February and Running Progress Report

Well, here we are at the end of February and our Tuesday on the Run topic is all about rating your month.

Am I happy with the way February went for me? No.

My break from running in January carried over into February (the flu followed by a wisdom tooth removal) and just when I thought things were looking up again, I encountered another setback.

Although I've never had to deal with foot issues while running any of my five previous marathons, Dopey (my 6th marathon) decided to throw a curve ball at me. So, without spilling too many details because...ewww feet, gross...my improper running form towards the end of the marathon decided to cause a continued pounding on a nail bed which in turn didn't bother me at all until I started physical therapy a few weeks ago.  Even though the physical therapy is for a non-running related issue, my physical therapist says my entire body is out of whack and she wants to try and get me back where I need to be. Some of the fascia stretching exercises she had me doing on my feet caused pretty bad pain in that toe later on - the pain was so great it woke me up in the middle of the night a few nights in a row.

So, I saw a podiatrist yesterday (because I was honestly worried that something was infected)...but thankfully it's not. He told me he could remove the injured nail or just let it try and grow out on its own. Lovely. In the mean time, he said I might just have to deal with the pain. I told him that I'm running a half this coming Sunday regardless (Rock n Roll New Orleans) and he advised me to call him back if I'm in intense pain the following day! Sounds promising, right? (Insert eye roll here)

It's all just a hot mess over here!

On a positive note though, several good things did happen in February...we are getting an Orange Theory over here and I joined!! I'm SO excited to get back into a group atmosphere again because I miss it so much! Cross training is also something my poor body is desperately in need of...so yeah! It's opening sometime in May and I can't wait!

And on a non physical fitness note, we saw Black Panther on Friday night and we LOVED it! So good!!

Soooo, even though February wasn't so great on the running front, it still shaped out to be a decent month, anyway!

Any Orange Theory fans out there? What's something I should know before taking my first class? Anyone else seen Black Panther? Thoughts?

It's the Tuesdays on the Run link up with Erika, Marcia and Patty!

My Running Break

After completing the Dopey Challenge in early January, I knew I needed to take a break from running. Although I love to run, I was getting severely burned out and just simply didn't have a desire to run any longer. In fact, after I hit the 20 mile training mark mid December (my highest long run before Dopey), I was over it all.

My plan was to take about 3 weeks off after Dopey from running to recover and rest. Several walks were take during that time period and then.....the flu hit.

Yuck. The flu. It totally zapped any and all of my energy and I couldn't even walk around the house for five minutes without getting incredibly short of breath and dizzy.

So, what happened the week after the flu? I had a wisdom tooth pulled...and was told I couldn't run for yet another week.

Let's be honest here - I was actually incredibly grateful for being "allowed" to continue my running break? Why? Because I just simply wasn't feeling it yet. I want to love and enjoy running, not feel as if it's a chore every time a planned run comes around.

Now, am I talking about lying around, watching TV on the couch all afternoon every afternoon? NO. That is definitely NOT in my DNA! These last five (ish) weeks have granted me so much time to spend with Brayden, helping him learn and grow and watching him explore new things! We've spent a lot of time at various parks and simply just enjoyed being together. These precious early years aren't here forever and I am definitely taking time to cherish them while I can.

Also, in the middle of all of this, I've started physical therapy for an issue I've been having (not running related) and my therapist thinks she can also help my IT Band in the mean time!! After a thorough exam from head to toe, she's discovered that my body is ALL out of whack with alignment and it's pretty much a hot mess. We shall see what the next eight or so weeks have to bring!
 

So, enter this past Saturday - my first run (period) since Dopey! Although it was foggy and overcast, the temps were perfect and reminded me that spring is definitely on the way! I have the Rock n Roll New Orleans half in two weeks and I knew I needed to do something.

I initially started out with the idea of running 5 miles and if all was going ok, I'd increase to 6 miles. Well (to my surprise) I felt great the entire way and decided to tack on that extra mile at the end. Throughout the run, I walked for about 2 minutes after hitting each new mile (just like I did with long run training for Dopey) and it worked great!

My plan was to finish the run around 1:10, so when I saw how close I was to actually reaching it, I kicked it up a notch to finish just under!

Saturday's run felt great, I felt good, and it was an overall enjoyable run...just what I needed to rejuvenate my heart and mind for this running thing I love so much!

If you've ever taken a break from