Update on the Wrist

As some of you know, I had a triangular fibrocartilage tear in my left wrist which was caused by my ulna in that same wrist being too long and it degeneratively moved over tearing cartilage and causing me quite a bit of pain!!! So, Dr. Ekman, who I think is pretty AMAZING!, decided to do a scope of my wrist to repair the tear and clean up and debride the area. I had the procedure done on November 18th.

The surgery was perhaps the easy part. I decided to go with the nerve block in my arm to help with the pain after surgery and they gave me general anesthesia because I absolutely refuse to be awake or have the possibility of waking up during a procedure! The interesting thing about the surgery is that they had given me the impression that the nerve block would wear off within 10-12 hours. This did not happen to be the case. They put me in a sling because they were afraid I might damage my wrist or arm because it had no feeling from the shoulder down. This was indeed a strange sensation. It took closer to 24 hours for the feeling to return and during that time I often forgot that I was unable to use it and at some point I actually recovered partial use and ended up forgetting in the midst of it and slapping myself in the face with my own hand...it was quite laughable and happened twice!! The weekend passed pretty quickly with not a lot of sleep but not much pain since I was pretty good about taking the meds when I needed them and keeping ice on it regularly.

This recovery has not been as easy as I would have expected. I admit, I might have jumped the gun just a bit by returning to work a little earlier than I should have. I only took two days off and when I returned to work the first day, I had the great pleasure of throwing up everything I had eaten and my pain meds. Of course, then I was terrified to even try to put anything back on my stomach including food and pain meds! So, that started a pretty difficult week. I chose to wear the sling while I was at work because I wanted to make sure that customers knew I had had surgery and was unable to lift with that arm. It was a good plan and for the most part kept me from using the wrist too much. I had the stitches removed on the Wednesday after surgery. Then I was down to using steri-strips to keep the incisions closed and healing and wrapping it in an ace bandage to keep from using it too much.

That went pretty well for only a short while. However, that same day, I ended up getting headbutted by an overzealous and friendly old English bulldog directly on my left wrist. Talk about painful! Ouch!!! I ended up having to go back to being on pain meds during the day as well and back to icing because it had begun to swell again. This definitely slowed the healing process a little. And work did not help the wrist too much because I still had to try to do what I could at work and with the extra pain, I have had a difficult couple of weeks.

All of this also kept me out of the gym for the past few weeks. And that has been horribly difficult. The first week I knew I could not hit the gym. Week 2, I had intended to head back to the gym but I was exhausted and still taking pain meds. And work was intense, so I did not make it in at all. I knew I would not be lifting upper body and would likely do either cardio or just lower body, but between not feeling well and a stressful week, I just did not make it to the gym.

Today, however, I made it back to the gym and had a pretty great workout. I got a good leg workout in and it was exhausting but necessary! I am certain I will be feeling it for a few days too! I am not sure when I can include upper body in again, but I will definitely be waiting to hear back from the surgeon with more information about my restrictions and activities and even expectations. I had no idea how much strength I had lost in my lower body since I had not been doing legs lately. Tripp had injured his knee and we had not been doing legs together and I had not had an opportunity to get in by myself and do a leg workout, so it has been awhile. The good thing is that my legs recover quickly and I will be back to my regular weights soon!

So, the wrist is doing well. I still have a couple weeks before I see the surgeon again for another post op check. Hopefully, he will be happy with my progress. I am still trying to take it slowly and carefully, so we'll see.

And my hiatus from running is coming to an end. This week I will be hitting the elliptical a lot and getting some short runs in. It is time to get back to my love/hate relationship with running :)

Rock & Roll Savannah Half Marathon

I must admit that I went in to this race with a lot of trepidation and exhaustion and just holding on to the motivation to be done with racing and running for a little while. Not exactly where I wanted my head to be at this point. But having been promoted to manager at Nutrition Warehouse and working 50+ hours, my training was lacking, as was my motivation. What I felt most motivated to do was sleep. And well, let's just say I experienced enough personal drama in the midst of all of this to be completely just emotionally and physically worn out.

Originally, we had planned for this race to be a finisher for the season. Cathy and I were going to walk this one just for fun. Since we would be running Myrtle Beach a couple weeks before this, this would be for recovery and fun. Cathy was unable to make the trip but I was still expecting another friend, Deanna, whom I had met in Philly to make this race. Unfortunately, Deanna, was not able to make it either and I left Friday afternoon for Savannah with my dear friend, Ann, knowing I would be completely alone on race day.

It was crazy trying to get in to the expo to get my race packet. In fact, it was so insane, that all I did when I got in was get my race packet and t-shirt and get out of there as soon as possible. We grabbed dinner and checked in to the hotel. I knew I would have to get up early so I tried to get to sleep. I didn't manage much because I was afraid I wouldn't get up when the alarm went off at 3:40 a.m. It was the earliest I have ever had to be up for a race and I SO could have used a cup of coffee but my hotel did not have a coffee maker in the room and the one in the lobby looked questionable at best! So, I ate my breakfast, got dressed and headed out to the Savannah Mall where I could park for free and take the shuttle to the start line. I was on the first shuttle and we arrived a little bit after 5 to the starting line.

Of course, as is always the plan, I hit the port-a-potty. It was so early that there were no lines!! And then I just attempted to stay warm and keep from freezing my butt off...oddly enough that meant standing behind a line of port-a-potties that was blocking the wind! A few others huddled with me as we tried to stay warm and wait to get in our corrals.

I also had the opportunity to meet a friend that I have known online for about two years. Laura and I met on a weight loss site a couple years back and have been reading each others blogs and encouraging each other as we journeyed to lose weight and started running. She had completed her first marathon the weekend before and I was shocked that she was going to run the half in Savannah. We finally got to meet in person and got a great photo taken!

I hung out with Laura and her friends for a little while until it was time to head to the corrals and then made my way over to my corral. I was in the 23rd corral and I edged over into the group to try and stay warm and wait for the race to begin.

It was while I was waiting for the race to begin that I observed and overheard some of the conversation of the group of ladies in front of me. It was clear that they were encouraging one of their group to be amazing. There were lots of encouraging words and hugs and it was such a great pep talk that I mentioned that it was an amazing pep talk.

It was to be Maria's first half marathon and her friends were concerned because she was going to be by herself after the race started. They wanted her to stay focused and encouraged her to just keep going no matter what. I started talking with Maria and the girls and when I found it was her first half marathon and she was going to be by herself, I told the girls that she would not be alone. She was going to be my race buddy for the day. I knew that I wanted to be with Maria for her first half marathon and help her achieve her goal. And your first half marathon is certainly not one to be alone.

So, for my 10th half marathon, I set out with Maria and got to know her. We chatted as the corral slowly inched up to the start line. We did not actually cross the starting line until after 8 a.m. (the race started at 7:30!) It was the first starting line that I did not take off running with the group. Surprisingly, though my body wanted to run, I enjoyed the walking. As Maria and I got to know each other and shared a bit of each other's lives, I learned that she had been recently diagnosed with MS and had been suffering through some back pain as well as some numbness and her legs. She had intended to run this half and her dreams of running this had been dashed.

I knew that I had to distract her from thinking about her diagnosis and that she really wanted to run this and the other million things that could start her to wondering if she would finish this race and all the other million questions and frustrations that start to lead you down a bad path. So, I remembered what Tripp Worthy does when I get down on myself or start to doubt myself or just get sad, frustrated or depressed...I started talking nonsense and blonde stories and told her about me and frankly, I think I just talked and kept talking to try and keep her mind off of pain and walking and everything else. It was crazy but it worked.

I shared with her the wisdom of Ricky Rikard and how you never get on a bus unless there is bone or blood!! (I do so love Taz!!!) And I told her that she could do this every step of the way and that we were doing this for fun. (Yes, Taz, I finally learned how to just have fun during a half marathon! It was a blast!) We people watched and wondered how and why certain people got out of the house dressed like they were. I mean some of these people had some horrible friends...when your friends let you put on shorts that triple the size of your butt and don't inform you, it's time for new friends! Not to mention, there were some crazy people on the course...Beetlejuice was there for the half marathon, there were couples holding hands like it was a Sunday stroll, people who clearly didn't color coordinate their bags with their outfits and so much more!! Was it wrong to pick fun at these people?? Not a bit....they got us through the half marathon because there was no way they could cross the finish line before us. Maria and I both about lost it when I guy in front of us turned and around and yelled to his significant other behind us, "Are you coming, Seabiscuit?" Now, honestly, maybe she had a horsey look to her, I can't recall. Regardless, when your nickname is Seabiscuit, you need to rethink your relationship! But thanks for the laugh Seabiscuit and mate!!

Maria did amazing. I could tell she was in pain for some of it. So, I tried to distract her. We both got teary eyed as we passed a gentleman with two prosthetic legs completing the half marathon. I had to stop and tell him how amazing he was and inspiring. And seeing the full marathoners coming in around 4 hours was awesome...some looked like they had taken a stroll while others looked like their legs were about to give out and that they hardly had anything left.

We kept moving. As I noticed the bus coming in from behind, I determined we had to pick up the pace. And Maria was a champ, she gave it her all and matched me as I set goals of people for us to pass. And do not let anyone tell you that Savannah is flat. There may not be many hills but we did do hills for this race. Though they may not be the hills of Nashville, they were hills nonetheless!

When we got to mile 13, we saw Maria's cheerleaders. They were so amazing. As I saw the finish line, I knew that, even though Maria had not been able to run this race, if she had anything at all left, I wanted her to know the victory of running the finish line. So, I asked her "Do you think you can run?" She didn't think she could, but I knew she had a little left in her. So, I grabbed her by the hand and said, "Come on, we can run this one in." And we ran to the finish line and her friends were moving quickly through the crowds to get there as well. It was really emotional! And when we crossed the line, they went to hand Maria her medal and I knew, she had to have that medal placed around her neck. So, I grabbed it and put it around her neck. She earned this medal. She was to be awarded the dignity of every athlete...just like in the Olympics, you get the medal placed around your neck!

We got pictures made and caught up with her friends. I was hugged and thanked a million times. The truth is that as much as Maria needed me for this race. I needed Maria. My heart was not quite in it from the start and my body was just plain exhausted. She distracted me from all of that. As much as God had me there for Maria, He placed her there for me too. It was by far the best half marathon finish ever. I may not have set a PR but I made an awesome friend!

Here's a pic of Maria and I after the race:

Maria is amazing. We have some very similar situations. We have both lost 100 pounds and have crazy, but lovable trainers. We are both motivated to live a healthier lifestyle and have great friends for encouragement and support. I look forward to getting to know Maria better and hopefully getting to hang out with her again, whether it be just hanging out or doing another race. She is awesome! And I was so thrilled and honored to be a part of her special day!! And I loved her friends, they were so awesome and encouraging for me as well.

This is my first race that I will honestly say that I would not have changed a thing about it. They ran out of Cytomax at the very first water station, but it was fine. The water and Cytomax tasted terrible the entire race but we drank it anyway and kept going. I threw my first piece of clothing on the course at this race! They had great cheering sections and people in the neighborhoods came out to cheer us on. I honestly could not tell you a thing about the course except that there were some hills and some questionable neighborhoods, but perfect coverage and street closures. The volunteers were awesome and great cheerleaders. Although, the wind could have died down, it was a great race and one that I would consider doing again.

For now, I am looking forward to some rest. I will be having surgery on my wrist in a couple weeks (perhaps I will blog about it when I am doped on pain meds...that could be fun!!). I have a triangular fibrocartilage tear in my left wrist which was caused by the fact that my ulna is too long in that wrist and it is degeneratively moving and causing me pain and apparently tearing cartilage. So, Dr. Ekman will be going in and repairing the tear and cleaning it up. He has said that he will not put a cast on it, but I think I may ask for one because I am a hardheaded and very insane person and will likely pick up something I shouldn't if there isn't a cast there to remind me. So, I will be asking him about this at my pre-op appointment. Other than that, I will be taking some time off for running...at least a month. I will still be doing cardio and strength training legs when Ekman approves of it. But I want to give running a rest so that I can return to it and enjoy it more. My love/hate relationship with running has gone more towards hate and dread lately, so it's time to give it a small break and restart when I have better rested.

I have signed up for two races for next year. The NC Half Marathon in Charlotte is in March and the Divas Half Marathon in Myrtle Beach is in May.

Number Six & Done :) Oh yeah!! Goal Achieved!!!

Some said it couldn't be done last year after having surgery to repair the labrum in my hip. There is no way I could complete 6 half marathons in one year and furthermore, I would be insane to even attempt it. Insane, yes. Goal achieved...100%!!!

Last year when I came up with this crazy idea, I had no idea how I would feel towards the end of this. I had no idea where this path would lead me. What I did know was that this was a goal that I could achieve. I had some naysayers along the way. I had some people tell me that I had some screws loose. And I had some amazing cheerleaders who supported and encouraged me along the way.

The funny thing is that none of these half marathons turned out like I expected they would. I thought I would beat my best time. That didn't happen. I thought I would improve my running form...maybe I did a little. I even thought I would learn to love running even more but towards the end, I just wanted to be done.

No half marathon is the same. Even if you are doing the same course that you have done a million times, the run is never exactly the same. Circumstances and conditions are never 100% alike.

Charleston was an interesting run. I went along with my good friend, Chuck, who was completing his first half marathon. He did amazing and I was so proud to be there with him. It was perhaps my fastest run this year but it was not without its quirks and frustrations along the way. I never look behind me, but it was the first time I have ever had a bus (one that picks up those who do not complete or are injured) pass me and make me feel like I was failing in my race and I was way ahead of my schedule! Talk about a mental game!

Then came, Columbia, the half marathon that almost defeated me. I started it with a stomach virus and made it half way through before I allowed the virus and seeing the finish line and knowing I had 7 more miles to go defeat me. My body gave out and my heart just could not continue on. It was a tough decision but I gave it everything I could before walking off.

Next was a fun race, the Palmetto Half Marathon...completely drenched in the rain storm that just didn't want to go away. Completing it with a broken pinky toe on one foot and a twisted ankle on the other...that was insane! Having my best running buddy, Cathy, come along with me was the best thing ever because with her I knew I could finish it. It took the sting of walking off the other half marathon out of the picture.

Then came, the Historic Half Marathon. No one can do a half marathon with Marines and not feel pleased and honored to be a part of it. And to have gotten to meet Drew Carey at the same time was just awesome!! It was a good race but there was a lot of pain in this race in my legs that made me wonder if I would finish it. But I ran that finish line. And my dear friend, Ann, was at the end with a bottle of water and snacks for me. It was a great finish. She also got me tons of pics of Drew Carey too :)

I took the summer off to regroup and mostly lifted weights all summer. I got in a few long distance runs and a few days of shorter runs but not much. I hate running when it is so hot! Mostly, I got in some walks and just hit the gym regularly with Tripp for strength training.

September brought Philadelphia. It was here I would meet my friend, Deanna. She was so amazing finishing this race with me with a broken foot and in a boot! That was so awesome!! I loved doing this race with her and hearing about her awesome work with training dogs. She is an amazing woman and she pushed me through that race!!

Back to Myrtle Beach for my surf board medal in October. By this point, I was tired and not very well trained. Having started my new job, time for running was lacking and so was my dedication to training. But I could not let that stop me. Cathy and Tripp were doing this one with me, so I had plans that I could do it with them and it would be a great finish. I thought Cathy was wanting to run it and try and beat her time so I did not want to hold her back, so we got separated early on. Tripp was unable to run due to an injury to his knee that even kept him from attempting to walk the entire thing. So, I was on my own. And I tried to stay to myself the entire race but by mile 10, my hip hurt and my head was failing me. So, I met Cindy who also was hurting and we helped each other make it to the finish!

But Savannah, race #6, stands out as the absolute best race this year and perhaps my best race out of all 10 half marathons I have completed. For the full story, read my next blog. But let's just say having met Maria in the corral, I knew that she and I were going to be together all the way to the finish line. I had no idea at the time how much I was going to need her to get to the finish. By trying to distract her, I was able to focus on the race for her and about helping her finish. It was not about me. It was about helping her to achieve her goal. And that by far made it the absolute best race ever! (Again for all the details read my race report!)

Will I ever do 6 half marathons in one year again?? I have no idea. What I do know is that I did it. I accomplished my goal. I stuck to my guns and made it work, no matter what. I didn't let lack of training or frustration or anything else keep me from finishing what I started. So, I proved once again that I am stubborn and hard headed and crazy, but I also proved to myself that I am worth it and that I have a lot more in me than I have ever imagined!!

What's next for me?? I don't know. Will I complete a FULL marathon? Perhaps someday. Will I ever let anyone else's doubts keep me from dreaming big and achieving my goals? Absolutely not!! I will keep on dreaming! I will keep on hoping. I will keep on moving! I will keep on running!

Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon 10-23-2011

Thought I would give you all a recap of the Myrtle Beach Mini. I really like this race because it's nice and flat. I had a crazy couple of weeks before the race with lots of stress and not much time to train, so I was kind of nervous about how all that was going to impact me on race day. And I was a bit nervous about what all of that would do to my body since I went into shock a day after the last race and it took me longer to recover. So, the week before the race, I was hitting electrolytes and potassium pretty hard to see if I could prevent the horrible muscle cramping in my legs. And I was mentally preparing myself as well because losing a couple weeks of training is never a part of the recipe for success.

I didn't get much sleep the night before the race thanks to the bad positioning of our room and a wedding party that was liquored up and partying in the stairwell. It was unnerving to get so little sleep before the race, but I sucked it up and got myself together in the morning. Cathy and I made sure we had late checkouts and then went to get Tripp (my trainer) who was our chauffeur/photographer/cheerleader :) It was quite chilly out Sunday morning. We were all bundled up pretty well since we knew Tripp could take our extra jackets with him.

Of course, we did the correct protocol...hit the port-a-potties first :) After that, we did a couple pictures and I got in some light stretching. My hip was aching...not sure if it was the weather or what was going on. They did their pre-race jousting with the people from Medieval Times and then it was time to start. I was still very sore between the hip and the wrist feeling the cold, I was not sure how this race was going to do me.

I started out pretty well. The first few miles were pretty smooth and uneventful. I was keeping a very steady pace. I resisted the urge to make a friend or even talk to anyone for the first ten miles. By mile 10, I just hurt...everywhere. My hip was starting to drag and my pace was slowing. At this point, I ended up walking for a while with another woman who was having some hip issues. So, we stuck it out together for the last 3 miles. I didn't want my pace to slow but by this point the bottoms of my feet were SO sore too! When the finish line was finally in sight, I was so relieved and so happy and so ready to be done with this race. Luckily, I was able to pull the last of my strength and energy together and make a very slow run to the finish line.

When I got to the very end, I knew I didn't want to stop because it was just going to hurt but I also wanted to just lay down. I got my medal, my water and bagels and headed back to the car with Cathy, Tripp, and Jason. I was happy to get back to the hotel and get showered up because everything hurt. The ride back to Columbia was a bit uncomfortable because my legs started cramping in the car. (Which is way better than during the race!)

Recovery has gone pretty smoothly. I have not overdone it this week. I got my electrolytes and potassium balanced on Sunday afternoon. Most of the lactic acid has worked its way out of my system. Mostly, I am just tired.

And here's my update on the wrist...I saw Dr. Ekman last week and he actually asked me if dwarfism ran in my family, followed by "clearly, you are not a dwarf." LOL...no dwarfs in my family, but apparently the bones in my wrist are moving in a degenerative pattern similar to what happens in dwarfs. And he mentioned multiple times how abnormal my wrist is. Then, he sprung the bad news...if we don't go in and fix the issues he is currently seeing, then I won't be using my wrist much by the time I am 60. So, I am scheduled for an MRI tomorrow and then meeting with Ekman next Monday to review what else he finds and likely scheduling surgery.

Other than that, I am looking forward to Savannah on November 5th! My last half marathon for the year and then I am scheduling a break from races until March. I plan to do the NC Half Marathon in Charlotte in March and the Divas Half Marathon in Myrtle Beach in May. Other than that, I have not made any other plans. And Savannah is my 10th half marathon....hard to believe, but true!! And it will be 6 half marathons total for the year.

Philadelphia Half Marathon 9-18-2011

Here it is...finally, my race report. Wasn't sure it was going to get done until later in the week, but here you go....

So, before I give you my race report, I will give you an update on life for me lately. It's been an interesting year. It's hard to believe that I only have 2 more half marathons to complete before I can stick my tongue out at the naysayers who said I was crazy for doing 6 in one year. Yeah, I won't lie, it is part of my motivation :) As usual before I do any race, I somehow manage to injure myself or have some kind of crazy issue...I think that is normal for me. So, right now, I am under the care of the orthopedic surgeon again....Dr. Ekman is taking care of my left wrist. It has been bothering me for about 5-6 weeks and I was finally able to get in to see him yesterday. He believes that it has been injured in the past, though I am unaware of any injuries and so is my mother. In addition to it being completely abnormal (so were my hips! LOL!), arthritis has set in and made lifting and little tasks like opening bottles, driving, etc. painful. So, I am now in a wrist support brace for the next 30 days to try and get it back to normal and I am on anti-inflammatories!! I had gone to see a chiropractor that I could get in to see earlier than Dr. Ekman and found out that they couldn't do anything for my wrist but my back and neck are way out of alignment. So, now I am on the chiropractic route and in a wait and see pattern about the wrist.

So, that is what's going on with me prior to flying out to Philly on Friday. We got into Philly and were able to get our rental car and get to the Expo. And I shopped...found lots of fun stuff...like the perfect shirt for me that says "I Run So I Don't Kill People" and it has the chalk outline. Yeah, I couldn't resist :) The expo was fun. We headed to what Food Network says is the best place for philly cheesesteaks only to find out that no one agrees who makes the best. It was a pretty fabulous philly though! The day before race day, poor hubby forgot that a walking tour would be a bad plan and walked me to death which agitated my hip and legs and back. So, on race morning after standing in the forever long port-a-potty line (and I forgot to stuff my bra! Bad morning). I headed over to join in my corral.

I started off with a pretty good run pace. And then I spotted my kindred spirit. Deanna is a runner who also does the run/walk program and she was injured. She was doing this half marathon with a broken foot. She was only 6 weeks out from the break and was determined to finish. Luckily, she did not require surgery. So, I made Deanna my best friend and decided to do the smart thing and stick with her as she walked it since she was doing about the pace that I wanted at that point. I figured that my neck and back would be helped greatly if I took it a bit easier this early in to therapy. Deanna was a rockstar...we talked the entire time distracting each other from any possible pain. And yes, we finished and finished strong. I had fun. And I remembered my dear friend and ironman, Taz, telling me that I needed to stop pressuring myself and have fun. I never even thought about the time for a second. It was great. Beautiful course. It ended near the steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art where Rocky ran the steps :)

All in all it was a great race. My post race recovery though was not up to standard. I did not factor in a recovery day, so we rushed back to the hotel, got me a shower and packed up and then had lunch and headed to the airport. We managed to fly out standby and got back in earlier than expected. I did not get much sleep Sunday night due to a neighbor whose car decided to have the alarm go off for 4 hours...yes, 4 hours. It was insane and kept me up most of the night. Then, I had to get up early and head out to see Dr. Ekman and then off to the chiropractor. Stop for a quick lunch where I forgot to eat a sufficient amount of carbs and then off to work for 6 hours. Work was fun...I have half marathon brain :) Then I headed to grab dinner quickly and got a post race massage. When I got off the massage table, my body started shaking uncontrollably. I went in to shock. I was able to get the shaking to stop and then headed home where my hubby and my friend helped me in. I got a shower, warmed up and my body began the uncontrollable shaking. I was also fighting a headache all day that wouldn't go away. After trying to go to sleep, I gave up and decided since I was now unbelievably hot to check my temperature and had a nice temp of 101.9. The fever finally broke around 2:30. And of course, after very little sleep, I was up early to get in to work today. It's going to be a really fun week of recovery!! I fully intend to listen to my body and go to bed when I get off work tonight...promise.

But next week, I am gearing up for Myrtle Beach in October. Then a nice recovery run in Savannah. Clearly even though I thought my body could handle what I was putting it through, it let me know otherwise which means I will plan for a much easier day after the race to recover better and much more sleep.

I loved the course in Philly and could absolutely see myself doing it again :)

Time Keeps on Ticking...

No new blog in over a month??? Really??? Seriously, a whole month has passed with no new blog. It is hard to believe that I have been that busy and not just my normal busy, but almost an insanely busy. I have spent the past month making some adjustments to my schedule. Now that I am working at Nutrition Warehouse (which I LOVE!), I seem to have less free time...imagine that :) LOL. I am working at balancing all the ins and outs of working almost full time again and household stuff with training.

Most people would think that this means I have less time to train. But since I have made training a priority, I decided that house cleaning would be less of a priority. Don't get me wrong, the laundry gets done and the dishes get washed, but they all may wait until I have a free moment. Caring for my body is more of a priority than keeping the cleanest house on the block! And I can very well live with that...it is by no means a pig pen, but it sure could use a good sweeping and a vacuuming! I decided to subscribe to the Scarlett O'Hara thought process about the house..."I will think about that tomorrow!"

As for my job, I truly enjoy it. I still have A LOT to learn. I wish there were more hours in the day and that I required less sleep so that when I come home at night, I had more energy to study up and more time to focus on ways to improve my performance and knowledge. I think what I enjoy about work is being able to talk to people about their health and wellness, being able to suggest products to them that will help them to reach their goals and my co-workers are pretty awesome too. Most days I come home tired after work but it is a good tired. In fact, my body is showing signs of the adjustment. I have been finding it difficult to remind myself to actually eat when I am there and often grab a protein shake to satisfy my hunger. So, I am having to learn to not only bring food but to remember to actually take the time to fuel my body. Some days I am so incredibly busy that even when I bring food, I forget to take a few minutes to eat. I am working on this because it is a very bad habit to get into. Also, my poor hamstrings and calves are super super tight from being on my feet all day and running around the store! LOL. Of course, you add in my runs and workouts and these legs and feet are so tired! Thank goodness I got a recent visit in to see the massage therapist! Perhaps I should work on that stretching thing again at night when I get home :)

Other than work and training, life is about the same. I am currently nursing an injury to my wrist. I would give you more detail but I don't really know what is going on. And I have a couple weeks to wait before I see the doctor regarding my problem. All I can tell you is that it is painful and has caused me tons of frustration. I am hoping when I see the doctor he can fix whatever it is with no too much difficulty. It does occasionally hinder a workout which really annoys me, but Tripp has been great about trying to find ways to work around the pain.

I took some time out a few weeks ago to see my favorite tattoo artist and have him pretty up my back piece for me. I LOVE what he did. We are still in the healing process, so it is very itchy right now but it is beautiful! It makes me very excited about seeing him again in December to get some more work on my half marathon tattoo. And it also makes me think about other tattoos or areas I might want to tattoo. I think I might be addicted to the pain and the ink :)

Probably the hardest thing about my new schedule is that I find I have a whole lot less time to hang out with family and friends. (And even less time for blogging and Facebook! Horrors!) So, once I get settled at my job, I am going to work on trying to find more time to just chill with family and friends. (Blogging and Facebook will eventually happen but they are less of a priority obviously!) It all will balance out once I get into a good regular routine and schedule. There have been a couple of bumps along the way, but we are ironing out all the kinks.

Anyways, time for another cup of coffee and a little bit more relaxation before my long day!!

A Few of My Favorite Things :)

People ask me all the time about the tools and things I have used for training and races. So, I figured I would just post a blog for all of you with a recommendation for the essential tools in my training.

1) Tripp Worthy :) LOL...that would be my amazing trainer and if you are here in Columbia, SC looking for one, he is top of the line. I trust him implicitly. I often have to laugh when I am reading my running and fitness magazines and they suggest things to add to my workout to help me become a better runner of be in better shape....they are all things that Tripp has already incorporated. He is a wealth of knowledge, a source of inspiration and motivation and a great kick in the butt when I need it. Everyone should have one of him :)

2) Protein Shakes. When I first began training, I swore that I would never be someone who was dependent on shakes for food. I am still that person, however, I do use my protein shakes to supplement my diet. My absolute favorite brands are Optimum Nutrition 100% Gold Standard Whey and Champion Nutrition's Pure Whey. I think both are amazing brands. I prefer to mix my Optimum Nutrition with skim milk or almond milk and Champion Nutrition is perfect with just plain water. I use these after my strength training workouts or with my snacks to add extra protein to help build muscle. If I occasionally want a meal replacement shake (which is rare, but does happen) I use BSN's Lean Dessert Protein. All of these proteins have a variety of flavors.

3) Scivation's Xtend. This is an amazing supplement that I use while I am strength training and during runs. From their website: Xtend is a meticulous, scientific blend of Energy Aminos containing the proven 2:1:1 ratio of Branched Chain Amino Acids (L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine and L-Valine), Glutamine, Citrulline Malate, and Vitamin B6 that will supply you with the energy you need to maximize your training while enhancing recovery at the same time. Encourage vasodilatation which can lead to better assimilation and absorption of protein. Elevate growth hormone levels. The complex ingredients in Xtend have been scientifically proven to help speed recovery and enhance ATP production and promote cell volumization. Stay away from fatigue by blocking entry of fatigue-inducing tryptophan into the brain. Boost protein synthesis, immune function and digestive health.) Flavors I like are Watermelon, Apple, Grape and Lemon Lime. I have not tried any of the others. This really does help with muscle soreness. And it is so much better than Gatorade!!!!

4) ipod Nano :) Music is a must for me, so having my iPod with me during workouts and runs is perfect. It's great added motivation when an awesome song comes on and pumps me up for my workout :)

5) Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS receiver with heart monitor. I will admit that I don't use the heart monitor much. However, when I am out doing runs, this is perfect and gives me exact mileage that I have done so I can keep track of my training. It also will plot out your runs on the computer for you and save your mileage and give you details on your runs as well. I love this device for it's accurate mileage information! It is a bit bulky but I love it!!

6) RoadID. I ordered one of these for days where I do a long slow distance run alone. I don't run with my i.d. or anything on me, so this is a quick way for people to know who I am and who to call if there is ever an accident. They come in several forms, wrist bands, shoe tags, etc.

7) Brooks Running Shoes. I won't lie I am addicted to Brooks Running Shoes! They are my favorite shoes to run in! I just recently bought two pair to switch between during training for my next 3 races so that I won't wear them out as fast as I have been and will have good shoes for all of my next races. Their Adrenaline GTS line is awesome. I was fitted for my first pair of Brooks at Fleet Feet a couple years ago and I just keep ordering the new version of this shoe :) Also, Runner's World Magazine gave this shoe high props!!!

8) Gu....chocolate outrage. I use packets of Gu during my long runs and races to give me an instant carbohydrate quick for energy. I am interested in trying a new product that a friend of mine has fallen in love with 2nd Surge. Same thing as Gu but a different brand. Hoping to get to try it out soon :)

9) yurbuds. For those of you that have not heard of these, they are awesome headphones that do not fall out of your ears when you are running and they are not very easy to be pulled out if they are grabbed. I got a pair of these in May at my last half marathon and I am in love. They are not cheap but the sound quality and the fact that they stay in place without the ear hooks is just awesome. I fully intend to get another pair at some point for backup.

10) Bosu ball. I love this tool to use to help strengthen my core and build up my balance and coordination. It is one of my absolute favorite things to use in a workout :)

Over the course of my training, I have tried many things that have worked and not worked for me. For example, I have tried the Phiten titanium necklaces, the Power Balance energy bands, and the Energy Armor energy bands. Do I believe any of these provide any extra energy? They did not for me. I did a test of the Energy Armor ones with 3 other friends. Two of us slept better with it and two had to remove them because it totally threw off their sleep patterns. Bottom line, if you ever see me wearing these in a training session or run, it's simply because I like the look of it. I don't believe they have any special powers or do anything amazing for you. I also used the Nike Sport+ iPod kit for awhile but found that it had to be calibrated often and did not keep an accurate record of my mileage for my runs. Other friends have had better luck with theirs than I have, but for me, the Garmin gives more accurate information.

There are many supplements on the market. Not all of them work for everyone. Currently, I am going to be trying out a few new ones. I picked up Hylytes which is an electrolyte pill supplement to try out to help with muscle cramps during racing. I also got some other electrolyte supplements to try to see if I can completely eliminate those pesky cramps. I will let you guys know what I think. I will admit that I tend to be a supplement junkie. I have tons of different flavors of protein and xtend. I also use a multivitamin, preworkout supplement and a fat burner. All of these have been suggested by my trainer and have worked well for me.

And for fun news, this supplement junkie will officially be working at a local supplement store. I am really excited about the opportunity. I know I am going to learn tons and cannot wait to share more details with you as I learn more. Tomorrow is my first day and I am really super excited about it!