Father's Day fun

When I woke up this morning, the first thing I did was make a pecan pie for my dad. Over the last few years, I've done that instead of buying him a gift; I know that sounds like he's getting shafted, but if there is something he wants, he usually just buys it himself--it's hard to shop for him! And since pecan pie is his favorite, I like to make him one for Father's Day and his birthday. I can't bake to save my soul, but I somehow make a really good pecan pie!

Jerry was off work today, so we decided to take the kids to the zoo. We planned to go to the Toledo Zoo, but when I looked at the weather, it was supposed to thunderstorm. The weather in Detroit looked good, so we decided to go there instead. First, we dropped the pie off at my parents' house for my dad, and then we headed to the zoo.

As we were driving, I was thinking about how every time we go to the zoo, we say we're never going again (it's never as much fun as it sounds in my head, and it's crazy-expensive). I started to think of alternatives, and we chose to go to Belle Isle instead. Belle Isle is an island in Detroit that was recently converted to a State Park. The Detroit Marathon goes through it, which was the first time I remember seeing it, and then the kids' first 5K race was there.

The island has a small nature zoo, a conservatory, a Great Lakes museum, nature paths, and some other stuff--all for free. It has an awesome view of Detroit and Canada, too. First, we wanted to get some lunch, and we planned to go to Supino's (a well-known pizza place in Detroit). We'd never been there, but we've been wanting to try it for about two years, so today was the day. On the way there, though, I noticed that they were closed today (I don't know if it's every Sunday, or just today, but we were bummed to see we couldn't go.)

We tried going to the two Coney Islands (American and Lafayette, which are next door to each other), but they didn't have tables available, so we decided to just skip lunch and get something to eat later. We went to Belle Isle, and first, we went to the Great Lakes museum. Eli loved it! He loves to go out on the boat fishing with my dad, and he gets really excited about identifying fish. I loved seeing a map of the old Boblo Island--an amusement park that closed in the early 90's. We used to have to take a boat to Boblo, and that was one of the most exciting parts of going. I have a lot of good memories of that place!

After that, we went to the Nature Zoo. Again, Eli loved it--lots of turtles, frogs, snakes, fish, etc. I was hoping to see the deer (the only mammals there), but I guess they only open the exhibit when they feed the deer, three times a day. The fence was closed, so we didn't get to see them.

We noticed a big slide in the middle of the park, which looked like fun. It was one of those slides that you have to sit in a burlap sack to slide down. The tickets were 6 for $5, so we bought 6. Jerry and the kids went down first, so I could film them.

Then it was my turn to go down with this kids. Jerry told me it was nice and smooth, and from what I saw, it was. Hahaha! Not quite. Listen to the video of us sliding, and you can hear how hard I hit on each bump after getting some serious air. It's so funny to compare the two videos--Jerry's ride is nice and smooth, and then on mine, it sounds like a bowling ball rolling down the stairs. ;)

We watched the video over and over, and all of us were dying laughing. It's the sound--you can hear me hit the slide SO hard. My tailbone is going to be bruised for sure!

After that, we were all starving. It was about 3:00, and we usually eat dinner at around 4:00. I asked Jerry what sounded good to him, considering it's Father's Day, and he said it would be fun to get frozen yogurt for lunch/dinner. My arm didn't need much twisting for that idea ;) So we went to a place called Yogurtopia in Dearborn. I told the kids they could get as much as they could fit in their cups, and they were thrilled.

I chose cake batter frozen yogurt (3 PP per half cup, and I had about 1.5 cups) and I made what my friend Paige calls "yogurt lasagna"--you layer the yogurt, then add toppings, then more yogurt, and more toppings, etc. That way, you don't wind up with lots of yogurt and no toppings on the bottom. I counted each spoonful of toppings as 1 PP, so in total, I counted this as 25 PP of frozen yogurt and toppings:

It was delicious! I felt a little sick when I was done with it, but it was totally worth every point. I'm *almost* glad that we don't have a fro-yo place near my house, because I would get way too used to this. As it is, I only have it about 2-3 times a year, so I tend to go a little overboard when I do ;)

It never rained while we were out, and it was a gorgeous day to go to Belle Isle. We had a lot of fun, and next time, we want to bring our bikes there!

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I noticed an awesome deal on Groupon today for the Garmin Viviofit (it's an activity monitor, similar to a Fitbit). It's only $60! That's the cheapest I've ever seen them. Later, I noticed that they are on Amazon for that price, too. Just wanted to let you know, in case anyone is looking for an activity monitor--it's a great deal! Last year, I couldn't decide between the Vivofit and the Fitbit, but I ultimately bought the Fitbit Zip (also $60). But I do love Garmin, and I'm very curious about the Vivofit, so I took advantage of the Groupon today. I'd like to see how the two compare.

Don't forget, tomorrow is Motivational Monday! If you have a photo of an accomplishment you'd like to share, here is the info to submit it. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

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Pizza lunch with Nathan

There have been a couple of sad news stories around here this week. Last weekend, there was a home invasion/murder in a nearby town. A group of people (two female friends and their children) were heading to NASCAR races from upstate, and they needed to get out of the rain (they had been planning to camp), so they stayed at a friend's house overnight. Two men broke into the home and stabbed them, killing two half-brothers (a 12-year old and a 26-year old), and injuring three more people.

To make the story even more shocking, Jerry recognized one of the men who did it--he went to school with Jesse Spurlock, and graduated with him in 1999. Jerry ran into him a few years ago, and said he was all kinds of messed up. It wasn't very clear from the stories what the motive was in the killings, but it sounded like the men weren't expecting those people to be in the house, and they were trying to rob the man that actually lived there, who was a drug dealer. Joseph Hall, the man who did the stabbing, apologized in court, saying that he just "snapped". Seriously?! A person has to be extra-screwed up to stab someone to death, especially a CHILD.

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Yesterday, the kids wanted to go to my parents' house to play in the lake with Joey. While I stayed home to write my blog post, Jerry went over there with them. I was surprised when they came back about 10 minutes later, but they said that the waves were too rough to play in the water. A few hours later, I saw on the news that a 10-year old boy had drowned in the lake at the State Park, which is a few miles down the road. It happened at around the same time that my kids said the lake was too rough.

The boy was at the beach with his family, and his mom was with his siblings, when his 17-year old uncle took him out to swim at the far end of the beach. Apparently, there was a strong current, and they were separated. The boy went under the surface, and rescuers arrived to search for him. They found him about 45 minutes later, in just four feet of water. He was pronounced dead shortly after they got to the hospital.

That story really upset me, because it just hits so close to home. The boy was 10-years old and had just completed fifth grade, which is the same age as Noah. We've been swimming there lots of times, and it's just so scary to think of something like that happening. I'm glad that my kids recognized that the water was too rough yesterday to play in the lake, and decided to come home. I'm just so sad for the boy's mom. I can't even imagine how she felt when they were searching the water.

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Also yesterday, a 19-year old man was hit by a truck while he was bicycling. I learned today that he died from his injuries :(  This is SO upsetting to me, because the drivers around here are so inconsiderate and don't pay attention to pedestrians at all. When I'm out running, I see so many people texting or otherwise not paying attention, and drifting onto the shoulders of the roads. This is not a bicycle-friendly town, which is unfortunate. We don't have bike lanes (there are a couple, but not anywhere useful), and the shoulders are very narrow.

I am always extra cautious when I run on the busier roads, and I make eye contact with drivers to make sure they see me. I've been hit once, by a guy backing out of his driveway (he clipped my hip, leaving a bruise); and I've had more than a few close calls on other occasions. I feel much safer running than I do biking, because I run against traffic so I can make eye contact with drivers. This man who was killed was riding with traffic (which you are supposed to do on a bike), and he was struck from behind by a man in a pick-up truck. He was only 19, which just makes me so sad.

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Anyways, enough bad news! Today, my younger brother, Nathan, had 20 miles on the schedule (he's training for his first ultra--a 50K in September). He likes to get pizza after his long runs, so he asked if we would want to go to Anson's, our favorite local pizza place, for lunch after his run. We, along with my parents, met him there this afternoon.

Anson's has some really good, unique pizzas--things like a Reuben pizza (I adore Reuben sandwiches, so the pizza is one of my favorites), a jalapeño popper pizza, and an insanely good chicken bacon ranch pizza. We each ended up ordering mini pizzas, so we could get what we wanted. I was tempted to get one of the specialty pizzas, but I knew it would be a caloric nightmare, so I chose to get a veggie pizza instead--bell peppers, onions, black olives, and my favorite, banana peppers. (It comes with tomatoes, too, but I requested to nix them)

I estimated each slice to be 8 PointsPlus, and I ate two slices (half the pizza) for 16 PP--that's really not too bad! I could have housed the whole thing easily, but I tried to eat slowly and stick with two slices.

When I put the first slice on my plate, I picked up the shaker of red pepper flakes on the table. I turned it over to shake some on my pizza, and the lid fell off, dumping about a quarter cup of red pepper flakes all over my pizza slice! I've heard of people pulling that prank at restaurants, but it's never happened to me before :/  I was able to dump most of the pepper flakes off, so it was just a nuisance more than anything.

Today marks 32 days of being binge-free and on track with Weight Watchers! It's gotten much, much easier over time. The first couple of weeks were the hardest, but it's starting to become a habit again :)

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The moment of truth

Today's run was a big one for me--not just because it's my long run, but because I was going to use it to decide whether I am going to continue to train for Detroit. Last week started the 18-week countdown to the marathon, and I am just now coming back from a second stress fracture. Last Friday, I was going to try and run four miles for my long run, but I had to quit at mile 3.44, because of some pain in the location of the fracture.

I've been thinking about it all week, and as badly as I want to do this race, I really needed to face that it may not happen. Back in December, when I first got injured, I never imagined that I would still be injured when it was time to start marathon training! Anyway, I decided that today would be the deciding run--if I wasn't able to make it through my long run today, then I would sell my bib for the race.

I planned out a five-mile route that sticks close to my house, so that I could just walk home if I had any stress fracture pain. I decided to stick with the 1:00-run and 0:30-walk segments, and promised myself I'd keep the pace nice and easy, to hopefully make the full five miles.

The weather was pretty nice this morning! It would have been perfect if there weren't fish flies, but there is nothing I can do about those, so I tried to just ignore them and enjoy the morning.

I noticed right away that the run felt easier than it's been feeling lately, and I hope that's because my body is getting back in shape. I was deliberately keeping the pace easy, but I definitely noticed that it felt easier than I expected. So, I was very happy with that!

I started to get a little nervous after three miles in, because I just kept hoping that I wouldn't feel any stress fracture pain. As I approached the 3.44 mile mark, it was like I was almost expecting to feel something. It was at that point that a blackbird swooped in from my right and came so close to me that I felt its wing brush against my ear. Usually, the blackbirds make all kinds of noise before they dive at me, but this one was totally quiet, and it scared the shit out of me. I picked up the pace a little to get away form it, and then I realized I had passed the 3.44 mile mark. And I still didn't have any leg pain!

I was really excited after that point, because I started to think that I was actually going to make it all the way to five miles. When I got to mile 4.5, where I normally turn to go to my house, I decided to keep going and shoot for 6 miles. I was feeling good doing the run/walk intervals, and didn't have any issues with my fracture. I weaved the streets of my neighborhood to add in another mile, and when my Garmin beeped after that sixth mile, I was thrilled! I've run six miles dozens (hundreds?) of times over the past five years, but today's meant a lot to me--I feel hopeful that I can actually do Detroit in October. (After typing this, I was curious how accurate it would be to say that I've run 6+ miles "hundreds of times", so I looked it up on my training log--I've done 285 runs that were 6 or more miles each. I had no idea it would be that many!)

I love that my average pace was 11:11. I just wrote on Motivational Monday about how 11 is my favorite number. Finishing today's run felt so good--I really needed that mental boost to keep going. I'm going to continue to train for Detroit, and while I won't be setting any PR's there, I am really hoping that I can finish (injury-free). I feel a whole new motivation after today's run!

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New PointsPlus target

We had a really nice morning for a run today. It actually wasn't too humid when I headed out at 7:00. Again, I had 30-minutes (which I just translate to 3 miles, because I prefer to run for distance rather than time) on the schedule. I'm still doing the 1:00-run and 0:30-walk intervals. I think next week, I may increase the running segments just a tad.

The blackbirds seem to be extra abundant this spring! I can't really find a route that avoids them, unfortunately. Today, I did an out-and-back route on a fairly busy road, so I hoped that the cars would deter the birds. I was dive-bombed a couple of times, and then they were circling above me for what felt like MILES (it was more like a quarter mile, haha). That's the worst--when you can hear them squawking over your head, but you can't see them. I always imagine them right there, ready to start pecking into my skull.

On the way back home, I they wouldn't leave me alone, so I ran right through my walk segment, and through the next running segment--which meant I ran for 2:30 straight. That should be easy for me, but it was hard! I never expected getting back into shape after this injury would be so difficult. My cardio system feels like it did when I was around 200 pounds. I hope that it improves quickly with consistent training.

My pace was slower today, because I definitely enjoy the run more when I'm not pushing so hard. It was still tough, but my running pace was easier (9:30-10:00/mi instead of 9:00-9:30).

I need to get a new battery for my heart rate monitor. Actually, I have the battery--I just don't have a teeny tiny screwdriver to get the old battery out! I haven't been wearing it the last few runs because the battery is totally dead, so I have no idea if my cardio is improving. 

I took a quick shower and then drove the boys to their football camp. After dropping them off, I went to my Weight Watchers meeting. After another fraction of a pound lost, I told Brenda I was getting frustrated with how slowly the weight is coming off this time around. I'm doing everything just the same as before, but it's not working like it did before. I can only guess that it's my age? When I was in my 20's, I would always hear older women complain about how it gets so much harder to lose weight as you get older, and I never really believed them. Ha! 

Brenda told me that she wants me to increase my daily PointsPlus target to 29 (it was 26 before), and she wants me to get the extra 3 PP from protein. I have no idea if it will work, but I'm going to give it a try this week. I'm not a huge fan of meat (I eat a little if it's mixed in with something), and I really despise yogurt, so my protein options are pretty limited to eggs, cheese and maybe smoothies with milk. Conveniently, 1 Tbsp. of peanut butter counts as protein, and it's 3 PointsPlus. I would be thrilled to eat an extra tablespoon of peanut butter every day! ;) 

I noticed right away that there was a guy working behind the reception desk--I've never seen a male receptionist at Weight Watchers! It was really refreshing, actually. He came into the meeting to hand something to Brenda, and she introduced him as Jeff, who was training to be a Weight Watchers coach. He's lost 100 pounds, and he's training for the Chicago Marathon. My ears perked right up when I heard that he runs, because that's a topic that nobody shares interest with me in my meeting (my meeting is mostly women in their 60's). He's a former Marine, and said he's in better shape now than when he was in active duty!

After the meeting, I stopped to chat with Jeff for a minute, and he said he's running Chicago for charity, and he's raising money for ALZ Stars Alzheimer's Association. My grandma died of Alzheimer's, and I know what a terrible disease it is, so I asked him how I could donate. Anyway, it'll be fun to have a male at our meeting center, and someone who understands running!

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When I mentioned the Arctic Zero "ice cream" here before, several people suggested that I try the Yasso frozen yogurt bars. They were pretty expensive, so I didn't buy any, but today they were on sale, so I got some of the cookie dough ones. I ate one after dinner, and it was SO good!! I had always been turned off by the "frozen Greek yogurt" phrase, because I hate yogurt (especially Greek yogurt), but these bars taste nothing like yogurt. The cookie dough chunks were delicious! It was pretty small, but for 100 calories, that's what I expected. A very yummy treat! So thanks for the suggestion :)

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Jurassic World

Yesterday's run ended up going really well! I did a three mile run/walk at the same 1:00/0:30 ratio, and didn't have any issues with my stress fracture. The first couple of miles were uneventful, but then during the third mile, things got a little exciting.

First, I encountered a dog. When I was running past a house, this dog came running off the porch and into the street, barking at me. (Before getting Joey, this would have terrified me... but I'm getting much better at reading dogs' body language, and I don't think this dog wanted to attack me. I was surprisingly really calm.)

I felt bad for him, actually. He was missing a lot of fur down the center of his back and by his tail, and it looked like he was full of fleas. I started yelling at the house, "Hello?!" but nobody came out (there were three cars in the driveway). I had my cell, so I called Animal Control, but they weren't open yet. Finally, the dog went back to the porch and kept barking at the door, like he wanted to be let in, so I just continued running.

A half-mile later, I was just about to start a walk portion, when a blackbird dive-bombed my head. I started flailing my arms above my head to deter it, and even though I was dying to start walking, I ran through my walk break to get away from the bird (it came back for two more dives--those birds are mean!)

When I got to my street, I saw a little crayfish in the middle of the street, and as I passed, it raised its claws up like it was waving me down (like this picture below--I should have taken a picture of it, but didn't think of it at the time)...

photo source

I turned around to move it, because I didn't want it to get run over by a car. I kept trying to pick it up, but it was obviously pissed off at me and kept trying to pinch me. Finally, I just scooped it up and tossed it gently over the dike into the marsh, where I'm sure it came from.

I finally finished the adventurous last mile, and was pouring sweat when I was done. This humidity is killer!

It wasn't raining, despite how it looks in the picture. Rain would have been welcome! But it's just permanently wet, since we've had rain every day for about six weeks now.

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This morning, I had to take the kids to football camp at the school. Once I dropped them off, I took Joey to Lucky Puppy. Then I went back to the school to meet up with Jessica. Her boys were doing the football camp too, so we decided to go for a walk while we waited for them to finish up. We walked for about 30 minutes.

Jerry met us at the school after the boys were finished, and the four of us went to the mall to see Jurassic World. I loved the Jurassic Park movies, and Jerry and I were super psyched to see this one! The kids saw the Jurassic Park movies, too, so I figured it would be fun for all of us to go see a matinee together (we tried to go yesterday, but it was sold out).

I guess I figured wrong... halfway through the movie, Eli said it was too scary, and he didn't want to watch any more of it. I told Jerry to stay with Noah, and I took Eli out into the mall. We walked around for a bit, and I got him a cookie from Mrs. Fields (I didn't get anything! That was tough.). I didn't want him to feel bad for leaving, so I didn't make a big deal about it, but I was super bummed to miss the second half of the movie!

After the movie, we all went home, and my dad called to invite the kids over. Since I had to go pick up Joey in a little while anyways, I decided to go back to the movies by myself to watch the whole thing before getting Joey. I packed some grapes and dried cherries to snack on during the movie, and it was actually really nice to go by myself. The movie was fantastic! Just as good, if not better, than the others.

I picked up Joey from Lucky Puppy, and he was totally drained. He was asleep before we got to the end of the road.

I stopped at my parents' house to pick up the kids, and they wanted Joey to play in the lake with them. Even though he was tired, he couldn't resist more time in the water.

It's so cute to watch the kids with Joey. Eli, particularly, loves to play with and "train" Joey. It's now 8:30 pm, and I'm just settling down for the evening. It's been a busy day!

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Motivational Monday #111

Happy Motivational Monday #111! I'm not sure why, but I love the number 11--and any time I see a bunch of number 1's together, it's even better. My official 10K time for the Runner's World 10K was 1:11:11--that was more exciting than a PR ;)

This week, I am proud of myself for staying binge-free, and continuing to stay on track with Weight Watchers. It's also been extremely humid outside, but I've still gone out and done my run/walks. Honestly, I don't think there is anything I would change about the week (things in my control, anyway)!

I only got a few submissions for Motivational Monday, so it'll be another short and sweet one. Enjoy!

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This is my very lovely friend Paige, from Idaho, who is one of my Sole Mates from Ragnar SoCal. Every year she and her best friend travel to Seattle to run a half marathon. They made it a tradition after Paige lost 130 pounds! Each year, they put a lot of thought into the shirts that they wear on race day. This year, they each have a loved one who is fighting cancer, so they made shirts to reflect that they are running for those who can't--in honor of Elena and Leana. 

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About six weeks ago, Virginia started her weight loss journey. She's down 11.8 pounds so far, and she says that she is extremely motivated by her Garmin. She's been using it for about a month now, and has brought her pace from 18:12/mile to 16:05/mile! Seeing those numbers improve has pushed her to keep going, and she hopes to continue to get faster. 

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I just mentioned how I love the number 111, and it's MM post #111, so it's only fitting that Jill's story began when she set out to lose 111 pounds, starting January 5th. Last Friday, she hit a big milestone--she made it to the halfway mark, having lost 56.6 pounds so far! The following day, she celebrated by running her first 5K in six years! The photo on the left was taken in November 2014, and the right was taken on Saturday. She hopes to reach her goal weight by the end of the year--and she's well on her way! 

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Congratulations on your accomplishments, ladies! And thanks for the motivation :)

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Kidney infection

After my run on Friday, I had a really painful cramp in my right side. It didn't feel like it was something related to running, but I just figured it would go away in a few hours. It was strong enough to where I was uncomfortable moving around a lot, so I laid on the couch and watched a movie with the kids.

After the movie, the pain got so bad that I was moaning and I couldn't concentrate on anything. I kept trying to shift positions, but nothing was helping. By early afternoon, I was in so much pain that I was crying. I considered go to the emergency room, but it seemed like an overreaction to a cramp in my side. My kids were going to be staying the night at my parents' house, so I decided that if it still hurt after they left, then I'd decide what to do.

At around 6:30, I couldn't take it anymore. Instead of going to the ER, I went to the Urgent Care clinic (it's cheaper, and I figured this wasn't really an "emergency" situation). From what I read online, I was guessing it was a kidney stone--but I didn't have any other symptoms, so I wasn't sure.

I had to wait about 30 minutes to see the doctor, and after a urine test, he told me that I have a kidney infection! I was really surprised, because I had no symptoms other than the (severe) pain. He prescribed antibiotics and a pain reliever (Tylenol 3). Unfortunately, the Tylenol 3 did absolutely nothing for the pain, so I was pretty miserable all night and for a lot of the day yesterday. It was so hard to get comfortable while lying down, so I ended up taking Joey for a walk to hopefully distract me.

I know that antibiotics have a tendency to make me retain water, but I was still shocked to see that I gained five pounds overnight! I ate well yesterday, and haven't binged or gone over my points at all, so I'm sure it has to be from the medication. Still, it sucked to see the scale shoot up like that, after I've worked so hard for the past month to lose weight. I hope that after I finish the antibiotics, it'll drop off just as fast.

We've been having a crazy amount of rain and thunderstorms for the past month or two. I can't even remember the last day that it didn't rain at some point! I actually really like storms, so it doesn't bother me, though. This morning, after the rain stopped, Eli asked me to go for a bike ride with him. It was extremely humid (82 degrees with a "real feel" of 96 due to the humidity!), but he never asks to do that, so I said sure.

Noah came with us, and we rode bikes around the neighborhood. I haven't ridden my bike recently, and going out today really made me want to start doing it again. Actually, I have to, because I signed up for that 30-mile bike ride in Detroit this September! Since I can only run three days per week, it's a good time to throw in a little biking. I'm going to aim for once a week, probably on Sunday mornings.

Last night, I decided to try this wet hair technique for curly hair, called "plopping". My mom sent me a link to a video, and just for the heck of it, I decided to try it out last night. After showering, you put your normal product in your hair (I just use a spray gel) and then you turn your head upside down and "plop" your curls onto a big t-shirt. Then you wrap the t-shirt around your head in a way that keeps your curls plopped up on top. And you sleep that way! Then, in the morning, your curls are frizz-free and looking fresh.

Lying in bed with my t-shirt turban

All was fun and games until Phoebe sneaked out of the house, and I had to run outside trying to catch her--in my pajamas with a turban on my head.

Sleeping with it wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought it would be, surprisingly. I didn't like how it felt when the shirt was covering my ears, so I put it up a little higher. When I woke up and took off the shirt, my hair looked pretty good! It was dry and curly, and really soft. I should have taken a picture, but I went outside to ride bikes with Eli, and my hair frizzed right out in the humidity that we have going on.

Here is the video that I watched, if anyone is interested:


Tomorrow, I'm supposed to run/walk 30 minutes, so I'm anxious to see how that goes. If I have any pain at all, I'll have to stop right away and just wait until I see the physical therapist again. I'm hoping that what happened on Friday won't happen again. I haven't had any sort of pain, or even a small twinge, since then, so it's looking good so far.

Don't forget, tomorrow is Motivational Monday! If you have a photo of an accomplishment you'd like to share, here is how you can submit it.

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Pacing the run/walk method

Today was my long run, and considering this is only week one of training, I had four miles scheduled. I planned to do the same run/walk intervals I've been doing this week (60 second run/30 second walk), but I wanted to slow down my pace. According to Jeff Galloway, the long run should be done really slowly, and not leave you feeling winded at the end of it.

I decided to aim for an overall pace of about 11:45. According to the pace calculator, that meant I should run at approximately a 10:22/mi pace.

It's really difficult to shoot for a particular pace when doing the run/walk method. To hit your pace goal, not only do you have to run at a particular pace; you have to walk at a particular pace as well. I assumed I'd be walking at about a 15- or 16-minute mile pace, but when I look at the data from my Garmin, my pace usually dips down to about 12:00-13:00 before I start running again.

The biggest problem with using the Garmin for pacing during the run/walk method is that the "current pace" lags by about 10-15 seconds. When I run (without walk breaks), I don't use the current pace function; I just use the lap pace (mile pace) because it's more accurate to hit a particular goal. While doing the run/walk, I can't tell what my pace actually is for the first 15 seconds of each interval, which makes it difficult. As of right now, though, I don't really have a time goal, because I'm still trying to figure all this out. All I'm focused on is being able to run again and stay injury-free.

Anyway, I headed out for the four-mile run/walk, and reducing the pace a bit on the running segments made it much more enjoyable. I was running at an easy pace for the run segments, and walking briskly for the walk segments, and I felt really good. At around mile 3.4, the road curved to the left and there was a bridge there, so it inclined a little, too. As I was running that curve, I felt a pain in my leg where my stress fracture was.

Per my physical therapist's orders, I stopped running immediately and started walking. It felt okay when I was walking. I decided to try running a few steps, to see if it was maybe just the curve of the road that caused the pain. On the next run segment, I ran a few steps and the pain was still there, so I stopped my Garmin and walked the rest of the way home. I'm really bummed that I couldn't finish out the four miles, but I don't want to take any chances of the stress fracture recurring.

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I spent a lot of time yesterday working on some travel plans for July. As part of the program with Prudential, I was asked me to be on a panel at the BlogHer conferences in New York City. I'm terrified of speaking in front of people, but I've done it before when needed, so I hope I'll do okay. I've had some really great experiences in my life when stepping out of my comfort zone, and I hope this will just add to that list.

Anyway, I'm super excited because Jerry is going with me! I've been to NYC three times: once when I was 16, and I don't remember much at all from that trip; once for The Dr. Oz Show, where I was only there 24 hours and didn't have much free time; and last year, when I went for a Purina event (I tried to go to Central Park for a run, and got lost). Traveling there alone is tough, because I'm terrible at navigating, and public transportation is scary to me (remember Chicago? hahaha!).

Jerry has never been to NYC, and when I was looking at flights yesterday, I realized that I had just enough sky miles to cover a ticket for him to come along with me (the ticket was 25,000 miles, and I had 25,250--perfect). We're going to arrive early Friday morning (on the 17th), and stay until Sunday morning. So it's going to be a super short trip, and I'll be doing the conference on Saturday, but I'm really glad that Jerry will be able to check out the city and keep me company. He's going to go to a Yankees game while I do the Prudential panel, so it'll work out perfectly ;)

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Finally, I just have to share this photo. Joey's doggy daycare, Lucky Puppy, sent me this in my email. I love that I get to see pictures of what he does while he's there! No wonder he's so tired when he gets home on Tuesdays ;)

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Summer break begins

I had a super busy day yesterday! I sat down last night at 8:45 pm to start writing a post, and then just decided to wait until today, because I was pretty exhausted.

Yesterday was the kids' last day of school--a half day. Also, Wednesday mornings are my Weight Watchers meetings, so I wanted to get in my run before going to my meeting. Again, I had a 30-minute run/walk on the schedule, and I decided to stick with the 60 second run/30 second walk ratio. It was unexpectedly challenging on Monday, and my legs were really sore ever since (likely due to not running for so long).

I did the same routine as last time--walked for 90 seconds just to start, and then went into the 60 sec run/30 sec walk. It felt just as challenging yesterday as it did Monday, if not more so, because I was so sore! I'm not complaining about it--it actually feels really good to push myself again. It's just odd that running for 60 seconds at a 9:00-9:30 pace feels that hard.

My first mile was pretty slow compared to Monday's run, but then I ended up with negative splits somehow. I definitely felt like I slowed down a lot as the run progressed, but according to the numbers, I sped up a little. I was exhausted when I was done! I hope that I get back into shape quickly, and it doesn't feel so hard. Tomorrow is my long run, and I am going to run much slower (per Galloway's instructions).

Run 1:00/Walk 0:30

After my run, I took a quick shower and ate breakfast, then headed to Weight Watchers. I already knew that my weigh in wasn't going to be exciting--again, I lost less than a pound--but I am happy that it's the fifth week in a row of losses. It's getting easier to stay on track now that I have a streak I want to maintain. I just have to make it through tomorrow, and it will be the longest binge-free streak in at least a year and a half.

At the meeting, Glenda had some quotes written up on the board, and she asked for volunteers to read the one that we found most meaningful to us. I ended up reading this one:

"Movement is a medicine for a change in a person's physical, emotional, and mental health." --Carol Welch

I explained that I chose that quote because I'm a runner, and having been injured for six months, I haven't been able to run. It changed my mood dramatically (and not for the better!). I never realized just how much my mood was affected by my running until I wasn't able to run for so long. The past few days, since I've been able to run again, I've been much more pleasant. It's really remarkable how exercise has that ability!

I had to leave right from the meeting to go pick up Noah and his friend from school. I told Noah and Eli they could each invite a friend to come over and celebrate the start of summer vacation. After picking them up, I only had about 30 minutes before I had to pick up Eli and his friend. By noon, I had five excited boys at my house (Eli has a classmate who lives down the street, and he came over too). I had already planned for chaos, and just kept telling myself to "let boys be boys".

It was hot outside yesterday--90 degrees--and the kids were complaining of the heat. They wanted to come inside to play video games. I let them for a little while, but then I remembered I had a Slip n Slide tucked away in the closet from a few years ago. Jerry and I set that up in the backyard, and after a little coaxing, the boys gave it a try. They had a blast! They ended up playing on it for a couple of hours, and it was a great way to cool off on a hot day. Jerry had as much fun as they did ;) If I hadn't already done my hair and make-up, I would have tried it out, too!

 (I'm not sure I could nail that landing like Jerry did, though! ha)

I ordered pizza for the kids for dinner, because I don't even know how to cook for so many boys, but I ended up making a fish sandwich for myself. Pizza isn't too bad as far as PointsPlus go--about 6-8 per slice--but I like to eat at least 2-3 slices, and that adds up! So I'd rather save it for a special occasion or a big pizza craving.

At around 6:15, a couple of the kids went home. Jerry had a softball game, so he was gone. I had to take Noah and Eli to their baseball game, and I brought Eli's friend with us (he wanted to watch the game, too). My parents met us there, as well as Jerry after his game, and we sat to watch the boys' game. They each did great! Noah hit a double (one RBI) and pitched two innings. Eli had what would have been an awesome hit if the third baseman hadn't snagged the ball out of the air as it flew by his head ;)

The kids were winning in the fifth inning (they play just six innings) and it started lightening, so the rest of the game was forfeited, and our team won. We took Eli's friend home, and then got home at around 8:40. The four of us sat down to watch Naked and Afraid (we always get excited to watch a new episode, haha). The boys were thrilled that they could stay up late, because they didn't have school today, but by 9:30, they were out like lights.

At around midnight, we had a terrible storm. It started hailing really loudly (I was half-asleep, but the noise of the hail woke me right up); and the wind and rain was the worst I've seen since the tornado we had in 2010. A tree across the street snapped in half and fell across our road. Today, Jerry and I (and the kids) went out and started pulling the branches apart and tossing them over the dike. Who knows how long it would have sat there if we didn't!

Jerry and I were glued to the windows watching the storm, but it only lasted about 15 minutes. It's been a very stormy/rainy spring so far! I really like thunderstorms and rain, so it's been kind of fun  for me :)

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Stress fracture summary and first day of marathon training

Yesterday was the first day of Detroit Marathon training. The race is 18 weeks away, and I was really concerned about not being able to train for it due to my stress fracture. Here is a recap of the whole injury:

December 7: I ran 12 miles, and I was sure I had tendonitis afterward. My foot and ankle area was really painful during the last half of the run. Took a couple of days off.

December 14: Santa Hustle Half Marathon. Everything felt fine until around mile 6 or 7 of the race. It started with that same "tendonitis" pain. The road was really slanted, and that made the pain worse. I was limping for the last three miles of the race, and hobbled across the finish line. My leg hurt from my foot to my hip. I took five days off afterward.

December 21-January 4: Continued to run (about 3-4 miles each time), just taking it easy on my leg, still thinking I had tendonitis. The pain wasn't bad, and it just felt like a mild soreness, particularly on my calf.

January 4: Ran 5 miles and definitely felt the pain getting worse. Decided to take time off and wait until the pain was gone completely before starting to run again. I started doing deep water running, which has zero impact, so it was safe to do while my leg healed.

February 3: Still having pain, so decided to go to a podiatrist to rule out something serious, like a stress fracture. X-ray showed that it was a stress fracture in my lower left fibula. I was really surprised! I assumed a stress fracture would keep me from walking, but I only had pain when running or jumping. Doctor said no running until the pain is gone, and sent me on my way.

February 23: Eleven weeks after the initial pain, I went for a 3-mile run. Felt a couple of normal twinges, but no pain at all.

February 23-April 9: Continued to run, following an easy half-marathon training schedule for the Indy Mini. No problems at all, and even the twinges went away. Felt back to normal.

April 9: Started a five-mile run on the treadmill. About 20 steps in, I felt a sharp pain where the stress fracture was. I assumed it was just another twinge from the healing process (or maybe I was just in denial) and I finished out the five miles. But I made an appointment with a sports medicine orthopedist the follow day.

April 10: Saw Dr. Shehab, who ordered x-rays and a bone scan. He told me not to run until I didn't have any pain. He suggested doing more low-impact exercises to stay in shape, and if I wanted, I could run the Indy Mini. But no running until then. He also ordered a gait analysis with a physical therapist.

April 15: Had a bone scan, which is much more involved than a simple x-ray. The bone scan confirmed that I had another stress fracture.

April 26: I decided to attempt the marathon relay leg of the Glass City Marathon, knowing that if I couldn't do that, there was no way I could do the Indy Mini the following weekend. I made it through the six-mile leg of the relay, but was in pain afterward. Decided not to do Indy. Still no running.

May 6: Went for a gait analysis with Dave Tomsich. He determined that my left side (particularly my hip) is very weak, which causes my gait to be asymmetrical. I underpronate (supinate), which isn't good. My knee also buckles inward on the left side, which puts pressure on the fibula. The goal with physical therapy is to strengthen my left side so that I am symmetrical when I run and walk.

May 6-current: Seeing Dave every two weeks for physical therapy. He gives me exercises to do at home, which I've been working on. On Thursday, he told me that I could go ahead and start training for Detroit, with a few stipulations: I can't run two days in a row, I have to run/walk, and if I have pain, I need to stop.

Which brings me to yesterday--the first day of Detroit Marathon training.

My original plan was to do the Hansons Marathon Method again. I used that plan to train for Chicago, and it was AWESOME. I felt fantastic and stayed injury free. However, after the stress fracture, I knew that wouldn't be the right plan for me. It requires 40-50 miles per week of running, and since I haven't run much in the last six months, I knew that many miles would do more harm than good.

Coming off of a stress fracture, I decided that the best plan would be Jeff Galloway's run/walk method: completing the entire distance by doing a particular ratio of running and walking. The problem is, Jeff Galloway's plan is 30 weeks long, and I have 18 weeks until race day. When I was at the book store recently, I was flipping through his marathon training book, and he actually mentions training for a marathon with much less than 30 weeks notice. He said a seasoned runner could even do a marathon using his method with just six weeks notice.

I ultimately decided to follow his basic plan, but to change the long runs to build up faster. It's actually pretty simple:

Monday- 30 minute run/walk
Wednesday- 30 minute run/walk
Thursday- easy walk
Friday- long run/walk (his plan builds up to 26 miles, but he said that isn't necessary; I've modified mine to 22).

This plan is basically the complete opposite of Hansons, which makes me nervous! But, I'm going to give it a good honest try and see what happens. Because I'll be doing the run/walk method, I think I'll have the best chance of avoiding injury (as long as I don't do too much, and since this has just three runs per week, it's the minimum required for a marathon). I also plan to continue my strength exercises to keep from getting injured again, of course.

For the marathon, my ideal ratio of running to walking is a two-minute run followed by a thirty-second walk. To ease back into running, though, I decided to go with a one-minute run and thirty-second walk yesterday for my first training run. I'll add a little running each week until I hit two minutes.

My first run/walk went really well! I started by walking for 90 seconds, and then I went into the 60 second run and 30 second walk routine. I was very surprised at how hard it felt--I've gotten SO out of shape the last six months. The running portions seemed like they lasted forever, but the walking segments flew by. My heart rate was much higher than it used to be when I was running (even at a hard pace).

It was fun to look at the stats when I was done, though. I downloaded a new app that has more information, charts, and graphs than I would know what to do with; but I love looking at all the numbers. (The app is called ConnectStats, and if you're a data nerd like I am, you'll love it! It's an iPhone/iPad activity viewer for Garmin Connect or Strava)

I love the heart rate chart--you can see exactly where each of my run/walk intervals were. Anyway, I won't post all that info for each run I do, but I was just impressed with all the data available--it has much more than Garmin Connect has.

Over all, I am very happy with how the run/walk went. My leg didn't give me any issues, which was most important. And it was a much harder workout than I expected it to be! I like that I was only focused on each minute, rather than the run as a whole. I'm actually looking forward to marathon training with the Galloway method!

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