Rest Day

Every Friday is a rest day in my training program.  Today I am especially grateful that it's Friday...

A few weeks ago, my husband noticed a suspicious looking mole on my foot.  Since my mother-in-law recently had a very large precancerous mole removed from her heel at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, I figured a trip to the dermatologist would ease his mind.  I kind of figured the doctor would take a look at the mole, say it was nothing, and I'd simply be out the door with a prescription for my stubborn rosacea.  Well, I didn't get off that easy...

I guess what they normally do to test moles it do this "prick test" that grabs a tiny tissue sample along with part of the mole.  The nurse asked the doctor, "can we do this?"  He said, "Yes, let's do that..." "Even with her Deep Brain Stimulators?  It might be better to just remove it."  The doctor had a look on his face as if he was thinking he should know exactly what to do here. "I'm just concerned about her bleeding."  I then asked him, "Is there heat involved with this test?"  Yes, heat would be involved.  I said I probably couldn't have that test done, but if he wanted to he could call Medtronic to find out for sure, that I had their contact information on me.

I suppose to save time and remove doubt, they decided to shoot my foot up with Novocaine and completely cut out the mole to send it for testing.  If the test results come back as a melanoma (which he doesn't believe it is), the doctor informed me that he will need to remove more of the tissue where the mole was.  If there are abnormal cells in this sample, he wants to remove two other moles on that foot.  If it's simply a mole, he will probably not have to do anything.  For now, I need to keep the bandage on my foot and leave it open to air tomorrow.  If I want to go running tomorrow (which I do) I will need to put another bandage on.  Oh, and did I mention that my foot really hurts right now? LOL.

The good news; however, is that I can still plan on running the marathon regardless of the test results.

Right now, it's also snowing.  I really wish we could have another warm winter.  I need to be outside for all of my long runs.  Oh well, roll with the punches.

Pay no attention to the person on the treadmill next to you...

I completed the second day of my six month marathon training program last night.  A 2-3 mile run RPE-L.  I only have one issue - it's tough to determine my own low, medium and high rates of perceived excursions.  I set the treadmill at 6.5 miles an hour, and felt that I was getting nothing out of it, so for mile number 3 I upped it to 6.6 mph.  (This means my pace per mile ranged from 9:13 to 9:05).  This should be slow for me, considering a few years back my 5k pace ranged from 6:30 to 6:40 minutes per mile.  I know I am nowhere near that 5k pace right now, so it's tough to determine where I stand for a true 5k race pace.  I also need to take into account my natural ability along with 15 years of experience as a runner.  I am sure things will fall into place, but I want to make sure I don't do too much and burn out before May 26th.

A tough thing for me to do psychologically is not pay attention to the people on the treadmills around me.  I'll look at the person next to me and think to myself, "I can do that too..." but it's tough for me to bear in mind that they might just be doing a plain old workout or have different goals in mind.  I'm not going for speed, but for eventual distance.  I need to keep that in mind, or my training will become disastrous.

I'm actually hoping for some warmer days.  I misplaced my sweat absorbing athletic gloves.  My fingers and toes turn blue in the cold (a definite issue for me this time of year in Buffalo).  It's called Raynaud's Syndrome.  It's not terribly debilitating for me, but an issue nevertheless.   There's the more critical issue of my IPGs and running on potentially icy surfaces - which my neurosurgeon warned against. If I slip, fall and break one of my generators, I'm screwed.   I would need to go into surgery for IPG replacement.  Still, training in my neighborhood is so much better than on a treadmill.  It would be just me and my Garmin - no one else psyching me out and making me feel that I need to run faster.

In other news, I officially bowed out of coaching Girls on the Run for the spring season.  I will miss it tremendously.  Unfortunately, with the way my dystonia is progressing, I am afraid that if I do not train for and run a marathon now, I never will.  I need to complete just one marathon in my life; just one.  I had so many goals in life that simply were destroyed when I got sick - completing a marathon is one I refuse to give up on.

I do not have the time or energy to both coach and train.  I have learned to accept that I cannot take on the same level/amount of responsibilities that healthier people can, and I also will never have the energy I used to have.  These are the cards I have been dealt, and I need to use them wisely. 

1 day down 180 to go...

I just finished day #1 of my marathon training program.  20 minutes of light cross training or walking.  You know, when I saw the workout for the 1st day, I thought, "really?"  Per my doctor's instruction, I need to do some weight lifting for the arthritis in my knee, so after my easy 20 minute recumbent bike ride, I used 4 different machines at the gym to work some non-running leg muscles. 

You know what?  For as many miles I have run over the years, and as strong as my legs might be, the lifting was tough!  Those non-running muscles in my legs burned!  I am fairly confident that strengthening will help my injuries.

I am taking glucosamine chondroitin again as well.  I asked my doctor if I was throwing money away on this stuff... in a word, he literally said "yes."  But I simply cannot believe it is doing nothing.  So many runners I know take glucosamine and swear by it.  Are they all wrong?

Today I need to complete a 2-3 mile run RPE-L.  So basicically, a slow 2-3 miles.  Depending on the weather I may go to the gym and save my outdoor runs for the weekend.  I also need to continue to focus on stretching.  Apparently my leg muscles are extremely tight (according to my doctor).

One thing I must say - crossing out day one on my training calendar fet really good.  Can't wait to cross off day 2!

Let the Training Begin!

Tomorrow morning, it begins.  My 26-week marathon training program.  After 3 test runs in my knee brace, I am confident that I will be able to train and complete the Buffalo Marathon on May 26th.  The only real problem I am having is that my knee hurts whenever I am not wearing the brace.  This is fine, since I have no intention of running at work or in high heels, but it hurts nonetheless.

In terms of training and racing, I am a bit concerned about my orthopedic surgeon's opinion about my running shoes.  Right now I'm using the Brooks Launch (actually, they're being discontinued - but I can still buy them on the Brooks website).

For about 14 years I have been running in neutral shoes with custom made orthotics.  I started this after numerous injuries in high school (namely, stress fractures in my left shin).  After beginning this practice, generally speaking, I've remained uninjured until this knee problem started in 2009.  (It's speculated that I may now have arthritis and cartilage damage - we just don't know since I cannot have an MRI).  Running 40+ miles a week used piece of cake in neutral, lightweight training shoes throughout my early to mid 20's.  As long as I had my orthotics in, I was fine.

My new orthopedic surgeon wants me to buy a more "cushiony" shoe with a lot of stability and ditch the orthotics.  I am very reluctant to do this.  I've been down this road before - and I do not want to do it again.  I tried to tell him this but he was kind of in and out of the office.  It's not that he didn't care, I just think he was busy.  I've got an amazing knee brace and some good advice about cross-training and weight-lifting.  Why try to fix the one thing that isn't broken?

I'm not seeing him again until February 1st, and I DO need new shoes.  What should I do in terms of this new running shoe philosophy?  I intend to go on the Brooks website and buy another pair of the Launch before they're all gone, but I will still need a "good, stable shoe" for the mileage I intend to put in by the spring (back to 40+ mile weeks).

I'm trying not to worry about it, but it's a big change!  Oh well, wish me luck!

Gratitude and Appreciaton

Gratitude is a topic covered in the GOTR curriculum.  It is perhaps one of the most important topics we cover.  In fact, the chapter in the book is called Gratitude is an Attitude.

Today, we celebrated Thanksgiving, which generally means eating turkey, spending time with family, watching football and hopefully recognizing things which we are thankful for in our lives.  But I pose this question - why do we need to take a day off from work and make it a holiday to do this?  Why don't people do this every day?

Gratitude is, in actuality, an attitude.  In psychology, there is a practice called "mindfulness."  It's about being in the present and recognizing the good things around us, as trivial as they might seem.  Right now I'm looking down at my funky, hot pink, plastic ring with googly-eyes on my finger.  It makes me smile because it's a reflection of my personality.  Despite the responsibilities of adulthood (mortgage, bills, career, family commitments, etc.) this little piece of plastic jewelry is a reminder that I can be a child at heart regardless of the circumstances surrounding me.

There are people who practice mindfulness every single day!  These people keep personal gratitude journals.  At the end of the day, they write down three things they are grateful for.  Guess what studies show about these people.  That's right, they are generally happier people!

So, this Thanksgiving, I'm going to share three things I'm grateful for right now!

1. My passion for running and how it's shaped me as a person and has helped me to shape others as well.
2. Being alive in an age and in a society where advanced technology has been able to treat a debilitating neurological disorder I suffer from.
3. That funky hot pink ring I'm wearing right now! (Even if my mom and sister think an almost 30-year-old wearing something like this is ridiculous - and yes, I'm thankful for their concern as well).

So, basically, for anyone reading this (if anyone does) - challenge yourself!  There is ALWAYS something to be grateful for or thankful for in life...  every single day.  I challenge you to be mindful of all those little things every day... even if it seems like it's the worst day of your life.  You will become a happier, healthier, better person.  I promise!

A Beautiful Evening Workout!

Endomondo Running Workout: Check it out!  I was running 4.35 miles in 35m:03s.

Technically my marathon training has not yet begun, but now that I'm over my cold/flu, I had to get out on the road.  I got home from work and put on my new orthopedic-prescribed knee brace. It was 54 degrees and sunny - a beautiful November afternoon.

I am thrilled about the knee brace.  It provides a ton of stability, holding my kneecap into place, preventing further cartilage damage and the arthritis was not an issue tonight.

I'm terribly out of shape.  I held a pretty steady pace but it's not indicative of my true capabilities.

I've read that the two biggest mistakes that people new to marathon training do is either overtrain or undertrain.   The workout above is actually WAY too much for a marathon that's over 6 months away, but technically I am not starting my real training for another week. I'll have to cut back a lot on my mileage or I will burn out well before the end of May.

Can't wait to start!

Moving Forward by Staying Still

I really am bummed when Nate has to work on the weekends, but this time (for me) it just may be for the better.  Despite the fact that I have been told several times that I just do not slow down and take a breather, with Nate at work and me being sick, I'm giving in and not feeling guilty.  Nate always tells me to slow down, and I never listen.  Now, my body is finally telling me to stop.  I am listening.  The harder try to push myself, the more tired I get.  I will not be out training as long as I am sick... so I just need to stop.

Canned chicken noodle soup never tasted so good!

Admittedly, I am an exhausting person.  I am always on the move.  I talk a lot.  My husband tells me that I never relax, and I guess it's true.  I enjoy projects, housework, shopping and of course anything having to do with running.  Then there's the fact that I am neurotic, which stresses everyone around me out.  Life isn't perfect, I don't know where things are, and that pile of laundry can wait.  I must be losing my mind,  But every time I stand up, it's like... "woah..."

I stopped at Tim Horton's this morning and chatted with Dan Green; one of the regulars there.  He's in the same line of work as Nate, but works for the Amherst Police Department.  He talks about as much as me.  After spending close to two hours solving the world's problems over coffee, I headed to my parent's house to show my dad the new wheels.  My mom got a nice shot of me sporting my 8th grade soccer sweats and my Niagara University hoodie.  Despite my attire, I still feel pretty cool with the new car. :-)

Me and my 2013 Hyundai Elantra

Well, my husband just called me and I barely squeaked out a "hello."  At this point, a nap would probably do me some good.  The sooner I recover, the sooner I'll be able to get back to my training.

Moving along despite obstacles...

If there's anything that running as well as being chronically ill has taught me, it's to roll with the punches.  It all started last Thursday while at work.  Maybe even before that.  I've been so busy I've barely had time to breathe.  Okay, we'll say it started with Hurricane Sandy leaving our office's main server under water. Lord only know why Buffalo's server is in Staten Island.  Thankfully, I was able to get some work done at home by remotely connecting to a server in California.  Teleworking.  I never cared for the practice, but it was a forced trial and I actually kind of liked it.

Last Wednesday I was without a car.  It was leaking transmission fluid, so I worked from home again.  I was sort of in a panic because I needed transportation to my Girls on the Run practice.  I was going to throw a "Good Luck" party for the girls the last session before the race.  I didn't have my car back, so my mom had to pick me up and drop me off at the school with awards, cookie cake, fruit, and apple cider.  The party was a lot of fun and I think the girls really appreciated it.

On Thursday I was finally back at the office.  With about an hour to go, I suddenly felt like I was going to pass out.  My throat started to hurt.  I barely made it to the end of the day.  Nate picked me up at UB South Campus Station.  I knew without a doubt I was sick, and screwed.

I had an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon  on Friday at 8 a.m.  Then shopping to do for the Niagara University President's Ball.  Did I mention that by this point I knew I needed a new car?  Between Thursday and Friday I pumped myself with all sorts of cold/flu remedies, medications and supplements.  It was nuts.   I think the best news I got on Friday was that I had arthritis in my knee, but would be okay to run the Buffalo Marathon in May.

Saturday was race day for the girls and then off  to the Seneca Niagara Casino for the Ball.  Perhaps it was my being overly optimistic, or perhaps sheer stupidity... I honestly thought my cold was gone.  I was in Tonawanda for the race at 8:45 and got home around 1:00.  I took a short nap.  Nate woke me up at 1:30 and said we should leave around 3 to be at the casino by 4:00.  Okay, well, in my mind I was no longer sick.  The picture below does not depict the glass of Pino Noir the size of my head, followed by a whiskey sour I consumed.  Other than the fact that I'm sticking my head out like a giraffe, this is a pretty good picture of us!

Niagara University President's Ball 2012

I was informed after my beverage choices, that I probably shouldn't have anything else to drink.  Hindsight is always 20/20.  I actually shouldn't have had anything to drink, period.  My cold/flu was not gone.  In fact, it was so much worse the next morning.  We were supposed to meet Nate's boss and his wife for breakfast, but I felt like a train wreck.  We went straight home, and I slept all day.  Thankfully I had off for Veteran's Day, but it wasn't enough recovery time.  I bit the bullet and went to work through Thursday, but the reality sank in about my poor car.  I had to get a new one immediately.

Wednesday evening Nate took me out to look for a new car. He was exhausted and I was still sick... but we did it.  Last night, I took home a beautiful 3013 Hyundai Elantra.  We got home just in time for the Bills game.  I took some Theraflu and went to bed.  

My new car

 I woke up this morning with absolutely no voice.  In fact, the harder I try to talk, the more I can't!  I wasn't entirely sure what the car situation would be, so I was all set up to Telework.  I had to make a few phone calls.  All answered with the same response, "Nicole???  Don't talk!"  And my favorite, "You sound like Mickey Mouse." I called it quits at 2:30 and went to pick up my knee brace.  Now, despite the fact that I called yesterday to inquire about picking it up today, the office was closed.

I'm sure there's a lesson in all this rambling.  Maybe it's simply that life keeps moving forward whether you want it to or not.  Perhaps it's don't confuse masking cold symptoms with actually being better.  I guess in reality, I believe it's the realization that people can be more capable than they think they are when executing major commitments is a necessity, even if life seems to be working against us.  And most importantly, we all need to express gratitude to those who help us along the way.

Athlete Of The Week: Mt. Tabor's Kayla Montgomery

This story brings me to tears.  It truly demonstrates how the power of positive thinking and being a runner go hand in hand.  Go Kayla!

The end of the season...

Well, my first season as head coach at Mill Middle school just came to an end.  I cannot believe that I did not have time to write.  I absolutely loved coaching this group of girls, but working full time and having a neurological disorder on top of coaching GOTR is absolutely exhausting.  My place is a mess.  I haven’t gone grocery shopping in over a month, and now I have the flu.

I was blessed to finally get a GREAT assistant coach who was dedicated enough to split her time between being an attorney and helping me out.  She was in between jobs when she first came on board with me, but remained committed to assisting despite landing a job just a few weeks into the season.  I truly appreciate that kind of dedication in a person, and there are not many people who are like that.

I didn’t want her to stress over her new job, so I really did all of the lesson planning and didn’t ask much of her other than just showing up.  Showing up is about 85% of the battle as long as at least one coach has read over the lesson.  The other thing that was cool was I no longer felt like the “bad guy” when I had to sometimes yell at the girls, because my assistant raised her voice a few times too. 

Many of these girls were… wild… I loved them all but the quiet little girls who were just starting middle school quickly turned into giggling, silly kids who liked to talk over me.  Horseplay was a huge issue – but we did our best to put a stop to it.  “Coach Nicole!  She hit me!”  “Coach Nicole, she started it!”  The one day I lost it when we were running laps and I saw a couple of girls pushing and shoving each other while they ran.  “Hey!  Knock it off!  If you do that during the race they’ll throw you off the course.”

At the end of each lesson, though, there was a sense of accomplishment.  If the girls didn’t like to run, they at least liked the lessons.  Sometimes they liked them too much!  There were days when the girls ALL had stories to tell about something relating to the lesson… and sometimes I had to cut them off if they wanted to tell an entire story line of a movie that they thought was relevant to the topic… with only 90 minutes, you know, you’ve gotta let them know that it’s great that they all want to share, but we have to keep moving forward with the lesson if we want to run.

Yesterday, every girl crossed the finish line.  A couple of the girls had run 5ks before, but the girls who hadn’t  all had different reactions ranging from “it was okay” to “that was awesome!”  One girl was basically speechless and out of breath… her whole family was there to greet her at the finish line.  She didn’t look happy but I’m pretty sure that was how I looked the first time I ever finished a race.  In fact, I think that’s my normal reaction, even after I know I’ve placed.  So the chaos is now over.

At our last practice I told the girls that I was not going to return for the spring season, but perhaps for the fall.  I told them it was a lot to work full time and to do this (not to mention being disabled).  Two girls indicated that they would not do this again if I was not going to coach.  It kind of broke my heart.  I must be pretty good at this… and I’d hate to give up something that I am good at.

I have a lot of thinking to do.  I found out that I likely have arthritis in my knee.  Since I cannot have an MRI, there's a lot of speculation regarding cartilage damage.  I told my orthopedic surgeon that one dream of mine in life was to finish a marathon and that the Buffalo Marathon was on May 26^th.   I also indicated that I was afraid that if I didn’t run the marathon this year, I didn’t think it would happen due to the way my dystonia is progressing.  He told me he would help me make it happen.  So, let the marathon training begin!  (after I get over the flu).