It's Been A While

It's been a while, and my training has stalled. This isn't good news and I don't seem to know what the issue is. I actually enjoy being outside and running, but my perpetually weak ankles seem to disagree. In particularly, my left ankle is in quite a bit of pain. I try to get through my workouts, but I mainly end up limping back home by the time I finish my mileage. I am trying wrapping the ankle at this point and I might need to get a brace because it is that painful.

I am also experimenting with different strategies. I will admit that I have not been the best with running in the past month. Between the heat, vacation, and adjusting to an intermittent work schedule it has been difficult to get in the groove. I think this is why I am struggling with the running. On the positive note, once my calves warm-up they are fine beyond mile 3. Its the nagging pain in my left ankle that I can't seem to get rid of. Open to suggestions for how to fix this. It sucks because I also have a latex allergy and a lot of the bandages and medical things that exist from companies like Mueller I can't wear. It's become a very frustrating process.

How am I doing overall? I have done a lot of working out beyond just running. I am still doing insanity, I did the program off and on for a couple of weeks to get used to the physical demands. I am now on Day 3 of the program and all seems to be good. Because of my toe, I have had to modify some of the moves, but it still leaves me in a pool of sweat, which is good. I also do the elliptical a lot, A LOT. I try to do at least 45 minutes, at least for the next week or two mainly because my pedometer that I wear offers us entry into a contest for a trip of our choice and some cash. The more health miles I rack up the more chances I have to win. I have also introduced some weight lifting and for relaxation I like to swim for about half an hour.

I realize that this is a physically demanding workout regimen, but honestly with my struggles in regards to my ankle I need to be in peak physical shape. When I am tired I rest, and there are days when I don't push myself because my body just doesn't want to. I will complete the marathon in October, and honestly I am scared to death about it. I am worried about not finishing, so I want to do all I can to make sure I can hand the physical demands. Goal 1 is to try and tone up and slim down. The workout regimen is working, I have already gone down a dress size and I would guess I have lost between 5 and 10 pounds. My goal is to go faster and the less I weigh, then the faster I go. That's the theory anyway.

I am also adjusting my training program. I am still following the mileage of Hal Higdon's program, but I am hybriding it with the strategy of Jeff Galloway. I am hoping to build up to a 3 min run and 1 min walk strategy for the marathon. I think this is doable for me and it will prevent me from putting too much stress on my knees and ankles. I am starting with a 1 min run, 4 min walk and over the next couple of months I am going to increase the minutes run and decrease the minutes walk until I get a comfortable pace.

Wish me luck, this weekend looks good and I am going to try and tackle 11 miles this Sunday.

Until then, happy running!

Half Marathon Bucket List

I have decided I really like running half marathons. I feel like 13ish miles is an acceptable and reasonable difference to run. There are many half marathons that I would like to run in order to say that I did them. Some of them I have already signed up for, and some of them it will probably take a while before I can sign up for them, but they look fun!

1. Divas Half Marathon (Long Island...can't wait!)
2. Bird In Hand Half Marathon (Lancaster, PA)
3. Philadelphia Half Marathon
4. Pittsburgh Half Marathon
5. Hershey Half Marathon (umm...yum!)
6. Tinkerbell Half Marathon (both in Disneyland and in Disneyworld)
7. Miami Beach Half Marathon
8. Yuengling Shamrock Half Marathon (Virginia Beach)
9. Crawlin' Crab Half Marathon (Virginia Beach)
10. Rock n' Roll Half Marathon (Las Vegas)
11. Running from An Angel Half Marathon (Las Vegas)
12. Chicago Half Marathon
13. Island 2 Island Half Marathon (Ocean City, MD)

My goal is to do Hershey, Philadelphia, and the Shamrock race done this year. So there it is 13 races that I must do at some point so I can scratch them off my bucket list!

Happy Running!