2013 Charleston, SC Half Marathon and 5K--January 19th, 2013

Back in October, my friend Julie and I wanted to do a Marathon together.  This would be her first marathon and my 2nd.  However I got injured badly which you can read about if you go back about 5 posts, so doing any running for the next 3-4 months was out for me.  However I had already registered for the race.  Mike (Julie's husband) and my husband Jason decided to do the Half marathon.  On January 17th we all traveled by Southwest Airlines to Charleston, SC.  It was hot and sunny that day we arrived and it was amazing.

I was able by the time this race arrived to be walking again so I had switched my marathon registration to the 5K race and was able to walk that.  So cool that there was a finishing medal so that I could still complete a small part of a large goal I have and that goal is:  To get a finishing medal from every state.  When I made that goal I imagined that every finishing medal would be at least a 10K or above, most likely all half marathons and marathon finishing medals, however not this time.  I'm grateful to be walking.

Pictures below are just a few that I took while in Charleston.  I took at least 100 pictures of houses that I won't post here.  I was able to slow and sometimes fast walk the 5K in a total time of 53:52, my slowest 5K to date, however I can say this, "I'm so grateful to be walking again that the joy I had from finishing this race felt as awesome as my first Half Marathon and almost as great as my first Marathon."  Below are pictures to enjoy:

A fun, cute and yummy restaurant.

Me holding a Stuffed, bacon wrapped massive shrimp that was
so yummy.

Jason and I outside the packet pickup place.

Together touring Charleston, taking a picture of ourselves.

Went on my first carriage ride ever.  Here is our horse named Larry.

My race bib for the 5K

Jason and I the morning of the race.

Jason's Half Marathon racing bib.

Jason running in for a finish.

Our finishing medals.

Jason just finished the race and he was exhausted.

After some food, Mike and Jason posing for a picture.

Here we are from Left to Right:  Jason, Me, Julie and Mike.
All 4 of us completed our goals.  Julie did her first marathon and even though I wanted to be running beside her, my heart was with her the entire time cheering her on.

Santa Snow Shuffle--Dec. 8th, 2012--Cedar Falls, Iowa

This is a Fun Run put on by Trekman Racing.   I was looking forward to it since the Park to Park Half Marathon that he puts on in September.  I love well done races and Trekman Racing really knows how to do everything right.  So I signed up for this race, but never imagined that I'd be in a boot and on crutches by the time the race got there.   The greatest thing about the day, besides being with my favorite running friends, was that I won an AWESOME door prize for a massage that I can't wait to redeem.  Here is their website:  Elements Massage.  This fun run was timed, but not officially, meaning there was a clock there so you could see your time, however no prizes for Top 3 or anything like that.  It was just a fun run to raise money for the Salvation Army.  There were many door prizes and lots of great treats after the race to enjoy.

From Left to Right:  Rhoni Jo, Julie, Mike, Tracy, Me, Lisa, Stephany

The Race Director Dave and his daughter.

Cool costumes I had to get a picture of, they
even dressed their dogs up.

I decided to sit with Santa.

Another awesome costume.

More fabulous costumes.  Wow people are creative.

2012 Return of the Turkey Trott--Nov. 10, 2012--Marion, Iowa

I wanted to do this race really bad, but knew something was really wrong with my foot.  I asked my daughter if she would like to do this race for me and she said Yes.  So off we went to Marion, IA.  I just watched all my friends run and took lots of pictures.  It was best that I wasn't running since I found out later that week that I had a ton more going on with my ankle than one could even imagine.

Alyssa and I in the car getting ready to leave.

A bunch of my running friends, from Left to Right:  Me, Julie, Stephany
Lisa, fake blow up turkey, Rhoni Jo, Tracy and Alyssa.

Right before the race.  Alyssa was ready to run.

Alyssa running in for the finish.  Proud of her for doing
the entire 8K race.

Feeling better finally

I have a few races to post about, so I will do that hopefully this weekend.  I have only either watched these races cheering on other runner friends or walked them since I've been injured, but at least I've been there.  My greatest accomplishment while injured was doing an Indoor Triathlon.  I figured I can swim and I can bike, and for the running part, I just sped walked.   It worked out and I did well.  I wasn't last overall and I wasn't even last in my age group, so for an injured girl I would say I did well.

Update on my injury.  So I had a major bone bruise, which I still have in the left foot, and was told I'll have for another couple months.  I also had a high ankle sprain in 3 places, bone marrow edema and a blod clot in my left calf.  I had to wear a boot for 6 weeks and was on crutches.  The boot and crutches only lasted 4.5 weeks, but hey I tried.

After 3 months of NO running I am finally cleared to run again and that will be so great.

On Wednesday I went in to the Sports Medicine doctor AGAIN for like the hundredth time and he told me to start running.  I told him that I had tried it a couple weeks prior, but it hurt and my right ankle was hurting as well as the left and I was afraid that Maybe I had hurt the right ankle and might be favoring the Left.

He had the Right ankle x-rayed and found that I have a bone spur on the fibula, plus some arthritis and an extra bone in that ankle.  So that explains all the pain I've had in the Right foot.  However even with all this, the doctor told me to get back out there and run.  He said to try a little more each week and increase my distance each week by 10%.

So that night (Wednesday) I tried running again.  I walked 4 minutes, then ran 1 minute, then repeated that 6 more times.  Accomplished 2.09 miles in 32 minutes and even though the running felt extremely funny at first and slightly painful, it wasn't that bad and I DID IT!!!

So it's been two days and I will try and run again today.  I missed it so much.

Since I've been out of running I watched the Turkey Trot 5 mile race on  November 10th in Marion, Iowa, and took pictures of  my daughter and friends running it.  Watched the Santa Snow Shuffle 5K in December and cheered on friends.  I did a 5K in South Carolina, walking the whole thing and have a finishing medal to prove I was there and finished!!! Lastly I did that Indoor Triathlon at North Dodge Athletic Club in Iowa City.

My next race is next week, a Freeze Fest 5k in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  I have done this race the last couple years and really like it.  I hope to do the 4 minute walk, 1 minute run thing for the entire 5K.  At least I'll be running some of it, maybe only .75 miles of it, but hey, that will be something.  Then I have another 5K on March 23rd and I hope to run the entire thing, but don't want to push it too much.  I do have a Half Marathon on May 4th, so hopefully these next couple of months will be good recovery and training for me so I can accomplish that goal.