I like to think she learned her love of initials from my penchant for using my initials.
2. LULULEMON WATER BOTTLES
These people know me...
“I run because I really [x10] dessert” and “I run because I can, but really I jog.” SOMEONE UNDERSTANDS ME.
3. RICK PERRY AS LORD VOLDEMORT
If you haven’t seen Rick Perry’s “Strong” campaign commercial, this may not make sense. I could be wrong, but most on both sides of the political spectrum might find Rick Perry outrageous.
Stolen from my cousin's facebook page! I can't take credit.
4. SPINNING
Its an adequate substitute during my running hiatus. It’s really fun, but it just doesn’t have the same satisfaction as working towards a running goal does. However, I will say spinning clothes are cute and headbands are plentiful in the NYC spinning crowd. Therefore, I’m a fan.
Thank you to Lauren for introducing me to this. THINK HOW AWESOME THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN WHEN I STUDIED FOR YEARS IN FREEZING LIBRARIES?!?
You know what to add to my Christmas list.
That’s all this week.
———————————————————————————————————————
I did run today as part of a study. It was actually a run to fatigue, which I told them wouldn’t take so long, considering I haven’t run in a long time. They want you to run at “5K pace.” Seeing as that wasn’t happening for more than 10 minutes (if that), we settled on 8:15/mile (fyi: my original suggestion was 9 min/mile, but they didn’t think it would fatigue me quick enough).
I made it almost 3 miles before I waved the white flag of fatigue. It was also at that point when I started to get IT band twinges so we figured it was a good time to stop. I actually felt very little knee pain. It was more IT band pain at my hip in addition to my low back/adductor. I’m glad it’s moving around, keeping me on my toes.
Between my shock-to-the-system run + all the strength testing I did, I was wiped. It felt really nice to run though. I still haven’t been able to find a comparable substitute to running.
I’m hoping that the physical therapist on Friday will say, “Fear not! For, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy! You can run again as you wish.” I really miss it.
Seeing as I have a really flexible “job,” I can pretty much leave the office whenever I want to. When I saw Flywheel Upper East Side was offering a free class on Fridays at 12:30 pm, I told the office sayonara at noon and to text me if they wanted vitamin water zeros on my way back.
My personal fave...
During those 45 minutes spinning with strangers decked in lululemon (what is it about lulu and spinning people?), my lungs burned, I got my “I <3 Sweat” shirt covered in sweat, and I actually had to push my self a little bit (ok, maybe, a lot…it was hard!). When the instructor would say little motivating things, such as, “I don’t care that you increased the resistance, I want you to push a little harder,” I knew these were my kind of people.
I heart sweat in grey and light pink...get yours at Iheartsweatapparel.com
When I walked outside afterwards, the sun was a little brighter, the day a little better, and I was actually hungry for my “Just Salad” custom salad that I eat every day (the real worst part of not running = decreased appetite.)
I’m sorry, but aqua jogging just doesn’t give me the same endorphin rush. Guess the humidity is an endorphin-kill.
Apparently, you can get a necklace that looks like the chemical structure of an endorphin (or structures, really, in repeat)....
I was somewhat worried spinning would bother my IT band. I’m happy to say it didn’t today. The only thing that bothered me was my SI joint/glute/piriformis that hurts if I sit for > 30 min, regardless.
I’d like to go back tomorrow, which would require dropping $30. I am a little afraid that I got lucky today and that two days in a row may re-flare something. Common sense tells me maybe to hold off on the spinning and stick to extremely safe, 80-year old approved activities.
I just feel like I need my 45 minute good sweat sesh (they do have an hr option, which I might take) rather than bikram yoga, flybarre, aqua jogging, core fusion, pilates, etc etc etc…
WEIGH IN: Anyone had ITBS or SI joint/glute issues and has been ok with spinning? Think two days in a row (which could go to 3, 4, 5 etc) is too much? Have you tried Flywheel or Soulcycle (if you’re an NYC-er)?
If you want to buy me classes at FlyWheel for Christmas, you are more than welcome.
I’ll explain the title in a bit, but just to clarify, “PPS” (“The Patient, Physician, and Society”) is a class we take during the first two years of medical school.
"Tell me more about that..."
Anyways, I’m feeling a bit more resilient about my hip/back/IT band/whatever else today. Well, except for the fact that I am horrified that I’m probably going to get fat not running and eating Christmas candy.
I'm starting to embrace the pool, but not the smell of chlorine. PS - does this picture look photoshopped in to anyone else?
I went to physical therapy at Hospital for Special Surgery today. I know – chiropractor + PT?!? I thought I was over-doing it, too, with my “multidiscplinary approach” to my injury management. I wavered on not going (maybe I could look stuff up myself?), but, in the end, thought of my “plan” as follows.
I need the chiropractor for the “now.” Dr. Levine helps keep my pain at bay (by inducing more pain with Graston/ART?) and re-adjusts my ever moving SI joint, which, after adjustment, leads to almost immediate relief of all of my symptoms. Plus, he works me in last minute and such.
Why won't you stay in place? WHY?!?
However, seeing as I can’t get my SI joint adjusted and IT band manually dissected ever day, I need a physical therapist to help me develop the proper strength to keep everything from falling apart. The physical therapist is for the “later.” Although I can look up stuff myself, I do need expertise to make sure I’m not missing something plus authority to make me do the actual exercises.
Now and Later - like the chiropractor and physical therapist. No? Not a good analogy?
As suspected, I have horribly weak hip a-B-ductors, as evidenced by me not being able to keep my pelvis in a even plane when walking up and down stairs. In turn, during the stance phase of running, my hips don’t have the strength to counter balance internal rotation of the femur, causing excess strain on the IT band. Plus, my glutes don’t work well, or something like that. Sorry for the horrible explanations, this is all from memory.
I wish I had listened more about the importance of one's gluteus medius muscle in anatomy...
Further, she was able to explain to me why my medial most hamstring would be feeling as if it was pulled. Basically, when my SI joint gets all dysfunctional (moves inappropriately), my left hemi-pelvis tilts backward, causing excess pull on many muscles, including the one in which I feel pain.
Walking around the physical therapist’s office, I felt sort of, well, lame. There was a girl next to me with her ankle externally fixed and another working on neck control. I felt sort, I don’t know, like a whiner complaining over some pain that was keeping me from running.
External fixation of an ankle...
I mentioned to the PT that I felt sort of bad being there seeing as “my problems really weren’t that bad nor acute or severe.” She immediately legitimized my problem telling me, “No, this is bad! I’m a runner. I know this sucks horribly and you miss it.” This made me instantly feel better and I went off on my merry way to the pool, happy as a clam.
Speaking of clam shells, I've been doing this in hopes it will improve my glute medius. IT BETTER WORK.
It was then, after my pool sweat sesh, that I realized I had been PPS-ed. In PPS, they teach us this “PEARLS” mnemonic in an effort to remind us of how to build rapport with patients. You can achieve a good doctor-patient relationship by using your “PEARLS.”
You can buy me the "Breakfast at Tiffany's" peals, should you feel so inclined.
p = partnership
e = empathy
a = apology
r = respect
l = LEGITIMIZING
s = support
We used to make fun of “PEARLS” a bit. But, homeslice PT totally made me feel better by using “L,” legitimizing my physical pain and emotional pain of not running. Snaps to her.
I can’t believe I fell for the PEARLS. I guess they do work, after all.
Of course, I asked the PT when she thought I could run again. Instead of giving me a promised time frame, she told me that I have to be able to do 3 specific exercises with good form and control. The three exercises are specific to my problem and, if I’m able to do them correctly, I should have relearned the correct neuromuscular control in order to run.
I still can't believe I've become one of those "I need to run" people. My 22 year old self does not know who this person is.
For some reason, that made me satisfied. The whole “go by pain” thing hasn’t been working too well for me, as I think pain is too subjective. I have a hard time knowing if the pain I’m experiencing is legitimate or not enough to warrant a problem. I’m ok tolerating some pain, which isn’t going to help my injury.
I did ask her if she thought I’d be able to run by the New Year. She said I should be, but come to think of it, I didn’t specifically state 1/1/2012.
I also asked her if she though I had a torn labrum, stress fracture, or impingement syndrome. She said probably not, but if things are better in a month, we’d go to imaging.
Lord, I hope I can at least social run in a month!
I miss this. Sweet sorority squat, Megan and Ali.
Finally, before I go, if you think you’re tough, go watch this video. Here I was complaining about walking 3 miles, and Beth persevered through 20 miles of walking during her 100 mile race.
CHIME IN: What do you think of Beth’s video? (I ran in her pace group in my first marathon) Recognize yourself ever being PEARLS-ed by your doctor? Been to physical therapy and/or chiropractor an had success (you better say yes)?
1. FLYING INTO NYC WITH TOURISTS SITTING NEXT TO YOU: Sometimes, I feel like I take for granted that I see the Empire State Building every night (and always wonder the reason behind the color choice, if it’s not obvious). One of the landing patterns (I’ve flown into LGA one too many times), takes you right by the skyline of Manhattan. Tourists get so excited by this. One the other day was even enamored with the “yellow taxis – wow! just like on TV.” It reminds me that I’m pretty lucky to live here.
And kind of crazy I've lived here for seven years...
2. McDONALDS OATMEAL: Actually not half bad, if you’re in a pinch on the road. That McDonald’s commercial about the girl getting breakfast for the angry boss is getting old though.
When the RC makes the team, I told her she needs to get this Kate Spade "London Calling" Bangle.
4. GRASTON TECHNIQUE: Dr. Steven Levine, of pre-NYC marathon saved my butt fame, told me he’d help me get healthy again. He is a God-send. For some reason, I slightly believe him telling me I’ll be ok eventually, even though he said I shouldn’t Jingle Jog (devastating…I still might walk it.)
Today he whipped out this seemingly innocuous silver tool, which ended up being a weapon of torture, but the good kind of torture.
Doesn't look so painful, right? WRONG.
Basically, what that silver metal thing does is it helps the practitioner identify areas of scar tissue, which he or she then using to break said scar tissue up. I think, but am not sure, that the sensation or vibration coming from the metal would change depending upon the consistency of the muscle in question. If it doesn’t glide smoothly, you have a problem.
It’s kind of cool, actually. If you rub the torture device over my quad, its glides smoothly and doesn’t hurt too bad. When you move it to my IT band, it feels like you’re trying to rub a tough piece of steak. Further, if the muscle or tissue has adhesions or scar tissue, you’ll start to develop redness and petechiae (little red dots signaling capillary breakage). My IT band now looks bluish/bruised. I like to think that means it’s working.
The first thing that came to my head when the petechiae starting to develop? Katy Perry’s song, “Firework.” It reminded me of like a firework erupting on my leg or something. I don’t know where I come up with these things either.
A somewhat abstract description of what the skin over my IT band looks like right now...
He also did some work on my medial hamstring and piriformis. What I want to know is – are those muscles essential? They’re literally a pain in my butt. I’d also like an SI Joint that stays in place and/or an in home chiropractor.
5. ANGEL TREE: Anyone do Angel Tree at Christmas? I think it’s through the Salvation Army. My family did it for many years. My brother’s school has its own Angel Tree this year. Reading the requests reminds me how lucky I am. One of the requests from a 15 year old girl was, “shampoo, jeans, hoodies, a jacket, the book ‘Texas Gothic,’ and room decorations in yellow.”
I think my family is going to do one or two this year.
TELL ME: Anything rocking your week? Ever had Graston? Did you bruise? Ever do Angel Tree?
And, if this IT band/SI joint/hamstring doesn’t get better by 2012, I will probably lose it and take up something else. Like knitting.
Remember that horse they rehabbed and tried to save but it didn't work...heartbreaking...
Anyways, so I’ve done the whole resting thing. I’ve tried yoga. I’ve been dedicated to that foam rolling stuff. I’ve tried cross-training. I’ve barely run. I’ve stretched. I’ve done core things and lots of lunges. NONE OF IT WORKS. IT’S ALL LIES.
You're sitting on a throne of lies! You're a fake! It's a fake! He's not Santa!
Ok, slightly dramatic. However, today was my 3rd time running since the marathon (3+ weeks ago). It was suggested to me to try running fast as that would hurt my IT band less as you run with better mechanics when you run fast.
That actually kind of worked…for about 15 minutes. And, I had to keep increasing the speed for the entire 15 minutes as I’d start to feel some IT band pain at a certain pace and I found out that if I increased it then, I’d have a few minutes of relief. It was actually kind of nice to have to push myself again.
Around 15 minutes I got that sharp-ish type of pain (it wasn’t horrible, but it kept getting worse) in my lateral knee. That coupled with the fact that my medial hamstring (or adductor magnus, I still can’t figure out which its is, its the one that flares up with my SI joint concurrently) hurt the entire time made me stop.
Some anatomy, including the IT band. Woo.
Fortunately, no one in the gym turned me into a psychiatric ward after I was whispering to my leg, “I’m going to kill you.”
I briefly considered quitting and throwing the foam roller and my running shoes out the window. I determined I was going to re-take up tennis, considering that would probably be a lot of fun and improvement steep in the first few months as I haven’t played a match in 4 years. Tennis and I would have a beautiful honeymoon period where it was all fun again.
Tennis and I in our honeymoon period. It would be fun, new, novel, and I could throw in drop shots and swinging volleys as I so pleased.
But, I don’t actually want to quit running, like I didn’t actually want to quit tennis the time I left my racquets on the court in college and claimed I was done (that was so mature of me).
I’m just kind of frustrated as I’m at a loss of what to do. My plan to chill for November and be better by December has failed me.
It reminds me of the last practice test I took for the MCAT, a week before the real thing. I scored the second lowest score of all 10 practice tests I took for the real thing. I was shell-shocked and walked around NYC for approximately two hours because I was at a loss of what to do. I didn’t even want to eat (this is highly unusual for me). Fortunately, I had a lot of nice people talk me out of my funk, including my roommate’s mom who came up with the following mantra for me: “You’re smart, You study hard, You’ll be fine.”
Ahh, memories...
Fortunately, that worked out well for me in the end. I’m not so sure about this whole running thing. The SI/hamstring combo is the exact same thing that flared up last year. I sort of feel like I must’ve just dodged a bullet for about 10 months and, in reality, this may be a constant problem that can’ t be fixed (its SI Joint Dysfunction that, when all out of whack, makes the hamstring hurt like whoa.) The IT Band is completely new, but, seriously, how long is this going to take?!
"We will take them when they are deep in their sleep...HOW LONG IS THIS GOING TO TAKE?!?" - King Julien, Madagascar -- I feel you.
Anyways, I’m sure none of you wanted to hear this whiny-ness, but it’s cathartic to write about it for me, so you’ve been subjected to this, should you have read this whole whine-fest. My Believe I Am journal didn’t have enough space. I’m well aware everyone gets injured. I guess its just hard for me as my last real injuries were 11 and 12 (teeth knocked out and stress fracture, both gymnastics). And, truthfully, I don’t consider this a real injury as nothing is broke, fractured, or requiring surgery. This whole thing is just annoying, not an injury.
Thankfully, I’m getting ART/Graston tomorrow from Dr. Levine. He is a Godsend. Hopefully, he can fix this bum mare.
TOTALLY UNRELATED QUESTION: Favorite holiday/christmas movie BESIDES ELF?
Before I go on into what’s rocking my week, I want to lament over the fact that my appetite has gone way down since I’m not running. When I eat, I get sad, because it’s just not as fun anymore when you’re not starving.
Anyways, let’s begin.
1. NIKETOWN STILL HAS MARATHON STUFF
Before the marathon, I swore I wouldn’t buy anything as “I don’t need any more running stuff.” A week later, totally regretting that decision. Thankfully, a little bird told me NikeTown still has NYC Marathon stuff, so I don’t have to miss out like I did on the NYU School of Medicine snuggie that I didn’t order.
Perfect for studying in a freezing cold library.
2. GRETCHEN AND COOKIES FOR KIDS’ CANCER IS UP FOR LOREAL WOMEN OF WORTH
Cookies could win a lot of dough. Could you vote? http://www.womenofworth.com/honorees/honoreesdetail.aspx?id=Gretchen_Witt&yr=2011
It takes about 15 seconds.
For this little guy...
3. SELF-AWARENESS THAT I AM ONE OF “THOSE” PATIENTS
I filled out my medical history today for an appointment I have tomorrow for ye ol’ leg/hip/back and realized I am one of “those” patients who writes extremely detailed answers to the intake questions. I mean, I wrote a paragraph next to a question (that doesn’t pertain to my leg, fyi) basically explaining what I thought was going on and definitely used some jargon.
Also, some of the questions on those intake sheets are hard. For example, “Do you diet?” I mean, I don’t eat everything I want all the time. I want Insomnia Cookies tonight, but I won’t go because I care about my arteries and visceral fat. What does one call that? Or, my personal fave, “Are you at your ideal weight?” Wrote a little explanation next to that one to. Yes or no checkbox is not for me.
It also occurred to me that the doctor could suggest imaging and, further, an MRI. I hope not because, although I’ve never had an MRI, that tube looks scary.
MRIs - not for the claustrophobic.
I kind of hope she tells me I can run even if I’m in pain so I can Turkey Trot. I’m sure that’s what she’ll tell me.
You guys know I die for those sparkly BIC bands and how devastated I was when I lost my orange sparkly band on Staten Island. And, guess what…
THREE OF YOU CAN HAVE YOUR VERY OWN BIC BAND!
And, better yet, you get to pick which one you want! So, if you don’t love yourself a sparkle like I do, you don’t have to get a sparkly one.
Rules of the Game:
1. Comment below telling me which BIC band you plan on getting if you win.
2. Tell me what charity you would want BIC bands to donate to if you were them (and why if you can). (Remember, BIC bands gives part of their proceeds to a different charity each month.)
3. Go like BIC Bands on facebook (and then tell me).
4. Go follow BIC Bands ontwitter (and then tell me).
Personally, I was thinking of buying a red or green one soon for the holiday season. Obviously.
You have until next Tuesday to enter. May the odds ever be in your favor!
Also, even though I’m still not running, I still dream and scheme in my Believe I Am Training Diary every night. I love that little thing and its pink spiral. My goals are secret, for now. You can take guesses though. It won’t be hard to guess. Trust me.
So, get this – someone asked me for running advice. WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO?!? Pigs must be flying, people.
See, I told you...
I was flattered, to say the least, and I thought I’d share the question and answer with whoever reads this in case it helps him or her. Of course, I did tell the question asker that I hadn’t been running for too long so she should also seek a second opinion. If this question doesn’t pertain to you, then please stop reading and go to your nearest Target and start shopping for what I call “necessary luxuries.” Thanksgiving decorations? Yep, you need that.
A necessary luxury
Here was the question re: getting injured before a goal race (was I injured?): So you were able to do your race, just not the way you trained and planned? At this point, I’m not sure which is worse – not running, or running and not hitting my goal time. I’m running a half in less than a month, and I’ve been training my body and mind to run 1:38. I got the impression from that you’re similar to me, in that running isn’t just a sport or way to stay in shape. It’s a lifestyle for me, and it’s a direct reflection of how I view myself on any given day. How did you deal with the mental angst about not being able to run your perfect race? I haven’t been HURT hurt since high school, so for this to happen before this particular race makes me very disappointed. I appreciate your email and any advice on how to combat the mental frustration. I hope you have a happy Thursday!
Before I outline my answer, I want you all to know that I did, indeed, have a happy Thursday. Why? I got to babysit for my favorite family and put all 3 to bed, including prep for the tooth fairy.
I want to know who invented the tooth fairy...
Even better, the Cool Haus truck was outside their apartment so, obviously, I got myself an ice cream sandwich before sitting. It was sweet potato ice cream and a pumpkin cookie. An autumnal ice cream sandwich, right?
Back to the point. So, basically, I told her how I dealt with my disappointment and also warned her that I am no running guru or the like. This was just how I got through my experience.
I will put my answer in bullet points so as to make it easier to read:
So you were able to do your race, just not the way you trained and planned? Indeed. My goal was 3:35. I ran 4:05:33. I’m not a mathematician, but that’s off by about 30 min or an episode of Modern Family.
Buying season 1 of Modern Family was the best thing I ever did.
At this point, I’m not sure which is worse – not running, or running and not hitting my goal time. When I knew my leg wasn’t 100% in the few days leading up to the marathon, I thought about running the marathon vs not. I kind of knew deep down I probably wouldn’t be able to race it like I had trained. I tried to trick myself into believing some magic could happen, but I’m also a bit realistic to know that inflamed tendons don’t just heal magically and that two weeks off before a marathon isn’t ideal. So, I thought about which would make me more sad – running NYC slower than I wanted or not running at all. The thought of not running NYC and missing out on that experience was much more upsetting than running NYC slower than I wanted. That ended up being pretty much a no-brainer for me. Who wouldn’t run the NYC Marathon if given the chance?
I mean, if Katie Holmes ran it, it must be something that I must do.
I’m running a half in less than a month, and I’ve been training my body and mind to run 1:38. Before I go on, you should get the Believe I Am training diary. You know, it was disappointing that I didn’t get to run the race I dreamed over for several months. I made a lot of physical and mental jumps in the months leading up to NYC, which made me, I think, a much stronger runner, one that could potentially run a 3:35 marathon if the stars aligned correctly. My ITBS was untimely, but I take it that injuries are part of the game if you’re a runner. I like to think that all of the hard work I did leading up to NYCM doesn’t really disappear and it didn’t go to waste. That work is still in me, somewhere, and it will be expressed, for lack of a better word, someday when I’m healthy. All of that work was going into making me a better runner in general – not better for just one race.
Raise your hand if you have one!
It’s a lifestyle for me, and it’s a direct reflection of how I view myself on any given day. I’m not sure if I’m taking what you wrote in the wrong way, but I would caution against having a result be a direct reflection of yourself. For me, I don’t like to have anything fully identify me. Sure, running is important to me, but sometimes I don’t even like calling myself a runner (mostly because I think people will assume I’m good if I say that). I love goal setting and I love working hard towards a goal. However, I like to do that in other areas of my life, too. I like to scheme ways to raise more money for cookies. I like to figure out what I want to achieve in my professional career. What you wrote struck a chord with me because when I was an undergraduate, I really let me test scores define me. I was obsessed with how well I did in school, although somewhat rightfully so as I did want to be a competitive med school applicant. My obsession with scores, however, became unhealthy as my mood and happiness was directly determined by how I performed. I finally learned to really “let go” of test scores in medical school when the first two years were pass/fail and I’ve been a lot happier ever since.
Love myself a scan-tron sheet.
How did you deal with the mental angst about not being able to run your perfect race? I haven’t been HURT hurt since high school, so for this to happen before this particular race makes me very disappointed. It is disappointing. I’d tell you to look at the whole picture. Here is what I did or have been doing.
I looked at all the successes I had along the way in training for NY. I had some great PRs and a lot of mental breakthroughs (here are some of the links about them). Actually, before I got injured and was worried about my time goal in NY, a wise person told me the following – “No matter what happens in New York, every positive moment you’ve had and each good race and PR along the way…that’s proof that you’ve scrambled the egg. You can never unscramble an egg.” I had a lot of fun along the way, too, scrambling that egg. The process of training for a big goal was fun for me, and I hope it was for you, too. No one result can take that away from you.
I’d say make sure you have something else to focus on after the half. After the marathon, I started on a new, cool project at work and really threw myself into that. I’m now researching what I can do for my IT band/SI joint and what spring races I want to do. I’m dreaming and scheming again, which is fun.
I got to this point in my tennis career, if you can call it that, where I realized you aren’t going to show up to every match with everything perfect. Some days, your forehand will feel all. Other days, you’ll feel like you can’t miss. So, I decided that the best you can do is try to 100% out of what you came with that day. Serve isn’t 100%? Then, try to get 100% out of that 80% serve you have that day. Does that make sense? I say go do the race and do the best with what you have on that day. If it’s an injured you, then try to get 100% out of the injured you. That may not be your absolute, maximum 100%, which is what you were training for, but its 100% of what you are that day, and that’s really all you can ask for. Sometimes your 100% that day is only 80% of your maximum potential because of circumstances like injury. As long as you try to get 100% out of what you have that day, you can’t lose. (Well, technically you can still lose a tennis match, but that’s besides the point.)
People will come up and congratulate you in the week after race no matter how you did. Use it to build your confidence. People at work, who had no idea what my goal was, tell me my time was amazing when I tell them. Most people don’t even ask me my time. I’ve gotten hugs and high fives and, instead of explaining myself, I’ve used it to pat myself on the back a bit. I hope that’s a good thing.
Of course, I told the question asker that I had my definite sulking period and almost threw my running shoes out the window. And, apparently, I sound a lot more sane about things when I write about them, which is why I like writing sometimes. Trust me, I was definitely pretty hard on myself the few days after the marathon in my sulking period.
I guess time heals all wounds. Yet, I hate to say the NY Marathon was a “wound,” because, I mean, I ran it and finished. I had a lot of people cheering for me (all of those people were for me, right?). I got to experience it. In 20 years, I want to look back on the NY Marathon with fond memories, not angst. It was a beautiful day for a marathon and I ate a burger, onion rings, and fries after. I’d say it was a pretty good day.
I'm sorry people, this is the best marathon pic I have!
If you have any recommendations for my question asker, put them below! And, thanks to the question asker for letting me post this!
Also, please watch the shopping spree Sophia Grace and Rosie went on at Toys R Us. These girls are women after my own heart. Look at that shopping enthusiasm. You can’t teach that.
I mean, she definitely needed that suitcase just like I needed those Christmas window gel clingy things I bought at Target. I like to call purchases like that “necessary luxuries.”
Guess who is also back? ME!
Me at age 9. Further evidence I spent most of my childhood upside or figuring out how to flip off of things. I think this explains a lot.
Ok, no, I didn’t actually go anywhere, unless you consider venturing to the Upper West Side from where I live a trek. Anyways, in my dramatic, immature last few days where I almost threw my running shoes out the window, I’ve decided the happy running Meggie is back.
See - happy running Meggie. Have you seen this picture before? Yes.
Happy Running Meggie isn’t back to running, yet, because her IT band still hurts and her left SI joint as followed suit, but that’s a topic for two weeks from now if it’s not better. I’m just assuming all of those things will get better in time.
I think most people are goal driven so I have a hard time writing, “I am a goal driven person.” Aren’t we all? Goals do make me happy, though. I like to dream of things I could do, like running a 3:35 marathon and being on Dancing With The Stars (fine – the latter is a fantasy, not an actual dream or goal — unless I become a star). I sometimes think I live most of my life in this dream world where I can do anything I set my mind to and I am queen of my own universe with a crown and septar. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.
My queen of the universe outfit looks something like this...
A sports psychologist we had at tennis once told me to always have something to do after a match, especially during the first 30 min following a match when I was temporarily insane.. That way, I couldn’t dwell on the results, and could focus my irrational self on something else. I could then go back and think about the match when I was in a less emotional, more rational state of being. Typical post match activities included eating or shopping when I was in high school and studying when I was in college.
I found a tennis picture. Sorry, I'm not actually playing. I think this was in 2006. FYI - I always wore a visor and the Nike Dri-Fit ones were my go-tos. I have a zillion of those. Some are really gross and sweat stained like whoa.
True story: At a Thanksgiving tournament, my friend and I once went from the mall, to a match, won, and then went straight back to the mall. I mean, it was Black Friday deals – we HAD to be there. In our defense, it also been raining all morning so we figured the matches would be canceled for the day. We also had to skimp our warm up a bit because we couldn’t get out of the mall fast enough to get to the courts. Priorities, people. Our coach was kind of mad…wonder why?
Anyways, back to the point. I think not having a new running goal to work towards contributed at least partly to my post-marathon funk. I do have some really cool stuff going on at work and the holiday season is coming up, which obviously means I gotta start getting my decorating on.
My decorating doesn't quite get this elaborate, but close.
I struggled with not being ok without having a goal because I really do think I need to take a break post-marathon and kind of disengage in the whole running thing. However, I still felt like getting my race sign up on would make me feel better and then I could enjoy my breaksie and truly focus on catching up on People Magazine and what really went down between Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries. I need to get my running ducks in a row so I could rest easy, knowing my IT band redemption 2012 plan is in place.
Actual ducks in a row. Ok, rubber duckies. Close enough.
So, tomorrow and soon thereafter, I plan to get my sign up on and, then, line up babysitting jobs to pay for getting said sign up on. I can start writing my race dreams and goals in my Believe I Am training diary by drawing gardens of good and bad thoughts — fun things like that. I also plan on becoming BFFs with my foam roller while investigating ways to rid myself of and prevent both ITBS and my dysfunctional SI joint. Suggestions are welcome.
I’m thinking a spring marathon, possibly out West, but all suggestions are welcome, with a good half thrown in there in the build up to that full. All subject to change though. I’ll probably also do a 5K or 10K or two in there because those are fun. I really like 5Ks because all 2 that I have run in my life felt like out of control experiences. It was fun.
TELL ME: Do you think I’m jumping into getting my sign up on too fast? Should I take a bit more of a break before committing to anything or get my Spring 2012 running ducks in a row first?
Until next time…
P.S. I haven’t decided who is getting the Picky Bars, yet. I have to see how many stamps I have..
Today begins the official sulking period over the NYC Marathon for me. I know, I’m being a competitive psycho, but I can’t help it. It’s the way I feel.
I believe I am....sulking. I did run with this in my pocket. The Oiselle distance shorts are awesome. So much storage space.
After I finished, it’s hard to be anything other than happy. Random people congratulate you. No one asks you what your time was. They’re just impressed you finished. I feel the same way when I see other people finish a marathon. If they ran a great time, that’s fabulous, but its even attempting the thing that’s impressive to me. And, it is a pretty incredible thing, when you think about it. The RC reminded me that 99% of people don’t attempt nor finish marathon.
Token NYC finishers in sweet mylar blankets.
If you’ve read any previous posts, you’ll know my time goal for this marathon was 3:35 and then I had my IT band stage a mutiny against me, causing me to run 3x in the last 2 weeks before the marathon. 4:05:33 is very far off form 3:35 and it wasn’t even an improvement from my last marathon(3:48 in May). When I look at it as facts, that it was much worse than the last one, it’s a tough pill for my competitive self to swallow.
I’m having a hard time knowing whether I used my leg as a cop out not to try harder. Did I make it worse in my head so that way I’d have an excuse for slowing down? Maybe. It’s hard to know. It did hurt, especially towards the end when I couldn’t bend it well, but doesn’t something always hurt at the end of a marathon?
I hate you.
I feel like I maybe gave up on myself a little bit from 8-15, which is a big chunk. In my past two marathons, I’ve always had a hard time not thinking “this sucks, I am never doing this again” or “I really am not cut out for marathons if my legs feel a little tired at mile 10.” Those thoughts are exactly what I didn’t want to happen if you read this post from way back when. I did a better job than Jersey in getting rid of them and I didn’t have them after mile 15. Nevertheless, they were still there. There were definitely parts where I was not enjoying myself like I had hoped I would.
Like I said in my last post, if its one thing I’m not, its a quitter. So, of course, I’m already scheming marathon #4 and how it will be redemption 2012. I figure, if I keep trying, one day I’ll get it right, get the marathon I’ve dreamed of. Or maybe I’m just really stubborn and slightly stupid. Maybe I really am not cut out for marathons. But, I figure, I did pretty well in the whole training thing. Eventually I should get the actual race to go my way, right?
I know, I’m being a competitive whiner right now. Writing about it makes me feel better about it so, unfortunately, if you’re reading this, you are being subjected to this. I am sorry.
Now, I know what you’re all thinking. WHAT DID MY NAILS LOOK LIKE FOR THE MARATHON?
Baubing for Baubles and Vermillionaire, both by Essie
I was thrilled with the outcome on the nail polish front.
Now, I need to go caffeinate myself, preferably with an americano with mocha, which the RC introduced me to and is one of my new favorite things. I highly suggest you try it immediately. The RC is wise not only on the running front, but also on the coffee front.
I'm subjecting you to this picture again.
TELL ME: Should I give the marathon another shot? Call it quits?
This is all assuming I can run again. Right now, my legs feel trashed.
Until next time..
P.S. I have to give a shout out to everyone I know who finished: Lindsay, Lauren, Kelly, Betsy, Susan, Emilia, Shannon, Bruce, Heidi, Katie…I think that everyone…sorry for anyone I missed!
Today’s post-NYC Marathon post is brought to you by the word “resilience.”
But, first, things first.
First, I would like for us all to have a moment of silence for my dearly departed orange sparkly BIC band. I lost it in the start village when I was ripping off layers. For a moment, it was lost upon me as to how I was going to run fabulously with out a sparkly headband. But, I pulled it together.
It was nice knowing you, orange sparkly headband. RIP.
Second, I HAVE FOUND THE WAY TO KEEP YOUR HAIR FROM TANGLING during a super long run – extremely dirty, greasy hair. I mean, you’re going to get gross anyways, why shower the day before…or the day before that.
Third, if you ever run the NYC Marathon, take a heat sheet or blanket and toilet paper into the corrals with you. While there are bathrooms in the first holding area, when they walk you up on to the bridge, there are not. And, you have to wait on the bridge for approximately 20 min. The urge make strike. It did for me. I jumped a guard rail and went right then and there. No shame here.
Sorry, I don't have a picture of me peeing at the start. This is mile 18 roughly. Credit: Ali
Today was marathon #3. The NYC Marathon is a hard course, people. Definitely the hardest of any marathons I’ve done. Its basically all graded uphill or graded downhill. There are no huge hills, but the “uphill” parts of the course are long and somewhat torturous. It’s crowded, but you never feel smothered or that you can’t run at whatever pace you want. There is, of course, lots of crowd support minus a few sections, usually bridges.
With such a hard course, I’m not so sure it’s one I’d pick for a first marathon or for a fast time. It’s definitely one to run for the experience. It’s pretty incredible just how many people are cheering for 40,000+ crazy people that decide to go run for a really long time. For me, it was amazing to see people I knew along the course cheering for me. I felt very loved. If you run it one day, I will come cheer for you.
Although I was #21,141, I was the ONLY MEGGIE running the NYC Marathon. I always knew I was special.
[P.S. Side note - I did not put my name on my shirt. When people yelled, "Meggie!" I knew it was someone who knew me. I liked that.]
So, as I mentioned, my word for today was “resilience.” The word happened to resonate with me in the days leading up to the marathon for a few reasons.
First, I felt I had to be resilient coming back from basically not running for 2 weeks. I’ll be honest, I know every said it wouldn’t hurt me, but I had my doubts. I figured I needed to be resilient and bounce back quickly to be able to run today.
Second, I think a key to a marathon (not that I would say I’ve ever had one where I just nailed it) is being resilient. 26.2 miles is far. There are bound to be good patches and bad patches. When the bad one comes, you need resilience to bounce back from that and, moreover, belief that you will feel good in another mile or so. My main mental image today was a trampoline.
Or maybe I just miss flipping around…
Anyways, my plan was to start out slow. I remembered the RC’s fiance (the RCF) telling me that even if I ran 9 min or something, that was fine. I took his advice to heart. I ran the first mile in 9:22.
This is the RCF. Please tell me this is the most fabulous finish photo you have ever seen.
I actually intentionally sped up the 2nd mile to make up for the taking-the-slow-start advice far too seriously. Mile 2 was 7:52. Probs too fast, but, in the end, it didn’t really matter.
Sorry for that, RC. Also, the RC is the tiniest person I've ever met. I feel very well fed or something next to her.
My leg started hurting at mile 1. I know, right? You would think the running Gods would give me a few pain free miles. I tried as best I could to shift my thoughts from my knee to something else, as there was nothing I could really do about it, except see how it went mile-by-mile. So, I focused on the bunch of grapes running near me – literally, dude dressed as grapes.
Literally, homie ran with a bunch of balloons.
From 3-10 I tried to be a little bit off (meaning behind) planned marathon pace and then I would speed up from there. I wanted to be around 8:20 To be honest, I find miles 8-12 of a marathon very hard mentally. The adrenaline of the start has worn off, you’ve run a pretty good distance, and you’re not even half way there, yet. For some reason, starting around 7, my legs felt really sluggish and I started to have thoughts of “why am I doing this” and “apparently, I am just not cut out for marathons.” Then, I shut myself up because I’ve felt fine in halves or 15Ks at mile 8. So, I chalked it up to a bad patch and hoped a good one would come soon.
10-15, I’m not exactly sure what happened. My leg was about the same. It hurt, but it wasn’t sharp and I could still mostly bend it. I probably could’ve given a better effort here, but I think I was sulking slightly over my leg. And then there was the Queensboro bridge, which was long and torturous. Looking back, I hope I wasn’t giving up on myself, but maybe I was.
The Queensboro Bridge looks innocuous. It is not.
After mile 15 sucked with that hill up the bridge, I made a little game for myself so I could enjoy the rest of it. Let me explain. I wise person once told me that a workout, as written, is a 100% value. Even if its a bad day, you still get 90% value for giving a good effort. There is not really winning or losing, you just try to “win” as much of that 100%. So, from mile 15 on, I decided to try to “win” as much as possible each mile – don’t ask, it made sense at the time.
Oh wait – I had one more game, too. I pretended after mile 15 that each mile was a 3rd set or a tiebreaker (tennis, people). Do you give up when you’re down 1-0 in a 3rd set? No. So, would I give up if I had a particularly sucky mile that mile? No.
It was around 16 than I started to get some sharp pains in my leg. I briefly worried that I may not be able to finish, which was a horrifying thought, but if there is anything I’m not, its a quitter. I think I repeated that to myself – “You are not a quitter.” I figured I’d finish if I had to walk or something.
Example of First Ave Crowds
16-20 was incredibly fun, despite the leg pain. The downhill of the Queensboro bridge really did a number on the IT band, but I tried to shut it up (no, I did not actually yell at it likee my last long run) so I could focus on seeing people I knew. Priorities people.
Mile 18-26 was when I sort of had to change my gait to accomodate for ye ol’ leg. Speeding up at all produced a sharp pain. I almost cried here, because I wanted to go faster than I was running, but couldn’t unless I wanted to be completely masochistic. I almost cried a little bit here, because I was sad.
Then, I figured if I could actually breathe for the last 6 or so of a marathon, I might as well enjoy it. So, I used the opportunity to soak in all the people and atmosphere. I mean, why not?
Still running. Approx mile 22.
The last downhill coming out of the park really threw the leg out of wack and I did a sweet somewhat-Trendelenberg-like gait the last 1.5 miles since my knee wasn’t so down with bending.
Of course, I have more thoughts, but I will have to write those down tomorrow. I’m exhausted.
Later, people. And, congrats to everyone who ran the NYC Marathon today!
Until next time…
(PS – my finish time was 4:05:33. Forgot to mention that tid-bit.)
Recent Comments