Hello, Goodbye, Hello, Goodbye

Maybe I got inspired last week while writing about writing or perhaps I may just need a little late summer vacay, but I’ve decided to make big changes to my blog!  This will actually be my last blog post on Brews and Running Shoes. 

Every good streak must eventually come to an end, and after writing 64 weekly articles, I am closing this chapter of my running story.  But the exciting part is that I am opening a new one!

There is no question that this past year has been a challenging one – To say that I have struggled with injuries, may be an understatement.  But even though I have yet to enjoy a completely pain-free run, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Thus, now is the perfect time to reassess my priorities and goals and choose to focus my energy on a more productive path.  It’s like how I feel about the food I put in my mouth, if something doesn’t improve your life and wellbeing, spit it out.

I'm in love with The Plant Cafe Organic

I am proud of my accomplishments and hard work thus far, but I feel that both my running and my writing have significant room for growth.  I love running and enjoy writing, but I often feel like I slap together a weekly blog post quicker than Goldie Hawn fixes a PB&J (with mayo) in Overboard.  Admittedly, I have treated my blog as just another item on my to do list – 1) Cut grass 2) Write Blog Post 3) Sweep up dog hair 4) Paint Fence.  Thus, I would prefer to post less often, but publish writing that I feel more passionate about (and hopefully is more enjoyable to read!).  Because, let’s be honest, when you can’t even put a workout on the schedule, let alone a race, a weekly blog post is a little overkill.  The only person excited about my five-mile easy runs is I (and that’s ok).

Will provide beer to anyone who wants to help paint!

Worried family and friends have suggested that I give up training and racing so that I may hopefully return to logging healthy, easy miles.  I really do appreciate the concern (even if I don’t necessarily appreciate the advice :) ), but people have got to be higher than this hippie I met last weekend in San Francisco’s Delores Park if they think I’m going to quit after only getting about 18 months of training under my legs.

Evidently I was not so sneaky in capturing this pic.

So, my friends, while this may be the end of Brews and Running Shoes, it is definitely not the end of running for me.  I am excited (and always optimistic) about the future.  And I am very much already out this door and working on a new blog.  I’m not leaving – just taking a little holiday.  I’ll be back.

You say goodbye and I say hello. 

This Week’s Mileage:  A streak was truly broken because I waited so long to write this post that two weeks went by!  Last week I only ran 10 miles.  I was running up a hill when I started feeling something in my right Achilles – the pain went away but only to return later in the day.  The next day I went to see the orthopedic surgeon again, because I honestly felt like my lower right leg should be feeling much better than it has been.  After another x-ray, the doctor said that my bone looked awesome (not sure if those were the exact words, but it’s what I heard), but I have posterior shin splints – which is what I’ve complained about since early Spring before I realized I had bone fractures as well.  Thus, because of the pain in the Achilles and the shin splints, I didn’t run any last weekend.  I did, however, go on an 11-mile hike at Alamere Falls – a little north of San Francisco, and I attended my first SoulCycle class (let’s just say I’m a better runner than I am cyclist).

Above the Falls

A little nervous on the decent

Our Hiking Group

Yes - I took a selfie (and got photo bombed)

Reason for my SF trip - To see this girl! :)

This week, with the help of my spanking new shoes (love them!), I ran 25 miles.  I definitely still have shin splints, but overall, I feel a million times better today than I did a month ago.  Hopefully, I am making progress and will be 100% healthy soon!  (Maybe in time for a new blog launch!)

New Shoes!  Saucony's Kinvara 4

This Week’s Beer Choice:  Bear Republic’s Racer 5 IPA 

I’ve had many a Racer 5s, but I’m quite sure it’s the first time I had the West Coast favorite on tap!

Racer 5 IPA at The Elbo Room in SF's Mission District

Why Do I Write?

At a recent cocktail party, a friend’s boyfriend commented that he had seen my blog post that week.  (It always weirds me out a little when I find out that there are people who actually read my blog –isn’t that some sort of invasion of privacy?)  He also asked me an interesting question – What am I trying to do with my blog?  What’s the endgame?

Even though I may be a blogger (although I think I’m writing articles and not blog posts?), I’m not very tech-savvy or blog-literate.  People have asked if I am trying to put ads up on my blog, but I wouldn’t even know where to start to do something like that.  (I can’t even tell you how to “follow” me!)  And I’m not sure I really want advertisers or sponsors – Mostly because I don’t want my honestly compromised or have some company tell me to start hyping their product and stop calling Ryan Hall an asshole.

So, why exactly do I write?  At times (especially at fake “deadlines”), I have wondered the same thing.  So, I thought I’d try to get some inspiration and reasoning for all this time wasting by polling two of the best writers I know.

My question was simple – “Why do you write?”  But as you can imagine any kind of writer can’t sum up a decent answer to that question in less than a paragraph.

My friend Mary, who has a ridiculously beautiful food blog that makes me feel like my blog was created as a kindergarten craft project in comparison, generously served up the following response.

And why do I write??  Holy cow, that's a hard question.  I guess I like to write because I like to create things.  That's actually why I like to cook too.  You just take a bunch of ingredients (or words, as the case may be) and do your best to assemble them into something meaningful (or tasty).  Even when the recipe is a complete fail, or the paragraph you've written is so God-awful you’d rather light your laptop on fire than post it to your blog, the whole creation process is fulfilling.  Rewarding, even.  For me, writing is MUCH harder than cooking.  I trust my sense of taste much more than my writing skills, but that's what makes me like writing even more.  I love the challenge.

The identity of the other writer I interviewed may be reason enough why I have continuously posted an article, week-after-week, for over a year now.  Far more popular than I will ever be, my mother actually gets paid to write a weekly column for my hometown’s newspaper.  A former English teacher and a lifelong reader, her response didn’t surprise me.

I think people who write do so because they can't help themselves.  They have a message they feel compelled to convey to others.  To write well is hard work but these poor suckers sit in front of the keyboard struggling week after week to capture and express their thoughts.

Most writers are not in it for the money or the recognition, both of which are scarce, but for the sometimes tortuous process of reaching somebody, anybody, who might happen to pause and become a reader.

So why do I write?

Well, the boring answer is that I feel like it is good exercise for my mind.  Blogging is like my pretend job that allows me to stretch my creative brain muscles in ways that they are not often challenged during my ordinary workday. 

The easy answer is that I love (obsessed may be more accurate) running, and I enjoy sharing my passion with others.

But the real reason why I posted my first article 15 months ago is perhaps too complicated for me to even understand.  I got in to running on almost a fluke – I never had any intentions of running a  marathon (or even a half) before I decided to take the 2012 Thunder Road Marathon up on their BOGO (Buy One, Get One) deal by purchasing the full marathon registration instead of the half. (They were basically the same price.  Full Marathon = twice the distance, twice the Gatorade, and an energy bar as a bonus.  Anyone running just the half would be crazy.)  And I shocked myself with the progress my body was able to make in just a few months.  I like to say that training creates miracles, but I also believe that every person is capable of so much more than she believes.  Perhaps some people have no idea what their hidden talents could be (have you ever tried playing the violin??), but often times self-doubt, fear of failure, and general negativity keeps up from shooting for the stars. 

So, I guess if I am writing because I have a message (cause I still don’t know why the hell I’m doing this), it would be to Go For It, whatever it is.  Because, I believe human beings are capable of amazing things if we only try (and train).

This Week’s Mileage:  17

This Week’s Beer Choice:  Samuel Adams Rebel IPA

Surface Matters

Runners are obsessed with a lot of things – running (obviously), eating large quantities of carbs (usually accompanied by large quantities of beer), and GPS watches for examples.  But another obsession that, if not properly reigned in, can lead down a very dark, rocky road, is researching running injuries.  Too often after too many Google searches, a runner comes to the conclusion that she is either dying or worse – will never run again.  But a recent “finding” that I stumbled across while researching stress fracture recovery is as startling to me as it is scary.  Multiple articles are claiming (“despite popular belief”) that running surfaces don’t really matter.

Take this New York Times article for example – The quoted doctor explains that our bodies adapt to the running surface we choose so that the force of impact is the same regardless of whether we are on roads or trails. 

I certainly agree that our bodies are able to adapt to running on different surfaces – That’s why you don’t drastically make changes like running all your miles on a treadmill to logging all your workouts on asphalt – You have to adapt first.  And it’s also why we train on surfaces similar to those that will be used for racing.  But can our bodies really adapt to the point that the force of impact is the exact same regardless of the running surface?  And if so, exactly how long does it take our bodies to adapt? 

If runners can fully adapt to training surfaces and adaptation is immediate, then perhaps a running surface doesn’t matter.  But even this New York Times article admits that it takes people differing amounts of time to make these adaptations and suggests runners should make changes in running surfaces gradually.  Thus, it seems to me, if it is an agreed-upon fact that it takes time for a person to adapt to various running surfaces, then it can be assumed that there is a period of time before adaptation in which the person experiences different levels of stress on dissimilar surfaces.  It only follows that in that period of time before a person’s body can completely adapt, running surface does matter.

In my first two weeks of returning to running following my stress fracture diagnosis and required rest, I have been experimenting a bit with the running surfaces for my pitiful three-mile jogs (calling some of these outings “runs” would probably be a bigger stretch than a yogi’s bird of paradise).   Not only have I logged miles in four cities in two states in a span of 14 days, my running shoes have pounded pavement, wooden boardwalks, trails, and beach sand.  And there is no question in my training log, runs feel easier on my body when they are not on pavement.

You may be saying right now that I am just imagining that the pavement is harder on my body than the soft, sandy beaches.  If so, well then, you may have more of an argument than you might first realize. 

You see, another, less-debated (however often discussed on runners’ messaging boards) phenomenon is phantom pain post-stress fracture.   I HATE the term because it makes me sound as if I am just imagining things – like I am not mentally stable and so scared of re-injury that I am making things up.  Thus, I prefer to think of the discomfort at the point of my lower-leg stress fracture (technically there was a 2^nd stress fracture a little higher up on the same leg but didn’t hurt nearly as much) as residual pain.  I believe the source of the discomfort (that doesn’t seem to get worse) is from the significant amount of new bone that has grown at the point of my old stress fracture.  If I run my fingers over the area, I can actually feel the calcium that has built up on the spot.  According to my doctor, it can take a year before the new bone becomes smooth and “normal” again.  However, in the meantime, the calcium deposits put pressure on surrounding nerve tissues, which can create various sensations such as tingling or numbness.

Google, Bing it, or scoop up a Dogpile of articles on running surfaces, and you will find there are about as many opinions on this topic as there are on minimalist shoes.  But honestly, while I find the research interesting, I’m not sure if I really care if some doctor has determined that there is no benefit to running on softer surfaces.  Because, phantom or not, I feel more comfortable – especially at the point of my old stress fracture – when I am not out pounding the pavement but instead rolling down the beach alongside the ocean waves.

This Week’s Mileage:  12

This Week’s Beer Choice:  21st Amendment’s Brew Free or Die IPA

I love a good beer when I come home to overgrown cucumbers after a long trip!

And I’m Back in the Game!

You would have thought it was a night before a big race – I was asleep at 10:00 but wide-awake again at midnight unable to get any additional shut-eye.  I tried eating something to coax myself back into a slumber, a tactic that helped me fall back asleep the night before last fall’s Marine Corps Marathon when I was pacing the halls at 3:00 am stressed out about my funny-acting right ankle.  But for hours last Monday night, it seemed that no matter what I tried I was too worried, excited?, and nervous about what was coming the following morning.  The performance that was creating my anxiety wasn’t on a racecourse, however; it was at the orthopedic surgeon’s office.

I spent the morning after my restless night trying to come up with a tactic – Should I try to bully the doctor into letting me run again?  Or should I throw myself at his mercy, beg him to level with me, and tell him that I’m on the verge of really freaking out?  One thing I could decide on was that I would not cry, no matter what the results.  Last appointment was too close of a call.  I think the doctor knew I was close to waterworks when he delivered the sentence of three additional weeks without running.  Runners with stress fractures are so dramatic.

At the orthopedic surgeon’s office, I was first interviewed by the physician’s assistant.  I REALLY wanted to run again, but I also didn’t want to deceive the doctors and have them send me back on the roads under a false diagnosis.  Thus, I was coming clean with the facts that I still had some tenderness at the point of my lower right leg stress fracture, discomfort in my recently overused left ankle area, and some soreness in my right hip, when I caught the P.A. ring-check me.  I almost busted out laughing, but I tried to quickly recover and carry on with my injury update, pretending like I didn’t notice him glance at my left hand as I was gesticulating through my story.  Still, I admit, there was a pause…

Turns out there was no need to do laundry at 2:00 am the night before to ease my mind, because several minutes after the P.A. left the room (perhaps out of embarrassment?), the orthopedic surgeon came in and gave me the clear to (slowly) begin running again. 

It probably took about three minutes – a time frame during which I may or may not have thrown several fist pumps in the bathroom – before I was lacing up my old running shoes and strapping on my Garmin, which still displayed a current pace of 6:34 and a distance of 11.3 miles – the point at which I dropped out of the Boston Marathon and evidently also hit the stop button on my watch.  But Tuesday’s run of only 2 miles at roughly a nine-something pace (ok, it was a jog) was far more successful.

In a recent article on Runner’s World, Olympic marathoner Kara Goucher, who has been recovering from a sacral stress fracture, stated that her coach’s plan required her to be running on solid ground again by July 1^st in order to make a fall marathon (a deadline she had no problem meeting).  I find it funny that my doctor’s appointment and first day back running on the roads was July 1^st – It was a fresh start to the 2^nd half of 2014.

So, am I thinking a fall marathon like Goucher?  Does a distance runner like to eat?  Of course, I am already contemplating what will be my next marathon, and I would love to complete one before the end of the year (along with several other shorter distance races!), but for the moment, I am just grateful to be able to head out of the door on an easy, slow run.

This Week’s Mileage:  8.5  (3 Super Easy Runs – 2 miles, 3 miles, and 3.5 miles)

This Week’s Beer Choice:  Stone Go To IPA (A fairly new beer, released March 2014.  Tastes awesome.  Light enough for the beach and only 4.5% alcohol/volume so you can enjoy for a while)

Enjoying a Stone Go To IPA with my Best Friend

Top 10 Reasons Why I Hate Aqua Jogging

Recently, on the way to the pool, I pondered what it exactly it was about aqua jogging that I hated so much.  So, I decided to compile a list of the top 10 reasons why I hate my daily workouts in the deep end to prove that my dislike of the activity is completely rational.

1)    I prefer the smell of my own stench to that of chlorine.

2)    My bathing suit rides up my butt.  Thank goodness no one can see you pick your wedgie underwater.  Or can they???

3)    You get invited to join the senior citizen water aerobics class.

4)    Creepy guy stares at you.  Has he never seen anyone aqua jog before?  Quick!  Run fast!

5)    Facility closes for swim meets, special events, and community swim lessons so not only can you not run, but you also cannot aqua jog…a new life low.

6)    It makes you have to pee.

7)    You don’t sweat.  Instead, you absorb water.  So, in truth, aqua jogging makes you fat.

8)    People hate you when you ask to share their lane.  They may say yes, but they are already thinking about how many times they can splash you in the face.

9)    You need waterproof mascara so when your new lane-sharing enemy splashes you in the face, it doesn’t look like you hate aqua jogging so much that you’ve been crying for the past hour.

10) No matter what you read, it is not freaking running!

1 Week till Running (Hopefully!)

This Week’s Beer Choice:  Not sure who will win the World Cup, but one winner at the World Beer Cup was a beer that I have previously referred to as the “best beer in Charlotte,” NoDa Brewing Company’s Hop Drop ‘N Roll.  I guess now I need to refer to it as the “best IPA in the World.”  Way to go NoDa Brewing Company!

Hop Drop 'N Roll at Soul Gastrolounge in Charlotte

Why I Fear the 5K

In this month’s Runner’s World magazine, my BFF from last week’s blog post, Lauren Fleshman, wrote an article about why the 5K is “freaking awesome.”  But to me, there’s nothing fun about this popular fun run distance.  In truth, I’m kinda frightened of running another 5K.

To me, the 5K is like the scariest ride at the amusement park – it’s intense.  You just get on board and try your best to hold on.  You think I’m talking about breathing hard?  Try panting.  If I could talk during a 5K, I’d tell everyone “I’m Dying!”

After my last 5K (also the only 5K I have run in the past two years), I couldn’t even get down a beer.  It was that bad.  I felt so sick last summer after finishing the NoDa 5K on a muggy Friday night in an unimpressive 18:20.  I even thought about dropping out of the race around mile two because my pace felt so uncomfortable.

Stormy Weather the Night of the '13 NoDa 5K (Photo By Jon Pfeifer)

I’ve decided that the half marathon is probably the easiest race distance.  Like the marathon, you don’t breathe hard unless you got problems.  You can chat, make new friends, and eat a snack in both the half and full marathons.  In fact, racing a half or full marathon is probably a better way to meet people than going to the bar (you already know you have something in common!), and you will probably feel better the next day too!  Unfortunately with the full marathon you run the risk of bonking and hitting the infamous wall, but most runners can sail over the half marathon finish line and over to the beer tent without being forced to slow to a crawl.

The last half I ran was the Marine Corps Half Marathon in preparation for the 2013 Marine Corps Marathon.  I ran the relatively flat course at Camp Lejeune on a 70-degree day in 1:22:36.  It was a breeze.  I enjoyed nice, negative splits (ran the 2^nd half of the race faster than the first) and a couple of beers at the post-race celebration.

I like the longer races because they feel easier, but I realize that the distances also help cover my weaknesses – And who wants everyone to see her flaws?!  You don’t have to be quite so speedy in the longer distances.  You just have to be efficient – something my small frame helps me accomplish.  But a 5K requires more than just endurance.  A runner must be fast and strong to perform well.  And frankly, I think I’m a little weakling (the therapist even told me I had a weak tush).  The fact that I’m still a somewhat newbie runner is blatantly evident when I’m gasping for air after only a mile of hard running.

So, if you are one of those runners who believes that your frequent weekend 5Ks are insignificant and that you could never imagine running 26.2 miles, I will tell you that I am the one who is impressed.  I know that a 5K is HARD WORK.  Like Fleshman, I think the 5K needs more street cred than it’s receiving, but I also would encourage all the 3.1 milers to try a marathon or a half sometime – You may find that it feels easier than you think.

2 Weeks till Running (Hopefully!)

This Week's Beer Choice:  Catawba Brewing Company's Firewater IPA

Retail Therapy

This week I had my follow-up x-ray after seven (SEVEN!!) weeks of no running following my attempt to complete the 2014 Boston Marathon.  I was hopeful that I would be able to slowly return to running at this point, but I knew going in to the doctor’s office that I still didn’t feel 100%.  I also knew that nothing seems to ever go right with my injuries.

Sure enough – I was told to continue doing what I’m doing (not much) and come back again in three weeks.  The bone is healing, but it is just taking time.

Up until this point, I feel like I have been handling my injury like a champ.  Sure I’ve had times of anger (Oh, you are so smug!  Just showing off that you can run and I can’t!) but overall, I feel like I have kept things together fairly well.  Or at the very least, I've done better than Hitler with a stress fracture.

My sound mental health may be thanks to my recent weeks of retail therapy.  I may not be able to run, but I sure as hell can stock up on some gear for when I finally get the green light from the doctor!

I definitely would not describe myself as a big shopper – I feel guilty about spending a lot of money on material goods.  But I justify my purchases because these are things I need – Since I haven’t been running long (even if I did count the time while injured, I’ve still only been consistently running less than two years) I really don’t have that many running outfits, and since I work from home two days a weeks, my training gear doubles as work apparel!  And did I mention that I haven’t paid full price for anything?

So far, I’ve been averaging about one purchase per week, totaling three Lululemon shirts and three pairs of shorts from Oiselle to date. 

Like most athletic girls, I’ve been obsessed with Lululemon for a while – I’m starting to have as many reusable Lululemon bags in my closet as I do grocery bags under the sink (I will make the grocery attendant hold my cart so I can go get my Running Warehouse bags from my car where I frequently forget them.  I don’t need any more grocery bags!). 

But Oiselle has become a new favorite brand to get sweaty in!  I honestly didn’t know much about the running apparel company until they recently signed Olympian Marathoner Kara Goucher after she left Nike and the West Coast to return to Boulder and her college coaches.  I think it’s safe to say that the marketing move to add Goucher to their team worked on me, and now I am happily helping pay her new salary!

Oiselle also sponsors another kick-ass female runner – Lauren Fleshman.  I like Fleshman because there is no question that this chick has balls.  Like most women who read her blog post Keeping it Real.  I was impressed with Fleshman’s honestly and guts to post less-than-flattering pictures of her thigh cheese and of her belly hanging over her track shorts.  Maybe one day I will be as brave as Fleshman and post my own “fat pictures.”

I’m not going to sugarcoat it – Having another three weeks to go until I can run again is like being on mile 23 of the marathon – Sh*t just sucks.  But I’m getting close.  And getting a fun package in the mail on the same day I got delivered bad news from the doc makes me feel better – even if it’s only a little better.

 

A Lululemon Pick-Me-Up

3 Weeks till Running (Hopefully!)

This Week's Beer Choice:  Stone IPA

I Can't Run.  I Can't Go To Yoga. But I Can Still Drink Beer.
(In Wilmington)

Like A Kid In A Candy Store

Call it weird, but lately, one of my favorite weekly activities has been shopping at the Whole Foods in Wilmington, NC (my home away from home).  I find myself just walking around the store (or scooting around the store in a jazzy shopping cart when I was still on crutches) browsing for new foods to try and taking in all the sights and smells of so many healthy, organic, and locally grown foods.  I feel the same way in Whole Foods as I do in Anthropologie, one of my favorite clothing/home stores.  I want everything!  Power greens – Yes please!  Vegan “chicken” – Sure! Why not?

Joy Riding in the Jazzy at Whole Foods

Perhaps I’m experiencing backlash to my post-Boston binges of Ben & Jerry’s and Girl Scout cookies, but my body has been craving clean, raw, natural foods.   I’m eating a salad loaded with dark nourishing greens, veggies, nuts, organic goat cheese, and sometimes fruit (my kind of candy) almost every day.

I think my guilt over previous indulgences is only part of the source of my recent menu overhaul however.   Call is spring diet cleaning, but it seems that the warmer temperatures and lush, green vegetation that has recently sprung up outside not only encourages late afternoon beers on the patio but also lighter meals sourced from farmers markets.  

Blooms Decorating My Front Porch

In fact, I realized recently that it was around this time last year when I decided to become vegan – it didn’t last long but I gave it a noble effort for several weeks.  And although I’m enjoying real turkey sandwiches again, I’m still building them in wholesome, protein-packed Ezekiel 4:9 bread.  And because of my short-lived “vegan-experience,” instead of craving a quarter-pounder on the weekends, my mouth now waters for black bean burgers and beer!

Quinoa Black Bean Veggie Burger at Alexander Michael's (Charlotte, NC)

I’ve also planted another garden this year.  While tending to the tiny plants, I have grand visions of creating a late summer salad comprised of the fruits (and vegetables) of my labors.  However, I had similar lofty goals last year that were nibbled away by pesky insects.  But it’s a fresh season and a fresh start!  Maybe this year I will have the most productive garden on the block.

Of course, as much as I travel, sometimes it’s difficult to find and make wholesome choices when you are surrounded with temptation (and peer pressure!).  This week, I’m training in Atlanta – where lunch options include fried chicken, mac ‘n’ cheese, and key lime pie that is followed by brownies and cookies as an afternoon “snack” only two hours later.  (I went to a public accounting conference years ago that had hot dogs as a snack – so things could definitely be worse.)  But after 8 hours of lectures, and 15 minutes in Atlanta traffic to go only one mile, I found my hangry heaven – Whole Foods.

Not only was I able to pick up an awesome spicy tuna, avocado and quinoa sushi roll (sure beats room service!), but I got a six-pack of Blind Pirate from the Atlanta-local brewery Monday Night.

Whole Foods Sushi

I may be eating so much healthy food lately that I’m probably not combating any of the inevitable running-injury weight gain, but I figure when your candy is real strawberries and not just strawberry flavored, go ahead and put the treat on everything!

Kashi Organic Promise Cinnamon Harvest with Strawberries

1 Week till Running (Hopefully!)  X-Ray Next Tuesday!

This Week's Beer Choice:  Monday Night Brewing's Blind Pirate Double IPA (Atlanta, GA)

Monday Night's Blind Pirate Double IPA