I'm back!!

Almost. I'd say 90% back...

Just ran 5 miles on the treadmill in 44:36



That's the most I've run in the past 4 weeks at one time!



I ate these and about 30 of their friends before my run. Haribo gummy bears direct from Berlin. Thank you guys for the great run!

The best part is that I'm experiencing nothing. AKA NO shin-calf pain! Wanted to continue and do 6, but decided to cycle for 15 minutes. (4 miles, 15 minutes)

Yay!

I'm so happy right now.

I almost cried on the treadmill at mile 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 because I felt so good.


Smoothie time!
Vanilla yogurt, vanilla protein, spinach, half an avocado, mixed frozen berries, banana, and sprouted seed mix(flax chia etc)

Yum!

Tchau!

-Xaar

Review of the past week and change

Yay no rain! And the Cubbies won!



About 17 miles run this week. No cross training. Boo!






Last saturday I went to the Nike 26.2 preview. It was pretty much being taken down when I arrived at 1:30- well before the 4pm close.




These were some of the designs that could be pressed onto shirts at the event (if you bought one of the Nike shirts) I got this one:





Tuesday was by far the highlight of marathon training. I went to running away multisport and got to see Moses mosop.





(photo from Chicago athlete magazine)
I ran 3 easy miles that night for the fun run. (total of 5 for the night)

Did a crazy circuit workout that kicked my butt on Wednesday with CES. I plan on incorporating planks, lunges, dips, pushups etc into at least 2 workouts a week. Core training is important.

Saturday:
Wanted to do 11 miles, but only did 4.5 with the group. Calf is still tender. I didn't want to push it. This whole injury thing is very frustrating, but the MICE is helping a lot. The massage therapist didn't feel any knots this time in my calf so I know I am doing the right thing and healing is taking place. I'm just starting to grow impatient. I didn't cross train this week.




This was crowded. I hate crowds. Food was ok, but again- did I mention I hate large crowds?!



The bean in the summer!

What's going on this week?

-I'm psyched to make some delicious smoothies and salads this week.



Arugula, pear, blue cheese, with lemon juice- olive oil as a dressing. Yum!

-Xaar

Happy monday

well for me and my co-workers at least....



Today is the make up game from a few months ago that got rained out. That means we get to leave work early to hit a bar near Wrigley and then mosey over to the park (providing no rain. It is predicted to rain today) did I mention this is a work sponsored event? Awesome.




This is my cubs shirt. It's a 3/4 sleeve baseball style tee. I love the logo on it.

Go Cubbies!

Anything exciting planned for your Monday?



-Xaar

Yay Friday!

Raspberry vanilla cupcake!




Looking forward to running 11 miles tomorrow with the CES group. My calf/ shin is MUCH better so hopefully tomorrow will go well- otherwise I'll cut the run short.

I'm still sore after our circuit workout on Wednesday. Wow. Lunges, dips, pushups, and planks OH MY!!

Have a great weekend!

-Xaar

Inspiration- Chicago marathon style

His resting heart rate is 35-38 bpm.


Myself, Moses Mosop (2nd place at Boston with a 2:03:06- fastest debut marathon ever) and Carey Pinkowski (Chicago marathon race director)

It was announced yesterday that Moses will run the Chicago marathon in October. I am humbled to be able to run in his footsteps again.

Moses and Carey made a special appearance at running away multisport before the fun run.

I said congratulations to Moses and shook his hand. Moses and Carey were so genuine and nice to chat with.

The smile on Moses' face is what I remember most.

-Xaar

Decisions...

Tonight there is a lot of running culture going on in Chicago.

Option 1:
Go to fleet feet and hear Katherine Switzer speak. She was the first woman to officially register for the Boston marathon- and win it.


Option 2:
Go to running away multisport and participate in a fun run. They have a special guest tonight- a "Nike elite athlete capable of running a 2:02 marathon." they won't disclose who it is, but my guess is for runner up in the Boston marathon- Moses mosop. (I looked at the Boston finish photos and mutai the winner had on adidas. Mosop had on a swoosh)

Option 3:
Go to the puma store for a fun run with Bart yasso. He will be signing copies of his book also.



I'm leaning towards option 2.


Which option would you choose tonight?



-Xaar

Hops and hardware

Best combo ever...


Rock n Roll Chicago 5k was fun!




-Xaar

4.5!

Just ran 4.5 miles with the CES group! I turned around early because I only wanted to do 3-4 and test my calf. Averaged 9:30 per mile.

Felt pretty good. Still some pain but a huge improvement over the past few weeks. It spasms while I'm resting now. Feels weird like there is a large worm inside of my calf. Gross.



I love him.


Today is hella busy.



Ill be Biking up to xsport for rock n roll Chicago 5k packet pickup. The race is tomorrow. Ill be taking it easy with my wonderful wonderful during the race.



After pickup I'll be heading to soldier field for the Nike 26.2 preview for the Chicago marathon. They have guest speakers, gear testing and stuff for sale. My training group is having a tailgate there- I'm excited to go mingle with the runners!

Good luck to all who are racing this weekend!!


What are your weekend plans?


Tchau

-Xaar

Eh

I jogged more than a mile on Wednesday and my leg didnt break in half or hurt any more than it currently does now. (which is "generally" not much pain unless I start poking at the special section on my shin/calf)

Success of the MICE!!
(moving, ice, compression, elevation)

CES training got cancelled after our warmup due to tornado warnings otherwise I would have done *maybe* 3 more miles.

While back at the fleet feet.....
Got a trigger point kit to help massage deeper into my calf. I was sold on it when the guy at fleet feet demoed it on my bum calf. It hurt, but 2 seconds later my calf felt better.


Sold!!


I was going to replace my "fun noodle" type roller with a grid- something to massage deeper. But the TP kit is much more suited for what I need. I will still use the roller for my back.

So currently the injury is in its 2nd (officially no running) or 3rd week (1st week i thought it would go away fast- the 5k time trail didn't help it at all) and is improving a lot- through cycling, ice, compression socks and elevating it at work on a trash can.

Sometimes after a hard workout on the cycle or tread- with an incline of 6.5+ it will throb afterwards with some pain (I found that walking fast on the tread with the incline doesn't bother the afflicted muscle that much)

This week I Could hop a few times on the right leg by itself. Could not do that without imagining my leg breaking last week. I also haven't taken any Motrin to alleviate the pain this week. I know it's getting better. I will try to run again on Saturday with the group- but only a few miles, very easy.



If you use the TP kit, what is your favorite way to massage your calf?

---I'm still figuring it out and trying to remember what the guy demonstrated at the store. The manual is not helpful. I need more details.

Eye see you

I love my CB!
He hates being photographed. :(



In other news, I'm going to go to try running tonight for the first time in 1.5 weeks. No pain in the calf/shin so a few easy miles should be ok. I am looking forward to meeting up with the Chicago endurance sports marathon training group I signed up with to train for the Chicago marathon. It's been 2 weeks and I haven't gone to a group training yet because I was too bummed about my leg.

Happy hump day!

Tchau
-Xaar

Week 3 review

Week 3 Stats:
43.8 miles- Stationary Bike
14 miles walked
2.5 miles elliptical
1 mile attempted run(walk) @ 7.5 incline on the tread.


The stationary bike is my new BFF. We now log a lot of time/ miles together in the afternoons. Perhaps I will add some morning workouts this week if I can drag myself out of bed.

My calf still seems strained and taking the last week off of running has helped it tremendously. The elliptical did not feel good, so I decided to discontinue it for now. Plus I hate how my toes go numb after more than 18 minutes of elliptical.



I cannot R.I.C.E.
In all the research Ive done about injuries, Ive found that M.I.C.E is better. Moving (and motrin lol) ICE, Compression and Elevation. Resting doesn't get the blood flowing through the areas that need to be healed. By moving, blood is increased to the injured areas, and helps speed recovery. Cycling does not bother my calf so I am happy to keep moving and keep the heart rate up while this thing heals. I tried running on Sunday after 40 minutes of cycling. I first decided to walk fast on a 7.5 incline on the tread and then to try to run a 10 minute pace for a little bit. I did alternating walk .2 mile, run .15 mile, etc until I reached a mile and did not have much pain. Maybe the incline of the treadmill does not affect the bum muscle in my leg? (I just wish my CB dog wouldnt pull me anymore, because when i brace myself- for when he pulls, it really bugs the part of my leg that hurts)



It is hard to stay positive about an injury. The first 5 months of this year brought some great PRs and consistent running to my life. That all changed after the Soldier Field 10, when I believe I strained a muscle in my calf due to dehydration/ calf cramps. I am focused on continuing to x-train until this calf thing heals so I am able to return stronger back to running. I am seriously bummed, but am proud of myself for forcing myself to use the stationary bike. Old me would have just given up like I did back around 2002. My goal is still to smash my marathon PR in the Chicago Marathon- I have 16 weeks until race day, so some x-training instead of running now won't kill me in the long run. Being healthy and injury free is my #1 priority.

Some highlights of this week:



Sparkling Sake. I was skeptical at first, but after tasting this bubbly goodness, we might have to order it again the next time we go back to the new sushi place we found. It was sweet and bubbly. It was a nice change to the nigori sake we usually get. (the aqua color is thanks to a light :)

Sunday was "Dia dos Namorados" in Brasil. Kind of similar to Valentine's day. My Wonderful, wonderful and I celebrated by feasting on authentic Brasilian food.



We went to Taste of Brasil cafe in Oak Park. Pictured above is a Coxinha with chicken inside, and a Kibi. YUM!



Pastels: We had a cheese pastel, beef pastel and a "romeo e Juliet" pastel (Filled with cheese and guava paste). Dont let the photo fool you, those wonton looking deep fried raviolis were about 5" by 7". HUGE!




Main course was Feijoada. It is a beef/bean stew. Absolutely delicious served with kale, rice and farofa.
Just a side note- We split all of that food! :)


I ate at a churrascaria before, but never had everyday Brasilian food. It was awesome, and I cant wait to go back again. It got the seal of approval from my wonderful, wonderful who is Brasilian- so I am happy to have feasted on authentic Brasilian fare :) Best Dia dos Namorados ever!

How do you stay motivated to keep working out while injured?

What is your favorite "ethnic" food?

I love Vietnamese Pho- it is my comfort food. I just need to find a place in Chicago that makes it. The Brasilian food was delish- but too heavy to eat everyday. I love sushi and especially seaweed salad.


Tchau
-Xaar

Happy wednesday

No running this week for me- only cross training! I want to have the calf heal for good.

The stationary bike is growing on me more and more. I might even take my hybrid mountain/road bike out sometime soon for change of scenery.

Swimming might also happen soon. I don't remember the last time I was in a pool or ocean, but there is a tread pool at my apartment that I really should try out one of these days.



All this cross training has got me thinking: I believe a triathlon is going to be in my future sooner than later.


Tchau

-Xaar

13.1 marathon Chicago

My condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the man who lost his life in this race- as well as the others who were hospitalized during the event.



My plan: take it easy. It was hot, and my leg had been bothering me all week.




Wore my New Balance 758's. They are more stable than the luna racers. CES compression socks. Also wore my brooks hat, and shorts- singlet from the Track and Field store in Brasil. Wore Neutrogena Sport sunscreen. NO BURN!





Mile 1: 8:26
Felt hot, tired, sluggish, heart racing, out of breath.

Mile 2: Slowed down and stopped. Had to fix my hair. I hated how it was touching my sweaty/ sun screened shoulders.
Mile 3: I wanted to give up. But since I would have to walk back, I figured I might as well just jog slowly and walk. A lot.

Mile 5?: Red flag means the timers are stopped, and people should exercise caution and slow down to just make it to the finish.

Mile 7: Cold Towels. YAY!

Mile 10: Called my Dad to tell him I was OK. Called my wonderful, wonderful LE who was at the finish line taking photos to tell him I would be another 30- 40 minutes.

Mile 11? Getting told by race officials it was BLACK FLAG. and that we should just walk. I continued my walk/ jog/ walk/ walk/ jog just because I wanted to be finished and I knew my limits.


Mile 13: Jogged the last .2 to the finish. Finished in 2:39 ish. Might just be my worst time ever beating out my first half- (las vegas international half marathon in 2003) by a minute. BUT- I am 100% okay with that. For me, this race might be one of the smartest I've ever run.





I am proud of myself for not overdoing it. I listened to my body and just took it easy. I knew that I wasn't acclimated to running in this kind of heat thanks to Chicago's extremely cold spring. There is a long summer ahead of getting used to this heat- and I know that there is NO SHAME in having to walk or STOP in order to stay healthy. I dumped water on my head and neck at every aid station. I got splashed by an aid station near the end and it felt so refreshing.


Lessons learned:

• Chicago weather is unpredictable. Next year if I plan on doing any long races, It will be a game time decision. Meaning- I will register the week of the race to ensure the most accurate weather forecast. (April- August)
• Listening to my body is key. I knew I would have to take it easy and I am glad I walked.
• Hydration is so important- i knew this before, but on a day like this race- extremely important
• Cold towels are AWESOME
• To the girl who almost knocked me and a few others down by sprinting the last .5 mile- you are an IDIOT. Really?! was that necessary to yell ON YOUR LEFT and push through us? especially when the timers had been shut off for over an hour, and when we saw people receiving medical attention on the side of the course. Way to go on your "strong" finish!
• Talking to fellow runners while walking is so inspiring. Good luck Gil (i think that was your name) in your future races. See you in October for the marathon. You made the last mile fly by.
• Thank you LE for waiting for me to finish. You are an awesome support and I am lucky to have you in my life. And thanks for all the awesome photos. Sitting out in the sun taking photos for 3 hours in 90 degree heat is tiring.

Thank you to the 13.1 marathon race organizers for a very organized race. The information provided was plentiful and you made a good call in shutting down the event. Thank you volunteers who gave us support when it was so difficult out there. Your smiling faces and words of encouragement definitely helped us make it through to the finish.

-Xaar

Black Flag

(from the Chicago marathon site. The 13.1 marathon uses the event alert system too)





Race started as "yellow flag."

4-5 miles in it became "red flag"

Don't remember when it became black flag. But it definitely was black flag long before the finish. It was pushing 90 degrees today.

Time was of no importance. My calf feels good.

And I did not die.





The medal kicks ass!

-Xaar

unlucky # 13.1

Might bail on this one tomorrow:

13.1 marathon Chicago





It is my 13th half marathon.

I registered a month and a half ago while I was on a running high. Currently I have some pain in my mid calf. It arrived Sunday.
I'm thinking dehydration from the soldier field 10 and my Monday run caused it. (calf cramps turned muscle strain?) The 5k time trial certainly didn't help it on Wednesday. The pain goes away when I run.

I'm torn about this. I really want to run it and then relax into training for the Chicago marathon. On the other hand, I don't want to aggravate this issue more. I've never bailed on a race before. This has been consuming me the last few days.
It's going to be a game time decision tomorrow morning.





The bib is cool because it has my name on it!



I don't like the shirt because it doesn't even say "Chicago" on it. Ok ok, it does on the back- but it's not a unique shirt for this race because the entire list of cities for the 13.1 series are listed on the back. Major fail for me. And it's a men's shirt. :(


Did you ever bail on a race before? What was the deciding factor?


Or if you were questioning whether or not to run, did you show up to the race and then just take it from there?


--I'm thinking I'll show up and see how it feels the first few miles. if it gets any worse, then I'll DNF

Who am I kidding!?! Of course I'll finish. I didn't pay $$ to not get a medal. I'm far too stubborn to just quit when i should. Thanks Daad! :)

My racing priorities will shift considerably for next year.


:(

-Xaar

Happy running day!

I challenged the treadmill and won.

Me 1- treadmill 0



Had to do a 5k time trial for the marathon training.

I felt great after half mile and kept pushing the pace until I finally hit 3.1

The only way I was going to quit was if I got thrown off.

This was a huge boost to my running morale. It is the fastest I've run since high school cross country. (I will beat my CC 3 mile PR of 20:50 some day)

*I only wonder if I can replicate this on the road*

happy national running day!

-Xaar

Week 1 review

Yesterday (Monday) I went for an easy run with CB. It was over 80 degrees out and sunny. AND beautiful.



I wanted to keep the pace easy, which is sometimes a problem running with CB, because he likes to push the pace. But because of the heat, we were both on the same page about how fast we wanted to go.




Happy Happy CB post run.


Week 1 Chicago Marathon Training Review:

22.65 miles

1:45 hours of cross training

Monday
6 miles 51:16
Pace: 8:32
Lost 1.5 lbs and felt super dehydrated- I even drank half the bottle of Nuun I had with me. Need to work on hydration more.

Tuesday
30 minutes stationary bike- 7 miles, pace 4:17/mile (first time using stationary bike)
15 minutes elliptical- 1.86 miles

Wednesday
5.65 miles 50 minutes
Pace 8:51
Treadmill because of weather

Thursday
30 minutes Stationary bike- 8.16 miles
30 minutes yoga

Friday
1 mile 9:15 shakeout for Soldier field 10

Saturday
RACE
10 miles 1:23.14
Pace 8:20
(fastest pace per mile in a race to date!)

Sunday
REST

This week I am looking forward to week 2 of the training for the Chicago Marathon. I am also looking forward to running the 13.1 marathon, Chicago on Saturday. It will be my last half marathon until August when I start doing some tune up- see where I am- halfs before the Chicago Marathon.

What was the highlight of your extended weekend?
What's on tap for this week?

Tchau!

-Xaar