Winner and Thoughts

The winner of the 110% Play Harder Calf Sleeves is Haley from Climb, Run, Lift, Mom.

Congrats! Drop me an email at shutuprun@gmail.com and I’ll tell you how to claim your prize!

I’m trying to not let Boston consume my every thought, but it’s hard. I’ve been up since 4:30 a.m. hashing through stuff. The journey to get here has been dramatic, long and bumpy. Like I have to tell you that. I will say that although this upcoming trip revolves around “The Boston,” it represents much more than a race for me.

Remember back in January when my daughter made this for me?

She must have had a crystal ball.

The day I found this gift on my desk I was incredibly touched.  I was not, however, convinced I would make it to “The Boston.” At that time, I still had a lot of pain, had been told by my PT I should not run Boston, and could scarcely put in any miles. Our close friends planned on making the trip to see me run Boston and I told them not to buy tickets because I just wasn’t sure I would be able to do it. That sucked.

See the thing is, I’m okay with not PR’ing. I'm okay with walking some. But, I am not okay with doing the race in pain and perhaps setting myself back even more. It was a huge question mark back in January and February.

What a difference three months can make. I am pain free. I feeling twinges now and then, but mostly my left hip feels as strong as my right.

When you’re injured, it’s kind of like when you’re pregnant (minus the growing fetus and the huge boobs and the puking). Everyone has an opinion about you and your situation. I do appreciate most advice and input, but sometimes it’s confusing and overwhelming.

• You’re lucky, you healed so fast.
• What’s wrong with you? It took you so long to heal.
• You must be malnourished.
• You should run barefoot.
• Did you try acupuncture?
• You’re in the wrong shoes.
• Only run on trails.
• Run on the surface your race is on.
• You must have a vitamin deficiency.
• Did you get  bone scan?
• Eat more anti-inflammatory foods, more dairy, less dairy, more protein, etc.
• Stretch.
• Don’t stretch.

The list goes on.

These are all good ideas and things to think about. But, my point is – we heal in our own time and we all make sense of our injuries in different ways. We make a choice whether we grow and learn from what has happened.

I don’t know if I over-trained and that led to my injury. My training plan was reasonable, moderate. My goals were consistent with my fitness level and history. Bottom line is that I am in the highest risk group for stress fractures: female, over forty, thin, white.

I wish I were a stocky black man.

Who knows? I just may be someone who need to run less and cross train more. I am determined to keep running, but am willing to change how I do things in order to stay healthy. Being  a newer runner I got SO excited about my goals and races that perhaps it got away from me and I lost perspective and balance. I am finding my way back to somewhere in the middle.

So, yes, Boston is WAY more than a race for me. It represents healing, strength, overcoming adversity, determination. I did not go it alone. I had you. I had my family, my friends, my faith.

So, thank you. For being there. For raising me up. For believing in me. For supporting me. For being honest when I needed to hear it. For loving me and my poop woes. 

SUAR

Top Five Worry Busters

A week from today is the Boston Marathon and did I tell you I am running? The other day my dental hygienist asked me how far the marathon was. Then she asked me what my goal was – to place in the top ten? To win?

I love non-runners. I love that she thinks I could win.

Boston weather update for race day. I could so deal with this:

Before I get to the subject at hand, I wanted to let you know this morning I ran my fastest mile since being injured. 8:20. I went out for a four miler, and being a shorter run I wanted to see how it felt to run faster again. My legs love to run faster. It felt great. Now back to moderation. For now. But, I will be back.

Moving on…

I read something profound recently. Yes, I do read and not just books with big color pictures or magazines where I am quoted on page 126.

This profound thing I read said, “Worry is not preparation.” Meaning that just because you lay awake all night worry about how hard the wind is blowing does not mean it will stop blowing for your marathon the next morning. It might stop blowing, but it might not, and your worry has absolutely nothing to do with whether the wind stops blowing. So, why worry, right? Wasted energy.

And yet. Worry and obsessing about things at 2 a.m. is what I do. It’s part of my routine. I’ve always been somewhat of  a worrier but it got multiplied by a zillion when I had kids.

This is what I look like right before squatting on –>>
the toilet only I usually have my pants down. Bet you didn’t know
my zipper glowed in the dark.

If I have something really big to worry about like a stress fracture or a sick child and then it resolves,  I will find something else to worry about like the fact that the gutter might fall off of the house and hit a baby. The other day I wanted to do a long run early in the morning. It would mean leaving Emma, age ten, alone sleeping for about an hour. I told Ken, “This worries me. What if she gets sick?” His response, “What the hell? What if you get bombed by a missile on your run?”  (to his credit, the stuff with Libya had just started).

What if. What if.

Then I started worrying about getting bombed by a missile.

The mind is a funny thing. It latches onto your vulnerabilities, and holds on for dear life. Give it an inch and it takes a whole damn marathon. This is why the practice of being aware of your thoughts is so essential.

Here are five things to try to bust the worry out of your mind and life:

1. Have the crazy cat lady conversation in your head or out loud at the grocery store because it freaks out the guy at the deli. The big self (wise, peaceful) tells the small self (negative, judgmental, etc.) to knock it off. Example:

Small: Good luck running that marathon on April 18. You’ll be tired, slow. Your longest run has only been 15 miles. You will crash and burn.

Big: Go pick on someone else. I worked hard to BQ and I’m glad I can go and take it all in. As long as I don’t get swept up at the end and my hip doesn’t fall off on Heartbreak Hill I’m good. Nothing can rain on this SUAR parade. (there is  a parade right?). Now, deli guy, can I take a look at your salami? (That’s what she said)

2. Stop the thoughts. Being aware of your thoughts  means you can stop them dead in their tracks when they arise. Example:

I don’t feel good. Shit I’m getting sick. This means I can’t run this week. Illness will make me weak. What if I’m sick on marathon day? I’ve gone through all of this just to be sick on race day….STOP. I stop the thoughts and replace them with pleasantries or tell them to f*ck off.

3. Get distracted. If I’m hanging out focusing on a worry, I do something else. Example:

My knee hurts. Crap, I hope I’m not injured. This sucks. What if it hurts at mile two? How will I run 24 more miles? STOP – wow, look at all those piles of dog shit in the backyard. I’m going to go get some fresh air and pick them up.

4. Tell someone. Many times worry swirls around in our heads and becomes very powerful. Sometimes what we’re worrying about is not even true or is very unlikely to happen. I like to take the burden off myself and share the worry. Helps every time to get perspective.

Me: I’m worried I might get hit by a missile.

Friend: Yes, I could see why you’d worry about this. You idiot.

5. Pray or Meditate. I’ve heard it said that prayer is when we talk to God, and meditation is when He talks to us. I’ve not overly religious, but I do believe in God and the power of something larger and greater. A force. And I do believe that if I trust in the bigger picture and stop trying to micromanage every moment, great things can indeed happen. Sometimes we just have to get out of our own way.

How do you keep worry at bay?

Off for a salami sandwich,

SUAR

PS: Don’t forget my awesome 110% Play Harder calf sleeve giveaway. Ends Wednesday.

110% Play Harder Review and Giveaway

Today’s plan was to run 15 miles. And, I did. I wanted to go on tired legs, so I did a hard 30 mile bike ride yesterday afternoon. I figure since I can’t put big miles in, this is one way to “up” my training and put my legs to the test before the race.

For this run in particular I was psyched to have a new product to try out: the Juggler Knickers from 110% Play Harder. Make no mistake, these are no ordinary running capris. These babies house a very unique secret. They provide exceptional compression with cold therapy. No joke.

Here’s the deal. You wear the tights themselves for running, working out, or cleaning the bathroom. While you’re doing those things, you put these ice sheets (reusable up to six months) in the freezer next to your Costa Rican coffee and guac to chill for later on.

When you come back from your 15 mile run, you slide the ice packs into the well placed-pockets of the knickers. Genius, right? No more duct taping ice packs or frozen peas to your butt or knees. Plus, if you’re hyperactively type A like me, you can ice yourself and do laundry at the same time.

Here is me in my knickers on the way out. I know what you’re thinking, “nice ass, scraggly pony tail.” I’m blushing. Funny, I never knew the back of my shirt looked like that:

And, post-run with the ice sheets in the pockets (for the hamstrings, quads, glutes).

You can get these items in knickers, shorts, knee sleeves or calf sleeves. More info:
 

Two Simple Therapies, One Garment – The gradient compression enhances circulation while cold therapy reduces pain and prevents soreness.

Better Compression & Fit – Advanced EC3D garment technology and a 360-degree stretch knit with 50% more spandex than competitors and higher levels of compression for optimal support, circulation and mobility.

Wear During Training and After – Simply wear during training then slide the frozen ice sheets in afterwards.

My review
These tights provide great compression. They squeeze it all in, holding all your parts in place and make you feel very compact. I love the convenience of wearing the tights on a run and adding the ice quickly and easily post-run. I slid the packs in and went about making my snack and checking emails. My body feels pretty damn good this afternoon. The quality of this item is exceptional. You know when you put something on and it just feels well made? The knickers were tight (duh, compression) but were comfortable. You can even put the ice sheets in the microwave if you want to add a heating element.

There are a couple of downsides. First, the price. These knickers cost $150. You are clearly paying for quality and for the icing component, but it’s still a steep price. Given the pockets, the material is relatively heavy, so if you’re looking for a very light weight tight, this might not be it.

The giveaway
Want to try this innovative product? I have a pair of calf sleeves, unisex, size small, courtesy of 110% Play Harder. You can wear them while working out or for recovery or both.

They are compression sleeves with cold therapy that targets both calves and shins, helping to prevent and treat calf strains, shin splints, and leg cramps. Comes with ice sheets and thermal bag. A $75 value!

To enter, leave a comment for each:

• Visit the 110% PlayHarder website. Give some feedback on their product in a comment  + 1 entry
• Tell me what you must have these sleeves = 1 entry
• Become a follower of my blog if you’re not already + 1 entry
• Facebook, blog, Twitter, etc. about this giveaway + 1 entry
• “Like” 110% Play Harder on Facebook HERE + 1 entry

Giveaway will end Wednesday, April 13.

Good luck friends!

SUAR

Fine print:

• 110% Play Harder provided the giveaway calf sleeves as well as the knickers sent to me. I did not pay any thing for them.
• The winner will be chosen by Random.org on 4/13.