Slow & Steady Wins the Race :-)

Chiro. It hurt.  That means its working right?

Tortured me via Active Release Technique (ART), where they put major pressure where you hurt and then stretch you, then tortured me with my old best friend, Graston, the evil metal scraping device.

4 loops + a little around the neighborhood with Cooper (first one with Justin too!).  Felt great to run, even though it was dark and my headlamp was acting up.  Familiar old pain came back around 2.7, that's a little farther than before so hopefully that's progress.

More torture at the chiro today.  We'll see if it works, but it feels like it should work.  He keeps saying encouraging things (like you can and should be running - at least until it hurts, the big damage has already been done and now you're just rehabbing it and you'll only get better, and we're going to fix this for you!) and I don't want to get my hopes up and believe these things.  I'm supposed to go 6 more times and if its going to work, it will have worked by then.  Which is perfect because my insurance only covers 10 chiro appointments a year. 

In Portland, down to the dog park, one loop, and back.  Started hurting a little below the knee but was tolerable to I kept going a little further, to 3.75.  I signed up for the Jingle Bell 5K next Sunday - hopefully I can finish a measley 3.1 miles!  

.25 mile walk warm-up, .25 mile walk cool-down, 3.75 miles running on the TM while watching some lovely trashy tv (aka gossip girl).  Starting feeling it below the knee around 3, maybe that's good that it seems to keep pushing farther out when it starts to hurt.  Chiro again today, more torture.  

1 mile walking, 1 mile running with speed-ups, 1 mile walking, leg stuff after the mile running.  I was just going to walk 1 since I didn't get on the TM until almost 10pm (yes, I cannot WAIT until this quarter is over...) but then I saw that it was the Biggest Loser marathon week and it was on from 9-11 instead of 8-10 so I ended up doing 3.15 while I watched.  :-)  Go Ada!  Less sleep because of it though!

Loops around the neighborhood at night in the dark with Cooper.  It started raining hard at one point and I started to question my decision to not run on the TM!  Did some nice tours of the neighborhood Christmas lights.  Pain didn't start until 3, it is slowly seeming to creep up!  I hope that means that chiro is working, went again today!

TT: 40:00  AP: 9:32

3 miles with LEANDREA in ATLANTA!  Took the red eye and surprised her for her 30th birthday. :-)  Went after Brian got home and the girls went to bed so we needed headlamps. 

4 miles with LEANDREA in ATLANTA!  Hip hip hooray.  Why can't they move to Oregon or Washington?  If I thought Leandrea would actually blog or read this I would write more persuasive paragraphs about how wonderful it would be! :-)

Leg started hurting at 3.  It probably doesn't like 3 days of running in a row. I'll take tomorrow off. 

This wasn't really a 'race' in that I didn't race it (and I am in no real condition to be racing with hopes of good times!) but it was really fun!  Did the Jingle Bell 5K with Jordanne, Katie, Jordanne's mom Wendy, Lisa, and Anya this morning.  Picked Jord up around 7:20am then headed to Seattle - was worried about packet pick-up but had plenty of time.  It was POURING.  Reminded Anya and I of the marathon.  On the way there my car was hydro-planing all over the place, that's how bad it was!  Jord brought me a poncho which was awesome, though I was really hot most of the race because 2/3s of it was under a tunnel so it kept out the wind and rain and I was sweltering.  

Ran the first mile with Jord, Katie, and Lisa, ran the second mile just with Jord, and finally took off and a ran the last mile+ as fast as I could manage.  Everyone had bells on their shoes, people were wearing costumes (elves and santas and angels galore!), and we all sang Jingle Bells in the tunnel, so it was awesome! Felt good to run fast at the end, though there is a substantial hill in the last quarter mile or so and I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest.  If my knee will cooperate I certainly have some work to do.  It was fun to have everyone running and everyone did awesome!  Celebrated with some book club brunch afterwards.

Now its just time to finish fall quarter once and for all!

The Garmin says 3.37 so the splits are a little off, might have been a little long plus really poor running of tangents for only a 5K! 

AP: 8:42

Splits: 10:03 (warm-up mile, plus it was so congested I felt bad for Anya, who actually wanted to race, it was probably impossible), 8:23, 8:04, 7:43

Later walked 3.5 miles on the TM while watching the finale of Amazing Race.  I've got to get on that show!

Chiro today.  It wasn't torture for the first time which makes me feel hopeful....

Warmed up on the TM while it poured outside, then it seemed to let up so headed out for loops with Cooper this morning.  It was rainy and windy and freezing for awhile but then it seemed to let up a bit.  After feeling so great all day yesterday and at chiro (I had hopes of doing 5 this morning) my knee started acting up at 2.5 so I stopped at 3.21. :-(  COME ON!  

Chiro.  Its the 6th visit (he said if it was going to work it would work in 5-6 visits).  So we talked about MRI's, PT, and cortizone shots.  Fun times.  I do think he's done what he could for me, since its no longer torture.

I RAN 5 I RAN 5 I RAN 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Hip hip hooray.

First off, I need to stop being the ultimate slacker.  Somehow since I hate the treadmill and I hate running in the dark or rain I just don't run - which is UNACCEPTABLE!  It stops now.  But today I did get to run in the light, since I don't have much class this week and I only work .80 fte its the benefit. :-) Around the neighborhood with Cooper, didn't feel anything until 3.7 - a new record!  46 minutes, AP: 9:13 (the quick turnover thought makes me go faster than easy).

The 3 things I thought that I need to keep thinking: Glide, Quick Turnover, 2nd Toe Push-off. 

I was so frustrated on Wednesday after Tuesday's run that at chiro we were talking MRI's and cortizone shots.  Maybe I'll hold off for a bit longer... :-)

Off to Lincoln City for a fun beach weekend with the parents!

Ran around the beach roads of Lincoln City with Cooper this morning. The ocean was almost to the wall so didn't risk the beach! Knee started hurting early, like 1.7, booooooo. Then it started thundering and lightening and raining and we sprinted home and just barely missed the hail and pouring!  Later walked home from Car Care with my dad.  Wish it wasn't such a long drive to LC!

PS- I just noticed I only have 16 or so miles to hit 1,000 miles in 2010. So that's clealy new goal for the nest 1.5 weeks!

Walked on the beach in the morning with my parents (Cooper had a BLAST!).  Then once we got home ran 3.5 miles with Cooper (in the dark), literally all on the one street in front of our house, because there are signs about coyotes in our neighborhood that scared me.  My knee hurt around 2.5 and it was really stiff afterwards, that's not good. 

Need to run 10 miles in 10 days - that's doable right?!

Did the Fleet Feet Bonney Lake Tour de Lights again this year, with Lisa, Jordanne, Anya, and baby Denali (I got to push the BOB a little!).  Brrrrrr!  Ran around a neighborhood of fancy houses with fancy Christmas lights (it was supposed to be a 5k but once again was very short, especially since we ran extra to meet back up with Lisa). 

Knee hurts, booooooo.  Think we might go join a gym tonight. 

I hate hate hate my knee.  I'm so sick of this! I fel I've been doing EVERYTHING.... AND i'm out of ideas.  Advice?

I'm going to join the community center on Wednesday, swimming, elliptical, and weights are my future I guess.  Though I do need to run 4.5 more miles before next Saturday!

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

40 minutes on the recumbent bike, break at 20 for strength stuff.

on the beach, with Cooper, he was so happy!  Then ame home and walked more on the beach with my parents.  My knee SUCKS. Sad as it is, I may give up on the 1,000 mile mark, the idea of doing 2.5 more miles sounds awful after how bad my knee hurt today.  I don't understand how it's gotten so much worse despite all of my efforts. I need major professional help.

Went to a new PT today.  He did all kinds of measurements and tests and found out a lot of interesting things that I can't really remember or say.  The jist of it however, seemed to be that my left leg is .75" shorter than my right, which may be putting my running in a perpetual state of a cambered road, so he gave me a heel lift.  He also found some work things with my sciatic nerve (not sure if that is the right terminology) and my hips, and he was confused about what might be going on with all of these things in combination but had ideas.  Also, my ankle flexibility was horrible, like 4 degrees when a healthy foot is 11 degrees, and a runner's should be even higher.  So I'm supposed to work on that and planks for core strength to help my hips for now.  He also used a laser on me, I guess for inflammation.  He was pretty certain that given all I have been doing my problem must be mechanical, not inflammation.  We'll see. 

Did I mention that my wonderful thoughtful husband got me Bikila Vibram Five Fingers for Christmas!!!??  I was ecstatic!  Too bad I can't really use them.... but took them out for a quick .4 mile (probably) walk with Cooper to test them out.  It was cooooolllddddd.  The thermometer this morning said 19!

Not a race report!  Just want to be able to find this easily in the future!  :-)

Nicole's 2011 New Year's Resolutions!

1. Be fit in more ways than just running.  This is especially the case for my first quarter goals (Jan-Mar).  Yoga, stretching, strength training, elliptical, swimming, I clearly need to be fit in many more ways than just running if I want to actually run. 
2. Lose 5-10 pounds by March 18.  This goes hand and hand with #1.  Since the marathon, not running coupled with eating the same amount of food has not been good for me.  I need to work out, not just pout about not being able to run, since I hate working out when its not running.  I'd be happy losing 5, happier losing 10.  We're going to Mexico for a friend's wedding on March 18 so its a perfect swimsuit-wearing timeline, plus its 11 weeks away, which is a doable goal.
3. Do a triathlon!  This has been my new year's resolution for 3 years now, so I'm sucking at completing it.  I WILL do a triathlon (if just a sprint!) in 2011. 
4. Get fewer parking tickets.  It would be really really nice to get fewer parking tickets in 2011.  Maybe I'll aim for 3 or less.  I think I got 6-8 this year.  Its not good for my psyche or my wallet. 
5. Make major progress on the Ph.D.  This is going to be my main focus for 2011.  If I want to graduate in 2012, I need to successfully dominate the R&I presentation (hopefully in Feb.), dominate the written exams (hopefully in September), write my dissertation proposal, and hopefully also finish collecting my dissertation data, all by the end of the year.  GET TO IT! 
6. Running goals.  This is last because right now I have no idea when I'll be able to seriously run again because of this stupid ITB.  But I would like to run 1,000 miles in 2011 (I'm missing it by 2.5 measely unrunnable miles right now!), do a half marathon if not a full (Newport on my birthday seems impossible now), do Hood to Coast, and get a PR in the 5K.  2011 will be the year of the 5K. 

Those all seem attainable!  Now here's to a great 2011, hopefully with major ITB recovery on the horizon.  HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE EVERYONE!