A Smidjin at a time

I'm not gonna lie. I've been pretty frustrated lately. I skipped a race I had been looking forward to. My mile time I swear is getting worse. I joined a weight loss challenge and GAINED weight. And I feel like my PT progress has been 2 steps forward 1 step back...with a couple random extra steps back. I have questioned why I haven't quite yet. But you know what? I almost gave up on another race this past weekend, but through the encouragement of a friend I showed up and walked 3x farther than any of my "training" walks this year. And you know what, it wasn't so bad. My legs didn't actually fall off, my back behaved the majority of the time, and the after party was a blast. I'm making more mental progress than physical progress. But I guess progress is progress. I audibly admitted (complete with sweat and a couple tears) how frustrated I am with my backs progress at physical therapy to the PTA I was working with this week, cause you know

What happens when winter interferes with all your not so carefully crafted training plans and your back has a massive melt down and you find yourself checking in at a race not sure if you will even have the strength to make it to the starting line? Well, you either walk back to the car empty handed and cry or you suck it up, lower your expectations a little and get it done. So that is what I found myself doing yesterday morning. I had been looking forward to this race since before I even finished the half marathon. I really wanted to do a race on my birthday weekend. It was to be a celebration of all I had accomplished in my 32nd year and a way to set the tone for all I hoped to do with year 33. There was so much I wanted out of the Winter 5k. I wanted my sub 16 min/mile back, I haven’t seen it since September after all.  I wanted to actually run part of it, not just 100 feet here or there but enough to actually say “I ran it”. I wanted to feel strong. However weeks of snow and i

I really did it!  Months and Months of training and prepping and crying and physical therapy and doubt came down to this morning. It had been six and a half years since my last half marathon and the course was so very different I had no idea what really to expect. When I first signed up for the Holiday Half I had a time goal in my head, one that was big but one that based on recent 5k results I knew would be very doable if I just stayed consistent. Well then the training started, and then the back pain started, and then it started getting cold, and then the shin splints started. And even a week ago, I was in serious doubt of my ability to actually do the half marathon.  Then this morning came. We got to the starting area, and though it was cold and windy and rainy I was feeling good. I was able to get my legs stretched out a bit before starting. I managed to find 3 out of 5 friends who I knew were up there doing the race too. And then, the gun went off and the snow

It's finally almost here. Like seriously, in twelve hours I will be huddling with the masses, stretching, breathing, and praying for strength. The clothes are laid out, the bag packed, the carbs loaded, and the nails are being painted.  While the last several months have not physically gone the way I wanted, they have been very beneficial for me. Both of my PT guys being runners themselves was so helpful, they have helped me not just get my core healthy and strong again, but have talked training plans with me, interpreted weather reports and taught me secrets about my car.  So I take all the wisdom that has been shared with me, I will trust my training, I will breathe, and I will laugh and smile and enjoy my time out there. See you all over the finish line. 

It's been a trying couple of months since I last sat and wrote stuff down. But it's also been a couple months of incredible growth. Lets start where I left off. Day One of training for a half-marathon, also known as Day One of Back Pain. Steroids brought relief for a couple of weeks, but when it returned it was muscle relaxers and Physical Therapy time. And man, physical therapy has been the most amazing torture I have ever done. Twice a week I go in and get my butt kicked with what looks like should be simple workout moves (trust me they aren't) and then I usually get to just lay there for 15 minutes on some heavy duty heat while the e-stim is zapping my back. All the while I get to talk running and racing with my PTA Don. Thankfully the PT Nathan and Don are both runners, so when I first mentioned my race in December, they have been fully on board helping me get strong enough to achieve that goal. And while the first couple of weeks I felt like I was getting behind with

I successfully went 30 days without any bread, pasta or pastries. 30 days without any beans or peanut butter. 30 days without any cheese, yogurt or creamer. 30 days without any sweetener in my coffee. 30 days were I ate super clean whole foods, planned every meal out a week at a time, and cooked everything I ate. 30 days where I said no to co-workers offering me pizza. 30 days of bringing my own food to a BBQ and making a salad out of the sandwich toppings. 30 days of getting up early to cook breakfast at home instead of grabbing something at the cafeteria. Not gonna lie, I did miss pizza and mac&cheese, and Pad Thai and burritos. I hope when I finish re intro I find that these are my body actually likes and I can still have them on special occasions. Also, major victory today: my car wouldn't start this morning, long story I got it jumped after church was over and grabbed my wallet and ran to a shop to get it looked it. Grabbed my favorite LaraBar and water as well and tha