half marathon training – travellingcari.com

December 22, 2019

Dashing through December with Jingle Bells

Where on earth did this month go? How is it already Christmas week? Apologies for a comments blitz of late. I’m trying desperately to catch up. One of these days I’ll either put email on my phone or figure out how to blog. Not gonna happen.

It’s not even technically winter yet as I type this on Wednesday, but I’m already smelling spring as I got into the Cherry Blossom 10M. I ran this in 2018 and this was when I first “met” some of you when Coco found my recap. While I’m not sure I can actually go in April due to some travel on either side.

First I need to get my cranky IT band back to 100%. Baby steps.

If you celebrate something this time of year, enjoy it.

Race recap: Delray Jingle Bell Jog.

I eyed this race last year when I was in Fort Lauderdale but I decided it was too far for a 5K. Hmm, sounds like the reason I haven’t done Brooklyn’s. This year I was actually staying in Delray and the calendar worked, so I signed up. Rather than a tee shirt, this race provides you with a Santa suit. I’m 5’2 and it’s sized to fit someone a foot taller and wider, so it never was practical. Luckily Delray has all the chains and I hit up TJ Maxx, Ross, Stein Mart, two running stores and Target to find a red shirt to run in. Spoiler, I should have just gone to Target first.

The race begins (and ends) in Anchor Park so I had a nice two mile run from the condo to the start. I left a little later than planned, because 6:30 is early and as a result I hit Delray “traffic” aka the drawbridge. As we waited, I met another runner out for a morning run and we got to chatting. While Delray isn’t a particularly small town, the running community felt it — everyone chatted or waved. Due to the bridge and generally late start, I got to the start just before we set off and I lined up with all the other Santas, elves and winter holiday finery.

We set out at the sound of a loud jingle bell and were off, up Casuarina and onto AIA where we ran for a mile and change before turning around and coming back to Anchor Park. The lead / escort vehicle was a surfing Santa in a red sports car. Awesome! There was one water station that served the out and back and really, is there a better combination than palm trees and Santas?

When we got back to Anchor Park there were medals – I won’t lie, the main reason I did this race – beer and ice cream. Not typically a breakfast beer person, but this was cold and refreshing. I also won an OrangeTheory water bottle. Once I’d cooled down, I didn’t want to start running again so I walked back to the condo via a delicious breakfast at Another Broken Egg Cafe.

I’d do this race again if I was in Delray that weekend, but it’s not (nor is it meant to be) a destination race. However, it has multiple locations and I’d certainly try another location too if that worked. A fun, local fun run.

Double Weekly Run Down with Kim and Deborah:

Week of 12/9:

I missed a Monday, but I knew I would with the gala. It went well.

Tuesday: I had full blessing from my boss to sleep in and show up when I wanted to given the long hours/late night for the gala. Not only could I not fall asleep, but I was wide awake at 5:30. Luckily I have a dear friend who is also a morning person and was happy to go out with me. We walked, ran and forgot to pause the Garmin while we chit-chatted on a beautiful December morning in Central Park.
Wednesday: bupkus. Much delayed flight to Florida.

Thursday: new location, old running habits. Had to find the shortest route to the beach that didn’t involve running on US1. Check!
Friday: lots of walking errands to try and find a red shirt for the Jingle Bell Jog as the Santa suit was way too big.

Saturday: Delray Jingle Bell Jog. So much silly fun that started off with a gorgeous sunrise over the intracoastal and ended up with ~1200 Santas. This should have been a longer run with the beginning of half marathon training, but determined not to get injured again.’

Sunday: would have been a beautiful morning to run, but my Achilles were feeling the hills and not enough (OK, any) stretching, rolling or PT so I walked to the beach and sat there four a couple of hours before watching Eli Manning’s amazing swan song.

Week of 12/16:

never miss a Monday: one last Florida run with some crazy birds before a return to reality.
Tuesday: aforementioned icy rain reality. Digging out of my inbox and a lovely evening catching up with a friend over sushi.

Wednesday: beautiful winter morning and the last day before it turns to the teens so I scooted out for four wake up miles. Knee cranky after standing during holiday party and more no stretching so I hit the gym after for some PT.
Thursday: holiday lights, long foam roll.
Friday: time to start shopping
Saturday: long foam roll
Sunday: tried to run, knee wasn’t great but walking was better than it had been so taking that as good sign.

Plan for the week: run if I can, foam roll a lot.

December 8, 2019

Ted Corbitt 2019

Original post title: Trying not to run on caffeine and sugar.

That was before this became a pointless weekly run down due to a wonderfully crazy work week. My office has our annual gala on Monday and I wear a lot of hats for that. On the plus side, I made relatively good decisions for real food and not venti sugar bombs and as a result, I slept except for some Monday night insomnia. I’ll touch on what little running actually happened after my Ted Corbitt recap, but first…

What I said last week about only two things for Black Friday was true, and then Cyber Monday hit. Still on the running theme, I got:

Project Repat T-Shirt Quilt. I’ve been dithering on this since Kim mentioned a quilt she had made a few years ago. The 55% off gift card made me pull the trigger.
JackRabbit sale and coupon on sale for my 1080s. I hate the new ones, so glad to stash a pair of the v9s especially as my “new” ones are already 100+ as I ended up wearing them for the marathon. Oddly the ones I bought were the runners up in August.

Ted Corbitt 15K recap:

At one point, I wasn’t going to run Ted. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel a month out from the marathon – the rest one day for every mile run adage can be confusing for a first time marathoner. And then as I got further into training and wasn’t trashed after 20 miles, I realized I’d be able to run 15K just fine and I signed up.

Ted is one of my favorite races (2017, 2018 recaps) and running it in his centennial year just seemed right. The giveaway was a pair of gloves, which I like. As someone who is forever losing her gloves, can never have too many.

I’m not a huge weather stalker – but found myself peering at it this week. It looked like it was going to be a downright balmy 20/30s. Sold. I didn’t get a good Flat Cari as I’m still using my stepstool as a staging post. That’s the 2017 shirt, which remains one of my favorites. It’s a vivid blue. I layered the NYC Half long-sleeve tee under it. Bottoms were my favorite LBCs, Black Winterland. It was so nice not to need all the layers. I was partially still marathon Cari with my Run NYC hat and marathon gloves.

I left between 7:45 and 8 to run to the start. I saw a message on NYRR’s Facebook Friday night that mentioned the new start. I’m glad I saw that otherwise I totally would have run to 102. This was somewhere I’ve never seen an NYRR race start so there was some zig zagging to find the start line. While I don’t like rushing-and getting a bit of pedestrian rage – it had the added benefit of not having to wait at the start and not cooling down.

Just shy of mile two, I was lapped by the eventual winner who was passing mile seven. A fellow runner and I just looked at one another and said WOW. .There really is no other reaction possible. I feel badly for the local runners who might otherwise have won without a sponsored athlete going sub 5 minute miles.

Me? I finished ahead of 400, not 4000 others. I had so much fun. I really like the new course and one amazing benefit of marathon training is that Cat Hill or the first round of Three Sisters didn’t faze me. Second set did, but that was more tired legs 11 miles in.

I didn’t look at my prior times before this week, so I really had no idea how I was running vs. prior years. I need to find the switch from long run to race, but this wasn’t really the run to figure it out. That I had enough in the tank to kick it up a notch in the final mile means I could have gone faster, but PR chasing wasn’t a goal.

As I turned onto the 72nd St. transverse for the last tenth or so, I hear someone calling me and see this maroon blur streak in. It was so good to see Amy, one of the Rogue coaches coming off their Saturday run. Was glad to find her after the finish for a hug and hello. It was short as we were both freezing when we stopped moving.

It’s pretty safe to say that Ted is one of my favorites that I’ll return to every December. It’s a nice year-end since I’ve never done the Midnight Run. I was also reminded of why I truly love the half marathon distance and I’m excited to properly train for one.

Weekly run down with Kim and Deborah:

Monday: planned missed Monday due to Winter’s Eve with two of my favorite people. Too cold & raw even to walk to the bus at 79th, so no step goal.
Tuesday: couldn’t sleep, so after trying to fall back to sleep from 4-5, I headed to the gym to kickoff half marathon training with a treadmill lactate threshold workout since it was still snowing. 3x 10m at 5.4mph and 2m recovery at 5.0.
Thursday: I at least made it to the gym for some PT before it closed.
Saturday: Ted Corbitt 15K
Sunday: 25m row; yoga and PT.

Plan for this week:

Monday: off; gala
Tuesday: run?
Wednesday: run?/fly
Thursday: run? packet pickup
Friday: off
Saturday: Delray Jingle Bell Jog
Sunday: morning walk to the beach?

March 17, 2019March 18, 2019

NYC Half Marathon: Race Week

A wardrobe miracle happened this week (no, not that I matched, although that did happen too!) I found a pair of pants that fit at the ankle. Of course they were actually meant to be capris, but that’s the story of my life. These kept me warm enough on a chilly day that I hope I have a “tights” solution for next winter. Pocketopia, I think I love you!

Super busy week, so just a quick Weekly Run Down with Kim and Deborah:

Monday: chasing an earworm is #nevermissamonday, right? I was at a coffee meeting and Maren Morris’ The Middle was on and in my head for an hour. Ooph. Somehow segued into Stay Alive from Hamilton. I love it and it is on my playlist, but I hadn’t had that on since Tuesday? No idea.

hmm, think I can rock these? Loving Museum at FIT’s anniversary show

Tuesday: been a while since I did a double workout. Plan was to run 2-3 miles before a morning meeting that featured an awesome cycling exhibit, but the snooze button won and only ~ mile and a half happened. After work I went back to the gym for the 1.5 mile balance and a decent progression: 5.5, 5.6, 5.7 and 6.0 to close. It felt good.
Wednesday: hopefully penultimate PT. As I said to Greg when I left, I’ll miss seeing him but I won’t miss needing to see him. While the hip is still an issue and I still lack in core strength, I understand what I need to do to keep the Achilles issue from recurring, I think/hope. He’s come to the conclusion I arrived at early — dead bug isn’t happening but I did the leg part. That coupled with planks and side planks left me with abs DOMS of doom until Saturday! Surprisingly, the weighted squats didn’t bother my knee or hip.

Luck of the !Irish on Sunday, but I do love ND football

Thursday: expo visit 1 in between meetings. More to come on that in race recap, but I did score this awesome, soft shirt to wear after the race. Never did figure out something green to wear Sunday. Oh well. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and I wanted one last run in before the Half despite office run group being a schedule casualty. So I stored my stuff at the Run Center (also host to an adorable Rising NYRR/Team for Kids event) and hit Central Park. Wanted to do more than the standard ~5K loop and wasn’t confident in the state of the potholed reservoir so I ran the “wrong” way around the loop, crossing over at 102nd. This had the added benefit of avoiding going up Cat HIll. There was a gorgeous sunset, but alas my phone was in the RunCenter as it would have died anyway due to 9% The Achilles felt OK on the West Side rollers and just tender after. I iced it and took Advil, but it was OK by morning. Because I haven’t run at volume, my knees were sore on stairs Friday morning but otherwise OK. I’m confident I will finish Sunday.

Tired Cari, also I really need my glasses adjusted

Friday: volunteering at the Expo. More on that next week, but I really loved the free volunteer shirt. It’s a light tech and will be perfect for summer running. Quick gym stretch and roll after before walking home (70 degrees!) via a pedi.since my nails were too long to make it through the Half. #FirstWorldGirlyProblems

Saturday: errands, Expo with Darlene when she got into town. Try to tamp down the evening impostor syndrome butterflies with some avocado toast.

Flat Cari. Yep, four pace bands. I have no idea

Sunday: race day! ~~Depending on post-race plans, this may post before I get home. I’ll update it ASAP, but I’ll likely tweet first.~~ Done! Relatively pain free and definitely happy. More to come Tuesday. ETA: Recap is posted.

Plans for the week: active recovery during crazy busy work week.

March 3, 2019March 3, 2019

Physical Therapy Week 3

This was the first running week that felt normal-ish since injury. Baby steps forward.

Before I get to this week, I had a very pleasant surprise in my inbox Friday morning: I’ve been selected a Skirt Sports Ambassador! Did not see that coming at all as my social media activity is typically way too low for any ambassadorship. But pleased to be part of a brand I’ve really come to love wearing in the last few months. My code if you don’t have your own to shop with: 47CarSSA

Joining the ranks of #SkirtAmbassador and other workout antics this week Click To Tweet

The most exciting thing on the running front this was that I wasn’t dreading runs. Not that I didn’t want to run the last couple of months-I did-but I was dreading the ankle/Achilles pain. For the first week since early December I have almost no pain at all. I have faced the reality that there isn’t going to be a long run in this training cycle, but NYC Half plan was always to have fun, so I’m not too stressed. I’m getting healthy for training.

One thing I’ve known but truly realized throughout the course of PT is how weak my core is. First step is this manageable 14 day plank challenge. One day, when I remember to pull it up at the gym.

The nuttiness of this week, which was somewhat behind Tuesday’s post is clothes volume. I swear they multiply. Last week I went three weeks without laundry, although that was aided by some laundry when down in Florida. This week I had to drop off the laundry with just one week. Hadn’t put away the three week load, and I only ran out of pajama bottoms. I look at my winter closet and probably a third to a half of my shirts are still turned the wrong way on the hanger, aka I haven’t worn them. I just don’t do solids much any more. I really, really need to purge. Poshmark here I come.

Other posts this week: yes, this was a blogging miracle week!

Linking up for the first time with #Riots and the new incarnation of the Weekly Wrap, the Weekly Run Down with Deborah and Kim.

Monday: my hip was sore from Sunday’s sneaky lunges. PT wasn’t surprised, but also worked in a couple hip flexor stretches to improve that. Gym was two miles on the LateralX, which felt strong and solid.
Tuesday: I was antsy to try the treadmill and see how the Achilles was responding to the activity that had irritated it the most. I started at 5.5 for the first mile, inched up to 5.6 for the next .75 and then closed out at 6.0. Could I have gone longer? Yes. Smart to? Probably not. No pain. Followed up with the PT exercises.
Wednesday: PT. Mostly more of the same exercises. Sneaky lunges still irritate my hip flexor a little, and he added a weight to the single leg RDLs. Coordination is not my thing, and that was definitely a challenge.

sweatin’ to the oldies? No bad pop & country

Thursday: office run group was a schedule casualty, but I really wanted to build off Tuesday to see if I could continue to run without pain. Verdict? Yep. First .25 at 5.5, then .75 at 5.6, one mile at 5.7, .75 at 5.8 and then 6.0 to close out the final .25. It felt hard, but a good hard. Note to self: investigate sweat resistant nose pads for glasses.

Friday: As I mentioned on twitter, I matched! This never happens, but I also really don’t care. I rowed 2,500M (going for 5K, hip was irritated so I stopped) and one mile on the LateralX. This felt good. Followed this up with a limited slate of the PT exercises as I was sore and tired.

Saturday: I really wanted an outdoor long run. Alas, this was my morning view. We’ve had more snow in two days of March than all winter. What happens when you want to run outside but are forced inside? A no good, very bad, can’t focus for two seconds half hour on the treadmill. I ran some, I changed speeds, I walked some. Nope. Audiobook? Nope. Podcast? Nope. I bailed at 2.5 miles and went to the elliptical where I could watch an SVU episode on my tablet. Once lost in that, I was good for three miles. So really good workout overall even if my head wasn’t in a treadmill run. I followed this up with the full slate of PT exercises with the exception of the clamshells and side steps as I didn’t have my band with me.
Sunday: ouchie! Not from the run/elliptical so much as from PT exercises. My poor hip. Plan was to run outside, now we’ll see and ~~I’ll update this later if I get out. Hoping to at least get in a walk before Mother Nature’s overnight hissy fit~~. I got out for a run/walk. Really a walk with some bits of running when I got cold and wanted to move faster. Epsom salt bath and chilling on the couch. PT tomorrow, but we have a snow day so I can come home and nap after.

Plan for the Week:

Monday: off, walk the Highline with Darlene
Tuesday: run
Wednesday: off, dinner with friends
Thursday: office run group
Friday: cross train
Saturday: off
Sunday: New Balance NYC Half Shakeout Run.

Race Calendar for 2019: finally starting to plug in some of this as my spring/summer calendar settles in. I am not going overboard like I did last June so probably won’t do Achilles.

NYC Half Marathon: March 17
NYRR Run to Breathe 4M: April 8
Italy Run 5M: June 2
Women’s Mini 10K: June 8
Front Runners’ LGBT Pride Run: June 29
TCS New York City Marathon Training Series 18M: September 15

#GoTheDist update:

It’s weird. I’m way less focused on steps especially as I’ve made sure to take some rest days in healing the Achilles, but I still end up stressing over steps. Luckily I just barely squeaked out a better month than February 2018.

409,494 steps
180.7 miles run/walked
47.45 miles run

I am off pace, but as I mentioned I’m feeling healthier & stronger

February 24, 2019February 25, 2019

Physical Therapy: Week 2 and Half Marathon Recovery

One thing I forgot to touch on in either the weekly wrap or the race recap is how much I loved the A1A Half Marathon shirt. Last year’s was cute, but the cut was infuriating and I almost never wore it because I’m forever tugging at it. This year I switched it at the expo for a large (over sizing anxiety) and it fits perfectly. Memo to shirt makers: take note from the mermaid, women have boobs.

I runfess I like to treat myself after achievements like a half marathon. Luckily through #GoTheDist I’ve learned to be more conscious of non food rewards. This week’s damage was two new skirtsport skirts. I’ve enjoyed them, but running in the Lotta Breeze for the Half was just perfection. The cut is cute but the pockets are a game changer. Also, I wore a pair of formerly leggings to PT Friday morning and time to purge what doesn’t look good on me.

Key learning in this week’s physical therapy sessions: ankle stability and balance go hand in hand. I know, DUH! But somehow this never clicked for me. My balance is generally poor – I was laughably bad when Wii Fit was a thing – but better on my left side, normally. Not so much with the whimpering Achilles, but I really love these stability/balance exercises. On the dip into heel raise from a step I really felt the calf shaking with fatigue on the third set.

Speaking of Wii Fit, I wish I still had the board for some of the heel dips and raises as standing on the stairs in my apartment building gets old.

As I work in the cultural world I’m fairly familiar with the membership upgrade offers. Buy now, get x months free; upgrade and get Y benefit. I hadn’t really looked at the NYRR ones beyond basic member until I got an upgrade offer. The cost difference is about $60 and includes a free race registration (value ~$20), but I got to thinking of all that NYRR has given me: the free programming at the RunCenter, the wonderful people I’ve met, the growth of myself as a runner. Because I can afford it, it seems the right thing to do to give back more. Added benefit: it opened up a volunteer opportunity for the NYC Half Expo so I can unlock 9+1 in case I want to do the Marathon again in 2020.

Currently reading: Phil Hewitt’s Outrunning the Demons, barely in time for Runners’ Bookshelf’s February choice. I enjoyed Meb for Mortals and seem to be on a bit of a running kick. That’s helped by the fact that they were pretty much the only books I downloaded to my new Kindle last week.

Also this week: I posted my recap of the A1A Fort Lauderdale Half.

Weekly Wrap: with Wendy and Holly. That this is the last weekly wrap makes me sad. I’ve only done it less than a year. I met some of you who were Cherry Blossom 10M ambassadors when you found my recap, and after Wendy and I met in Runners’ Bookshelf she coaxed me into linking up since I posted my own wraps anyway. I finally joined, and I’m so glad I did. I’ll check out #RIOTS, the new linkup Wendy mentioned and will try to be better about posting in rather than just reading the weekday linkups.

Monday: I felt pretty good after the Half, thanks to the swim. Mom and I had some errands to do and I wanted to dip my toe in the ocean for it to be an official Florida visit so we walked to the beach. I felt it in my achilles on the bridge over the intracoastal and by the time we got back to the condo I felt I should ice it. One of the best goodies in the expo bag was a hot/ice pack from Cleveland Clinic. It’s perfect. Overall, felt good and didn’t stiffen too much on flight home.
Tuesday: I was off work and took advantage of that with a weekday outdoor run. Yay. The shakeout felt really good and I wasn’t sore at all. I could have gone longer but decided it wasn’t smart to push it if I really want to pull off two long runs ahead of the NYC Half. I decided a much needed mani/pedi was more interesting than steps and didn’t even get my step goal. Funny how much I’m commute dependent on that.
Wednesday: hi, winter. So glad I ran outside yesterday because it’s a slip and slide now. 5K row after work. PT in the morning and he was impressed at how my Achilles handled the half marathon but found some huge knots in my calf. I can understand why runners often have massages. Besides the existing, he added:
- side steps on toes
- Single leg RDLs
- “sneaky” lunges on toes. This one was a challenge, I don’t have lunge flexibility
Thursday: return of the office run group which in my head just sounded like Eminem’s Slim Shady. Why I thought of that song, who knows?! Our usual lap in quite good time even accounting for a slower mile two on account of the reservoir transverse being a dark, muddy, potholed mess. My achilles felt good as was my breathing through this winter cold.
Friday: thrilled to wake up and do my morning commute with absolutely no pain from Thursday night’s run. First in a couple of months. I got a good number of steps in, but took a rest day from the gym because I’m fighting a cold and needed some down time. PT again in the morning. Mine had one of the assistants helping and the assistant asked if I ever did a “single leg RDL” I said I had no idea what that was, but to show me. I had the prior Wednesday, but I don’t quite speak PT acronyms. Those are fun, save for my lack of balance. Added today:
- Side plank clamshells. Oh those are evil but I kind of loved it
- Single leg heel drops on a leg press machine.
- This really complicated one where I bent the plant knee, slid the other foot out to the side and then behind me in a kind of curtsy. It took me about two sets to figure this one out. I’m not sure which is worse, my coordination or my balance.
Saturday: complete rest day beyond PT exercises and errands, want to kick this cold to the curb. Could I have run or hit the gym? Absolutely, it’s not a bad cold. But don’t want it to linger. and yes, now do you have to let it linger is an earworm. And then I spotted this Sarah Marie shirt in an eblast. That might have to happen one day. Funny of the day: I was frantically trying to find a charger for my vacuum before my cleaning guy came. I told him there might be an issue. Not to worry, he was coming from another job where the client didn’t own a vacuum (how?!) and he had his on him.
PT with a view

kinda like I’m channeling Kim. Did someone say heel drops?

Sunday: I wanted to be outside. The weather was overcast but better than forecast. The vague plan was a long run, but I knew that wasn’t happening pretty quickly. I don’t like spitting. I don’t mind it at all when others do it courteously, but I hate the feeling in my throat. What’s one of the side effects of a cold? Crap in the back of your throat that you choke on and… you see where this is going. So I decided to go about a mile and then do my PT laps there. Stretches are fine in my apartment, lunges and side steps not so much. I then jogged back to the stairs for some scenic heel drops. Now time for some quality time with a book and a bath.

Plan for the week:

Monday: PT and cross train after work
Tuesday: run
Wednesday: last? PT or find out whether insurance approves more. Off, after work event
Thursday: office run group
Friday: crosstrain
Saturday/Sunday: long run depending on weather.

February 17, 2019February 19, 2019

Physical Therapy: Week 1

I made a rookie mistake when scheduling my 7/7:30 AM PT sessions. I’ve done early dentist appointments, I can do this, I thought. Crucial difference? At the dentist you don’t have to, really can’t, talk. At PT, you’re supposed to. Note to self: coffee before PT.

I really like the staff in this PT center. They’re attentive, but also listen. They’re also not just treating the tendonitis, but working on the weaknesses that led to it. Trying to maintain the arch in my foot by making those muscles work may well be the death of me, but I’m loving the challenge. I also think the exercises will be helpful to me long term as I sometimes don’t know where to start.

Although I still haven’t made it to a Team MHRC workout, I love the group’s emails. In this week’s is this writeup of the new-new NYC Half course. No Central Park hills makes me very happy, a start in the middle of Prospect Park less so. That’s going to make getting to the start a fun adventure. Yeah, I’m thinking about the NYC Half when I haven’t survived Ft. Lauderdale yet.

Speaking of Lauderdale, the plan as blessed by my PT on Wednesday, is run if I can and walk if I can’t. That works for me. By the time this posts (if scheduled works), I’ll have finished it.

Weekly Wrap with Wendy and Holly:

Monday: PT to start. Besides the stretches from last week, PT added
- Stability board
- Arch curls
- Single leg dips
- Side steps with a band (ouch, my glutes!)
- Clamshells
  25M on the bike at the gym later as my achilles was pretty tender and there were no rowers available.

Tuesday: lots of steps despite the snow. PT exercises but no formal exercise due to a book signing after work. I haven’t read COZY yet, but I have read her others. If you’re interested in a new way of seeing the world, the book is probably up your alley. I’m very curious to see how jury duty can be cozy! I have a new Kindle which works with Audible, ~~so I might have learned about this on the plane by the time this is published~~. Nope, I slept on the plane instead. Maybe on the way back.
Wednesday: PT. He videoed me running and it’s just so weird to see, especially in slow motion. He commented that I’m mostly a flat foot striker, my feet slightly flare out but that there isn’t anything in my gait that impacts the achilles. Yay. Beyond the above exercises he added:
- Laps of heel & toe walking
- Hip “crunches”. I actually don’t know what to call these. Basically lean up against a foam roller against the wall and move it up and down using my hip motion.

While some of this is driven by the fact that I’ve been running less, I love that the pain is much better and I am optimistic that these exercises will spell a better running future. After an after work event I squeaked in a quick mile and a half at the gym. I usually can’t run after events because I can’t run so soon after eating. Wanting to run is also a good moderation strategy. Also, was curious to see how legs would “work” after pummeling of PT. They were tender, but distance was constrained by gym closing time, not legs’ ability.

Thursday: unplanned off day. Office run group postponed due to schedules and a friend suggested dinner. Haven’t properly caught up with her since September.

Friday: travel day. Hoped to run after the expo, but the traffic from Fort Lauderdale up to Delray meant we barely got in on time for dinner. The expo was fun, and I acquired some new toys including new bib clips, a suitcase-sized Stick (finally!) and citrus flavored chews since I dare not try the gels in the humidity again. More on the expo if I recap the race Tuesday. PT stretches were wonderful to stretch from plane.

Gordon from Loggerhead Marine Life Center

Saturday: a quick shakeout to (try) to acclimate to the heat & humidity before exploring the surrounds including this amazing loggerhead rescue center in Juno Beach. Lots of car time to rest the feet, but also some good walking to de-stiffen from the plane. Some of that was seeking new shorts (I know, I know, nothing new on race day) because I worried black capris would be too warm. Currently undecided on what I’m wearing. We shall see.
Sunday: race day! 6 AM start. I don’t think they have a runner tracker system, but I’ll update twitter or instagram. Plan is to run smart, between the achilles and the heat. ETA: Done! Course PR, I think. I can’t find last year’s results since Garmin & Strava currently not on speaking terms. ETA 2: recap is up.

Week’s plans: active recovery, PT on Wednesday and Friday.

February 10, 2019

Physical Therapy: Week 0

John Mayer or Queen both have appropriate lyrics

Runfession: I’ve been much more worried about my Achilles than I’ve let on, especially when I started to feel some thickening. I made the decision that I’d go see a doctor after the Half, and that day finally came this past Monday. The reason for my concern? While it wasn’t getting worse, it also wasn’t getting better. I first felt the strain when I was in Florida and blamed it on two 15Ks in four days, but it didn’t make sense as my Florida route was pancake flat.

Cari's adventures with physical therapy Click To Tweet

Luckily I work in a large-ish office with many of us on the same insurance plan, so finding a podiatrist was a fairly smooth process. I was able to get in the same day and she was amazing. She listened to my symptoms, did an exam and x-rays and confirmed what I’d been thinking: achilles tendonosis. Course of treatment? Physical therapy to improve my ankle strength and break up the scar tissue. Their office had in-house PT, but not one that I was in network for, but I had a quick referral to one who was able to see me Tuesday.

You know those words that stick with you because their name makes them so memorable? Dactylography, Triskaidekaphobia. Dorsiflexion.

The latter joined that collection when I met with the PT team who said that, among other things, I have limited dorsiflexion in my ankle. Sounds like I should spot a dorsal fin and be a dolphin! Things I learned from one day’s session:

My 2019 goal of not getting injured is intact – I was already injured! Boo. From their initial assessment, my bouts with plantar fasciitis are connected with this achilles injury, both stemming from my flat as a pancake feet.
On the plus side, I don’t need to stop running or change my plans to run any of the 2019 races I have planned.
There’s an app for that. PT in 2019 is much better than 1997 and 2008 (both for my knee) where I had bad xeroxes of the home exercises. The app with my daily exercises includes a video that demonstrates them too.
When the PT is using some tool on the achilles itself that you can’t see since you’re on your stomach and facing away, it crunches and feels a little like a pizza cutter

(as an aside, WordPress’ spell check is the worst. Those three words may kill it)

I see PT like I did Invisalign — it’s very different when you’re paying for it as an adult. I have been very good about wearing my retainer and will be compliant with my PT. The top photo is actually a resistance tube from the gym, but they gave me my own strap so I have no excuses. It’s too early to tell, of course, but I like the stretches and am optimistic.

My appointments over the next three weeks are at 7 or 7:30 AM. When I (hopefully) graduate from PT the plan is to keep getting up that early and either go for a run, or get to the gym.

Weekly Wrap with Wendy and ~~Holly~~ Michelle after a slightly worried DM to Wendy about whether this recap was running enough for the Wrap:

Monday: 5K row between podiatrist and Monday Night Magic. Such a fun show, and dinner was Pommes Frites. How can you go wrong with any of that?
Tuesday: beautiful day, nearly 60 in NYC. I had my first PT session and then headed to the gym for a short elliptical session before walking home. Can’t skip a gorgeous weather interlude when snow is on the horizon.
Wednesday: off. Did not even get step goal. Not achilles related, more at work until 8 PM related.

Thursday: office run group didn’t happen due to schedules. I thought we were happening so only brought outdoor pants (tights) which were more than a little warm in the gym. The shoes look white, but they’re more an ice blue with a coral/pink accent. This was only a short run as I didn’t want to push the Achilles-treadmill bothers it more. Shoes feel good and I’m antsy to take them out for a longer run once I know they’re a good option.

so this is why I’ll never be a home owner?

matching for cross training, apparently illegal

Friday: I’m not technically a millennial, but the avocado toast/real estate thing always makes me laugh. Love me some good avocado toast but rarely get it for lunch. I’m back on MealPal for February and it popped up today at ‘Tisserie. So good! After work, headed to the gym for a 5K row and my PT stretches. It’s too soon to have any real impact, but I love feeling the stretches in my calves. Another lovely feeling this week-I don’t “need” to go to the gym. I filed for the reimbursement and the next six month window doesn’t start until March 1, but I wanted to go. It feels weird not to go on days like Wednesday. That said, next week is crazy and I’m going to miss it more than I make it.

Saturday: I wanted to run. I did not want to run outside with a wind chill of 20 when I had not prepaid and didn’t have to. But I wanted to run. Oh the arguments with ourselves. So I layered up and headed to the gym where I could give the new shoes another go and try out my new Lotta Breeze capris. They are definitely my favorite capri model. Best thing? No pain and went just a little longer than Thursday. Followed it with a short row and long stretch followed by some well bundled errands.

Sunday: it was marginally warmer (less wind) and I really wanted to go outside. After a l-a-a-z-y morning with my book & coffee, I headed out to do some errands via the long way around. Shoes are definitely a keeper and legs felt good, although that was assisted by a conscious decision to avoid the hills. Still feel good after two days in a row, and cautiously optimistic for the Half. Hardest part was errands after in running clothes. Brrr

Plan for the week:

Monday: PT; crosstrain as I’m not running three days in a row
Tuesday: off, book signing after work
Wednesday: gym following after work event. Run or crosstrain TBD
Thursday: office run group?
Friday: fly to Florida; shakeout?
Saturday: short run to beach?
Sunday: Fort Lauderdale Half

February 3, 2019February 3, 2019

from Fred Lebow to Penguins and Football

oh my!

I runfess that I have not figured out how to blog from my phone, so this is a two-week Wrap since I spent the interim weekend driving with mom down to Florida. I had the best laid plans of crashing a post quickly on Monday, but I got home late and yeah, not going to happen

I don’t have email on my phone, so trying hard to play catch up on what I missed in Runfessions, Tuesday Topics, Coffee Date and Weekly Wrap. But disconnecting can be wonderful. I didn’t post too much while we drove, but it was great to finally see Richmond even though the museum we wanted to visit was closed.

Not having email on my personal phone was a decision I made when I got the new phone in March and I don’t regret it at all. Really what personal email isn’t spam these days? Does anyone still use email as a primary means of communication outside of work? That’s crazy to think of, but we’ve swung back from give me your number to give me your email to give me your number to text. I just finished Isabel Gillies’ A Year and Six Seconds (loved it!) and one point she made when a friend offered to set her up on a date post-divorce was that there was no email when she dated her first husband. Crazy!

Back on topic…

I had no idea there was a Five Boroughs series patch. So cool. Used to love collecting these when I was backpacking. Want to think of somewhere more exciting to put this than my corkboard. It’s tempting me to do 4/6 again, but I really don’t think it’s on tap for this year since I’m out of town for Brooklyn and not sure I want to do Queens again. We’ll see.

I actually eased way off on running after the Half as I said I would to try and get Achilles/calf resolved. I really don’t want it to linger. Luckily this seems to be helping although I was worried about my back to back races which I scheduled before this flared. All the cross training this last month reminded me that I miss rowing, and do like the Lateral, which were both pleasant surprises.

what was that old Doublemint ad? Double the fun? Weekly wrap with Wendy and ~~Holly~~ Amy:

Week of January 21

Monday: stairs were OK and Achilles wasn’t terrible, although swollen, so I went to the gym for a good stretch,roll and short cross train. Never miss a Monday is hard post-Half! Epsom salt bath when home.
Tuesday: feeling better. 5K row, long stretch, roll, epsom salt bath and ice.
Wednesday: off. Late night at the office and legs needed a day off.
Thursday: no office run group due to schedules and I wanted a short test of my leg so I did the lower loop of Central Park. Slightly annoying, but not so I’d call it pain. Iced well after.
Friday: leg one of the aforementioned drive to Florida. Overnight in Florence, SC and we didn’t get in until nearly 11PM so although I scoped out the fitness center, I did not do anything but fall into bed.
Saturday: leg two. Hotel treadmill was weird so after a half mile, I switched to the elliptical for 20m before the drive from Florence to Delray. I would be AOK never seeing I-95 again.
Sunday: I wanted to run to the beach. Mother Nature brought the beach to land with heavy rains so managed just a short run between thunder storms

Week of January 28

Monday: ran to the beach and back. Just a shakeout and longest test of my leg. It definitely stiffened up on the flight home, and iced it well that evening. This never miss a Monday was beautiful!
Tuesday: was feeling three days in a row on the achilles so went for long stretch and roll and some kettlebell work.
Wednesday: ankle was feeling good, and we closed early for the snow squalls/Polar Vortex so I made time for a 5K LateralX. That is hard. And long. It’s almost 20m longer than a 5K run. As I said, the last thing I wanted to do was ice my ankle when I got home, but knew it was the smart thing. I’d also argue I was continually icing it by walking around in this weather.
Thursday: ankle felt pretty good after the long LateralX. I wanted an off day Friday ahead of two days running so I biked 45m. Also, I wanted to finish a book. #Priorities
Friday: off, sneaker shopping. While I’m pretty confident the issue was my prior pair of Vongo 2s running out of miles early, I still needed an actual solution as New Balance no longer makes the Vongo 2s and the 3s are just too wide. I went to JackRabbit and let them play. We had some trial and error, and amusingly I came home with the 860s which I’m ~~pretty sure~~ ETA: (YEP!) are the ones the clerk had me try too when I first landed on the Vongo 2s. Apparently the new model of these retained the good of the V2. Going to try them next week when I hopefully get back to some treadmill runs.

Saturday: Frozen Penguin 10K. My beloved first race moved to February and offered a 10K this year. It was frozen, as was my phone so no photos of the iced path and icebergs in the Hudson. I treated it as a fun run to see how my ankle was two weeks post Half, and I had a blast. I’ll recap this Tuesday. My only goal was not finishing last, and I didn’t. Small races are nice, but harder to get lost in a huge pack.

Sunday: speaking of a huge pack, 5,107 of my closest personal friends and I ran Central Park this morning. What a gorgeous day. Finishing without achilles crying was the goal. Done, and I even ran Cat HIll. More on Tuesday.

Plan for the Week:

Monday: I might miss this one. Depends, I have 8p theater tix so might get to gym before for a stretch.
Tuesday: run or cross
Wednesday: cross or short run
Thursday: office run group
Friday: off or cross
Saturday/Sunday: running one of the two, not sure which yet.

GoTheDist January:

423,595 steps
189.47 miles run/walked
51.09 miles run

Behind, but smartly letting ankle heal vs. pushing. I’m OK with this

Gym visits: 14 in January (so much stretching, cross training), 52 for September-February cycle. Wow, I don’t miss having to sweat out 50. Time to file for reimbursement.

December 30, 2018January 1, 2019

Socks, Lights and bands oh my!

I am a fun socks person, so that’s a given from Santa (and the ish part of running-ish) so they were a nice complement to running socks, an Angelrox band and a SlapLit bracelet. I can’t be the only 80s child who adores these for nostalgia, can I?

Coffee is kind of like a running gift, right? Santa good to everyone?

Also posted this week: 2019 Goals. Still to come, 2018 wrap. Hoping to get some more miles in tomorrow, plus I’m not at my computer. In the mean time, weekly wrap with Wendy and Holly:

Monday: got in a quick couple of miles between work and heading out of town for Christmas Eve dinner.
Tuesday: off, prepping for dinner for 21. We’re not a religious family, but Christmas dinner/giftmas is A Thing. I got in some minimal steps going up and down the stairs and chasing my niece and nephew, but no real exercise.
Wednesday: I woke up with enough time to run which was good because mom made baked french toast and I needed some exercise to undo with that amazing and worth every bite breakfast. My knee was a little tender after Monday’s run, but glad to see it wasn’t an issue Wednesday.

getting a hang of Garmin shots. Matching? Not so much

Thursday: a much needed lazy day. When I finally went out, I was rewarded with a beautiful reflected sunset. I decided to wrap my knee as it felt tender, but luckily wasn’t an issue while running. I decided to be smart and call it a run before the ferry stairs as that seemed to be pressing things a bit much. I have enough stairs in my apartment, TYVM. Love running outdoors in December.
Friday: late start, so cross train plan turned into gym stretch and roll.
Saturday: finally, my beloved Rockland Lake which I hadn’t run properly since last November. Just as beautiful even with the leaves off. Plan was 1-3 laps depending on how knee/achilles felt. End result was two, for ~10K. Felt good and stretched hard after.

Sunday: off. Wedding-ing. Barely any steps.

Spring 2019 Half Marathon Training Mileage: 61.37

Plan for the week:

Monday: Mom miles?
Tuesday: midnight run or other run
Wednesday: back to work. Cross train or off?
Thursday: office run group
Friday: run or off
Saturday: off, Albany
Sunday: long run to celebrate my two-year running anniversary

December 16, 2018December 17, 2018

It’s better at the beach

No Lifeguard on Duty. Nice metaphor for life

OK, that’s running vs. poolside lounging, but the principle applies. Florida is good for the soul all around.

The reason I return to Fort Lauderdale each year is because it’s a place I can completely unwind and disconnect. The only decisions required are which book, beach or pool and within this last two years, where do I want to run? Life is good down there. Five+ books done, which I was happy with. I feel restored.

Where better to run in December than along the Atlantic Ocean? #RunTheYear Click To Tweet

Weekly Wrap with Wendy and Holly:

Monday: I had a really early wakeup (3 AM), so after cat napping by the pool for a few hours I went for a sunset shakeout along the water. The early part of the week wasn’t typical Florida weather, and the run was just perfect.

Tuesday: speaking of perfect weather, Tuesday morning dawned “Florida crisp” in the 50s and I decided to move my long run here. I explored Hugh Taylor Birch State Park which I hated during the Fort Lauderdale Half and was curious to see through different eyes. I did a couple of laps of this beautiful oasis and picked up mileage running to Walgreens. to again stock up on water. The best thing about this park is $2 admission and a gorgeous ~2m loop so it’s perfect escape if you don’t want to run alongside traffic on A1A. To me beach/nature loop is toss up and both have their pluses. Total mileage, a bit more than nine, most of it gorgeous. A1A up by Walgreens is just deadly boring as it’s relatively inland.

Wednesday: planned off day. I walked to Publix for a Florida essential which I read while finishing book 100 on the year. I definitely crowd sourced that decision before landing on The Way of the Runner, which Liz sent me this time last year after she read it. As I said to someone, it wasn’t the perfect book but was the perfect choice for my 100th book. I really should tabulate how many running books I’ve read.

Thursday: I was excited for the Funky Run Run, which I discovered last visit. I was curious whether my time would have improved. It might have, had Florida weather not returned and my achilles not said hello. It’s not an injury, it was just saying hello and reminding me that 9 miles so soon after Saturday’s 15K probably wasn’t smart, so I eased up. It was still a fun, scenic evening. Later, I was pleased to spot myself in someone’s photo as we waited. Yellow buff for the win! After happy hour I spent a good 30m rolling my legs.
Friday: semi-planned off day, but also babying the achilles slightly. It felt mostly good except for a twinge when I walked to Running Wild (drawbridge incline on Sunrise) to pick up the shirt above. Cracks me up that they’re selling a long sleeved one, but Tuesday morning you could definitely ID the locals vs. the snowbirds by the layers. I’m happy to have a long sleeved version of this shirt as no winter ones are great visibility. Also happy to shop local and buy a light as I realized running along the water that the people with one were way more visible than I was. Looking forward to using the light.
Saturday: travel/off day for achilles.

Sunday: welcome home. On the plus side, at least it isn’t snow gear. Was an icy headwind and I just wanted to do a light shakeout as I didn’t have time to go to the gym. Took it easy, left the watch home and achilles felt good.

Spring Half Marathon Training MIleage: 36.77

Plan for the Week:

Monday: gym or cross train depending on achilles. Don’t want to go into Half injured so willing to do LateralX if better
Tuesday: office holiday party
Wednesday: run or cross train
Thursday: run
Friday: off
Saturday/Sunday: TBC based on holiday plans

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