AVOCADOS = YUMMO!!

So, I gotta admit, when I saw a friend eat a fresh avocado 15 years ago, I thought they were nuts!  Boy had I lived a sheltered life living in the North. :)  It took about 10 years, but I FINALLY tried avocado WITHOUT it being mashed into and mix with other ingredients to make something new, such as guacamole (which, I have also found a newfound love for).  Back then, I only tired it once and left it at that mostly because I couldn't get past the less than firm texture of the fruit - and I'm a terrible eater when it comes to soggy bread or anything remotely similar.

Then walks in someone I met when I got to TX -  a dear friend - who will eat a whole fresh avocado for lunch without hesitation.  She even has her kiddos eating avocado!  How many children do you know who will eat FRESH avocado?!  I know there are more out there, but mine are not those children!  Since I saw her absolutely in love with the fruit, and I had been seeing multiple recipes with it included -- calling it a "Super Fruit" -- in recent months, I thought I would give it another [honest] whirl!

Yep, you guessed it - I love the fruit now!  I will have at least one a day -- and wouldn't mind having it more than once, but since hubby eats them too I make sure to limit my consumption.  I don't even have to smashed it up to make it into guac to like it.  Typically, I'll sliced it up and have it with my morning meal of eggs, but I have been known to eat them with my sandwich at lunch time too! :)

SO - if you're wanting to try something new, something that's healthy for ya, then try out fresh avocado!!  I do add salt to mine because I like the way it tastes, but it's a matter of preference. ;)

Photo taken from https://www.avocadocentral.com/nutrition/nutrition-professionals/health-tip-sheet

Boston Marathon Tragedy pushed Runners to Unite!

It's been almost a month since I've actually posted in here.  I have several posts that are sitting in the draft folder, but we'll get to those another day.

Today is a time for reflection.

Last Monday tragedy struck the runners around the world, even though the tragedy physically occurred at the Boston Marathon.  Sadly, three precious lives were taken that day and at least 170 people were injured.  One of the 3 that was so frivolously killed was an 8-yr-old boy who was cheering his father on at the race.  Not only did this father lose one of his sons, he's dealing with a wife who went into brain surgery and a daughter who was also severely injured by the senseless act of these 2 ID ten T's!  I can't help but realize that this young boy was just a little older than my middle one and how hard it must be for his father to be dealing with his family being torn apart because they wanted to watch their husband and father run the elite Boston Marathon race on Monday.

BUT -- the cowards who tried to drop the spirits of the runners, only further united the biggest group I have seen in a long time.  In the last week, I have seen so many running groups band together to pay tribute to the runners and their families who were directly affected by this tragedy.  Runners and walkers alike were out there with their race day shirts on the DAY AFTER the bombings occurred to pay tribute.  Groups were creating shirts and will be donating the funds to help those affected by the tragedy.  So many runners have dedicated their runs to those in Boston Marathon.  I even saw where MapMyRun members ran around Boston streets with their watch to make it say, "Boston" in San Francisco (see picture below)!

Locally -- well, sort of -- the fitness group I'm involved with via F/B were challenged to get out there to run as far as we could.  I couldn't get out there to run as far as I could until Saturday, but I was able to run the furthest I have ever ran that day!  I even got one of my daughters out there - in rollerblades!  She did amazing!  I know I could have pushed further, but I stopped for 2 reasons -- to not hurt myself (I cut back on my miles last week) and I simply ran out of time (it was WELL passed dinner time)!

In light of the bombings, I had thought of not running any more races... for a minute!  One of my neighbor's laughed as she said, "This is the reason I won't be doing any races... or run!!"  My thoughts are much different, "Why should I let the act of 2 cowards affect what I want to do?"  Yes, I could be killed from someone trying to do the same, but anywhere I go this can happen!  I would be stripping myself of the joys and excitement of running if I let these 2 and others dictate my signing up for races and heading out there on my daily runs!

I'll sign off with this:  Despite the tragedy last week, hubby and I will be signing up for the Half-Marathon in San Antonio that's happening in November.  EEK!!  Okay, so, really, hubby's looking at doing the FULL Marathon that day.  And I won't be running the race alone, even if he is running the marathon, because my neighbor wants to rally a bunch of ladies to run the race together.  FUN!  :)  I'm stoked (but nervous as heck) and I haven't even signed up yet!

MapMyRun.com worker who ran in San Francisco for Boston
Map created by samshah27

Pain Regression!! - Treating and Preventing Shin Splints

If you're just tuning in, I have been dealing with shin splints since I started running - 3 months ago now.  I changed my shoes and that helped a little, but I still had the pain, just not as intense.  I added compression socks at the same time I got new shoes.  I have taken pain medicine (and hate doing so), but will deal with the pain for days before taking medicine - so a regiment of pain pills isn't a good solution for me.  I've even used topical creams, such as Bengay, to help.  Only, I learned that my pain wasn't really in the muscles where the creams are targeting.  But I was still in pain.

Truth be told, I could probably back off on my intensity (also a way of treating/preventing shin splints), but I'm an "all in, or nothing" kinda gal.  So, my "jog" is too fast for my abilities at this time.  And I'm not willing to slow down (for every run) to help my shins.  I have been monitoring my runs since the end of January with a sports watch and I've seen my speed/pace increase, so I've accepted the slight pain I've felt in my shins.  I must add, though, I have monitored my shin pain from the start and have altered my runs when/if the pain gets too intense.  I have "just walked" on my runs days to help treat my legs.  And I've even taken the day off from running.  Both methods drove me crazy because I really wanted to be out there!

Another way to prevent shin splints is to change where you run.  Pavement or concrete, naturally, is tougher on your body than the dirt.  However, changing my road isn't an option because I have a stroller to push as well.  It's not a smaller one either - it's the kind that attaches to the back of a bike.  But he's in style, or, he likes his space in there so changing it is something I'm afraid to do.  Why change something when it's working well?  SO, what next?

I've always heard and read about athletes who would take ice baths.  Although I'm not that "bad-a$$", I figured they can't all be crazy.  So I started icing my shins regularly, by placing ice into ziploc bags.  I tried icing them shortly after running, but I would always get interrupted by something happening around me.  So, I chose to ice them at night when the house has calmed down.

Then I was introduced - or became aware of something I had already seen before - to KT Tape after a friend mentioned it.  If you're not familiar with the product, you can learn about it here: KT Tape).  If you've ever watched the Olympics, you've probably seen it being used.  Think of the ladies Beach Volleyball team.  Those ladies, at least one of them, was sporting tape around her shoulder. :)  Anyway, I applied the first round of tape on over a weekend that was warm enough to wear capris ... so I was showing off my bright pink tape on my shins.  I couldn't handle the tape on my skin longer than 24 hours, so I'm not convinced that my shins had the full benefits of the tape.  Because of that, I decided to try it again 2 nights ago, the night before my next running day.

Below is a picture of me sporting my KT Tape while at the Lake a couple weeks ago.  Fashionable! :)

My run was painful (and tough), like usual, but I think it was more of an all body exhaustion than just targeted to my shins.  So I ended up running just over 2 miles yesterday.  I wanted to run at least a 5K, but I took it easy for my body's sake.  

The way I've gaged how my body is responding to treating and preventing future pain (using the ice and tape methods) is how well I can walk up and down the stairs (but especially down).  Before I started icing or using KT Tape (and since I started running), it would be very painful to walk down the stairs.  So much that I would alter the way I would get down the steps.  As for up the stairs, I like to "jog" up the stairs and that became painful for me.  It wasn't the "feel good" pain you feel after a good workout/run either.  It's the pain that shows up in the bone, not the muscles - painful to LIGHTLY run your fingers across the area type pain.  For the first time in 3 months, I noticed last night (hours after my lighter run) that I'm not altering my method of walking down the stairs and I was able to "jog" up the stairs WITHOUT pain!!  Whether or not these methods are actually doing the trick is irrelevant to me because I feel improvement.

Maybe the combination of all things I've altered are contributing to the pain regression.  Either way, I'm happy that my shins are finally appearing to be on the mends!!

From Couch Potato to Running a 10K

Instead of catching up by typing all that I have written in my notebook over the course of the last 3 months, I'll just "highlight" what I have learned since I have started this running journey.

First, I have been a couch potato, per say, for many years now.  The last time I ran was in basic training, 15 years ago this year (I know, that dates me, but who cares - I'm out there running after stopping for so many years)!  "What about tech school (training after basic - for those not familiar with military lingo)?" You ask.  Well, I developed really bad shin splints in basic training.  So bad that I couldn't finished the required march we had - I sure felt like a fool not being able to walk any more.  Fortunately, I was able to finish my required run to graduate from basic though.  I had waivers to not run during my 10 months of tech school.  Lucky?  Maybe.  But I never got true answers on why my shins were in such pain, nor did I ever have guidance to prevent future pain either.  I did get more physical shortly after getting to my first duty station - Nellis AFB in Las Vegas - but that was short(er) lived than I would have liked.  I was big into rock climbing before and during my first pregnancy.  Why I didn't get back into it once she was born is disappointing to me.  But, no need to dwell.

Anyway, here we are 10 years after my last real physical activity with the same shin issues.  They started shortly after I started running again.  I thought I was destined to never run a half-marathon... but I did a little research and realized that there are a few things I can change as well as do to prevent future pain.  Shoes were the number one factor.  Not possible!  I "JUST" bought my shoes 8 months prior.  No way my shoes were worn out already.  So I took the new insoles route first.  OUCH! Bad idea!  I came to grips with reality (as well as convincing my husband the same) and my search for a new shoe began.  I'll cut it short.  I ended up buying Brooks shoes, a brand that so many have recommended, but ones that I have never tried myself.  My 3rd run in my new shoes convinced me that I could continue running after all -- I hit my furthest distance, to date, at 2.25 miles!  That was huge.  I was signed up for my first 5K trail run a week later so I HAD to run as far as I could.  Although I didn't hit the 5K distance on that run, I knew I could finish that race because I had stopped before I was even remotely tired.  I ran out of time that day - I had a plane to catch in just over an hour!  I was averaging 1.5 miles prior to my new shoes - and shin splint pain all day and night after my runs. 
 Now, a month after my purchase, I'm easily averaging a 5K.  It seems like a dream to say those words -- "I'm easily averaging a 5K" when I could barely make it to one mile in January!

My second physical lesson comes from tending to and preventing shin splints.  I started using Bengay when the pain started.  Love the smell, but I'm pretty sure others around me can smell me from a mile away!  So I don't use the stuff too often.  When I bought my shoes I also bought a couple pair of compression socks after a friend suggested I try them and I have worn them with every run since.  I recently read that there is no real connection of them helping you during a run, but it makes me feel better, so I continue to make a fashion statement on days I wear shorts or capris - which is becoming more often here in TX.  

About 3 weeks ago I started icing more regularly too.  Typically, I ice both shins the night I did my run.  It seems to help my not being so sore or tense when I wake up in the mornings.  The last thing I've started doing came about a week and a half ago now.  Another friend suggested that I try using a product called KT Tape.  After doing a search, because I didn't know what she was talking about, I learned that it's the same stuff the ladies from the Olympic Beach Volleyball team use.  You know, the stuff you see on their shoulders.  My youngest daughter thought I needed neon pink, so I sported that on our day trip to the lake 2 weekends ago.  I made a huge fashion statement that day, for sure, but the sports store didn't have beige color (in the Pro style) when I purchased the neon pink.  So, standing out (and pleasing my daughter for choosing the color) was it. :) I know it's recommended that you leave the tape on for several days, but I could only handle the tape on my shins for 24 hours.  Regardless of the short time, I feel that it has helped me.  More on this at a later time.

Now comes the mindset lessons. I learned that running is more a mental mindset than the physical act of running.  Getting up in the morning with the right frame of mind helps tremendously.  Keeping those thoughts flowing leading up to my run also helps.  But the most important thoughts come WHILE running.  Continually setting a small, attainable goal helps me to push myself further and further.  Mine are usually in increments of 1/4 mile since the track I use has markers like that.  But there are times I use benches or light poles as a goal too.

I also remind myself of what will happen just a little further down the track.  Usually, the wind blows on one side of my track and after I've been running past the 2 mile marker the wind feels awesome!  I start thinking about how great it'll be to post what accomplishment I just made on F/B, both personal and through the fitness group page.  I even make fun of my situation - ie, LOVING the wind when really it's KILLING me to run in it on certain parts of the run or that I really enjoy being so cold in the morning.  

I have also learned that it takes my body, shins included, at least 2 miles to warm up and to accept that I'm moving my legs back and forth like that.  Because of that realization and knowledge, I will continually remind myself to make it to the 2 mile marker before giving into my mental games of wanting to stop running.  It is there that I usually get my 2nd wind.  I get my next boost around 3 miles because that's the 5K mark and then again at 5 miles because it's just cool to say you've ran 5 miles!  Hitting that 5 mile mark also helps boost my spirits to get to 6 miles, which is just shy of a 10K.

A short side note before I leave: To date, I have hit that 10K marker.  Really, I've gone just a little further, but who's keeping track but me, huh?  But, what an accomplishment!  I have now set my sights on hitting 13.1 miles.  You know what that means, right?  A half-marathon!  Not as far off as I had thought just last week. :)

Frigid Dedication

I'm back! And it's been less than 24 hours since I started/posted my first post.  I gotta be honest, I had a terrible night's sleep so when I woke up knowing there was a freeze warning for my county I was not looking forward to getting out there this am.  My mind only said, "I don't want to" once before I got dressed for the insane occasion.  Dedication at it's finest, huh?  I got 4 things that help to keep that dedication alive --  

• First: I have a puppy lab that wakes at the drop of a hat.  So when my alarm blars in my ear every 10 minutes, for 30 minutes, he's already been patiently waiting since the first alarm sounded (maybe longer).  He has learned, though, that our morning routine includes my getting dressed and waking my kiddos up for school before he goes outside. So he cuts me some slack.
• Second: I have set my running clothes and gear out on my bathroom counter for at least a month now.  I have gone so far as to place all clothing and gear in the order in which I put them on in the am too.  Call it being prepared or being a bit excessive, but it seems to help keep my mind set on running on those days.
• Third:  Well, this can really be combined with the 2nd, but who's gonna object?  Getting dressed in my running clothes and gear also helps me stay in the right mind set.
• Lastly, and maybe the most important: I have at least one accountability/running partner who shows up in my driveway each running day!  Today was such an occasion.  You see, collectively my main running partner and I have recruited 2-3 others who run/walk with us each time, but they "bailed" this am because of the cold.  One said she'd head out later and asked me to join - so I know it was just the cold.  I give her more slack -- she has twins so she won't run on days her hubby isn't flying later in the day.  The last lady is active duty and can only run afternoons or on days she's off work.

So today's run was really tough.  REALLY tough.  I know that my first 2 miles are the toughest and that if I can get past that 2 mile marker, I can keep going. With that said, we hit the 1/2 mile stretch and the wind kicked in - OUCH - I wanted to stop.  That 1/2 mile stretch is also the side that has a gradual incline for just over 1/4 of it too.  Combining the wind to pushing a stroller sucks, but add the incline and I'm sure all the people in the park think I'm just insane!  I kept trying to determine if the pain I was feeling in my legs were from them being worked differently from the wind/stroller combo or if I was fatigued.  We FINALLY hit the 1 mile marker - Thank Goodness - and stepped it up a notch to get up the hill there.  It's been something I do for over a month now, just to make it a little more challenging for me.  Usually, I have plenty of energy to push the stroller up but today I was just SLOW.  Anyway, we made it to the light pole that I use as a marker and kept moving.  I could feel my joints and muscles finally starting to warm up just before the 1-1/4 marker, I knew I could keep moving.  The back stretch arrived again and I hated every second of it.  BUT, we hit final stretch before the 2 mile marker and I said, "You can make it up that hill.  Let's go!"  Really, I was motivating myself, but my partner thought I was talking to her too, so she kept going too. Our crazy run ended after 2.07 miles.

There was more than one reason why we didn't go further - the last ones were just unknown when we stopped.  Sure, it was freezing, but my body had already adjusted for the temps.  I realized just before my 2 mile marker that I had ran a 10K just 2 days prior.  I have often wondered what a runner does the during the week after a big race.  I know it wasn't an actual race, but it was a HUGE milestone for me.  So I decided that 2 miles wasn't such a bad goal for me, given the circumstances.  

But, more importantly, I learned once we got back to the house that my son's hands were FREEZING and that his blanket got milk on it from his sippy cup leaking!  Poor kid.  The way I see it, if my son isn't happy in that stroller, then I'm going to have a really hard time getting him back in it for our next run.  He's long forgotten about it, I hope, and is happily playing with his trains and cars.  We all survived and are toasty warm again.

Below is a picture of him after one of our runs back in January.  Today, he had refused wearing a hat or mittens... and froze!  I did have the flap over the front of the stroller though. :)  He's as dedicated as I am and I'm so thankful for that!

Where My Crazy Idea Started

A friend of mine started a blog over the weekend about her first, and most recent, 10K - one that I had originally wanted to run.  We'll discuss that in a later blog.  She also posted it in our fitness page via F/B asking if anyone else in the group were bloggers and, if so, what they blogged about.  And so, that got me thinking about doing the same thru a blogging site, such as this.  I "blog", just not thru a blogging site.  You see, I started tracking the amount of miles I ran, really, walked, each time I went out there since January 2013.  So, let's start there - the beginning - because that's only logical to me.  Eventually, I'll get this blog "caught up" to where I am today.  Bear with me until that happens.

12 Dec 2012 was the start of my crazy idea of running a half-marathon when I posted on F/B asking if others had trained for one before.  I got many responses of encouragement, which meant the world to me.  Next, well, really, shortly after posting on F/B I told Jay about my crazy idea.  He was half asleep, but he was encouraging too.  I'm not sure where the thought of running came into my head.  Maybe it came from always watching Jay go out there and run (he had recently started up again).  It could have been that I wanted the freedom I felt when I ran back in high school  Either way, I got the running bug and I wanted to embrace it FAST!

And so, my journey to find out all I could about training for a half-marathon began... I found Apps for my phone, website's with training programs to print, I even started searching for races.  Okay, so before all those more than novice runners out there reading say, "You really should start with a 5K so you won't hurt yourself", CHILL-LAX.  It's only logical that I wouldn't just jump into a H-M before running a few shorter races first. :)  I'm crazy, not stupid!

I got out there and started running after picking my girls up from school (getting my oldest into it even),  It wasn't something I made a habit of doing between when i mentioned wanting to run and the beginning of the year, but I felt good on those days making it much easier to get my mindset aligned with my new plans and goals. 

It didn't take long to find a running partner - Becky.  Honestly, I wasn't looking for one, but when I had mentioned I had started to run, she said she would like to start running with me.  I just had to wait until the beginning of the year - she needed to get her mind in the right mindset and deemed the first of the year the best for her.  :)  PERFECT!  I could better ease my mind into this "new" running gig before going out there and killing myself.  We agreed on meeting at my place and walking to the park to run 3 times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays right after dropping our girls off at school.

The journey of running a half-marathon had begun...