Week 6 : Hooray! Not Injured Any More Edition

But you are a shield around me, O LORD;
you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. - Psalm 3:3

I was hurt, but I didn't want to let my body get totally out of shape, so I decided to ride my bike in place of running. Biking was a good choice because it didn't hurt my foot at all. My back was still tweaking a bit, but it got better with each chiropractic adjustment. I had 4 that week and it got me pretty close to pain free. I decided I would try to run on Thursday as my foot was starting to feel back to normal. I didn't want to go out too fast and hurt myself again, so I started with a walk for about a half mile, then broke into a slow jog. I wound up running a little over a mile and a half and I was elated that my foot was still feeling great!

Week 6 Breakdown:

Sunday: ice
Monday: Ice
Tuesday: ICe + 30 minute bike ride
Wednesday: ICE! + 45 minute bike ride
Thursday: 2.16 miles (.5 mile walk with a 1.5 mile run to test the waters)
Friday: Rest & Ice, Ice, Baby...
Saturday: 9 miles!

After my short run I felt I could take on the 9 miles on the training schedule. I was still trying to be cautious, so I iced my foot to the point of numbness on Friday. Saturday morning came and off I went. I started off pretty gingerly, but going into mile 4 I knew I could make it. I finished off the 9 miles and felt like I had won a real race. My foot was feeling great and my training was back on track!

As I reflect back on this week and how good it feels to get back into my training, I just wanted to remind everyone why I am running and I hope you can support my cause!

Week 5 : What the Heck?!?! Edition

Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. - 2 Corinthians 8:11

This post comes REALLY late as I was not really very enthused about writing about running under the following circumstances:

So Week 5 was going great. I did my midweek runs and felt good about them. Then I was just hanging out on Friday, my rest day, and it HIT me. My right foot had a stabbing pain on the outside, closer to my ankle. The same pain that I had when I had a near stress fracture. Just in the other foot. "Great!" I thought. And Then... My foot was feeling a little better on Sunday and my back decided to start hurting. Hurting like I had a hard time sitting for a while because of stabbing pain just above my "arse." I already paid my entry fee, have this campaign to raise funds, and now I'm gonna be stuck with a bum foot and a busted back and not be able to run the race...

Week 5 Runs

Tue: 3 miles
Wed: 6 miles
Thur: 3 miles
Fri: BUSTED FOOT!
Sun: TWEAKED BACK!


Well, as it turns out, a few days and a heck of a lot of ice did the trick for my foot. 4 straight days to my chiropractor has gotten my back feeling MUCH better. I was really bummed about not being able to run and was worried it would take too long to heal to get back into the swing of training. The good news is I am feeling better and I'm back to running! More to come in the week 6 post....

Week 4 : This One Goes to 11

But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. - Acts 20:24

I was feeling a bit intimidated this week as my longest run yet was looming. Maybe it was the fact that it was double digits, maybe it was just me being a flake. My 6 mile run on Wednesday didn't help anything. I think I just didn't get quite enough sleep and I felt really sluggish and was just glad to finish it. The 3 miler the next day was good though, so that got my confidence back up a smidge.

Then there it was - those two ones put together and mocking me, saying "I know you're scared." Kind of like this:

But then I decided to say, "Forget that! 11 miles can't stop me!" Then this morning I ran 11 miles. And it felt awesome. This is why I have made running a part of my life. It's almost the same feeling as when you hit a baseball right on the sweet spot of the bat. The "runner's high" just seems to last all day.

Week 4 Rundown:

Mon: 3 miles

Tue: 6 miles

Wed: 3 miles

Fri: 11 miles - 1 hr 40 min 37 sec

Total: 23 miles

For all my "11" nervousness, I kept thinking of the above clip. I'm just gonna make my amp go up to 11...

I did adjust my schedule a bit this week as my brother will be in town from Colorado for a visit & wanted to maximize the time. Next week will be back to the Saturday long run. 12 miles can't stop me!

In the meantime, the college football season starts up this week! I will have my "guns up" this weekend cheering on my Red Raiders to victory!

Week 3 : "Stepback Week"

Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred.
Proverbs 15:17

Week 3 comes late as I have been sucked in to a "Lost" watching party. Hulu just had to put seasons 1-4 up for free... Not sure why I never watched "Lost," but now I want to know what's next. Also, by some wonder of the universe, I actually had an interview with an Architectural firm. Wasn't sure if there would ever be another one hiring. So with the interviewing and tv watching, I am just now posting about last week's running.

Run Breakdown:

Tue: 3 miles
Wed: 5 miles
Thur: 3 miles
Sat: 6 miles

Total: 17 miles

So, it was a pretty easy week and I felt good after all my runs. That's about it. Not much else to let you know about. Thanks for all your support and prayers.

Oh... They run a lot on "Lost" so that counts as "studying running form" right?