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March 30, 2006
Continued Frustrations
Here I am, 10 days later, with not much to report. The foot is definitely looking better. Over the last week I've run 25 min, 35 min, 45 min, 56 min, 60 min, day off, and 45 min. When I started running again, it was very laborious and I was breathing hard. By the fourth run, I began feeling a lot better. I didn't really need a day off, but I think a day off of no activity on my foot will certainly quicken the healing process. Today I was hoping to do my normal 70 min run, but my protected foot became unprotected and I got a new (small) blister on a different spot on my foot. The chances for running Boston continue to dwindle, but I will continue to cross my fingers and hope for a miracle.
Posted by Caitlin at 7:42 PM | Comments (2)
March 20, 2006
Those Pesky Blisters
Things have not gotten much better with my foot. Last Wednesday I was able to run for 30 minutes and then 33 minutes on Thursday and then 42 minutes on Friday. On Friday's jaunt, I developed a small blister on the sensitive, exposed skin. That was my sign to stop. I have been biking since then and my foot is starting to look SLIGHTLY better.
I'm not sure where I'm going to go from here. Now that 2 weeks have gone by, with little hope for recovery, Boston is looking like a no-go. I'm also thinking about a couple later marathons. However, if I can heal my foot, I will still run it out of shape. Even though Brad made that suggestion a couple of days ago, I didn't really consider it an option until I heard a woman talking about Boston while in the line for the bathroom at a race yesterday. She was telling a novice marathoner to just enjoy it and take in her surroundings. Can I do that??
Last week was pretty horrible. I cried numerous times even thinking about running. It's actually been easier the past few days being forced to cross-train, than it was to run and realize it's not getting better. I'm trying to stay positive. Some things Mario wrote the other day actually made me look at all of this differently, even though it's easier to be depressed and feel sorry for myself. One of them was "When the going seems to be getting rough, remind yourself that it's really not all that bad." I'm working on that one. He's right though, things could be much worse and there are people who are not as fortunate as I am.
I was supposed to run a half-marathon yesterday, which was difficult because I still went to the race since Brad was running. He was looking for a PR, but never felt good from the start. He's in good shape and was pumped for this race, so he was extremely disappointed with the outcome. Let's just say it was not a pleasant car ride home with my lousy state of mind and Brad's sub-par performance. Here's hoping it all gets better...
Posted by Caitlin at 8:24 PM | Comments (6)
March 14, 2006
I Hate Blisters
Next time I'm going to run an 18.6 mile race (or any race for that matter), remind me of what I'm going through now. This bites! I biked all week and hated it. I had to bike like a maniac to get my heart rate up to 137 (my highest). As a result of the maniac biking, I became quite fatigued. Brad told me I needed to relax, which resulted in a heart rate of 110, which made me feel like a slacker even though Brad assured me I was getting a workout.
I ran for the first time on Sunday for 30 minutes, and did the same yesterday and today including some additional biking. I have tried a different way to cover up my blister every day, but something goes wrong each day. I can only make it for 30 minutes, at which time my foot feels like it is on fire. I think it's my sensitive skin, but I worry it's another blister, so I keep checking everything every 10 minutes or so. Running-wise I'm flying. If only I can run longer. After today's run, my foot is not feeling good. Maybe I overdid it. Who knows. I just wish the worries would get out of my head. I may take tomorrow off from running to see what happens. I just want it all to go away so I can run Boston worry-free. Sorry Mom, but blisters suck (I wasn't allowed to say something sucked when I grew up). On a positive note, the weather is beautiful!!!
Posted by Caitlin at 7:07 PM | Comments (6)
March 10, 2006
Looking Better
On Wednesday I had an appointment with a sports medicine doctor to take a look at my blistered foot. He basically said (I can never remember what they say) that I did a number on my foot. Even though I didn't feel like I was, he thinks I was compensating for my smaller blister, which made me land differently. The blister is deep and multi-layered, so I need to let it fully heal before I start running again. He thought it would take at least 10 days. It's been 2 days since I saw him and my foot looks significantly better. I can put full pressure on it now too! I know, I know. I'll wait it out. He also mentioned that runners can be stubborn, but we already know that. So, I've been riding a stationary bike. Yuck! My butt hurts like hell. I'm looking into a temporary membership at a gym with a pool, so I can mix some pool running in with the biking. For now I'll continue biking. It's too bad the weather's in the 50's.
Posted by Caitlin at 7:17 AM | Comments (2)
March 6, 2006
The Doctor
After a night of waking up with major pain, and some ugly, swollen feet this morning, I decided to call the doctor. Luckily, I was able to get an early appointment. The blister(s) were on their way to getting infected, so now I'm on antibiotics for 7 days. Fun, fun! I also got some "major strength" Tylenol. I haven't needed that yet, but I may take it tonight before I go to bed just to make sure I get some sleep. Apparently, it makes you drowsy. I also have an appointment on Wednesday with a podiatrist.
It was loads of fun hobbling around work today (sense the sarcasm?). I wore my slippers and called children down to my classroom, because all of their classrooms were way too far for me to do any pick-up and drop-offs. I minimized the time I spent on my feet considerably, but I still could have done more. I fielded a lot of questions and talk about the possibility of not being able to run Boston, which I'm not at all worried about at this stage of the game. During all of this attention and talk about running, one of my students questioned, "Are you a star?" I responded with, "What kind of star?" She replied with, "You know, a running star." I just thought it was really cute and explained to her how I was a high school star, but those days are long gone.
Today I'm kicking myself for even starting the race, never mind finishing it, but what's done is done. Hopefully, my foot will heal quickly because there's more running to be done.
Posted by Caitlin at 9:39 PM | Comments (4)
March 5, 2006
Discouraged
Note to any readers: If you don't want to read a negative entry, STAY AWAY!!
Well, Operation Blister did not go so well, nor did my 30k "race" (really a training run). I never really felt great from the start. Brad thought I'd be right around 7:48 pace, but I was hoping for 8:00 minute pace. Until the blisters got the best of me, I was averaging over 8's and I ended up with 8:25 pace. The splits are a little hard to interpret, because there were splits for every 5 kilometers thrown in the mix. When that happened, the closest mile split was usually skipped. My fastest split was the 7:48 ish first mile. Up until mile 15, my splits ranged from 7:55 to 8:32. At mile 15, I could barely take the blister situation. The blister had grown into a blister covering almost the entire bottom of my foot. I thought for sure it was bleeding, but that ended up being a toenail, although I never felt that. One of the last miles was over 11 minutes because I was shuffling along.
The blister situation was somewhat out of my control, but I'm bothered that my pace was slow prior to the blisters taking over. At mile 15, I was near someone who ended up running 8:12 pace, so I know I could have done at least that. This course is different than Boston in that the beginning is constant rolling hills. I'm not sure why they took their toll on me, but it is discouraging. My breathing was fine, it was more some fatigue in my legs. I'm trying to not let it get to me, but it is. At this point, I don't even feel like running at all. I may not be for a while, because I can barely walk. I guess it's good that I have a day off tomorrow.
I should add that soon after I got home I took a shower, and as soon as I stepped in, I started scream-crying. I had to yell for Brad to come help me, and then as the pain intensified, I started bawling. Brad ended up having to wrap my foot in a plastic bag, so I could take a shower.
On a positive note (Phew!), I got to see Alison
and Becky at the race, as well as Mary, who ran with me. Boy, did I feel bad for her. She'll say it was fine, but it must have sucked.
Right now, I'm trying to refuel by drinking as much as I can. I was definitely overdressed and didn't drink enough out on the course. I felt nauseous after, but I think I'm ready to eat something now. I just hope it's not too late.
Posted by Caitlin at 6:36 PM | Comments (6)
March 4, 2006
Operation Blister
Let's see... Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were all 70 minute runs with Wednesday being the day I did my 10 downhill strides.
That brings me to today. I got up early at 7am since Brad was getting up then because he had practice. I would have liked to have slept in, but I'm sick of having such little rest time in between runs. I ran for 45 minutes, developing a large blister on my arch. I knew it might come, but unfortunately today was the day. I made it through 25 minutes of my 45 minute run before I noticed it. I didn't think it was too bad until I saw it later. I'm annoyed at myself because I brought it on. I tried breaking in new running shoes and orthotics (that were just re-covered) this week. Live and learn. I took a nice 2 hour nap in the afternoon and headed out around 4pm for my second 45 minute run. Brad ran with me and we did the same route as last Saturday. I had a plan for covering up my blister, but it didn't work. Tonight we went to the store and got some different materials for a different cover-up method. I'm just hoping it's going to work.
So, I'm doing a 30k tomorrow and crossing my fingers that the blister doesn't get in the way. I'm using it as a training run rather than a race, so I will be prepared with blister supplies in my pockets. If worse come to worse, I'll just stop and reapply. If only Band-aids could just stay in one place...
Posted by Caitlin at 9:18 PM | Comments (0)