6 Month Hiatus

Can you believe it's been 6 months since I ran the half marathon in Vegas?! I had to look back at my posts to see if I had mentioned the fact that I had a foot injury when I did the half. I had mentioned it so I'll just give a little update on that situation. After 4 months of not running and experiencing constant pain in my left foot and 4 months of biweekly physio therapy with minimal betterment, my doctor ordered a bone scan. The results were inconclusive, but my doctor educatedly guessed that I must have had a stress fracture. No wonder I was in constant pain every time I put pressure on my foot.

I tried running again after about 4 months of not and what a disheartening day that was. I quickly realised that running a solid 10 km with very little effort was a thing of the past. I could barely run 2 km without gasping for breath. I was right back to where I had started, so being the trooper that I am not, I gave up for a while, wallowed in self pity, and licked my wounds all the while keeping in the back of my mind that I had signed up to do a 5 km run with my sister at the beginning of July.

I vowed that I would pull myself out of my wallowing pit as of June 1st. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being my best effort, I would give myself a 6 at this point. June 1st, I walked 5 km. June 2nd, I walked 1 km, jogged 1 km, walked 1 km, jogged 1 km, walked 1 km. June 4th, I walked 5 km. I'm getting there...

On July 6, my sister and I and a few of her friends are doing the Color Me Rad 5K Run in Edmonton, Alberta. Running the strip at night is one thing, but Color Me Rad is just plain crazy! See:

I never really do anything in my life without WUSC in the back of my mind so I changed my fundraising page to reflect my newest endeavour and really hope that you'll visit, learn a little bit about why I hold the Student Refugee Program so near and dear to my heart, and maybe even donate!

I am a FINISHER!

So remember when I said I was going to run a half marathon? The race was over a month ago and I still haven't shared my thoughts on the experience. It's a good thing I don't have a lot of people reading my blog! First, my excuse: When I finish one thing, I immediately move on to the next thing - 29 Random Acts of Kindness on Jan 29 for my 29th birthday - that's just how I roll; it's what I do. Now, my lecture to myself: Finish what you start; You created all of this build-up and then didn't post about the actual run!

Joe and I arrived at the pre-race prep area at 2:00 p.m. on December 2nd. Joe started the full marathon at 3:00 p.m. I "started" the half marathon at 4:30 p.m. I say "started" because by the time my corral (#31) made it to the start line, it was 5:30 p.m. The waiting to start was one of the worst parts. After sitting in the prep area for 2.5 hours, I just wanted to GO!

I started the race officially at 5:30 p.m. What a rush! I was pumped, amped, a true adrenalin junky, jogging past the slow pokes and loving it! The stomach cramps kicked in after about 30 minutes (first-timer mistake #1: taking an Imodium before the run). I grabbed a drink at the first water station (first-timer mistake #2: not running with my CamelBak), stopped to pee at the first rest station, and then went back to it. I'd estimate that I kept up the jog for the next hour or so and then the stomach cramps got the best of me. I slowed to a walk, did some intense breathing exercises, drank more water, ate some energy snacks, and watched some of those slow pokes jog past me...sigh. The race was really poorly marked in terms of how far we'd run so most of the time, I had no clue how far I was the finish (first-timer mistake #3: not bringing my own pedometer). At this point my foot (remember, I had, and still do have, tendinitis in my left foot) really started to bother me.

I started running again, enjoyed the rush that comes along with passing other people (it's incredible, really), and pushed myself until I just couldn't push anymore. I'd say I "walked" the last 3 miles or so. I say "walked" because I walked the 3rd last mile, hobbled, the 2nd last mile, and tried my absolute darndest not to pass out for the last mile. As I dragged myself passed the medical trucks, the thought crossed my mind, on more than one occasion, to just stop and get them to drive me to finish. By the end of the race, I was exhausted, sure I was going to vomit, and could hardly feel my left foot because of the pain. I was in rough shape...BUT...as I neared the finish line, the truly incredible experience of the half marathon really set in.

A small boy, maybe about 5, was standing off to the side of the course with his arm stretched out to give the runners a high-five. Most of the people had one-track minds, "I can see the finish; I'm almost there," and weren't paying any attention to him. While I was thinking the same things as the others, I was also looking for anything and everything to distract me from the fact that I was near unconsciousness. I went up to him and upon seeing that someone was actually paying attention to him, he braced himself and gave me a huge spin around high-five! At that moment, and even now, I love that kid! A little bit further on, a grown man who was clearly waiting for someone he knew to come along (which means I wasn't the last person to finish) gave me a high five and said, "You're almost there; you're doing awesome; keep it up!" I loved that man too.

At some point in there, I realised that I was actually going to finish. "Thanks, medics, but I don't need you!" With the last ounce of strength I could muster, I ran (or jogged...sort of) across the finish line. Congratulations all around, photo op, and then the struggle to figure out how to get out of the post-race area and back to my hotel so I could pass out!

I found an equally exhausted Joe already in the hotel room. We got pizza, did a bathtub soak, and fell asleep with the hopes that we'd be able to move the next morning. We could, move I mean, but barely. All day we hobbled around, braced ourselves for the immense pain every time we had to go down stairs (up wasn't really a problem), and laughed a little every time someone recognised us as runners because we were struggling so much to move.

"So how was the race?" That's all I heard (obviously) from everyone who knew I was doing it. My answer: "It was brutal, but I finished and the experience was amazing!" Would I do it again? (I was asked that quite often as well) and the answer is yes, definitely, but never with an injury again.

My official race time was 3:27:09 and I am happy with that. Ya, I wish I could have run the whole thing. Ya, I really wanted to finish in 3 hours. Ya, most average racers finish in 2.5 hours. The main point for me is that I finished. I am a FINISHER! I set a goal; I trained my ass off; and I completed what I set out to do; finish a half marathon and raise a bunch of money for the people and program that have changed my life.

21K for Change, indeed!

Plyometrics a.k.a. Imma kick your panties off!

Plyometrics basically means Jump Training. The last time I did the P90X Plyometrics workout I could barely walk for about three days following the workout. I also wasn't training for a half marathon.

I've determined that my main issue with long distance running is that my legs get sore really quickly. I don't get out of breath and I know how to take care of side stitches, but my leg strength just isn't cutting it. I figure plyo at least once a week will help build my leg strength considerably.

To start, the ten minute warm-up is enough to make me reconsider doing the workout even once a week. There's another fifty minutes after that to get through. Just for fun and games I'm going to share with you the names of the exercises (or torture techniques) that comprise the P90X Plyometrics workout.
Set 1:
Jump Squats - 30 seconds
Run Stance Squats - 30 seconds
Airborne Heisman - 30 seconds
Swing Kicks - 1 minute
...and then you do it all over again!
Set 2:
Squat Reach Jumps - 30 seconds
Squat Switch Pickups - 30 seconds
Double Airbourne Heisman - 30 seconds
Circle Run - 1 minute
...and one more time!
Set 3:
Jump Knee Tucks - 30 seconds
Mary Katherine Lunges - 30 seconds
Leapfrog Squats - 30 seconds
Twist Combo - 30 seconds
...repeat!
Set 4: 
Rock Star Hops - 30 seconds
Gap Jumps - 30 seconds
Squat Jacks - 30 seconds
Military March - 1 minute
...again!
Set 5:
Run Squat 180 Jump Switches - 30 seconds
Lateral Leapfrog Squats - 30 seconds
Monster Truck Tires - 30 seconds
Hot Foot - 1 minute
...you guessed it, once is never enough!
Bonus Round
Pitch and Catch - 1 minute
Jump Shots - 1 minute
Football Hero - 1 minute
...as you can see these are all 1 minute exercises so I guess no repetition is necessary.

Let's see, I did the workout on Friday; it is now Sunday and it hurts to sit. It hurts to stand. It hurts to touch most parts of my legs and butt. I should be all healed up just in time to do next week's workout. Seriously, that in and of itself deserves a donation!

To quote Tony Horton, creator of P90X:
"If you're doing plyometrics you can jump higher and run faster and your heart and lungs are going to kick the panties off of any body else who tries to get out there without it." - Talk about motivation!

Ready, Set, Go...

Here's the deal: I'm running a half marathon (21K) and raising money (hopefully $5000) for WUSC's Student Refugee Program (SRP). 

The SRP changes the lives of students living in refugee camps by providing them with sponsorships to come to Canadian post-secondary institutions to study. For the first time ever, Brandon University WUSC is bringing TWO students in the fall of 2012. It's a huge deal, but it also comes with considerable cost. 

You can read more about it, including where (Vegas), when (Dec. 2), and Fun Facts (they really are quite impressive) on my other blog: Brandy's Bustlings.