I’ve been putting off going to the doctor about my knee issue for a while.

I’d been training to run Disney again this year when one morning I realized my knee hurt. Just like that, bam – no notice, nothing.

It hurt pretty badly for a week or so. I laid off training, cut back a day, shed 15 miles from my weekly runs . . . and it got a little better.

So I decided to try for a half instead.

As soon as I increased mileage, my knee began again. Stiffness, soreness, but no swelling and i could still run. It was after the run, in particular the next day, when it really hurt.

So, I did what every runner does at the first sign of injury – I ran, and while i ran, I tried to self diagnose.

First mistake.

So many things ’sound like’ other things. Runners knee sounds like some type of patellar syndrome, or maybe it is.

Tendoitis may be bursitis may be a ligament strain. Or a Baker’s Cyst.

I did the RICE thing. Cuz that’s what they all say to do.

I did some foam rolling; the next day when I touched my calf muscle I thought I might faint.

I prepped for the half marathon, and i ran it, with limited pain during – just at the start – but a few noxious calf cramps during. I had to stop and stretch my leg out because it felt as though my leg may not stretch, may not hit the ground, mid stride. It wasn’t a knee locking, but a definite leg pain or cramp.

Some other issues:

calf cramps

hamstring tight

stiffness down the inner portion of my knee, nearest the left knee, when I attempt to extend leg and stretch

pain when pressing on the joint line

Then I called the doctor.

He did a few quick tests, schedule an MRI, said the Xray showed nothing, and then, the dreaded words: It might be a meniscal tear or strain.

Argh.

Not what I wanted.

I’m 40 now. I’m not getting younger, and surgery, while not too bad for this type of thing (in most cases) is sometimes more difficult to recover, so I’ve read, when you get older.

I don’t want to stop running.

I spent yesterday curled in a ball crying hysterically.

Today I had the MRI and Monday I get the results.

In the meantime, no tear, no tear, no tear.

Oh, and by the way, the Susan Komen half marathon in Jax is great. If you want to run a half or full, do it there. (Although the full I’m not sure about – not much shade and it got pretty warm toward the end).

THe only complaint- soup at the finish line. Come on now, who runs half a marathon or a full and asks for a bowl of soup at the end?

Otherwise, a great, great run. I did it in 2:14, including the walking for my cramping and a potty break. I was happy witih that. I don’t care about speed these days, I just want to be able to run.

Period.

No tear. Please, please, please no tear.

This morning I thought about something I often think about when running:

It’s all in your head.

I thought about this as I traveled the 1.5 mile loop I was running for the third time.

Long ago, when I first started running, I would have never been able to do this – run three times plus some around the same loop. I would have grown bored and frustrated. Upon hitting the start over mark yet again, I would have wanted to stop.

Now I realize:

It’s all in my head.

People think running is all in the legs, the back, the hips, the knees. It’s not. Running takes place in the head.

If you don’t have it in your mind to do it, you won’t. End of story.

Do we have to train our bodies? Of course. But we also must train our minds. There’s no way to remain on your feet for hours, pounding pavement, if your mind is not trained.

There is no way to continue along the same track, over and over, seeing the same scenery, if your mind is not trained.

One thing I always tell people who are starting out in running is this: Don’t get yourself in a habit.

Habits and running aren’t good. When we rely on something during running, and that something is taken away, we can’t run. Our mind becomes fixed on having that one thing. And if we don’t have it, we stop.

I wrote the other day about my friend training for her first half. She listens to music every single mile of every single run, and she’s getting bored now. I told her to take the music off in the beginning, so she has something to look forward to.

This isn’t a physical trick, it’s a mental one. You see, her body will continue to run if she trains it correctly; but her mind is going to shut down if she doesn’t train that part of her.

For me, learning that you go internal when you run was a big step from being a jogger to a runner. For me, that is the key — learning that running is more than where you are and where you are going and what you are seeing or listening to.

Running is about breaking through those mental barriers so you can keep going.

If you say you can’t run on a treadmill, you haven’t trained your mind to understand that you can run anywhere.

If you say you can’t run 5 miles after running 3, you are training your mind to stop you when you get to 3.

If you are saying you can’t run without music, you have not trained your mind to run without music.

It’s all about understanding that as you train your body to go the distance you must also train your mind to do the same.

How do you train your mind?

1. Understand the mental block you are having (can’t run on a treadmill, can’t run without music)
2. Break it into baby steps – turn off the music for the first mile only, then the first two, then the first three; run on the treadmill one day a week for a few miles
3. Appreciate each accomplishment. Celebrate the fact that you went three miles without music!
4. Then understand you can do anything – believe me, once you hit 26.2 you will know this instinctively!

You can do it! You just have to believe that you can -

Happy weekend running!

I know that from training for my previous two marathons, beginning training for my third (jacksonville in December) and from listening to friends and their tales of training runs that training can take on many forms.

You may wind up doing:

The Five Day Plan

Running five days per week until you reach your peak.

The Four Day Plan

Running four days per week until you reach your peak.

High Mileage Plan

Accumulating up to 50 or 60 miles per week at the peak of your plan to prepare for the race.

Lower Mileage Plan

Keeping weekly miles down to 30-40.

There are more plans than this, of course. You may be on a walking plan, where you walk some/run some. You may do cross training during your marathon training, or you may refuse to for fear of injuring yourself by doing something else/something new.

I’d love to hear your stories about training for the marathon you are currently planning to run or about one you have run in the past.

Specifically, how many miles per week are you running? How many days per week? Are you cross training or not? What additional physical activities are you doing for preparation.

My Schedule

My marathon training schedule has changed for each marathon.

Marathon #1

I ran my first marathon in California on February 3, 2008. I trained four days a week, my highest run a 20 miler (only one) and my other runs generally staying between 3-5 miles. I believe I had one middle of the week day that got up to mile 7 but no more. I had pretty low mileage going into the race but trained well and did fine, with no injuries.

Marathon #2

Disney, January 11, 2009 when I messed up my knee around mile 18. For Disney I trained 4 days per week with one 20 miler BUT I feel I didn’t do the best I could have done. I skipped several long runs due to moving across the country, and I wasn’t running too much during the rest of the week either.

Marathon #3

Jacksonville, Dec. 20th, if all goes well. I have to say, training for me has drastically changed since #1 and #2. I have:

1. Increased mileage per week – I’m up to 30-35 right now with about 9 weeks to go
2. Increased days – I am doing 5 days per week now instead of 4
3. Included leg strengthening – Since I believe my hamstring issue was a result of weak leg muscles and perhaps an imbalance, I am now including leg exercises twice per week at the gym to strengthen both my quads and hamstrings (and what a difference it has made!)
4. Included more stretching – I’m stretching not just after runs but each night as well, working again on the areas around my hamstrings/quads/calves.

We will see if it makes a difference. I believe that it will, as my running seems much stronger than before.

What are you doing? Please share stories!

So I spent the long weekend at my mom’s house, and Sunday morning, after an eleven miler, came back all full of boundless energy, hope and anticipation to watch the Chicago Marathon – only to find that it COULD NOT be found on her television.

I get it to a wee little point – running is not as popular a sport as, say, football, which could be found all over the television.

Yes, I  understand more people watch football and therefore it is shown more, but my mom, who lives in a retirement community, has FOUR (not one, not two, not three, but FOUR!) ESPN channels on her television and guess how many carried the Chicago Marathon, even in parts?

NONE!

That’s right, notta. I had to continually check my cell phone for updates on the race since her low speed internet is soooo darn slow it makes me want to rip my fingernails out one at a time as I wait for a page to load.

I got very little about the race. What I did get came via my facebook running friends, who kept me posted.

I think this is a shame! Shame on ESPN! Why couldn’t they carry at least a portion of the race? There was other news on that day -  I heard about Tebow and the Gators numerous times, and yet no mention of one of the biggest marathons in the country!

Are you kidding me?

Now, runner friends, go out there and develop a running broadcast channel on which we can show the races. I will start one with you, if you want. We’ll show all those other people out there who refuse to mention running as a sport.

Off to the pool. I had 11 good miles yesterday and 6 good miles today with no knee pain. I think I’ll be doing Jacksonville December 20th. Anyone with me?!

(Edit: Written on the 3rd, posted on the 4th)

Today I headed to the Y bright and early with the young ones. I couldn’t make it out of bed at 5 and slept until 6:15, which was too late to get in a good 4 to 5 miler, abs and arms workout before the kids woke up.

I am not one to get overly excited about a treadmill workout. This is my third or fourth since joining the gym and I’ve noticed a few things:

1. I get bored quickly and easily when running inside
2. I run too fast too soon when running inside
3. I burn out quickly . . . when running inside

I’m happy to report that today’s run was totally different. My plans: 4 miles. The end result: 5! And, I have to say, they were perfect! I started out at a good pace, then cranked it up the last few miles and finished strong. I also did ab and arm work in the weight room after the run.

I’m glad to see that the dreaded treadmill doesn’t have to be dreaded. The workout was so good I realized that it’s probably a great thing to mix up running outside and inside. Inside I can work on my pace better, because I am focused on the machine and what it says. Outside, though I have a Garmin on and I can see my pace and time, I tend to ‘drift’ mentally.

I like both of these – drifting and focusing – and I’m guessing that mixing workouts up this way is a great way to become stronger on runs.

There are times we need to drift, particularly on longer runs when we have nothing but time on our hands, or, well, our feet!

There are times we need to focus, like when we are racing. I also believe the treadmill can be a great way to condition the body. It shows us how to run a certain pace for a certain length of time. Outside we run varying speeds throughout the run – on a treadmill, you run what it is moving or you fall off, end of story.

If you aren’t mixing up your workouts between indoor and outdoor running, maybe you should try it out. If you dread the treadmill – try it a few times and see if you don’t find a bit of enjoyment in the different way it makes the body feel during a run.

Thoughts for today:

• Cross training on the bike is not as fun as running. Or swimming. I can’t seem to get the cardio benefits from it and I’m wondering if it is hurting my knee. Yesterday after my ten miler I had some knee pain. Thoughts about this? When I ride my husbands bike it hurts my knee becuase the seat is too high. I can feel my knee actually click as it goes around. But on my bike, I don’t feel this, and so far it has been okay (up to 8.5 miles). Yesterday I did ten and it hurt when I ran today (and last night, but I rolled it out).
• Swimming rocks. I love it. It has to be the best cardio after running. If I ever become too injured to run I am going to swim.
• I might join the Y. I hate indoor treadmill running, but the heat may get intense this summer. Even if I don’t use the treadmill there, I can go to yoga and pilates classes, which would be nice and would definitely help this knee issue with the stretching. Plus my kids could go to the gym’s daycare, and then to a few of the classes and the pool they have on campus.
• Creating a birthday party based on fairies and 5 year olds may be tougher than running a marathon. Maybe. I’ll get back to you on this one!

Happy Running!

I’m running into an issue: Time.

As you know, I have two children under the age of 5 (at least until the end of the month!)

I run 5 days per week. One of those days I only do 2 miles, and then I bike ride – usually, right now, around 8 miles. I’m increasing each week a little.

That’s my only biking day.

Then I want to add swimming into the mix. Problem is, I can’t fit it into my already busy morning workout routine.

And, if I try to wait until later in the day, I have two children with whom I need to do something while I swim.

My running schedule is such: Sunday, 10 or so miles; Monday, 5; Tuesday, off; Wednesday, 6; Thursday, 2 and bike; Friday, 4.

I thought I could do my swim on Mondays in the afternoon and, possibly, another one on Friday. I love swimming and wouldn’t mind adding it in for two days.

But how to fit this all in when I already have a full schedule?

And do I need to do these back to back? If so, I’m probably out of luck.  But I would think splitting it up is okay.

And how often do I need to do a bike and a swim in order to compete in a sprint triathlon? I’m hesitant to cut back on running miles (right now around 30) because I love running first and plan to do a marathon in October; I’d like to keep my schedule as is until I increase mileage for the next long race.

Am looking for great advice from my great tri friends!

NRR: There is a tri this weekend, but I’m not going. Can’t do it with childcare, busy husband, etc . . . Next one, I’m in. I want to go, so badly. But, that’s the way the tire rotates lol. One day my kids will be big and won’t want to spend the weekends with me. Then I can race. For now, I need to love on my children. :0)

For all of you racing this weekend, good luck and keep me posted!