December - time for a new year!

Can't believe it's already December!! Where has the year gone?!

I'm actually glad it's almost over. This year has not been the best for running, although it was nice to sleep in many summer Saturday mornings and to go out late(r) on Friday nights due to not training!! I think that because of my back injury, I have a new found appreciation for not only my back but for my entire body! It's the only one you have...so take care of it!

The past few weeks, I was able to train enough to run the White Rock Half Marathon this past Sunday. The great news is that my back didn't hurt during the run...and I ran a 1:50! That was my goal, so I'm happy with that time. I have also decided to run the 2010 Boston Marathon. This will more than likely be my last marathon (assuming I can get through training) but I felt like I needed to do it one more time...and it's BOSTON! I'm excited to train differently - running 2-3 days a week, incorporating more Pilate's and spin classes and weights.

One sad note from the past year is that my sister died in October - actually, the two month mark is today, December 16th, 2009. She always gave me a hard time for running marathons and thought I was crazy (which most of us marathoners are), but she was proud of me. I was always proud of how well she kept herself in shape in the midst of having two kids. I can only hope I will do the same one day! I gave Clark, my nephew, a t-shirt last year for Christmas that said "one day I will run like my Auntie". I hope that's true! Now I have two nephews to train in the future!!

Back on track

It's been nearly 4 months since injury day...and...I can proudly say I'm back to running! It IS safe to run again and actually recommended since movement is good. I have been trying to build up to 3 days a week and feel pretty good! The only time my back starts hurting is when I sit for long periods of time - which is usually at work. When my back "hurts" I go in to my favorite "press-ups" (picture the yoga pose "cobra" here). The reason this feels better is because of where my disc was injured - the stretch helps move the disc which alleviates any pain.

In any event...I've signed up for the DRC Half Marathon (November 1) and then am considering Boston again in April 2010. I re-qualified for Boston when I ran San Antonio last fall and because I'm not sure I'll always be a marathoner, I figured I should enjoy one last "hurrah" at the big B.

Thanks for everyone's support during my injury stage! I'm so glad I'm back to normal, well, modified normal.

More progress

It's been almost a month since my last post. I'm happy to say that I have started run/walking...kindive.

My PT gave me the "Green Light" after we ensured the pain in my leg (triggered by the herniation) was gone for at least a few weeks. I think I had improved due to the fact I religiously did my exercises and stretches for the past few weeks.

With the"Green Light," last week at my PT I ran for 4 minutes at a speed of 5.4 (...slower for me, my running pace was around 7.2 pre-herniation) with a 1 minute walk following each 4 minute run. I did the run/walk cycle for 20 minutes total and felt OK! I was really encouraged by this! The only "gray cloud" I have is that over the past week, I have worn heels, been on my feet all day, traveled to another city, drug a suitcase around Chicago and have done little exercise. That said, the back is feeling a little twinge and the pain down my leg is coming back. Bad sign. More to come soon...hopefully good stuff! Stay tuned!