The Midlife Reframe

Category: sneakers

  • Post Plague, Burger Week, and a Pulled Calf

    Running


    Post Plague Amy had a couple of runs during the week with some gym time. Easing back into it.  I am loving my new Brooks Glycerin 13s 🙂


    The weather has been dicey here, but I lucked in with my timing.  Lots of core work and some legs/glute work (deadlifts anyone?).

    Ahhhhhh Burger Week



    The week when restaurants in Halifax, Nova Scotia, make some delicious burger offerings for us food lovers.  There are also burger combos with a portion of the combo donated to the local food bank!  TeenThing and I have had 3 so far.  I’ve been posting them in Instagram.  So good. Sooooo gooooood.


    Pulled Calf??


    Yes, at the end of my 5km run on Sunday I felt a pull.  By the time I got out of the bath I was limping *insert large sad face emoticon here*.  I pulled on my compression socks and put that calf on ice. Good thing:  no bruising.

    Today I can walk without limping, but I am getting this looked at.  Still a good amount of time out from my race, so I am not freaking out.  Yet 😉

    (Note:  When I saw the Doc last week, she gave me a note for physio.  Just in case.  Blargh!)

    So, March and I aren’t getting along right now, lol.


  • Those 10 Days I Didn’t Run

    Yes, 10 Days…

    I came down with what is being called “The Plague”.  Chest/head cold and lethargic.  Just downright GROSS.


    It all started with my Mom….then TeenThing…..then ME.
    Kicked my ass. 
    There was no way I was running.  None.  Especially with the chest cold.  So there really isn’t much more to say about the week that wasn’t 😉  I stayed home for the worst and then introduced myself back into the work environment.
    I am lucky that I started my training in January, and that my base has been built.  My training plan has afforded me the opportunity to run easy for a week after The Plague and then jump back into my schedule.
    Don’t get me wrong, I was anxiety filled the whole time.  I mean it’s MARCH.  I run my half in MAY.  It may seem like a lot of time, but it really isn’t.
    I am still not 100% heading into week 2, but feeling so much better.  Since I was done with the coughing and the hacking, I designated today as “get back to it day”.  I ran approximately 3kms.  A little too fast, but I was glad to lace back up, especially in my NEW KICKS!


    *Insert Angelic Music Here*
    I picked up my Brooks Glycerin13 sneakers on Friday during my long lunch.  I also picked up some Smartwool and Balega socks 🙂  I have run in Swiftwick socks before, but needed to try out some other options.

    Today I ran in my Smartwool socks (and capris!) and really enjoyed that my feet were not cold, nor did they get super hot.  Will try out the Balega socks later.
    That’s really it for this week my friends.  Come back next week for something a little more exciting!

    Run Happy 🙂

  • The Chronicles of Half Marathon Training – Week 4

    So Far, So Good….

    Week 4.  23 kms.
    I had some great runs this week.  It is also my last week with Mondays off.
    Saturday was a wash running wise.  It was a day of running errands and yoga.  I don’t beat myself up for days like those.  Especially this Saturday, because I FINALLY got fitted properly for sneakers.  Have to wait for them, but WOOHOOO!  Luke and his staff at Aerobics First are WONDERFUL.
    I keep reminding myself I am not an elite runner.
    I am a runner that has recovered from knee surgery, ran a 5k in the fall and said – Half Marathon!  FTW!
    I stick to my training plan as much as humanly possible, knowing the limits of my body.  Knowing when I need to back off and knowing when I can push it just that little bit over my threshold.

    Sunday was 5 miles with The Goonies!
    Tuesday saw me pull out 3 miles at lunch.

     

    I was able to get outside on Thursday at lunch – had a great run!

    Friday was COLD.  My phone stayed INSIDE for the 3 miles, lol.  These are my feet pre-run 😉

    I have to admit, I am finding it harder these days to get motivated.  This time of year can be hard.
    Depression and anxiety are like little “me” voices in my head.  One telling me “No big deal, you can run another time.  You’re not THAT great of a runner.  Won’t make a difference really.” and the other immediately contradicting that saying “If you DON’T run, you’ll stop and NEVER run again! You’ll fail and everyone will be disappointed.”
    This is partially why I try to run as much as I can outside.  I need the air, to see myself moving forward.  Hibernating in the winter is my first instinct.  Cover myself up and make the cocoon.
    So, even though I may NOT make the miles I need to on the days I run, I take the victory on the days I do.  I also take victories on the days I don’t make it to my training miles.  Why?  Because, I need to be proud of getting out there and DOING IT.
    I’ve said it before in a few posts:  Mental illness hurts.  It can shut your body down.  The more I move, the more I get outside and connect with the environment, the better off I am in the long run.
    I AM running for me after all.
    No one else.
    For MY voice to be heard.
    For MY health.
    For MY sanity.

    @crazymamaruns

  • I RUN MY FIRST 5K NEXT SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    My First 5K….

    Man that sounds weird.

    I think my last race was in 2013.

    2013.

    I gimped up in 2014.

    Surgery and recovery for most of 2015.

    Am I ready?

    More than likely.

    Am I confident?

    No.  LOL.

    I wanted my first “race” to be a shorter distance, a fun run.  Something with NO CHIP TIME, lol.  So the BLT 5km Fun Run was the winner 🙂


    I will be in this pod of peeps next Saturday!!



    Will I want to make a good time?  

    Uh, DUH.

    Will it matter?

    Nope, because I will be crying.  Before, possibly during, and most definitely after.

    What matters most?

    The experience.  My first race back in 2 years.

    @crazymamaruns

     

  • The Post That is Brought to You by The Letter R

    Because Today……I RAN!!!!

    Yes.

    I ran.

    It is surreal.

    Best. Feeling. Ever.

    1.47kms at a 7:13km/hr pace in 10mins 38s

    It was a slow one.  Some walking was done.  But I DID IT.

    My body needed it.  My mind needed it.

    I signed up for the Terry Fox Run in September, BLT 5k Fun Run/Walk in October!

    Welcome back me.  Welcome back.

    #craxymamaruns

  • Lessons Learned as a Relatively Newb Runner

    I’ve always learned things the hard way.


    And that also applies itself to running.  I’m stubborn too, which just adds to the problem, lol.

    I first started running when I was working with a personal trainer at the gym.  

    It all started when one of the girls at my workplace started up a lunchtime run group.
    The first day we ran 5km.  I felt like I was running on a cloud….oh wait, those were my new sneakers. BONUS POINT:  I had running sneakers.  I went out and bought a good pair of Sauconys.  Go me 🙂

    I was hooked.  Running was awesome!

    Problem #1: I was not stretching.  Not warming up.  Not like I should have been. This lead to some really tight legs after my very first 10km race (I had done a Run for the Cure 5km prior).


    And then……about a year later

    Problem #2 – Stubborn: Since I was invincible, I began to train for my first Half Marathon.

    Training was going well (at least I thought it was, lol) After my 18km long run, I felt AWESOME.  Went for another run, pain.  A lot of pain.  Right outside my knee.  I thought, okay, rest up.  This was one week before the race.  I was tight all the way up to my hip.  So I foam rolled and bought a strap for the old IT band at the race expo.

    Day of the half…I ran, in pain, and finished at 2:30.  I walked a lot of the last few kms, but ran over the finish line.

    I could barely walk the next day.  Off to doc and off to physio.  My IT band was shot…tightest EVER.

    Was a long haul back and lesson learned.

    Problem #3: Not listening to my body.  This applies to Problem #1 and #2.  I was not stretching and applying any serious cross training.  I thought some of the pain was “just a runner thing”.  Yes, I should have known better.

    Another year later!  We are into year 3.

    Problem #4:  Eat better, fuel better.  This took some work, as I love to eat and the more I ran, the more I wanted to EAT!  This caused some upset belly moments and some dehydration.  This is a big lesson for newb runners.

    Half Marathon #2:  Trained smarter, pushed myself a little bit harder (sometimes a bit too much, felt kind of nauseous and had to stop a couple of times) and ran a 2:10.

    I was going to run another Half, but was very very sick not long beforehand and did a 10k at the Valley Harvest Marathon. Because I am a dork and was full of running excitement, I went out too fast and wanted to barf halfway through.  Finished in under an hour and finally said, okay, smarten up.

    I ran a 21k relay the next month, Lucky 7 Relay with a couple of people from work.  I ran my 7km in 38 minutes.  I felt like a ROCK STAR 🙂

    Heading into year 4…


    I was running right up until the “Punta Cana Incident”.  We ran just about every morning around the resort nice and early, with the other runners.  Then I went and fell in the washroom (Yes, the washroom, and yes, I was sober).  This is the “awe man” moment when I was pretty sure I tore my meniscus, but found out I really have a condition called Osteochondritis Dissecans and I am due for surgery in the near future.

    Once I am all “put back together” and travel down my road to recovery, I am getting back to the Half Marathon state and looking for a new PB.  With my new love of yoga and my wiser ways, I am starting my bucket list of races.  Need to kill that 2:10 Half!

    Look out Half Marathon…..cause I am comin’ to get ya…..soon.





  • Here. We. Go!

    This is it!

    My first blog post…be kind…lol.

    I guess you could call me a “rogue runner”.  I don’t belong to any running club, never have.

    I started running after I had been working with a personal trainer for a few months.  A gang of ladies at work started a lunch time run, and so off I went.

    I GOT HOOKED.  I loved the rush.  The wind against my face.  Feeling my muscles push harder.  The sweating (yes….the sweating).

    The feeling of freedom.

    I did a small stint as a personal trainer for about 5-8 months and ran my first 10km race (and did it under an hour), but not long after this race something happened…I crashed…mentally and physically.  So many personal things over the years had finally piled up and crushed me.  I was diagnosed with clinical depression, and later anxiety.

    Running had been pushed to the wayside for about 6 weeks.  My body had shut down completely.  Everything hurt.

    I just couldn’t do it.

    After I started treatment and pushed through the fog, I started with small runs.  My trainer stuck by me all the way, even though we didn’t have any sessions, we were close friends.  She’s run two half marathons (2:30 and 2:10) and a 10km race with me.  She helped me through a lot.

    Running is now my outlet, my serenity, my happy place.

    As I sit here right now, I am injured.  Not even a sexy injury.

    Slipped on a floor….in Punta Cana (yes, I was sober!).  I’ve done something to my right knee.

    And so I am now waiting to see a sports med and I’ve decided to share my journey with the interweb.