin who just received her driver's license. I was reminding her to watch for pedestrians in crosswalks!

• 4/20/16: Chest and Back. I decided that four days of resting wasn't doing anything significant for my shoulder so I went to the gym. My shoulder usually feels good in the morning and horrible by late morning. Today, my beast session at the gym didn't seem to irritate it. As the day went on, even with crutching around at home, it didn't seem as irritated. Maybe those four days of rest did help! I also met some friends for lunch at Panera. Face time with them is good for the soul...especially when my face time is usually during a run.
• 4/21/16: Three week ortho follow-up. Dr. D says the fractures continue to heal as expected. My latest prognosis: three more weeks non weight bearing in boot, two weeks partial weight bearing (likely 50%) in some sort of supportive shoe. I'm not sure what this prognosis means regarding my job. I know I will have to be out of work for the three weeks of non weight bearing, but I'm unsure what will happen when I'm partial weight bearing. I wish I could say I was happy about all of this, but I held in the tears until I made it to my car.
  

  

  My gorgeous foot at my follow up appointment.

  
  
• 4/22/16: Shoulders. I could watch myself do shoulder press in single leg stance all day long...makes all my arm muscles pop out. LOL. My shoulder was feeling great again today! So happy that I rested those four days even though, at the time, I felt like it wasn't helping.
  

  

  It was a gorgeous day, and I'm blonde again!

• 4/23/16: REST. Now that sand volleyball is back in session, and I cannot run, Saturdays have turned into James day. We had an awesome day together.
  

  

  Trying to warm each other up while watching daddy play volleyball.

  Schneiders, park, lunch...we even watched a movie after daddy left for guys' night. James loves to go for walks with me using my scooter. He wants to hold my hand so I don't get ahead of him. LOVE!
  

  

  Movie time with my cutie!

• 4/24/16: REST. I didn't really want to rest, but the day was so busy. I was also having another one of my depression days. I broke out in a massive cry session four different times! It was bad.
  

  

  Me wishing I was wearing two shoes instead of one.

  

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How Far Along: 23 weeks, 5 days
 

What Baby Boo Deux is Up To: It moves a lot which is awesome.
      

Weight Gain: I decided I'm not going to weigh myself until I get off of crutches and can safely get on a scale.
   

Symptoms: I'm still getting some occasional nausea but unsure if it's pregnancy related.

 

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing different. I still don't drink coffee (not by choice).

Coming Up: 26 week follow up appointment with glucose test.

D.O.A.P.: 22 Weeks

Diary of a Prunner

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I'll just start by saying, I wouldn't be the "honest mother runner" if I didn't share exactly how I was feeling.

I'm tired of caring anymore. I'm sick of shit happening. I try to have a good attitude about my situation, but, every time I turn it around, something else stupid happens. This week, my shoulder pain has really become prominent. It has become reality that the lifting that I am able to do seems to be irritating it more than anything. The crutching around I have to do at home during the day irritates my shoulder like crazy. I might officially have to rest a few days from anything and hope it does some good. I have never felt more like a slob. I don't know how sedentary people survive. I can't play with my son, I can minimally help my husband. I just want to be able to mow my yard, go up my stairs the normal way, play gettty-up-horsey with my son...the list goes on. I'm tired of complaining, but what else is there to do?!

People try to change the subject and talk about the pregnancy. It works temporarily, but then I realize that being pregnant is only making this process more difficult for me to deal with. It makes me more fatigued, it makes me feel more like a slob, and my growing belly makes activities more difficult. I do get a smile on my face when I feel the baby move. :) Anyway, here's my week:

• 4/11/16: Chest and back workout .I hurt my shoulder Sunday evening after losing my balance while walking with the crutches. In order to avoid hitting my injured leg, I had to fall backwards. I tried to stop my fall with my hands. It didn't do much for me, and I landed smack dab on my back. Fortunately, the hubs hadn't put the huge package of toilet paper in the closet yet so my head was saved by the soft tissue. Doing chest and back today didn't irritate my shoulder so all was good.
  

  

  This was the same day that it was raining and I couldn't get into the gym without getting crazy wet. I sat in my car for about 45 minutes before I had a break in the weather.

• 4/12/16: REST. My shoulder was still bothering me when I woke up so I decided to give it a break today. I had a couple of appointments in the morning, including my OB appt., so I had plenty of action in the morning. I also did quite a bit of housework that afternoon and evening. I was pretty exhausted by then end of the day. My OB was concerned about blood clots forming in my injured leg. He mentioned putting me on a blood thinner, but agreed that I would be ok if I removed the boot every three hours and did some ankle pumps.
• 4/13/16: Another horrible day for me (minus the two hours that Dani came over to help with grocery shopping and floor cleaning). I did a few things around the house, but didn't hit up the gym. I had a huge migraine. I really wanted to workout and get in the pool, but I was too depressed to make it happen. When the hubs got home, he had a "plan" for the evening. We used one of our gift cards to eat at Rusty Bucket, had family time at the pool, and topped it all off with Whit's Wednesday.  My headache never went away, and I cried myself to sleep, but at least the entire day wasn't a bust.
  

  

  When you're feeling depressed, you go to Smashburger and bring your food to the park so you can enjoy the sun.

• 4/14/16: Shoulder workout. I woke up and my right shoulder felt much better. I decided I would try a shoulder workout but keep the resistance on the lighter side to prevent irritating it.
  

  

  I was having a happy day. 

• 4/15/16: Bis and Tris. The hubs invited me to the gym for his lunch break. My shoulder was bothering me so I had to decrease my resistance a little.
  

  

  Extremely sarcastic smile. I was trying to baby my shoulder.

• 4/16/16: REST. This was an intentional rest day. My shoulder was bothering me, and Jimmy had volleyball that morning so I needed so stay home and watch little man. That evening, James spent the night with Grandma Joan so Jimmy and I did what we could to celebrate our anniversary. My shoulder was throbbing from all of the crutching around that afternoon and evening.
• 4/17/16: I wanted to workout but the little bit of crutching I had to do did me in. Ugh. Stupid shoulder.
  

  

  Every year on our anniversary, I take a family picture. Sophie didn't make the cut because she jumped off the couch. Angel almost didn't make it!

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I've missed two weeks of baby updates! Oops.

How Far Along: 22 weeks, 5 days

What Baby Boo Deux is Up To: There is a lot more movement which is exciting. My follow up appointment was on Tuesday and Baby Boo Deux's heart rate was 142 bpm.
     

Weight Gain: ? Starting weight: 112 lbs., Current weight:  ?  (I haven't weighed myself in 2-3 weeks. Right now, it's hard to get on a scale so I'll likely not weigh myself until I can bear weight through my leg.
  

Symptoms: I've had some random nausea but that typically comes when I haven't eaten. My self care skills haven't been top notch lately.

Cravings/Aversions: I've tried coffee with creamer a few times, but it still doesn't tickle my fancy. So annoying.
    

Coming Up: 26 week follow up appointment with glucose test.

D.O.A.P. : 21 Weeks

Diary of a Prunner

 

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I'm trying to change my attitude this week. I cannot allow myself to sit all day long despite my limitations. There is always SOMETHING to do. Right now, it seems that "swimming" will be my only hope of getting cardio until I'm weight bearing. I put swimming in quotes because I don't actually swim. I have no swimming skill or talent, but I can kick my legs and hold onto one of those boards! I also thought about pool running. I'll just have to see what the doc says.

This face describes how I felt after leaving the gym on Monday.

Another goal for this week was to try my best to do normal activities like clean and cook. These tasks are so much harder to perform and require a lot of rest breaks, but they do allow me to feel more normal. I also had the opportunity to meet some friends for social time this week. Coffee dates, lunch dates...I even had a couple of friends drop off dinner. I know some good people.

 

• 4/4/16: Went to The Y for some lifting. Chest and Biceps. I don't usually lift those two groups together but it was easy for me to do all of those from the bench when I hadn't really had a plan in my head of what I was going to do. I was extremely self conscious about going in with my knee walker. I knew I needed to use it to be able to carry the dumbbells from the rack to the bench. I went all out and used the handicap buttons to open the doors. A lot of the senior citizens asked me what happened and asked to race me on the indoor track. I tried not to wonder what people were thinking about my one leg and my pregnant belly. Hopefully the thoughts were more positive than negative.
  

  

  I received this note of encouragement from my friend, Megan, Monday evening.

• 4/5/16: 21 minutes on arm bike. I was hoping this would have more of a cardiovascular effect on me, but it did not. Bummer. I guess I just need to keep hoping for the opportunity to hit up the pool. Two more days until I find out if I get a boot instead of a splint.
• 4/6/16: 15 minutes on arm bike ( I wanted to give it another chance), lifted back and triceps. The good thing about having one functional leg is that I can increase the intensity of some of these exercises by performing them in single leg stance. I really felt the heart pumping when I did some of these exercises today.
  

  

  Just me, my splint, my scooter, and a dumbbell. One-legged lifting is my life.

• 4/7/16: REST. I had my ortho appointment today. They took x-ray images and said that my foot was aligned appropriately and healing as expected. I was able to get out of the splint and into a boot. I'll still be non weight bearing "for a while," but the boot gives me freedom to take a real shower. I am dying to wash my hair the real way! I asked Dr. D if I could get in the pool to workout and he said I could as long as I minimized the intensity of kicking. Guess I'll have to learn how to swim with my arms! I noticed that resting from the gym did give me a lot more energy to move around the house. I'm counting the things I do at home as exercise! I still have to take frequent rest breaks, but it's worth feeling normal by cooking and doing chores as tolerated.
  

  

  My foot at my ortho appointment. The sausage-like features have decreased slightly. Still very tender and bruised.

• 4/8/16: Pool, lifted shoulders. My main goal for the pool today was to not die when going from my parked knee walker to the actual pool. I survived! My foot is very tender. I couldn't do a whole lot with it in the pool. I did a lot of hopping on my right leg to get the heart rate going in addition to some leg exercises. It wasn't hard to stay non weight bearing because my foot hurt enough to remind me not to do it. It was nice to get in the pool and let my foot have some freedom from the boot. The cool water felt really good and relaxed me a bit.
• 4/9/16: REST. Bad day. No other way to put it. I was extremely depressed. All I wanted to do was stay curled up on my couch with my heavy boot on. I didn't care to move, eat, drink...I was a complete disaster. I couldn't stop thinking about how it had been 11 DAYS since I put BOTH of my feet in a pair of running shoes so that my heart rate could increase for at least 6 miles. I seriously was at my lowest point since the accident. I was supposed to attempt swimming with my friend, Theresa, and cancelled on her because I hated my life. I hated that I couldn't be my best. I hated that I was mostly dependent on others. This was a stupid day.
• 4/10/16: Lifted biceps and triceps. My arms should be sexy at the end of all of this! Ha! I'm trying to make my heart rate increase by balancing on my good leg while performing the different exercises. Gotta love a good single leg stance.
  

  

  These ladies turned a horrible Saturday into a forgotten waste of a day. I met up with these beauties on Sunday for some face time and conversation. I have the best friends. [From left to right: Christine, Dani, Marion, ME, Theresa, Amanda, Megan, and Jackie]

D.O.A.P.: 20 Weeks

Diary of a Prunner

 

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I'm not the only one crippled in my house. Poor little Angel has one more week of no activity. She can start minimal walking next week!

My regulars know what happened to me this week on 3/30. If you don't, HERE IT IS. I  fully intend on continuing to document my journey to stay fit despite my break from running. This is what I accomplished prior to the accident:

 

• 3/28/16: REST. Second day in a row. I can't remember the last time I did that. I set my alarm but didn't want to get up because I would have been solo and that didn't sound fun. I brought clothes to run after work, but I was hating the wind today and used that as an excuse. Reality? I wasn't motivated in any form or fashion to run.
• 3/29/16: 6.13 miles, 8:55 average pace. I joined Tracey and Lindsay for Tracey's race pace run. The girl has come a long way and it was neat to share this run with her.  My Achilles felt great, and I was hopeful for a great week of rest and an awesome half marathon over the weekend.
• 3/30/16: 1.25 miles, unknown average because I was run over and my initial thought wasn't to stop my Garmin. I missed my morning run with Marion and Jackie because our power had been out for many hours and I didn't have an alarm to wake me (phone was dead). The rest is history and documented in the above link.
  

  

  The day after the accident at my ortho appointment. They took off my original splint to check things out then put a new one on. I'll go back Thursday for a follow-up and hopefully a boot.

  
  
• 3/31/16: REST. Getting used to using crutches.
• 4/1/16: REST. Rented a knee walker to assist with longer distances. My arms were already tired from using crutches.
• 4/2/16: Superhero Dash for James!
  

  

  Doesn't he look so sweet! He was so excited to be Spiderman. He can't take his eyes off of the drumline.

  He was so freaking cute out there!!! He loved running but was very distracted by the marching band. He is obsessed with percussion and loves watching drum videos at home. When he saw it live, it was mind blowing for him!
  

  

  Headed to the finish! [ME on the knee walker, James, Grandma Griffith]

  Later that morning, Amanda and I left for Ann Arbor. I was supposed to run the half and could no longer do so, but I felt it important to go and join Amanda for this memorable marathon. We explored Ann Arbor a bit and learned that the annual "HASH BASH" was going on. It took us about two hours to figure out why everyone looked a bit off and why it smelled like weed everywhere. We kept googling if marijuana was legal in Michigan or if there was a convention going on! It was pretty potent even with us in the car the whole time. Never a dull moment on these trips.
  

  

  Expo time! I almost asked them if they had a different bag for me to put my swag in.

• 4/3/16: Ann Arbor marathon. I scooted somewhere close to 2 miles this day including some hills. My left quad was so sore! It was fricking freezing outside, but it was still so much fun watching the runners finish.
  

  

  Just posting up outside at the finish line. SO cold but lots of fun!

  I only fell (toppled forward) one time and lost my balance a hand full of times. I found it more comical than anything. I'm still figuring out the walker. Amanda was amazing and won overall female on this tough, hilly course. So proud of my fast friend!

 

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After resting this week, I'm hoping to get back into a workout routine next week. I can't just sit around and do nothing...especially since I am not allowed to return to work at this time. Thank you guys for your support through this.

When It Rains, It Pours...My Many WTF Moments in the Past Nine Days

 

Let me summarize the past nine days of my life:

• Last week on Wednesday, I just had a generally horrible night. The hubs was gone, James was being a turd, and my dogs were at each other's throats. It just put me in a pissy mood to the point I wanted to give up. (I would soon find out this was all minor and the least of my concerns for the week)
• I woke up the following morning, Thursday, determined to have a better day with a better attitude. As I was going downstairs to start my day, I slipped down EVERY SINGLE STEP. In case you missed it, I'm pregnant. Seven steps of hard floor later, I was in a pissy mood again. I was sore the rest of the day, had a headache, etc. It was just stupid.
• Thursday late afternoon/evening, we get home and noticed our beagle, Angel, wasn't able to walk using her back legs. They were limp. We were very concerned, and Jimmy decided to bring her to the vet. Long story short, she ended up being paralyzed due to a herniated disc in her back. She ended up at OSU Vet Hospital and had surgery the next morning. This was a very scary situation for us considering we just lost our Aussie unexpectedly in January and simply weren't mentally ready to lose our other precious, young doggy. (side note: surgery went well and Angel continues to heal as expected...she's just very high maintenance right now requiring a lot of assistance)
• I spent Friday through Sunday being concerned about Angel and annoyed by what seemed to be the beginning of Achilles tendonitis for me. I appropriately rested Sunday and Monday and had a pain free run on Tuesday.
• When we got home from work on Tuesday, our electricity was out. It seems like no big deal until it's off for a total of 36 hours! This really was inconvenient with all of the other events happening in my household. It was off until this morning (Thursday) at 2:45 a.m.
• Just when I thought my dog having back surgery and the electricity being out that long was the icing on the cake, Wednesday morning happened which is really why I'm typing this post.

 

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I WAS HIT BY A VEHICLE WHILE RUNNING AND HAVE FRACTURED METATARSALS.

 

Now that I have that out there, I can give you the experience from my perspective. I was supposed to wake up at 4 a.m. and meet my friends Marion and Jackie for a run. Because the power went out, I wasn't able to charge my phone enough to make it through the night. Therefore, I had no functioning alarm clock. I woke up in the 6 o'clock hour being pissed that I missed that run. I blame the power outage for what happened to me. If I had been able to meet my friends, I wouldn't have had to run on my own.

 

I set out from my house around 7:30 a.m. or so for an easy 6 miles before work. Let's set the mood and scene: broad daylight, sun was beautifully shining, I had a bright blue headband on, and I was running on the sidewalks the entire time. I was 1.25 miles into my run when it happened.

I was on one of the main roads (McCutcheon) and approaching the crosswalk, going east, at Woodmark Run (See map above if you are a visual person). There is a stop sign on Woodmark Run for those wanting to  turn onto McCutcheon. As I approached the intersection, I stopped and jogged in place at the end of the sidewalk just before the slight ramp/decline that leads into the crosswalk. This is something I always do when crossing over a street. You can't trust drivers (obviously).

 

As I was jogging in place, I noticed a small black SUV approaching the stop sign. The vehicle was decelerating as it approached McCutcheon so I made the decision that he was stopping. That's when I decided to go down the ramp and across the crosswalk. I always keep my eyes on the drivers as I'm starting to cross. I noticed that the gentleman looked left to check for approaching vehicles. About that time is when I was exiting the ramp onto the crosswalk. After the gentleman looked left, he started accelerating and turning his wheel to the right. At this point, I had already entered the crosswalk and wasn't able to stop myself before the inevitable happened.

 

The gentleman turned right and I tried to stop my legs from going further. My right leg got out of the way, but my left did not. I watched his front passenger tire crush my foot. My left leg then hit the vehicle. All I was thinking about at the time was not allowing my belly to hit the vehicle. I was so worried about my baby. I was able to extend my arms out and push the rest of my body away from the vehicle. After that, I quickly lowered myself to the sidewalk and ended up on the ramp. I pulled myself up to the level sidewalk for more comfort.

 

The gentleman got out and I screamed for him to call 911. The kind gentleman behind him stopped immediately and came to me with his business coat to use as a pillow. He also dialed my husband's number so that I could tell him to come quickly.  I then had two women stop. I remember them covering me with towels and blankets to make sure I was warm. They were rubbing my arms and back for comfort. One lady was even praying for me. So very thankful for these people.

 

You guys, I was so scared and in so much pain. This pain was so much worse than my unmedicated child birth. I remembered from birth class that you must relax to help control the pain...so that's what I tried to do. I started pursed lip breathing while letting out the occasional moan and groan. In true Lisa fashion, I kept thanking everyone around me and referring to them as "ma'am" or "sir." My labor nurse made fun of me after I had James and said I was the nicest person during labor that she'd ever met! LOL! If only I was that nice all the time. I just wanted to make sure of two things in this moment: 1) that baby was ok. 2) that those helping me knew I appreciated them in that moment.

 

I remember seeing an officer approach the scene. He came to me and asked if I was ok, how I was feeling, etc. When I told him I was struck by the vehicle, he asked me if the gentleman stopped completely. My answer was "No, sir." After he obtained my name and phone number, I asked if he would contact my husband since I was unable to get in touch with him earlier. That was about all I heard from the officer because the squad had arrived to assess my condition. At that point, we were headed to the ER and the rest is history.

 

I updated you guys on Facebook and Instagram about my exact injuries. I fractured metatarsals 2, 3, and 4 of my left foot. They splinted me at the hospital and sent me home with crutches telling me I'm non weight bearing until I see the ortho the next day.

 

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The ortho appointment:

 

I went in hoping to be given permission to wear a boot and walk with a limp. NOT SO MUCH. I received what I felt was the worst news possible. Because of the location of the fractures (they were closer to my arch than my toes), the doc felt it necessary for me to be resplinted for a week and remain non weight bearing. He said I would return in one week for an x-ray to ensure that my foot is healing properly. If all looks well, the likely scenario is that he will put me in a boot. He did state that, whether in a boot or splint, I will be non weight bearing 4-6 weeks. He stated my good health status MIGHT allow me just to be that way for 4 weeks but it is likely I'll have to go the full 6 weeks. At that point, I'll go to a walking boot and begin weight bearing as tolerated. He also stated running won't happen for 2-3 months. I'm guessing 3 months sounds more appropriate.

 

You would think that the running part would have been devastating to me, but that wasn't the first thing on my mind. I was just thinking about the difficulty of life in general while not being able to bear weight. With our dog being restricted at this time, I won't be able to help Jimmy with that. How can I appropriately care for James with one leg and crutches?! I am going to be the worst wife and mother ever for 6 weeks.

 

After this, I had to go to the police station. I received a call from the officer to come and fill out my report. After doing so, I asked him if the gentleman who ran over me was ticketed. His answer was the most devastating news of the day. He stated he chose not to ticket the gentleman because we had "opposing stories and no eyewitnesses." WTF. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Since when is running over a pedestrian who is using a crosswalk a justifiable situation? I'm not a lawyer or a police officer so I'm sure there are laws I'm unaware of BUT I do know that I stopped before crossing and the gentleman driving did not completely stop at his stop sign. Although I can't obtain the report until Monday and don't know exactly what the man reported, it is obvious that he claims he stopped and is not at fault. I can't wait to read what he said.

 

Needless to say, I am very sad and angry at the situation. I have been told many things by many people...most of them encouraging. Nothing really matters at this point until I get in touch with a lawyer. I'm hoping I can get a consult tomorrow so I can learn more about this type of situation.

 

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I can't thank you guys enough for your sweet messages. I have so many people checking in on me, sending flowers/gifts, offering to bring dinner, etc. The kindness is overwhelming and seems undeserving. I keep trying to remind myself that I would do the same thing for all of you.

 

I have three main prayer requests at this moment:

1. Appropriate healing of my foot. I vow to be a good patient and listen to my doctor so hopefully the healing responds to my commitment.
2. My work situation. I am still unsure if I can perform my job duties and what that will all look like for me.
3. That justice will be served. I'm not wanting this guy to go down, but, if he lied in his report, I hope that this lie is revealed. I am only seeking that medical expenses and hopefully any lost wages from work be covered. I feel strongly that I did all I could to prevent this from happening, and I'm not the one at fault. I have been running 19 years and have never been in this situation. I am a very safe and aware runner. I have lived in my current neighborhood for almost 6 years and run by that very spot weekly. This guy simply was not doing his part.

D.O.A.P.: 19 Weeks

Diary of a Prunner

 

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 This week started with a bang and ended with the beginnings of an injury. I want to nip this in the bud STAT. I did reach my mileage goal again this week [40.22 miles!!]. Based on how I felt this week, I'll be making some changes for next week.  Also, I have a half marathon on Sunday!!! I need to feel fresh for that.

My new compression socks. I've never been an accessory runner, but I'm starting to conform.

• 3/21/16: 6 miles, 9:45 average pace. I had minimal soreness leftover from my hardcore weekend, but I wanted to take it easy today. I met up with Karen for some moonlit miles. I'm pretty sure I talked for 4.5 of the 6 miles. I wanted to tell myself to shut up.
• 3/22/16: 12.03 miles, 9:30 average pace. I've been dying to check out this hill by the Hoover dam, so I committed to a 6 miler with the group. I also wanted to take advantage of my short work day by getting in my long run. I did a 2 mile warm up across the dam (if you go across and back, it's conveniently 1 mile); we then headed to the dam hill for our repeats. The hill is approximately a quarter mile which I did eight times to get 4 more miles. This hill seeemed legit and that's rare in Columbus. I can't wait to check it out again! I followed all of this up with 6 more miles to get my 12 mile long run. My overall pace was much slower than last week, but I'm sure that's due to the hill repeats. Gosh, I LOVE HILLS!
  

  

  We had a big ole group for this run!

• 3/23/16: 7.06 miles, 9:23 average pace. Don't let that average pace fool you! I ran with Ellen and Megan for Ellen's tempo run. After a smidge over two miles of a warm up, we began the tempo portion which I believe was 25 minutes. Our third mile was 8:38, but it's those next two miles that we showed the road what was up [8:13 x2]. Then we ended with a cool down until we reached 7 miles. I noticed that my right lower leg was having some pain towards the end of the speedier portion. I'm sure it's a mixture of my crazy run yesterday and speedier miles today. Looks like tomorrow will be a perfect rest day for me. Can't wait!
  

  

  Up early for a little tempo action! [Megan, Ellen, ME]

• 3/24/16: REST. It couldn't have been a more perfect day to rest. Last night was awful for me at home (cranky baby, fighting dogs...yes, fighting dogs...it's like I was dealing with three kids, the hubs at volleyball so was unable to relieve me from duties). I woke up today telling myself it was a new day...then I fell down my stairs. Seven wonderful steps of hardwood floor. Hoping my body won't be too sore to run tomorrow.
• 3/25/16: 6.1 miles, 8:44 average pace. I wrote yesterday's "REST" entry before the worst of my day happened. We came home to our beagle's back legs being paralyzed (we didn't know this at the time but this was part of her diagnosis when we went to the vet). Long story short, I had another evening as a solo momma while the hubs ran our dog all over the city until she ended up at the vet hospital to prepare for surgery. Needless to say, I couldn't fall asleep nor did I sleep well. I decided to skip out on my early wake up call run and opt for post work running. It was supposed to be solo run until Sweat texted me to say she was getting off work early and wanted to run. It couldn't have worked out better. We had a great but initially challenging run. The temps dropped 20+ degrees from yesterday, and I just wasn't ready for it. It took me a good 3 miles to get my breathing under control and about 4 miles for my calf/Achilles to warm up. It wasn't painful, but I can tell it's not normal. I'll just be extra cautious and play it smart so I can keep running!
  

  

  [ME, Sweat]

• 3/26/16: 9.03 miles, 8:54 average pace. This run was good for the soul. I don't get to run with the girls in my regular crew often anymore. When it happens, it warms my heart. I joined Marion, Dani, and Dani's daughter, Jordan, for some miles on the Olentangy Trail. I was nervous going into it because of my Achilles. I just didn't know what to expect. It was much different from my run yesterday. I never felt pain or annoyance in any form while running, BUT, as soon as I stopped, I WAS LIMPING! I limped for about an hour afterwards. After showering, stretching a bit, and wearing my compression socks a few hours, I was brave enough to do a little self exam. My Achilles was tender to touch. I definitely narrowed the cause down to three things: increased hill action, increase in speedier miles the past week, and the need for new shoes. I might even add a fourth relating to the change in my body shape and weight. I know my running gait is changing now that my belly size is increasing.
  

  

  Antrim Lake. [ME, Marion, Jordan, Dani]

  
  
• 3/27/16: REST.  A very intentional rest day. I already met my weekly goal so I had no need to run. Of course, my Achilles needs the rest anyway. We went to Easter service last night so I took Sophie on a walk in the morning...probably 1.5 miles (which I won't count towards my miles).

 

So, what changes will I be making this week?

1. NO HILLS. I hate typing that because I love hills. Unfortunately, hills are one way to exacerbate Achilles pain (and I could feel this truth even on the small inclines I ran Friday and Saturday).
2. NO SPEEDY MILES. I'm still not totally sure what that means for me nowadays but I'm going to make a conscious effort to keep all of my miles 9 minutes or slower. I don't want to make them too slow, though, because that often irritates my legs as well. I'll likely have to run solo most of the week so that I can base it on how I'm feeling.
3. DECREASED MILEAGE. I've been getting 40-42 miles per week. I'm thinking I may subtract about 10 miles and go for 30-32. I'll likely do three 6 mile runs this week in addition to my half marathon.
   

   

   This was after Dam Hill/Long Run. I'm still trying to figure out why decided to flash deuces.

 

 

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How Far Along: 19 weeks, 4 days

 

What Baby Boo Deux is Up To: I think I'm feeling it move, but it's still so inconsistent that I'm not completely sure.
    

Weight Gain: (I didn't weigh myself this week. This is from last week)11 lbs., Starting weight: 112 lbs., Current weight:  123 lbs.
 

Symptoms: Nothing.

 

 

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing. I was completely desperate for a pick-me-up this week that I bought a cup of coffee. I could only tolerate a few sips. Bummer.
   

 

Coming Up: 22 week follow up appointment.

D.O.A.P.: 18 Weeks

Diary of a Prunner

 

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Found this quote and LOVED it.

My main goal this week was to run easy so that I could tolerate my races on Saturday. I registered for a 5k in the morning and a 4 miler that evening. I decided that 6 p.m. was a weird time of day to race so I planned to push harder during the 5k. I was able to meet my weekly goal again [40.41 miles]!!

• 3/14/16: 12 miles, 9:04 average pace. As I was looking at my work week (and considering my race schedule for Saturday), I decided to go ahead and knock out my long run today. I rested yesterday due to travel home from WV and ran really easy and short on Saturday. Based on that, I felt I should be able to tolerate the run. After last week's complete disaster of a 12 miler, I was really nervous to even start. Fortunately, Christine was able to meet me at 5 a.m. to join me for the first 5 miles. I wanted to stay as close to 9mm as I could, but felt in my heart it would not likely happen. Christine has been very sick and is just getting back into running. She wanted to see if she could tolerate some miles close to that pace. We actually ran very well for those 5 miles! [9:03, 8:48, 9:01, 8:54, 8:55]. I'll be honest, I wanted to quit after these miles. I thought there was no way I could finish this run today. I'm SO glad I made myself continue. I did the last 7 miles solo but it was really nice. I spent the next three miles decreasing my pace tremendously in hopes it would give me some extra energy [9:58, 9:46, 9:44]. The plan worked because I was able to tolerate a great progressive run after that! My last 4 miles were 9:14, 8:54, 8:30, and 8:00! I love finishing a long run with some faster miles!!
  

  

  Haven't seen this girl in ages! [ME, Sweat]

• 3/15/16: 6.08 miles, 8:49 average pace. When I had "run easy this week" in mind, I was thinking 9-9:20 pace. Although this run felt easy after the first mile, it was a little faster than I had planned in my head. As long as the legs feel good in the morning, that's all I care about!
  

  

  This was a great new group of ladies for me! I hope I get this right because I'm going by memory from a week ago: [Beth up front, ME, Megan, Becky, Lindsay, Brandi]

• 3/16/16: 7.52 miles, 9:07 average pace. I texted my friend, Jackie, earlier in the week and asked if she was interested in 6 easy, hilly miles. Fortunately, she was free today! She said she wanted 7 miles, but, at the time, I wanted to stick with my plan of 6 since I knew I was racing on Saturday...twice. I've been feeling awesome this week so I texted her the night before and committed to 7 miles. Six turned to seven which turned to 7.5! We hit up pretty much every hill on Emerald Parkway plus the little bump on Post Road. It was glorious. I was worried I might die since I haven't had the chance to run hills for a while. I am only 6 1/2 weeks away from Flying Pig so I need to step it up in the hill department!
  

  

  Me and my pregnant partner! [ME, Jackie]

• 3/17/16: REST. After three 4 a.m. wake up calls in a row (not to mention a weekend of traveling), I decided I was ready to get a couple extra hours of sleep.
• 3/18/16: 4.63 miles, 9:40 average pace. The only goal today was EASY! I wanted at least 4.5 miles to meet my goal for the week. I knew I wouldn't be motivated to do it alone today, but I also didn't want to get up at 4 a.m. to meet with the 5 a.m.-ers. Fortunately, my friend, Karen, texted me last night saying she would run with me. I was more than excited that it worked out!
• 3/19/16: 10.18 total miles including 2 races (each with a warm up). This was a pretty awesome and unexpected day for me. I told you all about it in my race recaps! Stay Active 5k link HERE and Kinsale 4 Miler link HERE.
  

  

  Feeling great at the halfway point! [ME at my 5k]

  
  

  

  Post race smiles. [Amanda, ME, Jess, Theresa]

  
  
• 3/20/16: REST. Umm....SORE! Nuff said.

 

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Baby Boo Deux

How Far Along: 18 weeks, 4 days

 

What Baby Boo Deux is Up To: I THINK I'm starting to feel it move. We had our 18 week ultrasound on Tuesday and all things measured out to equal a healthy baby! We DID NOT find out the sex of the baby. I just couldn't do it.
   

Weight Gain: 11 lbs., Starting weight: 112 lbs., Current weight:  123 lbs.
 

Symptoms: I'm starting to get what I call "breathy" at the beginning of my runs. If I don't start super slow, it sounds like I'm dying. After a mile or two, I'm golden! Also, I'm realizing I'm eating crappier than I'd prefer (during the work day). I get so hungry during the day and it's so hard to keep appropriate food in my car (I travel all day for work). I end up going through drive thrus most of the time. I don't eat a lot at a time, but the food I've been eating is crappy. My goal this week is to try to plan better meals for the work day. The challenge is that these things have to be appropriate for eating in my car. I would love to microwave leftovers but that's not an option.

 

 

Cravings/Aversions: None.
  

 

Coming Up: 22 week follow up appointment.