Dallas Turkey Trot

Before my lovely accident, I was fortunate enough to be able to run the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot in downtown Dallas. What an experience that was!

Steve and I got up early and headed out to ride the DART down to the race. I don't know what I was expecting as far as the DART was concerned. Space to sit? There certainly wasn't any. It was standing room only when we got on at Arapaho Station. I looked at Steve like, "What's going to happen at the next 8 stops?" People got on with strollers, one lady even got on with a big wagon for her kids! WTF? I really appreciate that you're bringing your kids along to this awesome, family event, but seriously, could you not have taken your car and not taken up the entire aisle? Seriously. Towards the end of our ride, it got more and more packed. I felt like a sardine. Normally, I'm not claustrophobic, but by the time the train hit the Convention Center station, I was ready to get off.

What was even more frustrating than the DART was probably the port-a-potty lines. Holy cow. Talk about not enough! Steve and I stood in line for at least 30 minutes waiting to use them. The race even started before we could get out of line.

Supposedly, there were over 37,000 racers at the Turkey Trot. That's more than the population of the town I'm from! How crazy is that? Once we were finally able to join the race, it took a good 2 miles before the road opened up and we were dodging people left and right. It was extremely frustrating to be around all the walkers and the dogs. I had one dog literally stop feet in front of us and begin pooping in the middle of the road. And Steve and I both almost ran into parking meters about 3 times.

Once the road cleared up though, everything was pretty smooth sailing. We ran around the JFK memorial, on into the Oak Cliff area. We ran over bridges, which was pretty freaking amazing, and around the now pile of steel that used to be Reunion Arena.

Seriously, it was great and I am proud of us. I hate to say it, but I owned Steve during the race. The whole time. And naturally, at the finish, he decided to kick it in gear and finish slightly ahead of me. Which is awesome since of course, that's where the cameras are. Whatever. I know the truth and I know that I had to stop on more than 3 occasions to search for him or walk with him. I don't know when I'll let him live that down.

But in all seriousness, it was a fun race. We ate some yogurt and drank lots of water and got back on the DART and actually got seats this time. And by the time we got home it was "feast" time. It was nice to be able to eat a little bit of everything and not feel guilty about it all day. I think this should become a tradition for us. It would be even more fun if we could get more of our family involved in the race, but I know that they'd probably only be willing to do the 5k and that we'd have to walk it and to me, I'd rather run so that I can eat more :)

To put me in the Christmas Spirit I'll also add a picture of my Christmas tree that I bought, put up, and decorated this past weekend:

Warning: Major Bummer Post

So, my quest to run a half marathon has been cut short. At least in time for the Dallas White Rock marathon on December 13th.

Monday night after work, I decided to go for a short 5k run. I knew the weather was going to be pretty nasty for the next couple of days and wanted to keep myself accountable for running.

Steve was running late from work, so I decided to head out by myself and get back before he got home. I put my brace on my right ankle, that still swells when I run from the previous ankle injury, grabbed a flashlight and was out the door. I felt great. I tried to pick up my pace and just focused on running and trying to land correctly on feet.

About a mile in (I'm guessing, it could have been a little more than that) I came across a section of sidewalk that had some leaves and acorns in a pile. I saw it, I expected it, I was ready. Then all of a sudden as my left foot hit the ground, it literally bent on it's side and down I went. How ironic that this would happen to the ankle that I hadn't injured before.

My heart sunk, I stifled a scream, and literally just turned right around and started hobbling home. It hurt. Like crazy. I forced myself not to cry and just focused on putting one foot in front of the other. I stopped my Pandora radio on my iPhone and dialed Steve, but he was on the DART and unreachable. I thought about calling Steve's parents but figured they were working late and didn't think about calling my friend and co-worker who also lives in the area until I was probably a few blocks from home. I was so angry. I wanted to throw my cell phone, I wanted to throw my flash light. I wanted to scream obscenities. I just knew this was the end of the road for my goal of running the half marathon at the White Rock race.

The farther I walked, the more painful it was. The pain was shooting up my leg and down my foot. I just knew I couldn't stop walking, I had to keep going until I got home. Once I got there, I sat down on the recliner and started bawling as I took off my shoes and socks to survey the damage. It was already starting to swell pretty nicely and after sitting, I could barely put any weight on it.

So I sat in the chair, crying my eyes out until I could compose myself enough to slowly and painfully hobble to the freezer and grab a baggie full of ice. Then I just waited for Steve to get home. I sat in the silence and just cried. Since July I've been working on this goal. I've had my eye on the prize and I was doing so well. Just a week and a half ago I ran 13 miles! 4 days ago I ran the 8 mile Turkey Trot in Dallas! I mean, seriously!

Once Steve got home he took care of me, he brought me some soup, and re-wrapped my ankle with more ice and saran wrap. Then at 8:30 we started seriously talking about heading the ER because I was concerned at how painful my ankle was. I can't remember it ever feeling that bad whenever I tried to put pressure on it.

So at 9:00 we got bundled up and headed over to the ER with books in hand, prepared for a long night. Luckily, the ER was completely empty and we got in really quickly. They put me in a wheelchair and when they took x-rays, kept me on the little gurney. It felt like a little bit of overkill to me, but hey, I'll take whatever I can get.

The doctor said it was just a bad sprain and to stay off of it for at least a week or two. I'm not taking any chances, so 2 weeks it is. I need to set up an appointment with an orthopedic doctor so he can check out my feet, but this just confirms that from now on I need to run with 2 braces :) I was given a prescription for some Motrin, a big boot for my ankle, and crutches and was sent on my way.

Here I am waiting in the ER.



We finally got back home around midnight and I promptly fell asleep. The past few days have really been exhausting. The crutches are friggin killing my underarms. And I can slowly walk with just my boot...but it's like I'm a slow 80 year old, so I prefer the pain of the crutches over the slowness of the boot.

This has been really hard for me. I'm usually an on the go person. My walking pace is like a speed walker, so if anyone knows me, they know this is extremely frustrating for me. I only know one speed and this one isn't working for me.

It's also embarrassing being at work and being like, "Hey, guys, can someone go grab me a coffee" because Lord knows how I'd get a hot beverage without a lid to my desk when I've got to hold on to a pair of crutches. Luckily, we have bottled water so that's been easy to get myself.

To give a comparison. This is what my ankle looked like before:


Here's a shot of my swollen right ankle the last time I sprained it. Ironically, the right one looks like my normal ankle right now and my left is as swollen as my right one was.



On the bright side of things, not being able to do this race will open up another opportunity for someone who was put on the wait list. So at least someone will get to run.

Mark my words, next year, I will be running the White Rock marathon. And instead of the half, I've got my eyes set on the full. I can do this and I will do this and I'll find a way to not hurt myself :) And from now on, I'll be running on a track or a treadmill or wide open trails. No more sidewalks and bumpy roads. Those are CLEARLY bad for me.

And that makes me the winner

So officially I've been out of the game for 5 weeks before I could finally start running again. Tuesday I ran 3 miles and Thursday I ran around 5. I was invited by my husband's old neighbor to go run with her and a group called, "Girls on the Run". I decided to try it out. She told me that they were intending on running 13 miles on Sunday and that there was no pressure to run that far, just to do what I could. So at 5:30 on Sunday, I woke up and got ready to go the distance!

It was a little intimidating to meet the women, they all looked so fit! And here I am, probably the heaviest of the bunch trying to keep up. We started at the White Rock Dog Park and ran off the trail/lake for 3 miles and then headed to the trails. I have to admit I couldn't believe how fast they were! I felt so slow compared to them. They were all talking and carrying on conversations pretty much the whole run and I'm just trying to remind myself to breathe! :0) I already felt pretty tired after 3 miles and tried to remind myself there wasn't any pressure to continue my run with them, but for some reason my mind just wouldn't let me give up on myself. I was pretty determined to just try to hang with them. Plus, once I got to a spot on the trail I was like, "Well, it would be pointless to turn back around and then I wouldn't know where to tell Steve to meet me so I guess I'm stuck". :) So of course I had to walk a little bit. I would say a grand total of a mile (it would be nice if it was less than that) and luckily the ladies stopped every so often at water fountains to recoup and stretch or take their gel shots or shot blocks.

At 10 and a half miles in they were like, "hey let's run up a hill" and not just any hill...but a hill that was crazy. Absolutely nuts and I just couldn't run up it. It was just too hard. Especially that late in the run. One of these days I'm going to conquer it though. I think that's a new goal I'm going to add to my run.

All in all, I completed 13 miles on the run. I was really proud of myself, but probably more exhausted than anything. I probably didn't feel recovered until about 6:00 that night. Hopefully, the recovery time will get better. And after running that far, I determined that the Turkey Trot on Thursday will be a piece of cake and that it will just be a pre-cursor to my half marathon in 3 weeks.

Today my legs are sore, but not as sore as I thought they'd be. I was pretty surprised when I could get out of bed this morning and not feel like my legs were going to give out on me. Today's my day off from running, but I plan on doing crunches and pushups tonight. Tuesday I want to run about 3-5 miles. Probably the same route Steve and I ran last Thursday. Then another day off...maybe take the dog for a walk..and then the 8 mile Turkey Trot. :) I'm pretty excied about the race.

I'm also really excited because Thursday I finally get to see my parents. They've been away for a month and I can't wait to see them.

20 Days until my first half marathon!!

Back in the Saddle Again

Well, I'm finally back on my feet and running!

Last night after work I convinced Steve to go on a run with me. We went a little over 3 miles. It was about 50 degrees out, so I wore my long running pants and my longsleeve DRC half marathon shirt and my Nike jacket. I slipped on my brace and felt good to go. A few weeks ago I ordered an armband for my iPhone and decided to try it out last night. I thought it worked really well. The key holder felt a little loose, but other than that I had no problems. While we were running I played my Pandora radio so that we could listen to classic rock. I wish I could listen to music and also track my run at the same time. Unfortunately, I found out I couldn't which really disappointed me.

The run went really well. I felt strong the whole time and my ankle felt fine. Though towards the end it did start feeling a little stiff. Since it's dark out when we get home, I carried a small flashlight and Steve wore a red-bike light on his back so that people could see us. I really focused on the sidewalk with the flashlight. I didn't want to step on an acorn or not see a rise in the cement and re-injure myself.

It just felt so good to get back out there. Especially the way the weather felt. It's just refreshing. I'm really proud of myself for doing the 3 miles, especially considering I've basically been out of the game for about a month now. I'd like to run again tonight if I can...maybe drive up to the track and run on it for 4-5 miles or just run to it (if Steve would let me). We have a lot of chores to do around the house this week before Saturday, so I don't know if I'll be able to do it. But I really need the exercise and I only have 9 days until the 8 mile Turkey Trot. Also, I'd like to go run with a group on Saturday and I know that they ran 12 miles last weekend. I'd be really proud of myself if somehow I could get back up to at least 9 by this weekend. That would require daily running and I certainly need it.

Last night, I also managed to do some crunches. I felt so weak! I was really disappointed in myself. I remember when my friend Chavayee and I would do 10 sets of 30 crunches of all different kinds and then we started doing even more. I could do 10 minutes of ab work and not feel worn out. This will be remedied, for sure! I can't believe I let myself go like that. I used to do them while watching TV and I got out of the habit. Guess it's time to get back in it, huh?

So that's the update. 9 days until the turkey trot and 26 days until the half marathon!!

Staying Active and Motivated

It's hard to find motivation to do anything when you're injured. To me, having this sprained ankle is cutting into valuable training time and leaving me extremely frustrated. Wednesday my ankle was about three times the size it normally is. I kept it propped up at work and iced the whole day. Now it's starting to look more like normal. Still a little swollen, but I'm regaining movement and not limping near as much as last week.

My ankles have been the bane of my existence since forever. Honestly, when thinking back I'm surprised I didn't have more problems with them when I was in drill team. But then I think of all the stretching and simple exercises that we used to do and I was probably strengthening more ankles more than I realized. I got my weak ankles from my dad. When he was in high school he played football and he told me about how often he would hurt his ankles and how every game he'd have to shave his legs half way up his chins and then tape up his ankles because he was so prone to injuries. He then told me that his ankles used to look like mine (all swollen) and that they haven't looked like that in 30 years because "I stopped running". I don't want that to be an option for me. If I have to wear a brace every time I run, I'll do it. That's where I'm at now. Keeping it wrapped up in my ACE bandage and hoping that by this weekend I can go for a short 1-2 mile run and see how my ankle feels.

It seems I always injure myself when I'm trying to lose weight or have a specific goal in mind. After having the flu 2 weeks ago and finding out my weight at the doctor's office, I was pretty determined to lose 5-7 pounds before Thanksgiving. It probably won't happen now because of my injury-but I'm really trying to be mindful of how much I eat and what I eat.

This weekend was a testament to me trying not to let my injured ankle put me down and out. I went with my in laws to the Richardson Pet Day to get Anna micro chipped (for $15!!!!) and walked around. I almost turned my ankle again on the uneven gravel...I really think I should have been named "Grace"...Luckily, I was wearing my brace and I caught myself before I landed too hard on it. So I don't think it hurt it too much. We also painted our guest bathroom a charcoal grey color that while making the room look a tad bit smaller, really makes the white tile and brushed nickel accents pop. I really like it. I didn't do a stellar tape job though, and will have to go back in this week and do some touch up work. :( I also raked a crap ton of leaves, so that was a workout. Sunday I was constantly on the go. We woke up, went to my parents to rake leaves there since they're out of town, we went to the grocery store, I did a second coat of paint in the bathroom, I raked leaves in our front and back yard, I did laundry, cleaned the floors to the best of my ability (I think my swiffer is still at our apartment, so I could only sweep the kitchen and dining room), I took the tape down in the bathroom, we had dinner with Steve's parents, and then I made cookies and watched the Cowboys outplay the Eagles. It was a great weekend, one where I wish I could have added "I ran 13 miles" to, but that's just going to have to wait. I love having our home and being able to put things up and decorate and paint. It's just so much fun. Maybe I can convince my husband to let me paint some more this coming weekend :)

I'm so sore from raking! I hope to get some more workouts in by doing push ups, crunches, and maybe some squats. The squats all depend on whether or not my ankle will be up for it. I don't want to push myself too hard and then end up prolonging my recovery. I just can't wait to run again. Sometimes I feel like I'm going stir crazy by not being able to do cardio.

Turkey Trot 8 mile is in 17 days and my first half marathon is in 34 days.

You've Got to be Kidding

Today was my official, "getting back on the bandwagon" day. It fell a little flat.

I went to bed and set my alarm last night to wake me up at 5:00. I slept through the whole night, which is really unusual for me. When my alarm woke me up at 5:00, I wanted to just roll over and go back to sleep, but instead I got up and got around (ok, ok...so I might have laid in bed for another 15 minutes...but still...at least I finally got up). Steve and I got dressed and headed out the door.

Our trek was going to be pretty short since we hadn't really been running for a while because of injuries and sickness. We ran from our street to Custer, down through the Canyon Creek area and back. About a half mile in, the endorphins kicked in and I just felt amazing. It was cool out, I missed the wind in my face and I missed the way my heart and breathing felt as I ran. It was just great to finally be back out doing something I've really grown to love. We were literally a block from crossing back over Campbell when all of a sudden my ankle turned and my run was cut short. It took me so off guard that I almost plummeted to the ground, I couldn't breathe because I was almost hyperventilating, and then I got insanely dizzy. The pain was probably the worst thing I've felt come from my ankle in at least a year. After sitting on the ground for a few minutes, trying to gather myself and decide whether or not I wanted Steve to hurry and run home to get the car, I picked myself up and hobbled home.

I can feel the pain go from the top of my foot up to my knee it's that hurt. I'm not sure whether or not I want to get it x-rayed yet. I imagine I'm going to need to lay off of it for probably a few weeks. Naturally, this will not do. Seriously, I don't have a few weeks to lay off of it. I need to continue training. How? I'm not sure. I'm probably going to see if I can convince Steve to let me unfreeze my 24 Hour Fitness account so that I can do some form of cardio and weights to off set the damage I've done. Hopefully, it will clear up in the weeks that come and I'll be able to run the turkey trot on November 26th in Dallas. It's an 8 mile race that I've signed up for...and then 2 weeks after that is the 1/2 marathon I've been preparing for since July.

I'm not sure how I'll feel if all of this becomes not an option.

At least now I've learned that now I have no choice but to tape up my ankles every time I run. I won't let this ruin all my hard work!!

Falling Off the Wagon

Technically, I didn't "fall" off the wagon...it sort of rolled over my foot and then my whole body.

It's been a good three weeks since I ran 11 miles. I was ready for my 1/2 marathon...just waiting for November 1st to get here. Of course, the very end of that 11 miles I rolled my ankle which I decided to lay off of for a week. So that week I took it easy. I tried to focus on getting better and getting out of my apartment. We moved that next weekend into our home. Of course, the move was not exactly smooth. We were without a fridge for a week and Saturday night, while trying to move a dresser, it was dropped and naturally landed on my big toe. I was seriously worried I was going to lose my toenail. It was really painful. Luckily, I still have a toenail...though it looks rather damaged..but of course that set me for another week of not running. :( I was still pretty positive that I'd be able to run the 1/2 the next week. Until...last Sunday. I woke up feeling a bit under the weather but was still determined to finally go for my first run in 2 weeks and my first run in our new neighborhood. Steve used to run cross country in high school, so he showed me the trails they used to run. We ran around Canyon Creek. It was perfect training! Hilly, lots of turns, good sidewalks...We ran about 6.7 miles before I decided "Ok, I'm really not feeling so hot. I think I'm done". It was a slow run, but I was still proud of myself for getting out there and running when I wasn't feeling exactly "stellar". But the rest of the day my body continued to go down hill. Eventually by mid afternoon, I was laid up on the sofa watching the Cowboy game trying not to move. I found out a few days later I had the flu. Big time bummer. I decided not to risk relapsing and skipped out on the 1/2 marathon that happened on Sunday.

Thursday, Steve and I went to Run On! and picked up my race packet. It was so depressing. I got this awesome shirt and my bib even had my name on it! "Mariah" over my bib number...how cute is that? I was like, "Oh my gosh! What a bummer!" I did get some pretty awesome swag, even though I didn't get to run the race. We got a discounted rate to go to any Stars game during the month of November, a few bottled drinks, a packet of Clif bar Shot blocks, and coupons for Run On!. Still, it's so anti-climactic to get your bib and swag knowing you won't be able to run the race in a few days. I woke up Sunday a little down in the dumps knowing that I could be running my first half marathon, but instead I was at my house taking it easy...

Oh well...There's the one in December I'm highly looking forward to. I'm determined to finish strong. It's also inspired me to look into signing up for more races. If I can do this half marathon, I can do a full. I've also decided to get back on the "diet" wagon. When I went to the doctor I was pretty disappointed the number on the scale. I'd like to see that change a little bit before the Holiday season approaches.

I'm starting my training again hopefully tomorrow morning. I'd like to run 4.5 miles to start out. I think it's hilarious when I say "my short run is going to be 5 miles". Seriously? Remember in July when that was my "long" run? Yeah, I've come a long way. It's great to look back and feel like I'm accomplishing so much and really proving myself every time I get out there and hit the pavement. It's really empowering. It's also incredible to look back and think that before it was like pulling teeth to get out there and run and now I love it. It's a great way to start the day. The cool air in your face, the beating of your heart, the sound of your feet hitting the cement. I love it. I really do. And I really miss it. I can't wait to get back out there!