I will be changing my blog address soon. I'm privatizing a lot of my accounts on the internet to keep certain people from getting access to them. It's almost 2007 and it's high time I get a new blog anyway.
I will be letting you all know what the new address is soon. The new blog will have more security permissions. It sounds way techie. hehe Being engaged to a computer guru has it's perks. :P
Consider this an invitation to a members-only club. lol
I can't run so what's the use? I find myself getting really jealous towards people that are able to run--even towards my own fiance'! I forgot to mention that the day after I saw the second doctor I was pulling out of the parking lot onto the main road. There was a young lady jogging along over the bridge and I felt like she was taunting me (of course, she wasn't). I was soooo jealous.
Now that Ann has let me know that the Valley of the Sun race is not a full marathon but only a half, I have been trying to look into other marathons that will take place in the Western half of the US near the end of March. This one looks enticing.
Other than that, I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things again. I went to the gym last night. Whoopee! The gym has some new cardio machines! 4 new treadmills too!
I went 20 min on the bike, 10 min on the elliptical (hardest 10 of my life!) and then walked on the treadmill for 10 minutes.
Last but not least, HAPPY NEW YEAR all! Be safe. Have fun!
I'm out.
P.S. On the phone yesterday, Hubster said to be checking my mail box for my belated X-mas gift. He's hinted that it may be a Garmin. *crosses fingers* I hope! I HOPE!
If you haven't noticed already, I've finally admitted to myself that I'm not capable of running the PF Chang's marathon. It's less than a month away and I know that it will take that long at the least, to be able to run a couple miles comfortably.
I was really angry for the first couple of days after my injury. So angry that I wanted to punch something or demolish something. One of the hardest feelings for me to deal with is the one that arises when you've worked so hard for something only to not be able to do it. However, I'm over that storm.
I decided that it would be better for me to run the Valley of the Sun marathon in Mesa, AZ. It occurs on March 11, 2007. I knew that it was the better choice for me because after running the 30k in the almost isolated desert landscape, I found that I loved running there more than I did on city streets and people cheering. In a sense I realized that my runner's niche was running out in the open, encapsulated by nature, and relying on my own will to get me through instead of relying on the cheers of other people.
I'm happy to say that my foot feels a whole lot better. The arch and heel don't hurt as much. Pain is minimal. I would have to say that I feel the most pain along the grove near the back of my ankle. It still tightens but I'll be doing stretches to relieve it soon. The doc at the private clinic was much more helpful and I'm glad I saw her.
I will begin working out on some stationary bikes and the elliptical for the next two weeks and ease back into running on the third week with a mile being the most I'll run. ----
I'm not feeling very cheerful and full of glee this Holiday Season. I usually get all happy over making cookies for friends but not this year.
For the first part of this weekend, Hubster and I are traveling to Burnham, NM. It's located on the reservation. There is protest blockade standing there as we speak. The protestors are concerned Navajo citizens and elders who are taking a stand against Dine' Power Authority and Sithe Global Power, two energy companies that are going to build yet another power plant in the area.
Protestors are in dire need of more people support, money, supplies, firewood, and food. We're going out there to help with whatever we can and to add our support because we feel strongly about environmental injustices that occur on our homeland.
If you have the time, take a look at this video. It's about the blockade. For more information on the situation you can visit: www.desert-rock-blog.com
After doing half of my dreaded laundry last night, I headed over to the Indian super capital of the world-- the Gallup Super-WalMart. hehe But for real...it could be. I heard that the Wal-Mart in Gallup grosses the most money of all the Wal-Marts in the US. Crazy. I've learned that it's best to stay out of there on the weekends during the first of the month or else you'll be imprisoned there for the rest of your life!
My main mission was to find me an ace wrap to put around my foot and an ice/hot pack. I ended up browsing around and spent an hour and a half when I was only supposed to be in there for 30 minutes max.
In the first-aid aisle, I found this nifty little arch bandage. What sold me was the claim that it helped ease plantar faciitis because it supports the arch. My arch has been hurting the most when I walk. I also bought a cold/hot compress and an ice bag. I couldn't make up my mind between the two so I bought both.
I'm also changing around my diet. I'm hoping that even the slightest healthiest change will make a difference in the healing. Do you know what kinds of foods would be good?
My sick leave was approved for this afternoon so I'm set to get my second opinion. I'm also thinking about seeing a chiropractor just to get some kinks out of my skeletal system. I think I'll do that next week. In high school, I used to work afterschool in a local chiropractor's office. It was neat getting free treatment. I felt so loose that I felt like a dream.
Nothing was accomplished at the hospital the other evening. If any of you have any Indian friends then I'm sure you have heard them joke about the crappy care we receive at the IHS hospitals. IHS stands for Indian Health Service. In some cases, you're better off spending money elsewhere than to be waiting a whole day to be seen at the ER. There were some times that I went to receive care where I felt like the doctors were purposely misdiagnosing just so they wouldn't have to deal with more complicated treatment.
I remember one time, I mildly expressed that I may have been dealing with depression and I was immediately sent to the mental health clinic. The doctor there only asked me a few questions and in as little as 20 minutes I was sent out the door with a prescription for Paxil. I was freaking out. For heaven's sake, I could have been a prescription junkie!
Anyhow, notice in the previous entry how Deene told me not to go to the IHS. lol I knew better and went against her advice.
I did get a couple of x-rays done on my left foot. They did not show any breakage and the doc said that even if I had a stress fracture, it may have been too small to see on the x-ray. That doc was frustrating. He had very little knowledge of sports medicine and leaned toward a stress fracture but wasn't thoroughly convinced that it was. When I mentioned plantar faciitis (like you mentioned, Phil) he completely ruled it out even though part of my heel and the middle of my arch hurts when I walk on it.
Then he proceeded to talk to me like I was training completely blind without proper guidelines and information. That really pissed me off. I was ready to leave at that point.
I knew it was useless when even I had to remind him to remind me to ice my foot. He also told me no running for a week. I thought it should have been more than that...like 2 or 3 weeks. Maybe I'm just being a baby. I didn't even get any medicine, crutches, nothing!
So I made an appointment with a private clinic in St. Micheal's. I will be seeing another doctor tomorrow afternoon. We'll see what he/she says and what they give to me.
Other than that, I'm still bummed and mad. Why did this have to happen to me? The anger really hit me this morning. I keep trying to tell myself that I'll just have to wait and see if I will be healed in time for the Lost Dutchman Marathon in mid-February. The pain is gradually subsiding now. Even though, I'm smart enough to stay off of it and not run.
i think i may have sprained my foot. the left side looks a tad swollen but it may just be me being paranoid. i've noticed that when i try to ignore the pain and walk normally, the area that hurts the most heats up really fast.
i'm not sure how long i should let my foot be before i have to get it checked out by the doctor. i'm sorta glad that i haven't made any commitments to the big marathon such as announcing to the world that i'm raising money for the eastern navajo child drive by way of our local newspapers or have even paid my marathon fee.
still, i'll be bummed that i won't be able to give myself that birthday present of running a marathon days after ive turned 25.
tomorrow i will begin icing my foot, avoiding any unnecessary walking, and will compress the area with an elastic bandage. if anyone has any other suggestions on how to heal and deal--please let me know.
damn.
i think it may be a metatarsal stress injury...feels like the second or fifth...i can't tell. shit.
I'm sore again. I'm hobbling around and getting by one small step and wince at a time. I think I did something to my left foot somewhere during the last .6 miles in yesterday's 30k. I felt it tighten and it felt like cramping. Now today it feels really tight and hurts when I walk on it. I hope it goes away soon. It's really annoying. Oh, the dilemmas of flat-footed runners. hehe
My body is finally adjusting to all the super long distance runs. Usually, I am just completely haggard and downright drained when I finish that I fall asleep when I get home or deal with some insane headaches. Yesterday was different...it felt like I had just come back from a 10 mile run. Still difficult but not all that bad.
Ugh. Back to the office tomorrow. I've been away for three weeks.
I ran 18.6 miles--officially the longest distance I have run ever in my life. Though that will change next week when I do my last long run (20-22 miles), I have to recognize today.
I wish I could give a thorough race report mile-by-mile but I can't. Truthfully, I don't remember specifics of each mile. As mile by mile went by, I was running in the moment and tried to concentrate really hard on maintaining my pace.
I set out with a goal of keeping an 11-min mile pace. I finished the 30k in 3:25:08 chip-time according to the official results on the Arizona Road Racers site. That indicates a pace of 11:01, close to my goal! While my overall goal was to finish under 3:30, it was more important that I finish the second half of the race strong. I did just that and I'm mighty proud of myself.
Today, I finally realized that it was true what experienced runners reiterate time and time again--running is 90% mental and 10% physical. It really is. At certain points, I had to concentrate hard on the thoughts I was thinking about at the moment rather than the throbbing/stinging sensation that was biting at the area just under the side of both of my arches. I thought I was in trouble early on in the race when my left arch had already begun to chafe even though I had affixed a heavy duty, duct-tape like bandaid under each arch. I worried about whether I would have bloody feet at the finish line.
Ultimately, I had to put the pain out of my mind and believe me, it was a battle. Pretty soon, the pain went away. Maybe it was still there but I think I did a pretty good job of thinking about other things and not focusing on the pain.
At the same time, I made certain that I would appreciate the beauty of the desert scenery. This morning was simple gorgeous. Overcast, yes. Nonetheless, it was still beautiful. What an experience and it made it all the more worthwhile that not many people get to have this same type of experience. I felt very lucky. At certain points along the route, I couldn't see any one in front of me except for an open stretch of road, the desert scrub, the White Tank Mountains, and endless distance of blue sky. I totally felt like Forrest Gump--running, running, running. It reminded me of that part in the movie where he was running alongside that giant lake that reflected the sky.
I didn't think I was capable of achieving a negative split. I thought about how awesome it would be to do that and I did!!
I began to feel the burn of fatigue over the last couple of miles. What really helped me to finish strong was seeing fellow blogger, Phil, at the top of the hill that signaled .2-.3 miles left til the finish. He ran with me, we chatted, and he let me pull away to capture all the personal glory at the finish line where Hubster was waiting. It was a big deal, Thanks Phil. :) And congrats to placing 2nd in your age category!!
There are not too many times that I give myself enough credit for the things I achieve. But by golly, today was my day. It's not everyday that just anyone can say that they ran 18+ miles. I remember passing mile 16 or 17 and wondering what the hell I was thinking--forcing my body to undergo such extreme exertion. I chuckle but I serious said out loud to myself, "You're crazy woman! What the heck were you thinking? What the hell are you doing to your body!"
At the end of my 26.2 in January, I'll be able to look back on days like this and smile because this is all worth it.
I don't know if you can tell from the times but I was taking 20-30 sec walking breaks every 2 miles either to drink gatorade or down some gu gel packets. I went through 5 packets. hehe
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Pearl Harbor II won't be happening in my stomach tonight or tomorrow morning because of the big 30k I've been waiting to do for some time now.
Well, it started when Hubster and I went to a kickin' new bar last night in south Scottsdale. It was so cool because it's a punk rock club and they played a lot of 80's music too. The cool Depeche Mode type of stuff, not the cheesy stuff. The beats were light and happy too. They had this really cool band from Tucson playing and they were extremely good--like the cooler version of the Killers. They said they had a MySpace page but I can't remember the name of the band for the life of me.
We came back to our apartment late and as expected, I woke up late and with a hunger that could slay some mythical dragons. At that point, I was ready to eat anything. So I opened the fridge and eyed an unopened package of roast beef and cheddar cheese at the bottom. About a week ago, Hubster said he cleaned out the fridge and I assumed everything left in there was still good.
I opened the roast beef and plowed right into it. I couldn't even smell the rotted stench coming off of it. I must have been that hungry. Ten minutes later, Hubster got out of the shower and I told him I couldn't wait for breakfast so I ripped into the roast beef his mom bought. I guess he smelled the rotten odor as soon as he got out of the bathroom and was bewildered so he went to check the expiration date. It said "Consume before 9/16/06". DAMN!!
Now I'm all freaking out. I threw up what I could and felt so bulimic for doing so. Gross, huh?
I'm really hoping I don't get sick. I've been looking forward to the 30k for way too long. :( Pray for me, puppies.
P.S. I found the band we heard last night. They're called "The Year of Acceleration" from Tucson, AZ. They were amazing. Listen here.
I'm sorry for the sparseness or the sparcificity (I know they're not words, but hey, can't a girl be creative?) of my posts. In all honesty, I haven't run since the big PR finish at the half-marathon last Sunday. I am penciling in a 3 mile run this evening and there is going to be no way around it. I HAVE to run. I say that with excitement more than I do dread.
I've been on the road a lot for the past week. The driving exhaustion finally caught up with me last night. In fact, it's been taking it's toll every single night after the work day was over. As you may have noted in my last entry, I was in Santa Fe for three days. On Thursday, I took my recycling certification exam and left Santa Fe at about 1 pm. I drove around Albuquerque looking for a place to have lunch at and then went on my merry way back to Gallup. I was supposed to take the Yukon back to Window Rock and pick up my car but I was way too tired.
Isn't that disgusting?? That I'm an environmental recycling educator and I stress clean and green all day long yet when I travel I'm resigned to drive a huge gas guzzling vehicle. Ugh. It's like it negates my whole purpose.
Anyhow, I was at the office on Friday morning for only 2 hours and then had to leave for Soccorro, NM again. It's about an hour or less away from ABQ in the southernly direction. I had my first Board of Directors meeting with NMRC. It was kind of overwhelming because everyone had such vast knowledge of legislation and bill passing and all of that. And there I was...little, sweet, naive recent college grad. hehe It was cool though...the people involved are super nice and offered to help me with anything I needed help with.
That night I drove back to Gallup and the next morning I drove back home to Kayenta which is another 3 hour drive. I stayed the weekend since my sister's birthday was yesterday. I planned this surprise party for her. It was a tiny one with only my mom, my sister, my sister's boyfriend, me, and the baby present. We decorated with a Hawaiian tropical theme.
Best of all, we had the famous Navajo delicacy on the menu: mutton ribs. Greasy but damn good.
Right after the party, I had to drive from Kayenta to Tempe which is nearly a 5 hour drive. I'm here for my 40-Hour hazwoper training at ASU East all this week.
I feel like I'm coming up with excuses to justify my absence from running and it's making me look bad. I really should be exercising more determination in keeping to my running schedule. Sometimes it's just really hard. However, the break stops tonight.
The theme for today is 3 miles or bust. Happy Monday to ye all.
P.S. Since I have full, fast internet connection at home now...I'll be catching up with all of your blogs. If you've noticed, I haven't been commenting. I'm sorry about that...especially when I get such great support in return from all of you. Expect some words from me tonight. :)
Today will be day number 4 of not running. Today, I was going to power walk (I'm still sore) on a local trail here in Santa Fe. I'm here on business and taking a training course on recycling and working in a recycling facility. I've been here since Tuesday and have been bored to death with the city of Santa Fe. Just driving around all the adobe structures (adobe stores, homes, gas stations) makes me nauseaous (sp?).
Last night I stayed in Albuquerque with my fiance's uncle and his family. Early this morning, I took off an visited an Einstein Bagels and Starbucks joint on San Mateo near the freeway. I really wanted a bagel with a pumpkin smear and a pumpkin spice latte. One of these items, I believe, is the culprit in my being sick all day.
By 9:30 am, I was making repeated trips to the bathroom during presentations to barf. The smells of EVERYTHING made me nauseous and the water I drank made my stomach all sloshy and even more sick. It was awful! As I stood over the toilet for the umpteenth time, I vowed that I would not consume pumkin-anything for the rest of the year. The thought of pumpkin makes me sick. blah.
I suffered all day and even had to endure standing around in freezing temperatures for a recycling facility tour in Santa Fe. I so wanted to strangle our tour guide because he wouldn't quit yapping and just let us be on our way. It was obvious we were all freezing our reproductive organs off!
Now it's past midnight and I haven't had a bite to eat since lunch. I still feel sick but I think I'll be well enough to eat some breakfast.
Hopefully I'll get to power walk when I get home this evening.
I hope I didn't get food poisoning. :(
BTW, 'Sex in the City' is on right now. What is so hot about Kim Cattrall? She is so annoying.
I ran the Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon this morning in Scottsdale and had two PRs!
10 miles = 1:42:something (7 minutes off from last year) Half marathon = 2:14:49 (7:35 minutes off PF Chang's time in January!)
More details to come later on in the day because even the moment I woke up was interesting in it's self. I'm so freaking happy. --- Last night, Hubster took me to eat some pasta at Mimi's Cafe in Mesa in preparation for the next day's half marathon. It was nearly 10:00 pm when we finally left and I was feeling anxious about how late it was. I should have been in bed already because the race was beginning at 7:30am the next morning. Before heading home, we made a quick dash to Target and then to a grocery store for my pre-race essentials: bananas, bagels, and Gatorade.
I was in the sack by 11:00 pm and planned on getting up at 6:00 am to get ready and allow time to get to Scottsdale from Tempe. I set my alarm on my cell phone and so did Hubster.
So faux pas #1 happened.
Both alarms did not sound off as they should have and I didn't awake until 7 am. I knew when the alarm on my running watch went off. It's set to go off at 7 am every morning. CRAP!! I looked at my phone and saw that the alarm went off so how the hell did I not hear it!! I scrambled outta bed and got ready as fast as I could. We were out the door by 7:15 and made it to the race site by 7:30.
Faux pas #2. Wrong Start.
I didn't know exactly where the starting line so there went any chance of racing on time! Oh well. After a few seconds we found the registration area which was freaking .3 miles away from the starting line. How inconvenient! I didn't know that at first because there was a START sign nearby so I assumed it was the start. Nobody was there. Just then the announcer came on the speakers and announced the half-marathon runners were 3 minutes in to the race. CRAP!!!
So I ask the lady at the registration if they had any timing chips and they said no. I had to use my watch. I said Thanks and went on my way to the start sign, started my watch from there and ran across the street (Indian School Rd.).
I looked ahead and noticed a festive colored balloon arch and a crowd of people just before it. It was the 5k crowd and they were getting ready to start. They started when I arrived near the starting line. At least that was convenient. It took three minutes to get to that point so I noted the extra minutes and just kept running.
There was an official on the course and I asked him which way the half-marathon runners. He redirected me and I was off. Last runner to start...as usual. IS this my trademark as a runner?? lol
Mile 1: 10:28
Faux pas #3. Gurgling Stomach = Trouble
I don't know what it was. The bananas. The dinner from the night before. Something did a number on my stomach. It was bloated and gurgling for the first 2 miles until I found a port-a-john near the water people. Thankfully no one was inside. I guess that was one Pro of starting off really late. hehe I think that was the fastest time I ever spent in a restroom so can I count that as another PR? lol
Mile 2: 11:41 (I forgot to press my split button on my watch at 3 miles)
Mile 3: 8:57 From there, all seemed well. I took my first GU gel at mile 4 and life was gooood. I was more chipper than usual and smiled at everything from the branches of trees gently swaying in the wind, a bird on a lightpost, and the clouds gliding in the sky.
Mile 4: 10:20 Mile 5: 10:33--I don't really remember anything at this point but I remember thinking that it sure was going by fast.
Mile 6: 10:33 -- I'm almost halfway there and the great thing is that I don't feel as tired as I usually am. Good thing I chowed that pasta last night! This the mile I start catching up to the runners. Finally! The thing that irked me was the girls/ladies who were traveling in 3-paks and hogging up the road. What the hell happened to courtesy! Oh well...at least I passed them.
Mile 7: 10:13 -- I was running in the more elite parts of Scottsdale and where Hubster's office building is at. I sure wish he was somewhere nearby alongside the course to cheer me on. Ah well, I'm still feeling good at this point. Passing more people and remember thinking about how thankful I am to be a runner. I love you legs!
Mile 8: 10:01 -- I take part of my 2nd GU gel only because there is no water stand nearby and I need something to wash down the gel. I start to finally feel a tinge of fatigue...but not enough to offset my stride. I begin to think about the IronGirl 10-miler the other day. If I was running it, I would only have 2 more miles to go...and wow, I'm making great time!
I say a small prayer to Nihima Nahasdzaan Diyin and Yadilhil Diyin and ask for strength and power to keep chugging at my pace. I thank them for helping me get as far as I have gotten in my running and in my life. I remember thinking..."life is good."
Mile 9: 9:59 -- Finally, a water stand! Now I can take the rest of my gel. Only 4 more miles. I can start to feel my left arch chafing. Damn, the only thing I forgot was to affix a band-aid there. In a couple more miles...Hello Blisters!! I'm still feeling great.
Mile 10: 9:55 -- My time is 1:42:44 for the 10-Miler. I so would have kicked ass at the IronGirl the other day. However, I remember how boring the course was and patted myself on the back for deciding to run the Fiesta Bowl Half this year instead of the IG. Oh boy, now I can feel those blisters. Another thing I forget to wear is my cap and I can feel the sun beating down on my face. Damn...I never run without my cap!!
Mile 11: 10:03 -- Only 2.1 miles to go and I'm making great time. I just may make my first goal of finishing at 2:15! Just keep chugging along, Carmen. Geez, those chafing on my arches is beginning to burn more. Must put the pain out of my mind. Mind over matter!
I can definitely feel the fatigue really set in and I don't have anymore GU gel left. I remember passing a water stand. One of the guys yelling "Gatorade!" I immediately head in his direction because I need some electrolytes stat! As I'm passing him, I hear him say, "It's diluted!" DILUTED??! What the crap! I need it full-strength...my muscles are screaming here! Oh, well.
Mile 12: 10:15 -- Only a mile and .1 to go. I am soooo going to have bleeding arches...or at least it feels like it. My legs are screaming at me to take a walking break but I look at my watch and if I keep my 10 min pace, I just may make it under 2:15:00. Sorry legs, we have to keep chugging along.
I remember passing a small park halfway into the final mile. I can feel myself slowing down and the fatigue is really setting in. Just then, I feel a sudden burst of wind go past and take this as a sign that the Holy People or spirits giving me a sign that they heard my prayer miles back. "They're supporting me and cheering me on!" I think. I pick up the pace but gosh...my feet are screaming bloody murder!
Mile 13.1 FINISH! 11:46 I swear...that was the longest mile ever. As I try my hardest to sprint to the finish line...I feel a cramp in my right calf and have to slow down. I see Hubster by the finish line with his camera and I smile big and bright because dammit...I am under 2:15:00! I surpassed my goal by a quarter of a minute!!!!!!!!
I freaking rock, yo!
2:14:49
Take that gurgling stomach! Take that late start! Take that crappy alarm clock! I still made my goal. With my finish, I took off 7.5 minutes from my half marathon finish back in January! My feet and arches are burning but it's not enough to overcome how proud I am in my achievement. I seriously rock.
Next race: Arizona Road Racers Desert Classic 30k (that's 18.6 miles) -- DEC. 17. I have about a month and a half left until the marathon. I was doubting it but I think this finish has encouraged me to keep going.
I want to run for a cause or a native organization and raise money for them but I don't know who/what to run for. Navajo kids? Navajo women battling breat cancer? Help.
Carmen is a 25-year-old gal from the Navajo Nation. By day, I am an environmental specialist. By evening I am a runner. I thought that running a 10k and a half-marathon was a challenge but now I have my sights set to conquer the big beast--the full marathon. This is my space to jot down triumphs and follies along my journey as I train for my first marathon in January 2007.
