Busy Bee

This week's been a little crazy on all fronts as we get ready to go away. Hubby and I are both very busy at work, especially as we try to wrap things up before we go away. I really don't enjoy the process of letting people know I'm leaving, prepping documents for my replacement, writing news releases for while I'm away... is it Friday yet?

So far the layoff from running has been palatable. It's easier for me to handle sitting on my butt since my foot starts to hurt if I walk too much. Before this happened I'd considered taking a week off completely in Hawaii. So it's a little bit easier to handle. Plus, I'm distracted because there's last-minute planning of activities on our trip. Like a luau, for instance. Or whale watching expeditions. Or renting snorkeling gear. I've been trying to knock off a few errands every day, high up on that list was treating myself to a new pair of Lululemon pants and some books for the flight.

There's still more to do, but Sunday's flight can't come soon enough!

RunPorn

I saw a blog earlier today that had a really neat concept. It was similar to food porn... where you have photos of food and dishes that make you salivate and crave the food. The blog I saw was the same thing, but with running. Yes, running!

This person had posted great running photos and ads on her blog. You know, the ones that make us crazies want to go out for a run. Or the ads we identify with. The ones that bring a smile to our faces or give us the urge to tie up the laces.

I came across these photos from Reuters in a gallery from the cold weather in Europe. The first is from Berlin and features a runner along the River Spree, while the second is of Brighton Beach, England. Too bad they're not high resolution, as they'd make great desktop wallpapers.

Look Ma! No Cast!

All three doctors I saw think it's a stress fracture. But nothing showed on the x-ray, thankfully, which means it's not a very significant fracture. No cast or air boot for now! Cast-free Hawaii!

One of the problems with stress fractures is that they don't often appear on x-rays until 2-3 weeks later. So I get another series of x-rays when we get back. I'm going to try to get in with a sports medicine clinic, as they're often better to deal with on these types of injuries.

I need your help though... I need ideas for other types of exercise I can do. I know I can go to the pool and walk around there, or go to city pool and try deep water running. Does anyone have any other ideas?

Off to the ER

My ankle is swollen and my foot is bruised. It's still sore and achy, but not nearly as bad as it was. The pain's gotten better as I've stayed off it as much as possible since Monday. But it still hurts, so I knew I needed to see a doctor.

Since my family doctor cancelled on me, again (note to self: time to get a new doctor) I decided to go to the Appletree Clinic.

I headed over after their site said 15 minute wait. I saw a doctor 1.5 hours later and man, he was loopy. Couldn't read the notes from the girl who assessed me. I had to tell him three times which foot hurt and where. He asked me out of the blue if I had kids and listened to my breathing... what that has to do with a foot injury is beyond me. The best part? He spent half the time singing!

He, along with the girl, both agree it's likely a stress fracture. Surprise! But, he wants to send me for an x-ray to confirm and then will refer me on Tuesday to the hospital to get a cast. I asked him if an air cast would be possible instead and explained that I was heading to Hawaii in a week. He looked at me like I was speaking German and told me that I'd get a lightweight walking cast. I gave up my hope of asking him any normal questions such as the possibility of pool running and how long until I can start running again. He said nothing about staying off it. He only mentioned crutches when he saw how difficult it is for me to walk, and even then only said I should get a cane. I was so angry and upset when I left.

I tried to get in at the sports medicine clinics, but they're all booked until next week. Then my husband and I started thinking about it... if I'm going to end up at the hospital anyway, why deal with the moron doctor at Appletree? I know it's a stress fracture. I've known since Monday. It's just a matter of getting the x-ray to see how bad it is.

Wish me luck!

Ten Things That Make Me Happy

My friend Sadie (see the link in the sidebar) challenged us, her blogger friends, to post a list of the ten things that make us happy. I have to admit that I'm not exactly in a chipper mood this week, but I hope that drawing up this list will help to pull me out of my funk.

1. My husband and his neverending support, love and affection.

2. Our pets, especially our 2-year-old Tonkinese cat who loves to cuddle under the covers and has conversations with me while I'm taking a shower in the morning.

3. Time spent with friends.

4. Champagne/Sparkling Wine. It soothes my soul, but not in the I'm-Drinking-Alone kind of way.

5. Vacations!

6. Seeing neat wildlife on a run, like interesting birds or squirrels chasing each other. It usually brings a smile to my face.

7. The feeling of accomplishment and a job well done, whether that's running or at work.

8. Striking items off the "to-do" list.

9. Finding mail in the mailbox. And no, I don't mean bills! Tonight my free Sugoi custom armwarmers arrived!

10. Seeing that I've got new followers on my blog. Welcome! :)

Boo.

My left foot is sore. Really sore. It's always the d&^% left side. It's the outside of my left foot and it hurts more to wear shoes. The good news is: it's not plantar fasciitis. The bad news is: it's a totally different and new kind of pain.

I didn't realize how bad it was until I had to be on my feet today. I've been a good little runner and started icing it after the pain appeared on Saturday, iced it more yesterday and today. And I started taking ibuprofen.

I've been surfing running sites and injury diagnosis websites. I have no idea what's wrong and I've seen some possibilities and some of them are scary: Sinus Tarsi Syndrome, Tendinitis, Muscle strains, stress fractures. I stopped reading.

Thankfully I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday. In the meantime, I've booked a massage for Wednesday to see if it'll help, as I suspect my calf muscles are a big part of the problem. They always are.

Needless to say I'm not running tonight. Probably not tomorrow, either. Boo.

A Quest for the Perfect Half Marathon Training Plan

I was in the Running Room the other night buying a new shirt when I happened to glance at their calendar for their clinics. The Half Marathon clinic, with the Ottawa Race Weekend HM as the goal race, starts February 2nd. I'd banked on having until early March to work on my mileage and frequency. February 2nd would really throw a kink in my plans. Heck, it's the day after I get back from Hawaii. So naturally, I started freaking out. I hadn't planned on a 16+ week training plan.

I'd looked at a few HM training plans a few months back but hadn't found any that I liked. Some were too easy, others used minutes instead of miles or kilometres. Most cap the long run at 10 miles and I'm not comfortable racing a distance I've never completed in training.

On the other hand, a lot of plans were too intense with 4 straight days of running a week. I knew I'd end up injured instead of actually racing. Other plans used the walk/run method, which has been hugely successful for some people, but it's not my cup of tea.

I know I could've just altered the plans, jumped in at a convenient place in the plan... but there would've been a lot of adjustments. So, I continued searching for this elusive plan and today I finally found a plan I like! It's Ryan Hall's Half-Marathon Training Plan from RunnersWorld. The short plan weekly mileage is right where I'm going to be when I'm ready to start training. There are 3 rest days a week and no more than two runs in a row. It takes me above the half marathon distance in training, which will relieve a lot of the race day pressure.

It's perfect. Now I can rest easy, as it's a 10-week plan. No February 2nd start. I get a couple more weeks to maintain my mileage before I jump into this plan.

Oh and as for the shirt, I got it on clearance for $30 instead of $90. Score!

Looking back and looking forward

It's January 1st. Hubby and I are cuddled up on the couch, with the cat under the blanket, watching the Winter Classic on TV. I've been wanting to write this post for awhile now, so today seemed like a good day to do it.

2009 was a pretty good year for me. The highs include:

• my first race at the inaugural Winterman event in February, where I ran the 5K in -7C and snow.
• running the Ottawa MDS Nordion 10K in May. The crowds and race experience were incredible!
• Setting repeated PRs in the 5K throughout the year, finishing with 28:09 at the Cookie Run in November.
• Running over 750 KM in 2009, more than double my 2008 total.
• Getting married!

I capped off 2009 with the Running Room's Resolution Run last night. The temperature was -11C, but it had snowed most of the day, so the footing was pretty treacherous. There was no PR for me, but I had a lot of fun. Saw a guy wearing gold tights, while others wore Christmas lights or New Year's Eve party hats. I can't wait to try out the fancy new jacket I got for entering.

Now for looking forward. Well, 2010 promises to be equally great! Some of my goals for this year are:

• Finish the Ottawa Half Marathon (time goal to come later).
• Drink more water.
• Improve my 5K and 10K times.
• Run 1300 km.

Cheers! And Happy New Year!