Just a quick update now that summer has finally arrived in Michigan! I got so used to running in the cold that the 80 degree temperatures have been hard to get used to. I’m working in run walk intervals while I acclimate to them, and I have to tell you that running 8 minutes in the heat is hard. However, I’ll get used to it and hopefully be back to trying to beat my PRs again. I’ve been a bit inconsistent with my running the last couple of weeks because of my work schedule, so that’s not helping either. I have two months until my 5k race, and I really want to run it in less than 40 minutes. No matter what happens at that race, though, I’ll have a good time ^__^
Tag: 5k
“Back” to Pain
Hey y’all! It’s been a few weeks since I posted an update. My running hasn’t been progressing too well since I ran that 5k distance last month. I was talking to a much more experienced runner about it and he said it might be wise to back off the training a bit. Having hit two PRs last month left my body feeling tired, and I began struggling to complete a run. Even a mile left me feeling like I was breathing too hard. I switched back to run/walk intervals for the time being—5 minute run and 2 minute walk. I’m going to do that for a bit and gradually increase the running time back up, first to 8 minutes, then to 10 minutes, and keep my 2 minute walk breaks for those new times and see how my body responds. I’m going to increase my total workout time from 35 minutes to 50 minutes gradually with the help of the run/walk intervals, and reassess after that. In a few weeks, I also want to add a 4th run day where I simply run a mile and try to get progressively better times.
That said, I haven’t run in 8 days, unless you count the 3 minutes that I attempted Tuesday. My left back started hurting near my lower ribs 5 days ago, and I just assumed it was a strain of some sort since it hurt with movement or deep breathing. I was content with just treating it on my own until the pain worsened and I felt like I was being stabbed. I made an appointment with Dr. S and he said it could basically be a dozen different things since there’s no other symptoms (he also told me it was too early in his day to have such a tricky problem 😂). I had a test done to rule out kidney stones and that was normal, so for now I’m trying several days of prednisone to see if that calms the pain down any. If so, I’m good to go, and if not, we discussed potential next steps. Hopefully the next time I have to see him will be at the 5k race we’re both doing in August and not sooner. I want to get back to my training plan!
Even though it hurts too much to run this week, I can still bike since once I’m in position, my back doesn’t really move. I rode for over an hour today and it felt glorious to get outside and move. The only bad thing is that a bracket on my bike seat broke in a place that can’t really be replaced without major hassle. I have it duct taped in place for now since it isn’t going to be a safety issue when I’m sitting on it, but I did order a new seat tonight. Chances are if one part broke, others are weak. My bike gets a lot of use! I also need to get a new tire for the back at some point, which in hindsight I should have also ordered tonight. Oh well.
Lastly, I baked some cookies for my physical therapy clinic and dropped them off this morning. It’s been six months since I’ve had to go there, which is the longest I’ve stayed away in the last two years! That’s amazing for me! It’s all thanks to them always going above and beyond to help. If they hadn’t suggested Frankenshoe (getting a 1 inch full sole lift built into my everyday shoes and my running shoes to even out my leg lengths), I doubt I would have gone this long without a major issue. I’m so grateful to have been able to work with people who care so much.
Breaking Records
Hey guys! Just going to make this a quick update today, but I’ve been working hard on a post I’ll be publishing soon titled ‘The Reality of Being an Overweight Runner’. I’m editing it and trying to get it worded just right.
Things have been going pretty good lately. For once I’m not struggling with any major issues. I’m not 100% at the moment, but doing better than last year so far. My biggest issue has been struggling with my asthma during my workouts. It’s not bad enough to stop my runs, but it does slow me down having to walk in the middle and use my inhaler.
Despite all that, I managed to get my best 5k time today! 46’19” isn’t going to win me a real race, but it’s more than 3 minutes faster than last time! I’m trying my best to run that distance in under 40 minutes by August, so at least I’m making some progress! I’m hurting a little more than usual, but typically I run for 2 miles, so it’s not unexpected. I’m trying to keep increasing my distance so 3 miles is my usual run, but it’s hard balancing what I want vs. what my body is happiest with. It’ll take me several months to get there, but that’s okay if I can run without all the injuries from last year.
Here’s a photo from my run at 7 am! I love early morning runs and watching the sunrise ❤
Milestone Achievement
Guys! I finally did it! I ran the whole 5k distance! It was the first time I was ever able to hit that distance without needing to walk! I went out for my run on Wednesday intending to do just 2 miles, and when I hit that mark I started thinking to myself how amazing it would be to be able to say I finally ran 5k. I wasn’t hurting or out of breath and decided to go for it. However, I was completely exhausted and my body was starting to hurt before I finished (especially the area next to my kneecap), but I knew I only had to last another half mile at that point, so there was no way I was giving up. I focused on the music I was listening to (Arashi, because they will always be my favorite), and told myself it was only about two more songs. I made my final turn and knew I had it. The only traffic light downtown changed to red on me when I approached, so I made a quick turn and crossed the street a little ways down and then went back to the direction I was originally running. No way was I going to let that light stop me when I was that close. I felt so amazing when I finished that distance that I took a selfie right there at the side of the road to commemorate the moment! I had never run that far. My longest distance to date had been 2.17 miles back in November, so I really surprised myself. My time was absolutely terrible (49:27), but the most important thing is that I know I can do the distance now and my mind will have a harder time convincing me that I can’t. I have a number as a starting point, and as I work on improving my running, it will get better. I’m not going to be out running that distance every time I run since that’s the equivalent of a “long run” for me, but I’ll aim to do it once every 7-10 days for now until my fitness improves more.
First 5k!
I finally got to experience my first 5k race! Well, it wasn’t much of a race for me since I was super slow, but it’s a stepping stone and it was great motivation to keep trying. Really, my performance was pretty dismal, but I learned a lot.
The morning of the race was warm and clear. I pulled into the park about ten minutes after packet pickup started, and it wasn’t too crowded yet. It gave me some time to get some stretching in without being in anyone’s way. My nerves were on overdrive and I felt my anxiety intensify the closer to the start of the race it got. What helped calm it down some was seeing some people I knew. All together I knew 8 people there, 6 of whom I had met at some of the group runs, while the other two I knew outside of my running group. Having some familiar faces there was nice. I know I have nothing to compare it to, but it’s probably one of the best benefits of a small race. Fourty-four runners came out to race in total.
At the starting line, I stayed near the back of the pack since I knew I would be slow and I’d just get passed in the first 30 seconds anyway. At least I wouldn’t slow down the more serious runners and possibly cause them harm by being an obstacle to go around. When the official call to began was shouted, I was off. I started out way too fast; I felt my pace being set by all the faster people in front of me. After a minute or so, I settled into my usual sloth’s pace, determined not to wear myself out too early. A few days before, I had only just ran 2 miles (in intervals) for the first time, so I knew doing 3.1 would be a huge challenge for me. I did really well at the beginning and ran almost a mile without slowing to a walk. Considering I was only 75% of the way through my training plan, I was happy with that.
Unfortunately things didn’t stay that well for me. I had a hard time when I got a little ways into the woods. I hadn’t trained back there more than twice, so I wasn’t really prepared for more than a third of the race to be on uneven terrain. I wasn’t very far into the woods when the fast group of runners came by on their way back out of the woods, but at least half a dozen of them wished me good luck and told me to keep it up. I did ok back there until I was about halfway through. I was so exhausted and in so much pain from all of my nagging injuries that I walked about half the race. It got worse when I tripped over a tree root and fell, landing on my entire right side. I felt frustration well up inside me and felt tears start to form, but I pushed away all those feelings as quickly as I could and got back up and started running again.
When I finally made it out of the woods, I thought I just had a straight shot from the woods to the finish line, so I locked onto it and willed my body to keep going even though my burning tendons were screaming at me. I was so focused, or maybe just so tired, that I missed the last arrow and didn’t make the final turn. I only realized when I went through the start/finish arch backward that I had made a mistake. No one pointed it out to me, and there wasn’t another runner in front of me to follow because I was so slow. It was frustrating because it felt like I cheated by not completing the whole distance. I finished 40/44 at the race, with a time of 44 minutes, but really it should have been a few minutes more than that if I had actually ran the right direction.
Despite all the difficulty I had during the race, I had a good time. My endurance had built up enough that I should have been able to run the majority of that race by doing short 1 minute walks ocassionally, but my injuries had other ideas. Things were far from ideal, but it was a great feeling to be able to finish and celebrate everything I’ve had to overcome in the 21 months since my surgery. It’s been a harder journey to get to my first 5k than I could have predicted, but it’s been really rewarding. If I hadn’t been going through all these struggles, I probably never would have found out about my running group. It’s only because Dr. S brought it up at my last appointment with him and talked with me about my running struggles that I knew about it. I made sure to thank him when I saw him at the race. I don’t know if he really understands just how much he did for me by suggesting that group. I’ve run with them now more times that I can keep track of anymore, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know some new people. I was motivated to run before I joined that group, but now my motivation is even stronger. Even though it seems like I’m someone who never gives up, it’s been a huge struggle to keep training despite the pain. I’m already planning to do another 5k in November, but I’m taking two weeks off from running at the suggestion of my PT and getting right back into it. So until then, keep working toward whatever it is you’re working toward and attack it head on!
5K Training
Somehow yet another month has slipped by without an update. As predicted, I ended up back at physical therapy for all of my injuries. Better to work on them now before they stop me 100% from doing anything, which was the route I was headed down if I continued to ignore them. My PT knows my goal and how determined I am to meet it, so we’ve been aggressive at the stretching, and I started doing some strengthening this week. I’ve managed to keep running 3 days a week out of sheer stubbornness. Usually it hurts some, but no more than when I’m not running, so I’m going to keep at it. I absolutely refuse to stop again unless I’m told by a medical professional that I should. This is the third time in a year I’ve started trying to run, and I’m going to do everything I can to keep at it.
I decided to sign up for the 5k Dr. S told me about, which is hosted by the running group I joined. I can’t believe it’s only 12 days away. Considering I had to cancel the one in February due to injury, saying I’m looking forward to it is an understatement. I can’t even describe how ridiculously excited I am to finally be this close to that goal. I know I won’t be able to run the whole thing because I won’t be done with my training plan, but if I work in intervals, I should be able to run 80% of the time. I’ll push myself to do what I can, but I’m not going to stress out about it. I’ve also cut my cycling down for now to see if that helps the pain and stiffness in my hips and hamstrings. I think my every day bike habit is hindering my ability to rest well enough, so from now until the race, I’m only riding a few days a week and at a slower pace and less time than I’d prefer. It will hopefully be worth it come race day.
Lastly, I really love being part of a running group. I’ve mostly interacted with the members on Facebook, but I was able to make it to one group run so far, and it was awesome. Having some support out there makes a big difference, and there are a mix of beginners and non beginners, so there are people who understand the struggle to start running and people to look up to for future goals. Everyone has been amazing so far. I plan to do two more group runs this week, and I’m really looking forward to it. I’m learning a little about park runs and trail runs through them, and while I’ve only done one trail run so far, I loved it. Being in the woods surrounded by nature was refreshing. I just have to be careful I don’t roll an ankle on the uneven ground, which is why I haven’t been again yet. I do that enough on flat ground to the right ankle, which, as y’all know, already has problems. I don’t need another injury right before my race. I seem to be a magnet for them this past year, and enough is enough.
That’s all I have for now! I’ll let everyone know how my race goes, and maybe even post some photos!!
Of Asthma and Running
February ended with a challenge. As you all know, I had started back running and went a few times with little trouble. Then the unexpected happened: I had an asthma exacerbation. Ok, so it’s not unexpected per se since I have a few each year, but this one was a lot more stubborn. I switched daily controller medication at the beginning of the month and started taking Flovent. I’m not sure if it was just the medication change that made my asthma flare up or if it was running in the cold air and not being used to it (even though I bike in the snow, running stresses my lungs more). Either way, I ended up having to make a same day doctor’s appointment to try to get my asthma back under control. I tried letting it calm down on its own and just treating it with my rescue inhaler, but I was having to use my inhaler every few hours. The day I called for an appointment, I woke up feeling really short of breath. I was glad I was able to get in to see my doctor that afternoon, because otherwise I would have had to go to an urgent care clinic. Things are better now. I finished my five day burst of prednisone yesterday and my doctor had me stop Flovent and go back to what I was taking before, which is Advair. I go back at the beginning of May to discuss my asthma, at which point I may move back down to Flovent, but I don’t want to switch medication before my race, which is a little less than two weeks after my follow up appointment. I lost an entire week of training last week, and I don’t need anything else getting in the way of my goals. I’ve had enough bad luck with injuries; I don’t need my asthma getting in my way either. I am going to meet my goal of running a 5k one way or another. It would just be nice if obstacles didn’t keep getting in my way.
February Update
A few things have happened since last I wrote, and I thought I’d fill all of you in. First, I had my annual appointment with my primary care doctor (Dr. S is the absolute best) to re-evaluate my asthma, and we decided that I could try to step down on my daily medication. Now, instead of a combination inhaler with a steroid and long acting bronchodilator, I’m trying just a steroid inhaler. I’m actually a little nervous about how it will go because I didn’t do well when I tried that three years ago. I’ve had excellent asthma control for the last few years, though, so it makes sense to see how I do. If worse comes to worse, I just go back to taking the combination inhaler and we try again at some point in the future.
While I was at the doctor, I asked him to look at my elbow, and I was right: it’s tennis elbow. He said he knew almost immediately because my case was so textbook, which never happens with me (usually I have weird issues). He told me to try a brace on it, ice it, stretch, and use ibuprofen as needed, and if that doesn’t seem to help, we can try physical therapy. I also brought up the issue of my hands tingling, and he said it’s bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. He gave me braces to wear at night to keep the nerve from getting compressed. I’m hoping it helps and the problem resolves. It’s really annoying trying to hold a fork or spoon, pen, or crochet with my hands tingling and going numb. Bloodwork was ordered just to make sure it wasn’t a systemic issue, and everything came back normal, so it’s just overuse like everything else. I follow up with Dr. S in three months to make sure everything is on track.
In other news, physical therapy for my hip is going well. I’ve had 3 ASTYM treatments so far, and I’m hoping that will resolve the last of my hip woes. My therapist told me he wanted to do it because other nearby areas were starting to get tightness in addition to the gluteus medius: the gluteus minimus, the tensor fasciae latae, and the IT band. I’m glad he discovered that before I start my running program up again. The last thing I need is another problem starting or coming back.
I’m counting down the days until I can start running again: 17 days left! I’m not allowed to run until the last week of February, but I’m going to ask at PT if I can at least do some really short interval runs (30 seconds at a time). If I can’t, that’s okay. I’ll do what I have to for proper healing. I was given the go ahead by my physical therapist to do a 5k in mid-May, so I’m doing the one the local zoo hosts. It raises money for conservation and I get free admission to walk around the zoo afterward, so it’s a really great event. The best part is that I have two friends who want to run it with me! I’m looking forward to it more than words can say. I really hope I can make this one! I plan to run at least 5 races this year, especially the holiday ones. One of the local orchards does a Halloween race, and then there’s the Thanksgiving turkey chase. Other than those two, I’m not sure which ones I want to do yet. There’s a women’s only one in the summer where each runner gets to go down a long flight of stairs individually at the start that sounds cool, and there’s a state border run that I might do, too. I have plenty of time to decide, though, so no rush!
Lastly, work is still ridiculous, but I made it clear I wasn’t able to work so much overtime anymore given all of my new injuries. I think we might actually be getting a manager soon. I was told they were doing interviews today, so I’m hoping someone can take over by next week. I really hope it’s someone who is easy to work with and can work around all of my upcoming appointments and race dates.
New Year, New Goals
Happy New Year to everyone! This is the time of year most people set new goals for themselves, but I’m still working on my goals from last year. That’s not to say I haven’t edited them a little bit, though!
I want to talk a bit about 2019, first. Those of you who have been following me know that it was a hard year for me. I had a long and challenging recovery from insertional Achilles tendon repair that forced me to constantly push my goals back. Then, when I thought I was doing okay (save for the mysterious foot issue unrelated to my Achilles tendon), I hurt my hip while working toward my goal of running a 5k. Then there’s work, which I can’t go into too much detail about, but I can tell you that my boss took a new job and his last day was the day after Christmas. Since then, it’s been total chaos and it hasn’t even been two weeks. I’m expected to act like a full manager without the benefit of more pay, and I’m not going to stand for it much longer.
Given everything, to say I’m looking forward to a better 2020 is an understatement. I’m trying not to get my hopes up so I don’t get disappointed, but I feel like this year should be a good one. Last year I had a pretty good bike year despite everything, and I rode 1,766 miles! That’s not even for a full year since I only was allowed to ride again in April. I think I can do better this year, though, and my goal is 2,100 miles. Since I live in Michigan, the weather can be unpredictable in winter, but so far I’ve been able to get out a couple of times a week. I expect things to take a turn eventually, but I’m certainly enjoying this mild winter!
My first ever 5k was supposed to be February 15, but I’m probably not going to be able to run it. I’m going to discuss the practicality of it at physical therapy Tuesday, but I don’t think it’d be a good idea to push myself too much. I’ll probably have to wait until March, so I’m already bracing myself for the bad news. I have a follow-up appointment with my doctor for my hip in a week and a half, and I’ll be sure to ask about resuming running.
Moving along, I’ve still been having trouble with my foot, and I have an appointment set up with another doctor for a second opinion. I still don’t accept that it’s only arthritis going on when at one point that same doctor thought there was an impingement of some kind. I got the name of this new doctor from my physical therapist, so I’m hoping he’s good. He’s published research about foot/ankle issues, so I feel pretty good about seeing him. My PT originally had suggested I see someone about an hour away because that surgeon also has a degree in PT and is supposed to be amazing, but he’s not taking any new patients. If that changes in the future and I’m still having problems, I’m definitely calling for an appointment. I just wish I knew what was still wrong with my foot. Last week, my PT tried taping my ankle so my fibula didn’t move so much, but I’m not sure it helped much. I wouldn’t mind trying again on a day where I’m going to work after my session instead of a day off. In other news, I started wearing a heel lift to correct my short right leg. I had worn one when I was a kid, and then again temporarily about ten years ago, but not since. My PT says he’s hoping it will help my hip settle down, and it seems to be helping a little bit.
I feel like this update is a little disorganized, but that’s what my life feels like right now. Having no boss at work means a lot of extra work for me since there are only a handful of reliable people there. I am struggling physically with the increased demands of the job, not to mention the stress is giving me mini panic attacks. 2020 is starting out as a struggle, but things are bound in improve from here. I’m hoping to do a semi local 30 mile bike ride this year, run at least five 5k races, and maybe pick up martial arts at some point this year if I’m ever able to. I’ll have an update again after my appointments mid-month, so until then, take care!
Battle Plan
My hip pain has not resolved despite it having been seven weeks. I talked to my physical therapist a couple of weeks ago and he recommended a new doctor to me who is good with younger active patients with hip injuries. I looked him up and he’s published a ton of research and is team physician to several area college teams. I had my initial appointment with him today, and he seems to be really good. I didn’t tell him what my PT thought was going on at first just to see if he thought the same thing, and he did: gluteus medius tendonitis and trochanteric bursitis. He’s having me do formal physical therapy (I was just doing stretches on my own at home) and he’s going to reevaluate in six weeks and if it’s not better by then, he’ll try a steroid injection.
I called my physical therapist as soon as I got home from my appointment and he told me he had a light afternoon and offered me an appointment 45 minutes from the time I called. I was really glad to be able to start today so I can recover sooner. The only downside is that if this injury had waited a month, my insurance would cover it because my benefits would have reset. That means I’ll be doing self-pay until New Year’s, by which time I’ll be almost done with my course of treatment if all goes well. My therapist and the office manager were really apologetic about me having to pay myself, but I honestly don’t even care that my benefits are used up. I knew that going in and I knew what the fee was from last time, so it was expected. I’m just glad to be able to get some help getting back to my normal activities and not being in pain every day. The cost is worth it to get my life back.
Today’s PT session focused on a thorough evaluation of my hip injury and setting up a plan. My therapist told me that we needed to try to figure out why my foot is still an issue because if I’m limping on it and not walking normally, it will affect other areas of my body. I was very happy to hear that because I would love to know what’s actually wrong with my foot. I have nothing against the surgeon who fixed my tendon; that’s 90% better or more than it was before surgery and I’m grateful for that, but there’s no way I’m having surgery on my foot again anytime soon until I feel absolutely certain of the problem.
Other than those two appointments, my day was filled with lots of phone calls and emails. The asthma inhaler I had been taking all year is suddenly not allowed to be filled at the local pharmacy anymore. Instead, it has to be filled through the mail because it’s a maintenance medication, which costs more sometimes. At the pharmacy, I was using a manufacturer coupon to get the copay reduced to $10/month. The mail order pharmacy doesn’t take coupons and the copay there is $63. I emailed my family doctor and asked to switch to something with a lower copay and he was nice enough to change it for me without me coming in for an appointment. The weird problem is that the generic version of what I switched to costs $40 more per month than the name brand, and the doctor sent the generic on the prescription because generic is always cheaper, except apparently in this case. I found that out because I called the mail order pharmacy and made them give me the copay amounts to make sure they matched what I was told they were supposed to be by the insurance company, and indeed the name brand inhaler is cheaper than the generic. So now the pharmacy is supposed to contact the doctor’s office tomorrow to get the prescription changed to the name brand, and hopefully that will clear things up. I bothered my doctor so much today with an email chain while we tried to work out the issue that I really hope tomorrow will be the last I’ll have to cause him trouble.
That’s all I have for now, and hopefully the next time I write I’ll have some good news. I’m benched from running for the next six weeks but I can still bike as long as it doesn’t hurt, so at least I can try to keep up my conditioning. I have major doubts that I will be making my first 5k in February. I wasn’t given a clear answer when I asked my PT, which I understand because it’s still too early to know. If I have to push it back, so be it. There’s no use stressing about something I have little control over. All I can do is put my best effort into PT and trust that God will let everything work out eventually. So, until next time, I hope everyone is doing well!
Life's A Ride 