Some Running Firsts

Hi!  Sorry I have been away for a while.  As much as I need/love to blog and tell you all about what's going on here - time has not allowed it.  So sad.  I worked really hard today to try to catch up a bit on things so that my night would be "free" for me to get on the computer.  The kitchen is clean, bags are almost all ready for the morning craziness, kids are tucked in, and I am able to think!  Woohoo!

I'm not sure where to start!  I think I will start with my marathon training.  On Harlie's birthday (STILL need to tell you about that) we ran 16 miles - my longest distance so far.  It wasn't that bad, really.  The worst part of training for me is the anticipation of the long run.  And the nutrition.  Trying to eat the right stuff when you're supposed to takes a lot of energy (thinking energy, I mean).  Anyway, I digress... after I ran the 16 miles, I had to rush home, eat some food, take a shower, and take Harlie to her party.  Sadly (although not surprisingly) we were 20 minutes late.  Had the party, and then went home.  Hung out for a brief couple of hours with the kids and Grandma and Pap Pap (who came down for the weekend) and then Tom and I went to a fundraiser for Richmond Hope Foundation.

We had a great time and got to hang out with some great friends that we've met through my Special Needs Mom's group (which was started by the President of Richmond Hope Therapy).  I forgot my camera that night, which was a total bummer.  But here is a picture I copied from Donna's blog.

From the left, Dara and Jerry, Donna and Aaron and Tom and I.  

We had a great time.  But the event was outside on a grassy hill.  And I was wearing heels.  And we stood for hours.  By the end of the night, all my concentration was going towards keeping myself upright.  Oh, and at social gatherings like this (not hanging out at a friend's house) I generally don't/can't eat.  I just find standing up, holding a small plate, a napkin and a drink - while trying to eat - very uncomfortable.  So, on top of being really, really physically tired, I was probably calorie depleted.

So, to recap - I ran 16 miles, burned about 1,600 calories, had a very busy day which distracted me from eating properly, stood on my feet in heels for several hours and didn't get home till really late.  I was beat!  And my muscles let me know it, too!  Let me tell you, the next four runs were not easy!  I didn't set myself up for good recovery.  So, this past Saturday we ran a recovery run of just 12 miles.  And this Saturday we go up to 18 looooong miles!

So, to help my legs recover a bit to prepare for 18 this weekend, after the 12 on Saturday, I came home and took my very first ice bath.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

That was a seriously uncomfortable experience, to say the least.  But I believe it was very beneficial.  And you can read about why in this article, so you can see that I'm not completely insane.  Well, maybe I am, but not for this reason.

It was mighty difficult to go buy the ice I needed, though.  I've been told to buy three bags.  I bought one 16 lb. bag and in my mind I knew it wasn't enough.  But that's all I could bring myself to purchase when I knew I was just going to use it to torture myself!  At torture time, Tom was more than happy to run downstairs and collect all the ice he could find to add to the tub.  I would say he enjoyed my pain a little too much for my comfort, really.

When I took the picture of my feet, I only lasted three minutes and I had to get out.  Tom called me a wimp.  But my toes were already close to falling off - they burned horribly when I got out after just three minutes!  How in the world was I going to last 20???  But then Tom told me that he heard I should wear socks.  At first I thought, heck with it (okay, that wasn't exactly what I thought) I'd rather be sore for a few days.  But then I thought about how badly I really, really want to be able to run this marathon.  Which means I have to be well and injury free for the training runs.  And if this freaking ice bath will help me reach my goal, then I was going to do it!  So, I went and got some socks and made myself get back in that freezing cold water.  I am NO wimp!!!

And I did the full 20 minutes.  I wore my fleece jacket and played games on my iPod Touch and tried to "enjoy" the 20 minutes of being left alone.  I am so darn proud of myself I don't know what to do.  I was cold to the core for the next four hours - but it was worth it!  I ran four on Tuesday, nine today and I'll do five tomorrow and so far, my legs feel great.  So, hopefully I am as "prepared" as I can be for another personal distance record of 18 miles (and I hear they are hilly).  Don't worry, I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.  And you can bet I'll be doing another ice bath, too.

Thanks!
Christy