Week 6: The Last Comeback

I’m movin’ along guys. I’m running, I’m waking up without sharp pain, and I’m feeling less injured. Like I've said before, my foot has been manageable. If I wanted to try another training cycle, I’d likely make it pretty far without any intervention beyond the rest I gave myself between shamrock and Easter... but if I want to do and be the best I can, my foundation needs to be stronger and more stable. That foundation is my feet. The custom orthotics are the most firm thing I’ve ever had on my feet. Very stable for sure! I’m almost in them full time and the progress is clear. So far I feel they have been worth the money and I wish I tried them sooner. I just was always managing so why put a ton of money into something that isn't that bad? The difference between then and now is that it went beyond managing just to run... I was just managing in every day activities, too. I couldn't take it and finally took action! I'm super excited about what is to come! Even if it doesn't look anything like my hopes and dreams for myself two years ago... at this stage to be able to train and race uninterrupted would be a dream. So right now that's the goal... that and a ​BQ

Monday: 1.5 mile run, Spin
​I have always been blessed with people around me that hold me up when I can’t hold myself. Heading into this last week of school with Dance coming to an end and Matt doing the work of at least 3 people in his job spreads me a bit thin. In a hurry. Always in a hurry. I wanted to do Monday spin but it was Sunday when I decided to sign up and it’s typically booked. I went on the app but to my surprise it wasn’t! So I added myself to what I thought was the 5:45pm class. I drove home after work (30 minutes) to pick up the girls, drove back to kids korner. Just enough time to get changed and squeeze in a short 30 minute walk/run and double with a spin. Since my runs are lots of walking still, I’m keeping the cross training efforts high until running gradually replaces most of it. I have a marathon in 12 weeks. Gotta get to work! Anyway, it was 5:10 and I was putting my towel on the bike and getting the seat and bars adjusted to my preference so I could walk in right on time and not miss a beat. There were people already there! I asked if the class was 5:45 (I get being early but... aren’t you really early?) and, nope, 5:30. Shit. I got the time wrong. I swear it was 5:45pm but whatever. I’ll walk/run for a quick 15- 20 and skip the cool down walk because I’m going to get right to spin so NBD. I felt fine on the treadmill and managed just under 2 miles, and then when I got to spin the instructor was like “yeah, I knew there was no way you were coming to my morning class...”( 5:45am...it all made sense now). “I switched you to this one, you’re lucky I had a cancel!”... the instructor, Meagan, is the adaptive PE teacher in my program at school, so she’s seen me roll into work late. NOT a morning person! She had my back! Spin was hard AF, but I think it will be really good after long runs to get blood flow back. Hoping to make Monday more regular! I may have to ease up on my intensity though but I think, especially for this training block where I’m only going for a BQ, it will be a good alternative or addition.

Tuesday: 
I did not run on Tuesday. My Mother-in-Law was watching the girls at the house, and I didn't feel like shoving them in the car and rushing around. I had been restless all night following along with Gabe Grunewald's husband on instagram. She. died on Tuesday and although we didn't find out until much later at night, Her husband had shared a few intimate posts about her declining health and it just pulled at my head and my heart. I had trouble sleeping thinking about her and how she could be taking her last breaths any second while I slept. I thought about my coach, Kevin Kirk, who died of cancer a few years ago (almost to the day. June 21) and how a few years ago I was visiting him at his house and trying to find words to say goodbye without saying goodbye because you don't want to say it and make it real. He was like a father to me. I have a father who I love and who is still alive.... but outside of family influence, no one in my life has more profoundly impacted me than Kevin Kirk. It's weird to think that someone can impact your whole  life through a sport, but athletics and the community it builds is that powerful. I learned a lot about the power of sport, running in particular, through Kevin Kirk... and I found myself reliving a lot of those feelings, memories and realizations through following Gabe's story and rewatching interviews with her and how important running was to her. Kevin Kirk would always say to me "Enjoy your Health". No matter what result I received or even what injury I was bitching about, those three words were always his response. And although Gabe was sick for a long time by many peoples standards, I thought about those three words in relationship to the life she lived. She enjoyed her health... every ounce she had she used and squeezed out of her life... and as a result we don't remember her for her cancer, we remember her for her strength and the amazing things she did with whatever bit of health she had................................... anyway... this weekly recap has taken a sharp turn... but apart from sharing articles on facebook and screenshots on instagram, I haven't really said anything about the situation that has shaken the running community to the core... It's kind of a weird thing when someone you don't know can impact you or touch your heart in some way. Is it selfish to share and to feel feelings that maybe should be reserved for family members and close friends? Is it wrong to somehow insert your own story into the narrative? ... I just couldn't figure out what to say... but I hardly edit the weekly recaps on my blog so, this is a very stream of conscious unfiltered reflection on the events that unfolded in our community last week. Truthfully, I only posted one blogpost last week because I was writing a post on jumping on the "Bandwagon" for the Boston Bruins.... but in the wake of all the posts with Gabe, it seemed inappropriate or insignificant... to summarize, I'm a big fan of the bandwagon. I hop right on!... but, it's a little bit more delicate when it's over a life and not over a championship game (and then the Bruins lost anyway, so the bandwagon fizzled quick! but that was on Wednesday... Moving on!) 

Wednesday: 
I did warm up glute exercises, pelvic core engagement and release drills before hopping on the treadmill. The girls were in Kids Korner and were super excited to go today. I did 2.3 total miles of walking and running. Intervals were between 2-3 minutes. with 1-2 minutes walks (plus warm up walk and cool down walk). I used my orthotics for only two of the intervals just to feel it out. Super firm! but I could feel immediate stress come off my calves when switching from no orthotics (after spending the whole day at work in them) and then putting them back on. This may just work! Please! I did some quick box drills (single leg box squats, step ups, bulgarian split squats) and then noticed an empty bike as spin class was starting and Meagan let me jump in. I didn't attend the whole class because my kids can only stay in Kids Korner for 2 hours, but did the first 30 minutes. I was really run down and tired anyway. Of course I skipped my shower  because I have never left the kids in the Kids Korner for a whole 2 hours, usually just 90 minutes and this was 1:45... so I rushed to get them thinking Raea was going to give me hell that I took too long and instead she took one look at me and said mommy! why are you back!? I'm not done my castle yet! while building with legos. I quit people. I just can't win. Damned if you do, Damned if you don't. Lesson learned, and extra 15 minutes for a shower never hurt anyone! 

Thursday: 
I took another day totally off. I'm just trying to appropriately manage my time and energy as the end of the school year approaches. Matt is in a big selling season so although I see him every morning and night, a lot of the night time duties are on me and even the mornings, too. If it wasn't raining I was considering walking at the Fun Run or at the Rail Trail.... but it was going to be too buggy with the humidity and moisture to be walking. I'm not really feeling like I'm behind on fitness, I'm fit!... I'm behind in specifically running. I wasn't supposed to run today anyway so anything I chose to do would just be to say I did something and not necessarily have a huge benefit. I tried to figure out what would benefit me most today and I decided to continue to prep summer school and IEP assessment binders for next year to alleviate the potential stress I'll encounter in August when the school year starts and I'm in peak marathon training. I think it's been worth it. I've never been one to be ahead of the game, but maybe my job will stress me out less if I can somehow get ahead for once. 

Friday:
Hot Damn... Happy Friday! I ran outside today and Hell Yes it was perfect! I've been on the treadmill in order to keep myself contained at a specific pace, and also because I need the Kids Korner... but wow nothing compares to being on the trail! I tried to not pay too much attention to anything except for how I felt and I felt perfect. I got a bit carried away on the side trails and ended up turning back a little later than planned. 4 miles of walk running today. Most of which was running. Right as I was finishing up my run I stopped to walk and I hear quick stride coming up behind me. Like quick. I know 95% of the faster runners in the area so when I turned I expected to know the person, but didn't expect it to be my podiatrist. Sure enough, Dr. Saviet coming up behind me in his Providence jersey (In case anyone didn't know he was fast, he had the jersey to prove it!) He said something along the lines of that he was proud of me for walking and taking it slow and not wearing the orthotics. He followed it up with "I'm in marathon training, time to hammer"... for reference, we are both running a last chance BQ in the same weekend (his in Boston, it was closed before I had a chance to register)... he's hammering away and I'm walking. Yes, I'm going to bring this up at my follow up appointment... but for now I'm just happy to be running at all and to be doing normal every day things without foot pain. Relief! 

Saturday: 
I'm a dance mom now, so Saturday morning routine has been Dance, Kids Korner, Panera. Today wasn't much different. Kids slept in so we were running super late for dance, the last class before the recital, so I left without breakfast and fed them granola bars in the car. #momoftheyear. I'm so proud of Raea and how much progress shes made in her confidence in dance! We were lucky and actually won a raffle for a full year in dance, but we will for sure be continuing. I never expected this to be part of my life so young (or at all), but she really lights up for dance so we will keep going! After dance I was super hungry and expected they would be too today so when we got to the gym I just did an easy bike for 45 minutes and got out of there ASAP. We went straight to Panera (which is so close to the gym, hence why this is part of our new schedule) I had noticed a tiny rash on Maebels feet in the morning, but I thought it was sweat from the new crocks she had. I really thought nothing of it at all because we also used a different soap.... but she puked while we were leaving Panera, and then I got more concerned. I checked her belly and noticed more subtle rash. I worried about a bug bite she had on her ankle that looked really nasty... potential tick bite... Lyme disease has all sorts of strange symptoms (learned the hard way, my husband got Bells Palsy from it!) ... Not wanting to even wait until Monday, we took her to Urgent Care even though she seemed to be back to 100% after the vomit (in hindsight she totally inhaled her Mac 'n' Cheese and overate... I mean, who doesn't make that mistake sometimes?). Even though we were second on the wait list when we signed in, not one, not two but THREE traumas came in while we were there so we waited for a long time to get zero answers. I had hoped that if it was nothing and just from new soap they would at least give a doctors note so she could go to school on Monday... but they wouldn't even give us that. They ruled out Hand, Foot, and Mouth based on the fact that she had nothing in her mouth and was super happy... but were checking for Scarlet Fever or the strep rash. Full results weren't available until Monday so we were told to keep her home. I'm 90% sure she had Hand Foot and Mouth now (sores showed up in her mouth the next day)... so I felt immediate guilt for her being at the Kid Korner. That's how kids get these things, though... You usually don't know they have something until it's too late! Not the way I wanted to spend the day off with Matt, but at least we were together. Raea wanted to come sooo bad (she wants to be a doctor) so it was nice that we at least got time as a family, even if it was in the waiting room

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Sunday:
I left all the running time for Matt today since it was Father's Day. He was gone for about 3 hours in the morning between commute to trail and the run itself. He's been unreal supportive of all the ridiculous expenses and time I've required for a sport I've barely participated in for the last two years... so I figure one day for just him to not have to arrange his run around me isn't such a hard thing. I also got him a gym membership for fathers day so maybe we can work out together again once his big selling season slows down. We visited my dad a bit and just had a pretty low key, rainy day after that.  


Big things next week! The LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! So there will be a shift in my workout schedule which usually is bad at first and then I adjust. stay tuned! (better late than never!) 

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