Turkey Dash and Mile Swim

I had been fighting a nasty cold last weekend and it lingered a bit.  I was going to go the gym and swim Wednesday morning a little later than normal since I was off work.  I decided to sleep instead.  I did not sleep well and was still having a difficult time breathing at night.  I woke up stuffed up again and not as rested as I would have liked to been.  I did not really have the opportunity to exercise later on.  I really felt drained by the female related health issues I have been dealing with.  Plus I was playing cat and mouse with my doctor and the pharmacy to get my prescription filled before Thanksgiving.  All in all the day got better by the afternoon.  The female issues are finally getting under control again and I was able to get my prescription in time.

On Thursday Derek and I ran in the Keizer Turkey Dash--his third year running it and my fourth.  I really did not run with him this fall as much as I would have liked.  It has been really difficult working until 5 and then trying to run with him in the evenings.  He is pretty active and could run 2 miles straight without stopping in October so I knew he would do fine.  Still I wish I could have done some more runs with him.  The weather was supposed to be terrible--lots of rain and wind.  He did not have much running gear for rain.  His shoes actually broke a few days ago.  On Tuesday night I managed to get him a good pair of running shoes for a decent price.  On Wednesday I was able to get him a long sleeve running shirt and polyester sweatshirt.  The air temperature was in the 40's so I knew he would be OK.  He wore a t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, and his race t-shirt plus a hat and mittens.  I just remember running with Hailey in a race in December when all she had on was a long sleeve shirt and running jacket...and she froze.  Like we were concerned she had hypothermia and it was a little scary.  It turns out he was overdressed, but I would rather de-layer than be freezing.  He ran almost the whole 5K except for two little walk breaks that were probably 1 minute or less.  By the aid station I helped him de-layer by shedding his sweatshirt, hat, and gloves.  I didn't mind carrying them the rest of the race.

He got 32 minutes 46 seconds which is about 10 1/2 minute miles.  He took about three minutes off his time from last year.  I was pretty proud.  He has the endurance down and he is really good on hills.  He has dragged me up the huge Jones hill twice and he can run the whole way without stopping.  He is more motivated to do hills than I am.  Honestly it has helped me tackle hills this fall.

We are looking at doing an obstacle course race in February.  Then I am hoping he can run with the Immanuel Track Team.  If he can't, I want to be more proactive with running with him in the spring.  I will probably run with Kara again as well in the spring.

Tonight I went to the gym.  Rob & Hailey got sick with the same cold I had last weekend.  There was not much to do at home.  I decided to swim and push myself to swim a full mile.  I did it and it took like 50 minutes.  I did a combination of workouts and strokes.  I felt so great afterwards.  I really need to keep working on my swimming and pushing myself--I do get lazy with it.

I am going to do a long run this weekend and if I can do so pain free or mild pain, I will consider the holiday half.  If I can't, I may do the Jingle Bell Dash 5K instead.  I was not in pain doing Turkey Dash but I can feel my IT band is not as good as it was this summer.  Here's hoping some rolling and stretching can heal it or at least keep it from getting worse.  I think that's why swimming is so nice--so much easier on your body and you still get a great workout.

Changing bodies

I've not been keeping up this blog at all but I have been exercising this fall pretty faithfully.  I had a bad sore throat in late September that felt like strep.  I did go in and it wasn't strep--just a nasty virus.  That kept me out of the gym and running for a week.  While were in Florida I also did not run, but we did tons of walking. This past week I caught a nasty cold from the day care kids but I was only out Saturday, Sunday & yesterday.  Still could work yesterday and felt fine--just could not get up early and go to the gym.

I feel like since I am nearing 40 my body is not what it once was.  That is hard for me to accept.  I never used to call the doctor or go in for things because I never really needed to.  Now I am dealing with a female problem that I am hoping will resolve itself.  I have been having IT band again off and on when I run.  I am not sure if it is that because it is not as intense as before.  It is still pain and I question if my marathon running days are over and I can only do shorter distances.

Rolling, stretching, weight training really seems to help.  My muscles are really tight from laying around most of the weekend.  I have not stretched since Friday.  This morning I ran with Tracy.  It was one of those mornings where I did not have a hard time getting up and I felt energetic for once.  While we were running my chest felt tight, breathing was hard, and I had a side stitch off and on which I don't usually get.  My IT band started hurting around third mile.  I got through it and completed four and a half miles.  I need to use this blog to track how often the leg pain occurs.  I am really enjoying running this fall--like I have been doing awesome on hills like never before.  My speed was up.  I am hoping taking better care of my body with good stretching, rolling, and strengthening my glutes will be enough.